One of many stories

Chapter 31

The couple decided to be as spontaneous as possible that day. It was a nice feeling to never know what would happen next. It kept them both on their toes and it certainly didn't bore them. They decided to eat at the ugliest and not welcoming restaurant they could find, just for the experience. Instead of getting served the disgusting pizza they were expecting, they were served the best one they had ever had. It all tasted magnificent and they left a big tip, making the owner of the restaurant come out and hug them both five times before leaving. They sure hadn't had customers for a while and made sure to treat the couple with the best service possible. Natasha handed he owners daughter the bouquet of flowers they had received earlier that day and the little girl giggled while accepting the flowers happily. Natasha smiled as the girl reminded her of Lila. Natasha and Steve agreed on getting back to the restaurant before heading back home. The owner smiled happily and wished them a good night. The sunset was long over and a comfortable darkness laid over Venice. The streets were lit up by lights, making the sight extremely beautiful. Suddenly, out of nowhere, rain started to pour down. Steve and Natasha ran down the small streets near the almost abounded restaurant for some shelter. They found an old, dark building and stood pressed to the wall, trying to keep the rain away. Natasha took the opportunity to hug Steve tightly and embraced him the best she could. Steve smiled and wrapped an arm around her. All the people vanished from the streets and lights were turned of in some of the houses. It was as if they were the only ones left on the streets of Venice.

The rain kept pouring down and Natasha had had enough of this waiting for it to end. She left Steve's embrace and walked a few steps away from him. Her hair and clothes got soaking wet just after spending a few seconds in the rain. "I read somewhere.." Natasha began as she suddenly dragged of her dress she had chosen for that day. "That waiting for the storm to pass is a waste of time.." She added as she took of her bra. "When you can dance in the rain." She continued as she threw her panties at him. "Natasha what are you doing?" Steve said, chuckling nervously as his eyes got fixed on her body. "We are skinny dipping!" Natasha said, almost laughing out the words. "But what if someone sees us?" Steve laughed, getting more nervous by the minute. "Then we'll give them a show of a lifetime." Natasha said but Steve still hesitated. Natasha sighed a bit and raised one eyebrow as she stared at him. "Do I really have to call Captain America a coward?" Natasha asked with her hands on her waist, giving him a smirk. "I'm not Captain America tonight." Steve said seriously and Natasha stared into his eyes. "Then who are you?" She asked and he gave her a smile before dragging off his clothes and running up to a surprised Natasha, embracing her. "I'm yours." He said, kissing her lips before pulling her with him into the water. Both of them gasped after air as they reached the surface again, laughing so loudly they were afraid to get caught. Natasha clenched to Steve, giving him a long kiss between their laughs. Steve wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly pressed to him while he felt her laugh echo in his heart.

The water was very cold and as the rain poured down on their heads as well, it became hard to stay warm. Natasha pressed herself towards Steve's chest that was still quite warm. To her, it felt like her own body was turning blue by the cold water. Steve kissed her once again before glancing up on the sidewalks to make sure no one was there. He then grabbed Natasha by the hand and they ran up towards their clothes as quickly as they could. Putting them on was a lot harder than taking them off and the whole thing felt uncomfortable. The water made Natasha's dress press tightly to her body, making her swear a bit in Russian while Steve was very satisfied with the way the dress fit her. After a while of struggling and still having that boost of adrenaline in their bodies, they got their clothes on and began running back to their hotel. The rain was still pouring down but they barley noticed it. Steve glanced at Natasha who was laughing hard beside him as they ran on the small sidewalks. His whole body hurt. Not of pain but of joy and love. Seeing her like this was beyond his control. It was such a happy moment. His heart pounded hard in his chest and the boost of adrenaline was pure joy and happiness. Natasha ran fast, keeping up with Steve. The cold rain hit her face and she felt her lips turning blue but she didn't care. She had a hard time breathing because of their speed but also because of how much she laughed. She didn't care though. She could hardly breath but she had never felt more alive.

They reached the hotel quicker than they expected. It wasn't until they stopped outside the door and Natasha realised how heavy she breathed that they understood that they must have broken the world record of running on Venice's small streets. Their laughs was still close by as they tried to calm down. Steve realised how cold Natasha was and embraced her in a quick but warm hug before they walked into the lobby, soaking wet. The woman behind the desk raised her eyebrows in a surprised expression and opened her mouth a bit.
"It's raining." Steve said with and innocent smile and she nodded. "Yes, it sure is. But it looks like you two fell into the water or something." She said, making Natasha smirk as Steve choked on a chuckle. When they were handed their key, they hurried up in their room. Steve dragged of his wet shirt and then quickly turned to Natasha. He grabbed her dress and dragged it of her body. She smiled surprised as he got a blanket and wrapped her inside it before he continued to undress himself and hang up their clothes in the bathroom. When Steve came out of the bathroom, Natasha sat on the bed. Her body was almost shaking from the cold but her small laughs made it hard to be sure. "I'm cold, come here." She said and opened up the blanket. They laid down on the bed, face to face, both of them wrapped inside the blanket. They looked at each other for a while, still half laughing, half smiling. They found some sort of comfort in each other's eyes. While staring into each other's eyes, everything became easier. It was easier to breath. It was easier to forget all the pain. It was easier to remember all the joy. It was easier to just be. To just be right there, in that moment, together.

After a few minutes, Natasha dragged herself closer to his chest. She was still a bit cold and he was still a bit warm. Steve smiled, thinking she wanted to cuddle and wrapped his arm around her when she suddenly pushed him down on his back and began kissing his chest. Steve chuckled surprised but wanted to hold her close, not get small kisses on his chest. "No no. I want to hold you." He said grabbing Natasha by the arms but she refused to lay down. She smiled down at him instead. "I'm still really cold." She said, continuing to kiss his chest and up to his neck. "Right, then let me hold you until you get warm." Steve said but Natasha smirked at him. "I know a much quicker way for us both to get warm, real quick." She whispered in his ear. The offer was tempting and Steve thought it over carefully before grabbing her arms and dragging her down beside him. He quickly wrapped his arms around her so she wouldn't run away and began kissing her neck. "Oh come one, Steve." Natasha mumbled, making Steve press her even closer to him. He shushed her slightly and buried his face into her neck. Natasha could feel his warm breaths against her skin and his warm body pressed close to hers. She sighed a bit at the wonderful feeling. Natasha was a bit surprised and confused though. No man had ever turned down the offer to have sex with her. But Steve did. Why? To hold her? To just keep her near?She knew he loved her, but it wasn't until that moment that she realised that he really loved her. All that she is and was. She felt her eyes tear up a bit but refused to let out any tears. Instead, she grabbed Steve's arm and made him hold her closer as they laid still, breathing slowly. Steve smiled, wishing they could stay like this for a very good while.