Always the Second choice

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Natasha Romanoff has always been your safe place. The person you call when everything falls apart. She remembers your coffee order, your fears, and the little details you forget you told her. She never asks for much in return. At least, that’s what she tells herself.

Because when life is good, you call someone else.

Natasha has loved you quietly for years, hiding it beneath dry humor, steady hands, and the familiar promise that she’ll always be there. But being needed isn’t the same as being chosen. After one too many late-night calls about people who aren’t her, she’s beginning to wonder how much longer she can keep pretending that doesn’t hurt.