She found herself drawn to the diner a week later. She hadn't been able to go to work and her boss was mad. He had fired her when she hadn't been able to come in the second day because she couldn't even get out of bed due to the pain in her ankle. She had managed to push herself out of bed on the third day after hurting her ankle and she went down to the local MedExpress where she was informed that she hadn't sprained her ankle, but had slightly fractured it instead.
She now has a weight-bearing cast on it so she doesn't need crutches to walk, but it's still pretty painful to do so. Luckily over-the-counter pain medications and keeping her ankle elevated has decreased her pain, but she still finds it hard to walk.
She sighs in relief as she sits down in one of the red and white booths, leaning her head back and sighing in relief. With her leg the way it is, and not being able to afford a cab with the little money she's saved up, it had taken her a little over half an hour to get here. It's safe to say that she's relieved that she can finally sit down.
She grabs the menu and reads it over. She's pretty sure that she's going to get the same thing that she got last time, but a little more time with the menu isn't a big deal. Not even five minutes later, the little bell above the door rings.
Out of instinct, she raises her head to look at the door. She had worked as a waitress for way too long at a diner in her old town and it was practically ingrained into her that she should always check out every person that walks in. Her years serving patrons lead her with significant enough knowledge to know what each person is like.
Her eyes momentarily widen at the man who's just walked through the door, though she should have expected him to be here. He did say that he eats here every day, after all. His baby blues sweep over the interior of the diner immediately-surely a tick from his time in the military and his current work, she thinks to herself-and his eyes land on her. A grin lights up his face and he walks over to where she's seated in a corner booth.
"Alice," Steve says, looking her over. His eyes linger on her cast before they meet hers. "I was kinda hoping you would come here. Do you mind if I join you?" She blushes slightly and shakes her head, scooting over to allow him to take a seat next to her. Due to the booth being in the corner, it makes an L shape and she's pretty sure that he'd appreciate being able to keep his eyes on the entirety of the diner like last time.
He takes the seat with a grin and she can tell that he knows exactly why she moved over and offered him her original seat. "How's your leg?" he asks her as he looks over the menu she passed him. His eyes flicker over to hers as he awaits an answer.
She grimaces slightly and shrugs her shoulders at the throbbing in her leg. I'm going to need some painkillers soon. "I went to the local MedExpress," she says, fiddling with the edge of the menu. "Turns out that I have a slight fracture. It won't be healed completely until about two months." She crosses her arms and huffs in annoyance. How the hell am I supposed to pay for rent without a job?
She can tell that he senses her irritation and he doesn't inquire about it as Chris walks over to them with a grin lighting up his face at the appearance of the captain. "Hello, Captain Rogers," he says, grinning at the captain. "Alice." It doesn't surprise her that he knows her name as she knows that the boy was listening to their conversation the other day. The thought still kind of annoys her. "What would you two like today?"
She hums softly and smiles up at the boy. "Can I have a vanilla milkshake and... pepperoni pizza, please?" The boy flashes her a smile, which she's sure charms a lot of people of school, and he looks back at the captain.
Steve takes a few moments to look over the menu before smiling at Chris. "Can I have a chocolate milkshake and pepperoni pizza as well?" The boy looks a bit shocked and she knows that her eyes have widened in surprise, too. At both of their surprised looks, he shrugs. "I decided to try something new." She blushes as he looks her in the eyes as he says it.
Chris writes down both of their orders, flashes them both a boyish grin and walks off, stating that he'll be out with both of their milkshakes in a few moments. She fiddles with the menu even though she doesn't need it anymore. After a few moments, she folds it and puts it in the holder on the other side of the table, Steve doing the same after a few moments.
"So, Captain," she says, smiling up at him, trying to use small talk to get rid of the embarrassment from taking over her. "What have you been up to in the last week?" He shrugs his shoulders and leans back into the seat cushion, looking over at her with a smile on his lips.
"Not much, to be honest," he says. She raises an eyebrow, not really believing that. He's freaking Captain America and not only that, an Avenger. Surely he's done a mission or two over the past week? "This week's been quiet, so I've mainly been training and getting caught up on some paperwork from a previous mission." She bites her lip in amusement. Captain America doing paperwork? She can't really imagine that.
"Enough about my week, though," he says, flashing a smile at Chris who gives them their milkshakes and straws. "What have you been up to? I don't really see you at work with that leg, though." She frowns at the reminder of being fired a few days ago. He obviously sees her frown and places his large callous hand on top of her smaller smooth one. "Hey, what's wrong?" he says.
She huffs out a breath, retrieving her hand to pull the wrapper off her straw. "Nothing, really," she hums as she sticks her straw into her glass. He gives her a raised eyebrow and she knows he doesn't believe her. "My boss fired me." It's practically a growl as she stares down at the table, a frown covering her face.
"He fired you?" Steve asks, completely outraged. "For fracturing your ankle?" He tears the wrapping from his straw off, too, and sticks it into his milkshake. He frowns at her and she shrugs her shoulders, still peeved that her boss fired her.
"Yeah. I called off the day after because my leg still hurt and the day after that, he fired me," she takes a sip of her milkshake, nearly smiling into it at the taste before frowning again. "There is no way that I'm going to be able to find a job while my leg's like this. I've got enough money saved up to pay for rent for a month, but I have no idea what I'm gonna do after that."
