Evermore

Chapter 16

Bruce and Tony were arguing, and Natasha wished she had a book with her. Not only was she bored, but she also couldn't understand half of what they were saying while she sat in a chair, face resting on her hand, with her elbow on the table.

"I'm telling you if you do that it will explode," Bruce told his lab partner.

"No, it won't!"

"Yes, it will. I have gone over the calculations multiple times."

"Were they upside down?"

"That was one time!"

"It won't explode, I checked everything," Tony said.

"All right," Bruce said then crossed his arms while Tony put the part on his suit. It exploded five seconds later.

"My suit!"

Bruce grimaced and shook his head, then turned to look directly at Natasha and waved at her, smiling a bit. Natasha smiled back.

Fanny ran into the lab and headed straight toward Bruce. The man kneeled and scratched the dog with both of his hands, while she licked him in the face, nearly knocking off his glasses.

"No dogs in the lab," Tony yelled.

Bruce rolled his eyes and stood back up, wiping his face off with a rag he kept in his pocket. He put it down, took off his glasses, and walked toward Natasha, then sat in the chair across from her.

"Bored?"

"The explosion was a highlight."

"You're bored."

"Are you and Tony always like this," she asked with amusement in her voice, but still curious.

"Like what?"

"Like Ricky and Fred from 'I Love Lucy.'"

"What," he asked with a confused look on his face.

"They're characters from a 1950's show," she explained. "'I Love Lucy' is about a housewife who gets into sticky situations with her husband and their two best friends, who are also their neighbors. It's a classic."

"Missed that one. I was a little busy being trapped in this snow globe where time is frozen," he joked with a smile.

Natasha smirked, then turned her attention to Tony, who was still beating the tiny flames with a cloth, though she could have sworn she saw him smirk. She felt a tap on her arm and looked at Bruce.

"Have you seen the library yet," he asked.

"No."

Bruce stood up and helped Natasha stand up. She put one arm around Bruce's shoulder as he awkwardly put his arm around her waist. Since there were no crutches in sight, she made it clear she did not want to be carried if there was a room within walking distance.

When they made it into the large room, Natasha was a bit awestruck. The shelves were stacked with beautiful books. There was a couch on the other end of the room near the fireplace. It made the store look tiny and dull in comparison.

"It's beautiful."

She heard him whisper in another language, but she wasn't sure she understood him correctly because he said it so fast. She could have sworn he said, "Yes, you are."

"What," she asked as she turned to look at him.

"Um, nothing," he replied while shaking his head a bit, but never taking his eyes off of her.

His face was close to hers, and she couldn't help but be taken aback by how handsome he was. She looked down, not wanting to let her thoughts go there.

"Can you help me sit down," she asked as politely as she could.

"Yeah," he said, then led her to the couch.

"How many of these have you read," she asked once she sat down.

"All of them."

Natasha couldn't keep the shock out of her voice as she asked, "Really?"

"Yeah," he shrugged. "So, what do you like to read?"

"Do you have Shakespeare?"

"Yeah. Do you have a specific play in mind?"

"Macbeth?"

"Have it."

Before he turned she asked, "Hey, question. Romeo and Juliet. Love or lust?"

"Lust," he answered. "But if portrayed by the right actors, it can pass for love. But the whole idea isn't about love, it's tragedy."

"Personally, I prefer 'West Side Story.'"

"What's 'West Side Story?'"

"It's a retelling of 'Romeo and Juliet,' but better. It's also a musical."

Bruce nodded and turned to the bookshelf. When he handed her the play that she asked for he asked, "So, what draws you to 'Macbeth?'"

"I like the creepy and dark atmosphere."

Bruce nodded, seeming to accept that answer.

They spent the rest of the afternoon reading. He read "Hamlet," and she read "Macbeth." After dinner he told her about his experiences watching Shakespeare plays performed live, while she explained the film adaptions and retellings.