Now...

Natasha took her phone back and Maria watched her in silence, waiting for her reaction. Calm and emotionless, Natasha simply opened the message, held her thumb down over his name and hit the button labelled 'Block', before putting her phone back down on the coffee table and standing. "Where did you put the vodka?"

The fact that Clint had bought that vodka was a fact she chose not to think about. Moving to the kitchen thought, it was hard to ignore his impact on her life, there were reminders of him everywhere... The dish soap he'd picked up was cherry scented, because he knew it was her favourite. The coffee beans on the side were the good ones her budget didn't usually stretch to and the candle that flickered on the side, along with the roses on the windowsill were both gifts from him.

It was only then, as she stared at the pieces of him littering her apartment, that it really hit her; how much she had enjoyed having him in her life, how much she would miss him. His absence would leave such a massive hole in her life... And it was this realisation that prompted her to admit to herself that she loved him.

Maria watched her friend from the sofa, Natasha had frozen in the doorway to the kitchen, her back to her, but even without seeing her face Maria could see the shift in her mood.

Grabbing a large bar of Galaxy chocolate she'd purchased on her trip, Maria guided Natasha back to the sofa and opened the packet, placing an order for a pizza on her phone before eventually speaking up. "You really loved him" It wasn't so much a question as a statement, but Natasha nodded her agreement. Maria had expected it, the developing feelings had been obvious to her over the months of text updates that had kept her entertained between one assignment and the next, what she hadn't expected was for Natasha to admit it.

"If I hadn't seen him there today, I'd be sat here telling you all about what a great guy he is. Like no one I've ever known... About how he rescued a dog and volunteers at a youth centre and always knows how to make me feel better" Natasha told her as she took the offered chocolate and ate it.

Maria nodded, staying silent as she listened, giving Natasha space to talk. He had certainly seemed like a good guy from the text updates she'd gotten...

Clint had restocked their fridge when Natasha had an unexpected bill and run out of money, he'd taken care of her when she was sick. He helped her practice for finals despite the fact he was terrible at languages and he'd distracted her just when the stress threatened to drown her. Clint had been there exactly every time she needed him, he knew the right things to say and he was the only person who could always make her laugh.

The pizza arrived a short while later, Maria had even relented and ordered ham and pineapple, Natasha's favourite. The redhead took a slice before speaking again.

"I don't understand"

"Don't understand what?" Maria asked, carefully picking the pieces of pineapple off her slice.

"He was always there"

"What do you mean?"

"Every weekend. Every evening... He was with me almost every day since we met... How did he spent any time with her? How does someone keep a secret like that that from their wife?"

Maria shrugged, "He must be a really good liar, living a double life like that. Maybe she thinks he works away or something"

Natasha shook her head, "he works at the University too"

And there it was. The one bit of information she hadn't shared with even Maria... He was a member of Faculty, she was a student. Their relationship wasn't allowed... Even if he was only a few years older than her, even if he was employed as a sports Coach while she was here to study languages, even if they met outside of the University and didn't hadn't been aware this was the situation when they first slept together... The rules forbade it, and everything after that first night, everything after they learned the truth, shouldn't have ever happened.

They were breaking the rules. And it could cost them both heavily...