The Empty Space Next to Me

Chapter 3

Steve goes back inside the house, feeling dazed, almost staggering. He holds onto the door frame in a sudden surge of finding solid bearings.

He is struck, punched in the guts, by the realization he might have lost Natasha. He wonders if she will ever remember who she is — if the magic of the Stone will ever allow it. But this is nothing compared to the other problematic that she does not want to remember. How can he bring her back if she refuses to go with him? He does not stand a chance if the reasons for her to stay outweigh the reasons for her to leave.

That man could be one of them.

Maybe she has found love.

How do you walk away from love to an unknown, seemingly daunting past?

Maybe he has lost her again. For good.

His mind clouded with all these thoughts assaulting him restlessly, Eliza calls his name from the living room.

"Is Katherine back?" she asks.

He tries to regain composure and walks into the room.

"I've just seen her go with...her friend, I think."

Eliza deciphers the meaning of 'friend'.

"Oh, yes. His name's Jake. He's a good guy," she comments casually. "You might see him around a lot."

Great.

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They arrive back in the house about an hour later. Steve turns to look over his shoulder. Jake is walking slightly behind her, grasping the tips of her fingers as her arm hangs slightly behind her back.

"Eliza, I brought you these. I know how much you love them," he exclaims as he holds up a bunch of wildflowers.

The woman smiles. "Aren't you a charm, Donovan? I see you're eager to win the heart of all the residents of this household."

"Just trying to play it smart," he shrugs with a teasing smile as he hands them over to her.

His body then pivots toward the stranger in the room. Katherine eyes him with a slightly worried expression, Steve can feel. He stands up.

Jake has dark brown hair with faint green eyes. He has a stubble which conceals the outline of his oblong face. His hair is muffled and slightly curly at the ends. He is wearing a casual checked shirt which hangs loosely over his blue jeans. He overall has a scruffy but charming look which blends with their surroundings.

"Steve," he says, holding out his hand.

"Jake," the other answers, mirroring him.

They shake hands in a cordial manner but firm, slightly tainted with an unconscious demonstration of strength.

Jake is everything Katherine could want — he can see it so vividly it's almost blinding. A simple man leading a simple and world-in-danger trouble free kind of life.

He is the soldier who cannot live without a war, and perhaps this suited Natasha Romanoff's lifestyle. But Katherine finds peace alongside a fellow countryman.

Jake is the better choice. He is the obvious choice.

He, though, has already lost.

"Steve is our guest," Eliza says as she replaces the flowers in the vase. "It's his first time in Louisiana."

Jake smiles. "Well, I hope you enjoy your stay. It doesn't look like it at first but it's a place you grow to love."

Steve answers with a fixed grin.