Betrayal - A Bucky Barnes Fanfic

Chapter 49

A/N: Lots of angst and fluff in this chapter <3

"Still working?" Ava looked up from her laptop and was greeted by April's broad grin.

"What?" she asked, a little irritated. She had been so engrossed in her work that it surprised her to see April standing in front of her with a bag and a to-go cup in her hands. Normally Ava always said goodbye to April on her way out of the building.

"It's after six and you're still sitting here. Now that's a rare sight," April declared and Ava's eyes widened.

"It's after six already?!" she asked in horror, glancing at the small time display on her screen. Sure enough, the clock read 06:06pm. She usually never worked longer than necessary on Fridays and her shift had already ended 20 minutes ago.

April laughed at the panicked sight of Ava. "Don't worry sweetie, you haven't missed anything yet. I was just heading to Jim's, so we can go together. Peter will be there too." She winked meaningfully at Ava. Ava didn't have time now to make April understand that she wasn't with Peter. God, why does everyone think that?!, Ava thought in frustration.

"No, sorry, I already have plans today," Ava replied distractedly. She shut down her computer and hastily started packing her bag. She really had to wait for James at his flat and didn't want to risk missing him. Maybe he's spending his day off at the club with that blonde, Ava thought, trying to get the image of the blonde snogging James out of her head.

"Oh, are you going on a date with someone?" asked April curiously.

"Not really," Ava replied, putting her phone in her bag last. She looked at her desk again to make sure she had everything. Then she headed towards the lift and April followed.

"Not really?" repeated April.

"I'm working on my research today," Ava explained, smiling at April. She still had her smile on and Ava wondered if she had ever seen April not smiling.

"That sounds exciting. What kind of research is it? Are you meeting with an informant?" Ava looked at April questioningly. Why was she asking her so many questions now?

"I just meant," April said hastily when she saw Ava's questioning look, "So I know what to tell Peter."

"Peter will understand if you tell him I'm working on my research." Ava gave April a small smile and April finally stopped her questioning. Ava didn't want to be mean to her newfound friend, but enough people knew about her research already and she didn't want to risk information leaking and getting to the wrong people.

The lift stopped in the lobby and Ava said goodbye to April. Now that she was leaving the editorial building, dread spread through her. What if James wasn't home at all? Or what if he was home? What would she say to him? How would he react? Should she ask about his new girlfriend? A knot formed in her stomach. She felt sick.

The subway ride didn't make it any better. Ava had forgotten her headphones at home today of all days and was now exposed to her own thoughts on the subway. She had nothing to distract her. The image of James with that blonde kept popping up in her head. She wanted to throw up. After what felt like an eternity, the subway finally stopped at her station. Ava got off and walked up the stairs to the street. The sultry summer air was especially sticky today and Ava was glad she was only wearing a loose skirt and top.

She fingered her phone out of her pocket and typed James' address into her phone once more. She had already spent a good 15 minutes at work looking on Street View at the apartment complex where James was supposedly living. It was an apartment complex like any other, nothing special, a depressing grey colour. Yet Ava's stomach had protested every time she had looked at the pictures. That was where James lived.