Crimson Love

Chapter Seven | 1946

Lunch is tense to say the least. I have no idea what happened between my father and Maria but it's not my place to ask. Still, I feel out of place as I sit with them in awkward silence. I would try to start a conversation but I only have one thing on my mind. Today happens to hold significance. Well, to me at least.

Today is March 10th, Bucky's birthday.

I want to do something for him. I have no freaking clue what that something is but I don't want him to feel lonely or forgotten. I know it's ridiculous but I feel like I owe it to him. I wonder if he even knows it's his birthday today. The staff here don't really bother with keeping Bucky up to date on things. Or anything really.

After I finish eating I escape the tense atmosphere and relax in my room for an hour before heading to the gym. I spend the next four hours in the gym. When two hours remain, Erik enters the gym and we spar together until my time is up. Erik is a very skilled agent and I manage to get him on his back only twice throughout the entire session. He knocked me on my ass every fifteen minutes and made horrible jokes throughout the whole thing.

I hit the showers before I start making my way to Bucky's room. As I pass the kitchen, I hear Maria's voice. As I push open the door, she lets out a string of curses and I watch her throw a pan of cupcakes onto the oven top. Her head swivels around and a smile appears on her face when she sees me.

"Hey darling, you mind giving me a hand?" Maria grins, knowing I won't say no to her. "Here," She shoves a bowl and a mixing spoon in my hands, "Mix this." She smiles.

"Can I ask why you're making cupcakes in the first place?" I ask with a raised brow and a grin on my face as I stir up the frosting.

"Felt like it." She shrugs as she pulls two dinner knives from a drawer and hands one off to me as I set the frosting bowl on the counter.

"So this has nothing to do with the way my father and you are acting?" I question as I grab a cupcake and start spreading frosting over the top as Maria does the same to her own cupcake.

"Oh god." Maria groans and lets out a soft chuckle. "Your father is a stubborn and complex man."

"Obviously." I snort as I move on to a second cupcake.

"Unfortunately, Vasily knows exactly how to use that to his advantage."

"What do you mean by that?" My brows furrow.

Maria shakes her head as if she remembers something and changes the subject completely. "How is Sergeant Barnes?" She smiles.

I feel my cheeks heat up and I quickly look away. "As good as he can be, I suppose." I mumble.

"I see the way you look at him."

My head whips around so fast my neck strains and Maria just laughs.

"I do not look at him!" I gush, my face turning red.

"You know, he looks at you the same way." Maria smirks and I want to melt into a puddle on the floor.

"Whatever." I mutter. "Can I take a cupcake?"

"Of course." Maria smiles and I grab one of the frosted ones and head for Bucky.

It's currently 6:15 and Bucky gets his dinner at exactly five o'clock every day so he should be done with his food by now. The guards open the door for me and I smile as I step into Bucky's room, the door closing loudly behind me. He's lying in bed with a book in his hands. His eyes look up and a smile immediately breaks out across his face as he discards the book and sits up. My stomach is suddenly filled with nervous butterflies.