Sunday Midday - Sam
As soon as they approached the restaurant, some guy showed up and it turns out his sister has more than one suitor these days. He watched the two go back and forth. He was surprised Bucky seemed so…calm. Figured he’d be jealous but instead he was just watching them and grinning. It almost looked like he was scheming. Sam hoped he was not planning an assassination or something.
The man, Mark, said something about having promised his daughter ice cream and they left. There was a great spot less than a mile’s walk they must be heading. Now Sam wanted ice cream.
As soon as they walk in and shut the door behind them, Bucky starts laughing. “You like him!” He taunts Sarah.
She blushes, “shut up!”
“Yeah Mom – that was so embarrassing! It was like when my friend Rowan had a crush on this girl Jasmine and they were like…so gross,” Cass says, and AJ makes a face.
Bucky crossed his arms, and looked at Sarah again, “do you want his number?”
“What?” Sarah and Sam asked at the same time. Then just Sarah asked, “do you have it or something?”
“Ten bucks I can get it in the next 15 minutes.”
“You’re on!” Sarah said. Bucky took off out the door quickly. Sarah turned to Sam, “wait…he’s serious? What is he going to do?”
He was stunned. What the hell was Bucky doing. Sarah insisted she was too nervous thinking about what he was up to and started going through the kitchen, telling Sam what should go where, then helping him bring the products that were in the kitchen refrigerator to the walk-in refrigerator and placing frozen items in coolers that she had bought a few weeks back when they realized they needed the replacements.
Sarah’s phone starting chiming and she took it out of her back pocket. She was staring at it, with her mouth open. Sam walked over and leaned over her shoulder.
Hey Sarah, its Mark. Really looking forward to dinner tonight.
“He got you a date?” Sam asked confused.
She just shrugged. “That boy of yours is something else.”
Sam started feeling like the room was a few degrees warmer. He was so confused. Why is Bucky getting a date for Sarah if he likes her? Does that mean he doesn’t like her? Why does that make Sam so happy? And why is Sarah calling Bucky is boy? And why does that make Sam feel like his stomach is in knots?
With all of the non-heavy lifting done, they waited curiously for Bucky’s return. He walked in a few minutes later with a tray full of ice cream cups and started passing them out. The boys’ dove into them before saying, “thanks Uncle Bucky” with full mouths. Every time they call him that, Sam’s stomach does somersaults. His nephews are so sweet.
Once his hands were no longer full of ice cream, he put his right hand out with his palm up, “Pay up Wilson,” he said to Sarah, who eagerly reached into her bag. “I’m kidding, I don’t want your money. Just the pride of knowing I am still an incredible wingman.” Then he turned to Sam to confirm he used the phrase correctly. Sam nodded.
“Is that man taking mom on a date?” AJ asked.
“Not exactly…” Bucky responded, “I don’t work miracles here. I told him that I wanted to take you all out to a nice dinner tonight to thank you for being such gracious hosts and asked if he had any recommendations. He offered to make a few calls to see if we could get last minute reservations because the good places were booked. I invited him and his daughter to join us since he was going out of his way.”
“So how did he get my number?” Sarah asked.
“Oh right. That. If he asks, modern technology perplexes me and I don’t have a cell phone,” Bucky shrugged, “and suggested he text you so you can coordinate the details.”
“How did you know Sarah’s number? You memorize it?” Sam asked.
“Yes – while I was walking down, I pulled out my phone and just repeated it to myself the whole way down.”
Sarah kept shaking her head at him. “You better not bring your phone to dinner – make me look like some kinda desperate fool who needs someone to get me a guys number!”
“Hi Mark!” Bucky mocked, twirling invisible hair. “You’re so funny mark!”
She punched him playfully, “You’re one to talk!”
Bucky glared at her. Not quite his Winter Soldier smolder glare but pretty close. The tension in the air shifted and they both were quiet. Did Sarah notice that Bucky was flirting with her earlier? Sam didn’t think that she would be that cruel to mock him for it. That couldn’t be it. Sarah announced that she had to get going and the boys were relieved. Ice cream and the excitement of Bucky’s antics aside, it was a bit boring for two kids in a closed restaurant on a beautiful Sunday.
