I grin at Steve's lame joke, letting a giggle escape my lips, and I catch Bucky rolling his eyes. The joke wasn't even funny, but it's enlightening to see how hard Steve tried to deliver, what he thought, was a funny joke. As Steve laughs at his own punchline, Bucky only shakes his head, "It's not that funny Steve" the boy smirked "But you seem to have Katie in a twist". I clamp my lips shut before anymore giggles escape, glaring at Bucky from the corner of my eyes.

The blonde smiled in amusement, "Its fine Katie, I knew it was a bad joke, you don't have to laugh" Steve reassured, giving me an amused smile. My heartbeat picks up, and I feel warmth spreading from the back of my ear down to my neck. I open my mouth to speak, but before I could defend his joke, Bucky cuts me off, animatedly talking about one of Howard Stark's impressively innovative inventions. I contain my disappointed huff, not wanting Steve to think of me as childish as he gives me a sideways glance.

Swimming in and out of their conversation, I takes sips of my juice, stirring the straw around to pass the time. Leaning back against my seat, I crossed my arms and let my mind wander elsewhere in the busy diner. I do hate it when Bucky does this; but I knew it was for my own good. I always had the bad habit of talking silly when smitten, sentences spill out of my mouth before I have a moment to comprehend what I'm actually saying. Then next thing I know I've just made a fool of myself.

When Steve walks away to use the bathroom, Bucky turns to me with raised eyebrows. I wasn't up for a lecturing, but it seems like I didn't have a choice. "Gee Katie, can you be any more obvious?" he chuckles, and I can feel the skin at the back of my neck burning again. I hate that Bucky figured it out first. But of course he would figure it out first; he's not thick like Steve apparently is. I frown, slumping in my seat "I can't help it Buck, I feel like I have to put extra effort for him to like me back. And it doesn't help that he can't see that". The boy rolls his eyes, messing with his locks before combing it back again. "Don't be an idiot Katie, you're a knockout. Just remember what I said" Bucky reminds me as Steve returns to our table. He raised his brows and I only sigh in defeat, sitting quietly as Steve resumes their conversation.

Of course I remember Bucky's advice: 'Just wait for him, he'll catch up soon enough'. But I frown at the thought. I didn't know how much longer I had to wait, sometimes it almost seemed as if Steve will never catch up with me. I sneak a glance at the lanky blonde boy, wondering if he'll ever look at me the way I see him. Steve is a kind, funny, passionate and smart man; despite what everyone else says, he's an amazing guy with a big heart. I just hope he's smart enough to figure it all out before it's too late.

"Daydreaming again doll?"

I blink, wide eyed as I look around. I found both boys had already stood up, shrugging on their coats and getting ready to leave the diner. I feign a smile and wave my hand lazily, replying "Yeah, sorry. Got my head up in the clouds again". Steve stares curiously, but I could see the small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Careful, you might get stuck up there" Bucky teased as I stood from my seat, his mischievous blue eyes hinting at something in-between the lines. I push it aside and gather my cardigan and my purse, straightening out my skirt as I stood. Before I could push my seat back in, Steve's hand already grabbed the back of the chair, our hands missing each other by a millisecond. He catches my glance and smiles up at me, his blue eyes shining, and I mutter a shy 'thank you' in return.

Bucky catches the small interaction and leans into me, whispering "See that? He's crazy about you". I shove him away playfully, and the small blonde dodges just in time, barely avoiding being toppled over under Bucky's weight. "Cooper's stronger than you thought, huh Buck?" Steve teased, making his way ahead of us to pull the door open. The brunette dusts himself off coolly, muttering "Yeah, yeah, whatever" as he walks ahead of me. Following after Bucky, I catch Steve's sneaky wink, and I grin in return. I always liked how they called me 'Cooper', it made me feel less alienated, it made me feel like I wasn't just a tag-along.

We all walk down the street, Bucky leading us back to mine and Steve's building. I could still remember the first time we hung out together. We were all so young, Bucky and Steve were still the same height. The boys were playing with paper planes at the park nearby my building, and one of them had hit me square in the face. I remember glowing red as all the kids laughed at my dumbstruck expression. And in a fit of embarrassment, I crumpled the paper plane and threw it back at them, accidentally hitting Steve's eyes in the process. We called it even after that.

We were also inseparable after that. All the girls teased me for hanging out with boys, but Bucky reassured me that there was nothing wrong with it, and that my friends were just jealous that I, in his words, had two 'boy-friends'. Steve was the one who always set them straight though, he always told them to back off and leave me alone. Our friendship only grew stronger with the years. And when Steve's Mother passed, Bucky and I made sure he didn't feel so sad and alone. We made sure he knew he has a family left. Because that's what we are. A family, no matter what happens.

A/N As you may or may not know, this is my second attempt at writing this story. My first attempt is still up, so you can read it and compare the two. I have made changes to the storyline, just because the last one had too many loose ends and plotholes. So this is attempt 2, hope you enjoy it - Angel ^_^