It was just a cake.

Sending her address to Steve had proved to be harder than she thought. She had written the text a dozen times, and a dozen times she had deleted it and started again.

There were only two people in New York with her address, and that was it. She didn’t have any more friends or family there.

When she finally sent the message, she felt like Greg could walk through the door at any minute to finish what he had started.

She could feel her anxiety growing with each passing second.

“Five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear…” she started listing in her mind. “Two things you can smell, one thing you can taste.”

Just when she started to relax, her phone vibrated with a message.

“Thanks, sweetheart. See you tomorrow.”

She read it and felt nauseous.

She didn’t understand why Steve insisted on her delivering the cakes, but she couldn’t say no after the amount of money he had paid her for just three cakes. With that payment, she had secured two months of rent and some bills. She didn’t want to seem ungrateful.

That night, she couldn’t fall asleep, thoughts about her troubled past assaulted her mind, thoughts about Steve and this whole situation too. The man was handsome, charismatic, and at another time, she would have openly drooled over him. But right now, she refused to let anyone get close to her. One brush with death had been enough.

When she finally managed to sleep, it was a restless night. She woke up before her alarm went off, and even though she tried to sleep a little more, she couldn’t.

She got up groaning and went through her morning routine… coffee, breakfast, and a shower.

She looked through her closet for something suitable for the occasion. Even though she didn’t know exactly what the occasion was, she knew she couldn’t show up in jeans and Converse. She took out the few dresses she had. She used to have more clothes to choose from, but she had left everything behind at Greg’s house.

She settled on a simple pink dress with long sleeves and knee-length, not too formal, not too casual. She did her makeup a little more refined than usual and let her hair down.

When she looked at herself in the mirror, a lump formed in her throat. When was the last time she had looked this bright? She couldn’t even remember. Maybe Steve wasn’t bad news after all…

“No, no, stop right there,” the little voice in her head warned. “You know nothing about this guy.”

That was completely true. This was just a one-time thing, she was working, and he was just being nice. Maybe she’d see him again for the next birthday he needed her services for, but nothing more. There wasn’t much of a chance for them to meet again. Their lifestyles were different in so many ways, in every way.

She checked one last time that the cakes were perfect and safely secured in their boxes.

A knock on the door told her it was time to leave. She opened it to find a young man standing on the other side.

“Good morning, ma’am. I’m Peter,” he introduced himself with a small smile. “I’m here to take you and the cakes to the party.”

She smiled back and introduced herself, walking to the kitchen counter to grab her purse and lift the cake boxes.

“I’ll take these, ma’am,” Peter said, taking the boxes from her hands. She wanted to protest and say she was more than capable of carrying them to the car, but she stayed quiet. If this kid was anything like Steve, it would be a waste of time.

Peter opened the backseat door for her, and she got in, making sure the cake boxes were perfectly secured so none of them would get crushed during the trip.

The ride was long, making her anxiety spike with every passing minute. What was she doing? She should be in her apartment, watching crappy movies and eating cheat meals.

“Want me to put on some music, ma’am?”

She didn’t know if the kid could sense her anxiety or if he was just being polite, but either way, she was grateful for the suggestion.

“Yes, Peter, thank you. And please, just call me by my name. ‘Ma’am’ makes me feel older than I really am,” she said with a smile, watching him nod.

She didn’t know when she and Peter started talking, but it was easy to talk to the kid, he was very cheerful. She learned that he lived with his aunt, May, because his parents had been killed when he was a child, and he was now working for Steve to help her. She felt sorry for him, he seemed too young and sweet.

She opened up a little, telling him that her dad had died when she was fifteen and that she didn’t have a good relationship with her mom. She shared stories from when she was his age, how she had ended up working as a bartender to pay for things. She didn’t go into too much detail, she had worked at the club to pay for college, but that was information she kept to herself. Words spread like fire, and she was content with just being a baker.

She only realized they had arrived when Peter parked outside a massive, beautiful mansion. Her mouth fell open in surprise, this was probably the biggest house she had ever seen.

