𝓲𝓷𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓷𝓲𝓪𝓬 ❖ 𝓫. 𝓫𝓪𝓻𝓷𝓮𝓼

C H A P T E R (7) - D I S T A N C E

one week later

After a week of sleepless nights and not leaving the house, Cassie was nearly losing her mind.

She hadn't seen Bucky in that week, which was unusual considering that Cassie, Steve and Bucky were almost always together. It was hardly ever that she wouldn't see Bucky in an entire week, yet she knew she had been the cause of it. She had been avoiding him at whatever cost.

There had been a few knocks on her bedroom door that she would ignore and then pretend that she had been sleeping, all just to avoid having to explain anything to anyone.

Whatever she was feeling scared her, and she truly had no clue what to do. She would've gone to her mother about it, but even though she could ask, she would never get an answer. Not now. So instead, she had just decided to visit her mother without expecting any response.

Cassie left her room for the first time that week and passed Steve as she got to the bottom of the stairs.

"Cass!" He exclaimed with excitement, "Sorry, just excited to see you I guess. You haven't left that room in a week."

"Sorry, I was just caught up with things."

Steve furrowed his brows, he thought about what could keep his sister so occupied and cooped up in her room for an entire week, but nothing came to mind.

"Bucky's concerned about you."

Cassie's fake smile dropped and she tried her best to put it back on, but to no success.

"Well, you can tell him I'm fine." She said, opening the front door.

"Where are you going?" Steve asked.

"To visit Mom."

After Cassie had left the house, Steve was frozen at her words. She had never visited her and whenever Steve asked, she would turn him down and he would go alone.

Cassie made her way through the busy Brooklyn streets and found the cemetery quite easily, despite how little time she had spent there.

She spent a few minutes locating the grave, and when she did, she felt a sudden wave of sadness. Maybe it was seeing her mothers name carved into the headstone or maybe it was the flowers that lay in the dirt. Or perhaps it was the lack of visits.

Cassie kneeled down at the headstone and traced over the letters with her fingers, ignoring the pain she felt in her knees from the rough dirt. Even when she sensed someone behind her and heard soft footsteps, she didn't bother to turn around.

"You've been keeping your distance."

She would've known that voice anywhere. Cassie stood up and brushed the dirt from her knees before turning around to be met with Bucky, who held a singular flower in his hand that she recognised to be her mother's favourite. He placed the flower down by the headstone before turning back to Cassie.

"I was sick, that's all." She lied.

Cassie had told many lies before, and even though Bucky had detected them, he would usually let them slide. But he had felt Cassie's absence and didn't like the way it left him feeling.

"You're lying to me, Cassie," He said as he grabbed her hand, "Why?"

She let her eyes linger on his hand that was holding hers before bringing her gaze up to his face.

"I don't know."

Bucky released her hand and stepped back slightly, shaking his head.

"Then I can't help you."

After he finished talking, he took one last glance at his best friend and saw her broken state. He saw the bags beneath her eyes that he knew she couldn't help, but they were worse than ever. He saw the way her hands trembled from the cold breeze. And most of all, he saw how broken she was.

But he still left.

"It's been seven years yet I remember her as if it were yesterday," Cassie said, "That's what makes it so painful."

From where he stood, Bucky could clearly make out her words. He stopped his walk and spun around, being met with Cassie who couldn't keep her eyes off of the headstone.

"You know how much I sympathise for you for her loss," Bucky began, taking a few steps closer to her, "But I also know that's not what this is about."

"You're right. It's not." Cassie muttered, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Then what is it about, Cassie?" Bucky asked, sounding slightly frustrated.

He ran his hands through his hair and watched as Cassie shifted uncomfortably.

"You."

Bucky hesitated before replying, "Me?"

Cassie nodded, not bothering to elaborate. She figured he would work it out eventually. Or not, time would tell. But in this moment, it seemed to her that he hadn't. So she decided to give him the smallest smile she could manage and left the cemetery, leaving a confused Bucky behind.

Distance either breaks people or brings them closer together, and the pair were both left thinking different things.