Betrayal - A Bucky Barnes Fanfic

Chapter 5

"Hey Ava, good to see you!" Steve greeted Ava warmly and gave her a quick hug before they sat down at a table by the window and both ordered a latte.

"So, what can I help you with?", Steve asked after a little small talk.

"I wanted to start by thanking you again for getting the best out of that bad photo of my stranger. That was super nice of you."

"I was happy to do that. Plus, it helped me convince Nat to go on a date with me." He grinned and looked dreamily at the coffee in front of him.

"You seem to really like Nat. I'm happy for the both of you."

"Yeah, Nat's just great. I've never met such a tough, confident woman. She's stunning." His eyes sparkled as he spoke of Natasha, his smile infecting Ava. He really was a good guy and Ava made a mental note to ask Natasha about a detailed Steve-description later. She wanted to know all the details of their relationship as it seemed more serious than she had initially thought.

"About the photo – is there really nothing more you can do?"

"No, sorry. I've already gotten the most out of the picture. The picture is very dark and apart from that, I'm afraid the camera quality isn't the best either." He gave her a pitying look and Ava turned her attention to her coffee, frustrated to not be able to buy a phone with a better camera.

"So you and James, huh?", Steve interrupted her thoughts and she looked at him again. He smiled at her with a meaningful look, "Sorry, it's not my place to ask you about your love life." Embarrassed, he lowered his eyes.

"I wouldn't exactly call it a love life," Ava replied sarcastically, smiling back so as not to seem sad or disappointed.

"James certainly seems quite taken with you. He came over last night and seemed very euphoric. I don't think I've ever seen him like that."

Ava thought about that for a moment. At least he didn't seem to have told Steve that she had thrown up. That was good. Still, she didn't trust the whole thing yet.

"Well, he must have masses of women on his hands just a text message away," Ava looked expectantly at Steve, hoping he would tell her that wasn't the case and that he was a gentleman who rarely got involved with women.

"He used to be quite the playboy. He's my best friend and I think highly of him, but at the time he was obnoxious," Steve laughed, he seemed to be getting nostalgic, "But now he seems to have little interest in dating and when he does date, the interest usually doesn't last very long."

Ava lowered her eyes again. Steve really didn't need to get so detailed, she hadn't wanted to know that James was a total ladies man. The sting in her chest assured her that all hope was lost for her. She had developed feelings for him. His being a playboy hurt her, but just the thought of last night, when James had touched her hand, made her press her thighs closer together. James had made her body tingle with one touch, sparked butterflies, and she didn't want to imagine what would happen when his soft lips touched hers, the amount of exploding fireworks that would trigger ...

"But as I said," Steve's voice brought Ava back to the café, "I haven't seen him as euphoric as last night in a long time."

Ava didn't want to press the issue any further and steered the conversation in a new direction. She took the opportunity to ask Steve about his friendship with James. James was very secretive, but she wanted to know more about him.

"We've known each other forever. We grew up here together and he used to protect me from the big boys at school," he gave a short laugh, "But nowadays I have his back. Bucky didn't have it easy after his parents died in a car accident," Ava wondered about the name and was almost hurt that James hadn't introduced himself to her by his nickname, "He was only 16 so I had to look after him from then on. He hung out with the wrong crowd a lot, but now ...", Steve didn't finish the sentence and looked dreamily past Ava before regaining his composure and putting on his friendly smile.

They talked a little more about Steve's work. Then Ava said goodbye and made her way back to her flat. On the subway, her phone vibrated and a message from Natasha popped up on the screen:

"Got great news, coming over to see you".

Ava was just putting her bag down in the flat when there was a knock on the door. With a big grin Natasha pulled her into a hug before making herself comfortable on the sofa.

"Thanks again for leaving me Steve's number, even though he couldn't help me. I was able to get to know him better at least and I have to say you made one hell of a catch with him," Ava handed Natasha a cup of coffee and then joined her on the sofa.

"Steve is the first person I can imagine a future with," Natasha smiled to herself and Ava couldn't help but smile with her. It made her happy to see her friend so in love. "Besides, the sex is fucking great, holy shit!" And with that, the Natasha Ava knew and loved was back: straightforwardly honest and uninhibited.

"But enough touchy-feely! I have some exciting news. My conversation with the captain was just great. Get this – This thing you're on seems serious. You didn't get this from me, but a taskforce has been convened to get to the bottom of it," Natasha paused dramatically and looked deep into Ava's eyes, "Starting tomorrow, I'm part of the taskforce! That means I might be able to go on my first undercover assignment soon!", Natasha almost shrieked with joy.

"Nat, that's great! I'm so happy for you."