First We Were Friends - A Bucky Barnes Novel

Chapter 2. Building

Bucky woke up early and laid in bed thinking about dinner with Julia. They had talked of many things, going off on tangents often but the conversation had been anything but boring. She had an interesting childhood starting with the realization she was different at a young age when she sat and watched a snail crawl from the grass onto a fence wondering what kept the snail attached to the vertical surface of the fence. Then she saw Jurassic Park on TV at the age of 4 and began a love affair with dinosaurs that grew to the love of many sciences. When he told her of his own fascination with science from childhood they had found common ground talking about the scientific discoveries that he had lived through. Since his escape from HYDRA she had been the second one to speak to him in depth about anything scientific, the first being Shuri in Wakanda. She also admitted that she found new friendships difficult because she couldn't always recognize social cues on people's faces.

"But you recognized you had offended me," noted Bucky. "You baked me cookies."

"I didn't until you actually told me," she replied, "which I appreciate because you were honest. I know what to look for now if I offend you again."

"Fair enough," he said. "I tend to speak my mind now probably because I spent so many years without a voice. If I offend you will you be as honest?"

"I'll try," she promised.

They sat out on the deck until it turned dark, enjoying the cool night air before Julia declared she was getting cold and called it a night. He watched her go down the stairs in the dark then cross over to her parent's property before she turned and waved good night to him from her deck. It reminded him of time spent with Sam and Sarah on their front porch, talking about whatever came up in their minds. It felt comfortable and non-threatening.

The following morning while still in bed he put his hand under his head and began to think of what he would work on today. That handrail concerned him the most but first he would check out the building codes on his phone. Wanted to make sure he did it right. He had noticed there wasn't much firewood cut so he could do that for a bit and stack it for the indoor fireplace as outside burning wasn't allowed. It was already too late to go fishing but maybe he could fit in a swim first, if the water wasn't too cold. He put his swim shorts on and went downstairs with a towel. Opening the deck door Bucky felt the cool air coming in. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea but something in him said to do it anyways so he walked down to the deck and kneeled down to splash some water on. It was cold but it would stimulate him and set the day so he dived in from the edge of the dock. Coming up he yelled into the morning air then laughed as his body immediately got used to the temperature differential. He saw a rock in the distance and began swimming to it, enjoying the feel of the water as it slid past his skin. When he reached the rock he stopped, treaded water for a bit and took a look at the lake from this section. He heard the sound of a small boat engine and he turned to see a man coming back from fishing. Noticing Bucky in the water the man stopped his engine and looked at him with surprise.

"You okay?" he asked. "This isn't the best lake for swimming. You could get hypothermia."

"Nah, I'm good," replied Bucky. "I slept in too late to get out fishing so I thought a swim would wake me up instead. Where's the best spot for fishing?"

The man pointed back to where he had come for morning fishing then to the opposite side for evening fishing. For daytime he said to fish right in the middle over the deep water. Bucky thanked him then began swimming back, leaving the man with a puzzled look on his face. He soon arrived at the dock and Bucky pulled himself up onto it, drying himself off in the morning light. He was certainly awake now. He stepped back into the house and began the coffee while he went up, quickly showered and dressed in jeans, a T-shirt and his boots. Coffee was ready so he poured himself a cup and made an omelette for breakfast using the rest of the bacon and cheese. He sat out on the deck to eat, watching the lake come to life as people began boating or kayaking. Using his phone he looked up the building codes on deck handrails and realized he would have to rebuild the entire thing.