It hit them hard. He had said the word and she had heard it loud and clear.

Although it appeared and then disappeared just as quickly, Steve caught the flash of doubt in Natasha's eyes.

Natasha's smile faded. She loved him five years ago, but after what he did to her, she could not help but have some doubt in her head. Was she ready to open her heart again, to love and be loved, as he said? She had given her body to him again last night, allowing him to enter her and fill her up with his soul, allowing him to see her in her most vulnerable state. But love? Was she ready for it? Was she about to change her lifestyle, to make room for Steve Rogers and to allow him a chance to hurt her again?

At least he stayed in bed till the morning, and then expressed his love for her. But maybe, just maybe, he said he loved her because he was still on a sexual high, his senses clouded by his raging hormones. Maybe he loved sex with her, and maybe he loved her body? Natasha felt bad to doubt him, but who could blame her after the pain he had put her through in the past five years?

Five years where she woke up in the middle of the night from the same nightmare over and over again, that she had woken up the next morning to find the bed by her side empty and her calling out for his name over and over again, only to be greeted by resounding silence. She hated what he had done to her. He made her insecure, afraid to get too close to any other men and allowing them to hurt her.

She had dates, people asking her out at her art gallery, at restaurants and even at bus stations. But she either turned them down instantly or decided not to show up at the last minute. That was why she remain single all these while. She was not waiting for Steve to come back to her on purpose; she just could not love and trust again so easily.

And now he say he loves her. She understands why he left her that morning, she don't blame him for she knew how much Bucky meant to him. But was it a little too late now? She kind of thought so.

It scared him just as much to allow that word to slip out of his mouth. He had never said it to anyone. The closest person he ever had was Bucky, but they were brothers, and it was too mushy and gay to say they love each other. They expressed their affections for each other through their actions and mutual support. But now, he had just told Natasha that he love her.

He knew he wanted her badly last night, just as much as he wanted her five years ago. He made love to her, and not just screws her for his own physical pleasure. It made him felt good, complete and it made him believe that there was someone in this world that he could spend the rest of his life with. This was the first time Steve Roger wanted a serious relationship with anyone. He knew he had found the right person.

"Steve…" Natasha mumbled.

His fingers reached out and stroke the side of her face, down her temple to her sharp cheekbones and finally they held on to her chin.

He wanted the truth. Even though how painful it may be for him, he wanted the best for her. "Natasha, tell me how you really feel about us."

She kept silent, and thought for some time, but she could not verbalize her thoughts and feelings. She did not want to sound too harsh and crush his fragile heart, especially not after he had poured his feelings out for her and asked for another chance. But she was not quite ready yet to commit herself entirely to him. She had trust issues, which she did not want to admit to.

Just as Steve was about to say something to diffuse the tense atmosphere, Natasha's phone rang. She looked at the screen and it reflected Pepper's name, along with a heart shape behind it.

"Go on, answer it." Steve said, almost relieved that their attention was now diverted to the phone. Natasha rolled over and picked up her cellphone, as she lay with her back now facing Steve as his hand ran through her long, silky red hair that he loves so much.

Natasha answered the phone, and was instantly greeted by the chirpy voice on the other end of the line. Pepper had wanted to ask her out for lunch and some last minute shopping on Fifth Avenue for the afternoon. Natasha found it hard to say no, so she said yes. When she had turned around and told Steve that she need to get going, she could have sworn that he had the saddest expression on his face that she had ever seen.

Steve got out of bed, and put on his clothes from the night before. Natasha got changed, put on some make up and styled her hair a little. When she had returned to the bedroom, Steve was gone.

Pepper and Natasha had some of the finest delicacies in town for lunch, all charged to Tony's shining new credit card which he had presented to Pepper as their early wedding gift.

"More to come, he says," said Pepper as she handed the card to the waitress on a silver tray. Natasha could not help but smile at how blissful Pepper was.

"Did you sleep well?" Pepper asked casually, "I hoped you like the new pillows I picked out especially for you. I remember that you like them hard and firm."

Pepper had actually wanted to ask her about Steve, but she thought it was weird to get straight to the point. She shall beat around the bush until she gets to the main question. Natasha knew her well enough; Pepper Potts was a nosy little lady since they had known each other. She wanted to know what happened after they parted ways last night.

"Steve and I, we screwed each other' brains out on that comfortable bed of yours." It was meant as a joke, an exaggeration. Natasha wanted to watch Pepper's reaction. She would be lucky if she could get a look of pure disgust out of the prim and proper Pepper of today.