“We’re here, boss,” Peter said on the phone as he opened the door and helped her out.

Peter took care of the cakes, and they both walked toward the mansion entrance. Before they reached the door, Steve appeared, and her stomach flipped at the sight of him.

If she had thought he was handsome before, now her brain went completely blank. He looked like someone straight out of a fashion magazine, his hair perfectly styled, his face freshly shaved, and his suit fitting him flawlessly.

“Get a hold of yourself. This is just work,” she reminded herself.

“Hi, sweetheart,” Steve greeted her with a perfect, white smile. “You look beautiful.”

She felt like she could burst in that moment, her face heating up, her heart pounding.

“Thanks… You look great,” she said, her voice shaky with embarrassment. “I should go put the cakes in the kitchen.” She wanted to run out of there, his presence made the air feel too heavy to breathe normally.

“Don’t worry about that, sweetheart. Peter will take care of them, right, kid?” Steve said, stretching his hand out for her to take. “Shall we?”

She looked at Peter, who nodded at Steve, and realized she didn’t have much of a choice. She hesitated, then took Steve’s hand and nodded. He smiled at her but didn’t hold her hand. Instead, he linked their arms together.

She suppressed a small sound of surprise at the sudden closeness. Standing beside him, that close, she felt small, he was taller and very imposing. But there was something in his presence that, despite her wariness, made her feel safe in a way she didn’t understand.

As they walked through the entrance, she gasped. The place was stunning, with elegant decorations, it was the kind of house she and her dad used to watch on TV shows where rich people showed off their homes.

“Wow, this place is…” She didn’t even know if “beautiful” covered it.

“Yeah, Bucky has good taste in decoration,” Steve said, smiling. “Wait until you see the garden, that’s where the party is.”

She could hear many voices as they got closer, and her nervousness increased with every step. Instinctively, she tightened her grip on Steve’s arm.

This was not her scene. Not her kind of people.

“Uhm, Steve?” She slowed her pace. “Why are you taking me to the garden? I’m not a guest, I should be in the kitchen making sure the cakes are fine.”

Steve stopped walking, chuckled, and looked at her with that intense gaze of his.

“You’re my guest now, sweetheart,” he said, smiling. “If anyone messes with you, which I doubt, just tell them I invited you.”

She wanted to refuse, she felt completely out of place here. She barely knew Steve, let alone anyone else at this party.

“When was the last time you had fun?” a little voice in her head asked.

“…Okay, I’ll stay for now. But if I don’t feel comfortable anymore…”

“I’ll take you home the moment you ask. Promise.”

She nodded and relaxed slightly. She still didn’t understand why he was inviting her, but for now, she decided to go with the flow.

Steve was right when he told her to wait and see the garden. The space was huge, with bushes of all kinds of flowers around and a pool in the center.

“This place looks like it’s straight out of a fairy tale,” she said. She had always loved open spaces, gardens, beaches, forests.

She looked around the place. There were a lot of people, all looking as wealthy and powerful as Steve. She gulped and let out a breathy sigh. She felt small and insignificant, like a fish out of water.

“You seem like you could use something to drink,” Steve’s voice brought her back to reality. She nodded, unable to speak. They walked through the garden toward the bar, people turning to look at them.

When they reached the bar, Steve let go of her arm. The bartender, a man with a professional air, nodded to greet them.

“What’s your poison, sweetheart?” Steve asked.

She thought about it. She wasn’t one to drink much, but she knew a lot about drinks from a job she had in college. “I’ll have a cosmo, please.”

The bartender nodded and started making her drink. To her surprise, the silence between her and Steve wasn’t uncomfortable. There was too much noise in the place.

“Can you wait here for just a second?” Steve asked, and she nodded. “Promise me you won’t run the moment I leave you alone?” He gave her a teasing smile that made her chuckle.

