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[notoriousnika]

I promise

author: @notoriousnika​

pairing: Chris Evans x Fem!Reader

summary: Reader finds herself in the start of an interesting relationship with the famous actor she has to interview for her job. 

word count: 12k

warnings: none

➭ masterlist

I let out a very long, deep breath, internally hoping it will release the nerves coursing through my body. I was already past anxiety, the nerves were part of the excitement and no matter what I did I could not shake them. The fact that everyone in the room seemed to have disappeared all of a sudden did not help at all. My fingers tightened on the small notebook I held in my hands and I had half the mind to open it up and go through the questions listed in it all over again. But I didn't do that. They are going to call me in any time and I had nothing more to memorize until then. My eyes took a quick look around the dark room they had me wait in. I felt alone and out of place.

Someone opened a door to the left and a guy in glasses stepped in followed by a blonde girl with a clipboard scribbling something furiously on it. They didn't look my way but only walked past as he seemed to be giving the girl, who looked like his assistant, notes or directions. My hopes quickly died and I settled back into my chair, slouching for a moment or two. These chairs were not really comfortable and I had to be there for hours, just waiting and anticipating when I'll be called in. I looked down at my watch noticing the late hour in the day and let out another sigh through my nose. For a split second, I thought they forgot I was on the schedule too and that I was waiting there for nothing at all. I almost wanted to pick up my phone and scroll through social media to busy my mind but that would be highly unprofessional.

Finally, another door opened in front of me and out of it exited a girl in a floral dress. She had one of the biggest smiles on her features and she looked like she could jump out of her shoes at any time. She looked my way, her smile dropping a little, but due to her expression she wasn't really looking at me, but more through me. Her eyes glossed over with something she seemed to remember before she giggled out loud. She turned around when another assistant appeared from behind her.

''Can't I go in again?''

''No. Your ten minutes are up.'' The male assistant put his hand up.

''But –''

''Will you leave or will I have to call security?''

''Can I wait here in this room?'' The brunette tried again.

The guy sighed. ''Whatever. You are just not permitted to go in there anymore. As I've said your time is up.'' He lightly pushed at her arm to make her move away from the door.

Then he looked straight at me and called my name. I stood up with a start. Blood rushed into my head and for a moment I felt dizzy due to sitting completely still for too long. Once I walked to the door the male assistant stopped me in the doorway and pushed a clipboard my way. I fumbled with it accidentally dropping my notebook to the floor. I heard a quiet laugh behind me and felt eyes on my back. It was no doubt the girl who insisted on sitting in this dingy waiting room for whatever reason she wanted. It was really late in the day and I could not believe she had nothing better to do with her life.

''I know you have probably signed a bunch of papers already, but this is the last one.'' The assistant said with a certain edge to his voice.

I frowned before picking up my notebook and receiving a pen from him as well. I skimmed my eyes over the paper but before my tired brain could register what I was signing the assistant sighed annoyingly. ''Just sign it, we don't have all day.''

Jeez. Someone must have put something in his food for him to be so snarky. I signed before he would kick me out like he almost did with the previous one. But on the other hand, I could understand his behavior, it was late and if he had to deal with people like that brunette all day, it wasn't easy, to say the least. The assistant took back the clipboard and motioned me to follow him down the dark hall. There was only one light source at the very end of it where it opened up to a smaller space with two chairs.

My step faltered a little when I saw him. Chris Evans was sitting in one of the chairs under a direct light source, the poster for Captain America Civil War shining behind him. I was aware that he will be the actor I'll be interviewing today but I didn't expect him to knock the wind out of me like this. He looked even better in person than on screen where I have watched him ever since he got the role of Captain America. He hadn't noticed me yet and it was good as I'm sure I looked like a fool.

Two cameras were situated outside the light source, one pointed at Chris and the other at the other chair that was now empty. There was one cameraman left, although considering there were two cameras there were probably supposed to be two. But due to the day ending they probably reduced the staff. The only people there were Chris, the bored-looking cameraman, the assistant and me.

The assistant stopped beside the cameraman and turned to me. ''You get ten minutes just like all journalists before you. Whether you ask questions or just converse is your decision entirely, depends on what your employers want. After your time is up, there is no extending the limit and no more questions. And considering the time of the day if you can quicken things up and finish as soon as you can so we can all go home and have a rest you would be a peach.''

I stayed dumbfoundedly silent. He listed all the things like a broken record, probably repeating everything but the last sentence to every reporter and journalist that entered this room today. God, how many hours had Chris had to sit here and answer question upon question, all of them probably repeating again and again.

''I represent a local paper so there'll be no need for cameras. I'll just record the interview.'' I looked from the assistant to the cameraman.

They looked at each other before the cameraman shrugged and left his post, shutting the cameras off. I took another deep breath when the assistant waved with his clipboard indicating for me to enter the spotlight. I put on a small smile and stepped into the lighted area, laying my eyes on Chris again. He picked his head up and fixed his posture a little, smiling very shortly back at me.

''Hi, it's nice to meet you.'' I offered him my hand after telling him my name.

''Hello. I'm Chris. Nice to meet you too.'' His voice sounded from heaven even though he was probably talking all day today.

I smiled at him one more time before sitting in the chair opposite him. I took a quick look around, noticing how the area made you feel like you were sitting alone here without another person in the room beside the actor that was being interviewed. I had no idea whether the assistant left the room or was still lurking behind the camera somewhere, but I felt like this was some sort of a private session.

I looked back at Chris and for the first time noticed the tiredness seeping through his blue eyes. He was slightly slouched, one of his hands was propping up his head, the elbow placed on the sturdy armrest. His eyes were slightly red and he was serious. I adjusted my sitting in the uncomfortable chair a little before pressing record on the recorder for the paper.

''How are you feeling?'' I started off simple in hopes of easing his mind a little.

Chris removed the hand from underneath his chin and let out a short breath. ''Good.'' He answered vaguely, then straightened his back. ''A bit tired actually, it's been a long day.''

''I can't imagine how it must be like, sitting in these stiff chairs for hours on end, answering repetitive questions from numerous reporters. I mean I had to wait only for a while out there and those chairs aren't any more comfortable.'' I tried to joke.

It seemed though my joke landed as Chris laughed a little but before long, a tired expression was back on his features. He didn't look quite excited yet to start speaking about the movie and the questions he already answered before. I tapped my fingers on my notebook, mentally going through the questions I had in there but ultimately decided to wing this interview. It was my first time interviewing a celebrity and maybe that was a good thing. I tried to keep my calm and not burst out in excitement at sitting face to face with the Chris Evans. Probably excitement was written all over my face but I had no intention of making Chris uncomfortable and saying something like 'oh my god, you're Chris Evans, I'm such a fan'. At least I'm not a giggly mess like the brunette that was here before me.

I placed my notebook down on the floor beside my chair, deciding to forget about it altogether. When I looked back up I noticed Chris followed me with his eyes, certain interest swirling in them.

''How is it like being back in Boston? I don't intend on putting words in your mouth, but you surely must feel more at home here doing press than any other city in the world. Have you found the time to visit your family yet?''

A small smile tugged at Chris' lips. ''I definitely feel a lot at home. I don't know what it is, something just sparks up within me simply at a thought of flying back here even if it is for work or press. And yes, I have seen my family, yesterday actually. It was all over too soon but I do plan on spending more time with them after all this is over.''

''You seem to be a big family guy.'' I smiled.

Chris smiled as well. ''I am. I love my family. They have been there for me all through my childhood, it was never quiet in our home with four kids and it was never boring either. They supported me all through my career and any chance I get, I invite them to set or to premiers. It feels good to have someone be there as a rock, to hold me in place and grounded when I feel like jumping out of my skin with anxiety.''

With every sentence, Chris seemed to relax more and more and became more elaborate with the answers he was giving. After a few moments that adoring smile didn't want to leave his features.

''And what do you usually do with your family when you visit them?''

''All sorts of things. I don't know, I take my nieces and nephews out for ice cream or we take my dog out for walks. We have these big family lunches that are sometimes chaotic with so many children at the table but it's all sorts of fun still. I like to think of myself as the cool uncle to the kids so I take them wherever they want. They are usually the ones that decide what we're going to do when I pick them up.''

I held the awe within myself. I could just picture Chris being so good with his nieces and nephews. ''Have they visited the set, where you work any time?''

''No. They are too young, but they certainly want to come. I always promise them that next time they will be able to come.''

