Red Flag Race | Bucky Barnes

chapter 3.

The piercing sound of Lottie's alarm awoke her from a restless sleep. Constant worrying about seeing Bucky again keeping her up well into the late hours of the night. She had hardly thought about him for the past few years, only hearing his name in the news every couple of months. So, the sudden idea of working with him was like a jolt to her brain.

Unwanted memories of their time together plagued her mind while Lottie was trying to sleep. Dreams that felt far too real kept her tossing and turning for most of the night. It was present on her face. Dark, sunken eyes and a pale complexion mocked her in the mirror as she got ready for the meeting.

Lottie wouldn't let it show, though. She would smile and be confident and not let Bucky affect her ability to work. Sure, the sadness would still be there, still lingering in the corners of her mind, begging to come out. But she wouldn't let it come out today. Today, she would be focused.

A new dance is about to begin and the social season is fastly approaching. She had no time to be anything but focused.

She pulled her shoulders back as she entered the building, her slicked back ponytail swinging with every step she took. Her black, shiny pumps clicked against the marble floors and echoed down the halls. Lottie looked the definition of business.

She rounded the corner and saw the large meeting room coming into view. She checked the time on her vintage Gucci watch - it was a gift, she's not that rich -, 8:56AM. Right on time. She pushed the door open to reveal only a handful of people, none of them Bucky. Thank God. The five other leads, Natasha, Bruce, Clint - the composer -, and three other men she hadn't met before. Lottie assumed they worked with Bucky. She walked around the oval table and sat next to her colleagues.

"Morning, Lottie." Taylor, the male lead, greeted from the seat beside her. "You look lovely this morning."

"Thank you, Taylor. And you look as handsome as ever." Taylor was tall and built, and extremely handsome. He had beautiful brown eyes, the kind that you could stare at all day, and was so incredibly kind. Unfortunately for Lottie, and any other interested girl in the company, he was also very, very gay.

Lottie dropped her head back against the chair and closed her eyes for a second, trying to have a few more minutes of calm. Trying to enjoy the last few minutes of her life without Bucky in it. "Bit tired?" Natasha asked from across the table.

"I do not want to be here." Lottie grunted back, peaking an eye open to see her smirking around the straw of her iced latte. "Wipe that look off your face."

"What look? There was no look." Lottie looked unimpressed, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's gonna be fine, Lots."

A loud laugh outside of the room gained everyone's attention, everyone turning towards the door in anticipation. Lottie looked down at her hands on her lap. "C'mon Buck, hurry up." A voice whispered, a voice Lottie recognised. She looked up and saw Sam Wilson. She had only met him twice, maybe three times, when they were younger but he was pretty hard to forget. His loud personality stuck with you.

Betraying her wishes, Lottie's eyes flitted to the next body to come through the door, one she hadn't seen since she was 18 years old. He had his eyes on the ground, following each step he took, but already, she could tell he looked different.

Who she once knew as a teenager, was now undoubtedly a man. Where he was once thin and childish in his features, Bucky was now strong and his features showed age. He had a slight scruff across his jaw and his hair was fluffy like he had just washed it last night. He was tanned, far more tanned than when Lottie knew him, but she guessed he always did spend a lot of time outdoors. But his eyes were the same, the same piercing shade of blue. He was wearing navy blue slacks and white sneakers, a Shield Racing polo on top - the slightly tighter cuff of the shirt's sleeve, only accentuating his already obvious muscles.