AU: Steve eats every day during lunch break at the same bistro and sometimes he sees a beautiful redhead there. He really wants to ask her out but he's too shy and so he draws her.
Steve really hoped the beautiful redhead would be at her regular table eating lunch today. Sometimes she was alone and sometimes she was there with friends or colleagues. He figured that she had to work in one of office buildings like he did. Seeingher during lunch break was the highlight of his day. He really wished he had the courage to walk over to her to get to know her. She was so beautiful and her laugh made him happy.
He ordered a chicken sandwich and a soup and sat down at his table and got out his sketchbook. He was working as an illustrator but he still loved to draw during his breaks. He know how lucky he was that he got to do something he loved and made money with it. He didn't think he would got a job right after leaving the army after two tours but he did and now worked at the biggest publishing company in the country. He had a good life now and he wished his ma was still alive to see how far he'd come. His phone buzzed with a text from his best friend asking him to meet him tonight for drinks and Bucky casually mentioned that he met someone perfect for Steve. He rolled his eyes and put the phone back on the table. Bucky had been trying for months to set him up with pretty much every woman he knew but they weren't the right fit.
He glanced at the table cross the bistro near the windows but the redhead wasn't here yet. Maybe she wouldn't come today. She wasn't everyday here like him and he didn't even know why he got his hopes up. A woman like her had to have a boyfriend ( she wasn't wearing a ring on her left hand, he checked) and or at least got asked out a dozen times every day. He wasn't exaggerating when he said that she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. And she was kind. He never spoke to her but he watched how she bought a couple of meals and gave them to the homeless people sitting in the park across the street.
Steve brought his pencil to paper and began sketching her. He didn't even know when he started drawing her but most of his private sketches were now of the beautiful stranger. His problems were her eyes, he'd never been close enough to her to see her eye color. He thought they were green but sometimes they looked blue from afar. He was currently trying to bring her curly hair to life when someone was looming over him throwing a shadow onto his paper.
"You forgot a beauty mark on my right cheek."
Fuck! He never really heard her voice before, only her laugh when she was with friends but he knew immediately who was behind him. The beautiful redhead.
"Um..." He turned around and he was sure he was as red as a tomato. He had no right to draw her, god she must think he was a complete creep.
She smirked at him and he finally knew her eye color. Her eyes were green. "I caught you looking at me a few times. Now I know why. You make me look better than I actually do, so thanks."
"What? No, you're so beautiful!" God, he sounded like a complete moron. He was surprised that she hadn't hit him with her purse yet.
She gave him a genuine smile and he was amazed that he didn't fall off the chair. "Thanks. Well, see you around, talented stranger."
He wanted to ask her what her name was or if he could give her his number but he only nodded like an idiot and watched her leave the bistro. She had a plastic bag with her that she gave to the homeless in the park and then she was out of his view. This had been his chance to talk to her and he blew it.
Bucky bombarded him with more texts telling him that this girl was out of the world and a total knock out. When he texted back asking him why he didn't date the "most perfect girl ever" not himself, Buck admitted that they went on a date but there was no spark. But he was sure that she was the right one for Steve. Did Bucky run out of female friends and now had to set him up with his failed dates?
Since he had no plans for the evening he agreed to meet Bucky and his former date so Buck would stop bugging him. He drove home after work to freshen up and changed into slacks and a blue dress shirt and took his Harley to get to the bar Bucky told him to meet them at.
His best friend was already there and waving from a table at him. Did the girl bail? Wouldn't be the first time a woman didn't want to meet him.
"Hey, punk." Bucky gave him a half hug and he sat down on the other side of the table. "Natasha's powdering her nose. She'll be right back."
Natasha. A pretty name. He'd never met a Natasha before. He didn't think it would spark with the woman but maybe he would have another friend by the end of the evening.
Bucky told him about his upcoming promotion at work and that he was thinking about learning a new language. Maybe Russian. "Natasha speaks Russian, too. She's from there originally. Believe me Stevie, most beautiful girl you've ever seen."
He was pretty sure that the redhead from the bistro was the most beautiful girl but everyone had a different taste. "You sure you want me to date this Natasha?"
"Hey, if it didn't work with me, I have to at least make sure that she finds a decent guy. And you're the best man I know, Stevie. A woman like her probably meets a lot of assholes in her life."
He ordered a whiskey when the waiter bought a bourbon for Bucky and a martini for Natasha.
"Ah, there she is!" Bucky pointed at someone behind Steve. He turned around and there was only a middle-aged woman. Was Bucky messing with him? That woman was a bit too old for him, he wanted to get married and have kids in the future. The woman moved to the sight and behind her was the redhead from the bistro. What was she doing her? Wait, was she Bucky's failed date? Was her name Natasha? Did he finally know her name?
