find me

40. knives, curtains and chemistry

Bucky grabbed the two cups of coffee from the counter, thanking the barista with a smile before walking back to their table. His stride getting quicker as the heat slowly seeped into his hands, starting to burn. He gently set down the cups on the table and pulled back a chair to sit on.

Maria sat on the opposite side with a warm smile, she grabbed the cup and held it in her hands before blowing on the hot steaming coffee within it.

"Thank you Sir." She joked looking up at him. Bucky smiled back with a silent warning in his eyes. She chuckled at his displeased face and stood up, leaning back on her chair.

"So how's it going with Nat?" Maria asked with a smirk.

Bucky gave her a suspicious look, his eyes narrowing at her. "Good. Why?"

Maria shrugged and crossed her arms, the look on her face turning slightly scornful as she stared at his well-rehearsed uncaring facade. "I don't know. You tell me."

Bucky let out a chuckle at his friend's sudden and seemingly uncalled for judgement. "I'm sorry. Do I have mind-reader scribbled on my forehead?"

Maria kicked his shin under the table, a quiet grunt leaving his lips and an annoyed look painting on his features.

"You know what I'm talking about." She pushed.

Bucky frowned at his friend and shook his head as he leaned back in his seat. "No, actually. I really don't."

Maria was staring at him so strongly she could have drilled a hole in his skull. "James Buchanan Barnes. Don't play fucking coy with me."

Bucky's lips curled in an amused smile, despite him trying to feign ignorance. They stared at each other for a good moment, until finally Bucky surrendered with a sigh. "Okay, you win."

In truth, he was dying to talk about her with someone. It had been a month and a half now since she moved in, and he could feel himself keeping all these small secrets inside of him. Like the fact he loved the way she always smiled every time he entered the room. The way she enjoyed his music and actually listened to his rambling for minutes at a time. The way she looked so comfortable cooking in his kitchen, or petting Alpine, or reading on the floor of the living room. The way she smelled, so delicate and yet tantalising.

Of course, he couldn't really say any of that without giving away the undeniable: he had it bad for the girl.

"Don't know why you still try to fight me, when you know I'm gonna win in the end." She mocked him with a proud, condescending smile.

Bucky gave her a sarcastic one back before clearing his throat and leaning with his elbows on the table between them.

"Things are great. She's great, Mar."

Maria smirked at him. "Not arguing with that."

Bucky played with the small table knife in his hands, obviously getting more and more uncomfortable with the idea of having the conversation they were about to have.

"We're getting close." He murmured quietly, as if he was confessing some shameful secret, his eyes fixed on the knife rolling between his fingers. Maria watched the nervousness coursing through him and reached out to gently hold his hand, stopping his fidgeting.