Ghost Soldiers || Bucky Barnes

Chapter 30: The Choice

Bucky stayed home that rainy Friday. He knew bars and restaurants were going to be empty, and he was not in the mood for going out at all. He had been thinking about that fight he had with Clementine the day before, and he was angry at himself for blaming her for everything.

He had wanted to call her after he got home on Thursday. He wanted to apologize and tell her about his job, but he knew it was not a good idea, since someone other than her could pick up the phone. He told himself he was going to talk to her on Friday, and he even went to the hospital to see her, but he was told she didn't have to work that day. He knew going to her house was also not a good idea, so he just went home instead. He got there on time before the storm started, and he just lay down on bed to listen to the rain falling. He liked the sound of it. It was peaceful, and it calmed his mind better than anything else.

He fell asleep for hours. It had been the first time in weeks he actually rested, and he was glad he had chosen to stay home. Even though he felt at peace, he missed Clementine. He missed having her around, cooking for her and talking about random things. Things had only changed a week ago, but it felt like an eternity. He didn't know if he could handle things being like that for a long time, since he felt miserable. And he didn't know what to do about it anymore.

A sudden knock on his door distracted him from his thoughts. He got up, confused, since he was not expecting anyone, especially not during a storm like that one. He headed towards the door and opened it slightly, to check who it was. His eyes widened when he saw Clementine, with her clothes all soaked wet and a brief suitcase in her hand.

"Can I come in?" She asked, and her voice broke.

He then nodded and opened the door. Clementine went in, and left her suitcase on the floor, wrapping her arms around her body to stop herself from shivering. Bucky closed the door and stared at her, confused. Before he could ask her anything, she hugged him tightly and started crying. He had never seen her like that before. Bucky had always seen her like a strong girl who hated showing her true feelings, but the girl he had in his arms was the opposite of that. She had fallen apart, and all he could do in that moment was hold her.

"Sweetheart, what's going on? Are you okay? You're scaring me..." he muttered after a few minutes.

She then stared at him and wiped the tears from her face with her wet sweater.

"I'm not... but I don't want to talk about it now. Can I stay here for the night?" She whispered.

"Of course you can... you don't have to ask." He said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

She gave him a sad smile and turned around, heading towards the bathroom so she could change into some dry clothes. Bucky then went into the kitchen and boiled some water. He then took a cup out of the cupboard along with a tea bag, and then served the boiling water in it. He took the warm tea to the table next to his bed, and when Clementine got out of the bathroom, he gave it to her.

"Thanks, James." She said, sighing. She then drank the cup of tea in silence, and when she was done, she lay down on the bed and closed her eyes. Bucky then wrapped his arms around her, which made her smile, and they both fell asleep within minutes.

Bucky was the first one to wake up. The sun rays coming from the window made him open his eyes, only to see Clementine asleep next to him. Her eyes were a bit swollen from last night, but she looked calmed. He then smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear slowly, making sure he didn't wake her up. He was worried about her, and all he wanted was to know what had happened.

He then stood up and went to cook some breakfast for both of them. He didn't have much in his fridge since he had forgotten to go to the market, so he just cooked some eggs and made coffee. The smell finally woke Clementine up around 15 minutes later, and she just turned around and watched him in silence. Once he noticed she was up, he smiled at her and took her a plate with eggs and bread, along with a cup of coffee to the bed.