Chapter 6
The drive to Wanda's shop felt quick. Soft jazz music played in the car as I stared out the window, watching the scenery go by. The traffic was stop-and-go, as it always seems to be in New York.
I hummed along with the saxophone, letting my thoughts wonder to Steve. I wondered what he would say to Him. To Brock. Based on how he was back at the apartment just talking about it, I can't imagine it will be a nice conversation.
We sat in the car for a moment after parking. I looked around the street, taking in my surroundings. The sidewalks weren't very busy, only a few people out and about. The wind is blowing pretty hard. Everyone seems to be bundled up. I tugged the sleeves of my sweater over my hands. I could see Wanda's shop from here. It wasn't a far walk.
Bucky got out before me, jogging to my side of the car. I watched as he he opened the back door first, grabbing a coat. He surprised me, though, when he didn't put it on immediately. Instead, he opened the passenger door, holding his hand out for me to grab. Once standing, he held the jacket out to me.
"You don't have to do that. You'll be cold." I tried to push the coat away, but he shook his head.
"Nah, I'm already wearing a coat, see?" He held his arm out, showing the sleeve of his thick denim jacket.
"Oh," my eyebrows furrowed, "you had an extra?"
"Yeah, Dandi. An extra." He smiled softly. Holding the coat up once more. This time, I let the heavy fabric fall onto my shoulders. The jacket was leather, dark brown. His scent enveloped me as I tried to burrow myself further into the warm fabric inside the jacket. The strong smell of cedar wood filled my senses as I settled into the heavy leather. "Ready?"
I nodded in response, turning towards Wanda's shop. Excitement buzzed in my stomach as I walked to the door, containing myself from running in. The door jingles, and the first face I see is Pietros. He looks up from the coffee maker, and a wide smile covers his face.
"There's our girl! Wanda she came to visit!" He called before making his way around the counter. He moved to wrap his arms around me before freezing and stopping himself. I'm sure he saw the hesitance on my face. I want to hug him, I really do, but I can't. He didn't seem to know what to do with his arms after that, as they were already wide and open in the air. Bucky saved him, pulling him into a bro hug.
"Sup, man," Bucky smiled, patting him on the back. Pietro laughed, returning the gesture.
Wanda jogged from the kitchen. She did not stop herself from throwing her arms around my neck and burying her nose in my hair. I tensed for only a moment before relaxing in her hold. She pulled away and looked at my jacket, raising an eyebrow.
"Bucky is letting me borrow it." She narrowed her eyes at him for just a moment, and he let out a breathy laugh.
"It's good to see you too, Wanda," he said.
"You're taking care of her? Where's Steve?" I hate how she's talking around me. I hate the way I tense at the mention of Steve. I hate that she notices.
"What happened?" Wanda asked, voice stern, ready to fight.
"It's just been a bad day, Wan." I huffed, pulling away from her and towards Bucky. "I don't need someone to take care of me either. I can take care of myself. Bucky was just nice enough to drive me."
Everyone seemed to stare at me with wide eyes after my backlash. I don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings, but it frustrates me. Everyone has been holding me at arms length, acting like I'm a fragile doll.
I might be more fragile than usual at the moment, but I wish they would treat me like a normal person.
"I'm sorry, sweetie. I didn't mean it like that." She apologized. "Here, sit down. I'll grab you guys some drinks. Strawberry green tea?" She but her lip, clearly distressed.
"It's okay. I know it's because you care," I sighed, "I would love a green tea."
Her shoulders relaxed, and she smiled, running back behind the counter. Bucky led us over to a booth by the window. The tea shop is cozy. Dark wood tables with booth seats that were covered in light pink fabric. House plants surrounded the cafe.
"Thank you for bringing me, Bucky," I thanked him, pulling his coat tighter around me.
"It's no problem at all, Dandi." He smiled, eyes dropping down my figure. I looked down at myself, wondering if there was something on his coat. When I looked back up in confusion, he only smiled at me. That soft smile.
I stared out the window for a long time. Eventually, I muttered, "I don't want to go back."
"To Steves?" Buckys eyebrows were furrowed. I couldn't help but watch as his tongue stuck out to wet his lips.
"My hands haven't stopped shaking since he yelled at me. I just need some time." I took a deep breath. "Also, I don't want to know what he and Brock talked about."
I'm not sure why I feel comfortable telling Bucky these things. I haven't even been this vulnerable with Wanda. She's too close to the situation. She knows Him. She's knows Brock. She's been trying to get me to leave for years.
Bucky hasn't judged me. He never told me that it was 'about time' that I had left him. He never told me that he knew I was strong enough the whole time. He was just nice.
I never really spoke to him much growing up. With my mom getting custody of Steve and my dad getting custody of me, I truthfully didn't see him that often. When I did, we said hello, and that was about it. I'm sure he wasn't interested in hanging out with a kid in his teen years or a preteen in his early twenties.
"Why don't you hang out at my place for a bit after this?" He asked, his voice light. "You can meet my cat! Her name is Alpine, and she's adorable."
"You have a cat?" I giggled.
"Crazy, right? The cat distribution system works hard, though!"
"The cat.." My voice faded as I looked at him in confusion.
"So something funny about cats is that you don't choose them. They choose you," he explained, "I found Alpine in the alley behind my apartment. She was sitting in a pile of trash, just a kitten. So muddy, I didn't even know she was white."
"Oh, that's terrible! Who could do such a thing?" I asked, not realizing the irony of it compared to my situation.
"Some people are just bad people." He said it simply, but his eyes gazed at me with a knowing look. He slowly reached over and grabbed my hand into his own, squeezing it. "Do you understand?"
Some people are just bad people. I can't control that.
"I think so," I whispered. He went to let go of my hand, but I stopped him, squeezing it.
Sadly, our moment was over as Wanda walked over and placed our orders on the table. I smiled as she sat beside me and wrapped an arm around my waist, leaning her head onto my shoulder. I couldn't see the calculating look she gave Bucky.
"I really am sorry, Sweets. I really didn't mean anything by what I said." She said softly.
"I know, Wan. It's okay."
We relaxed into the booth, and it was only a moment later that Pietro joined the group. Slowly, we fell into a comfortable conversation, laughing back and forth. I made Bucky talk about his cat some more while Pietro and Wanda shared annoying customer stories of the morning.
Things were starting to feel a little bit more normal again.