Just Roommates

Chapter Eleven

She knew she wasn't supposed to feel this way.

She KNEW!

This was her best friend. The one guy friend she knew she could never fall for. 

It was a rule in the rule book, right? It was written in the friendship contracts to never happen. 

Cause if the other friend does NOT reciprocate the feelings, the whole relationship is down the drain. The one thing these types of friendships could not allow, nor come back from.

But the morning when Bucky's sleepover pal came banging on the bathroom door, it led to him being pushed against her in a very intimate way. Add in the little to no barrier of clothes, it definitely sparked something that she hadn't felt before. Something she never thought she would feel for Bucky.

Then covering for him and making a fool of herself just to help him out. The only reason she shoved him out the door and teased him was that she needed to get a grip. Two more seconds of trying to play it cool while there were no clothes under that towel, and Bucky wearing only THIN boxers, those little sparks were going to grow into a much bigger fire.

Then there was the surprise pick-up at the senior home for movie night. She had finally got her head out of the clouds at that point, and here he comes striding in, in those blue jeans and that tight gray t-shirt he wore under his leather jacket.

Damn, he was attractive.

She'd known this for a while, but never acted toward it or felt anything about it. Then that stupid crooked smile that he always gave her appeared. Every time she stepped in a room or made eye contact with those ocean blues, that corner of his lips lifted before bringing up the rest. Making it crooked but sincere.

Then the movie night did little things to her. Like when she moved to cuddle into his side, nothing out of the ordinary, but this time she was focused on how she was sitting.

Was she in an awkward position? Was he comfortable where she was? Is her elbow digging into his leg? Can he hear her breathing? Then the feeling of his eyes on her, and the thought that he was smiling at her squirming made her curl up more in comfort.

It wasn't all just physical though. It was definitely emotional too. She loved the feelings of when he opened up to her. She felt accomplished with getting to Bucky. She felt intimate and trusted by him. She felt content in those moments of helping him and listening. She was emotionally connected to him too. Always had been.

But after how he reacted to her trying to help with the meditation, it threw her for a loop. She thought maybe the feelings COULD be mutual. With how well they got along, how often they teased the other, how goofy they could be... It could happen, right?

Wrong. The way Bucky tensed at her touch and the way he practically sprinted away as she tried to calm him down, proved her thoughts right. 

So the next day, she made a note when she woke up and put it by the coffee pot to make things not so awkward for the two. Then she went on to a few of her private classes but still couldn't get it out of her head.

She went to Wanda, asking if she was the only one that picked up on the weird vibes, and then went to paint to really ease her mind. She struggled to clear her mind even in her usual ways because of how jumbled he was making her emotions and eventually; going home, taking a nap and shower, doing her hair, and rummaging through her closet until she found the perfect outfit for her night out.

If she was really going to get her mind off things, she was going to need to find some new interest.

That's when Thor happened.