DIVE [1; CHRIS EVANS]

XXX.

30. REAL LIFE

Minnie offered a genuine smile in Chris's direction. She hadn't thought about it all that much, but anyone who knew her would've been able to tell her straight away that she smiled differently around him.

It was small, and sweet, and wonderfully warm. The sort of smile that not only reached her eyes, but spread out into her whole expression. Her features seemed softened, vulnerable in the most brilliant way.

It was easier than she thought that it would be to let him in. To tell him stories about each person in her family that she adored, even the mother that she missed dearly, without a single doubt or regret. He listened intently, eyes fixed on hers, and never once asked her to stop. He was patient, and kind, and unbelievably good company. He wanted to listen to everything she had to say, hanging onto the syllables that tumbled past her lips at fair speed.

He laughed when she laughed, and inputted just as the time called for it. He even reached across for her hand once or twice, to give it a reassuring squeeze and she found herself wishing that he would hold on for a moment longer; not ready to lose the warmth that came along with the simple gesture.

It felt so rewarding that he seemed to trust that, when he wanted to talk about himself, he could do so without hesitation and that she'd listen just as intently in return. Of course, she did. Chris seemed to have a way of weaving the best stories that left her enthralled; as though if she listened hard enough she'd be able to hear fragments of conversation coming straight from the scene that he was setting.

The odd thing was, that Minnie knew that she was well on her way to falling for Chris. Technically, it might have been their first date, but it was coming up to four months since the first time they'd started to get to know each other with quiet conversation over drinks in the hotel bar.

She hadn't realised it at the time, but from that first time they'd gone out of their way to spend time together, she'd pretty much been screwed. They weren't actively dating before that cooling September night in Los Angeles, but they may as well have been. 

Looking back, it was easy for Minnie to see that, from the moment you met him, she'd known in one way or another that Chris wasn't someone you could walk away from easily. He was the sort of person you wished you could deserve, but were convinced that you didn't.

And yet, here he was. Sat in front of her with a look in his eyes that said he felt the same way about her; there was complete adoration aimed her way, even though she though she was convinced that she'd done nothing to earn it.