The walk took long but then, they were quite slow, which Lilly was thankful for. She could neither see where her feet were stepping nor could she even remember the way back. But they inevitably reached the edge of the meadow, which was now illuminated by fairy lights.
Steve slowed them to a halt. "So," he said indecisively. Manners told him to lead her over to the other people, that where gathering closer to the better lit mansion where the music was playing and loud chatter could be heard. Maybe get her a drink. But, alas, he did not want to get back there. He wanted to stay out here and have her soothing company for himself. He wanted to be selfish for once.
Lilly felt his hesitation and was thankful for it. She did not want to go back to her colleagues just yet. If the evening had to end, and due to her tiredness that was pretty soon, it should end on a good note and not on lewd comments, noisy laughter or even scolding. She patted Steve's arm. "Thank you for entertaining me. I am sorry if I kept you for too long from the party."
"No, no! It was …. I enjoyed our ..." he stammered. What was it? A rendezvous?
"Me too." Lilly agreed eagerly before he could define what they had shared.
They both looked from each other back to the mansion.
"We should get over there." Steve said in a sad tone. Their ways would probably part in mere seconds.
Lilly yawned again. "I think, I will head home."
"Oh." Steve sighed. Well, that crushed the little hope he had to keep up a conversation with her.
"I … oh." She halted. "I should not drive." Yeah, thank you again, Tony Stark. She had driven here with a little car borrowed from a friend and brought Ellen and Suzie from human resources along, who assured her they would not need a ride home. It was only her now, but she was a very responsible driver and she knew her limits. She wasn't drunk but still a bit tipsy and it was better to be safe than sorry. She looked a little helpless to Steve.
"I will call you a cab." he stated and made to move to the mansion, feeling good that he could offer one more gentlemanly service to Lilly.
"Yes, that would be best." she agreed hesitantly. "I need to get back here and get the car then tomorrow." she contemplated. "Somehow."
Steve struggled with himself a bit before speaking up again. "I, … I could drive you home." he offered. Hopefully that didn't sound too intrusive to her ears. "With your car I mean. Then you wouldn't need to get it tomorrow." he added quickly.
Lilly's eyes turned to him again. Oh. OH. He was offering to bring her home. To her door step. Now that was a proper ending of a romantic evening if there ever was one. And yes, she filed this evening definitely under 'romantic' with all that star gazing and tale telling and sitting in a bewitched garden.
Steve looked a bit uncomfortable.
Had she somehow forced him to offer this? She didn't mean to. If he didn't want this, then she would take that cab. What had her exact words been?
"Oh, you don't have to. I don't want to keep you from the others." Lilly tried to reassure him.
"No! No. It's fine, really. I am not one for this kind of parties."
They looked at each other again and as soon as a smile appeared on Lilly's lips, it was mirrored on Steve's face.
"So then." Steve offered his arm again but while Lilly took it and stepped into the direction of the drive way, Steve stood rooted to the spot. He had doubts, didn't he? It had been too good to be true.
"I came here with a friend." he remembered suddenly. "I have to tell him I leave." He looked back at the mansion. He had to get back in there, if only for a few minutes. "He won't mind me leaving, don't worry. I just want him to know."
Lilly let go of his arm. "I wait here it that is okay." She really didn't want to meet any colleagues this evening. It helped storing the events in her memory not under 'SHIELD' but under 'romantic ball with bits of Cinderella and a prince'.
Steve nodded shortly "I will hurry." and then strode towards the chatting crowd purposefully.
She saw him entering the crowd. People immediately parted when he approached and he disappeared into the mansion. Time to cool her head a little bit. Her legs and toes might be freezing but her head had heated up more than once in the last minutes. If there had been enough light, you would have seen pink tinged cheeks. Lilly patted them absentmindedly and then tried to fix her hair as best as she could without a mirror. She reset the hair pins and draped the strands from the front in place. Her hands plucked at the neckline of her dress and maybe she even adjusted her bra a bit.
