It's a Date

Was he weird for always watching her?

Yeah, Rogers, you're pretty weird. He concluded, sighing softly to himself as he took his cup of coffee into his grasp, bringing the steaming cup to his mouth and drinking the bitter liquid. He licked his lips as he placed it back down onto the table, minimally shaking his head as he tore his blue eyes away from the form of the young woman at the other table across from him.

She was around his age – well, his physical age at least, probably mid-twenties if he had to take a wild guess. Her dark brown tresses were always styled in natural curls that neatly framed her delicate facial features, the brown of her hair matching her dark eyes that were consistently studying the book she held in her hands – Emma by Jane Austen.

Steve supposed he had first noticed her when he had found the quaint little coffee shop by accident. He had been taking a ride on his motorcycle through the backstreets of Manhattan, driving to take his mind off the new digital age he was now forcibly a part of, and simply enjoying the feel of his powerful engine as it rumbled down the streets. It was always something that calmed him down and made him feel like he was back in his own era.

It had been a gloomy morning that day, and as he was driving around, it happened to start sprinkling. Normally he never minded the wet weather if it ever appeared when he was on his bike, but soon the rain became beastly, the winds picking up and pushing in dark gray storm clouds within a moment's notice, and thunder beginning to roll through the clouds with lightning soon streaking across the skies in brilliant flashes of light.

He probably would have been able to make it back to Stark Tower in due time to get out of the rain had it not been for the lightning that day. A large portion of Manhattan's power had been killed as the lightning had apparently hit some power lines, thus making the roads become congested with maddening amounts of traffic as traffic light lost their energy source, trapping many drivers in the streets.

He wasn't about to simply sit on his bike in the rain, awaiting the miracle of power being restored to the city when there wasn't much of chance of that happening anytime soon. Instead, he opted for pulling onto the sidewalk and parking his bike beneath the awning of a store, killing the engine and running a hand through his blonde hair that was damp with rainwater.

He looked inside the store's window that was under the awning and was instantly sucked into deep brown pools that gleamed with curiosity. His sight soon registered her face and then the rest of her curvy body, and when realizing that they were both locked in some sort of awkward staring contest, he quickly nodded a greeting to her and turned away to get off his bike, shaking off droplets from his jacket that still lingered upon him.

The smell of coffee beans floated in the air, and he looked at the words that were frosted onto the window – The Brew. His cheeks began to lose their warmth as the wind gusted through the streets, and after making sure he was as dry as he could get, he entered the café silently.

He was hit by the full force of the coffee bean aroma, the simple smell of it seeming to wake him up. Sauntering over to the counter, he ordered a cup of regular coffee – he still wasn't used to or even remotely interested in these things called Mochas or Cappuccinos – and sat down at an empty table across from the girl he had locked eyes with previously.

His eyes briefly scanned the shop, the walls being painted a dark, earthy brown with décor of coffee cups and paintings hanging upon them in a neat and appealing fashion. Yet somehow, his eyes landed right back on the girl, and thankfully she was none the wiser to his gaze that had found her once again, her nose being buried in a classic novel by Jane Austen.

After that, Steve happened to frequent The Brew around the same time every few days. He enjoyed the calm atmosphere and the coffee was pretty decent as well, but he also knew that the girl with the most curious, dark brown eyes was what had really brought him back every time.

He'd been coming to the little shop for a few months now, and he and she had developed some sort of greeting for the other. Whenever she or Steve would come inside, they would both nod at one another amicably and give a small smile as their greeting, and they would do the same when either of them left. They had never spoken a word to one another, but yet they were able to establish some form of communication with one another.

Today, she was doing the usual routine of reading her book, sipping on her coffee, and nibbling upon a blueberry muffin. Her movements always seemed fluid and elegant, and Steve was never able to look away whenever a line of text from her book would cause for the ends of her plump lips to curl upwards, her smile looking innocent and frail.

Like clockwork, when the large timekeeper upon the wall struck eleven, she would finish reading the last page she was on, place a photo of hers that she used as a makeshift bookmark between the pages, and quickly finish her drink and whatever was left of her small baked good. As she rose from the table and chair, she threw her things away into a bin, and while passing Steve, sent him a smile and nod to bid him goodbye, him doing the same right back to her as he watched her exit the shop.