To her surprise, the biggest brightest smile appeared on Pepper's face. "I'm so happy for you, Natasha. You both deserve each other, after all that time wasted and spent apart. That was why Tony and I insisted on setting that dinner up last night, we wanted you two to meet."

Natasha should have known. Why would Pepper have insisted that she dolled up for their dinner date otherwise? And why would Steve be there for no reason? It was a set up, an opportunity for them to have a fresh start.

After they were done with shopping, Pepper had to leave for a dinner party with some of Tony's distant relatives here especially for the wedding. Natasha excused herself and made her way back to the apartment, only to be greeted by an adorable Steve, now dressed in a white button down shirt, which looked way too tight on him, and jeans waiting at her doorway. He was holding a bunch of freshly cut red roses and leaning on her door, his eyes gleaming with delight when the lift had opened and Natasha stepped out like a goddess in her long floral dress.

He had been waiting there for her for over an hour, but he was going to persevere for as long as he needed until he could see her again. He thought long and hard after leaving her apartment. It was no surprise to him that his words had caught her off guard and thrown some doubt into her mind about him. He knew that he could not blame her, after what he did to her in the past. Like any normal human being, she would need time to process everything that was going on now and the only thing he could do was to wait patiently until she was ready. He was prepared for however long it may take, as he knew in his heart that he could not lose her again. Natasha Romanoff was going to be his girlfriend, his first serious relationship.

Natasha smiled from the bottom of her heart. She was touched by his efforts, and was more than happy to receive those roses from him. This was the first time she had received flowers from him, a moment she had been waiting for a long, long time.

"Natasha, I just want you to know, that no matter how long you need to make a decision about our future, I will always be by your side waiting patiently. I don't want to leave you again. I want us to have a happy ending, just like Tony and Pepper. We both deserve it, after all we had been through."

That night, he took her out for dinner at a restaurant that they used to frequent as college kids. It was not too pricey, and may be even considered cheap for their first real date, but Steve knew that it meant something to Natasha. His guess was right when they entered the restaurant and Natasha had instantly requested for the third booth by the window with a low-laying lamp down the middle of the table. This was where they first had dinner together, alone, after Tony and Pepper had called in sick with the gang to stay in bed for the rest of the evening. No big deal, they still had Clint, Bruce and Darcy coming along. Except that Clint had a last minute date with his long-time crush, Maria Hill, Bruce was stuck in the laboratory with his problematic results and Darcy had a test to revise for.

"So you do remember this place?" She asked, as she excitedly bounces onto the seat as he took the seat opposite of her. "We exchanged less than ten sentences through appetizer, main course and dessert, the only time we ate alone together." The reason for that was silly; they were both too shy to talk to each other, or even look each other in the eye for too long.

Except that this time round it was different. They talked about the past, reminiscing about the good memories that they had shared with their gang in the restaurant. Natasha learnt that Clint and Maria had been married for three years, and Maria was now expecting their second child. Bruce and Darcy dated for a while after Natasha moved away, but were now separated as Bruce was stationed in a laboratory in San Francisco while Darcy remained as a researcher in New York. Natasha was told that they were all going to be reunited at the wedding two nights from now, and she could hardly contain her excitement.

Then they got to more personal topics. Natasha talked about her career in Los Angeles, told Steve the stories about some of her most eccentric clients, which led them to break out into laughter and get some stitches on their sides. Steve was so proud of her, beaming at her as she talked enthusiastically about her passion and how it brought her more money than she could ever imagined.

Steve told her that he made it in the art scene too, which greatly surprised Natasha, as she never knew that Steve had a hidden talent in art. He was an engineering major, not afraid to get his hands dirty. Natasha could never imagine he could draw or paint, much less make a successful career out of it. But it did not surprise her for long. Steve was always special, she knew that, and that was what attracted her to him in the first place. He was a quiet man, but he was deep and there was probably more to him than meets the eye. He was a mystery; you could never read him like an open book like you could do to Pepper.

Steve could not help but stammer when he asked Natasha if she was seeing anyone on the West Coast.

"Nope, not anyone. There hasn't be anyone special." Her reply put his heart to ease. She asked him the same question, and he shook his head shyly as he tried to keep a victorious smile off his face. She felt a little silly to ask him the question, after he confessed his love to her in the morning, but it was just for clarity's sake.

