Chapter 3
Apple Music Playlist
The days at work passed quickly, despite them being long enough that Bucky could have sworn time had stopped moving. It wasn’t the time, so to speak, but the number of crates that he had had to shift over the course of the week. By Tuesday night, his arms ached. By Wednesday, Bucky’s shoulders were stiff. By Thursday, well. Bucky came home and collapsed into the chair, and then promptly decided that he would never be able to move again. Everything hurt, and even with a hot shower, despite how quick it had to be to make sure they had enough hot water left for his dad and sister, he still felt like his body didn’t belong to him. When Friday came, Bucky felt as though his arms were going to lock in place as he pushed another crate around.
“You goin’ dancin’ tonight, Barnes?” The older man grabbed the other end of the crate, helping Bucky move it. Bucky felt the sweat trickle down his forehead, wishing that there was some form of shade from the burning sun. His shoulders were starting to darken, bringing out his freckles more and more as the days passed.
“Nah, Tom. Don’t feel like it.”
“Somethin’ wrong with you? You ain’t been dancin’ all week!” That much was true. Ever since he had been rejected from Ruby, Bucky hadn’t felt like dancing. In fact, Bucky hadn’t felt like taking a girl out all week, and everyone who knew Bucky knew that that wasn’t like him. Even Steve was worried that Bucky hadn’t seen Connie or even spoken to her since he had taken her out the previous Friday. He simply couldn’t find it in him to take a girl out – not if that girl wasn’t Ruby. Rejection had hit him hard, and it seemed like it was there to stay.
“Tryin’ to save my money instead of takin’ dames for a spin. It’s pretty tight at home right now.”
“How’s your old man?”
“He’s doin’ what he can, but there ain’t much he can do, y’know? Bec’s even been lookin’ for a job. Told her that she can’t have one until she finishes school.”
“How’d you know she’s still not gonna get one?”
“Because I’d find out about it,” Bucky helped Tom shove the crate in line with the others, taking a deep breath in once his hands were off of it. “Ain’t much that goes on in my sister’s life that I don’t know about.”
“Yeah, used to be like that with my boy.” Tom whistled, leaning against the side of the crate. “I knew everythin’ that boy was doin’.”
“How’s he doin’ over there? You heard from him yet?”
“Got a letter last night, just him whinin’ about how cold it is over there and that he misses his Ma’s cookin’. Said they were headin’ in deeper when he wrote it, so who knows where he is now? But he’s still breathin’.” Giving a silent nod, Bucky looked over at Tom. He knew the man was having a tough time with his son overseas, especially when he was working with someone like himself. Tom’s son, Christopher was three years younger than Bucky, who was the youngest worker at the docks. Christopher had gone to an Enlistment Fair and been shipped overseas quicker than Bucky could keep up with. He was off fighting in the war while Bucky was here moving crates, and sometimes, that got to him. Maybe he should have been over there, helping in the war, but Bucky, well. He had always been selfish, and he had no shame in admitting that. He didn’t want to die. It was that simple for him. Maybe that didn’t make him a true American, but he didn’t. There were plenty of boys fighting the war, and ones younger than him, like Christopher. What good would one more boy do?
It had been the source of many arguments for Bucky and his father, who was an Army man through and through. He expected Bucky to go to the war and fight for his country, and that was the last thing that Bucky wanted to do. He hadn’t been drafted yet, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to go to any Recruitment Fairs.
“Hey, maybe your boy’s gonna win the war for us,” Bucky leaned over and clapped a gloved hand down on Tom’s shoulder, giving a tight squeeze.
“Brooklyn’s hero. They’ll build a statue for him. All the trimmings, that kinda thing.”
“As long as he comes home, I ain’t bothered.”
“I hear ya, pal.” Bucky gave another squeeze of Tom’s shoulder and then nodded back to the docks, where the rest of the boys were.
“Let’s go grab some lunch, huh?”
By the time he had finished work, Bucky was already dreading the next day. Even though he knew it would all pay off – and yes, he was maintaining a decent amount of muscle – it was still the most pain he had ever been in. He was covered in dirt and grime from the work, and he was fairly certain that whoever came within a three foot radius would be able to smell the sweat that had dripped down his body all day. After lunch, Bucky had stripped out of his shirt and left just his sleeveless undershirt on, but it had been soaked right through. But at least they could be washed. He could put on his other work clothes tomorrow, while these were washed and prepared for Monday morning instead.