Through the large shop window, he could see her walk up to her small, blue Toyota Yaris and get in. He heard her engine start up, but not turn over, the pure shock that was etched onto her face when it didn't purr to life making him concerned. She tried it again to receive the same fruitless results, and then again, and then again, and then once more. When she gave up, he saw her roll her eyes and then grab her steering wheel, resting her head upon it as she seemed to wallow in self-pity.

He rose from his seat and tossed his empty cup of coffee, exiting the shop and seeing her get out of her Yaris, her phone pressed against her ear as she spoke to whoever she was beginning to call. “Nancy, could you please tell them that my car broke down and that I'm going to be late to my shift? I don't know when I'll be able to come in, but let them know that I'll try to be quick about it. Okay, thanks.”

He approached her slowly, clearing his throat as he said, “Car trouble?”

She seemed a little surprised to see him there, but nonetheless she nodded, replying, “Yeah, looks like it. I'm going to be late to my twelve hour shift now though,” she groaned.

“Where do you work?”

“I'm a registered nurse and work at Saint Mary's Hospital.”

“Oh, Saint Mary's? I drive by there on my way home from here. Do you want a lift?”

A hopeful gleam glinted in her brown eyes, but she bit her tongue. “I couldn't impose on you like that,” she said – more to herself than to him. “Thank you, though.”

“Really, it's no problem for me.”

She studied him for a moment, his ultramarine blue eyes seeming to sway her to say yes. “I'd actually really appreciate that, thanks,” she caved.

He smiled and nodded, “Okay, let's go.”

She got out a backpack from the front passenger seat of her car, slinging it upon her shoulders and then locking up her Yaris, the pair walking over to his bike that was parked in its usual spot below the awning. He sat down upon the chair and then revved the engine, the floor vibrating and causing her heart to flutter and shake from a rush of exhilaration.

“By the way,” she began, swinging her leg over the bike and wrapping her arms around his waist, “what's your name?”

“Steve Rogers,” he told her, and although he had already heard her name being called by the baristas in the coffee shop a few times, he still inquired it of her. “What's yours?”

“Emiliana Aguilar,” she replied.

“It's a pretty name for a pretty lady,” he complimented her sincerely, and she was thankful that she was already sitting behind him as a bit of heat rushed into her cheeks.

“Thanks, but it's a mouthful to say really,” she laughed, insisting, “just call me Emma.”

“Emma,” he spoke her name to himself, letting it roll of his tongue as he smiled. “It's a pleasure to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too, Steve.”

“Hang on, Emma.”

Her hands and arms seemed to instantly tighten around him at his words, the bike propelling down part of the sidewalk before he pulled onto the street. Traffic would have been hell if she had been in her Yaris, but sitting with Steve on his bike was freeing and faster than going in her own car. Perhaps a bit too fast though, as they seemed to reach Saint Mary's in due time, Steve rolling up to the front of the hospital with his engine lowly rumbling all the way over.

Emma was sure that her hair was sticking out in places after the ride over, but she had thoroughly enjoyed her first time on a bike. It was a thrill that she hoped she might be able to partake in once again at a later time.

“Thanks so much for the ride, Steve.”

“It's no problem, Emma,” he reassured, watching her disembark his motorcycle and wobble about for a second as she got the strength in her legs back. “First time riding, huh?”

“Yeah,” she laughed, straightening herself out.

“Do you have someone to pick you up tonight?”

Was he really offering to be her ride back home too? “Uh, well, I get off at nearly midnight. I'm probably just going to get a cab.”

“Are you sure? I know that this might sound a bit forward of me since we just introduced ourselves, but I wouldn't mind taking you home.”

Emma could hear the concern for her in his voice, and from the way he held himself, she could see that he was a gentleman, someone that she could trust. “I'll be waiting for you here at midnight, then,” she grinned. “Thanks, Steve.”

“See you later, Emma.”



Her feet were completely sore and she felt the fatigue roll in as she strolled out of the hospital doors. As the chilly New York breeze brushed across her flushing cheeks, she sighed contently and felt her eyelids grow heavy.

“Emma,” a voice called, and she looked over to see Steve standing there as he had promised previously.

