Chapter 4
Bucky’s POV
As soon as it leaves my lips, I regret the sentence. I see Carmen’s face drop into an even sadder position. Why did I think this would be a good idea?! Barnes, you’re meant to be charming the girl, not tearing her heart in two!
“Who with?” Steve interrupts my thoughts, but I don’t miss the sympathetic look he shoots Carmen,
“Remember Vicky from last week? She asked me if I wanted to go out with her sometime and so I suggested we go to the Science expo. I heard Howard Stark is meant to be there.” I really did want to go to the Science expo, that’s where we’ll see the future unfold, but I’d much rather be going on that date with somebody else.
“So what am I meant to do all night?” Carmen asks.
“You can just follow us around. Let’s be honest, Steve’s date probably won’t be interested.” I say with a wink.
“Watch it punk.”
We walk back over to the park and catch up for a while, as Carmen and I haven’t talked in a week, and we all wanted time for just the three of us. While Carmen joked around and laughed as she usually did, I could tell that there was something bothering her. I hate seeing her upset. But while I’m pondering over my thoughts, I get caught staring by Steve after she takes a sip of water and the sunlight catching on her soft, plump lips looks too dazzling. We talk about everything and nothing at all as the hours pass easily by. I feel so peaceful laying in the warm sun on our small picnic rug. This is how I want to remember my friends. This is how I want to remember my whole life before I leave tomorrow to the distress, chaos and fear of war. Even if I die on a battlefield, in a far off, unknown, foreign country, as my life flashes before my eyes, this one happy moment will be prominent. This is who I feel happy with, and there are no other people on Earth that could ever make me feel this goddamn happy.
Steve leaving is what finally snaps me out of my happy daze as I’m reminded that, after tonight, I will probably never see either of my best friends ever again. The thought stabs me with pain and my heart starts to hammer in my chest once more.
“Carmen?” She snaps out of her own trance of contentment, “Carmen, I’m scared.” Her body goes rigid at the sound of my words and I let out a shaky breath. I can tell I brought her back to the cruel reality that we’re all facing and I deeply regret it until she finally speaks up,
“It’s ok to be scared. I know I’d be terrified, but you know what you’re doing is right, you just need to remember that when it comes down to it.” I watch her tears slowly fall this time, as if they are more controlled than this morning. I start to feel my own, warm tears fall from my eyes and slowly roll down to my mouth where they taste salty on my tongue. “You have time to treasure with Steve and I today, so that’s what we’ll focus on. Not what may come, but what is happening now, here. If you keep on looking past what’s right in front of you, you’re gonna miss everything that is there, and then you may lose it.”