Songs mentioned in this chapter:

Always by Leonard Cohen

F**kin' Problems (feat. Drake, 2 Chainz & Kendrick Lama) by A$AP Rocky

Steve had yet to dance with Charlotte. The realization hit him one afternoon as he stood by the entryway to the small kitchenette in Charlotte's apartment while she sang under her breath. He was smiling to himself, watching her as she swayed lightly to the beat only she could hear through the small earphones pocking out of her ears. Her voice wasn't the most soothing, to put it nicely, and the deep baritone she was trying to imitate was not helping the cause. So he stood by the entryway, watching her while he tried to come up with a way of taking her out to dance.

Surely, he must have taken her out to dance by then. Back in the '40's, most dates consisted of dancing. In fact, he distinctly remember wanting to take a girl out dancing one day. Peggy, he realized, would have been the girl one day. But that was the past, he had to remind himself, and Charlotte was here now, and why hadn't he taken her dancing yet? He knew he lacked skills in that department, but he could learn, they could learn together. Or perhaps Charlotte knew how to dance? He'd never seen her, not until this point, and even now, she was merely swaying.

He was so distracted within his own mind that he did not notice when Charlotte spotted him, and only became aware when she reached for his hand, her hand slightly wet and cold, but smiling at him as she sang in the deep baritone she was trying to imitate. He smiled at her, and merely watched as she plucked one of the earphones out of her ear and stuck it into one his. He was instantly greeted by the melodic sounds of a soft, but happy blues song, the deep baritone of the singer quickly registering in his mind. He knew the song must be old, perhaps not as old as him, but old enough.

And then Charlotte was leading him into a dance, her arms on his shoulders while his hands went immediately around her waist as if he knew what he was doing. There was not much footwork involved. In fact, they merely swayed during an interlude in the singing, Charlotte smiling up at him, while he knew his ears were burning up.

And then, Charlotte was singing in the same baritone had been trying to imitate, and he couldn't contain his chuckles as she serenaded him. "The days may not be fair…always…yeah, but that's when I'll be there, always…"

Charlotte joined him in laughter, laughing quietly to herself, before she laid her head against the junction between his shoulder and neck, and the moment was so perfect that Steve felt breathless. This was what he had wanted since he could remember. And the situation was so imperfect but perfect. They were both in jeans, Charlotte barefooted and with a simple black t-shirt. Her hair was up in a messy ponytail, some strands escaping here and there, and not a touch of make-up on her face. The music was not live, but merely there because of the headphone in his ear. He hadn't wine and dined her before dancing, and he hadn't asked her to dance like he should have. This was not a date, he was merely coming over to see if she was free for dinner, and he had no flowers. Nothing was how he had pictured it. But Charlotte's closeness made it all real and perfect.

The song was long, it seemed, until it died down with the finishing notes of a piano. Charlotte began to move apart from him slowly, before he softly said, "don't, let's keep dancing."

She looked at him then, her mouth open as if to protest, before a female's voice hummed in their ears, and Charlotte smiled wickedly up at him, closing her mouth with a quick, "sure." He narrowed his eyes. He knew that smile. It was the one that was making fun of him, not maliciously, but the one that told him she knew something he didn't. He didn't think it was the song itself. The melody sounded harmless enough and-

"I love bad bitches, that's my fucking problem-" and Charlotte was laughing hard, shaking against him as he stood speechlessly.

"You still wanna dance?" She asked before she was laughing again.

Steve opened his mouth a few times, but the things being recited into his ears were taking most of his attention.

"I tried to tell you!" Charlotte said in between peals of laughter. "I mean, we can still dance to this, but I'd rather do it privately."

Steve knew he turned an unhealthy shade of red then, and Charlotte seemed to only laugh harder at this.

"Halle-Berry-Halle-Lujah-Holla-Back-I'll-Do-Ya-" Charlotte managed to recite with a straight face before she was laughing again.

The song finished soon enough, and was replaced with a rock song. Charlotte grabbed her phone from her back pocket then, pausing it, and staring at him with a big smile for a long time. "I tried-" she began with a smile still in place, but was cut off by Steve.

"Not hard enough!" Steve protested, fighting the smile threatening to take over. He wasn't mad, not really. Tony had made sure he was exposed to inappropriate music way before he was introduced to calmer genres, but it had still been a shock. To go from a love song, from such a perfect moment between Charlotte and him, to total chaos in a few seconds was a bit disconcerting, and even more so when Charlotte was the one listening to that music.

"Uh-huh. I think you just wanted to get down and dirty with me," Charlotte responded, still smiling that big smile, the one that made her eyes sparkle and held just enough mischief to incriminate herself. Steve loved that smile.

"You caught me," he responded, winding his arms around her waist, bringing her in closer. He knew his ears were red hot, but it was worth it when he said such bold things. They always caught her off guard, making her blush, and making him fall in love all over again.

She adverted her gaze for a little, before she recuperated, her blush still in place when she looked back at him. "We should keep dancing. I've got a playlist full of Ed Sheeran's best,"

And Steve didn't know who this guy was, but he quickly decided that the guitar and soft love declarations were very appropriate for the moment he had longed for.