The man with the gloves [bucky barnes ff]

4

Bucky's POV

The girl stretches out her hand and smiles at me. I've never seen her around. No one in this apartment building actually talks to each other. I've only been here for a couple of days but no one really cares about who you are. Everyone's minding their own business.

"I am Isla.", she introduces herself, her hand still stretched out, waiting for me to shake it. She looks really young, maybe around nineteen? Twenty tops. "Aren't you going to reply?"

I just stand there. In the corroded elevator which only holds space for three people. Ever since that day I barely had human interaction except for the people who I've worked for. "James."

Her eyes wander to my arms and has as she pulls back her hand. "Are you cold? Why are you wearing gloves? It's august."

"Sensitive skin.", I simply reply. She's dressed really formally, maybe she's going to a job interview? Or on a date. Or maybe she's just one of many young aspiring people who moved to New York hoping for a new better life. They think that moving to a crowded, vivid place like this is going to be the solution to all their problems but it's not. I wish it was.

"Oh.", she shrugs and leans against the wall of the elevator, her eyes still fixed on me. I can tell that she doesn't believe me but that's fine. I don't need her to believe me, I just need her to mind her own business and not bother me any further. She'll realise soon enough that talking to every stranger on the elevator isn't going how things work around here. "Well, I just moved in here yesterday. The people in this building aren't really the biggest talkers, are they?"

I shake my head and walk out of the elevator the second the doors open. I hear her speeding footsteps approaching, trying to keep up with me.  "How long do you live here?"

Is she always this noisy?

"Couple of days."

"Oh, so we're both quite new. That's kind of a relief. I was afraid that everyone in here might already be close with each other and I'd be the only one left out but it's good to know that I am not alone."

You actually are because I don't plan on interacting with you anymore.

I thought that me barely replying to her and walking away without even caring if she keeps up would make her understand that I don't want to speak with her but apparently she's not the smartest when it comes to reading people. "Do you know the direction to the subway? I need to get to Manhattan within half an hour."

"I'm not familiar with the subway system." I usually walk everywhere or take a bus. But all this new infrastructure is really confusing.

"Then how do you get to other places outside of Brooklyn?", she wonders, still following me as I try to make it past the crowd of people roaming the streets of Brooklyn.

"I don't." I don't have any reason to go somewhere but Brooklyn. There's plenty of work here, I have my apartment and it's a special place to me.

"So you're telling me that you live in New York but never been outside of Brooklyn?" You can hear the shock in her voice.

Why the hell is she following me?

"I like it here.", is all I say before stopping. "The subway is over there." I point at the big S sign behind her that she couldn't have possibly seen since she was busy following me and bombarding me with questions.

"Where are you going? Do you have a job?"

God, does she ever shut up? I don't understand what in her right mind makes her think that asking someone a bunch of questions when the person is clearly showing his disinterest, is okay. She's lucky that I am having a good day.