“Even if I wanted to run, I’m sure I’d get lost trying to find the exit of this place,” she replied, smiling back at him. That wasn’t a complete lie.

She watched Steve walk away and instantly relaxed. She took a seat at the bar and started sipping her drink.

She didn’t know how much time had passed. She had zoned out at some point until she heard a voice she knew too well, calling her by the nickname only two people used. She turned toward the voice and smiled with relief.

“Oh my god! Jane!” she said, standing up and hugging her friend. “What are you doing here?”

“I should be the one asking that, cupcake,” Jane hugged her back. “I’m here with my boyfriend, Thor. Come on, let me introduce you.”

She looked in the direction Steve had walked away in. She wasn’t breaking her promise, right? She would still be at the party, just not in the same spot.

She nodded and let Jane guide her through the crowd until they stopped where two men were talking. Both were tall, one with black hair, the other blonde.

“Thor, Loki, this is my friend Cupcake,” Jane introduced them, and both men turned to look at her.

She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at Jane’s introduction. “It’s nice to meet you. Just to clarify… Cupcake is not my name,” she said in a joking tone, giving the name she was currently using.

“But it suits you!” Jane teased her. “She’s the one who made the wine cupcakes I brought home two months ago,” she explained to Thor and Loki.

“Oh, those cupcakes were delicious,” Thor said, smiling at her. “You’re a very talented woman,” he added.

“Indeed, very talented,” Loki agreed, nodding.

She saw Loki pull out his phone and show it to Thor, then glance back at both of them with a polite smile. “If you’ll excuse us, ladies, we need to go do something, but we’ll be back soon.”

Jane nodded to Loki and kissed Thor on the cheek. The two of them walked away, leaving the two of them alone.

“Let’s go find Darcy,” Jane told her, taking her hand.

“Darcy’s here too? Well, this couldn’t be better,” she said with a smile. Having her two, and only, friends there was definitely helpful.

Jane, Darcy, and she had been friends since childhood, growing up in the same town. They only separated when the first two came to New York for college at NYU. She couldn’t afford that amount of money, not even with a scholarship, so she stayed back and studied at a cheaper college.

Jane and Darcy were the only ones who knew everything about her and Greg. They were the ones who helped her come to New York and gave her a new identity. She didn’t know how they managed that, but she was grateful for their help.

When they found Darcy, the black-haired girl let out a squeal of excitement and almost ran to hug her.

“Oh my god! Cupcake!” The excitement in Darcy’s voice was palpable.

She snorted a laugh at the use of that ridiculous nickname. “You two really need to stop using that nickname around normal people,” she teased.

“It’s a cute nickname if they don’t know the backstory,” Darcy replied. “What are you doing here? What made you leave that cave you call an apartment?”

“Where do I start?” She groaned and began telling them everything from the beginning, how she met Steve, how she got fired, and his insistence that she bake the cakes for the party.

Her two friends stared at her like they couldn’t believe what she was telling them. “Steve Rogers asked you to make the cakes?” Jane asked, surprised.

“Now that you mention it, I didn’t know his last name was Rogers,” she admitted, feeling a little silly for not knowing something so important.

“Girl, if the people at this party like your cakes, you won’t need to find a job anytime soon,” Darcy said with a prideful smile. “But are you sure you want to dedicate your life to baking cakes? I mean, your cakes are delicious, and you’re great at it, but you put so much effort into your career…”

“I know…” She felt a knot form in her throat. “But the moment I start working in that, we know Greg will come looking for me, and I’m not ready. Baking is a low-key job.”

Her two friends shared a look. They were worried about her, her well-being and her mental health, but they also knew how strong she was.

After that, they switched to lighter topics, sharing some news about their lives and laughing together. She was having a really good time, the nervousness and anxiety of the beginning now far behind. It had been ages since she’d laughed so hard, since the last time she had actually had fun and let her guard down.

“I thought you had left,” Steve’s voice came from behind her. She turned to find him standing with Thor and Loki. “You know each other?” He pointed between her friends and her.

