#minim236

You and Natasha decided to meet up and grab a cup of coffee to catch up with each other, mostly so Natasha could find out the details on you and Steve. Unfortunately, there hadn’t been any good details worth sharing.  It had been a couple of weeks since you heard or talked to Steve and you found yourself wanting to spend time with him even more than you did before. If that was even possible at this point.

“So, how are you and Steve doing?” Natasha asked as she took a sip of her coffee.

“Decent I guess,” You shrugged your shoulders, stirring your straw around your cup. “We haven’t exactly gone out on any actual dates if that’s what you’re asking. Unless you count the one you tricked me and Steve into going on.”

“Am I gonna have to set you two up again?”

“Please don’t.”

“What’s keeping you from asking him out?” Natasha asked.

“Well, you told me that he just came back from a mission a few days ago, right? He’s probably trying to recuperate from that.” You countered.

“I’m sure he’d love to hear from you.” Natasha shot you a playful smile.

“C’mon, be serious.” You brushed off her comment with a wave of your hand. “Steve barely knows me.”

“I am being serious.” Natasha gave you a pointed look. “That’s what dates are for. The point is to get to know the other person and find out if you’re compatible.”

“If I ask him out will you stop bugging me about it?”

“Depends on when you’re asking him.”

“You’re killin’ me, Nat!”

It was a warm Sunday afternoon and you were spending it inside your apartment doing laundry. You rocked her hips to the beat of the music that blared from your stereo in the living room as you folded a pair of socks and tossed them in your laundry basket.

“Do I ever cross your mind, anytime?” You sang along to Brian McKnight’s Anytime.

You looked up from your laundry basket upon hearing the ring of the doorbell over the music.

“Oh, must be my Postmates.” You smiled, feeling your stomach growl at the thought of your delicious take-out food that you ordered.

Much to your disappointment but also shock, it wasn’t your Postmates order.

“S.. Steve,” You uttered breathlessly. For a moment, your brain couldn’t formulate the words for you to speak. “What…what are you doing here?”

You wanted to kick yourself for your choice in outfit: An oversized Whitney Houston t-shirt and black boxer shorts.

“I’m sorry to drop by unannounced like this.” Steve apologized with a soft smile. “I thought about texting you, but I wanted to see you in person. I’m a little old fashioned that way.”

“I can see that.” You laughed nervously, eyeing the bouquet in his hand. “And I see that you brought flowers?”

“I did. It’s not too much, is it?”

“No, not at all!” You shook your head before you took the bouquet of flowers as Steve offered them to you.  “I’m just surprised because I’ve never gotten flowers in person. Well, ever if I’m being perfectly honest. They’re beautiful. But what brings you to my side of town?”

“I wanted to know if you were free this Friday night to see a movie. They’re showing some old films at a drive-in theater in Brooklyn.”

“I…” You trailed off once again a loss for words.

Say yes, bitch! Answer the question! Your subconscious screamed at you.

“Yes! I mean, yeah, I’m free. I should be off around four thirty.” You said with a quick nod of your head.

“All right. I’ll come and get you around seven thirty? Movie starts at eight.” Steve said.

“Works for me. So, I guess I’ll see you this Friday?”

“Yeah, this Friday.”

Steve smiled at you before he turned around and began walking down the hall of your apartment, but not before stopping to look over his shoulder at you.

“Nice shirt by the way.” Steve complimented. “Whitney Houston fan?”

“Thank you,” You smiled shyly. “And yeah, I am. I got this shirt when I was in Tokyo.”

“Really? That’s a story I’m curious to hear.”

“You’ll just have to wait until Friday I’m afraid.”

“I look forward to hearing all about it.”

Steve gave you one last smile before he continued his walk out of your apartment building. You watched his figure disappear before you closed the door and locked it behind you.

‘A man after my own heart…’ You sighed dreamily, holding the flowers close to your chest.

It was that moment that it finally dawned on you.