Bucky Barnes' Daughter

Chapter Thirty-Three

"You never told me your name."  My voice came out quieter than I intended but he heard me over the radio, nevertheless.

"Ryan."  He glances over at me.  "Your English is improving."  He turns down the radio so we can talk.  I shrug not knowing what to say.  "Is my brother teaching you?"  For a moment, I felt like I was being interrogated but I knew he wasn't trying to use me for information.

"Jason tries.  He doesn't always know how to help."  I brush a stray strand of hair behind my ear.  "Where did you learn Russian?"   He smiles and I feel confused for a moment.

"CIA for a while."  He informs me and I tilt my head to the side confused.  "Our KGB."  I understood that.  "I retired a couple months ago."

"They let you be ex-CAI?"  I ask and he laughs.  "What?"

"It's CIA."  He jokes and I blush.  

"I'm trying."  I felt myself relaxing.  I felt like a big idiot for getting it wrong but Ryan didn't make fun of me and instead playfully corrects me. It felt easy being around him.  "Is being a CIA the same as KGB?"

"Some would say yes, but we have more rules to follow.  I became a CIA agent because it was the easiest way to serve our country.  I fell in love with the Russian language when I watched the Soviet Union fall.  People were being interviewed and the language was intoxicating."

"Russian language made you drunk?"  I ask confused.

"In a way yes.  Intoxicating can also mean exciting."  He tells me and I nod trying to store the word for future use.  "How much do you know about the USSR?"

"Not much.  I was born after it fell."  I was proud of myself for keeping up with his English.  "It's always been Putin."

"And how was that?"  He asks and I shrug.  I don't know because I never left the compound.  "It's fine, if you don't want to answer."  He smiles over at me.  "You don't have to ever tell me anything if you don't want.  Friends don't force their friends to tell them something they would rather keep a secret."

"We're friends?"  I ask not understanding.  Jason and the other kids from the track team were my friends but I didn't know people who were older than me would want to be my friend.  Bucky and I's relationship was different.

"Of course, I'm your friend.  If you need anything, just call."  He assures me and part of me knew I would need him in the coming months.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We fell into a comfortable silence as we drove towards main street.  Ryan pulled into a parking spot in front of the book store.  He offered to pick me up after he was done talking to his buddies.  I agreed.  The bookstore seemed to have so many books and even though i didn't fully comprehend the language, I loved the covers.

"Welcome to As the Page Turns, My name is Pamela.  Can I help you find anything, sweetie?"  The woman was in her late sixties and had the kindest eyes. 

"I'm just looking."  I reply shyly.

"You have the cutest accent."  Pamela tells me as I wander towards the teen section.  "Where are you from?"  At first, I felt on edge.  My years of training wouldn't just disappear but glancing back at the old woman, I knew it wasn't to be unkind.  She was trying to get to know me.  Everyone in this small town knew each other but I was an outsider so in essence, an oddity.

"Russia."

"You must be the girl my Evelynn keeps talking about.  She's also on the track team."  I knew which girl she was talking about.  I assumed Evelynn was her granddaughter.  "How is your English?"

"Not very good."  I reply and she smiles before leading me towards the language section. 

"I pride myself on having books in other languages.  I have a copy of The Host in Russian and another copy in English.  Maybe we can use these to improve your language skills."

"The Host?"  I ask really confused.

"It's a teen book about a girl who gets taken over by an alien and becomes the host."  Evelynn appears next to me.  "It's a fantastic book and I feel like you'd enjoy it.  I can help you with the English version if you have trouble."

"Thank you.  How much?"  I ask as I hold the Russian copy and Pamela goes to grab the English version.

"Nothing, as long as you teach me some Russian."  Pamela tells me.  "I also need someone to help around the store, if you would like a job."

"Could I read all the books?"  I ask looking around the store.  There were so many possibilities.

"Of course.  It would only be a couple hours a week but I'll pay you $10 an hour for your help.  I can't put you on the payroll since you're underage but I feel like you would enjoy working here."  Pamela puts my two books in a brown bag while she talks.

"I would like that."  I tell her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"You look tired."  Jason tells me as we sit on his front porch.  He finally sobered up and looked just as exhausted as I felt.  His hair was still wet from the shower and I had the urge to run my fingers through it.  I blushed as I thought about it.

"You should be more tired."  I tell him and he laughs.

"Trust me, I am so used to these runs that they really don't phase me anymore.  You on the other hand..."  He stops talking and looks away.  "I'm sorry I let you down last night.  I should have protected you."

"And I, you."  I reply and he laughs.  "What did I say?"

"Nothing, you're accent just makes everything cute."  He replies and I feel myself blushing.  "What did I say?"  He teases.

"Nothing."  I reply with a smile.  We watched the sun set as we sat in a comfortable silence.