Where the spirit meets the bone. (Book 1 of the Illicit Affairs Series)

Chapter XI

"I'm never gonna be able to have sex with my girlfriend again, am I?" Natasha grumbled, opening the door and fixing Bucky with an exasperated look, "It's almost two in the morning-"

"I fucked up and Sharon wasn't answering her phone." James panted, leaning his body on the doorway to catch his breath. Natasha sighed and rolled her eyes. "Shar Bear, it's for you!" she called, not bothering to invite him in before heading to the bedroom.

James took the opportunity to get in, barely remembering to close the door behind him. Sharon appeared from the bedroom, her hair ruffled and clothes clearly thrown on in a haste, and plopped down beside him.

"I'm gonna have to start charging you for therapy sessions." she groaned.

"I fucked up so bad." Bucky moaned, his eyes pleading. Sharon sighed, gesturing for him to go on.

Bucky ranted about the night's events, from the moment he met your dad to your kiss, then his confession and you leaving him in the garden and disappearing for the rest of the night.

"I ruined it." he finished, burying his face in his palms.

Sharon stayed silent for a moment, processing the information, then she calmly asked, "Why do you think you ruined it?".

"I told her I want to marry her and have kids, Sharon!" he blurted out, "She hasn't even had sex yet!".

"You're worried you're pressuring her?" she asked, rubbing her hand over his bent back once nodded, "Didn't she say she wanted it, too?".

"She's a kid, Shar," he sighed, "She doesn't know what she wants."

Sharon rolled her eyes, but kept quiet. She was gonna smack his head if he called you a kid again. Sure, you were inexperienced and a little sheltered, but she knew you were mature enough to make your own decisions, even if you needed a little push sometimes. Still, she could understand his reservations.

"What if you ask her to take it slow?" she suggested, now full on massaging his shoulders and working on the knots she could feel under her fingers.

Bucky raised his head, eyes wide, scaring Sharon a bit. If she knew how men thought, and she liked to think she did, he was already twisting her words in his head. "You're a genius!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms around her and squeezing her tight, "I could kiss you right now, but Natasha would cut off my balls."

"Damn right." Natasha's voice could be heard from the bedroom, making both of them chuckle.

"I'm gonna go," he said, already standing up and heading through the door, "I owe you one!"

"What are you gonna-" Sharon tried to ask, but the door slamming interrupted her. She sighed and headed for the bedroom, where Natasha snatched her wrist and pulled her down to lie next to her. "He's gonna do something dumb." she sighed, looking up to watch Natasha's face, now hovering over hers while the redhead straddled her hips. "Not our problem right now." she grinned, kissing her worries away.

The talk you had with your dad right after the gala went better than you had imagined. There was no shouting match, no disappointed looks, just a lot of questions about the how and the why. Leaving out the details about your relationship with Bucky and your panic attack, you explained you had realised Andrew wasn't the right person for you. In the end, Tony hugged you and told you, "His dad isn't gonna like it, but you're the priority".

Maybe you had depended on your father's approval for so long that you hadn't bothered to ask what really mattered to him. That realisation was something else you would have to thank James for.