Chapter Text
“You are Natasha Reynolds. You were named after the coolest girl who ever lived. Your Mama is Lena and your Papa is Bob.”
Little Natasha Reynolds lays in bed curled up next to her papa as he reads her a bedtime story about the wonders of outer space. This is her absolute favorite subject– ask anyone and they’ll tell you.
It was last winter on the day she turned five-- the fourth of January to be exact-- when Mama and Papa gave her this book about the planets and the stars. Each of them must have been asked to read it to her at least eight times so far. Tonight it is Papa’s turn yet again.
As he closes the book with the story’s completion, he plays the same joke he always does: pretending to be instantly asleep, complete with fake snoring. Little Nat’s giggles fill the air and she shakes Papa by the arm, “Come on, Daddy! You aren’t sleeping!”
Papa pretends to wake up, dazed and confused, “Huh? What’s happening?”
Little Nat giggles some more and sits up on her knees, “You’re just pretending!”
“I coulda really been asleep! You don’t know,” Papa insists.
Little Nat raises an eyebrow. No fake sleep can get past her. No siree! Papa breaks into a smile, “Come here.”
He holds out his arms and Little Nat crawls into them. The two both gaze up at the giant Saturn-shaped light above their heads as Nat settles back into the crook of his arm. Papa yawns and his daughter is unable to prevent from following suit.
He ruffles her short hair ever so gently as he speaks, “I may not be asleep yet but I’m sure tired. I’ve got a big day ahead of me...”
Little Nat turns to look up at him, “Is that why Mama’s sad? Is she tired too?”
Papa returns her gaze, “Mama’s sad because…Papa has to take a little trip.”
Little Nat sits up again, “A trip? A trip to where?”
“Well, it’s hard to say,” Papa coaxes Little Nat to lay back down, “Not too far. Not more than a galaxy away, anyway.”
“But galaxies are far away from each other, Daddy,” Little Nat pouts. The frown she currently wears is so reminiscent of her mother, it makes Papa smile.
“You’re very smart, Natasha. Did you know that?”
“Ms. Rozman says so too,” Little Nat replies with the smallest hint of pride.
“Well, Ms. Rozman is right,” Papa agrees with a nod, “And hey, since you’re so smart and so brave can you promise me something?”
“Uh huh,” Little Nat says curiously.
“I just need you to look out for Mama. Give her lots of hugs for me. I won’t be gone long but she’ll sure be happy to be with you,” Papa says.
Little Nat snuggles in a little closer, “Okay Daddy. I will.”
“Thanks, kid,” Papa looks to the Saturn light again, “I knew I could count on you.”
Little Nat holds her rocket ship toy up to the car window and makes wooshing sounds as it soars along, ducking through the amber tree leaves that zip by outside. Mama and Papa are both quiet. Mama sits behind the wheel, glancing in the rearview mirror at her child every other minute while Papa looks down at his phone.
Soon enough, Little Nat tires of her game and tosses the rocket ship aside. She leans forward in her seat, the belt lock preventing her from going too far forward, and pipes up, “Where are we going?”
She still doesn’t have a clear answer. She only knows Papa is going away for a while. She overheard Mama tell Auntie Ava on the phone that he was going somewhere to feel better.
“Is Papa going to the doctor?”
“Not exactly, Nat,” Papa looks up from his phone, “Actually, it’s really cool where we’re headed. I’m going to go on...an adventure!”
Little Nat lights up with interest, “You are?”
Mama nods, chiming in, “Somewhere really, really cool!”
Little Nat buzzes from where she sits, her imagination taking flight as to all the places her daddy could go. Unbeknownst to her in the front seat, Mama steals a quick glance at her husband for reassurance before taking a hand off the wheel and reaching out to him. He takes it in both of his, holding it protectively as they drive onward.
The building Mama’s car stops in front of doesn’t look particularly adventurous to Little Nat. She holds onto her mother’s hand as Papa writes on some papers and speaks to people she can’t see over the tall desk. She stands on her tiptoes, making an attempt to see anyway, and Mama notices. She picks up her curious daughter, whose arms wrap around her Mama’s neck loosely. The man that Papa is speaking to gives her a smile and a little wave. He is old with glasses and white fur on his face.
