He's almost starting to get the hang of this whole celebrity appearance nonsense, when a young woman with blonde curls and a huge lipsticked smile comes through the photo line and tosses her arms around his neck. He goes rigid, startled, but she doesn't appear to notice - just bounces on her toes and twines her fingers together behind his head, like they're high-school sweethearts. Steve is completely at a loss.
He should do something… he can't just stand here like an idiot. He settles for awkwardly patting her back, trying his best to smile despite being extremely uncomfortable with the random touching. She leans away, still beaming.
"Steve, don't you remember me?"
"Uh…"
He has no idea what to say. Should he remember her? Have they met? She bats heavily made-up eyelashes expectantly. He swallows hard. "I'm not-"
"The Stark Expo!" She says brightly, grinning up at him as if he's being extremely charming and suave instead of helplessly awkward and adrift.
She stands her ground, refusing to be discretely hustled along by the line attendants. "Your friend set us up. You left early." She adds, mock reproachfully. As if she missed him. He tries not to frown at her.
"Oh… um... Right."
He should probably say something flattering. He's supposed to make nice with everyone who comes to see him… But what do you say to girls that are actually paying attention? He never did really learn how to talk to women before the serum, and there hasn't been much time to learn since.
And what the hell had her name been? He only remembers her as yet another girl that hadn't been interested in whether he lived or died. He didn't committed her name to memory.
He settles for generic pleasantries instead.
"It's... uh… good to see you again."
She gives a squeak that he assumes is pleased and turns around to address a segment of the crowd. "I told you it was true!"
The small flock of girls she's talking to squeal and flutter when he glances their way. The attendants take their chance and quickly herd his admirer out of the way for an impatient woman with a colicky baby that she wants kissed.
The girl… Susan? Denise…? …. Catherine? waves as she goes, calling out that she'll write to him. Steve sincerely hopes she doesn't.
Trying to pretend he's at ease, he gets back to the business of shaking hands and feigning charisma.