We Can't Go Back

You Left Me!

Things are uncomfortable after that night. Things that usually were as simple as breathing now were filled with tension.

He no longer felt comfortable having flashbacks in her presence so he would no longer stay in the room with her when he felt one coming on. He knew that she knew but he couldn't have her looking at him with those understanding eyes. He didn't deserve them.

Lizzie herself was quite confused. She thought they had made so much progress. He was opening up to her more and seemed so comfortable with her. She knew the moment in the bathroom was intimate and maybe he wasn't ready for that but to completely shut off was extreme.

She gave him one week. One week to get his head on straight and organize his emotions. She wasn't going to let him go after everything. He may not remember their wedding vows right now but she does. He wasn't going to get better without a push.

A couple months ago, she bought an old record player with a bunch of records from the 30s and 40s. She bought records from later decades as well but he insisted he liked 40s music.

There was one record though that she had hidden away. She had been dying to play it but she didn't want to force a memory on him. Also, if she was honest with herself, she'd be more than a little devastated if she got no reaction at all from him.

The rain was pouring outside so they were stuck inside. Usually Bucky would be out tending the land for as long as he could rationalize but today, even the animals were stuck in the barn.

They were reading in the living room. Well, she was reading in the living room. He hadn't turned a page in 30 minutes. She knew it was time to enact her plan.

"Mind if I put on a record?" She asked. He nodded but continued his ruse of reading.

She handled the record with care as she placed it on the turntable. As the music filled the living room, Bucky's head finally lifted.

"New record?" He asked.

He had gone through their meager collection multiple times and he had definitely never heard of this before.

"Dance with me," she demanded.

"What?" He asked with panic in his eyes.

"Dance with me. You know how rude it is to turn a lady down when she asks you for a dance?" Lizzie teased.

"I don't know how to dance," he said dismissively.

A valiant effort but she wasn't backing down.

"I'll show you how. I don't think it's necessary though. You used to be a wonderful dancer and most of it is muscle memory. I doubt the years have made your coordination worse," she said.

He didn't have any excuses and they both knew it. He got up from his chair and walked over to her. He stood there awkwardly as she looked up at him expectantly. When it was obvious that he wasn't going to make a move, she guided his right hand to her lower back and took his left hand in hers.

They began to move in a slow, uncomfortable rocking. Bucky did always say that dancing was in the leading and she was a horrible dancer. However, after the second song, Bucky seemed to come alive.

He started guiding their movement and even spinning her. Eventually a fast song came on and she was struggling to keep up as he twisted and turned her. She looked up at him and noticed his smile and then she started laughing. At her laugh, his smile widened.

"You're getting me dizzy," she giggled as he twirled her again.

They were both still laughing as the next song spilled into a slower one.