Broken Hearts Club

Chapter 16

It's a bit of a surprise when Steve told her there's more for her to come, even the lunch he arranged needed much time of preparation, she wondered what more did he prepared for her. Just the thought of him preparing such beautiful stuff for her made her smile in the feeling of being cared of, of being respected, of being loved?

Off they went, speeding on the roads outwards the city, where the air is breezier on top of the hills, where skyscrapers can be seen in the end of the horizon.

"Where are we going?" she asked, but from the look on his face she knew she wasn't getting an answer to that question.

Steve pulled over beside a narrow concrete pathway between rows of trees where autumn has touched its leaves and turned it brown. He opened her door and reached out his arms toward her, taking her hand and helping her out, leading her through the pathway which ends where a checkered picnic mat with all picnic-y stuff on top of it.

"I'm guessing courtesy of Stark again?" she asked him.

"Not this one," he said.

"Public space?"

"Private property," he said and she turned to look at him, her expression somewhere between 'I'm amazed' and 'I'm not surprised'.

"Of yours?" and he winked at her.

"... and people thought Steve Rogers was not cocky," she mumbled teasingly.

"You still like me anyway," he smirked at her.

Steve led her onto the mat and she struggled to sit on a lady like manner considering her tight skirts restricting her movements. Steve chuckled as she struggled, earning a smack on his arms, "did your mom taught you to laugh on a girl?" she teased him slightly annoyed.

The November breeze was impossibly colder, "picnic on a November? Not a great idea, Steve," she remarked as she was visibly shivering although she tried hard to hide it. Thankfully, Steve went back to his car and returned with two brown fluffy blankets and thankfully, Steve's got a bottle of wine stashed in the picnic basket. She strongly hoped at least they'll warm her up a bit, considerably she's underdressed for the weather.

They sat there, watching as the sun came closer to meeting the horizon and the sky was a color of saturated orange, sharing the sandwiches Steve made and toasted their glass of wine for her birthday. Then they sat there in the silence, but somehow it was nowhere near awkward, it's soothing her. The chilly wind blew across her face, her red hair tousled and running over her face. She snuggled closer to him still wrapped in the blanket and he happily put his arms around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him so he could bury his nose in her hair inhaling the subtle soft smell of her shampoo.

Soon when the sky grew darker and the only light from the sound gets dimmer and dimmer, the wind even breezier, Steve whispered to her that it's probably best for them to get going now. He took her hand in his and led her back to his car and she was still slightly shivering and it made him somewhat guilty for bringing her there.

Back in her building where the air was thankfully warmer she smiled at him brightly as she recalled all the wonderful things he had done for her, "thank you," she said and was about to kiss his cheeks for a goodbye when he pulled away.

"Uhm, actually I uhm wanna accompany you back up, yeah," he said somewhat nervously as he fidgeted and trying to smooth the invisible tousles on his blonde hair. Natasha knew he wasn't acting normally at the moment and she was suspicious of him.

"Oookayy," she decided to play along with him.

Right when she opened her door to her apartment, the lights clicked on and she heard "SURPRISE!" and confetti bursted on top of her. A huge 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY' banner hung across the room and balloons were everywhere. Her friends were there, Tony, Peter, Pepper and a couple of her other friends. Wanda being present within her group of friends gives it all away that this was another one of Steve's plan. Everybody crowded her to give her their wishes and she was smiling so wide she felt tears on the edge of her eyes never had she been so happy surrounded by people she truly cared for.