AUGUST || Bucky Barnes x OC

47

After another round of speeches had been held at the reception, and the majority of the guests were drunk, fed and happy; the dancing started to take off.

Bucky sipped slowly on his glass of whisky, swiveling it around every now and then making the ice cubes roll against the glass.

His gaze was still locked on Valerie, his little sister had found her in the crowd and they seemed to be in deep conversation.

He watched the way she placed her hand on her chest as she laughed, how sincere her gaze looked every time she paused to listen, and how that pale yellow dress was dripping over every curve of her body like liquid. It was making his fingers itch for her.

"She looks amazing" A voice interrupted his intense observation.
"hmm?" Bucky turned around, catching Steve also looking at the same scene.

"Val. She looks great. You're a lucky guy" He patted Bucky on the back.

"Yeah. Yeah, she's absolutely stunning". Bucky's gaze remained focused on her.

"You alright, bud?" Steve pressed, noticing that Bucky was looking a bit tense.

"Yeah. Yeah I'm good.." Bucky broke out of the trance. The truth was, he was feeling tense because he had noticed that Valerie was feeling tense. She had been acting strange the past few days. He had chalked it up to stress because of the wedding. But that part was over now, and he could still sense something was off.

"Whatever you say, Buck. Take a breath. Have fun. Go dance with your girl." Steve gave him a nod. "I have a quest to tend to" he tilted his head casually over towards Natasha.

Bucky chuckled and raised his glass. "All or nothing, right?" He laughed, watching Steve walk away.

He threw back the rest of his drink and put the glass down on the table. He walked straight through the crowd, focused on Valerie and his sister. When he finally reached them, their conversation quickly quieted down.

"She's not talking you in circles is she?" He placed a soft kiss against the side of Valerie's head and shot his sister a teasing look.

"Not at all! She was telling me about the horses" Valerie reassured.

"He's just jealous because he wants you all to himself" Rikki rolled her eyes.

"I'm happy to take the photos, Rikki" Valerie smiled.

"Okay good, I'll text you" She gave Valerie a quick kiss on the cheek and gave Bucky the finger and a wink before walking off.

"Goodbye, Rikki" Bucky narrowed his eyes at her.

"You guys are adorable," Valerie giggled, stroking the fabric of his shirt. He could catch a quick glimpse of her mind wandering away, leaving her eyes empty.

"What are you thinking about, doll?" He searched her face. Valerie was trying to avoid letting his eyes lock onto hers.

"Still don't like dancing do you?" She glanced up at him jokingly, already aware of the rejection she was about to receive.

"No" Bucky blurted out, shaking his head. "Still hate it" He shrugged his shoulders, trying to hide his smile from her.

"Oh...Okay then" She shrugged and he swore he caught the smallest sigh coming from her.

"Ask me anyway" He peered down at her, catching her confused yet playful expression.

"...Do you wanna dance with me?" She asked hesitantly.

"Absolutely" He smiled widely and grabbed her by the hand, pulling her out towards the crowd.

She giggled loudly, drawing the attention of the people they passed. She let him sway her into his arms as they spun around amongst the crowd of dancing guests.