~Steve’s POV~
Nikki’s small figure against mine felt like heaven. No, scratch that, it was better than heaven. Maybe it was just my hormones, but something about this girl was special. The way she smiled; the way she was afraid of my ride. It reminded me of the model motorcycle I had when I was younger. At heart I am still the small schoolboy from way back in the day….I shake my head and realize this is not the time to be thinking of my-um-interesting past.
The neon sign of Bobby’s Cheeseburger joint comes into view, and I slow the moto and pull into a small spot between the parking lot and the diner. This is one of the many positives of owning a motorcycle in the middle of a big city.
My date shakily gets off, and I laugh at the glare she gives me.
“A burger joint?” She asks curiously. “I would’ve dressed down had I known we were going out for burgers.”
“Maybe you should’ve asked.” I wink at her, and she rolls her eyes.
“Like Mr. Stark would let me do that.” I laugh, and then answer.
“Well I still think you’d look beautiful either way.” She blushes, and then shivers from the bit of wind outside.
“Let’s go inside.” She nods in agreement, and we walk through the doors marked with the same neon as the cheap sign.
~Nikki’s POV~
Wow. What a day. Did he just call me beautiful? All these questions run through my head, and at the same time I take a seat in the red and blue booth with a single rose lying on the worn table. He takes a seat across from me, and places a menu in front of my hands.
“They have really great burgers here.”
“Hmm, I never would’ve guessed.” I say; my voice thick with sarcasm.
“Was that sarcasm?” Steve asks, pretending to be hurt. “That stings.”
“I’m sure it does. That’s my second language, ya know.”
At that moment a waitress comes to our table for our order. She’s pretty, with her blonde hair and emerald eyes. I figured Steve would look at her, maybe even ogle a bit. He’s a guy; of course he will take a long look.
To my surprise, though, all he does is be a gentleman.
“Nikki, what would you like?”
“I’ll take a number one with lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, and ketchup."
“And I’ll have the same.” He says, only looking up as to not be rude and then his eyes are back on me. To most girls, motions like that would never be noticed, let alone taken to attention. With me, well it was different. That small gesture made my heart flutter in a way I know it shouldn’t be. You would think I would’ve learned my lesson the first time.
The girl giggles from the one glance, then rushes off to file our orders. My guess would be she volunteered to take our order. I roll my eyes, this time not in a jokingly way, and Steve notices.
“Is she gone yet?” Instantly I giggle.
“Is that the way you talk about every girl?”
“Nah, just the girls that bother my date.” I am beginning to feel like I am in a romance novel; this is crazy. At that very moment, our meals show up.
“What? That was fast.” I say, amazement clear in the tone.
“I have a friend that works here, let’s just say he does everything fast.”
We both dig into our burgers, swapping comments back and forth. The conversation is very laid back, and I feel as if this is a fifth date instead of a first date. In a good way, of course. Before long, our plates are empty and the check has been paid. I don’t think I could keep the smile off my face if I tried.
“Well, we better get going. I have work in the morning.” The expression on Steve’s face is a mix between a puppy dog face and a very disappointed puppy. I’ll admit it, I laughed.
“Five more minutes?” His face full of mock hope; I guess he’s pretty good at acting too.
“That’s what I will be saying in the morning if I don’t go home soon.” He sighs, but collects his leather jacket. As we are walking towards the door, my eyes wander around the restaurant. My eyes zone in on two beings in an almost-secluded booth in the back.
“Oh my God…” I stop and stare.
“What’s wrong?” When Steve’s vision meets what I am gazing it, his mouth opens as wide as mine.
“Oh my God is right."
I march right over to where the mysterious couple is sitting. When they see my figure, surprise crosses their faces.
“Stel?”
“Hey Nik”
“What the hell is going on here?” Trying to keep my cool, I give my best friend time to answer.
“Uh..” Screw letting her answer.
"How long have yall een dating? Your boss? Why the hell would you date the boss?” I take a moment to breathe, and to my surprise Stella starts giggling, then Mr. Stark joins in. Yes, apparently my best friend was dating our boss without at least dropping a hint by me.
“Nik,” She starts, “Tony and I have been dating for about a month. I didn’t want to tell you because I knew you would react as you are now.”
“So y’all are pretty serious then? Thanks for the heads up.” I roll my eyes, and I feel Steve’s arm wrap around my shoulders. I hadn’t even noticed him standing there.
“Let’s leave the two lovebirds alone. They can tell us what’s going on later.” He used a strong emphasis on the us. After a small glare, I follow his lead and follow him to the motorcycle.
“Not again..” I groan and turn to face Steve.
“Don’t offend her!” I offer a small smile.
“Hey, I’m just trying to make you feel better.” I sigh, and then lean up against the side of the brick building.
“My best friend is dating my boss without even bothering to tell me, or even take into account my feelings!” Steve nods, and all of a sudden I feel the urge to give him a hug.
“Thanks for that..” My voice trails off.
“I enjoyed it.” His warm smile is inviting, and I smile along with him. A comfortable silence settles over us.
“I hate to interrupt your thoughts, but you were right. We both have to get up for work in the morning.”
“What do you do for a living, anyways?” I realize I never asked.
“Uh….I do a bit of government work, and I also work on motorcycles.” He looks up at me, seemingly uncomfortable with the question.
“Uh…okay…well I guess we better get going.” Leave it up to me to make the situation awkward.
“I guess we should.”
Steve climbs on the back of the motorcycle and I follow suit. When we pull up to my apartment complex, I hop off the vehicle and gather my nerves.
“Never…again..” Steve laughs, and I send a glare his way.
“Screw you.”
“Aw, don’t be mad at me. If you don’t want to ride it again you don’t have to.” I stick my tongue out at him.
“Fine.”
“So..did you have a good time?” The look in his eyes is hopeful.
“Yes, I did. Thank you for the wonderful night.” I really did have a good night, and I had just noticed it.
“Well that’s good.” Steve suddenly looks extremely nervous, and his cheeks are tinted a rosy pink. He leans over and kisses me lightly on the cheek.
“I hope we get to do it again one day.” He whispers in my ear, causing goosebumps to travel down my arm.
“I hope so, too.” I whisper, and then walk through the door. Steve stands there for a moment, then walks toward his motorcycle and rides away.
“That. Was. AMAZING!” I scream through my empty apartment, sliding down the wall, resting on the floor. At that moment, I realize I never got his number. More upsetting, though, was that he never got my number either.
“Well there goes my prince.” I say, extremely disappointed. I sigh, and then head to the shower. If things are meant to work out, then they will.