𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐨|| 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 [𝟏]

Chapter Thirty-Three

"So you really met Ms White? How was she?" Steve asks as the three walk out of the registration office. 

"Yes. Yes, we did pal, and it was awkward as fuck." Bucky sighs, as Cassie leans up against him to try to warm herself.  

"She also said she's shocked I'm not in the war with all the fights I got into in school." Cassie laughs huddling into bucky more, 

"Ya cold?" Bucky wraps his arm around Cassie and rubbing up and down his arms. 

"Thank you." She whispers as the three keep walking. 

the three start to make their way back to the apartment in comfortable silence. The only noise is their shoes hitting the sidewalk they're walking on and the alley cat now and then. Walking up the steps into the house Bucky kicks the brick for the key for the door. 

"Seriously, what have I told you two about the key. It's so easy to find." Bucky scoffs trying to put the key in the door. 

"Well, where else are we supposed to put it?" Steve asks and Cassie rolls her eye's playfully. 

"Who's going to break in?" She asks the better question, 

"Well, what would you do if I was a robber?" Bucky asks turning around to the two and Cassie walks up to him with a smirk, 

"This," She says, pecking him on the lips and then pushing past him to get into the warm house. 

The two still didn't tell Bucky about the money they've been getting from the brunette. They didn't know how Bucky would react. So the two didn't tell him, the topic never came up in conversation. 

"I think I'm going to go to bed, it's pretty late," Steve says with a smile, as Cassie gives him a quick hug and him a Bucky do a little hug as well. 

"Are you hungry, I can make food." Cassie askes as Steve walks down the hall to his room for the night. 

"No, I'm fine." Bucky stutters as he scratches his nose and then the back of his neck. And from what Cassie has learned from her years at the circus is that when someone scratches their nose they're more likely nervous. 

"Buck, what's wrong? You seem nervous." She asks walking closer to cup his face with her hands. 

he quickly licks his lips and clears his throat, "Cassie, I've known you for a while now. About..." He trails off thinking and taking Cassie's hands in his one's 

"10 years," Cassie smirks up at him, he just smiles shyly down at her and continues.

"Yeah, thank you." He laughs "But uhm. I've known you 10 years and we've been dating about 9 of those years. And to say those have been the best years of my life would be an understatement. I love you Elizabeth Cassie Carter. I really do. And I'm really surprised I lasted this long in a relationship. People always said I was a ladies man, and at first, I didn't believe them. But looking back they were right. But when I met you, I stop all that and used my amazing flirting skills to get you. And it worked." He says as a blush starts to grow on Cassie's face. And Bucky lets go of her hands to reach into his back pocket and knelt in front of her. 

"So, Elizabeth Cassandra Cassie Carter. Will you marry me?" Bucky asks looking up at her. Usually, she would be able to guess what people were going to do, but she did not accept that. 

"Yes. Yes, I would love to." She whispers, still shell shocked at what he did. Standing up with his boyish grin he slid the ring on Cassie's left ring finger. 

"I love you." He whispers against her lips before pulling her into a passionate kiss. 

"Love you more." The redhead pulls back just enough to say it. "How did you afford a ring? And who helped you pick it out?"