He was still staring at her when she reached the table and sat down next to Bucky. She smirked at him, clearly amused. "Hi, talented Stranger, What a small world, huh?"
He was still so shocked, he lost the ability to speak.
"You two know each other?"
Natasha took a sip from her drink. "We eat at the same bistro during our breaks."
Bucky looked delighted. "That's amazing! I guess I can leave you two alone then 'cause I see a pretty lady over there." He took his drink and got up. "Have fun, kids." And he was gone.
"James told me you work as an illustrator?"
James? Right, Bucky. "Um, yes. At SHIELD & Coulson. For three years now."
"That's very impressive. I'm a lawyer at Stark Industries. Our buildings are right next to each other. We're practically neighbors."
"Look, I'm sorry for drawing you without your permission. That was wrong, I had no right. I'm sorry."
"Did you draw nudes of me?"
"God, no! Of course not! I would never do that!"
She smiled. "Relax, Steve. I was just kidding. I'm flattered, really. And James assured me that you are the best guy he ever met, so it's fine. The drawing I saw today was really beautiful."
"Thank you, Natasha." He liked saying her name and he really liked how his name sounded coming from her lips.
"What made you draw me?" She tilted her head. "There are more people than just me at the bistro."
He played with the napkin his drink was on. "You have such a beautiful face. My fingers were basically itching to draw you. And I saw how you got the people in the park lunch. You just captivate me, Natasha. From the moment I first saw you."
She gave him a beautiful smile. "Wow, you really know what to say to a woman, don't you?"
"Hah, actually no."
She raised an eyebrow. "Really? Well in that case, lucky me."
"No, I'm the lucky one. I wanted to talk to you for ages but I couldn't find the courage to do it."
"And here I thought you weren't interested in me like that. I noticed you too, you know?" She picked the olive from her martini and plopped it into her mouth. "I'm starving to be honest. There's this restaurant down the street that makes the best kung pao chicken outside China. You wanna go there?"
"Now?" She nodded. "Okay, let me just tell Bucky we're leaving and then we can go."
He found Bucky making out with pretty girl against a wall and told him that he was leaving with Natasha. He gave him a thumbs up and then continued to make out with the girl. He shook his head and walked back to Natasha and helped her into her coat. They walked the few meters to the restaurant talking about their jobs and he got to learn more about Natasha during dinner. Her parents moved with her to the States when she was still a toddler and worked hard to get her the best education possible. He felt a bit intimated when she told him that she graduated from Yale Law School (he was pretty sure he read somewhere it was the best one in the country) but she was so nice and funny that he didn't care that she was smarter than him. She didn't seem to care about it either and asked him to tell him about his ma. The dinner was amazing and ended way too soon. He took Natasha home on his bike and she typed her number into his phone. He got a kiss on the cheek and he watched her walk into the lobby. He knew it was pretty early but he was sure that he was already falling in love with her.
The next day during lunch break he and Natasha sat at the same table and she kissed his cheek again before she disappeared into her building. But before that she made him promise to pick her up with his Harley when they were gonna go the movies tonight. He picked her up and he liked the way she snuggled up against him on their way to Brooklyn. There was this old cinema that was perfect for a date. They shared a big pizza before the movie and he had to smile when Natasha leaned her head on his shoulder during the movie. It was crazy but he felt so comfortable with her like they had known each other for ages.
When they were outside the cinema Natasha grabbed the collar of his leather jacket and kissed softly. The kiss got more heated and deeper until Steve remembered that they were in public. He pulled away and they were both out of breath. He had to hand it to her, she was an amazing kisser.
"Don't tell me public display of affections makes you uncomfortable, Rogers." She looked up to him with a smirk on her face.
"A little bit." He admitted and she gave him a short kiss.
"So, I remember you telling me that you live in Brooklyn. You wanna show me your place?"
"You sure?" A gentleman always asked.
"Yes."
"Okay, I'd love that."
Natasha was already awake when he woke up the next morning. She smiled at him and gave him a quick kiss. "Do you have paper and pencils in your bedroom?"
"Hm? Yeah, why?" He was kind of hoping she wanted to continue where they left off last night or he could make her breakfast.
She pulled the sheets away to reveal her gorgeous naked body. She truly was a goddess. "Draw me like one of your French girls, Steve."
He snorted. What a dork! "That was terrible!"
"So you gonna draw me or not?"
He rolled his eyes at her and kissed her before he got out of bed to get his sketch book and pencils. He really owed Bucky one for introducing him to his dream girl.
Do you still enjoy these one shots? The last one shot got almost no feedback and a lot of people read it. I don't have to keep posting if no one enjoys them. So let me know what you think.