This Is Stella's Reality

June 20, 2014

Hey, want to grab lunch?

Who is this?

Stella, Steve gave me your number :)

Oh, okay. How did you make that face? It's cute.

Lol, I can show you. Meet me downstairs!

Lol? What does that mean? Okay, doll, I'm coming.

I laughed, spinning in the barstool I sat in. He's so old. Steve had asked me to befriend him, so befriend him I would.

He was awkward and kept to himself for most of the time. I had hardly seen him since the first day we met. It had been about a week since then, and I felt guilty not keeping true to my promise to Steve.

I heard footsteps bound down the stairs. Bucky looked annoyed as his feet hit the floors. He walked over to me, "Why does this thing keep changing the words I'm typing?"

"What?" I reached for his phone, and he shoved it into my hands. I laughed, "It's just the autocorrect. It thinks you're spelling words wrong, so it's trying to fix it for you."

His eyebrows pinched together, "Can you turn it off?" He looked annoyed, but it was cute. No. Steve would kill me if I made that thought known.

I went to the settings on his phone and turned off autocorrect. I handed the phone back to him, and he inspected it like it was alien technology. I laughed, and his eyes snapped up to me.

Shyly, I slid from the barstool, "Are you hungry?"

"Sure," he said simply.

I sighed, he probably thinks I'm annoying. "Are you in the mood for anything?"

He shoved his phone into his pocket and gave me a long stare. "Thai?"

I gave him a small smile, "I'll drive."

There was a pause of awkward silence. I took a deep breath and walked past him, hoping he would follow me to the garage.

He did. His footsteps echoed behind me, and my heart raced a bit. I was so awkward. He was so awkward. Why did Steve ask me to do this? This was a nightmare.

I slid into the driver's seat of my car, and Bucky sat beside me. He was tall, and his head brushed the roof of my car. I tried not to stare.

His eyes looked around my car, confused and processing the new location. I breathed a sigh, "Ready?" He only gave me a nod in response.

The ride was quiet. I filled the silence with music. Bucky didn't look at anything except the passing cars and scenery. His eyes never drifted away from the blurring colors that filled the windows.

I pulled into a parking garage near the restaurant. Bucky followed my quick steps. I felt so claustrophobic with this awkward air around us.

He stood behind me as I spoke to the hostess. She took us to a booth near more windows. They overlooked the city outside. People passed by and conversations from other guests finally filled the space between us.

Bucky hardly looked at me. He busied himself with the menu, studying it like he was taking a final exam. I smiled and pulled the menu from in front of his eyes, "How are you doing?"

He stared for a moment, "Uh, fine, just trying to get used to everything."

"Well, if you ever need anything, I'm always around," I gave him a reassuring nod. His eyes were piercing, and I felt small as he studied my face.

There was a heartbeat of silence where the world seemed to pause. He spoke again, "You're a good girl, Stella."

Something rushed through me. For a moment, I thought I was dreaming. I laughed awkwardly, "I just want to make sure you're comfortable."