Mama hoists her a little higher as Papa slides the papers back to the old man with face fuzz, saying thank you. Then, the three of them go back outside.
“We goin’ home?”
Little Nat asks the question as Mama sets her down on the sidewalk. Papa kneels next to her, “You and Mama are gonna go home in a second. But Papa has to stay for his adventure, remember?”
“Oh yeahhh,” Little Nat says.
Papa opens his arms just as he did last night and Little Nat goes to them just as she also did. He lifts her from the ground, just enough so her little shoes hover above the sidewalk. She returns his warm hug as he speaks, “I love you so much, Natty.”
“I love you too, Daddy,” she replies into his shoulder. Papa kisses Little Nat’s hair and gives her one more squeeze before setting her back down.
“Don’t forget what I said. I’ll be back so soon, I promise.”
Little Nat nods and suddenly throws her arms around Papa once more. Hardly surprised by the second round of hugs, he cradles her close. In Mama’s head, she is reminded of the way he did it when their little girl first arrived on this earth. It warms her heart just the same way it did then. She wipes a few tears from her eyes which threaten to fall.
Papa waits for Little Nat to let go before standing and turning to Mama. They hug next and he kisses her for a long while.
“I’ll see you soon, Lena,” he assures her in a low voice, “I love you. I love you forever and always.”
He presses a kiss to her forehead and wipes away a few stray tears on her cheeks that broke through as she chokes out, “I love you too, Bob. And you’d better mean it when you say you’re coming home soon.”
Her voice is firm as she struggles to keep it from breaking.
“I promise, мое сердце,” Papa says and lifts her hand, pressing a few gentle kisses to her knuckle. She retaliates by kissing his lips one more time. He leans into it, bringing a gentle hand to her cheek.
Though clearly hesitant to do so, he eventually lets the kiss break. Wiping a few tears of his own, he takes a couple steps back, facing his loves for as long as he can, and blows them both kisses, “See you real soon!”
Little Nat laughs at this. She loves it when Papa says the Mouseketeers thing.
Papa waves to them and they wave back, watching him until he disappears behind the doors. That is when Mama lets out a quiet sob. Little Nat looks up at her, slightly alarmed. Remembering her promise to Papa, Nat goes straight to her mother’s side and tugs at the bottom of her shirt, “It’s okay, Mama! Don’t be sad.”
Mama nods and gives her daughter a little smile. The girl doesn’t understand the full extent of what’s happening and that is a good thing. That is what Mama and Papa want. She bends down and scoops Little Nat up in her arms once more, “I know, sweetie. He’ll be back so soon. But it’s still okay to miss him.”
Little Nat reaches out and wipes away a few of Mama’s tears the way she had seen her father do, “He’s gonna feel better?”
Mama nods, smiling at her daughter’s sweetness, “He is gonna feel better. Thank you, Natasha.”
Little Nat looks back toward the doors and her head slumps on Mama’s shoulder. Mama kisses her hair and then rests her head back on hers, “Mama? Where is Papa going on his adventure?”
By this point, Little Nat has guessed probably a zillion possible outcomes in her mind on where Papa’s adventure will take him. Mama is a bit surprised this is the first time she has wondered aloud since the car.
But the truth of the matter is, Mama doesn’t have an answer to give at the ready. All she can tell her daughter is: this place here. That is the adventure. But she knows her little girl well and such a vague answer won’t be enough to satisfy her natural curiosity.
Then a place pops up in Mama’s head– a big place. One that would satisfy her daughter to no end. Her husband even pitched the idea as a temporary explanation for her the night prior…it is perhaps the best answer Mama could possibly have.
Little Nat doesn’t wait a moment for Mama to reply before she follows up, “What’s he gonna do?”
“Well,” Mama sniffs. This is it, and she feels in her heart it is the right choice. A soft smile comes onto her face before she says, “I am just so proud of Papa because the place he’s going…is to space.”
