Dating Game ☆ Bucky x Reader

Chapter 6

You swallow your bite with a loud gulp, "You're gonna what now?"

"Dancing, doll. Been told I'm not half bad at it. Did you forget that we heard a band when we got here?" he reaches over to grab your wine glass out of your hand before you can take a drink and tries it himself before handing it back, "Not bad. A bit sweet for my taste, but it's alright."

"If I'm getting out there," you gesture at the stage, "I'm going to need something stronger than wine."

"Gotcha covered whenever..." he trailed off as Mary appeared almost out of nowhere with his drink, colder than she had been, "Can you grab the lady an old fashioned the next time you're at the bar, dove?"

She sat his drink down and smiled a little at the use of the pet name, "No problem. Anything else?"

"Nah, I think we're good. When are the guys playing tonight? I haven't been down here on a night they've played in a while. Covering anyone specific?" he nodded toward the stage.

"Probably in 10 minutes or so. Shouldn't be much longer. I don't think they have their vocalist here so it's probably just going to be instrumental. But I like that better anyway," she smiles a little wider as she checks with the rest of the tables in the room.

"I think you just saved us from having very bad service for the rest of the night. What's with her anyway?" you gesture towards the waitress with your wine glass before taking a larger than usual sip.

"Mary? Who knows. She can usually beg a dance or three out of me when I'm here by myself," he shrugs as he speaks.

You gaze at his face slightly more intently than you had been. He can't really be that clueless, can he? The waitress is jealous that he's not here on his own and he...simply doesn't notice? Or does he not care?

You aggressively gesture at him with a french fry before sticking it in your mouth, "You're going to dance with her before the night is over if I have to force you."

He sits up a little straighter and looks at you with an almost cute but very confused expression, "But.. I'm here with you. That's not polite. You don't leave your girl sittin' by herself to go off and dance with another bird. That's not how these things work."

You choke on the last gulp of wine as you see the band start to filter out from the back. "First of all, I am not 'your girl'. Second of all, it would absolutely make her night and you know it."

The faint noises of instruments being tweaked slightly steals your focus for a moment. You turn back around to see a face somewhere between mild anger and hurt. He reaches over and grabs your wrist, making you drop the fry you were holding. "No, you are not my girl. But tonight, you are. You can square with that or not," James says quietly before realizing the hold he has on your wrist is tighter than he intended. He glances down at his hand, your wrist, and the discarded fry, and immediately let go with a contrite expression. "Okay, I'll dance with her later. I promise. I'm...sorry."

Before the entire exchange can confuse you further and before you fall headfirst into the grey pools of ice looking at you like a sad basset hound, the band introduces themselves and breaks into pleasant slow instrumental jazz. A smile replaces the frown on his face when the music starts as if it was never there to begin with. Mary almost skips around the corner with your drink. She places it down in front of you with a napkin. You immediately take a sip and groan happily at the familiar bite of the bourbon.

"Oh. That's amazing. Keep these coming would you?" you say, taking a second sip of the drink. "See, that's much better than the wine." You fish out the cherry from the glass before popping it into your mouth.

He barks out a laugh, "Really? I didn't expect you to....of course, you'd like a man's drink. Why wouldn't you?" He shakes his head and lifts his almost identical glass to clink against yours. You happily down half your glass in one go watching his huge grin turn to an incredulous smirk.

You lift an eyebrow at his comment but before you can get a word out he is practically yanking you out of the booth by your waist as the song changes. You let out a stifled and confused squeak because he moved faster than you expected. Pulling you out of the booth, he plants a strangely gentle kiss on your cheek. "I promised you a dance after you had alcohol, did I not? Well, you've had alcohol and I'm not one to go back on my promises."

You start to utter mild annoyance and say that you were a really bad dancer but he shushes you with a finger against your lips before cheerfully kissing you on the nose. Is this really the same grumpy asshole you had been dealing with? His complete demeanor has shifted to playful, silly, and strangely affectionate. You will have to concede to Natalie later that she was, in fact, correct. You are actually enjoying his company.

He startles out of your thoughts by firmly grabbing your waist and taking your hand in his. "You've never actually properly danced before, have you?" James asks with a slightly confused tilt to his head.

"I was about to tell you that before you unceremoniously shushed me!" you say sternly with a glare.

"Well, we will start easy then. When I move my foot, you move yours. It's easier than it looks, doll, I promise. If you step on my feet it's no big tragedy. These boots have handled worse," he laughs before starting to guide you around the floor, waiting for you to stop stumbling and catch on. The hand against your waist is solid and you are certain you couldn't fall if you tried - and there were a few times you were afraid you might because he is positively beaming down at you and the way it lights his face up is beautiful. It is more than a little distracting.

It takes a song or two, but you finally stop misstepping, and he speeds up slightly when he notices. In no time, you are circling the floor. With a satisfied smile, he pulls you into his chest and you almost forget that you're moving. He slides the hand that was resting on your back to the base of the back of your neck, keeping your head against him. You can feel him humming quietly along with the song as it reverberates through his chest.

"See? I told you it was easier than you thought. Nat was right, I am having a great time. Thank you." The music was loud, but the words were quietly against your ear. Your resulting shiver makes him chuckle before he finally pulls you back to the table, exhausted and a little dazed. For a moment there you forgot how to use words.