I chuckled a little, trying to lead on a relaxing conversation. I couldn't believe that our paper even got the interview in the first place but my boss promised me a full page on Chris in the next week's edition. It was no wonder though because we're not BBC or IMDb that my time was at the very end of the day. I just hoped I wasn't making Chris wish for the interview to be over as soon as possible. Judging by his smile and relaxed posture I wasn't doing too bad of a job. And the fact that the cameras were shut off added to the whole atmosphere of a not-so-strict interview.

''Well, congratulations on the Civil War. The movie is fantastic and it is very clear on the screen that all of you and the whole production poured your hearts out for it.''

''Thank you.'' Chris smiled.

''What can you tell me about it, something that really stuck with you either while filming or watching it?'' Considering I was here because of the movie I had to at least do my job properly.

Chris blew some air out as he looked at the floor for a few moments. ''That's a tough one. I don't think I can narrow it down to just one thing. I loved working on it and everything that happened counts up to this wonderful experience. Working with different actors, directors, working on choreography and doing my own stunts. The whole storyline and building on my character I mean just everything. I can't possibly pinpoint that one thing right now but I'm really grateful for everyone in the production for making this happen.''

''Is this your favorite one so far, out of the three Captain America films?'' I was maybe a bit too curious but again I cared more for a flowed conversation than actual questions that I was asking.

''That's like having to pick your favorite child. I can't do that.'' Chris laughed. I laughed as well, nodding and accepting the defeat of that question. ''Which one is your favorite?'' Chris leaned slightly forward in his chair.

My eyebrows jumped up to my forehead as surprise replaced my expression. I wasn't expecting him to ask me something but I chuckled nervously and quickly uttered out the answer. ''Winter Soldier.''

''See, I sensed you would say that one.'' Chris leaned back again.

''Why?'' My curiosity got the better of me.

Chris' eyes looked me up and down once as he reserved his smile and placed his hand under his chin. He studied me for another few moments. ''I'm going to take a wild guess and say you particularly like Bucky.''

I laughed wholeheartedly and shook my head with it. ''It's not because of him, no. I like that the movie deals with internal conflict instead of the Avengers conflict like Civil War does. There has been some time since we saw Steve from the first movie and I like the character development of him in Winter Soldier. I like that the directors were not afraid of going deep and digging up things that usually are not talked about in superhero action movies.'' I elaborated my answer.

Chris nodded with the things I pointed out to him. I felt like I shouldn't talk so much and prepared my next question for Chris to answer. Somehow the whole responsibility of filling a whole page with his answers escaped my mind. I was just trying to make the interviews as enjoyable to him as I could.

''I want you to talk about something you didn't get the chance to in these interviews. Is there something that you wish someone would ask you but didn't and you want to express your thoughts to listeners?''

Chris seemed to accept my invitation of taking matters of the interview into his hands well. He smiled lightly and thought for a couple of moments. ''I feel like today I drained myself of everything about Steve Rogers and the movie, the suit, long hard-working days, Scarlett and RDJ and all the other amazing actors I worked with, I talked a lot about my diet and workout and everything else. I talked about premieres and red carpets, awards just about anything. Maybe the only thing I haven't touched on was politics.'' He chuckled.

I laughed with him and showed with my hand to offer him a free speech to express his thoughts.

''I think it's too late today for politics. I don't know, I guess I would just like to say that while I loved working on this movie and I love playing Cap, I am also very excited for new projects I'm going to be working on in the future. It seems like everyone is only focused on Civil War they don't think about all the other things we had to postpone because of this particular one.''

I nodded when he finished his talk. ''Can you tell me anything about your other projects?''

Chris smiled. ''To avoid spoilers and such I'm going to be vague. But you will see me on the big screen soon again, this time not in Cap's suit. I can't say any more since nothing is announced yet but I hope they'll put it out very soon. Then I'm also very excited about some theatre, I'll be performing in a play soon, and ever since I stopped shooting for Civil War, I've been working on that.''

''You sound like a very hardworking and busy guy.'' I admired him.

''Thank you. I have my doubts about overworking myself sometimes. And at those times I also wish that maybe sometime soon I'll get to settle down, part my ways with my career for a little while and focus on creating a home and family. But we'll see what the future brings.'' He sent me a tight-lipped smile that didn't really reach his eyes entirely.

I could see him be happy in the arms of his loved one. Asking if he had a partner in his life felt a bit too personal for this interview so I abstained from that particular question. Although the curious spark inside me wanted to know, just because. I didn't really follow tabloids or speculate about celebrities' lives when they needed their privacy. I nodded and took a quick breath to continue the conversation when someone cleared their throat out of the lighted area.

''Time's up.'' The assistant's voice said.

I didn't refrain from frowning when I heard those words, knowing I wasn't on camera. I would probably act completely different if I was on camera though. I quickly covered it up with a smile and pressed stop on the recorder. I slowly stood from my chair, seeing Chris did so as well.

I offered him my hand. ''Thank you for your time and for answering my questions. It really was nice to meet you.''

Chris opened his arms and instead of the handshake gave me a quick hug. He was quite a lot taller than me and I was sure my cheeks reddened at the feeling of his arms around me.

''Thank you.''

I scrunched up my eyebrows after the short embrace was over. ''What for?'' I couldn't help but ask.

Chris put his hands in his pockets. ''I enjoyed this interview. It was nice talking about something else and I felt relaxed. So, thank you and I can't wait to see what you write in your article.''

I felt stunned. Did it normally happen that actors thanked journalists for interviewing them? I wasn't sure. ''Oh, no problem. I didn't want to be a bore after the long day you've had. Thank you, again. Have a nice night.'' I chuckled and backed away from the set.

I smiled at him one last time, Chris returning the smile before he too stepped away from the light. I sighed with relief as I walked down the dark hall, spotting the exit at the very end. Nerves left my body, yet my blood was high on adrenaline from the interview I just conducted. Outside in the waiting area, my eyes sought out that same brunette that stepped out of the interviewing room just before me. She looked up from the screen of her phone with expectation in her eyes. That spark died down though when she saw me enter the room. She muttered something under her breath and went back to her phone. I didn't mind for her although I wasn't quite sure what she was trying to achieve here. Judging by her reaction after her interview with Chris, she was definitely a fan and probably wanted to see him again. I don't know if she was aware that this wasn't the only exit out of that room though. I stepped over to the rack and picked up my jacket, preparing to leave and mull my mind over what just happened.

The brunette behind me gasped. ''Chris.''

I turned around and my lips parted as very unexpectedly Chris came out of the same door I just came through. The brunette blocked his way when she stood up with a big smile. ''Hi, it's lovely to see you again. I just wanted to say –''

I turned back around, putting my jacket on and stepping away. This girl certainly was crazy for trying to steal extra time with him.

''Excuse me.'' I heard Chris say politely.

Footsteps followed after that but I didn't turn around again, I had no mind to bother the busy and tired actor anymore. I think everyone just wanted to go home and have a good night's sleep.

''Hey, wait! You forgot your notebook.''

I stopped in my tracks and turned around with confusion. My eyes locked with Chris' and he speed-walked the rest of the way up to me, just before I was about to exit the waiting room. I saw my notebook in his hands and only then realized that I left it on set just beside the chair I was sitting it.

''Oh, thank you.'' I chuckled nervously.

He placed it in my hands and my inner child wanted to giggle as his hand lightly brushed mine at the exchange. I looked up at him as he lingered there, just watching me with a certain emotion in his eyes that I couldn't decipher.

He looked away soon. ''I hope you got everything for your paper. I feel like we talked nothing about the movie at all.''

I held my notebook close to my chest, wondering if he peeked inside at what was written. He didn't seem to be that kind of guy, who would invade people's privacy. I nodded to reassure him. ''I did, don't worry. I didn't come here for the movie but rather to talk to you and about the things you love.''

Chris' breath fell short. He stared at me for a couple of moments looking like he didn't expect such an answer. I told him nothing but the truth. He was doing press for the movie but our article will be about him as an actor and not about the movie. After a moment he ran his hand through his beard and took half a step back.

I stepped back as well. ''Thank you, again.'' I motioned to my notebook.

Then I waved at him with a small gesture and turned back around. Maybe intentionally I walked very slowly, waiting if something else will happen but without seeming to be too curious I didn't turn my head around to inspect. I heard footsteps behind me going in the opposite direction and guessed that Chris was leaving the room that way.

But before that, the awful high voice of that brunette spoke up again. ''Chris? Hi, again.'' She giggled obnoxiously. ''I know you're not working anymore, and believe me this is not work-related at all, I was just wondering if there is anything you would like to talk more about?''