She sips her milkshake angrily before looking up as Steve places his hand over hers again. His eyes are full of earnest and concern and she feels her eyes soften. Steve's a really kind man, she thinks to herself. Worrying about a complete stranger.
"You don't have any friends that can help you at all?" he asks, smoothing his thumb over her knuckles. "No one who can offer you some money or who can help you get a job?" She sighs deeply and shakes her head, refusing to shiver at the tingles spreading through her knuckles.
"I've been in the city for two years since graduating college," she says, gnawing on her lip as he stares intensely into her eyes. "I've been focused on saving enough money to get a decent apartment before looking for another job based on my major." He tilts his head to the side in curiosity.
"What did you go to school for?" he asks her, lifting the straw of his milkshake to his lips again. Her eyes light up and she beams up at him at the reminder of her passion.
"Graphic Art and Marketing," she hums out with a bright smile. She sips some of her milkshake and tilts her head to the side as his smile seems to turn to a grin and his blue eyes sparkle in interest.
"I went to art school," he says, immediately gathering her attention. She tilts her head to the side in curiosity and he expands on the statement. "Before the war. My friend, Bucky, and I were in the middle of a class when we both decided to enroll." She nods her head and her eyebrows scrunch up a bit as she thinks.
"Sergeant Jame Buchanan Barnes, right?" she asks, tilting her head to the side. He nods his head, albeit a bit warily. "I read about you two back in high school and in one of my college history classes. Wasn't he the Winter Soldier?" He seems to stiffen a bit and nods his head.
"Bucky's a good man," he says quickly, defending his friend. "He never wanted to be the Winter Soldier. Hydra brainwashed him and forced him to do all of those things." She smiles softly up at him. Such a loyal man.
"I don't doubt it," she says, trying to tell him that she hadn't meant to sound hostile or anything. "The history books say that he was a good man. I believe that. Plus, if he's your friend, he shouldn't be anything but good." Steve seems to deflate at that and he smiles at her.
They both turn as Chris walks over to them with two plates in his hand. She tilts her head to the side as he places the plates in front of them, flashing another grin at them, and leaving. A smile pulls at her lips as she looks at the pizza in front of her.
Instead of a single slice like she was expecting, there's a small pizza the size of a large plate on top of her plate. She looks over at Steve's plate to see that he has the same thing. The slices are already cut for her, so she pulls one off the plate and takes a bite of it, closing her eyes to savor the taste.
She hums softly as she puts the slice down, using her napkin to wipe her mouth. Steve hums in satisfaction as well as he takes a big bite of his slice. She swallows her mouthful and licks her lips, smiling up at him.
"The food here is amazing," she says, taking another sip of her milkshake. Steve nods in agreement to her statement, putting his slice of pizza down again to wipe his mouth and sip at his own milkshake. "I think the pizza is my favorite."
Steve gives her a little grin. "It is New York City," he says, making her snort a small laugh and nod in agreement. They eat in silence for a few moments and he's almost done with his whole pizza before she even finishes her second slice.
"Alice?" he asks, his voice sounding like he's been thinking. She hums and looks up at him, setting down her slice and wiping off her hands and mouth. "You're a qualified artist, right?" She nods in confusion and he continues. "Tony has been looking for someone to design a few flyers about some of his newer projects, and with your marketing degree, you'd be a perfect candidate."
She blinks at him slowly as she straightens up in her chair. "You're not talking about Tony Stark, are you?" she asks nervously, her breath hitching as he nods slowly, his eyes on hers. "I-I've never done serious work like that. Only some work for my boss sometimes and a few companies when I was still in school. I've never really been required to use my marketing degree and it's only a minor degree. It's not supposed to be used for large-scale things like what Tony Stark's trying to accomplish."
He rubs his thumb over her knuckles some more. "Alice, all I'm saying is give me your resume," he says, trying to soothe her slight panic. "I'll give it to Tony and hopefully he'll get you a job at the Tower. You need a job, you told me that. Just let me help you."
She looks into his eyes with her own cinnamon colored ones wide. This man, a man she's just met, is helping her. Offering her a chance to get a job with Tony Stark as a graphic designer. He is Captain America, her mind points out. Of course, he'd be this kind. On the other hand, she's scared. Not scared of him exactly, but scared nonetheless.
She's never put her trust in anyone. She's learned that from a young age growing up in the foster system. She was lucky enough to be put in a foster home for the last four years. She had gone to a pretty good public high school that way and she had kept her grades up, taking extra business courses that the school offered, and even joining the softball team. Once the scholarship season rolled around, she had received a full scholarship and man grants from many schools and other things. That way, she had been able to go to her dream school for what she loved. Art.
She bites her lip as she looks down at their hands. She flips her's over and he stills his movements for a moment before tracing the lines on her palm. She also has another thing to be afraid of. The feelings that she can feel growing for this man. It's strange. She barely knows him, and yet she finds that she's her happiest when they're together.
He's still staring at her when she looks up. She searches his eyes for a few moments before nodding her head hesitantly. "Would you mind giving me a ride to my apartment?" she asks, giving him a sheepish smile. "I forgot to put the extra copies of my resume in my purse when I printed them out the other day." He gives her what she's pretty sure is a smirk.
"Sure," he says, nodding to Chris to get the check. "So long as you don't kiss me and shut the door in my face right afterward."