Fated (A Chris Evans Series)

Little Ways Away

From her bedroom, Luca could hear Denise's phone ringing; the set ringtone informed her it was Chris finally calling. Denise had been waiting for his call for about an hour now, a mishap on set had pushed filming back which was why he was late. It'd been a rough month for Denise. Her boyfriend was away, business was picking up at the Italian restaurant she worked part time at, and her school work was piling up. She was yet to admit it but she was threading water on the verge of drowning.

The week she took off turned out to be a terrible idea, she got back and found herself overwhelmed by everything she'd missed out on. A month later, she felt like she was still trying to catch up. But that was the thing, she just felt that way because it was all in her head. It was always all in her head which was why her mom, best friend, and boyfriend were always so worried about her. It was human nature to strive for perfection, but the difference between regular people and perfectionists was regular people knew when to quit. Denise was an incredibly intelligent and diligent student who remained ahead of her class in spite of her week in Boston. But her mentality after returning back to Los Angeles without her boyfriend ruined her stride, leaving her dispirited, overworked, sleep deprived, and stressed beyond belief.

It pleased Luca to hear 'Kiss The Girl' coming from Denise's phone. She knew her best friend would benefit greatly from hearing from her sweet, loving, and reassuring boyfriend. Reassuring Denise was a job the mom and the best friend had until Chris came along. Their methods may have been similar, but their success rates were vastly different. It was surprising, but her mom and Luca weren't always successful in calming her down. No matter what they'd tell her, she'd doubt herself and let her anxiety chew away at her brain. But it was never like that with Chris for he had a way with her that no one understood. It was like he had her handbook; he always knew what to say and when to say it. Similarly, she had his handbook. She was the one he instinctively looked to whenever he had a particularly bad or stressful day. He had complete faith in her capabilities to reignite his flickering flame and cast away the approaching shadows. It was bewildering. But the hypothesis that soulmates existed was proved every time anyone saw the effect they had on each other.

Luca waited, but the ringtone didn't stop. It was only momentarily, but when it was a call from Chris- momentarily was already far too long. Luca's eyes narrowed and closed her MacBook screen, making her way outside. She heard herself sigh when she found Denise asleep at the dining room table with Dodger resting by her feet. It was heartwarming how close the puppy had grown to his best friend's girlfriend.

Denise was conspicuously surrounded by her textbooks, assignment notes, class timetables, work schedules, and other bits and pieces. Luca didn't have to assume Denise had tried and failed to plan out her week because it was typical Denise. Every Sunday evening, she'd sit and plan her whole week like life was just going to do what she wanted it to. It never worked out, but it didn't stop her from trying.

Luca walked over and held a finger up to her lips when Dodger looked up at her whining slightly. She carefully pried Denise's phone out of her hand; breath held when she stirred. Luca let out a quiet sigh when Denise remained asleep. She answered the call, walking a distance away before she spoke because the last thing Denise needed was undisturbed rest.

"Hello? Babe, you there?" Chris' voice came through sounding confused at the lack of Denise's chirpy greeting. She'd always answered with "oh Evans, my Captain. To what do I owe this pleasure?" Always, every call, with no exceptions- unless he caught her while she was half asleep then it wasn't so chirpy and coherent. "Sweetheart," he chuckled, "are you there or is this your cute butt I'm talking to?"

"This is actually her cute best friend you're talking to," Luca quipped and a light laugh escaped Chris. "Sorry, Cap, but your girl's passed out at the table." Luca heard Chris sigh and began to explain to him what he already knew happened. "It's Sunday so-"