Natasha sat down at the dinner table besides Steve. Wanda put all the plates on the table and sat down.

"So, New Year's Eve is tomorrow. I was thinking that we could have a fondue for dinner." Sarah says

"Sounds like a great plan, mom." Pietro says

"So, Natasha, if you didn't come here, how did you spend your holidays?" Sarah asks and sipped her wine.

"Probably alone." Natasha says and took a bite of her food.

"Really? Not with your boyfriend?" Sarah asks

"Well, Steve would be here." Natasha says

"Then who's Matt?" Sarah asks

"Mom, what are you doing?" Steve asks

"Just asking questions." Sarah says

"It's fine, Steve." Natasha says, "Matt is my ex, and honestly I got no idea how you know about him."

"Oh, well I heard you two on the phone today." Sarah says, "When did you break up?"

Natasha swallowed hard and looked at Steve. "A couple months ago."

"I heard you said two or three weeks." Sarah says

"What's going on?" Wanda asks

"I would like to know that as well." Sarah says

"Me and Natasha aren't dating." Steve says

"What?" Sarah says

"But you two seem so in love." Wanda says

"It's called acting." Steve says

"I should go." Natasha says

"I think you should." Joseph says

Natasha walked away from the dinner table and went upstairs.

"I'm leaving too." Steve says

"Steve, we have to talk about this." Sarah says

"Talk about this? You could've come to us, you just humiliated us both here." Steve says

"You lied to us for months, that's not okay." Sarah says

"We'll talk about this later." Steve says

Steve went upstairs and saw Natasha packing up her suitcase.

"You don't have to leave." Steve says

"Yes, I do. I can't face them again. I'm humiliated." Natasha says

"I know, me too." Steve says

"I'm sorry, but I can't do this anymore." Natasha says

"I understand." Steve says, "Do you want a drive home, or?"

"There's a bus going to New York from Boston around midnight, I'm hoping to get on that. Maybe you could drive me to the bus station." Natasha says

"Of course." Steve says

Natasha closed her suitcase and put on her coat. They went outside to Steve's car and put the suitcase inside.

After a short drive they arrived at the Boston bus station. Natasha stepped out of the car and grabbed her suitcase.

"I guess this is it." Natasha says

"I guess it is." Steve says

"I did have fun, though. It was a nice Christmas." Natasha says

"Yeah, it was." Steve says, "I hope you have a safe year change and happy new year."

"I hope you have the same." Natasha says

Natasha leaned up and kissed Steve's cheek. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye." Steve says

Natasha walked to the bus and got a ticket. She handed her suitcase to the driver and went inside the bus waving Steve a last goodbye.

Steve woke up the following day with a cold feeling. There was no warm small person beside him who would hold onto him so he could get up. The only thing that was on him was the sheet with a blanket she always so badly needed.

The previous night, Steve went upstairs without saying a word to his family. He was angry, upset and embarrassed.

Steve walked downstairs and made himself a cup of coffee. His father sat at the kitchen counter reading the news paper.

"How are you, son?" Joseph asks

"Honestly, I don't know." Steve says, "I probably disappointed mom and Wanda."

"Why did you lie in the first place?" Joseph asks and put the news paper down.

"I just wanted to have everyone back off from my love life, it's my business not everyone else's." Steve says

"I gotta say, if I was in your position, I would've done the same thing." Joseph says

"How upset is mom?" Steve asks

"A bit. You two should have a really good talk." Joseph says

"We will." Steve says

"You liked her, didn't you?" Joseph says

"What?" Steve asks

"I have known you your whole life, Steve. I notice these things." Joseph says

"I don't know, maybe I did." Steve says

"And you just let her go?" Joseph says

"Yes." Steve says

"Morning." Wanda says interrupting the conversation.

"I'm gonna get a shower." Steve says

When Steve went to get lunch he saw his mother in the kitchen.

"Hi." Steve says

"Hi, sweetie." Sarah says

"Can we talk?" Steve asks

"Of course." Sarah says

"I would like to explain why I lied to everyone about dating someone." Steve says

"Go ahead." Sarah says

"You kept setting me up with girls and it became annoying, so I lied to you so you could back off and I could just calmy live my life." Steve says

"Don't you want to meet someone and get married?" Sarah asks

"I do, but not right now. My career is really taking off at the moment and it's all I care about." Steve says

"I'm sorry I pressured you into a relationship, I just want you to be happy." Sarah says

"And I am happy. Mom, I will get married one day, don't worry about that." Steve says

"I really thought you and Natasha were in love. You looked at each other the way me and your father do." Sarah says

"We did?" Steve says

"Absolutely." Sarah says, "I think you should give her a call, and maybe schedule a real date."

"I'm not sure, the way she said goodbye to me sounded final." Steve says

"So you think you'll never see her again?" Sarah asks

"Probably." Steve says

"Okay, your loss." Sarah says and left the kitchen.

•••
finally a new update!
hope everyone likes this one, the part where they say it's all fake was really hard to write, so that's why it's a bit weird hahaha