I couldn't help but to turn around again. The brunette's back was turned to me and Chris was standing in front of her. His features were nothing but tired yet he still tried to be polite. I knew exactly what the girl was doing. It looked like she had too big of a crush on the actor and was trying to talk with him more, maybe even ask him out which was very unprofessional. And also she was nothing but annoying at this point and I could not believe her.

''I would love it if we could grab a coffee and discuss anything or –'' The brunette continued.

''Excuse me,'' I spoke up before I even thoroughly thought through what I was trying to achieve here. I dug my hand into the pocket of my jacket and brought out a pen. ''Excuse me,'' I said again and walked closer to the pair.

Chris looked past the girl's shoulder, watching me with curiosity and completely losing interest in the girl in front of him.

The brunette's shoulders sagged and she turned around to look at me. ''What?''

I showed her the pen. ''Is this your pen? I found it nearly underneath one of these chairs. I wouldn't want you to lose it in case it's a lucky pen or something.''

The brunette eyed me weirdly before she grabbed the pen from my hand and inspected it closely. I looked at Chris and motioned with my eyes for him to go. I was giving him an escape route. He smiled before nodding gratefully and escaping through one of the doors silently.

The brunette handed the pen back to me. ''No, it's not mine.''

''Oh, sorry to bother you then.'' I fake apologized.

She turned around again. ''Anyway, as I was saying – wait, where's Chris?'' She turned to me with wide eyes.

I shrugged, acting dumb. Before she could say something more I put the pen back in my pocket, turned on my heels and left the waiting room altogether. My insides felt good that I was able to help Chris escape the nasty situation. I wonder how he could deal with people like her all the time. Crazy fans were honestly too much.

A knock on my cubicle woke me from my extensive thinking and I tore my eyes away from the screen of my computer. My boss was standing there with her arm leaning on the wall of my cubicle. Her curious eyes flew to my computer screen and whatever was written on it. ''How's the article coming?''

''Slowly,'' I admitted defeat. ''I have been having a hard time filling a whole page. And I don't want to use a bigger picture just to fill up space.'' I looked at the screen and watched the picture of Chris I chose for the said article.

My boss frowned and leaned closer. ''What seems to be the problem? Do you have enough material for a whole page? I mean you were the one to interview him.''

I slouched in my chair. ''I don't know. I just don't want to write anything untruthful. We're not tabloids or E!News for that matter.''

It looked like my boss wanted to say something more but then the receptionist came by and said my name. I looked at her with raised eyebrows. ''Conference room. Don't want you to be late.'' She said and tapped the watch on her wrist.

Oh, right. The meeting. I smiled at her and thanked her before my whole body went into getting ready routine. I saved the document on my computer, grabbed my phone, pen and go-to notebook. My boss smiled at me when I stood up from my chair.

She motioned at my computer. ''Don't worry too much about it, okay. If you want you can get another week to write it, I wouldn't want to put something out one of my journalists isn't happy with. And also quality over quantity, always.''

I smiled at her gratefully and said goodbye before walking down the hall in the little office space our company had. The conference room came into my view and I noticed the door was slightly ajar. Since the receptionist notified me in time I wasn't late but I wasn't sure whether the client was there before me. I pushed the door open and then just as suddenly stopped dead in my tracks.

Chris Evans was sitting on one of the chairs around the giant conference table. I was too stunned to react properly and my eyes were probably bulging out of my sockets because of the shock. I slowly let go of the door handle and pushed the door close behind me.

Chris smiled at me before he stood up, chuckling softly at my reaction. ''Hi.''

''Hi,'' I uttered out with great difficulty.

Finally, my brain was able to make up its mind and my feet moved into the room. Chris came closer and opened his arms for an embrace. I didn't complain even though my movements were painfully slow.

''It's good to see you.'' He said after we released.

''It's good to see you too. Wha –, I –,'' I stumbled over my own words. ''What are you doing here?''

I showed him with my hand that he can sit down on the chair he was previously sitting on. I chose the one next to him, pulling it out and turning it so I could face him. I still couldn't quite comprehend what was going on but the meeting that our receptionist set up for me must have been with Chris. So, no wonder she didn't say the name of the person I was supposed to be meeting with. It was all under the covers.

Chris tore his eyes away from me and studied the table while he spoke. ''Well, the last time I couldn't thank you for helping me. So I guess I came here to say thank you.''

I smiled and did a small gesture with my hand. ''Oh, there's no need really. I didn't do much. Anyway, that girl was even annoying me so I did what was right.''

''But it was clever and it made my evening so much better. So really, thank you.'' This time Chris looked straight into my eyes.

I couldn't help but smile but his burning gaze was making me feel so small sitting there next to him so it didn't take me long to avert my gaze. I looked at my notebook, which I placed on the table next to me, and remembered the way he brought it out to me when I forgot it in the interviewing room. It made me smile at the simple thought. Then my eyebrows scrunched up in confusion as I wondered if he was only here to thank me.

Chris cleared his throat which made me look back at him. ''I actually also felt kind of bad because of our interview.''

I tilted my head slightly. ''Why?''

''Well it was at the very end of the day, I was tired, everyone was on edge and wanted to leave as soon as possible. I didn't want it to go to waste and believe me I really appreciated your relaxed and down-to-earth behavior. You were the best interviewer there that day so I want to make it up to you. I want to extend the interview, that's why I wanted to meet with you.''

My lips parted with surprise and I averted my eyes to my hands. ''Wow. That's very generous of you. But I think I've got what I needed already. Thank you.''

Chris moved in his chair, scrunching his eyebrows up and looking at me. ''Are you really passing up another chance of an interview?''

''Well, I don't want to bother you and I'm sure you're very busy. I had my ten minutes and that's all I could ask for.'' I tried to be polite.

Chris chuckled. ''Don't worry. Today I'm free and I asked for this meeting specifically to have time and talk to you.''

By that time, I was sure I was blushing a deep shade of red. Was Chris here to talk to me or to have another interview? Because in my head those were two very different things. I cleared my throat awkwardly before I leaned up straighter.

''Alright.'' I opened my phone and set it to record. I quickly opened my notebook that still held the questions I set up for the interview and quickly skimmed through them. Then I looked at Chris and smiled, seeing his good mood. It was a contrast from the one a few days ago when he looked downright exhausted.

''Thank you for another opportunity. Can you tell me a bit about Steve's character? What do you most like about him?''

''I would love to.'' Chris smiled.

My phone buzzed on the couch beside me and it lighted up with a new unread message. My eyebrows knitted together with confusion with the late hour of the day but it didn't take me another second more to slide the screen open. I immediately noticed the name 'Chris' on the top of the screen and just that made my lips quirk up into a smile.

''Who got you smiling like that?'' My friend Katy beside me asked me.

I glanced at her and noticed her eyes were glued to the TV and the show we were watching. How the hell did she notice me smiling out of the corner of her eyes? For a split second, she looked at me and smiled mischievously.

I only dismissed her with a wave of my hand. ''No one.''

I then turned my attention back to my phone and opened Chris' message. It was a picture message and I recognized the front cover of our paper and the second picture showed the article I wrote on Chris. My heart swelled up at the thought of him reading my article but then a second later it started beating rapidly with nerves. What does he think of it? Did I lie in any part of it, did I present him in a bad light? Is my writing horrible?

Another message popped up and it read 'This is amazing! You're so talented!' with a little smiley emoji attached to it. My fingers hovered over the keyboard as I raked my mind of things to reply. I was choosing between a witty comment and an emoji. What should I write? Before I could even type out anything another message popped up, this time I read it with Chris' voice in my head 'I like that it gets subjective at the end. That way the readers get to know you as a writer a little and I get to know what you really think of me.' A laughing emoji was attached to it. 'But I don't agree that this was my best work so far.'

I chuckled out loud as I read the last one. I remember expressing and elaborating my thoughts on Chris' latest movie Captain America: Civil War and saying I really liked it. I wasn't quite sure where he was hinting at as I also remember writing that everybody is excited to see his future projects.

'What is your best work then?' I sent to him.

Not even half a minute later he responded. 'I haven't done it yet.' This time it was sent with a winky face. Chris certainly liked to attach emojis to all his texts, which I wasn't exactly used to. As a writer, you don't get to do that in an article.