Sam walked Bucky over to the units they had to bring outside and prepared to start helping Bucky put the first one on a dolly to wheel it out. Of course, Bucky just started walking out with it like he was picking up a mini fridge in a college dorm. The others were bigger and Sam at least felt useful being able to assist.
All in all, it was not that much work, but Sam certainly built up a bit of a sweat. Bucky of course still looked perfect. Sam went into the walk-in and grabbed a few beers from the case he hid in the back. He handed one to Bucky and gestured for them to sit at one of the empty tables.
“Can I ask you a question man?” he asked, and Bucky nodded. “What was that today? Why did you go talk to that guy Mark?”
Bucky looked confused, like Sam just asked him a stupidly obvious question. “You saw how him and Sarah were –I was just speeding up the process.”
“Yeah but I thought…I mean that’s how you are with Sarah too…I thought you guys were…”
Bucky almost choked on his beer. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh come on, you are always flirting with her!”
“Sam,” Bucky said very seriously, “I can assure you that I am not.”
Sam stood up, mimicking Bucky this morning, “Oh Sarah you are so beautiful, let me get your chair,” he said pulling the chair out. He sat back down it proud of himself, waiting to see how Bucky tried to deny it.
“That was not flirting…I was just being…charming.”
“What’s the difference?” Sam asked. Bucky looked like he was thinking about it. Sam knew he was full of shit, but let him continue.
“Okay – so if you sat down and I said, ‘woah Sam looking good – there must be a lot of broken necks out there with all the heads your turning’ – that’s not flirting.”
“It’s not?” Sam asked.
“If it is its not very good!” Bucky laughed. “I mean…I know I’m a bit out of practice, but I think I’ve thawed out from cryo long enough to have better game than that.”
“Let’s see it then,” Sam goaded.
Bucky was still smiling, but it shifted a bit. It was…softer. He seemed to be contemplating. After a few seconds, he scooted his chair a lot closer to Sam. “When I flirt with someone,” Bucky said quietly, “I’m not talking to the whole room. Just to them.” His eye contact was intense. Sam felt unsteady under his gaze, but transfixed at the same time. “And I’m not going to say some generic cheesy line. Not when its real—not when I’m really interested in the person I’m talking too.”
Sam swallowed air. Bucky seemed to notice, his eyes flicked down to Sam’s mouth for a brief second. As short as it was, Sam was relieved for the short reprieve. He felt like he was practically drowning in Bucky’s blue eyes at this point. “For example,” Bucky continued, his voice even lower. He’d shifted even closer now and Sam could feel just the slightest warmth of his breath, “I would tell you that I can’t stop thinking about your eyes. I always thought they were beautiful, but yesterday when we were out in the sun, I could see all these flecks of amber in them, and it was…breathtaking.”
If it weren’t for the fact that Sam knew full well that this restaurant did not have heat, he’d be wondering who turned it on. The back of his neck was on fire. And his heart was racing.
“I can see how that would work,” Sam said nervously, turning away to take a sip of his beer. He could still feel Bucky looking at him. This was excruciating. “Yeah, I get it casa nova,” he joked, “you can turn it off now.”
Bucky pouted. Sam noticed he does that. He can’t believe this guy was once ripping his wings off and kicking him off a hellicarier and now he’s jutting his bottom lip out because Sam told him to stop fake-flirting with him.
“Well,” Sam sighed, “at least now I know you aren’t into my sister.”
“Wait,” Bucky said, “is that why you were being such an asshole the last two days? You thought I was making the moves on Sarah?”
Sam was picking on the label on his bottle. He really didn’t want to admit how petty he was being, like a kid that can’t share friends with their sibling. “Maybe.”
“And it bothered you that much?” Bucky asked.
“I don’t know, yeah,” he answered, “I guess I was just annoyed you know – its stupid.”
“it’s not,” Bucky said, “your family is great Sam—really I haven’t…Sarah and the boys, its just nice to be around a family and have people. But they are a bonus part of the Sam Wilson package. Really.”
“Maybe tonight,” Sam said, “we can take separate cars … go out for drinks after dinner…just us?”
“I’d like that,” Bucky said smiling, “lets get out of here, I need to get some lunch. I am not making it until dinner with just two breakfasts and ice cream.”