"I still don't think dressing up for a party is necessary."

"You're wearing a button down shirt and relaxed jeans, Steve. I'd hardly call that "dressing up". And you shouldn't complain because I could've given you a pair of skinny jeans."

"No, thanks. I don't care for pants like that. They'd look weird on me."

"That's true. Tight jeans aren't your style."

Steve looked down at the jeans Bucky suggested that he should wear. "Well, I think these fine." He added pointedly, "Stop fussing over me like I'm going on a date."

"That would imply you've actually been on a date before."

"Jerk." The blond shook his head at his best friend as he went to the bathroom to check his reflection. The blue button down shirt he wore squeezed his biceps, but it wasn't tight on his torso, so he was comfortable wearing it. As for the pants, they were loose enough to give him room to move around without feeling constricted. He nodded his head approvingly and walked back to Bucky's room.

"Alright, I'm ready whenever you are."

"Great. Let's go get you a woman, Steve." Bucky waggled his eyebrows and put his arm around his friend as they made their way out of the house and headed to his car.

Once they arrived at Thor's home, Bucky parked the car in the packed driveway and turned to Steve.

"Don't chicken out, okay?"

"Bucky-"

"No, just listen to me for a second. When I say don't chicken out, I mean don't let this night go by without telling Nat how you feel. It's the perfect time to do it. She wants you to draw her and you're nuts about her, so when the two of you find a place to be alone and away from the crowds, don't hesitate to open up to her."

Steve nodded. He knew Bucky was trying to help and he was right. This was an ideal night to confess his feelings to Natasha. He recalled the way she came over to him when she saw him in the school hallway earlier. Those luminous green eyes of hers lit up and when he said he'd be at Thor's party.

"I will. That's a promise." He smiled at Bucky, grabbed his messenger bag and exited the car, walking forward with confidence in his stride.

In moments, Steve reached the front doors of the mansion. It had been some time since he'd last been inside. Frigga was the one in the family who had a love of decorating and her family lived in town for the most part, therefore, their country mansion had less furnishings than their brownstone. That was perfect for Thor since he often held parties here.

The inside floors were all marble, save for the kitchen, which was made out of cedar. There were two large Greek columns in the foyer and two vases with fake but very realistic flowers inside. The living room had two big leather couches, a reclining chair, a glass coffee table, a hidden mini bar, a seventy-two inch television, a bookshelf full movies, a bookshelf full of books and an expansive bear rug. Every wall in the mansion was a lovely beige color except for the kitchen and the bathrooms which were wallpapered. There was a painting in every room as Frigga had a fondness for that kind of art.

An impressive spiral staircase led to three floors upstairs, but Thor made sure that everyone stayed on the first floor for the party. Unlike the wild parties one saw in teen films, his guests always behaved themselves accordingly and if they didn't stay inside the house for long, they would venture outside where the pool was located. There was a set of stairs that led down to the garden and the pool. It was a natural swimming pool made of gravel stone and clay with carefully trimmed moss covered the gaps between the paved tiles that surrounded it.

Steve was shaken from his reverie when he heard Thor's booming voice call to him over the speakers that currently played a song by Daft Punk. The other man had a big grin on his face and made his way to Steve, picking him up and giving him a bone crushing squeeze.

"Steven! I was wondering when you'd get here! It's good to see you!"

"Ha, it's good to see you, too, buddy. Although we did see each other in class earlier."

Thor set Steve down and clapped him on the back kindly. "Yes, but seeing my friends outside of college is preferable. I can't wait to graduate so I can start backpacking through Europe."

"Will you be doing it alone?"

"Oh, there's no way I'm going by myself. I can handle being alone, but what's the fun in backpacking across different countries unless you have a girlfriend with you? Val's coming, too." Thor caught the eye of Valerie who was drinking a beverage - probably whiskey - with Natasha and Sif. He winked at her and she winked back before turning her attention to her friends again.

Natasha hadn't noticed Steve yet because her back was facing the entryway, but Steve knew her form by watching her posture. He licked his lips and did his best to listen to Thor as he chatted about where he and Valerie would start their travels and what they would do. After a few minutes, Thor nudged him in the direction of the kitchen.

"Go on. Your eyes keep darting towards her every ten seconds and there's no point in my detaining you when you obviously don't want to talk to me."

Steve grimaced and hurried to reply. "It's not that I don't want to talk to you, Thor. I just...well, Natasha and I were supposed to meet up and spend some time together tonight."

"Yes, I know. She told Val and Val told me." At Steve's chuckle, Thor just shrugged. "Val knows I love intrigue."

"I wouldn't say we have an intrigue."

"Well, you might have one before the night is over." Thor waved him away. "Get out of here. You can use the guest room on the fourth floor for privacy. We won't be able to hear anything the two of you are up to there." He grinned and Steve rolled his eyes. He knew his friend was just teasing him because Steve had little romantic experience with women and this was a moment Thor had obviously been supportive of for some time.

"I'll see you around, Thor."

With that, Steve steered over to Natasha and touched her arm to get her attention. She turned, it seemed, in slow motion and he took in her outfit. She wore an emerald bandeau top that was adorned with blue accents on the bust, a pair of high-waisted black shorts and a pair of strappy sandals. Her fiery red locks were up in a messy bun with a few curls that framed her face and gave her a sexy, carefree appearance. A black choker framed her neck and silver bangle was on her left wrist.

Steve's pupils expanded and he felt short of breathe just looking at her. "Hi."

Natasha's lips spread into a pleased smile. "Hi, Steve."

He blinked a few times before saying hello to Sif and Valerie. The two other women echoed his greeting and slipped away, knowing their presence wouldn't be missed since there was one person Steve wanted to see. He cleared his throat and wiped his hands on his jeans. "You, uh, you look amazing."

"Thank you. I'm not big on dressing up, but I wanted to look nice for my portrait."

"Oh, you'd look nice in anything."

A red blush appeared on her cheeks and she bit her lip. "You're too sweet."

"I'm just telling the truth." There wasn't an overwhelming amount of people in the kitchen, but he did have to move around some to allow others to pass. "Did you want to stick around here for a while longer?"

"No. Let's do the portrait now." She put her hand on his arm and he led her out of the kitchen. "Thor told you that we could do it upstairs, right?"

"Yeah. I talked to him. We can use the first guest room on the fourth floor."

"Ah, nice. That'll keep us far enough away from the music and people below." In front of the spiral staircase, there was a red velvet rope hooked to two stanchions. Steve unhooked one end and Natasha walked past it, with him following behind once he hooked the rope back. Suddenly, Natasha said, "Last one there is a rotten egg!" She ran up the stairs in a head-start and Steve stood startled for a moment before chasing after her.

Her husky laughter echoed down to him, enticing him to try and catch up, but since she'd surprised him, she beat him to the fourth floor and to the guest room. When he met her at the door, he was breathing hard from the exertion, but not out of fatigue.

"No fair," he panted out. "You had a head-start."

"I thought guys are supposed to be faster than girls. And I'm wearing heels. I don't think you have an excuse here, Steve. Unless you were just getting a good look at my ass before you ran after me."

"You wish," he mumbled, feeling a bit of guilt because he did check out her backside pre-chase.

"Sure." Natasha merely smirked at Steve and opened the door to the guest bedroom. She knew he'd been checking her out just as she'd done to him many times before during their tutoring sessions months ago. Only this time, she was determined to move their relationship forward to a more intimate level.