Steve's offer had caught her off guard and although the effects of the alcohol seemed to fade, there had been no time for her shyness to kick in. Now that she was thinking about it, she started to get nervous. He will bring her home. And she lived alone. She could ask him in and offer a coffee. Did he expect that? Nah, unlikely. He was a 40ies gentleman after all. Did she want to ask him in? Hellooo, shyness. She would want to spend a little more time with him, or maybe a lot more, but rather not in the oppressive confines of her apartment. Of her tiny, sparsely furnished, impersonal (she was only here for the 5 months exchange program) apartment, that is. She would want to visit the zoo, walk in the park to feed that cute duck couple, go to the history screening Tuesdays in her local cinema and watch the Wizard of Oz, show him to her favourite pancake diner. So many things to do but yeah, it was in the middle of the night after a party and only 5 minutes ago she had claimed to be tired. She wasn't that tired anymore and the closer the goodbye came, the wider awake she was.
Steve was nowhere in sight. Good, more time to think this through. Ah, hell. There is nothing to think, Lilly. You like him and want to meet him again but you are too shy to ask. Would he even want to meet? Maybe she had been just nice company for the evening. Had she even been nice company? Hadn't she been too plain and boring? The stinging words of her ex rang in her ears again.
So lost in her own thoughts, she did not hear the person stepping out of the small willow copse and walking towards her until he spoke. "Look what we have here!"
Lilly startled.
"I have been looking for you all evening." He stated. His eyes roamed down her body and up again.
"Mister Stark." Lilly addressed him flabbergasted.
When his eyes reached her face again, Lilly dropped hers down immediately.
"Have you been hiding, little lady?" he asked amused.
"What? I … uhm … no, I …"
"Aww, sweet. You have!" he chuckled.
"No. I … I have been enjoying the garden." Lilly mustered up in a semi-confident voice. Her eyes rose up but she couldn't quite bring herself to look him in the eye so she rested hers on the collar of his shirt.
"Yeah, me too." He said in a smug voice.
Something was wrong with his shirt, Lilly observed. It looked rumpled and not neatly tucked into the slacks as it should be. Wait, was it buttoned up wrong? He had … he was … oh … Oh … enjoying the garden … Lilly's eyes shot up to his face and only now did she notice his tousled hair. He was rubbing at the corner of his mouth with his thumb. His lips looked far too red for a man. Lipstick leftovers? Oh god, she was staring at his lips.
Tony smirked as he watched Lilly observe him and he could pinpoint the exact moment when she realized what he was referring to. Her eyes widened the tiniest bit, her delicate eye brows shot up, her lips formed a little 'oh' and that blush she was already wearing deepened further. She was such a sweet innocent little thing. Not at all like the SHIELD vampires who had almost tackled him and latched onto him earlier. Not that he minded. Especially not the latching on part.
He was brought back from his reminiscence by the audible swallowing from Lilly.
"So, you want another drink? I got the feeling you liked those." he offered.
Lilly shook her head firmly.
Tony chuckled again.
"Maybe something fruitier for the lady this time? Come on." he offered his arm to her.
And she just stared at it. Tony beckoned again, offering his arm and was a little irritated when she would still not take it.
"I … I am leaving. For home." Lilly finally managed to get out.
"So soon?" he feigned disappointment. "Alone?" he added in a suggestive voice.
Lilly stared at him with her big doe eyes, a little shocked on his insinuation. At least that was what he thought. Then he noticed the heavy leather jacket around her shoulders, which she had drawn closer around her. It was far too big for her and it looked somehow familiar.
"Whose jacket is that?" His tone inquisitive now.
"It is mine." sounded the authoritative voice of Steve. He was taking the last long strides towards them and stepped to Lilly's side.
What he really meant was 'She is mine.' and according to his raised eye brow and the slight frown, Tony Stark had understood. A short staring match ensued.
"Cap, who would have thought?!" Tony finally directed at Steve. It really took him by surprise. The Captain took part in this … fuck fair? Maybe he had rubbed off on him? Oh, Coulson would be furious if he knew he had soiled his picture-perfect soldier. But it was probably nothing at all. Knowing the Captain, he would escort the little lady home and give her a chaste peck on the cheek as goodnight. And Lilly seemed the type for this romantic stuff.
"I hoped you had a thing for older guys but this, ah well, is a bit much." he directed teasingly at her while waving a dismissive hand at Steve.
Lilly lowered her head in embarrassment, unable to look either at Tony or at Steve.
"Cut it out, Stark!" Steve warned. "Miss Rosewood?" he offered his arm to Lilly, her clue to act. Lilly took it thankfully and they turned to leave.