Little Nat snaps to attention, looking at her with huge saucer eyes, which triggers a slight laugh from her mother.
“He is?? Is he gonna go on a rocket???”
“Yep, a huuuuge rocket. And maybe if you look at night, you’ll see it traveling through the stars,” now she is beginning to get the hang of the story. And why couldn’t it be true?
“Can we go with him, Mommy?”
Her smile fades slightly. Another hard answer has presented itself, “No, baby. Not this time.”
“Oh,” Little Nat stares down at her bunny-laced shoes-– that is the lace-tying method Papa taught her. She swings her legs slightly and suddenly grows quiet.
Mama takes immediate notice, of course, “Hey, you’re gonna get your turn in space too. We just know it, Nat! Papa is just paving the way for you to go.”
And that will be an absolute truth one day too. Mama knows NASA will gain a very special astronaut one day…
She catches Little Nat’s eyes, making her meet her own-– hers are very glassy, “Is he gonna be okay?”
Mama nods, cuddling her daughter closer, “He will be okay, honey. And you wanna know how I know that?”
Little Nat tilts her head as if to ask how? The tilting of the head is something she has picked up from both of her parents, and it is a habit they both pray she will never drop.
“Because your daddy is the bravest of them all. I knew it from the first moment I saw him…”
“You’re coming with me, Lena. I’m sorry, it’s not up for debate,” Natasha stated plain and simple as she ran a curling iron through her hair.
Her little sister, Yelena, watched her from where she sat on her bed, “Well actually it is up for debate because I know how you work and, therefore, I know enough to not fold under your pressures.”
“If you say so,” Natasha was entirely unphased by her baby sister’s protests, “And you also totally won't dwell later on how much you regret not coming when I end up in the lightest mood I’ve felt since I was a kid with no responsibilities. That could be you too, Lena.”
Natasha stopped her work with the iron for a moment and turned to face her sister, “Don’t tell me there isn’t even the tiniest part of you that wants to come…”
Yelena rolled her eyes, “When you say ‘lightest mood’ you mean buzzed. We both know what happened last time I was buzzed and no one wants to see that again.”
Natasha couldn’t help but snort, “Okay okay, granted-- last time was rough. But this time, I’ve got you. No more letting you try to scale Denny’s roofs like they’re rock climbing walls.”
She unplugged the iron and set it down on a dry towel to cool. Yelena watched in the mirror as her sister played with her long, fire-red hair, bouncing the curls into a look she was satisfied with. Her ability to be ready to go in mere minutes was something her little sister could never keep up with.
Yelena smiled, “You look beautiful.”
Natasha turned around to face her, “So do you, Lena.”
Yelena tilted her head, a laugh on her lips but not escaping “What? I’m not even dressed up. These are my normal clothes--”
“Doesn’t matter,” Natasha insisted, “You’re beautiful.”
The elder sister took a step forward and extended both hands to Yelena, who took them in return and was pulled to her feet.
“Come with me,” Natasha insisted again in a voice even more genuine than before, “I think you’ll have a great time. Plus it wouldn’t kill you to get out there and meet some new people…”
Yelena didn’t find much issue with carrying the same group of friends since high school-- she had just happened to retain a tight-knit bond with people like Ava Starr and John Walker.
“What’s so wrong with the people I’ve got?”
“Nothing,” Natasha insisted, and Lena knew she meant it, “But like I said, it wouldn’t kill you to expand your horizons a little bit. You never know what you could be missing out on out there if you’re too holed up in here to go look.”
Yelena considered her sister’s words. In her youth, she had been much more outgoing– making an abundance of friends was no issue. Making them as she grew, however, was a different story. She didn’t drink a lot. She wasn’t dating. No particular social activity called to her. She wasn’t an unpleasant person to be with by any means as the friends she did have adored her– but she wondered if she must have lost some communication ability somewhere along the way as she reached adulthood. She was fine with it though…mostly.