“Nope, I’m still here,” she said, trying to sound calm, though her heart was racing. Before she could answer his question, Jane chimed in.

“Yeah, we’ve known Cupcake since we were kids.”

“Stop calling me that,” she groaned. “People will start calling me that.” She wasn’t actually mad at them for calling her that, she liked it, it remembered her of good times, but she’d never admit that out loud.

“Cupcake? Is that a nickname because you’re a baker?” Steve asked, raising an eyebrow. Her cheeks turned pink with embarrassment.

“Yes,” she said, at the same time Darcy said, “No.”

“She’s Cupcake because she poisoned a boy with a cupcake when we were in high school,” Jane added quickly.

She groaned and covered her face. “Don’t say it like that, Jane!” She defended herself. “You make it sound like I didn’t do it for the right reason.”

“There’s a right reason to poison someone?” Thor chimed in, clearly trying not to laugh.

“Well, no… yes?” She tried hard to suppress her own laugh.

“We were in our first year of high school, and there was a guy who bullied Darcy all the time,” Jane started explaining. “He used to steal Darcy’s lunch everyday, so Cupcake here made a cupcake with some laxatives in it. Of course, the boy ate it. Let’s just say he got what he deserved.”

“What can I say? I hate bullies,” she said matter-of-factly. “No one messed with us again.”

The three men who had been staring at her chuckled.

“I hate bullies too,” Steve said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “I’ve been in more fights than I can remember because of that.”

She genuinely smiled at him, not her usual shy smile or her nervous one, but a real, happy smile, like she was enjoying the moment.

“It’s almost time to cut the cake,” Steve said to her. “I want to introduce you to Bucky before he gets a taste of them. What do you say?”

She looked at her friends, and both gave her an encouraging nod. She turned back to Steve and nodded slowly, not sure if she wanted to be in the spotlight.

He smiled at her and stretched out his arm for her to take. She smiled back and linked her arm with his, like they had when she first arrived at the party.

She could still feel people staring at them, but she felt more secure now that Jane and Darcy were there. She knew her friends would have her back if anything went south.

They walked until they stopped in front of three men, all of whom looked at them instantly. She could feel their heavy gaze on her, like they were trying to read her, figure out who she was without asking anything.

“Guys, this is the amazing baker I was telling you about,” Steve said, and her cheeks instantly turned pink. “Sweetheart, these are my partners Bucky Barnes and Tony Stark, and this is Officer Sam Wilson.”

At the mention of the last one, she felt color drain from her face. A knot formed in her stomach, and her mouth went dry. She didn’t have good experiences with cops, not just Greg, but when she tried to ask for help, they turned their backs on her, and she found out how corrupt the system was. She didn’t trust cops.

She recovered quickly and acted calm, extending her hand toward the men and shaking each of theirs. “Nice to meet you,” she said calmly, though her heart was pounding in her ears. “Steve is selling me high,” she said, trying to lighten the mood.

“Maybe you’re selling yourself short,” Steve said, squeezing her arm.

“Stevie boy says your cakes are the best he’s ever tasted,” Tony said, “and that’s a big compliment because the man hates cakes.”

She didn’t know how to respond, so she nervously fidgeted in her place and gave a shy, “Thank you.” The tension was palpable.

“Well, it’s good to finally put a face to the name,” Bucky, who she knew was Steve’s best friend, told her. His tone wasn’t friendly, but it wasn’t impolite either.

She nodded and smiled nervously. “Steve talks about you too. It’s nice to meet you in person.”

Before anyone could say anything else, a girl with brown hair who looked just like Bucky interrupted.

“The birthday girl,” she deduced.

“Come on! Let’s cut the cakes!” the girl said. She was young, but not as young as Peter, maybe just a little younger than her.

“I suppose it’s time for the truth” Sam said jokingly, and she forced a chuckle.

“I’ll go find Darcy and Jane,” she told Steve and turned to the others. “It was really nice to meet you. I hope you like the cake.”

