Chapter 11

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The girls arrived back at the compound. Lea dropped Nat and Wanda off at the main entrance while she headed off to park her car, which was ironically, right next to Bucky's spot, where his Harley sat. Lea was still very conflicted about the whole Bucky/Steve situation. As much of a nice guy Steve was, Lea felt like there was something missing, like something she couldn't quite place. He was a lovely guy, and very attractive, Lea admitted to herself, but she just felt like there was something more to be discovered, that he hadn't quite shown himself yet.

While Bucky, on the other hand, was constantly trying to get under Lea's skin, comments and remarks that seemed hurtful at first but were really just harmless attempts at pissing each other off. And although most of the time he was awful to her, she couldn't help but notice how drawn to him she was, always catching herself sneaking glances at him from the side while she pretended to read, or watch TV. She had noticed Bucky do the same. She couldn't quite place it, but there was something about the two of them that bonded their paths in a new profound way. He was mean and putting up the tough guy act, but Lea also couldn't deny how attractive he was. And while she had clearly said to him that their kiss had meant nothing, could it have really meant something more than she was denying her feeling from? Was it her past holding her back from making any stronger connections than friendships?

Lea's head was all over the place as she walked into the compound, dissociating from all the bustling and the noise around her, solely focused on her thoughts. The lift dinged onto her floor, and she went to open her door but it was already open. There on the bed sat Nat and Wanda, staring expectantly back at her.

"What took you so long?" they both asked in unison. Lea laughed.

"I was just parking, calm your farm. What are you guys doing here anyway?"

Their grins grew wider. "We are all getting ready together of course," Nat replied smartly.

With that, the girls set about preparing themselves for the night. They took turns in the shower, massaging an array of freshly scented shampoos and conditioners into their hair, and drying themselves off in fluffy, white towels. When they finished their showers, they slipped into their dresses and found the shoes they had bought to go with them, all squealing with excitement at each other's wonderfully transformed figures.

Wanda wore a deep red turtleneck dress, with a slit on each thigh, with the hems decorated in intricate black lace patterns. She paired her dress with glossy black pumps which added to her small figure's height.

Nat's dress choice was more outgoing; a gorgeous pink sequinned maxi dress that swept the floor with every movement. A strap lay over one of her shoulders while the other lay bare, the flowing material gathered at her waist, hugging her figure. She stood taller as well, 3 inches added to her heigh by the silver-colored high heels she wore on each foot, glittering brightly, catching the moonlight that had risen to its spot in the window, replacing the sun.

Lea still stood the tallest out of the trio. She wore a pristine white mini dress that hung off her shoulders in a loving fashion. The silk fabric flowed like satin in her fingers, gathered at her waist, extricating her gorgeous curves and displaying her figure. She wore gold-decorated wedges, adding to her already tall figure.

The trio stood together in absolute glee as they bustled around, fetching various makeup pallets and hair accessories littered around the room. Their hair was curled in soft waves hanging loosely down their backs. Their eyes were bold and detailed, each of them wearing a smokey eye with thin black eyeliner and mascara. Their faces remained flawless, powder brushed lightly across their features. A nude lipstick swiped perfectly onto their lips, completing their looks.

The three of them looked absolutely stunning, glowing in the presence of each other. They took each other in, each radiating beauty. They grabbed their phones and headed upstairs to the ballroom where the party could already be heard blasting music from within its walls. 

The lift dinged as they stepped out, amazed at the sight around them. The room was decorated elegantly, as drinks were passed around and conversations exchanged. As the trio walked into the room, all eyes fell on them. They giggled again and bid each other goodbye for now, before splitting up to find their various other friends.

Lea waltzed over to Peter, who stared at her in complete awe. "Woah. You look- I- I mean- just-" he stuttered. Lea cut him off by laughing.

"Thanks, Pete. You look great too." They smiled at each other and high-fived before striking up a conversation about Lea's recent weeks at the tower.

The two best friends stood and talked for ages, laughing with each other about every little mishap and mess up, forgetting the pain of their pasts. They were halfway through discussing Peter's most recent bout of forgetfulness when he looked over to see none other than Bucky Barnes staring right back at him.

"Uh, Lea", he said cautiously, not wanting to draw attention. "Yeah what?" She replied. "Um, I think Mr Barnes wants to talk to you." She looked over to where Steve and Bucky were seated at the bar, his eyes locked on her. She felt an excited flutter in her chest but pushed the feeling away immediately.

"I'm gonna go and talk to him. Be right back!" she said, before rushing off to meet him.

"Damn, she really has something going for him" Peter muttered under his breath, but quietly so that no one heard.

On the other side of the room, Lea approached the two super soldiers cautiously. Steve was distracted by talking to Sam on his other side, so he didn't notice her sudden appearance. "Hey fridge magnet," she said with an air of hesitation in her voice as she spoke, laughing it off slightly so that Bucky didn't notice.

"Can we talk?" he said gruffly. She nodded, and the pair of them got up silently and left the room without anyone noticing. Both of them quickly stepped into the elevator, not saying a word to each other. They stepped out on the roof, the cool night's breeze blowing their hair gently.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Lea started, but Bucky cut her off by kissing her. It was gentle, their lips slowly molding against each other. The scent of the sweet cocktail Lea had been drinking earlier lingered on her breath as she kissed him back. They pulled away as they stared into each other's eyes.

"I just had to do that again," Bucky said."And I know what you said before about how it didn't mean anything to you, and how you didn't think it was special but-"

"It's ok, Bucky. I know how strange this all is, and how weird this experience is, but there is just something about you that feels so special. Like there's a reason why we met." Lea looked at the ground, shuffling her feet as she stood, nerves coursing through her body like a fast-acting drug.

"I'm sorry if that was too forward. If you don't want to talk about it ever again, or just go back to being mean to each other I completely understand. But like you said, there is just something so unusually special about you, Alya." She beamed up at him, the pale moonlight reflecting off her pink-tinged cheeks and glowing skin.

"I think there's always time Buck. I say see what happens later in the future. But that doesn't mean I'm shutting down anything that might happen along the road?" She stared up at him quizzically.

"You know, my name isn't actually Bucky? It's James." Lea looked confused for a moment before her face split into a beaming smile, shining through the dark evening sky.

"That's a lovely name, Sergeant James Barnes." She mischievously giggled, entwining her fingers with his.

"Well, we should probably head back soon. The others are probably getting worried and I don't think I want any of them to find out about our little nighttime meetup, don't you think?" Lea just nodded in return, and with that, the pair of them stepped off the roof and back into the real world.

Author's note: Ok guys so this chapter again was a mix between fluffy and emotion, as we are just beginning to see the beginning of Bucky and Lea's relationship. I know this may feel a bit rushed, probably because I have the entire book planned out and there are some good bits coming up. So stay tuned, and enjoy the summer holidays everyone <3

xx



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