These days, Lena preferred to spend cozy nights in her shared apartment with her sister either completing schoolwork for college or relaxing in front of the television. The art of partying wasn’t something she had terrible FOMO about, but she did wish connecting with people was easier.
Natasha noticed the hesitation that still lingered within Yelena and her voice became softer because of it, “I promise I’ve got you. And how about this-- the second you feel like anything’s off, we bail.”
Yelena considered. Things were slightly more tempting when framed this way. The party didn’t call to her in the slightest, but the idea that it would make her sister happy had given her internal pause, “You mean that?”
Natasha nodded and offered Yelena her pinkie finger. It was a sign of a promise that the pair hadn’t engaged in since Nat was probably ten or younger. Yelena looked up from the sign to her sister, who only reaffirmed with a single nod, “I mean it.”
Yelena smiled and linked her own pinkie with Natasha’s. The younger sister made a silent promise to herself that she would try her best not to ditch the place too quickly for Nat’s sake. She would try to have fun and who knew? Maybe things would be different this time.
The sisters were greeted with harsh neon lightning and loud, blaring music from the moment they stepped into the club. Yelena regretted not thinking to bring earplugs as she felt her ears begin to throb, but she didn’t do this enough to even consider them when leaving.
Natasha held onto her sister’s hand firmly and guided her through the crowd right up to the bar. She managed to wiggle herself into a space between two extremely drunk young partygoers (who hardly seemed to notice or mind their presence) and pulled Yelena in next to her. The first thing she did was order a pair of shots for the two of them.
Down the hatch those shots went. Yelena winced automatically at the bitter taste-- she liked some alcohol but not whatever this was-- and meanwhile Natasha looked like a complete pro. The redhead began to feel the bouncy music that filled the room and swayed in sync with it. Yelena watched her, a little impressed and a little intimidated at the same time by the standard she was setting.
She knew Natasha went out every so often to meet new people-- she was definitely better at it. The funny thing was that she didn’t even consider herself to be a social person. This was only the second time Yelena was accompanying her, and yet, she could see how easily Nat blended into it all. She stayed close to the bar counter but still managed to weave her way around other drunks while dancing. Yelena, meanwhile, stayed back for as long as she could until Natasha caught a hold of her arm and pulled her in.
Trying and failing to stay where she was, Yelena was eventually tugged out into the crowd. She clung to her sister in an attempt to avoid being knocked to the ground by a particularly wasted man in bright green glasses and a cowboy hat who was leaping around at what had to be the maximum height he could go. Natasha was unconcerned with anyone else, however, just Lena. She spun her sister around, eliciting laughter from the latter. She dipped her too-- making Yelena yelp and grip her arm so as not to tumble to the ground.
“You’re getting the hang of it,” Natasha called out over the music. Yelena was just barely able to make out what she was saying.
“Am I?? I sort of feel like I look stupid!”
Natasha shook her head and spun her again, “That’s how you’re supposed to feel, Lena!”
Yelena gave in and allowed herself to be dragged around the room. She even took a few turns at spinning and dipping her sister instead, though Natasha was decently taller, so these tasks proved difficult.
About half an hour later, Yelena felt herself winding down and in need of a break. She eyed Natasha in the crowd and signaled a time out "T" to her with her hands. It was a hand motion the girls had been using ever since Lena’s peewee soccer game days.
Natasha nodded back and gave her a thumbs up so Yelena began her journey back through the crowd to retrieve some cold water from the bar.
To her surprise, she was able to squeeze herself back in and easily got water from the drowsy-looking bartender. She turned back around and leaned her elbows on the counter as she sipped from the refreshing cup of ice water.
I’ll never take water for granted again, she thought to herself as momentary dehydration so often tended to make her think.
It was then that she began to people-watch, her eyes drifting around the club from tables to the dance floor to another bar counter on the opposite end. The travelling of her gaze stopped instantly when she spotted something that looked particularly out of place: A young man with shoulder-length brown hair and a knit blue sweater. And wouldn’t you know it? He was drinking water too (at least, that’s what it looked like).
