✪ American Noise ✪ [Captain America]

Chapter 3: Liz III

* * * Author's Notes * * *

Firstly, I want to apologize for the long wait for this chapter. Secondly, I want to apologize for the length of this chapter (3,798 words before Author's Notes), but I think you're all going to enjoy it!

Lastly, (and most importantly!) I want to thank my wonderful beta reader, whimsymuse. They've been helping me organize my thoughts and the future plot a bunch, and I can't thank them enough!

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A few weeks had passed since Steve had moved into the apartment directly across the hall from Liz. Liz had found that her new neighbor was courteous and considerate, albeit rather quiet. Liz's daily routine had gone on without much change, though there were a few minor differences.

Almost every morning, as Liz was leaving her apartment to open the store at nine o'clock in the morning, she met Steve just returning from his morning run and breakfast (Liz had suggested a few good places for both down by the parks and monuments). Sundays, Liz noticed, seemed to be Steve's morning off from his fitness regimen. Mondays, the store was closed, so Liz would sleep in and miss him, being as it was the only day a week that she took off from managing the storefront. She would typically use this day to run personal errands and relax. It was the second Monday after Steve had moved in when he and Liz had their first encounter lasting longer than two minutes.

Liz was contemplating whether or not to go out for a late breakfast (or an early lunch, depending on what meal you consider to be taking place at half-past eleven in the morning) as she was going through notifications on her smartphone. She was deleting a few junk emails when she heard a timid knock on the door of her apartment. She got up from the small kitchen table that was set against the wall and pocketed her phone as she went to the door, standing on her toes to peek through the eyehole to see who it was. Recognizing the face on the other side, Liz was glad that she had chosen to change out of pajamas this morning as she opened the door, although she had not got as far as trading her rectangular black-framed glasses for the contact lenses she typically wore throughout the day.

"G'morning, Steve," Liz smiled. The two of them had become friendly as a result of their usual morning greeting in the corridor after Steve had moved into the apartment across the hall.

Steve stood in the hall with his hands on his hips. He wore a light blue workout shirt and darker blue sweatpants, his bright blue eyes looking down at Liz's green ones behind her frames with a half-smile.

"Good morning," he replied, "I didn't know you wore glasses," Steve stated abruptly, tilting his head slightly to the side.

Liz's smile faded somewhat as her gaze darted to the floor for a moment, "Yeah," she started, brushing an auburn strand of hair behind her ear and tucking it behind the arm of the frame that rested there before looking back at Steve, "Unfortunately without them anything passed my nose becomes a blurred mess... I wear contacts most days. What's up?"

Steve raised a hand behind his head and mussed it through his hair. "I hate to bother you," he began, his own eyes darting away to a corner of the floor for a moment before meeting Liz's again, "But I, um... I'm having a bit of trouble with the washer. Can't figure the thing out."

Liz thought that the defeated look on his face was endearing. He was obviously embarrassed about having to ask for her help. She smiled a bit brighter, trying to make Steve feel better about it, "Oh, no problem! The new digital ones we got for the basement laundry room threw me off a bit too when we first started using them."