I closed the phone and looked at the ceiling mulling over his text. This was the first time we texted after we exchanged numbers after that extended interview in the conference room. He was the one initiating it, after all, I was too scared to ask. By the end of it, I really didn't want to lose contact with him, he was so nice and kind and funny. I had the best time with him. The interview eventually turned into a normal conversation, he was asking me questions and I was asking him. When I replayed the recorded conversation on my phone I cringed at a few parts as I felt I was being too pushy, too nosy or too curious but Chris always responded equally curiously and was always happy to answer.

My heart wanted to jump out of my chest when he asked for my number although he clarified that it was for business. In case I'll get to interview him or any of his cast mates another time in the future at least while all of them are still in Boston. In all honesty, I could not stop thinking about him. Saying that I like him would be very bold when the only time we saw each other was for work and there was no way he could reciprocate any of the feelings I wasn't really sure about myself. I'm sure he was only being nice to me like he was to all journalists and people he works with. But does he text them like this too?

Suddenly my living room became completely silent. I stepped down from the clouds and felt the soft couch underneath me. I looked at the TV screen and wondered why it was paused. Then I looked at Katy to find her already watching me with raised eyebrows.

''Are you going to tell me why your mind traveled off in a dreamboat?''

I let out a very long breath, slumping my shoulders and turning sideways to face her, pressing my knees up to my chest. ''I'm not sure.''

''You're not sure you're going to tell me, or you're not sure what's going on?''

''The second one.'' I cringed.

Katy raised her hand and offered her palm to me. I knew better than to try to hide things in front of her so I put my phone into her hand and waited. She had my password so she easily unlocked it and immediately came face to face with the messages I exchanged with Chris. She knew I interviewed him as I had to call her before the first interview in panic, almost bailing out of it because I was nervous. She calmed me down and convinced me to go.

''You're texting with Chris Evans?'' She gasped. Her eyes never left the screen of my phone but I was sure she saw me nod from the corner of her eyes. ''Girl, how did that happen?''

I sighed again. ''He came by the office the other day, saying that he wants another interview.'' Katy looked at me with wide eyes. I continued. ''I know, I was shocked too. He said something along the lines of feeling bad because I didn't have enough time and that he enjoyed our interview so much that he wanted more I guess. And he also thanked me for helping him.''

''Helping him with what?'' She closed the phone and straightened up, having her full attention on me.

''At the end of the press interview, there was this annoying journalist that insisted on waiting in the room just so she could talk with him more. I was the last one in and after that everyone was supposed to go home, including Chris who was very tired. I almost left when he ran after me and brought me my notebook that I stupidly forgot in the interviewing room.''

''This is like watching a romantic drama. What happened next?'' Katy couldn't help herself.

I narrowed my eyes at her. ''I thanked him and said goodbye. But then that girl started talking to him, she was really, really annoying. I almost sure she was trying to ask him out on a date which was highly unprofessional. So I stepped in and distracted her with something stupid so Chris could escape and be done for the day.''

Katy awed. ''This is just adorable. Then what happened at your office?''

''He came in, thanked me. And then we talked, or I guess I interviewed him for more than an hour. And after that we exchanged numbers.''

I shrugged and motioned to my phone. Just as I did that it buzzed and the screen lighted up. Both me and Katy looked at it and again Chris' name popped up. 'Make sure you include that in your next article.' By his use of emojis, I knew he was joking.

Katy pushed my phone into my hands. ''Go on, reply.''

''With what?'' I panicked.

''Well flirt, obviously.'' Katy urged as if my phone was a ticking time bomb.

''I'm not going to flirt. He's not flirting. I don't know what to say. I don't know how to flirt.''

''Girl, come on. Don't be stupid, of course, he's flirting. I mean I'm pretty sure this doesn't happen normally, he obviously likes you. Actors don't just randomly give out their phone numbers to journalists. They try to avoid them at all costs since they like their privacy and journalists are all about uncovering the truth. He saw something different in you and wants to talk despite you being a journalist. Don't let that opportunity go.''

I gnawed at my lip as I stared at Katy and then down at my phone. I opened it up and looked at the photo I chose for Chris' contact. A minute has gone by, maybe two as I debated on what to write. I typed something in and then deleted it and thought so more. My body completely froze when a realization of what I had just done dawned upon me.

''Oh no. This isn't good.''

''What?'' Katy raised her eyebrows at me.

''I just typed something which meant those three dots appeared and then I deleted it. He'll know I'm hesitating. This is bad.''

''Oh come on now. I'm sure he doesn't have your messages opened constantly on his screen. And even if he has he probably missed it. Now make up your damn mind and reply. Joke back, you know how to do that.'' Katy encouraged.

I let out another aggravating sigh as I racked my brain for funny replies. After I tried to sound out each one in my head I cringed after everyone as it either came out desperate, rude or just downright lame. Then my phone started buzzing in my hand.

''Shit.''

''He's calling you.'' Katy gasped.

I looked at Chris' picture as it took the whole screen. My brain froze and I didn't know what to do.

''Answer it!'' said Katy.

I fumbled with my phone and before it would be buzzing for too long I pressed the green button and answered the call. ''Hello?''

''Hi!'' I smiled at the familiarity of Chris' voice on the other end of the line. ''I'm sorry, I saw you didn't reply for a while and I wanted to apologize if I said something wrong.''

Katy awed beside me way too loudly. Chris definitely heard it. ''Oh, am I interrupting you?''

I stood up from the couch and walked away. ''No, no, you're not interrupting. And you didn't say anything wrong. I just wasn't sure what to say back.'' I admitted. Damn those iMessages and the way they show when someone is writing a message.

If I wasn't wrong I just heard Chris sigh of relief. ''Okay, good. Anyway, how are you?''

I smiled even though I knew he couldn't hear me. ''I'm great. How are you?'' I saw Katy making hearts with her hands and waving at me. I only turned my back to her so she wouldn't distract me.

''I'm great too. Listen I was wondering if you maybe have time tomorrow afternoon.''

''Tomorrow?'' I asked to clarify. It was more of a surprised reaction as I didn't expect him to plan anything or ask. But it sure sounded like he was on the point of asking me out.

''Mhm. I have a panel tomorrow with the whole cast but that shouldn't take that long, and then I need to take care of some other boring press junkets. I was thinking we could grab a coffee somewhere but I'll totally understand if you're busy, I mean it's the middle of the week and I'm asking only a day earlier so –''

''Chris.'' I stopped his cute ramble. ''I would love to.''

I heard him chuckle on the other side. ''Awesome. I'll send you the details then.''

''I can't wait.'' I smiled once more. I hung up the phone after we said our goodbyes and I barely kept the giggly scream I wanted to let out inside.

''Did I hear it all wrong or did Chris Evans just ask you out?'' Katy asked loudly from her spot on the couch. I shrugged. ''I don't know. I guess?''

Katy screamed instead of me.

I tapped my fingers on my phone case nervously as I looked around the street. It was safe to say that this time I felt even more nervous than before I went to interview Chris for the first time. In the short period of time from the call and to the point when I had to leave today I thought everything over multiple times. I was almost sure that this was even a date. And I still wasn't quite sure what to call it, only I was happy to see him again. My nerves made me leave my apartment before I had to, so I came to the spot Chris texted me to meet at before him. I looked left and right down the sunny street, searching for faces that would resemble the person I was waiting for. I probably looked like a lost child, biting my lip in worry.

What if he stood me up? Would he do that? I cringed at myself for being so ridiculous. I looked down at my phone and tapped the screen to see the time. There were no new messages on it either.

Then I heard my name from somewhere and my head turned to the source. My eyes spotted Chris in a leather jacket, sunglasses and a baseball cap. He had a clear smile on his face as he approached me and I couldn't help but smile as well.

''Hi!'' I greeted him.

As he did so before, he took me in his arms for a tight hug, muttering a hello as well. But this time for the first time when he pulled away he kissed my cheek. I felt my cheeks warm up at the contact and I immediately felt embarrassed.

''The disguise is really working for you,'' I commented showing with my hand the sunglasses and baseball cap. ''I almost didn't recognize you.''

Chris laughed. ''I tried to be discreet.''

''Do you get recognized a lot on a daily basis?'' I asked out of curiosity.

He sighed a little and as though he was defeated nodded. I frowned at the thought of how little privacy there is for someone as famous as Chris and how much he must value it or a person that can keep his privacy, well, a privacy.

Before long a smile was back on Chris' features and he showed with hand down the street. ''Shall we go?''

''Of course.'' I smiled and followed his lead.

