"You're depressing the customers." Joe said as he came out of the back room.
Zaria jumped and shook her head as she focused on cleaning the bar top. "I don't know what you mean."
Joe laughed, a heavy booming sound, and slapped a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Come now girl it's obvious to everyone here." He filled a pint for a regular then crossed his arms over his massive chest and leaned back against the back counter. "You moped for three days straight then after your day off you came back and just haven't been the same girl. If this keeps up I'm going to have to take you off the schedule for a week at this rate."
Zaria's eyes widened in shock. "No!" She shouted causing several customers to turn their attentions to her and Joe; she blushed. "Please, I'm sorry. It... I'll stop."
Joe stared at Zaria with concern. "You've been here for three years now, Z, you don't think I can't tell when something's wrong? What's bothering kid?"
Zaria flushed as she looked down to clean an already spotless bartop. "It's nothing. It's stupid." She muttered.
Joe thumped her on the back and glared at her. "If it's upsetting you it's not stupid. The regulars are gettin' concerned they haven't seen you nearly this depressed, not since your babulya died."
Zaria pursed her lips. "I'm not that depressed." She mumbled, defeated.
Joe laughed as he filled some drinks for a table. "Go take these to Jim and the fellas and apologize for being so down then come back here and explain to me why I'm not out there breaking someone's neck for puttin' that look on yer face."
Zaria took the tray with the drinks and went out the the table with a big smile on her face. She made the rounds in the bar with the lone waitress since the day was slow and reassured several people that she was fine. Apparently she was unaware how many people noticed her mood change. Had it really been two weeks since she had met the mysteriously interesting man known as Steve Rogers? They had only spent two hours together, why did it seem like she had broken up with a really good guy? It concerned her that she had gotten so attached to someone she had just met.
Huffing out a heavy sigh she made her way back to the bar and leaned her hips against it; Joe gave her a look. "I met this guy a couple weeks back on my way home from here."
The look on Joe's face at that comment made Zaria speed up her words. "He was really nice, didn't try to do anything at all. In fact he helped me carry my groceries home when the bag ripped. Which is how I met him. Got off late and a grocery store was still open that was just around the corner from here. My bag ripped just before I got home and all my stuff went everywhere and he was there because he had been running and offered to help." She sighed and rubbed her head. "He was so sweet and it was so easy to talk to him. He asked tons of questions and got confused by everyday things we all say. It was so cute. He walked me to the museum because he was concerned about me. It honestly felt like we had known each other forever. I invited him into the museum before we opened to have a tour because I felt like he would actually enjoy what he had there... I guess whatever spell we were under broke and we were just strangers again and he left... I haven't seen him since..." Zaria shrugged and looked away.
Joe stared at her for a long moment making her feel awkward enough that she considered making another round of the bar. "You really liked him didn't you?" He finally asked.
Zaria shrugged again. "I don't believe in love at first sight..." She mumbled.
"I didn't say that girl," Joe answered as he scrutinized her. "Although I would have to argue with you about that, but that's for another time. I said you liked him. I don't remember you ever talking about another person, let alone a guy, like you're talking about this one. And you clearly would never let them affect you as much as this one has."
Joe pushed himself off the back counter and walked over to Zaria. "Go home early Z. Take tomorrow off and work this out then come back on Friday. You're going to work the whole weekend from opening to closing so take your time to get your head on straight and figure this out."
Zaria opened her mouth to argue but the firm set in his stance told her it was a fight she would ultimately lose and may even get herself suspended for longer so she sighed heavily. "Alright," she consented as she moved away from the bar. "I'll see you Friday."
She stomped her way down the frozen sidewalk towards her home. She was angry that she was letting a complete stranger ruin things for her. She didn't know him, he clearly wasn't interested or he would have come back by now. "I'm being so stupid..."
"Yes you are." An unfamiliar voice said from behind.
Zaria groaned. "You have got to be joking..." She muttered as she turned around to face the voice. "If you're here to rob me you have totally picked the wrong day to do that on."
The kid shrugged and held out a switchblade. "Just hand over the purse and there won't be any trouble."
"Just walk away kid before you get hurt." Zaria answered as she stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets.
"I am not a kid!" The guy snapped, his hand around his knife shaking with anger.
"Yeah you are. You're what, sixteen? Shouldn't you be at home sleeping before you go to school or something?"
"Just hand over the purse bitch."
"I think not." Zaria ducked low and snatched the kid's wrist, twisting it and kicking the knife away when it dropped lose. She rotated his arm around his back and shoved his face up against the brick edifice of the building she was next to. "Go home kid." She said as she twisted his arm tighter. "Go home, do your homework and stay off the streets or one day you're going to end up dead."
