Ruth hardly slept that night from excitement and nerves. It was too late to call her best friend and gush, so she took a hot shower to try and relax then crawled into bed. She woke before her alarm in the morning and dressed in some leggings, a t-shirt and her gym shoes then headed out the door.

She put her headphones in as she stepped out onto the sidewalk and found her best friend's name in her favorites and started walking toward her favorite coffee shop as it rang.

"Hey Ruthie."

"Oh my god Vi!"

"What?"

"I have a date tonight! I mean, I think it's a date."

"What?! Wait. Backtrack. How did last night go?"

"I have a date tonight!"

"Seriously?"

"God Vi! I've been crushing on him for years now but like a celebrity crush ya know? Never thought I'd actually meet him."

"Is he as attractive in person as he is on tv and in photos?"

"More. And Vi…"

"What?"

"He took me home on his motorcycle last night."

Violet squealed on the other end and Ruth had to contain hers to avoid stares. Ruth entered the coffee shop and ordered her usual then headed back out. Violet helped her hash out her insecurities as she always did.

"I mean, he's 100 and 30 at the same time and he dated my grandmother. Does that make this weird?"

"It's a unique situation. There's only the 2 of them so there's no precedent for this so yeah, it's weird but not in a bad way. And he did ask to take you to dinner tonight and said he wanted to spend more time with you so it's obviously not too weird for him"

"True. What would I do without you, Vi?"

"Die."

"Definitely."

They both laughed then Violet said,

"So, is Captain America single too?"

Ruth giggled,

"Vi, I am not setting you up with Steve Rogers after only having met him once!"

"Fine."

Ruth could hear the eye roll in her voice.

"But girl what do I wear?"

"I suggest keep it casual. Nice pair of jeans and that red long sleeve shirt and your brown leather jacket and boots."

"You're a genius."

"I know."

"Ok girl I gotta go but I'll call you tomorrow."

"I'll want all the details."

"Obviously. Love you. Bye."

"Love you too. Bye"

Ruth ran the stairs up to her apartment and set the rest of her coffee on the counter. She kicked off her shoes and plugged her phone into her speaker and started a playlist and began her Saturday ritual of cleaning her apartment. She started a load of laundry and as always, silently thanked Stark for her generous salary that allowed her to find an apartment with laundry in unit in New York city. It was a small one bedroom, but the laundry was indispensable.

As afternoon rolled around, she did a quick yoga session to help her relax then got in the shower to wash her hair and begin getting ready. She pulled her outfit out as she let her hair air dry a bit.

Standing in front of the full-length mirror on the inside of her closet door an hour later she was satisfied with her reflection. She wore the outfit Violet had suggested and had her hair up in a ponytail with a simple braid over the top. She kept makeup simple with some winged eyeliner and a classic red lip.

She tossed her wallet, lipstick, keys and a few other essentials in a cross-body bag in anticipation of being on a motorcycle. She checked her watch and had five minutes so she checked herself in the mirror once more then headed out the door. As she reached the door at the bottom of the stairs, she heard the faint roar of a motorcycle and smiled, hoping it was Bucky.

Sure enough when she opened the door she found him getting off the bike and turning toward the door. He stopped when he saw her.

"Hey there Sarge. Care to give a gal a lift?"

He just stared a moment and Ruth felt a blush start to creep up her neck. Then he quietly said,

"You look beautiful."

Her face heated up instantly and she glanced at her feet.

"You clean up nice too Bucky."

He smiled then and held out a hand for her. She took it and noticed he was once again wearing gloves. He placed a quick kiss on her knuckles then handed her the helmet.

"I hope you don't mind the bike."

He seemed unsure but Ruth was quick to reassure him.

"Actually, I was quite hoping you'd show up on it. I kinda have a thing for dark haired men on motorcycles."

She could have sworn she saw his cheeks get a bit pink as he let out a laugh. She put the helmet on and asked,

"So, where are we going?"

He got on the bike and she got on behind him.

"It's a surprise."

"Ooh I love surprises."

He turned slightly to look at her.

"Really?"

"Mhmm. Keeps life interesting."

He raised an eyebrow but turned back and started the bike. Ruth scooted forward and wrapped her arms around him. As they took off, Ruth inhaled deeply and savored the smell of leather and the feel of the wind on her face. She watched the city glide by as Bucky maneuvered the bike through traffic.

They pulled up outside an old brick building that was businesses on the first floor and residential above. Bucky parked the bike and they both stepped off. Ruth took off the helmet and smoothed down a few fly-aways and Bucky led them down the street to a green and white awning over a patio that had the name Castorini's in cursive.

Bucky held the door for her and, as they stepped in, the pretty blonde hostess greeted them,

"Welcome to Castorini's! Do you have a reservation?"

"Yes. For Barnes."

She glanced down at the computer tucked in the podium then grabbed a couple menus and smiled,

"Right this way."