We settled in a comfortable silence as we walked side by side down the street. I wasn't aware where we were heading and Chris was being awfully secretive. I already asked him where we were going through a text and he replied with 'it's a surprise'. I didn't argue more but it sure did spark up my curiosity. Somewhere deep inside I hoped it wouldn't be fancy because I didn't dress for the occasion at all but considering Chris was dressed casual as well calmed me down a little. I also hoped we would be somewhere where people wouldn't recognize him. I became all queasy inside at the thought of the paparazzi catching me with him. What would happen then?

Chris lightly put his hand on my lower back to guide me left as I would have kept walking straight forward. I chuckled nervously as we entered a rustic-looking building and ascended the stairs. The space opened up to a beautiful-looking day bar that definitely sent off some cool vibes. Chris removed his baseball cap and sunglass, which made me think that he must feel safe enough to do that inside here.

''Mike, hey! How are you doing?'' Chris walked up to the bar and greeted the bartender. I kind of awkwardly stood behind him and watched the interaction.

The bartender turned around and smiled. ''Chris! It's great to see you!'' His eyes moved to me for a split second before he turned his attention back on Chris. ''Man, you should really visit more while you're in Boston.''

Chris laughed a little. ''Believe me when I say this is the first occasion that I have time to come here.'' By the way they were addressing each other I guessed they were good friends or at least knew each other for a long time.

''Well, your timing is still perfect. It's not busy and your favorite spot is vacant.'' Mike, the bartender smile.

Chris nodded at him before he turned slightly and looked at me. He motioned with his head to follow him and I did, purposely avoiding eye contact with the bartender. Favorite spot? My mind was in a whirl with confusing thoughts and what I picked up from the short conversation. We arrived at the far glass wall of the low-key bar and my breath was taken away from me completely. The view was beautiful, everything was green and with the sun shining outside it was positively radiant. All the tables were moved so far apart to assure each guest some privacy while being parted with monster plants and similar gigantic greenery.

I smiled (probably with a blush to my cheeks too) when Chris pulled out the chair for me to sit. I thanked him and followed him with my eyes as he sat down opposite me. ''I thought you said we are going out for coffee.'' I jokingly narrowed my eyes at him.

Chris chuckled. ''Or a drink. Whatever you like. They have everything here.''

''Do you come here all the time?''

Chris made a face that looked as though he has been caught. He laughed it off a second later. ''Yeah, I do. It's like tradition, whenever I'm home I come here, have a drink with friends, family or I just come by myself and enjoy the view. Mike and I go way back and his ownership of this place make it a much more pleasant place to stay for a while. I at least know I'll get my privacy here.''

I smiled and nodded along with everything he said. My next question, very stupidly so, would be if he brought girls here too. I was glad that Mike came into the picture as he stood by our table with expectation on his face.

''What can I get you guys?''

I looked at Chris and slightly tilted my head. I usually never order first because I'm not sure what the other person wants. If I would order coffee and he would order a beer I would feel weird. So I raised my eyebrows at him and waited. It looked like he debated on what to pick too when he looked down at his wristwatch.

''I guess I could go for a beer. I'm not working today anymore anyway.'' He first looked at me and then at Mike.

''A beer for Chris. And you?'' Mike looked straight at me.

I was done with work for the day too and it wasn't exactly early in the afternoon. So I decided to match Chris' energy with the drinks. ''Can I get a glass of white wine, please?''

''Coming right up.'' Mike removed himself from the table.

''Not a beer kind of girl?'' Chris raised a challenging eyebrow at me.

I matched his glance and straightened my back. ''I drink beer when there's no more wine. Or when the occasion is solely for beer drinking, like watching a game or something.'' Chris nodded with understanding and was that acceptance in his eyes? Did he like that I do drink beer or that I watch sports games? By now I was really starting to think that this must be a date-date type of drink we were having. It still didn't mean I felt any less nervous. Chris' smile made me ease up a little but I would lie if I said I wasn't careful with everything I said or talked to him about. I still kind of tried to present myself in the best light I could. I tried to steer away from work-related topics since nothing is worse than having to talk about work even after you stop working for the day.

''How long are you staying in Boston for?'' I asked.

''I have a flight tomorrow morning for LA.'' Chris saddened a bit. ''At like 7 in the morning. It was good while it lasted and I really do hope I get to come back soon but work is calling in California. When I do come back though it won't be for anything work-related but it'll be a long vacation.''

I smiled at him. ''You deserve a long vacation. And I kind of admire you for wanting to spend your vacation in Boston. There's a ton of more beautiful places around the world.''

Chris chuckled. ''I agree, there are. But none, among other things, have my family.''

Just then Mike brought us our drinks and we both thanked him before each grabbing our own glass. I raised mine in front of Chris. ''To family then.''

Chris smiled and mirrored my movements. ''And to new opportunities.''

We clinked our glasses together while never moving eyes from one another, as you're not supposed while you're toasting with someone. We then both drank from our glasses and placed them down in front of us. I took my chance and turned my head to glance out the window. I have been in this part of the city a bunch of times considering it's not far from where I live but I've never seen it from this perspective. Figuratively my jaw was dropped and I found myself not wanting to look away. In the far distance there was the ocean and the harbor, and then the tall city buildings dense with trees and parks and people enjoying their late afternoon.

''I can see why this is your favorite spot.'' I slowly turned back to Chris.

He looked out the window for a split second too before his eyes were back on me. ''I had a feeling you're going to like it. Can I ask you something?'' He then sat up straighter.

I raised a curious brow. ''Of course.''

''What made you become a journalist?''

''Deep questions already? Are you sure we drank enough for that?''

Chris laughed and took another sip.

''I don't know exactly, I mean I can't pinpoint it. I guess it was sort of like an elimination game, nothing else interested me as much as journalism and I even had doubts about that career path. The whole thing where you kind of have to choose your future when you're 17 and still in high school is stressful and back then I was just a lost kid with no idea what I want for myself. So I went for something that the majority of my generation did, English literature. Of course, most of them then bailed out since it is still specific enough and a lot harder than high school but I don't know, I stuck to what I set myself up to.''

''Would you choose differently if you could go back and do it all over again?'' Chris leaned forward on the table, his full attention solely on me.

I mulled the question over for a few seconds before shaking my head. Chris gave me a questioning glance and I elaborated. ''I don't really like to think of 'what if' like, what if I decided to study biology instead of English lit, or what if I instead became a doctor even though I highly doubt I'm smart enough for that. It takes my spirits down and it only makes me doubt the things I actually chose for my life. Of course, I believe I made many mistakes but I think that all things add up in the end for something good, for essentially a good life. I think there was always that small part of me that always did the right thing, even though I didn't exactly realize that it was the right thing to do. It's highly unrealistic to think of things in the past that there's no way I can change. I can change a relationship with someone by saying sorry or letting them go, but I can't 180 on my career or perhaps family.''

I stopped with my long-ass rant and realized this whole time I've been studying the tabletop. I looked up and locked eyes with Chris only to notice a sort of sad expression enveloped his features. ''I made it sound really bad, didn't I?'' I chuckled.

Chris shook his head immediately. ''No, I don't think that at all. I can see your point though.''

''It's not that I don't like what I do, I love it really. If something went wrong I would change it when I had the chance to but I am where I am right now and I wouldn't change a thing. I love my job, my family, my friends and I think this is the first time in my life that I'm actually living in the present instead of always looking forward to something in the future.''

Chris studied my face for a while, staying silent. He slowly leaned back in his chair then and it looked like whatever I had to say really made him think. ''You know even if I wasn't aware that you're a journalist, I would know after what you just explained to me. You have this way with words and you always know exactly what to say.''

''I disagree with that. I really don't know exactly what to say, you just haven't known me long enough to hear me say ridiculous things.'' I chuckled and took another sip of my drink.

''Well then, I'll just have to get to know you better.'' Chris winked.

I just laughed it off, while my insides were screaming. I definitely recognized that as flirting and it was way more obvious than the other things we talked about. A part of me became sad then at the thought that Chris is actually going to leave in the morning to the other side of the country and there was still a chance I'll never see him again. Maybe this is just a one-time thing, a quick fling for him to enjoy and then he'll be off again in his world of celebrities and co-stars. I blinked a couple of times to make myself stop thinking about it and focused back on Chris right there in front of me.

He slightly narrowed his eyes at me, probably because I became really quiet. ''There's something bothering you. I can see it.'' He observed.

I sighed dramatically and couldn't believe that he noticed the very little things. Since I didn't want to judge him or make him go away with my interpretation of how I think the rest of the date will go before he completely forgets about me, I quickly made something up in my head.

