champagne problems

one

𝐀 sole brown leaf fell onto the windshield snapping Y/N out of her dark thoughts. She felt a hand on her thighs and a soft "we're here" echo throughout the vehicle. The door slammed as he got out of the old Chevy truck, causing the entire vehicle to shake. He made his way over to her side of the truck and opened the door for her with a lovely grin on his face to match his kind eyes.

Even after all these years together his chivalry never seemed to die. Y/N wished dearly that it sparked something in her like it did so many times before. She wished she felt anything for him, actually. She wasn't sure when she had fallen out of love with him. Sadly, she began to question if she ever was in love with him.

They walked onto the empty college campus littered with beautiful foliage, his arm wrapping around Y/N's shoulders. The only warmth she felt capable of earning from him came from his thick flannel shirt. He led her towards the dorms, entering the third building they came across. They climbed up the stairs to the third floor stopping in front of a random door with a blank whiteboard attached to it just like her thoughts and heart.

He opened the door slowly and walked into the empty room looking back at Y/N who was still out in the hallway. To anyone else, the lack of light and his icy blue eyes shining brightly as an invitation would've driven them crazy; maybe even having him right there and then. But once again she felt absolutely nothing for him, in turn making her feel worthless of being in his presence and earning his love.

"I used to room with Sam and Steve," Bucky remembered out loud looking back into the room. "The things we used to do... it was a madhouse in here," he ended with a chuckle loud enough for Y/N to hear from her spot in the hallway.

"Well, I guess it was made for me," Y/N joked but he didn't laugh.

Instead, he frowned to himself wondering where the girl he fell in love with went. Or was she always this way? Insanely talented at hiding the worst part of herself from him for so long.

They walked out of the dorms a couple of minutes later, the quietness eating them up. Mostly Bucky though. Worry setting in for the girl that walked next to him. There was no life in her eyes anymore. It was as though every time he tried to get close she ran away and he was afraid that he'd lose her altogether too soon.

Bucky drove back to his family home some miles away from the college campus, the radio drowning out the heavy silence that tagged along with them from the dorms. They arrived 20 minutes later at his parent's home. It was a quaint home with brick walls and a slate tiled roof tied together with a chimney. Their porch was decorated with a small white, wooden bench and pots of bright flowers. It reminded Y/N of the fairytale dreams she once had.

Inside was warm and full of life. There were pictures of Bucky and his sister almost everywhere, showing guests and the kids themselves that their parents were immensely proud of them. She figured that's why Bucky did the same —his own home decorated with pictures of friends and family and his wallet with a picture of Y/N that he took with a polaroid he found at a thrift shop.

Winnie's hugs were just like her home; you could feel the love she radiated when her arms were wrapped around you. But the hug Y/N received when she walked through the door felt different. It was warm like always but tighter than normal. The look in her eyes scared Y/N. It almost seemed as though she knew something that Y/N didn't.

Not too far behind them was Bucky's younger and spunkier sister, Rebecca. She walked in creating a buzz and in her hands was a large bottle of Dom Perignon. Y/N's brows furrowed; Bucky hadn't mentioned anything about celebrating and Y/N hadn't even packed clothes remotely appropriate for a party.

"We'll break this out tomorrow," Rebecca winked at Y/N but Y/N just stared at her, not knowing how to react.

"That's a really expensive bottle of champagne," Y/N mumbled to Bucky, looking at him with worried eyes.

He let out a soft breath, rubbing the back of his neck. "You know Becca. She likes to go all out with everything she does."

Y/N didn't believe him, but then again who did she believe? She didn't even believe her own self the majority of the time.

They all had dinner together later that night, Y/N feeling out of place as the family of 4 talked about everything and anything. She could feel herself slowly disappearing into the background even when they tried to bring her into the conversation. There was nothing she could muster up.

When Winnie got up to grab dessert from the kitchen, Y/N leaned over and whispered in Bucky's ear that she didn't feel all that great. He looked over at her with furrowed brows, the crease between his brows had grown deeper in the past couple of hours from the worry Y/N had been causing him. But she flashed him her best fake smile to let him know that she would be fine and he believed her just like all the times before.

The next morning, Y/N woke up to a kiss on the forehead. She kept her eyes closed, not wanting to look at Bucky or else she'd start crying out of frustration and say the worst things that came to mind. She didn't want to hurt him. He didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve him.

She wasn't sure how long she was in bed for but she rolled out when her bladder felt like it was going to explode. After freshening up in the shared bathroom, she bumped into Becca out in the hallway. Becca invited Y/N to go to the mall with her, a girls trip she said.

Y/N almost denied the invitation but Becca was giving her the same look her brother did when he wanted something so she agreed. She didn't have it in her to reject Becca.

They headed to the mall a couple of hours later, Y/N feeling like a rain cloud standing next to bubbly Rebecca. Becca noticed Y/N was acting differently. It was almost like she was a whole new person from the last time she saw her. And when she mentioned a small little gathering that their parents decided to do at the end of the week, she swore Y/N rolled her eyes. Yet, Y/N bought an outfit for the occasion when Becca mentioned it again, but not because she wanted to but because she felt obligated as Bucky's girlfriend.

"You okay?" Becca asked Y/N as she backed out of the parking spot skillfully.

"Yeah," Y/N replied, her lips in a straight line and eyes blank. "Why?"

Becca hummed but decided to not push it. She'd take Y/N's answer for what it was. Maybe she was having an off day. "Oh, just asking."

Y/N looked over at Becca and nodded before looking out the passenger side window as the wind blew around harshly. Becca turned on the radio and even though the song playing was one of Y/N's favorites, all she could think of was going home without Bucky in tow and never having to see him again.