Covert Affair | Natasha Romanoff

Chapter 31: Memory Lane

Three weeks had flown by since Natasha and Jenna established their comforting routine of sharing a bed. At first, Natasha had been hesitant to share such an intimate space. Despite Natasha's initial reservations, Jenna had noticed a subtle change in Natasha's nightmares, once a frequent occurrence, had become less frequent. Even though Natasha never admitted it, Jenna could tell that Natasha had less nightmares in her bed, because of her or the bed she doesn't know, but there were nights when Jenna would wake up to find Natasha curled up beside her, her expression relaxed and serene in sleep. Noticing Natasha hesitant to share a bed, one evening Jenna began softly, "I've been having nightmares lately." lying to Natasha. With a small smile, Jenna continued, "But strangely enough, I've been sleeping better since we started sharing a bed. It's like having you next to me makes the nightmares go away". "I can stay a few more nights" Natasha murmured. And those few nights turned into weeks.

Cooking breakfast together, or more so Jenna teaching Natasha the finer points of cooking. Became a regular thing for them. Each morning, they would wake up to the comforting scent of freshly brewed coffee, the clatter of pots and pans in the kitchen.

As Jenna headed off to school, Natasha would spend the day organizing the Avenger's comeback like a boy band making a reunion. Might as well call them the Jonas Brothers. 

After class, their evenings were spent side by side in the kitchen, chopping vegetables and stirring pots as they worked together. Occasionally, Lily would drop by unannounced, always to steal their food and leave. After dinner, Jenna would often settle onto the couch with her textbooks spread out, diving into her homework. Natasha would hover nearby, offering occasional assistance. She was horrible at calc though. 

But amidst the laughter and shared moments, there was an underlying sense of sadness looming over them. It was the last week they would have their routine together, as Steve had finally agreed to the proposition of Avengers Tower. Natasha would soon be leaving to live in the tower, and Jenna couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness at the thought of their time together coming to an end.

As they sat together on the couch one evening, Jenna couldn't shake the feeling of impending loss that hung in the air. She glanced over at Natasha, who was engrossed in her movie, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. With a heavy heart, Jenna realized that their days were numbered. As Jenna sat beside Natasha on the couch, a wave of nostalgia washed over her.

"Do you remember that time you tried to make me lunch?" Jenna asked, a playful grin on her lips.

Memories replayed to Natasha attempted to pack lunch for Jenna one morning.  Despite her best efforts, the pans ended up burnt, leaving her with no choice but to improvise. With a sigh of resignation, she settled for a simple peanut butter sandwich, hoping it would suffice.

Jenna noticed the peanut butter sandwich in her lunchbox and raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Nat, what's with the peanut butter sandwich?" she asked, a hint of laughter in her voice.

Natasha shrugged, trying to play it off casually. "Oh, you know, just trying something new," she replied nonchalantly.

Jenna eyed the sandwich suspiciously before taking it to class with her. That night Jenna came home reporting to Natasha, "Thanks, Nat I appreciate the food.".

 Natasha's eyes glinted as she replied, "You're welcome.".

Jenna wrinkled her nose in confusion,. "I don't understand why you love it so much," she remarked. "It's kind of spicy and makes my tongue tingle."

A flicker of concern passed over Natasha's features,"That's not normal.".

Jenna's eyes widened in surprise. "What do you mean?" she asked.