One Night Stand (A Bucky Barnes Fanfiction)

Epilogue

A/N: Hey everyone. I had a sequel for this story planned out and written, but I think it's just going to end here for Bucky and Jade. The sequel is more drama and angsty and in 3rd person and I wasn't sure if that would go over well. But at least there's an epilogue! Thanks so much for reading!!

 ***

The past two weeks had felt like an eternity. 

The seconds ticked by like hours, the hours went by like days, and the days went by like weeks. 

I did my best to distract myself with anything I could, mostly work, picking up extra shifts and dodging questions from my coworkers about my sudden desire to take any shift and just where I had gotten the bruises on my neck. 

Work went by quickly, that was no problem, it was when I got off work or had a day off where I couldn't pick up a shift, and I was left to spend the day in my apartment, hiding in my room from Iris, that was the worst. It was when I was alone that time moved too slowly, where I was plagued with thoughts of him and everything that had gone wrong.

Lying had always been a deal breaker for me, my parents ingraining in me from a young age, using their own marriage as an example, that honesty and trust were the key ingredients to a strong foundation in one's relationships. And after dealing with and, to my own fault and stupidity, ignoring Patrick's lies in our 5 year long relationship, it had made me even more wary of dishonesty. I'd promised myself that I would never again allow dishonesty, no matter how small, in my relationships. I didn't want to be fooled again, to let someone else's lies make me lie to myself as I had with Patrick when I ignored all the signs of his infidelity.

I had to stand by my principles.

Iris did not share my principles though and in true Iris fashion had no problem telling me.

"Will you just talk to the man please?" Iris begged as we sat on the couch in our living room. We both had the day off so we were free to binge Netflix and snacks and have girl talk. I'd hoped that the conversation would steer clear of Bucky. It hadn't. "I'm tired of your moping so just call him. Only one of us should be going through the break up ritual at a time."

Iris had ended things with Brandon, again. I had come home to the sounds of yelling and arguing, finding them in a screaming match in the living room. I bypassed that situation entirely, going right to my bedroom and pretending I couldn't hear the arguing. I woke up to find Brandon and all of his things gone the next morning.

"I'm not moping. I'm perfectly fine."

Iris regarded me incredulously. "Oh please. I know you're still crying and the ice cream has been disappearing at an alarming rate. Plus I heard you blaring Keyshia Cole last night."

I scowled at her. "Can you stop stalking my life?"

"Just give him another chance. After everything you guys went through-."

I groaned loudly to drown out her talking, glaring at her. "He lied."

"So what?" Iris shrugged. "Everybody lies at some point and he was doing it just to make sure you guys had the perfect first date you both needed after everything. Whose to say that he didn't plan to tell you after the date? Or eventually? I'm sure he did and if that's the case he didn't lie, he just withheld information."

"No, he lied. And it was a lie that ended up putting me in danger-."

"Do you think James would ever hurt you intentionally?" Iris cut in with a tilt of her head.

I hesitated. "Well....not intentionally, no."

"And do you think that he would ever want to hurt you?" Iris continued.