He seemed to be people-watching too, though clearly in a more nervous manner than Lena was, and his wandering eyes soon locked with hers. His eyes widened momentarily, looking startled as if he had done something wrong and was caught. He turned down to look at his lap and Yelena felt a small smile tug at her lips. He looked up again timidly and she held out her water toward him in a “cheers” sort of manner to reassure him that all was well. The man gave her a small smile back and held up his own cup in return. Yelena was intrigued, for the first time in a long time. She felt an odd sort of gravitation leading her toward the man and she wasn’t entirely sure why.
Without giving her own thought process too much questioning, she pushed herself off the counter and made her way over.
He was pretending not to stare as she approached, but he clearly couldn’t help his own curiosity. Once she made it to his end of the bar, Yelena positioned herself next to him, “Taking a break from the alcohol too?”
She instantly realized that this corner seemed to be a little quieter (as quiet as a bar could be, anyway) due to it being significantly less populated.
The young man looked down at his drink and shook it a little, causing the ice to slosh around, “Oh uh, yeah. I’ve been taking a break from it for a while.”
“Oh, I see,” Yelena nodded in understanding. She felt a little guilty, as though she had crossed a line but he continued.
“Not that I don’t totally see the appeal! I just prefer not to drink…”
He rolled his straw around the base rim of the glass, looking guilty himself. Yelena watched his anxious actions, “I hope your friends aren’t giving you too hard of a time about it…”
That was her first assumption as to the origins of his nerves: maybe he was embarrassed about being the only non-drinker and his group was making him feel worse…but he shook his head, “I came alone tonight actually.”
He finally looked up at her as he said so and she looked right back.
“To be honest, I don’t even know why I chose to come to a bar after recovery,” he admitted, “Maybe it’s stupid but I thought it would be a way to meet cool people– sorry I don’t know why I’m telling you all this.”
Yelena shook her head and shrugged, not seeking to make him feel worse about the choice even if it was a strange one, “Hey, you don’t have to drink to be here. Booze is overrated anyway.”
“But isn’t booze what loosens people up enough to talk to each other? I’m terrible at conversation.”
“You haven’t had a drop and you’re talking to me just fine.”
As he watched her speak, Yelena now noticed how deep and bright those eyes of his were-- those blue eyes as she could now see. Something flashed within them and it looked like a bit of hope ignited. And again, unable to define why, she had a sudden desire to see those eyes under the light of the moon instead of under strobes.
“Are you just saying that to make me feel better? I’m not boring you?”
Yelena shook her head, “Not at all.”
“Oh,” that is all he seemed to be able to say at the moment but Yelena took notice of the small smile he was trying to hide from her which formed on his face all the same.
She couldn’t help the smile that was forming on her own in return, “Hey– step outside with me for a second?”
The young man seemed a bit taken aback. In all honesty, Yelena wasn’t even sure where her own sudden confidence was coming from either.
“Oh, y-yeah sure! I could probably use some fresh air.”
“I was thinking the same,” Yelena replied, turning on her heel and making her way back toward the exit. The young man abandoned his spot at the bar and obeyed her beckoning hand.
As they reached the door, Yelena spotted Natasha in the crowd and the sisters locked eyes. Natasha held up a questioning “ you ok” gesture with her thumb and pointer finger to which Yelena nodded back. Then, Nat’s eyes began to drift and she noticed the man trailing behind her sister. Her gaze snapped between them, a genuine gasp seeming to be escaping her (though she was too far away to hear, especially with the music). Yelena smiled and rolled her eyes as she led her “new friend” outside.
The pair found a quiet area a little ways down the street in front of a small restaurant as it was closing its doors for the night. Yelena leaned against its wall and the man followed her example. She stared up at the sky-- plenty of stars were out tonight. He seemed to want to do the same, but Yelena could feel him watching her instead.
Without breaking her gaze, she spoke up, “It’s nice out here.”
“It is,” he agreed, “A lot quieter.”
“And not so hot,” she added as a slight breeze picked up her hair and played with it. She involuntarily rubbed her forearms.