Pushing his hair back off his face, Bucky started the short walk home. It wasn’t quite dark yet, but it was beginning to cool down. It was around the time that everyone was either at home, or was on their way home to enjoy their Friday nights. But Bucky would be enjoying his at home with his father and Becca. Maybe he would go to Steve’s house and stay the night, just to keep Steve company while Sarah was working her night shift, but he wasn’t sure yet.
Starting to whistle to himself, Bucky crossed the street and turned the corner, and walked right into someone. The bag that the other person was carrying dropped to the floor, making Bucky take a deep breath in case anything was breakable, but the sound of shattered glass didn’t reach his ears. He didn’t even look at the person as he bent to pick up the groceries that had fallen – but he had walked into a woman, whose skirt swayed as she backed away from him.
“Sorry, I shoulda looked before –”
“No, I should have been looking where I was going.”
That voice made him drop the tin in his hands and made his gaze shoot upward, where a pair of confused blue eyes were looking back at him. For a moment, Bucky forgot how to speak. He had walked straight into the one girl in all of Brooklyn that he couldn’t get his mind off. Ruby gave him an awkward smile, bending down to help him pick the scattered items up.
“No, I – I got it.”
“It’s okay, really…”
“I walked into you. I shoulda been watchin’.” Bucky held one hand up to stop her from getting any further, so Ruby stood back up straight and took a few steps away from him while he cleared up the mess he had made. Thankfully, nothing was broken or damaged, but that didn’t stop him from feeling like the stupidest guy in Brooklyn for not even looking before turning a corner.
“Sorry.” His voice was a mumble as he held the thin brown bag to him, and Ruby raised an eyebrow. “I, uh… It’s ripped. Look, I’m sorry. Can I carry this for ya? Y’know, to make up for makin’ you drop it?”
“Oh, no. It’s okay. I can manage by myself.” She made to take the bag from him, but Bucky shook his head and tightened his grip.
“Please. Just let me apologize like this? A girl like you shouldn’t be carryin’ her own groceries. Let me just walk you back home, huh? I ain’t gonna try anythin’, I promise.”
“What makes you think that a girl like me isn’t capable of carrying her own things?” Ruby’s arms crossed, and irritation started to cross her face. In turn, Bucky’s expression took one of confusion.
“I didn’t mean anythin’ by that. It’s dark out, and you’re walkin’ alone.”
“Look, ace,” she ignored Bucky’s wince at the name, now tapping her heeled foot on the floor, “I’m quite capable of carrying my own groceries at night. In fact, this isn’t the first time I’ve done it. You certainly didn’t help me the first time and you don’t need to tonight. Thank-you for picking them up, but I can take care of myself.”
“I didn’t say you weren’t capable of takin’ care of yourself. I offered because the damn bag’s ripped, and judgin’ by the looks of you, you got a long walk back home. I don’t suppose you live anywhere near the docks, do ya? If you wanna be stubborn, go ahead and take ‘em. Just tryin’ to do a nice thing, doll, but if you don’t want it then I’d like to head home before dinner goes cold.”
As Bucky stared at her with narrowed eyes, Ruby’s expression became unreadable. For a long moment, he wondered if he had crossed a line. He had never spoken to a girl like that before, unless it was his sister, but there was something about Ruby that drew him to the surface like that. After minutes had passed, he went to open his mouth to apologise, only to watch her unfold her arms and pull her cardigan around herself tightly.
“You have to stop at the bottom of the porch and be silent until you’re off of my street.”
“I can do that.”
Ruby seemed to contemplate his answer before giving a curt nod, turning on her heel to walk in the direction that she had been heading when Bucky had collided with her. He made to walk the same way, easily getting in stride with her.
“And I’m not your doll. Stop calling me that. I told you I didn’t like it the first time we met.”
“Can I call you by your name then? Ruby?”
“…Yes.”
It took a while for conversation to start. Bucky held the groceries tightly while Ruby kept just a footstep in front of him, and only the sound of her small heels clicking along filled the steadily growing uncomfortable silence. Surprisingly, it was Ruby who started to talk first.
“Do you work at the docks?”
It was her quiet, gentle tone that almost made Bucky drop the bag. He looked at her first, just to make sure that he hadn’t imagined her speaking, only to find her glancing at him from the corner of her eye.
