A Place for You & Me ・Bucky Barnes

sure thing

7:01.

Zoe wakes up to birds chirping and Atlas at her feet. She feels more rested than ever before. Maybe it was the rocky road. A notification buzzes on her phone. Her therapy appointment is today and she completely forgot. In a frantic haste, she gets up, feeds Atlas, readies herself for the day, and dashes to her appointment. 

~

7:38.

Bucky rolls over and winces. He slept on the floor again and it was doing him no favors. The comfort of the mattress made him unable to sleep at night, which is why he is on the floor. Again. He picks up his phone and sees a notification. Crap. His therapy appointment is this morning and he truly did not want to go. After sitting and staring at the wall for a few moments, he gets up for the day. For a moment, he wonders if Zoe would be there, too. 

~ 

Zoe sits in the waiting room anxiously, because honestly, when is this girl not an anxious mess? She keeps glancing at her phone as if staring at it will make any messages appear. Eventually, her therapist calls her in. 

~

With his baseball cap and a black jacket on, James sits in the waiting room in a mysterious manner. His attempt at blending in only made him stand out even more. He waits patiently, looking at the pictures on the walls and the plants around the room. Suddenly, he hears a door open and moments later Zoe walks past him with a few tears streaked across her cheeks. She shuffles past so quickly, she doesn't even notice him. As the door closes from her exit, his therapist calls him in. His heart sinks. 

"So James, what have you been getting into? Did you try going out like I suggested?"

"Yes, actually, and I think I made a new friend."

"That's great. But why do you only think?"

"Well, I don't know. I don't have very many.." He thinks for a second. "Yeah, she's a friend."

"She?"

James blushes and clears his throat. "Yeah, I went to a coffee shop and met this woman-- Zoe is her name."

"Oh. And have you been anywhere else?"

"A few places, the zoo, the park, a new Cuban restaurant."

"And.. was Zoe there, too?" She raises an eyebrow. 

"Yes," James admits sheepishly. 

"Hey, look, I'm not here to judge. I think it's great you're getting out and meeting new people and trying new things. That's what this is all about. How have your nightmares been?"

"Not the best, but when are they ever?"

"Have you been working on that list?"

He pauses and looks at his feet. "Not really."

"That's okay." She takes a deep breath and silence fills the room, suffocating James in his thoughts. "Look, why don't we continue working on that list, slow but sure. And in the meantime, keep hanging out with Zoe. I think it'll be good for you. Maybe find out what things you two have in common and go from there."

"Yeah," he gives a small smile, "I think I will."

~

After his session, James heads to a bagel shop to grab some breakfast since he missed it that morning. While he waits for his order, he debates on whether or not to text Zoe. He noticed she had clearly been crying, but he didn't want to be too nosy. But he also wants to make sure she is okay. Before he can make up his mind, the server calls his order. He takes his order and sits in a nearby park to enjoy it.

~ 

Zoe feels a little better after her therapy session. She still has some time before work, but does not feel the least bit hungry. Her feelings are shot, as she is still reeling from all the emotions of yesterday. Yesterday. She remembers the rocky road and opens up her messages to Bucky's number. A pause. She hesitates, not wanting to feel clingy or needy. The hangouts they have had were great, and she was hoping to see him again, but she doubted herself. He's got his own life. Just chill. After this deliberation, Zoe finds a donut shop and buys a small donut and a coffee. A notification buzzes on her phone and to her surprise it's Bucky. 

So what kind of music do you like? 

A wide grins appears on her face and she is elated. 

Anything but country, can't stand it. What about you?

Oh that's too bad. I kinda like it. And to be honest I'm not too music savvy. I was hoping you could give me some songs to listen to

At this, Zoe opens up her Spotify account and sends him her curated playlist. 

Check this out, you might like it

What's Spotify?

Yikes, he wasn't kidding. She thought to herself. 

It's an app that you can find almost any song on. Make sure to get the premium account, the free one kinda sucks :/

Sure thing

Zoe feels satisfied and then another message comes up. 

Maybe we could listen together?

A small smile dances across her lips. 

I'd love that. If you're free tonight, meet me at this location around 8. 

She attaches a dropped pin.

Sure thing