“A-are you cold? You can wear my jacket,” Yelena heard the man say. She turned to face him finally and there they were-- those big blue eyes now illuminated by the natural moonlight. But that wasn’t his only feature the moon now showed her in greater detail. No, it was now clear to her just how handsome he was, really handsome. She wasn’t one to usually be awestruck right away but, in the light…she could see him so distinctly.
Her voice wavered for a second before she corrected it, “N-no that’s alright. I’m, um, used to cold temperatures.”
“Okay,” he nodded. Part of her regretted not taking that jacket. He looked slightly disheartened, “I’m sorry if that was too much-- we hardly know each other. I’d just hate for you to be cold knowing I could help out.”
Yelena felt another smile tug at her lips, “That’s really sweet but I promise you I’m okay.”
He nodded, seeming to believe the truth in her words…or at least to accept them.
Yelena changed the subject “What’s your name, by the way?”
“Uh, Bob. I’m Bob.”
“Bob,” she repeated, “I’m Yelena.”
Bob offered a smile that was as sweet as the way he spoke to her, “That’s a pretty name. It’s nice to meet you...”
“Thank you,” Yelena said, “The name is Russian. Like my accent.”
She gestured to herself as if to say “duh” and Bob looked intrigued, both of his eyebrows raising, “What’s Russia like?”
“I’m honestly not sure,” Yelena admitted, “I left when I was six. Grew up here in Ohio instead. I just…really wanted to hold onto the accent. My parents did the same.”
“Wow,” Bob said quietly. Yelena watched the adorable expression on his face as he gave her words some thought, “Would you ever go back?”
“Maybe,” she shrugged, “Where are you from, Bob?”
He frowned slightly as the question was turned on him, “Florida. Sarasota Springs to be more specific. I hated it. I still hate it. Too many bad memories...”
“Mmm,” Yelena didn’t push any further despite the flurry of questions his words sparked in her mind.
“The short answer for why I needed recovery in the first place was Florida,” Bob said bitterly.
Yelena let his words sit for a moment and suddenly, she felt an urge to get him out of there.
“Come with me,” barely having gotten the words out, Yelena started to walk again. Bob was not far behind.
“Where are we going now?”
In actuality, Lena hadn’t thought that far ahead. Her plan now was to just walk and hope he followed.
“Somewhere. You can trust me, Bob,” she was being so vague and, for a moment, she wondered if he might turn around and head back to the bar.
Except…he wasn’t scared off. Instead, he seemed allured, responding playfully, “Can I? We’ve only just met.”
And Yelena gave him a look that was an equal mystery to her words. But in her heart (and she felt in his too), the answer was a resounding yes. Of course he could trust her.
Yelena had come to the conclusion that frozen yogurt was infinitely better than alcohol– at least by tonight’s standards. She and Bob had come upon a little fro-yo store down the street from the bar. Only a few people were inside, so she offered to get Bob a treat. He tried to protest, insisting he would pay, but she handed the cashier her card while she had him distracted. She played this trick on Nat a lot and it irked her still-grateful sister. Eventually it had become a game of who could make the other look away long enough to get the check. Bob was unprepared, so he lost the game. He was awkward but, like Nat, he was also grateful.
Speaking of Natasha, Yelena had sent her sister a quick text as they walked down the street, saying she would be out a bit longer and asking if she wanted to come.
Natasha’s response was definitely co-written by the alcohol, as she used an abundance of emojis-– she never did that unless she had been drinking. The contents of her message furthered the point, saying something along the lines of “have fun with your new friend (wink emoji) and BE SAFE!” though significantly less coherent.
She had probably made some new friends by now, being the magnet she was.
As Bob and Yelena now slipped into a booth right next to a window looking out toward the street, she could see his awkwardness remained and she diagnosed it immediately, “Bob?”
“Huh,” he looked up like he’d been caught again.
“I got you fair and square. There is really no need to worry.”
“I know, it’s just,” his hand rose to the back of his neck, likely seeking some grounding, “I feel bad.”
