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

Chapter XII

"I'm proud of you, Buck." Sharon said, sitting at the other side of the picnic table with Natasha's arm around her shoulders, "I was honestly worried you were gonna do something dumb, but you didn't."

"Thanks, I guess." James said, almost offended by her lack of trust. He had to admit it wasn't fully unjustified, though. Steve patted his shoulder from his spot beside him.

"I'm still salty you asked her for help instead of me, but I agree." he added, taking a bite out of his sandwich. Bucky rolled his eyes at his friend.

"The day I'll come to you for romantic advice, shoot me dead, 'cause I'll have to be one desperate motherfucker." he huffed out, making the girls burst out laughing and Steve gasp and hold his hands over his heart.

"You made Sharon realise she was a lesbian, Steve. It ain't personal." Bucky shrugged, now hiding his grin behind his sandwich.

"Low blow, jerk." Steve grumbled, though his smile betrayed his dramatic act. Bucky threw an arm around him and squeezed tight, like he always used to do when they were kids and Steve was barely half his current size. "Love you, too." he sing-songed, still laughing at his own jab.

"Throwing love confessions around, are we?" he heard your voice say behind him. Once he looked over his shoulder, he saw you walking towards them, wrapped in a long, brown coat, your backpack strapped on one shoulder and smiling. "What can I say, I'm a romantic." he shrugged playfully and gestured for you to come sit beside him, scooting closer to Steve on the bench to make space for you.

"What a nice surprise." Sharon greeted you, smiling brightly, while both Steve and Nat waved at you.

"Sorry to drop by unannounced, I was getting home from class and realised it was lunch break for you guys." you explained, slipping your hand in Bucky's so naturally that you didn't even notice it until a while later, "I also stopped by a bakery and got these."

As soon as you pulled out the pistachio pastries from your bag with your free hand, Steve cheered. "Are you trying to steal the best friend position from Bucky? 'Cause it's working." he said, grabbing one in each hand while everyone rolled their eyes.

"How was class?" James asked, rubbing his thumb over the back of your hand absentmindedly, while the girls chastised Steve for his lack of manners.

"Same old. The girls in my study group invited me to lunch with them tomorrow." you shrugged, trying to play it down even though it felt like something huge to you. In the few days since you had dumped Andrew, you had gained a lot of free time. Now, you could stay on track with your assignments without having to lose any sleep and you had even been invited to join the study group by Vanessa, the most outgoing girl you had ever met.

Overall, you had decided that Bucky had been right. You were trying to do some normal nineteen-year-old-student stuff and, despite the effort some of it took, it felt right. Vanessa, Sophie and Rachel were a few years older than you, but they didn't make you feel uncomfortable because of that, which had always been one of your greatest worries while you were skipping grades and afraid to make any lasting connection with your peers.

"That's great, baby." he said, smiling proudly, "Maybe I could meet them someday, if you want me to."

Your stomach felt fluttery, like it always did around him, especially when pet names slipped while he spoke to you. It was such a small thing, but the way he said them naturally, without giving it a second thought, made you feel his affection for you.

You had noticed that he liked to call you "doll" like it was a nickname, but he only called you "baby" when you said or did something that made him genuinely happy, or when he felt like you needed comforting.