''There's something I wanted to ask you, but it gives off vibes of an interview kind of question and I don't want to bother you with work things right now.'' I cringed right after I said it.

Chris chuckled. ''Ask away, please. Contrary to popular belief I really do like to talk about my work and it doesn't bother me at all.''

''That's a little narcissistic.'' I joked.

Chris let out a wholehearted laugh and hung his head back with it. When he looked back at me he kept smiling. ''Maybe so. But the day that we met really set a bad example considering how long the day was for me. I enjoy doing press and interviews and talking about my work and my projects and the people I work with. I love to point out things people missed, or things that seem really important to me and are often discredited. So please I would love to hear what you're curious about.'' Chris edged me on.

I laughed a little and lowered my eyes. I haven't exactly lied, there was something I was wondering and I forgot to ask in the interview. I actually forgot to ask a lot of things since I was so captured by him that my mind just went completely blank. But Chris was so nice and he talked just about everything.

''Do you have a favorite line of all time? In any of the things you filmed or performed?''

Chris blew out some air before he chuckled. ''You got me there. Let me think.'' A certain smile was playing on his lips as he played with the drink in his hands and thought so more. Then he suddenly looked up. ''There's been a lot of good ones and I can say that because only if the line was something special it's stuck with me all the time. Of course, there's the whole 'I can do this all day' which all fans ask me to say when they meet me.''

I chuckled and imagined his character saying that exact line in almost every Captain America movie.

''But that line is just popular. I'm trying to pick a good one here. Okay.'' He straightened his back again and looked straight at me.

I felt intrigued at what he was about to say and it looked like he had to go over it again to not mess it up. I even admired him for remembering so much. I'm sure I would forget as soon as I would stop filming a certain scene, not that I ever wanted to be an actress.

''Love is confusing and it's terrifying. But if we have even the slightest chance of being that one time, I'm willing to regret you for the rest of my life.''

I stared at him and willed myself not to blush. I tried to convince my brain that it's only a line from a movie he did but a part of me felt like he was saying it to me. We looked at each other for what felt like an eternity before I averted my eyes.

Chris cleared his throat. ''That's from Playing it Cool. It's totally cheesy but I don't know, for some reason, it stuck with me.''

''I like it.'' I smiled.

The late afternoon slowly turned into night and the colors outside faded into darkness. Lights shined all throughout the city and it was still beautiful. Many glasses of wine and beer later Chris and I left the bar with a good amount of intoxication. I knew I was tipsy but I didn't want to act like it although it was clear I was more talkative than before. We also started joking a lot more and we were more open about everything. When I admitted that I didn't live far from the spot we drank at, Chris offered to walk me home at which I blushed and was especially happy that it was particularly dark outside.

''Christopher Robert Evans!'' I gasped dramatically as we walked away from the center of the city. ''How can you say that?''

''How the hell do you know my full name?'' Chris looked at me sideways.

I laughed. ''I googled you.''

''You googled me?''

''I was just doing my job,'' I argued back but a smile didn't seem to leave my face. ''I had to check some things before I came to interview you so I wouldn't look stupid,'' I admitted. ''Anyway, back to the topic, how can you say Mickey Mouse is your favorite Disney character?''

Chris laughed some more. ''How can I not? He's the OG of Disney.''

''But there are tons of more complex and favorable characters. Like Belle from Beauty and the Beast or – or the little mermaid, or Mulan, how could I forget Mulan. She's my favorite.''

''To be fair though –'' Chris lifted his hand to emphasize his point ''I do also really love Winnie the Pooh.''

''Now we're talking.'' I laughed and nodded in approval. ''Okay, I'm not mad anymore.''

I looked forward in front of me and my smile dropped significantly as I sought out my apartment building. At first, Chris didn't notice my mood drop but very soon I felt his curious eyes on me. I slowed down to a stop and shrugged at him.

''Well, this is me.'' I nodded right at the brick building.

Chris stepped in front of me so we were facing each other and I looked at the floor trying to think of a proper goodbye, feeling very sad that this was the end of our time together.

''Thank you, for tonight. I had fun.'' I finally managed to look up at him and smile.

He smiled as well and nodded. ''Of course, I had fun too. I kind of wish we could talk more but I think we both need to head off to bed. I have a flight tomorrow and you're probably working.'' I nodded solemnly, remembering that I had work in the morning. I felt like I was living in the clouds, so it didn't even occur to me that I have to get back to my everyday responsibilities tomorrow. In a sort of awkward way I extended my arms, seeing as we hugged before, one last hug goodbye wouldn't be anything new. I smiled into Chris' shoulder as his strong arms wrapped around me this time for a much longer hug.

It seemed as though both of us hesitated. I knew why I did. I wanted to kiss him, I really did. I really liked him but I wasn't quite sure if he returned the same feelings. So me being a chicken, like always, didn't do anything about it. I slowly released from the hug, being just as reluctant as Chris was and slowly stepped away. I felt Chris's eyes on me and when I looked at him he was wearing this sort of a sad smile. Like he was happy but not too happy to leave.

''Well, goodbye then.'' I waved at him, stepping sideways. ''I hope you have a save flight tomorrow.''

''Bye.'' He waved back at me. ''I hope we see each other again soon.''

I stopped in my tracks just before I could step up the three short steps to the front door of my apartment building. I watched Chris' expression and matched it with the same enthusiasm.

''Me too. Remind me again when you're on vacation.'' I winked.

Wow. Bold. You can't kiss him, but winking is fine?

Chris chuckled and averted his eyes. ''I will. If we don't cross paths at another interview before.''

This time I chuckled. ''I'll make sure to clear my schedule. Wouldn't want to miss that opportunity.''

With great difficulty, I turned around and opened the front door to the building. When I turned my head to look at Chris one last time I saw him already walking away. But at the last second, he glanced up and smiled at me.

Then I shut the door close. I leaned my forehead on the cold door and refrained myself from groaning. So stupid. I wasn't aware if I just let something wonderful go in my life and thinking about it made me sad. Why didn't I have the balls to kiss him? Even on the cheek? I repeatedly told myself I was hoping for too much. As long as we'll keep in touch and maybe stay friends I'll be happy with it. I dragged my feet up the stairs to my floor, only then realizing how tired I was when all the adrenaline passed over.

The screen of my phone lighted up when I tapped it and I squinted at the brightness to see the clock. 5 am. I groaned and sat up in bed when I heard someone knocking repeatedly on my door. If this is Katy again, trying to barge into my apartment after being at some birthday party and losing a key to her own apartment I am going to kill her. The knocking stopped for a second before it became even more rapid.

I felt the cold floor underneath my bare feet as I wrapped a sweater tightly around myself and walked to the front door with a messy head of hair and sleep still present in my eyes. I grabbed my keys and unlocked the door so when the clinking sounded the person on the other end of the door stopped with the knocking. I pulled it open only to almost double over as I found Chris standing out in the hallway.

''Chris?'' My voice came out groggy as I said his name.

He was breathing hard and his eyes were centered solely on me. He looked like he was in a trance and as though he just ran from wherever and up the stairs to my apartment.

''What are you doing here? Don't you have a flight?'' My panic mode kicked in as Chris stayed silent.

He only kept on looking at me, his chest rising and falling with his lips parted. He looked like he wanted to say something but no words left his mouth.

''I –'' He cringed and looked at the floor.

I opened the door wider and stepped on the mat outside, concern on my face as I seriously thought something was wrong.

Then Chris looked at me again. ''I barely slept at all tonight because I couldn't stop thinking of what you said.'' Even though my heart was leaping inside me I still watched him curiously. ''You talked about how you don't like to think about what would happen if you did something differently. And that how even if you once thought you made a mistake that a part of you knew you made it for a reason. It made me think a lot about my choices and what I wanted in my life.''

I listened to him carefully, trying to catch on to the meaning of his words. I had no idea that I made such an impact on him and I still wondered if he only came here to tell me this.

Chris took a deep breath. ''I asked myself a 'what if' question and I didn't like it. What if I left before I took a chance with her? It gave me only one answer – that it would be a mistake and I really don't want to make that mistake.''

My lips parted with shock as I stared into his eyes. I could not believe my ears that they heard the right thing. ''Chris.'' His name rolled so beautifully off my tongue.