“Yeah. Today’s a long shift. Been there since seven this mornin’.”
“What do you do?”
“Move cargo,” Bucky shrugged, and then winced at the movement from his stiff shoulders. Holding the bag wasn’t so bad, but moving after he had been locked in position was.
"That’s it?”
“There ain’t much to do at a dock.” Pausing, he glanced back over to her. “What about you, huh? You got a job?”
“I’m a typist.”
“You work in that new place?”
“Yes,” Ruby nodded at him. “It’s a nice place to work. It’s similar to what I did before we moved to Brooklyn.”
“How long you been workin’ as a typist?”
“A year. Ever since I left school.”
“So you’re what, nineteen?”
“I’ll be twenty in October.”
“I thought you were my age.”
“How old are you?” Curious blue eyes found his own, to which he shrugged his shoulders and shot her the faintest of smiles in return.
“I was twenty-one in March.”
“So you weren’t illegally drinking at the Dance Hall.”
“Not anymore, I ain’t.” Bucky crossed the empty road with her, and Ruby let out the smallest of sighs. “What, you don’t drink?”
“I don’t plan on ever drinking.”
“How come?”
“Because I believe that if you need to consume alcohol to make your night fun, then you aren’t really having fun at all. You’re lowering your standards and inhibitions to force yourself into having a good time.”
That stunned Bucky into silence. Of everything she could have said, that wasn’t the answer he had been expecting. He thought about what she had said before managing to come up with a simple;
“Huh.”
“That’s it? That’s all you can say?”
“I guess I just ain’t thought of it like that before,” Bucky shrugged. “I just saw drinkin’ as somethin’ you did when you were out with the guys.”
“And I’m sure you’ve done plenty of that in your time.”
There was that clipped, sharp tone again that had rustled Bucky up in all the wrong ways previously, and right now, the same thing was happening. He turned to look at her, a scowl darkening his features, as she continued to look ahead.
“Y’know, you got an awful lot of mouth for someone who doesn’t know a damn thing about me.”
“I know just enough, thank-you.”
“No you don’t. You think I’m like every other guy down in Brooklyn, right? Just another workin’ class jerk that’s as good as somethin’ you don’t want on your heel. Some of us don’t have it as good as you do, princess. Think whatever you want about where I come from and my kinda friends, but don’t think for a damn second you got any idea about me.”
He had long since stopped moving. If his gaze could burn, well, Ruby would have marks in the back of her cardigan by now. She had stopped walking a few steps ahead of him, but she didn’t turn around either. When she did, her gaze matched his own.
“You’re a hypocrite. You stand there and you tell me that I can’t assume that I know you, yet you seem to think it’s okay for you to do the same to me? It’s a double standard. Don’t think that you can do to me the exact thing that you don’t want me doing to you. If you’re going to lose your temper over something, at least make sure you’re not doing that very thing first.”
Bucky clicked his tongue. Now this was interesting. If it was a man that he was having this conversation with, he was more than certain that it would have ended in a fight, simply because Bucky could never control his anger when he argued with a man. Yet, he had never argued with a woman – or more precisely, a woman had never argued with him. Bucky was usually the beginning and end of moments like this, with an apology playing on the girl’s lips. He knew that this wouldn’t be the case with Ruby. In fact, thought that he was going to be lucky if he got away without his pride being severely hurt.
“Yeah, you’re right. I have been doin’ that to you, ever since I saw you down at the Dance Hall. You’re the first dame to turn me down for a dance. Had to think about what it was that you didn’t like about me, then you said that I wasn’t the kinda boy you wanted to go on a date with. I get it. Someone like you doesn’t wanna be seen kickin’ around with someone like me.”
“That’s what you’re concerned about? Me not wanting to date you? How small-minded are you, Barnes?” Ruby was scoffing by now, keeping her weight on one foot. “You act like all of Brooklyn has to revolve around you and you seem to hate being reminded that you are not the man that every girl falls to the ground for.”
“Not every girl looks at me like she’s gonna catch some fatal disease,” Bucky was quick to snipe back at her, earning a raised eyebrow from the blonde and a slight curl to her lip that crinkled her nose as she pointedly looked him up and down, unimpressed. “In case you didn’t know, you’re in Brooklyn now. You gotta lower your standards because the way you’re goin’, you’re gonna find yourself in a whole lotta trouble.”
