Betrayal - A Bucky Barnes Fanfic

Chapter 14

All day at work, her eyes had kept finding the clock across from her desk. Time seemed to pass in slow motion. When the clock finally read 6pm, Ava hastily packed up her things. She wouldn't be working overtime today and before her boss could give her another task, she had already fled the building.

Everything seemed to be against her today: The subway was late and she waited impatiently on the platform with several other annoyed New Yorkers who wanted to go home. After what felt like an eternity, she finally arrived at her flat, unlocked the door and dropped onto her bed.

For a moment she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Tonight was going to be special, she could feel it. She sat up again and thought. James hadn't even told her where they were going for their date. That made choosing an outfit even more difficult than last time. Ava considered sending Natasha another SOS text, but she felt silly. James seemed to be a red flag with Natasha for some reason. Maybe James had said something stupid to her once – Natasha could be very thin-skinned. Ava didn't want to worry about that now though. The outfit selection would take enough out of her already.

After dozens of outfit changes, Ava decided on a short dark dress with a floral print. It seemed chic enough for a restaurant visit and simple enough for a walk or a pub. She put on only light make-up to bring out her green eyes. Satisfied, she looked at her finished work in the mirror. Shortly after, there was a knock at the door.

"Hi," Ava beamed as she opened the door. James looked incredibly handsome, as always. He was wearing a simple short-sleeved button-up shirt, so Ava could marvel at his muscular arms. He wore a pair of black skinny jeans with it. So they wouldn't be going to a fancy restaurant, Ava concluded, glad of her outfit choice.

"Hi," James replied, looking Ava up and down. When his eyes met hers again, he held out his hand to her. Ava's heart skipped a beat, his large hand tenderly cupping her much smaller hand.

"You've got your hair shorter," Ava remarked before he pulled her into the hallway.

"Well observed, Sergeant." Ava would have loved to sink her hands into his shaggy hair, which was still a little longer. He still wore his hair tucked behind his ear, but two strands were now too short and gently framed his face. She would have loved to reach out and tuck the shiny strands behind his ear with the rest of his hair. His hair was certainly incredibly soft. She felt a tingling in her abdomen again at the thought.

"Why?" Her curiosity was piqued.

"I just felt like a change." A little more quietly, he added, "I seem to be going through those a lot lately." Ava wondered what he meant by that, but she didn't inquire further. Did she even want to know the answer to that?

He opened the car door for her and helped her get in. He drove off and Ava could no longer keep her curiosity to herself. "Where are you taking me today?" Ava asked with a smile on her lips.

James kept his eyes on the road and Ava saw him trying to suppress a grin, "You'll see, Sergeant."

"Maybe I'd better send Natasha my location so she knows where to find my body," Ava tried to strike a serious tone but failed miserably.

Now James could no longer suppress his smile, but he put on a serious face again before replying. "Don't be so impatient, doll."

There was a certain strictness in his voice that made Ava squeeze her thighs tighter together. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw James squint over at her and then shift a little in his seat himself. A small smile flitted across her lips – he wasn't immune to her charms.

James finally brought the car to a stop. They had arrived at Central Park and Ava looked out at the many people enjoying the good weather and their after-work beer in the park. James got out of the car without saying anything. Ava unbuckled her seatbelt as well and opened the door. James had already walked around to her side and reached out to her again. Ava felt her cheeks grow warm and took his hand to get out of the car. He took a few more things out of the boot – a picnic blanket and a picnic basket – and then took her hand again. This time he closed his fingers around hers and a warm feeling flooded through Ava. She was shocked by the effect James had on her simply by touching her.