Steve looked at her, questioning why she was leaving, but let go of the grip he had on her arm.

She walked away, feeling a sense of calm returning to her. When she spotted her friends, she felt alive again.

“What are you doing here?” Jane asked. “You should be over there, seeing their reactions.”

“No thanks, I’m good right here. No spotlight on me,” she answered honestly.

She heard Darcy groan. “You know, sometimes you’re too stubborn for your own good.”

“Yeah, I hear that a lot,” she teased. “You know me, I don’t like being the center of attention, and we don’t even know if they’ll like the cake. What if it’s the other way around?”

“You’re just being self-deprecating. And I get it, Greg made you feel like you didn’t deserve anything, like you didn’t do anything right. But believe us, we’ve known Steve for a while now, and if he says your cakes are good, it’s because he really means it” Jane said, her tone serious, almost stern.

She stayed quiet. Jane was right. She had been self-deprecating lately, but the little voice in her head kept telling her otherwise, reminding her of all the times she’d messed something up.

“What Jane meant is that you need to stop giving Greg power, Cupcake,” Darcy said, putting a hand on her shoulder in support. “He’s not here to harm you anymore or to say anything about you. But you’re still giving him power to control your present. Life is happening in front of you, and if you don’t take the power back from that asshole, you’ll grow old never doing anything you want.”

“I hate when you’re right” was all she said before walking back to where Steve was standing, eating a slice of cake and talking to Sam.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Steve said with a smile, and she smiled back. “I didn’t think this cake could taste better than the one I had at the coffee shop, but you’ve exceeded expectations, again.”

“Really? You liked it that much?” she asked, not hiding her surprise. Her smile grew wider.

“Definitely one of the best cakes I’ve ever had,” Sam chimed in. “If you have time and are up for it, would you mind doing the birthday cake for my nephew?”

The little voice in her head reminded her that the man was a cop, and she didn’t trust cops. But Darcy’s and Jane’s words echoed louder, drowning out her inner doubts.

“Sure, I’d love to,” she said with a smile, pulling out her phone. “Here, put your number in so we can go over the details for the cake.”

Sam entered his number and handed her phone back.

“I’ll leave you two to it,” Sam said, clapping Steve on the back before extending his hand toward her. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call.”

“Thanks,” she nodded. Maybe Sam wasn’t a bad cop, but she’d stay cautious around him until she was sure she could trust him. For now, she was just happy to have another client.

“Well, that went well,” Steve said, pulling her out of her thoughts.

“Yeah. Thanks, Steve,” she said sincerely. “This is a huge opportunity, and you didn’t have to help me, but here you are, helping a complete stranger.”

“You’re not a complete stranger, sweetheart” he said, his voice low. “I know your name, where you’re from, what you’re doing in New York, and what your dream is. I think that’s a pretty good start to getting to know someone.”

A knot formed in her stomach as guilt crept over her. Everything Steve believed about her was a lie. He didn’t know her real name, why she was truly in New York, or even what her actual dreams were. He only knew a fabricated version of her story. But she didn’t trust him enough to tell him the truth… not yet.

“And you know some things about me too,” he continued. “What I’m trying to say is that we’re not strangers anymore. And if I can help you, I will.”

“Thanks, Steve. That’s really kind of you.” She placed a hand on his arm and gave it a slight squeeze. She wasn’t great at showing affection, but she tried.

For the rest of the day, she let herself just be.

Little by little, more people joined them. First, Darcy, Jane, Thor, and Loki. Then Sam. Tony arrived with his wife, Pepper, who complimented her baking skills. Bucky and his sister, Rebecca, as she now knew, soon followed, along with other people she didn’t recognize but who easily joined the conversation.

She was having fun, so much so that she didn’t even notice how close she was to Steve, until their arms brushed. A shiver ran down her spine at the unexpected contact, and she became painfully aware of how safe his presence made her feel.

“Shit” she thought. Noticing how this man was starting to mess with the walls she had put around her life.