"Yeah, just leave me standing here." Stark complained. "Whatever happened to politeness?" he wondered aloud. And then he shouted after the leaving pair in the most lewd voice he could muster "Have a nice night you two!".
The two walked the short way to the driveway of the mansion in silence. Lilly could feel the tension in Steve's arm, but did not know the reason. She looked at him from the corner of her eye, but his face was giving away nothing. When they neared the improvised parking lot, Lilly indicated a small yellow car at the end of a row. She fished the keys out of her purse and hesitated. Turning to Steve, she spoke up again. "You really do not have to do this. Drive me all the way to my apartment, I mean." She clarified again. She got this vibe of hesitation and regret from Steve. Maybe she imagined it, but the light butterfly feeling in her stomach had changed into something else.
"If you would rather stay at the party now, we can go back to …." Steve's voice had lost its shine.
"NO!" Lilly exclaimed. Her hand flew to her mouth to cover the too loud outburst.
Steve's eyebrows knit together.
"I mean, no. I would rather not go back. I don't want to … uhm" she hesitated a bit "meet other people this evening." Sounded that strange? She does not want to meet other people and therefore she goes to a party?
Steve didn't know what to make of this.
"I mean, argh, I …"
"You mean Stark?" Steve asked outright.
Lilly looked up at him dumbstruck and then nodded her silent agreement. Wait, Stark was Iron Man, an Avenger. He was Steve's team mate. Had Lilly just insulted him? She felt cornered and didn't dare to say anything else afraid it would be the wrong thing.
Steve turned towards her and looked her over again. "Did he … did he do anything to you?"
"What? No!" Lilly hurried to clarify. "He didn't do anything. But … but I think he was interested?" she phrased carefully.
She tried to further explain the situation. "He gave me a drink earlier when I needed to calm down" because I was hiding from you "and he got a bit touchy and, you know, people say he is a playboy and …" Wrong road to head down, Lilly! " … and I might over interpret things here but moments ago he offered company and that while he just got back from …" Lilly caught herself before accusing Stark of having sex at the party with who knows whom. She had turned red to the tips of her ears.
Steve's tension had fallen away from him. Lilly was running from Stark not because of their history but because of Stark being Stark. He could perfectly understand that. He laid a hand onto her shoulder to calm her and took the keys from her hand. "I think we should get you home."
Lilly didn't know where she stood now in Steve's opinion after this little display, but it could not be helped now. She settled herself into the passenger's seat after Steve opened the door for her and had buckled up before he reached the driver's side. He squeezed himself behind the steering wheel, a much easier feat once Lilly had shown him how to set back the seat. It really wasn't a car for big guys. The engine roared to life (not a lion roar, more the small kitten roar) and the radio continued playing the CD where it left off when Lilly had parked. The velvety voice of Skye enveloped them and filled the small cabin on their drive to the city. It was soothing to Lilly's nerves and relaxing for Steve.
Lilly gave directions where necessary and sooner than she wished he pulled in the designated parking spot on the side of her small apartment block. She hadn't spent another thought on what she might do once they arrive. The woody scent of the blond male next to her mixed with a slight hint of aftershave was far too distracting and the ventilation made sure she got a lot of it. In the next moment he was next to her door and helped her out of the car. He locked it and handed her the keys while eyeing the scruffy building over her shoulder. The windows on ground level were behind bars, graffiti adored the lower two meters. This wasn't the best part of the city and he had seen two suspicious figures hanging around at the entrance. The alley behind them led to a wire-mesh fence, the entrance to the parking lot was poorly lit by the street lights. With each second, he refined his assessment of the terrain.
"Thank you, Steve." Lilly said meekly.
The sound of his name from her lips had his attention snapping back to her.
"For bringing me home." God, how is she supposed to do that?
"I will escort you inside." He stated.
Lilly was a bit taken aback. That was more forward than she had expected but she didn't protest. When they passed by the two whispering figures in the entrance, Steve sent them a warning glare not to try anything. He accompanied Lilly to the elevator and entered with her. He didn't trust these dimly lit hallways one bit and wanted to make sure she reached her door without trouble.
They stepped off the elevator and headed three doors down. Only when Lilly put her key in the lock and turned back to him did the tension leave his muscles.
And here they were, on her door step. Neither of them had thought of what to do, once they reached it.