By the look of fear on his face, he probably thought I was on the verge of turning him down, so he quickly explained himself. ''That's what I'm doing here, taking a chance, leaping if I can express myself like that. I didn't expect to feel this way and I kind of feel bad for not having the courage to do anything yesterday already and I don't know. That flight to LA would have been horrible knowing I never got to tell you it'll totally suck being on the other side of the country and I know I might miss my flight standing here like a doofus and hoping for nothing –''

''Chris.'' I cut him off before he would spiral into a tangent.

Then I took a step forward and put my hands on his cheeks. Without wasting another second I pressed my lips against his and by the deep breath he had to take through his nose I guessed I kind of took him by surprise. I leaned into him as his hand wrapped firmly around my waist and he pulled me even closer. After a few seconds, I pulled away slowly but didn't back away completely.

''Wow,'' Chris whispered.

I smiled and closed my eyes momentarily. ''I couldn't let you talk yourself out of this one.'' I chuckled.

Chris laughed too and pressed his forehead against mine as we stayed in each other's embrace. ''I hate to be the party breaker but I really do have a flight to catch.'' He said in a low voice.

I frowned before I covered it up with a smile. ''I know. Let me know when you land so I know you're safe.'' I already wanted to step away when Chris' hold on me tightened and he didn't want to let me go.

''Quick question.'' Chris leveled his eyes with mine. ''Have you ever been to LA?''

I rolled my eyes but couldn't keep a smile off my face and Chris chuckled at me. ''I actually haven't. But that doesn't mean I can just drop things and fly out there with you today.'' I pointed an accusing finger at his chest as I had a feeling I knew where his question was headed.

Chris laughed. ''And I didn't intend for you to do that. I'm just giving you ideas for a wonderful trip sometime in the future'' He winked with his joke. ''While I secretly hope that it'll be in the near future as I'm not sure I'll be able to last long without seeing your smile right here in front of me.''

I was sure I was blushing by then with all the compliments he was throwing at me. It didn't even occur to me that I was in my pajamas and without makeup here in his arms and it felt kind of good that

Chris didn't seem to care about it all. This time he surprised me with another kiss on the lips before he reluctantly let me go. ''Promise me we'll see each other soon.''

''I promise.''

THANK YOU FOR READING!

[notoriousnika]

When in Barcelona [Ben Barnes] 

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 - 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘵 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮? 

fem!oc x Ben Barnes real life *irregular updates* *mature content* (18+ readers only)

[notoriousnika]

Sineye Plamya [Nikolai Lantsov] 

A confident, arrogant, clever 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻  and a quiet, hard-working, secretive 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘄 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿, both aboard the Volkovny. It only takes 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽,  𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁  and 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿  for their lives to change completely.

[notoriousnika]

fanfiction writer q&a

1. What fandoms do you write for? Currently I write for Harry Potter and Grishaverse mainly, but I am also trying out for MCU. I’ve done others in the past but lost interest because I wasn’t a part of that particular fandom anymore.

2. What pairings do you write for? I have never written for a pairing that already exists in a particular fandom. I always write for a character that already exists and I create my own to pair them together. So characterxOC.

3. What is your most popular fanfic? That would be my Fred Weasley fanfiction. I think as of writing this it has over 600k reads, which still blows my mind. It was a project I worked on for almost a year and it is my first completed story. I understand that it’s popular because people love to read about Fred Weasley, he’s a lovable character, but I’m surprised it’s the most popular out of my books since it’s not my favourite and it is in desperate need of editing.

4. Do you write original stories as well? I have had ideas for original stories, but I’ve never actually written any. I planned one plotwise but I haven’t gotten myself to actually sit down and write it. I think I’m going to stick to fanfiction for now.

5. What fanfic of yours should everyone have read? Hmm, that depend on what fandom they like. But I would definitely recommend everyone to read Chocolate Covered Strawberries, it is by far my favourite story and I love it dearly. I’ve never worked that hard for anything before and this story has somehow become my child and I would love if more people recognised it for what it is.

6. What is a fandom you will never write for? That is hard to say, since I’m not sure what I’ll be a fan of in the future. Maybe Twilight, I never watched that or read the books and I’m not really into vampires and all that. So that would be a good guess.

7. What is a ship you will never write for? Dramoine or Drarry. Never. I don’t get why those two are so popular.

8. Archive of Our Own, FanFiction.net, Wattpad, Tumblr, etc. which platform do you prefer? I started out on Fanfiction.net, but I quickly disliked that platform. Then I continued on Wattpad, which isn’t exactly ideal (I mean none of these platforms are) but I love it the most. I’ve never been on AO3, I have no idea how it work. And I just joined Tumblr and am trying to figure out how it works. I plan to use Wattpad for my full stories and Tumblr for imagines and shorts.

9. What are your favorite fanfics? As I’ve said before, my favourite one that I wrote is definitely Chocolate Covered Strawberries. And as of others I have read on various platforms, I’m not really sure. It’s been quite a while since I sat down and read a good fanfiction, the best gems are very hard to find. If one really stuck with me and I found it particularly interesting it’s on one of the reading lists on my Wattpad profile.

10. How do you stay motivated to finish what you’ve started? I’m a perfectionist. There’s no beating around the bush with that. I’ll feel bad if I don’t finish something and I’ll constantly think about it until I drive myself crazy. Other than that, I try to make my stories interesting not just for the readers but also for myself. That way it’s as enjoyable to write it as it is to read.

11. What’s your longest fanfic? I feel like I’m getting repetitive, it’s Chocolate Covered Strawberries. I saw on Wattpad that it says one reads it for 18 hours. The word count is 230k, it’s a full on book alright. Wow, I can barely comprehend it, and it’s not even finished yet, there’s still a few chapters missing. I’ve been working on this one for close to two years now.

12. Do you want to break your readers‘ heart or make them laugh? I realised that more often than not I want to break their hearts. I’m not a naturally funny person and what is usually funny to me, isn’t funny to others. I guess I have a specific humor test. But I also really enjoy writing emotional scenes and heavy scenes so my books contain a lot of those.

13. What is your planning process? It all starts as an idea. A basic idea of just the pairing that I want to do in the fandom I’m writing for. Then I try to make something as original as I can, something I haven’t seen all over platforms already. Usually the stuff that I do see is the drive that makes me want to go the other way, not redo something that’s already been done. Then I focus on my original character until I perfect them (the name, family, looks, possible face claim, talents and trauma) and then it’s time for a timeline. I create a timeline for the main things I want to happen from start to finish and as I write the story I add bits and pieces to the said timeline.

14. What have others criticized about your fanfic? Basing this answer on comments I have received, I would say that people usually dislike the side characters I create. Well not just usually, whenever there is a side original character, people find them annoying. I don’t know what it is, I can’t explain why they find them annoying because they definitely aren’t written for that purpose.

15. OCs or no OCs? Always, always, and I can’t stress this enough, always OC’s. Reader inserts are not as fun, as a writer you have to be careful not to over describe anything since the reader will expect that they can become the main character. Everything has to be generalized and basic. And when you write an OC, you can be as creative as you want and let your imagination go free.

16. Do you use sentence starters, writing prompts and/or fandom headcanons for your fanfics? I have never used prompts or sentence starters for writing. Well, not in any of my published works, I have done that for something that is long gone and deleted from all drives. But I have thought of challenging myself with short stories for example, for which I would use prompts for every chapter.

17. Do you use/follow advice from writing blogs/posts? I should do that more often than I am. I see writing posts on Instagram all the time and I always just read them but don’t think much of it. I don’t project the advice onto my writing and see what I can improve. I should really start doing that.

18. What is your favorite writing prompt? Anything love related or something taken out of a conversation.

19. Dead or overused tropes? Good girl bad boy trope is way overused, or shy girl popular guy. Or that’s just something that’s not my taste per se. I am also not particularly fond of best friends to lovers, but it isn’t something I see all that often.

20. Can we get a list of all of your current available fanfics? Sure thing!

➯ Chocolate Covered Strawberries (Remus Lupin)

➯ Sineye Plamya (Nikolai Lantsov)

➯ Collateral Damage (Steve Rogers)

➯ When in Barcelona (Ben Barnes)

➯ The Act of Duplicity (General Kirigan)

➯ The Line (Fred Weasley)

➯ Beautiful Warrior (King Caspian)

here’s the masterlist

21. What’s your shortest fanfic? Beautiful Warrior is my shortest completed fanfic. We’ll see if any other one will be shorter when I finish them, but I don’t think so.