Their dessert arrived, strawberry cheesecake for her and a Crème Brûlée for him. The boss of the restaurant, a short, cheerful Frenchman who recognized them instantly, was the waiter.

"Steve Rogers? Natasha Romanoff?" He cried out in delight, as though he was serving Hollywood superstars who had miraculously appeared in his restaurant. He was in shock, in awe and muttered something in French, which they could not understand.

Steve raised his eyebrow. "You, you know us?"

"Of course I do, I'm an avid art collector. And how could I forget you two sweet little things coming here with your friends. Let's see, there was the tall, skinny blonde girl and her boyfriend, the loaded one called Stark? And the mischievous fella, Clint was his name wasn't it? But you two, oh how could I ever forget you? You, especially Rogers, brought so many admirers of your work to my restaurant."

"My work?" Steve had no recollection that the restaurant owner was ever on his client list.

Before they could start on dessert, the Frenchman had gestured them to the bar counter where he proudly pointed to a sketched portrait on display in a thick, gold frame. The frame was gaudy, old-fashioned but the portrait in it was a rare gem.

Natasha gasped when she realized it was a portrait of her, hand drawn by a talented artist who made her sketched being come to life. In the portrait, she was looking down at her plate of spaghetti with meatballs, grinning to herself, with her thick, luscious curls drawn to perfection. There was a small scribble at the corner, which stated the name of her date, Steve Rogers.

"Steve, when did you draw this?" She asked, her voice filled with delight and burning curiosity. How did she not realize that she was a subject of his artistic talent since their early days spent together?

Steve's cheeks flushed. He remembered the exact date he drew this. It was December 27, just two days after Tony's Christmas Party, they had met up again for the second time for a meal with the gang. Steve and Natasha had barely said a word to each other that night, but Steve had chosen a seat opposite her on purpose to get a closer look of her. She had attracted his attention, the night at the party, with her cheerful spirit and that tight little red dress she had on along with a Santa hat. He could not quite believe that a beautiful, sweet girl like her existed. That was why he felt an urge to draw her, to capture her in his memory, to depict her beautiful self into a drawing that could last forever.

When the gang had went to play at the pool table, except for Steve who lied that he was tired, he had sat there alone at the table and sketched Natasha out of his memory. When Bruce had returned to the table out of the blue, just as Steve had signed his name on the completed drawing, Steve had slide it into the menu and hid it by his side. He forgot about the portrait when the gang left the restaurant. To his surprise, the restaurant owner had kept it, and for over five years!

"Wow… I can't believe it's still here. That was December 27. Our second meeting."

Natasha remembered. Oh how excited she had been when she saw Steve walked into the diner by Tony's side, dressed in a long-sleeved button down shirt in a shade of blue just slighter darker than his eyes. Her mind had been wandering since Christmas, occasionally thinking about Steve Rogers, Tony's friend, and how adorable he had looked in his red and green elf costume.

"Can I have this back, please?" Steve asked. The Frenchman was reluctant at first, but he was eventually convinced to make a trade with one of Steve's latest artworks worth over fifty grand. Natasha agreed to throw in one of her paintings too, although she could not fetch such a hefty sum like Steve. She thought she had made it big in this business, but it seems like Steve was way ahead of her.

The pair walked out of the restaurant, with the portrait of Natasha in Steve's hand. Natasha stole a glance at Steve, as she caught him blushing when he noticed her eyes on him. He was turning red again, how cute, she thought.

When they got into the car, Steve handed the portrait over to Natasha.

"As my gift to you. Thank you for having dinner with me."

"That cost you fifty grand. I'm a very expensive dinner date."

"You know you're worth more than that to me."

Natasha was honored. Fifty grand was no small sum, but he had made the trade for her portrait with no hesitation. Looking into his eyes, as the car pulled up in front of Pepper's apartment, Natasha leaned over and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you, Steve."

There was something inside of her that was conflicted. On one hand, she wanted to spend the night with Steve, especially after their magical evening together, she found it very hard to part ways with him. But on the other hand, she was afraid that by opening her heart again to him so quickly, she was going to get hurt again. But looking at those earnest blue eyes filled with love and adoration, how could they hurt her?

She trusted her heart, ignoring the alarm bells going off in her head, and invited him back to the apartment. When they had entered the apartment, Natasha set the portrait down on the table and wrapped her arms around Steve's broad figure. Although she was tiny against him, her heels gave her some extra height to reach his lips with only a slight tiptoe. But before she could plant a kiss on his captivating lips, Steve pulled back.