“Because I won’t date guys like you who have a new dame every week? Tell me, just how many of them do you actually see again once you’ve had your fun?”
His jaw clenched as his nostrils flared, refusing to dignify her accusation against him. “Because you still think you’re better than all of us down here. You keep that up and more drunk guys are gonna chat you up and not all of ‘em are gonna be as nice as that last guy. Brooklyn ain’t pretty, sweetheart. Not even the girls. You keep actin’ like you are and you’re gonna find yourself with nobody around you but your family.”
“Now you’re just trying to scare me.” Ruby rolled her eyes. “I may not be from Brooklyn, but I know what men – and women – are like. If that’s how my life is going to be then I’d rather be alone than have people who don’t respect me around. By the way, you’re living up to exactly what I thought about you.”
“You got me all worked up!” Bucky snapped at her. “You didn’t even give me a chance to show you that I’m not what you think I am!”
“I don’t want to know!” Ruby snapped back at him, her voice finally louder than his. Bucky shut his mouth and his expression became unreadable, and the silence filled the air around them. It came down to blue eyes staring out blue, until Bucky was the one that sighed.
“I don’t know what kinda guy hurt you, but I ain’t like him. A no is a no. You tell me no, and I’m not gonna ask you again. I’ll walk you to your door and then you won’t ever have’ta see me again.”
Ruby looked at him for all of a few seconds before she turned on her heel, though this time when she spoke, her voice was much quieter.
“It’s only a few minutes from here.”
The rest of their walk was silent, much like it had been when it began. Ruby’s heels clicked along the floor and the bag rustled in Bucky’s arms, but other than that, it was the sounds of Brooklyn at night that filled the empty space between them. He tried to think of something – anything – to say, but he kept coming up blank. He shouldn’t have to apologise for what he said. He hadn’t lied to her, and more importantly, he wasn’t truly sorry for any of the words that had come out of his mouth. Though, he had never lost his temper with a girl that wasn’t his sister before. Still, there was one thing he didn’t doubt – that Ruby would never want to see him again after they got to her house. Once he dropped her off, that would be it. He would have to resist going over to her if he saw her, and he would have to stop thinking about her. There was no use pining after a lost cause.
He knew they were in a better part of Brooklyn the moment they turned onto her street. These houses didn’t look like they were barely being held up. Heck, some of them even had fancy cars parked outside. Cars that Bucky had rarely seen in person, because the folks that lived in this part of town were always spending their time in New York rather than down in Brooklyn. It was only as he took another step that he noticed Ruby had stopped moving, making him stop a few paces away from her. She turned to him, reaching out her hands for the bag that he had been carrying. He handed it over without question, stepping back as soon as it was securely in her arms. He didn’t think about her gentle hand brushing his rough ones, because that would only drag him back into thinking about her in that way again. If he wanted to get out of it, he couldn’t let simple brushes like that affect him.
“I guess this is where we part ways, huh?” He scratched the back of his neck, trying not to look too bothered about this being the last time he would ever be this close to Ruby, or even talking to her, for that matter.
“Don’t worry. I ain’t gonna talk to ya again. I’ll stay outta your way.” He took another step backward, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “I’ll see ya around, Ruby.”
“Wait.”
He had already turned on his heel to leave when she spoke. It stopped him in his tracks, making him frown at her over his shoulder. She had her bottom lip between her teeth as she looked at him, and as the cool air tugged at the ends of her hair and made them dance around, he wondered why she looked so worried.
“Yeah?” He prompted, starting to feel confused. Had he done something to upset her?
“What time do you get off work tomorrow?”
“Five-thirty,” Bucky turned back to face her properly, hands still in his pockets. “Why?”
“If you want to prove that you’re different,” she paused for a moment, taking a deep breath as her expression began to smooth out, “meet me at Lucy’s Diner at seven.”
“…What?”
Those were the last words he was expecting to hear from her. She wanted him to take her out so he could prove himself different. He couldn’t believe it in the slightest, if he was going to be honest. After the argument they had just had, he didn’t see why she would even want to be seen again with him, let alone in a public place for dinner.
“I don’t need a pity date, Ruby. It’s alright, I get it. You don’t wanna go out.” Bucky shrugged at her, trying to believe his own words. It must be a pity date. That was all it could have been.
