Every New Beginning... (Chris Evans AU)

.108.

Third Person POV 

"When have you felt the most peace in your life?" Opal reads the question off from the magazine article. She'd been flipping through the section on relationships, spouting off random questions to help pass the time. 

  "The most peace?" Chris repeats. "As a kid or an adult?"

  She chuckles a little at his question. "Did you know what peace was as a kid?"

  He shrugs his shoulders. "Probably wouldn't have called it peace, but maybe contentment."

  "Alright, then as an adult."

  Chris has his right hand on the wheel while his left elbow rests on the driver's side door. His hand runs up and down his beard a couple of times. "Uh, well," he says before pausing again. "Hmm."

  "That difficult of a question, Sergeant?" Opal teases. "I can tell you mine. May even surprise you." 

  "Alright, let's hear it then."

  Opal pushes her sunglasses from her eyes, resting them on top of her head. "Our sunset date in your bedroom."

  His expression is that of surprise at her confession. "Really?"

  She nods with a smile. "It made me realize this was gonna be different than the rest. I was being cared for, thought of and genuinely pursued. It gave me a sense of peace."

  "You're welcome, little lady," he says mimicking a tip of his hat in a cowboy's accent. Opal swats at his shoulder and rolls her eyes with a giggle. 

  "Your turn now."

  "The patio of Magnolia, the night before Lily and Jameson's wedding."

  "Wait, what?" she asks.

  "You heard me, Ope." Chris looks over his right shoulder to get into the next lane over. "When you let your guard down, just a bit, and then fell asleep in my arms. That was the start of this," his hand gesturing between them. "That's when I had a peace about the two of us. I knew then, with all certainty, that there would be an 'us' in some way, shape or form." This time he holds Opal's gaze for a moment. "Much happier with the turn it took the following day though." 

  "You and me both," she gives him a wink. "Alright, next question." She scans over the list, trying to decide on just the right one. "Oh, let's go with a scandalous one." 

  Chris shifts a bit in his seat, putting both hands back on the wheel, sitting up a bit straighter. "Bring it."

  "What scandalous thing would you do if you knew you could get away with it?"

  "This is easy," he states, glancing over at her. 

  "I agree," she says smiling.

  "Answer together on the count of three?" he offers.

  Opal's eyes get a bit bigger, nervous about what he's going to say and trying to decide if she's going to actually answer seriously.

  "Okay," she answers hesitantly. "One, two, three!"

  "Sex in a public place," Chris answers while Opal slaps her hand over her gaping mouth. "Hey! You didn't answer." 

  Opal giggles behind her hand, shaking her head back and forth. "Nope. No. Not answering after that."

  Chris hits the steering wheel with his palms. "Come on! I answered."

  "Why do I get the feeling that you probably have done that before?" her eyes narrowing.