Frayed Bonds - A BuckyBarnes Fanfic

CHAPTER IIII

"Rachel!" Thomas, my colleague, rolls with his office chair towards my desk. "Can you email me that spreadsheet for next week's meeting?" He blinks a couple of times fast with his eyelashes and smirks. "You really need to get your things straight before you begin your weekend!" I grunt and roll my eyes at him. "Oh you are the best!" He grins as he fiddles with his pen. I quickly seek the spreadsheet on my computer, clicking on different icons until I find it. I attach it in a mail and type; 'For the rookie who survived his second month, from the rookie who survived her first month' and press send.
I hear Thomas laugh. "Thanks Rae!" He calls out. I shake my head as I click my mail away and look at the clock on the lower left on my computer screen. I still have a half hour to go. I sigh a bit annoyed and look out of the window my desk is adjacent to. The sun is already sinking beneath the skyline and the sky is already coloring orange and pink.
I always love this time of day.
I look at my screen again and click on my online agenda, screening the tasks I have written down for myself, but I am finished.
Hallelujah,
"Rae" Thomas rolls again on his chair towards my desk. "What are your plans?"
"What? For the weekend?" I reply as I untie my thick ponytail and let my hair hang loose, it eases the headache I have gotten from the tight elastic. "I have a new book I want to read. And explore Central Park a bit. I mean I've lived here for four months and I still haven't seen the whole of the famous Park"
Thomas rolls his eyes. "Boring! He wails.
"What are your plans?" I add. "I am going out with Rick and Zheng" He talks fast, a smile plastered on his face. "You know, Zheng from Human Resources,"
I shake my head. "No, but for your information. In the month I work here I only have spoken to you, Maya and James and some of the instructors of combat training"
Please, please, let the name James slide.
"James?"
"He works in the Counter-Terrorist Department. I don't know if you have seen him" Thomas looks puzzled but he does not ask further. Instead he rolls back to his own desk on the opposite of mine with a smile. "Feel free to join Rae!" Is his respons.
"I will think about it" I say as I focus my attention back on my screen.
Twenty minutes left.
A pop up springs up out of the mail-icon. I click on it and my heart starts hammering faster as I read his name.
James sent me a freaking mail!
I mean I tried to sort of keep my distance but the month. Everytime I had combat training, he was there. Gazing at me from afar, helping other agents but always close by. It made me so nervous in the beginning that my whole body went rigid and spasms took over. That was the first humiliation as every agent in the room saw my body floundering on the ground.
I shake the embarrassing thought away, focusing on his mail.
I read it silently aloud, murmuring the words so no one hears. "Hey Rachel, I hope it isn't too last minute, but Steve, Natascha and I are heading out tonight" I chuckle. "Nothing is every last minute," I say as I read his mail further. "I have maybe talked about you and how we first met, so they love to meet you and if you want to join us! We meet around eight at the Brewclub! Let me know! James" I cannot keep my heart stop hammering as I finish reading.
He has talked about me!
I really have to stop dreaming. We talked only a couple of times, we are colleagues and he is one of the best assassins in the world.
But still he invites me over what sent a flurry of butterflies through my stomach.
And it would mean I would meet two Avengers!
Before I can think of a very lame excuse, I type a reply, confirming him I would join them at eight.
I shut my computer down as I see people in front of me shutting down as well. "Have a great weekend!' Thomas calls out as he walks by me and out of the office with his familiar springing step. I gather my things and Maya passes by. "Rachel," she acknowledges me. "Have a nice weekend!" I state and as her eyes meet mine briefly, a flicker of something that makes me nervous crosses her face before she moves on, hips shaking heavily as she walks out. I breathe out.
I don't know what I did to irritate her as in the first two weeks we ate lunch together. But when the whole spasm thing happened on the training ground, she keeps a icy distance. But I try not to let it get to me.
It is not as if we are friends.