"Like you?" Another voice said as she felt the tip of a knife brush her cheek.
"This is seriously just not my day..." She growled as she pushed off of the kid and turned to face the new guy.
"I don't like gutting girls but if you don't hand over your purse that's exactly what I'm going to do to you." The new person said as she glared at him. "Just hand over the purse and you can be on your way."
The kid sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve as he picked up his knife and joined the new guy. "I was handling it."
"Clearly." The other one barked. "Look the longer you wait the more likely it is that I'm going to hurt you." He said to Zaria as he noticed she was taking too long.
Suddenly an old plastic trash can lid smacked into the back of the young kids head knocking him to the side as a fist caught the older guy in the jaw twisting his head around and attached to that fist was the GQ model nominee: Steve.
"Steve!" Zaria gasped as her hands came up and bumped into his back as he spun around to face her attackers.
"Are you alright Zaria?" He asked as he spared a glance at her over his shoulder.
"I- I'm fine." She answered. "What are you doing here?"
"I was on a run and I saw these two young men causing some trouble so I thought I would intervene." He turned his attention to the two guys righting themselves. "I believe you two were just leaving."
"Fuck that!" The younger one shouted as he tried to jump Steve from the side.
Steve reacted quickly, blocking the knife hand with his forearm and crossing over with his other fist with a hook to the jaw, knocking the kid on his backside before he quickly turned his attention back to the smarter of the two.
"We can keep doing this or we can all be on our way without any worry." Steve said as he kept his fists up in a boxing stance.
The older of the two would-be muggers took a moment as he considered his options then he raised his hands in defeat, helped his friend up, and left quickly. And just like that, it was over.
Steve lowered his hands slowly, still scanning for threats, as he turned most of his attention to the bewildered girl behind him. "So, uh..." Steve cleared his throat. "I've been meaning to come by and return the jacket but you seem to never be home when I stop by and I just don't want to leave it sitting on the porch for anyone to grab..." His words petered out as he looked at her. "I'm sorry..."
Zaria stared at him for a long moment. She wanted to be angry with him for basically ignoring her for two weeks, she really did, but the look on his face made her want to forgive him. She puffed up her cheeks before letting the air whoosh out. "You're wearing a jacket this time I see."
Steve blinked and looked down at what he was wearing. "Yeah, someone said they got cold by looking at me." He answered with a smile.
Zaria blushed and shook her head before she shrugged. "Yeah I guess I did say that."
"So what are you doing out? I thought bars closed around two, not midnight." Steve asked as he fell into step next to her.
Zaria flushed a dark red, embarrassed that the reason she wasn't at work was actually standing next to her. "I was let out of work early."
"Any particular reason for that?"
"No." She answered quickly, probably a little too quickly as he gave her an odd look. "Slow night so Joe took over the bar and sent me home. I have to work the weekend instead."
Steve nodded as if it all made sense to him. They walked in silence for awhile making Zaria feel awkward to the point where she searched desperately for a topic to discuss.
"So..." She started uncomfortably.
"So..." Steve stated just as awkwardly.
Zaria laughed uncomfortably. "You would think that we would be able to talk since we were able to the first time we met."
Steve smiled slightly. "Yeah I agree."
Zaria sighed then shivered in her coat. She needed new clothing, something warmer than what she owned now, but money was tight and she never had anything left over for clothing. A heavy jacket settled over her shoulders, surprising her out of her thoughts and causing her to look over at Steve.
"I noticed you were cold." He said in an apologetic tone.
"You're not?" She asked as she pulled the front closed around her.
Steve shrugged as he hunched slightly in his long sleeve workout top. "The weather doesn't affect me that much."
"Thank you." Zaria said softly; Steve smiled.
They reached the door to her apartment building far too quickly. Zaria stopped at the door and looked at Steve, unsure of what she should do. Did she invite him in like last time or did she say her goodbye here and risk not seeing him again for another two weeks or longer.
As if sensing her confusion Steve answered instead. "I'll let you go to bed, you're looking pretty tired after that incident with those young men, but I would like to take you up on that offer of a tour of your museum... If it's still open."
Zaria laughed as she shrugged out of Steve's jacket and handed it back to him. "I would like that very much. I work tom- well today and the weekend, after that I don't know my schedule."
"You still leave at four thirty right?"
Zaria nodded. "Yep, have to be there by six."
Steve nodded as he considered something. "Well get some rest." He finally said as if he had come to a conclusion he wouldn't be telling her.
"You as well." Zaria responded as she disappeared into the apartment building still wondering if he was actually going to come to her museum for a tour or not.
"I guess I'll just have to wait and see."