22. Do you listen to music during your writing process? What music do you listen to while you’re writing? Yes, almost always. Music just creates that special vibe and sets me in the mood to write. The kind of music I listen to depends on which story I’m working on. I usually create a playlist for a book and then listen to that when I write it. But I really like anything that’s calm and soft, that’s also the vibe with most of my books and I can listen to that all day.

23.  Long chapters or short chapters? Again, it depends on the book. I usually write around 2k words per chapter, which isn’t super long, but it’s not really short either. I can usually fit one scene that I imagine for a certain chapter within those 2k words. But recently I gave myself some freedom and while I’m writing stories that don’t necessarily follow a script or a plot of some book, I write longer chapters as well (from 5k to 8k).

24. How many WIPs (work-in-progress) do you’ve got? Currently, five. One is on hold and four of them I try to update regularly. I also keep getting ideas for new WIPs and it’s not healthy.

25. How many WIPs will you finish? Hopefully all of them.

26. First-person-narrative or third-person-narrative? Third person best speaks to me. I’ve started out writing in first person but then quickly switched to third. Maybe in the future I’ll try experimenting around a bit and try first person again.

27. Do you take requests? Right now, no. It’s hard to take requests for books that I have set a certain timeline for. If I were writing imagines than I would love to take requests.

28.  What’s more difficult? Fanfics or original work? I wouldn’t know exactly since I’ve never written anything original. But I think that original would be more difficult purely speaking on the fact that you have to come up with everything. While writing fanfiction you easily base things on things that are known or that already exits in the particular fandom. Of course one can change practically everything, that’s the charm of fanfiction, but I still think original work would be harder.

29. What writing software do you use? I use Microsoft Word for writing and Grammarly for checking my grammar. And that’s about it.

30. Do you use beta/sensitivity readers? I don’t. I had a beta reader for a story that I intended to put into a competition but when I decided that I won’t put up the story, she stopped editing the chapters. She still said she’ll be happy to do it if I intend to ever enter the contest.

But I would love to have a beta reader, does anyone want to be my beta reader?

31. Past or present tense? Past tense. Present tense wants to make me squirm with how uncomfortable it is to read or write it.

32. Do friends and family know that you write fanfics? Yes. Well, my parents think I’m just writing a book, not multiple fanfics. My brother doesn’t have a clue and my younger sister has read one of them. Then my boyfriend knows about everything but only so much as he’s interested in it. He knows writing is a big part of my life but he doesn’t mind who I write about. My oldest friends also know I write fanfiction, but newest and most recent friends don’t. I only say I’m writing when I feel really comfortable with the person I’m about to tell it to.

33. How did you find the magical world of fanfics? Ah, well, I think it was just purely out of curiosity. I think I saw something on Disney, and was like ‘well what if it wasn’t like that?’, so I went and searched it online. That’s how I found Fanfiction.net and I haven’t parted my ways with fanfics ever since. Only my taste has gotten a little better.

34. What is your favorite review? There’s a couple that I have in mind, there hasn’t really been that top, top favourite. It’s mainly if someone messaged me about my story and complimented it. I usually became friends with those people and I still talk to them to this day and we constantly exchange ideas and constructive cricism.

But also every comment that points out something that I thought no one is going to pick out of my writing (for example that I researched something and know what I’m writing about or a hidden message or hint for future chapters) really makes me happy.

35. Did you ever delete a work of yours? Yes, multiple. The stories I wrote from the beginning and I now find really cringeworthy or just downright bad. Some of them are only unpublished but others I completely deleted even from my computer.

36. Did your work ever get plagiarized? No.

37. Do you partake in any fanfic/writing events? (Big bangs, zines, NaNoWriMo, etc?) I haven’t yet, but I would really love to sometime in the future.

38. Collaborations or working solo? I best like to work solo. I have two collaborating projects that are both on hiatus right now because we are just too busy with our day to day lives and other things to focus on that. I do plan on finish those too, it would be a shame if I wouldn’t, because it was really fun working with people on those.

39. Do you have any rituals before uploading a fic? I create the aesthetics and a beautiful cover before I upload anything. I used to set myself a goal that I first have to write at least five to ten chapters of the book before publishing it, but now it’s more like three chapters and then I upload it and keep updating regularly.

40. What is something you don’t like about your writing? I get quite repetitive with words sometimes. Especially when I find some new word, or learn a new word in English. It does happen sometimes that I can use it in a chapter multiple times because it just keeps popping into my head.

Then I also don’t like that I can’t seem to find a good ratio between dialogue and story description. I used to write only dialogue, but then I realized how everything was so poorly written that I only wrote mainly in description. Now I try to balance both, but I have no idea if it’s working or not.

41. Rudest review? If there was one, I don’t seem to remember it. I’ve received rude comments before or people were just being mean, but I can’t recall any particular ones.

42. Guilty pleasure tropes and scenarios? Kissing scenes. Oh I love to write those first kissing scenes, it’s probably the first thing that I imagine when I plan out the story. At which point in the story are the two characters going to kiss? Where will they be? Will they be alone? How will they react? I can describe these with so much emotion and intimacy and reveal their true characters. Ah, I really love it.

Another favourite of mine are fighting scenes. Not physical fight, but verbal. I can just picture all the yelling in my head and how the two characters pour out everything they have been holding in for so long. It’s usually the peak of the story.

43. Does fanart of your fanfic exist? Not that I know of.

44. Do fanfics of your fanfic exist? Again, not to my knowledge.

45. Few long essay reviews or many short reviews? I actually enjoy reading long essay reviews, it means that whoever wrote it put a lot of thought into it. But I mainly get many short reviews.

46. What fanfic of yours is truly underrated? Again, Chocolate Covered Strawberries. I hope that people some day realise truly how much work I’ve put into it.

47. What is your favorite sentence that you’ve used in a fanfic? Oh, that’s a tough one. I don’t think I can pick, there’s so many things I liked to write. Usually it’s a blurb that particularly stick to me, not just one sentence. For example:

She reached out, pressed her hand to his cheek and wiped the fallen tear away with her thumb, barely holding her own tears at bay. The feeling of seeing him cry, seeing how he willingly showed her the vulnerable side of him was unexplainable. She wanted to ruin the person causing him to feel this way, but it was not possible. To do so she would have to ruin herself.

48. Where do you draw inspiration from? Mainly every day situations or things I’ve seen in tv shows or movies. Just about anything that makes me think it would set well within the story that I’m writing.

Thank you for reading! If you’re interested in anything else you can always ask me! ;)

[notoriousnika]

Collateral Damage [Steve Rogers] 

After Steve's confusing encounter with one interesting-looking redhead, their sporadic meetups seem to accelerate in a very short time. Her cold and on edge responses and reactions have Steve's head in a whirl as he constantly thinks he's the problem that makes their conversations almost constant arguments. But then Fury hands him a SHIELD classified folder that makes Steve become a lot more suspicious of the redhead and reciprocates the same disdainful feelings. Their paths cross, yet neither of them likes it. 

* 𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨 * 𝙥𝙧𝙚 𝙒𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙧

[notoriousnika]

The Act of Duplicity [General Kirigan] 

The Darkling 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 Kirigan loves to manipulate people for his own selfish reasons, more than fear he most likes to use seduction to do it. So when a Heartrender uses that on him will he know it or will he fall for it? Feelings run deeper than that especially when the two lovers have history. ''𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱?'' 𝘏𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘭𝘺.  ''𝘈𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴,'' 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘺𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦.  [S&B season 1]

[notoriousnika]

The Line [Fred Weasley] 

"I guess I was drawn to you." He smiled brightly before continuing. "Get it? Because you..." 

"Explaining the joke won't make it funny." She interrupted, trying to suppress the smile. It didn't take long before they both burst into laughter. Fred loved it when he could make her laugh. 

She looked up at him, her eyes radiating joy. "You really are something special, Fred Weasley." 

⁃ ⁃ ⁃ 

In their last years of Hogwarts, every student is trying to find themselves, to find who they really are and what they want to do. For Ava, it was especially hard. Even though she tended to be a rather stubborn and well-organised person, she avoided the answer as much as she could. Little does she know that along with dealing with her difficult family relationships, realising her friends might not be who they say they are, an upcoming war, in which she'll have a bigger role than she realises and her mysterious art ability she will subconsciously create the answer. And knowing Fred Weasley will be the first step to it. 

[Fred Gideon Weasley]

[notoriousnika]

Chocolate Covered Strawberries [Remus Lupin]  

𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 

▴ ◃ ▾ ▹ 

[Marauders era] 

[Remus John Lupin] 

[notoriousnika]

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