“I’m not trying to pity you. You said you weren’t like other boys. I’m giving you the chance to prove that you’re not.”
“You want me to take you out on a date?”
“If you still want to.”
Bucky fell silent, trying to figure out exactly what her motive was. He didn’t believe that she truly wanted him to take her out and prove that he was different, but he also didn’t believe that she wasn’t taking pity on him. In the end, he decided that she must just want to prove herself right, but then he found himself wondering what harm it could do if he agreed to go. All he would come home with was wounded pride, which she had already done so successfully that night that he didn’t think she would be able to do much else to him the following night.
“Seven?”
“Seven,” Ruby nodded. Her clutch on the bag was getting tighter, as if she was nervous of his answer.
“I’ll be there.” Bucky offered her the smallest of smiles that he could, but that was still genuine. It seemed to ease her, drawing the corners of her lips to twitch upward.
“Good. Don’t make me wait for you.”
“Scout’s honor.” Bucky placed a hand over his heart, allowing his smile to grow as she raised an eyebrow at him.
“You weren’t a Scout.”
“Hey, don’t go makin’ assumptions again.” Bucky dropped his hand, giving her a similar look back, but then shook his head. “But you’re right. I wasn’t a Scout.”
Ruby shook her head, breathing out an amused sigh. Bucky’s eyes raked over her face once more, before she took her lip back between her teeth again. He knew that sign, so he nodded as he went to turn back around.
“I’ll see ya tomorrow, Ruby.”
“At seven,” she reminded him, “and don’t you be late.”
“I’m not gonna be.” He held himself back from winking at her and instead waved before he turned on his heel again, heading back the way they had come. As he started moving, he couldn’t control the grin that spread across his face, but he waited until he was around the next corner before he pumped his fist into the air. A date. He had a date with Ruby.
By the time Ruby made it through her front door, she was greeted with a loud screech of her name, followed by her littlest sister running from the top of the staircase down to her, skidding to a halt in front. Ruby giggled, trying to balance the bag in her arms and greet her sister at the same time.
“I’ve only been gone for a few hours, Pearl.”
“Yeah, but you’re late today! Yesterday you were home earlier.” Pearl followed as Ruby started to walk toward the kitchen, where her mother was stirring the large soup pot on the stove.
“Oh, there you are,” her mother looked over her shoulder, smiling at her eldest daughter. “What took you so long?”
“I told you that you were late!” Pearl bounced around in the kitchen, but stopped when her mother’s gaze found her. Ruby started putting the groceries away in silence, earning her mother’s attention back.
“The bag ripped,” Ruby explained, holding up the torn brown paper so that her mother could see. “Someone had to help me carry them home. Andrea. She saw the bag rip and decided to help me bring them home. She couldn’t stay though, she had to have dinner with her parents.”
“That’s a shame. Andrea’s a lovely girl. Perhaps next time she can have dinner with us instead.”
“Maybe,” Ruby shrugged. Pearl was still listening intently, so Ruby waved her hand at her and nodded toward the door. The younger blonde huffed, leaving the room so Ruby could talk to her mother alone.
“Mom?”
“Yes?” By now, her mother was starting to dish out the soup, humming to herself while she did so. Ruby held the tin can tightly in her hands, turning around.
“Can I go out tomorrow night?”
“Tomorrow night? Who with?”
Ruby bit her lip, picking at the thin paper around the can. She couldn’t exactly say that she was going out with the boy from Church now, could she? Or in that case, any boy at all. Not one from Brooklyn.
“The girls are going to the Dance Hall. They want to meet there at seven, and I promise I won’t be out late. The girls said they would walk me home first because I still don’t know the way yet. Can I go?”
Ruby’s mother wiped her hands on her apron, looking across the kitchen to her daughter. She seemed to be thinking, which only made Ruby’s lip sink down into her bottom lip more. At this rate, she was going to draw her own blood before her mother answered her question. With a heavy sigh, her mother eventually nodded.
“I suppose you can go. Though, I do hope this isn’t going to be every weekend that you’re going to be down at the Dance Hall. Those boys that go there are not the kind of boys your father and I want you to spend your time with. Next weekend, you organize something else for you and the girls to do. Understood?”
“Yes,” Ruby smiled, placing the can down to cross the kitchen and hug her mother, giving her a light squeeze.
She could go out with Bucky.
Now she just had to make sure that nobody found out what her real plans were for the following night.