one daydream away // bucky x oc (au)

chapter three

Emerson:

SEPTEMBER 2001

" You may kiss your bride" Becca announced while Marnie was running circles around her, a white ball of fur.

I closed my eyes as I've seen Mommy and Daddy do when they kissed each other in the morning. 

"Ew, I'm not kissing her." I heard Bucky say. 

"You're a party pooper, Buck." Becca said and she closed the fairy tale book that she was using as a prop.

"Boys are gross anyway. Full of cooties." I was looking at James who was sneaking this way to the picnic blanket we had laid out earlier with some cupcakes from Sally's bakery. 

"Girls suck." James struck out his tongue to me before taking a bite out of the frosted cupcake, leaving his mouth and tip of the nose full of frosting and sprinkles. 

The beeping sound of my electric kettle woke me up from my daydream. 
I poured the hot water into my mug.
Suddenly a craving for Sally's overcame me, so without bothering putting on a bra, I slipped into a pair of leggings, my faded Boston University shirt, my hair still in a messy bun that more so resembled a bird's nest, I made my way to my favorite bakeries to get my fixings of sugary heaven. 

When I entered the room, a whiff of vanilla and fresh baked goods hit my nostrils. 
Sally was talking to a customer. 

"These are delectable, Sally. Thank you." I heard the man in front of me say in a thick Scottish accent. 

As he turned, my breath caught in my throat. Broad, tall with dark hair that was perfectly coiffed, he sported a white streak in it. 
His dark blue eyes, mysterious but kind. My gaze fell to his full lips. 

I think he caught me staring at him because he stepped in front of me. 

He smiled, flashing a disarmingly wicked smile as he passed me to sit down at one of the tables behind me. 

"Emerson, my love. Your usual ?" Sally greeted me at the display case. Sally, this tiny human with a heart of gold has been a family friend for as long as I remembered. All my birthday cakes, no matter how crazy I wanted them to be, she made them. I was even the flower girl at her wedding when she married Salvatore. 

While I was reminiscing, Sally had put together her famous grilled cheese sandwich, a chocolate fudge cupcake and a cup of earl grey tea.

"Here you go. Honey, that young gentleman behind you has been looking at you the whole time. He's handsome too. 
I know your heart belongs to that Barnes boy but he's clueless." Sally patted my hand as I picked up my plate and mug.

Passing the table where that handsome man sat, he raised a finger to me, making me stop in my tracks.

"I'm sorry, miss. At the risk of sounding forward, care to join me ?" his smile crooked. 

I decided to say yes. To hell with James, I was tired of trying to figure him out. It was time for me to live a little. 

Turns out, his name is Richard. He is originally from Edinburgh and moved to Manhattan a few months ago. We chatted about our jobs, he was a writer. 
I found myself smiling a lot and he was really pleasant to talk to. 

Turning my head towards the store window, I saw James walking up to the store. 

He was wearing a white v-neck shirt, a small gold chain with a coin pendant was dangling from his neck,  black jeans and Doc Martens. His hair was again slicked back and his muscular, tattooed arms on full display as he flexed his arm to open the door to the store. 

"Emerson," he said as he walked up to our table. "Becca has been trying to call you, it seems like your phone is off." James looked at Richard and then back to me, clearly irritated. 

"Oh, shoot. I forgot to charge it after last night. It must have shut off because of the empty battery. Let Becca know I'll call her as soon as I get home. Is everything alright at the office ? Does she need my help ?" I asked him sweetly. 

"Yes, everything is good. She just wanted to talk to you about something. But clearly you are busy." James looked at Richard sternly, emphasizing his last word. 

With that, James turned on his heels and left the store, huffing. 

"Trouble with the boyfriend ?" Richard said, taking a sip of his tea. 

"Wha-" I stammered, completely taken aback by Richard referring to James as my boyfriend. 
"He's not my boyfriend, he's my best friend's brother." I said.

"Seemed like he thought differently. I don't want to cause any problems. I really enjoyed chatting with you, Emerson." he pulled out an eggshell coloured card.

"If you want to go to dinner with me, just give me a call." He pushed the card in front of me. 

"Thank you so much for your time, Miss Emerson." he took my hand in his, kissing it softly. 

I felt my cheeks redden but my thoughts revolved around how James reacted.