An Elemental Manipulation

Chapter Eight

As I make my way to the bar that is in the center of the kitchen and he looks up at me with a smile on his face. He listens to whoever is on the phone until I cause a gust of wind through the door that pushes him off balance. He laughs at me and says,

"Hey, I gotta go. I'll talk to you when I get back to the compound."

He hangs up the phone and walks over to me, he runs his hands through my hair and kisses my forehead. I know I'm always around Steve but he always has a way to cause butterflies in my stomach whenever he does something romantic. Maybe I should listen to Nat and just let it happen. We've been talking for a couple months anyways, what's the worst that could happen.

"Now why would you do that, my perfect hair is all messed up now."

"You were on the phone with someone and I thought you told me this was our weekend not the phones. Work is off limits now, okay?"

"Harley, I brought you out here because I knew we needed some alone time together. I'm not good with this kind of stuff but I know now that I think I'm falling in love with you..."

Once again, he knows exactly how to make my stomach do flips. I don't have any words at the time and moment and I guess the look on my face said it all because he lifts my chin up gently and looks me in the eyes and says,

"I don't want you to say or do anything you don't want to so just take your time and figure out what you want and how you truly feel about me. I know you feel something because you wouldn't have some with me today if you didn't."

"Steve, I really didn't have a choice. You didn't tell me we were spending the weekend here." I laugh at him and he hugs me and walks back to the other side of the bar to finish cooking dinner.

I look over to see what he's cooking and it looks like some sort of pasta and steak, maybe? I can't completely tell because of the way he's working around the kitchen. He looks good in the kitchen and is probably a better cook than any woman I know.

"Babe, I'm gonna go change into something else, I'll be back."

"Okay hun, don't be too long." Steve smiles at me and turns around to finish cooking dinner.

I walk up the stairs to the bedroom and find a pair of sweats and a sweatshirt. I look in the mirror and I smile, Steve makes me the happiest I've been since I can remember. I think about the times we've had since I've been a part of the team. I don't think of them as a team anymore, they're more like a family and I love that, except I'll be leaving soon after the mission they need more for. After that, I'm not sure I'll ever see any of them again.

I finish changing and walk back down to the kitchen where Steve has candles lit on the table and dinner is laid out. It's beautiful, he knows exactly how to be romantic.

"I hope I didn't go overboard, I just wanted our first night here to be a good one."

"Steve, it's amazing." I walk up to him and kiss him. "I love you"

"I love you too Har." He smiles and pulls my chair out and pushes it back in for me like a gentleman would.

We sit and eat dinner with some small talk. Dinner was amazing, he made steak and pasta with an alfredo sauce over the top. After dinner we make our way to the living room and watch a couple movies with popcorn and ice cream. A few hours go by after we watch the movies before I realize that I'm about to fall asleep.

"Hey, I think I'm going to head to bed. I'm still exhausted from yesterday." He looks at me and says,

"That's okay, I'm gonna go take a shower and then I'll go to bed. '' He kissed my forehead and we both went to the bedroom where there's a master bathroom. Steve goes to the bathroom and I hear the shower turn on. He shuts the door and by the time he comes back out I'm already asleep.