LUCENT. STEVE ROGERS

[02.] SKETCH

⠀༆

The sound of lead scraping across the parchment was an almost soothing sound to the ears of the young woman. It was a gentle sound that did not cause any sort of irritation like the clicking of a pen or the noise of someone chewing with their mouth open. It was the only noise she wanted to focus on, forgetting about the chattering patrons of the cafe they sat in. She enjoyed the soft sound because she knew something amazing was being created in front of her.

Peaking over her book, her hazel eyes glanced to the smaller man across from her at the table, hunched over his little sketchbook, his pencil moving in a feverish manner. A smile pulled at the corners of her soft pink lips as she attempted to get a look at what he was drawing, eagerly wanting to see it. Elizabeth closed her storybook gently, setting it down upon the wooden mahogany table before leaning against her arms on the wood. "What is it that you are drawing, Steve?"

It had been so silent at their table to where the sudden question from his friend had startled him for a second. The blonde man glanced up from his sketchbook, his soft blue eyes locking with hers. He could see that wonderful curiosity in her eyes that made him smile, it made him happy about his work. She loved his drawings, always telling him that he should pursue a career in art even if others believed it not to be realistic. At least at the time, she always told him that times were changing and one-day creativity would be in such demand for jobs. Steve could not help but feel wary about the idea of taking the artistic career path.

"It's nothing really, just scribbles," he mumbled, wrapping his thin arm around the front of his book in an attempt to hide the poor drawing. He did not really want her to see it, he didn't think it was one of his best works, he had surely done better like the vase of flowers upon the kitchen table at the apartment he had done a few days ago. That had been a very good drawing, especially since he had chosen to take his dear sweet time with it and not scribble aimlessly against the paper.

"Nonsense," the girl muttered in reply, looking to her friend with those eyes that could make anyone give up a secret. She made him and Bucky cave in with that slight look whenever they tried to hide something from her. Elizabeth was not someone to hide things from because she tended to find out one way or another. She reached over, gently snagging the book from him and looking down to the page it was open to.

She could see the faint scribbles from the other side of the page, showing how thin the paper was. But on the page was a drawing she hadn't been expecting. She could make out the focused look that her eyes held in the drawing, the sketch peering down to the book she had been reading. It was a drawing of her, sitting across from him.

A warm smile came to her lips, pulling the corners upward as a comforting feeling spread through her body. Elizabeth glanced up from the sketch, looking to her friend who looked rather embarrassed that she had seen what he had been working on for the past thirty or so minutes. She could tell that he was worried she would believe it to be odd that he had drawn her, but she thought the complete opposite.

"This is beautiful, Steve.. I mean you even got the shading so perfect," Elizabeth began to speak, her eyes returning to look down at the small book, her eyes tracing along the lead-drawn lines of her portrait. She looked back to him and set down the book, giving it back, "may I keep that picture? But I want you to sign it for me in case you get famous one day, I will be the very first to have your autograph."

Steve chuckled a bit at her words, shaking his head in disagreement, "I doubt I would ever be famous but sure you can have it." He took an ink pen from his bag and signed in signature along the bottom of the page before carefully removing it from the book, worried about tearing the page by accident. He didn't want to ruin it.