*****1945*****
I was working my shift at the local café. I saw a guy come walking in and he seemed nervous as he sat down.
"What can I get you?" I asked walking up to him and he looked at my name tag and smiled. I noticed he was his Army uniform, pretty common for guys recently.
"Just a coffee please." He said and I nodded. I went and got his coffee and then brought it to the table and he didn't even seem to noticed. I saw him resting his hands on the table and I gently placed mine on his.
"Your coffee." I said and he nodded.
"Thank you." He said and gave a small smile and I went to walk away.
"Virginia...?" He called after me.
"Yeah?" I asked stopping then walking back to the table.
"Would you mind if we just sat and talked, I'm pretty nervous and it's dead in here." He said and I smiled.
"Well I cant really sit while on the clock. I'm off in an hour, can you stick around?" I asked and he nodded and I smiled.
"I'm Steve by the way, Steve Rogers." He said and I smiled.
"Virginia Bowman." I said and he smiled. I walked away to do some work around the café hoping the hour passed quickly. I finally looked at the clock and realized it was time to go.
"I'm off Billy." I said to my boss and he nodded as I walked over to Steve's table and he smiled.
"I'm off." I said and he got out of the booth and we left. We went walking down to the park down the street and we just walked in silence.
"So Steve Rogers, when do you ship out?" I asked and he sighed.
"A few days. Special mission and I'm just nervous. I guess I just needed to get away from everything for a while." Steve said and I nodded.
"I can understand that. I have had a lot of people I know enlist and not come back so I understand what you are doing and going through." I said as I felt Steve reach down and take my hand as we walked and I smiled at him.
"So was there a boyfriend or someone special amongst these people you know that enlisted?" Steve asked and I gave a small laugh.
"No, no boyfriend, no fiancé, no one." I said and Steve said and he gave a small nod.
"Well how you would feel if I wrote you? I have no one left to send letters to. My parents are gone and my best friend is enlisted with me going on these missions." Steve said and I smiled with a nod.
"I would really like that Steve." I said as we stopped walking and sat on a bench. I took a piece of paper and pen from my small purse I carried and wrote out my address for him and he put it in his pocket once I gave it to him.
"So can you talk about where you will be?" I asked and he shook his head.
"All secret but I will make sure I get letters to you." Steve said and I nodded.
"Sounds good. I will try to keep you up to date of all the café happenings too." I said and Steve laughed.
"Thanks." He said. We sat on the bench a little longer as he held my hand and looked down and I smiled at how well they fit together, I looked and Steve was looking too.
"Yeah I noticed." Steve said and I gave a small laugh.
"I should probably head home soon." I said and Steve nodded.
"Can I walk you?" Steve asked and I nodded.
"I would like that, yes." I said and we kept walking towards my house.
"Will I see you before you ship out?" I asked and Steve sighed.
"I don't know I will try, just know if I don't see you I will be thinking of today whenever I need to escape from the war." Steve said and I nodded. We walked in silence for a little bit longer.
"So when all of this is over and the war is over are you coming back to New York?" I asked and he nodded.
"Brooklyn born and raised. I will be back." Steve said and I smiled.
"Same here, I could never leave." I said and Steve smiled.
"Good." Steve said and I smiled. Once we reached my house Steve walked me to the door and I smiled.
"Thank you for walking me home." I said and Steve sighed.
'"I have to do something in case I don't get another chance." Steve said and leaned and gently kissed my lips and I smiled when we broke apart.
"How long have you been wanting to do that?" I asked and he chuckled.
"Since the park when I took your hand. I feel connected to you Virginia." Steve said and I smiled.
"Same with me to you Steve." I said and he leaned in and gave me another small kiss. Once we broke apart he placed a hand on my cheek.
"Write me, Rogers." I said and he smiled.
"You can count on it." Steve said and he left my porch.
❤ 🤍 💙
As the months past I got plenty of letters from Steve telling me about where they were but never an exact location and how the missions were going. He told me he should be home by the end of the year and he was looking forward to our first date and making a life together. I was so excited to get Steve back. I heard about everything, especially when he lost his best friend since childhood Bucky Barnes. I was arriving home from work when I we met by a man in an Army uniform standing at my door and a woman.
"Can I help you?" I asked walking up my steps.
"Virginia Bowman?" The guy asked.
"Yes..." I said.
"I'm Colonel Phillips and this is Agent Peggy Carter. Can we come in?" He asked and I felt like my knees were going to give out. I unlocked my door and we all walked in.
"Can I get you anything to drink?" I asked them and they shook their head.
"No thank you." Peggy said as we all sat in the living room.
"We are here on behalf of Captain Steven Rogers." Phillips said and my breath hitched.
"How is Steve? I haven't heard anything recently." I said. Phillips looked at Peggy and she handed me a letter with his dog tags.
"He asked me to bring these to you if anything happened to him on this last mission." Peggy said as tears filled my eyes.
"Is he...?" I asked and they just hung their heads.
"His plane went down and we can't find the wreckage. He is presumed dead yes." Phillips said and I felt tears falling down my face.
"Thank you for these." I said. They got up and saw themselves out since I couldn't find my legs. I set the dog tags on my coffee table and opened the letter. As I pulled out the folded-up paper a gold wedding band fell from the papers into my lap. I opened up the letter.
-Ginny,
I don't like the thought of you getting this letter. If you are reading this something went horribly wrong and I wont be making it home to you in Brooklyn, our home, our love. I had my homecoming all planned. I was going to come into the café while you were working, get down on one knee and present you with the ring enclosed and make you mine forever. I love you Ginny and I want you to know my last thought will always be of our time together before I left. You were the best thing I found and I hate leaving you. Just know I love you. I never wanted to leave you but there was obviously no other way. I will miss you love.
Love you always,
Steve Rogers-
I was crying by the end of the note and I picked up the gold band and looked at it. I slipped it on my finger and smiled.
"Always yours Rogers." I said and curled up with his letter and dog tags on the couch and cried.