To be quite honest, she had forgotten about the fact that her poor Yaris was having issues and that she had agreed to let Steve drive her back home. Nonetheless, seeing him there made her happy. She was glad that he was sincere and kept his promise – it showed his good character, and she was grateful to him for having gone out of his way for her not once, but twice today.

“Hey,” she sighed out, “thanks so much again for giving me a ride.”

“Don't mention it,” he reassured her with a small smile. “You ready to go?”

She opened her mouth to reply, but her stomach did all the talking in her place, gurgling about loudly and stunning her into an awkward and embarrassed silence. “Uh...” her voice finally stammered out, Emma thanking God that it was midnight and rather dark as her cheeks grew a dark crimson tint. “Yeah.”

“I hope you don't mind,” Steve started as she got on without another word, “but I haven't eaten tonight and I'm kinda hungry. I was going to stop and get something to eat.”

“Sounds good.”

As soon as Emma's hands were wrapped round Steve's thick, muscular build again, they were off. Steve's bike blared down the streets of Manhattan with a roar as they drove through the interweaving streets. A few minutes had gone by before Steve had pulled over, the Captain killing the engine and helping Emma off like a gentleman.

It was a small hole in the wall that specialized in making sub sandwiches. The place didn't close till around three in the morning, sometimes not till five on the weekends, and even though it was midnight, the joint had a pretty decent crowd of people eating.

After much deliberation with herself over what to get, Emma gave her order to the woman behind the counter and began to get her wallet out to pay for her meal, Steve soon adding his order to the same bill and slapping down a twenty onto the counter before she could pay.

“Steve, you really shouldn't have,” she told him. “Let me pay you back.”

“It's only right of me to pay for you after bringing you here, Emma. You don't have to pay me back.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

Sighing, she put away her wallet and smiled. “Thanks, Steve.”

“My pleasure.”

Once their sandwiches were prepared and their order number was called, the friendly pair found a small circular table in the back corner of the shop, the both of them sitting down and then devouring their subs ravenously. Over their small meal, they talked and got to know one another, Steve curiously asking more and more about her and who she was.

She was the baby of her family and had two older siblings – an older brother and sister. She was also the aunt of three beautiful nieces who were named Paulina, Olivia, and Thea – he even found out that the picture she used as a makeshift bookmark was actually of the four of them that was taken at their last family gathering.

Steve was quick to realize that she was a truly grounded person who valued her family more than anything. It made him admire her further. Someone like Emma was a hard find nowadays, and it made him not want to let her go.

“It's already going to be one in the morning,” Emma mused softly as she gazed at her phone's clock. “We talked longer than I thought. Are you sure you still want to take me home? I live with my parents and they live a ways away in the suburban part of town. I could find a cab, it's no problem.”

Steve got onto his bike without a word, instead stretching out his hand for her to take expectantly. “I keep telling you it's fine, Emma. Hop on.”

She did as she was told with a smile, entangling her arms around his torso as they were off once again, slicing through the cool night air with her curly brown locks of hair whipping about from the force. As they pulled up to her home and rolled to a stop, Emma reluctantly got off his bike, straightening herself out and looking to him with a small smile.

“Thanks for everything, Steve. You really helped me out so much today.”

“Glad to help, Emma.”

“Now I just have to worry about getting my Yaris to a garage and fixed.”

“Maybe you don't,” he told her, looking down the street.

Her gaze followed his and she saw her Yaris miraculously parked a few homes down. “Wha—how?” She stuttered and felt lost for words, not sure how her car came to be parked in her home neighborhood.

“I know a guy who is pretty decent with machinery and had him take a look and he fixed it no problem,” Steve explained, trying to forget the fact that Tony was now holding something over his head and waiting to cash in some sort of ridiculous favor one day.

“Steve, you're amazing.” Emma was astounded at how far he had gone for her today. He was one of the kindest men she'd ever met, and there was something about how he treated her and how he made her felt that made her sure that she was interested in him. Emma was well aware that she was now slowly falling for his charm. “Can I see you again?”

He grinned, replying, “The same place and time as always.”

“The Brew,” she mused.

“You got it.”

“I'll see you there then.”

“It's a date.”