"That's not what I'm solely here for, Natasha. It goes beyond this. I just want you to feel safe with me, and I'm not going to take advantage of you. I love you for who you are, not what you can offer me. Until you're sure of me, and I have proven that I'm true to you, I'm not going to let you do anything that you might regret."

That night, they slept together on the bed, in each other's arms with smiles on their faces. Just sleeping, with their clothes intact. In the morning, Natasha woke up to find Steve missing but with a note attached to his pillow saying, "Out to get breakfast."

He soon returned with waffles and maple syrup, and a cup of hot coffee. Natasha was beyond pleased; she was amazed that he still remembered what she like after so many years. She had never told him that she loved waffles, and had to have them with nothing but maple syrup, but he had silently observed her and picked this up by himself. How could she have been so blind to his attention five years ago, and allow herself to doubt him?

His effort earned him a kiss on the cheek, by Natasha's maple syrup-covered lips. Steve could not stop grinning to himself as he indulged in his waffles and chocolate sauce, alongside a cup of iced black tea. He knew what she liked, and had committed it to his memory for so many years, despite not knowing when he will meet her again. He knew this day will come, when he would wake up by her side, get her breakfast in bed and he was so glad when it did. It was always a little fantasy of his that played in the back of his mind when he imagined a happy ever after with Natasha Romanoff, the girl of his dreams.

Natasha had been away for too long, and Steve decided that the day was best spent reorienting her around the city. By that, he meant visiting the main tourist attractions like the Empire State Building, where they had to jostle alongside swarm after swarm of tourists, to catch a glimpse of the city from the viewing point. Steve was protecting Natasha, with her small frame wrapped up in his strong arms, he made sure that the rowdy, and excitable tourists did not hurt her by accident. This gave Natasha the opportunity to admire the scenery, the beautiful skyline of New York City, the place she used to call home. There were some changes, some new buildings gaining in height against the old backdrop and some new corporations springing up. Natasha was sure to notice the new Stark Tower, where she knew Tony and Pepper now worked at.

She was also not blind to the countless enviable stares she draw from the female crowd. There were ladies of all ages openly checking her date out, especially drawn to his biceps which were firmly around her body, while some were trying to look at somewhere less appropriate and drooling on the inside. This made Natasha want to chuckle, but she decided against it when some nasty looking girls around the age of eighteen gave her death stares. Oh, she sensed jealousy.

Of course, she had her fair share of admirers as well, which she was oblivious to. Steve had noticed some men checking his girl out, staring down from her bosom to her ass, and that did not sit well with him. He stared down at most of the men, who were all shorter than him in height, which made them look away in fear of getting into trouble with this big guy. He tightened his grip around Natasha, not letting these strangers undress her mentality with their eyes. In his head, he was mentally chiding Natasha for wearing a short tight dress that showed a little bit too much cleavage. But of course he did not know that she had chosen this outfit especially for him; though she knew she had his attention, she felt confident knowing that he was taken breathless by what he saw. She wanted to be the most beautiful woman to him, the only one that will captivate him. So far, she seems to be succeeding.

Deciding that they were better off at a less crowded location, the pair headed to Central Park where they took a walk, admiring the scenery and enjoying the fresh air. As their legs moved in unison, with his hands in his pockets and her hands across her chest, they enjoyed their walk through the park, something they had never done together before. Steve inched closer to Natasha when a kid on a skateboard got a little too close to him, and felt her shoulder brushing against his. They stayed like that for a short while, until Natasha reached out to brush a leaf off Steve's head, which had fallen down from a tree. And then when her hands fell to her side, Steve was quick to take advantage of the moment, grabbing onto her hand and holding it tightly in his. Natasha turned red and grinned, how nice it was to have their hands together, she thought. But not long after, Steve started to get a bit nervous and had sweaty palms. He knew about it, and tried to pull his hand away from her, but Natasha would not let him go.

"You're getting nervous just by holding hands? What happened to the confident Steve in bed?" She teased.

Steve started blushing till his ears and neck turned bright red, a nice compliment to the maroon shirt he was wearing. He cursed himself mentally for being such a weird guy; he was lucky that he had not scared Natasha away yet. He had no idea why he felt so embarrassed just by holding her hands, when he had seen all of her and touched her in her forbidden areas.

Maybe it was because their actions were moving into relationship territory. This was something new to Steve, both of them to be exact.