“I understand. You can just get me back next time,” she reached across the table and nudged him slightly as she said this. He seemed to freeze up in response and she worried for a moment that she had done something wrong.
He wouldn’t say the question that she could so clearly see on the tip of his tongue: next time? All he really managed to get out was, “Oh-h okay…”
Yelena grinned as she picked up her spoon and started mixing the toppings into her fro-yo. He was so cute. She hadn't known what to expect at the bar, but it definitely wasn’t him.
Bob poked and prodded at his own fro-yo. Yelena decided to change the subject, “So, Bob, tell me more about you. What do you like to do for fun?”
She ignored the thought in her mind that told her she was turning this into a date fast. The question got Bob talking anyway, “Well, I read mostly.”
He started to stir his fro-yo in the same way Lena did as her intrigue grew, “What kind of books do you read?”
“Any. All,” Bob picked up a few gummy bears with his spoon, “Whatever I can find…”
As he popped them into his mouth, Yelena considered. For someone who stayed home a lot, she didn’t read nearly as much as she wanted to, “You think you can recommend some to me?”
Bob swallowed and his eyes widened upon being pressed about a subject he so enjoyed, “Really? I definitely can.”
She nodded, “I’d like that.”
Yelena tried to prevent her smile from getting too big but she couldn’t help it.
“Fair warning though: I’m probably going to sound like a nerd,” Bob continued.
She could see the excitement written all over his face and in the way his voice got a little higher. He was certainly a cute nerd, “Oh, I’m counting on it.”
This gave Bob an unconcealable smile too…
As the pair began to get in a flow, eating and talking, they learned more about each other (minus any Florida territory, of course). Yelena had a note full of book recommendations based on her taste in her phone by the end, but she was more focused on how smart Bob was. He was like a library.
Eventually, Bob stood to throw away their empty bowls and Yelena used the opportunity to check for any texts from Natasha. There was only one from about five minutes ago, just checking in. Yelena quickly typed out that she was doing really well and added a few emojis to match her sister. Nat instantly thumbs upped her message and Yelena set her phone down again.
Bob came back with that same grin from earlier on his face and sat down, “This was a good idea. Much better than pretending I drink.”
There was the subject again. Yelena figured she could agree– and what little alcohol was inside her pushed her to question him a bit.
“Speaking of that,” she said, “I know you want to meet cool new people but I have to say I agree with you that a bar maybe isn’t the best place to go after recovering from an addiction…”
But he was safe in the end and she was grateful they could cross paths anyway. Suddenly, things felt a little easier.
“Oh no, definitely not. But hey, it was worth it because I did meet someone cool.”
He was looking right at her, making sure it was abundantly obvious who he meant. Yelena looked back at him incredulously and almost laughed, “You think I’m cool? My sister had to drag me there with promises that we could go home at the drop of a hat!”
Bob twiddled with his fingers slightly, “Yeah, I do think you’re cool. I could tell right away actually and it only got clearer the more we talked. And for what it’s worth, I’m glad she got you to come.”
His gaze broke away from his nervous hands and he looked out the window at the sky instead-- but Yelena was still looking right at him, processing what he had said.
It was as though he had pulled Yelena’s thoughts about him from her mind and turned them around on her instead. He was glad she was here, just the same as she was glad he was.
What was it Natasha had said? It wouldn’t kill her to meet new people? Maybe she’d been right after all. It was a strange phenomenon: in this moment, Lena didn’t even care if Natasha rubbed that admission of being correct in her face later.
“Yeah,” she spoke quietly under her breath, “I kind of am too.”
She wouldn’t have been able to believe those words if they’d come out of her mouth only a couple of hours ago but now, as she sat across from Bob, she felt something that spanned from her chest down to her stomach, sending the entirety into butterflies. She turned her gaze to match where Bob’s was-- up at the night sky where the moon hung above them. She couldn’t tell if she saw a shooting star out there or if it was just something deep within her lifting her spirits as though gravity had given in.
Things were simply easier…