𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 (𝘣.𝘣)

Guilt

"First off, your not allowed to get into an argument with my brothers best friend." I say plopping on the couch out of exhaustion. It wouldn't have been so tiring if I hadn't scream at Bucky.

The guilt is starting to set in.

"It wasn't intentional Collette." He says, sitting in the chair Wanda picked up from a flea market. She watched flea market flip a little too much.

"I'm sure it wasn't. But I not only work with him, but see him a trillion times a day. At dinner with family, all the time. I don't have time for drama."

His head hangs low.

"Listen," I say, sitting up and putting my elbows on my knees as my hands run over my face. "I do well under stress. But I had to hurt his feelings to defend you. Someone I barely know. No offense."

"None taken."

"Please don't make me regret defending you, Winston."

He stands up and walks over to the couch I'm on. Sitting about a foot away from me. "You won't. And as a thank you, and an apology, let me make dinner." He says, resting his hand in the air for me to shake. I hesitantly shake his hand.

"I can help you unpack boxes tomorrow when I get back from work." I offer, feeling bad for giving him a lecture.

"Yeah, that'd be great." He says with a soft smile, standing up to go to the kitchen. I stand and head to my room and immediately get a call from Steve.

"Hey Steve."

"Hey, are you and Buck good?"

Oh great.

"Yeah. We just got in an argument." More guilt heavy's my shoulders.

"Well, you should really talk to him soon. He's not handling it well for some reason."

And even more guilt.

"I'll try to talk to him at work tomorrow. Are you and Natalia gonna be at dinner tomorrow?"

He coughs on his end of the phone. "Yeah, she has a surprise for you and mom."

"Oooh a surprise. I'll see you tomorrow Stevie."

"Love ya Cols." He ends the call and I hop onto my laptop to do some more research on buildings for rent.

1 hour later

Three knocks in a odd pattern met my door. The mirror on the back of my door shook a little bit.

"Yes?" I ask through the closed door.

"Dinners done!" Winston shouts. I could hear his feet padding away.

I shut my laptop, saving yet another pin to my pinterest board.

I may have gotten distracted.

I slide out of my bed and too my closet, which wasn't walk in but had enough room for my dresser. I pulled out some pajama pants that have to be a decade old and clean tank top. I grabbed a cardigan, just for safe measure.

"Hope you like spaghetti," He starts. "Cause it's the only think I know how to make on a stove." He chuckles, scratching the back of neck.

"I do. Smells great, actually." I say, shutting my bedroom door and walking the two feet to the kitchen island. He sets a full plate right in-front of me and my seat. He stays standing across from me, on the other end of the island.

"There's beer in the fridge." I offer. His perfect shaped eyebrows perk up. He turns, asking if I want me when the fridge door opens. "Yes please." I reply.

He hands me a cold bottle as the click of the fridge door shuts.

"What's the best way to apologize to James?" He asks before stabbing his plate, causing the clink of metal to slightly scare me.

"Good try. He's known for grudges. I'm not sure how I'm going to apologize to him." And I need to do it soon. Work will be excruciatingly awkward if James and I are mad at each other.

As we ate a couple more bites in odd silence, I had noticed Winston dressed formally. "Are you going out?"

He looked down to his clothes and scarfed his food down. "I'm going to work, thank you for reminding me. I will see you..."

"Maybe tomorrow night, Maybe the next morning." I say, since I have dinner with my family.

"Okay, just text me when you get back. I'll try and run a coffee down during my break or something." He says with a charming smile before heading out the door. I look down to Bones, the odd dog who's just staring at me. So I give him a noodle of spaghetti and then he runs into Winston's room.

"Weird."