𝚂𝙴𝚅𝙴𝙽𝚃𝙴𝙴𝙽 - 𝙱. 𝙱𝙰𝚁𝙽𝙴𝚂

Chapter 3

The Market

Bucky pulled his hair behind his ears and put on his hat. He had shaved his face a day ago and it was already starting to grow out again. He wanted to look more presentable, just in case he saw his neighbour again but he still had the long hair that was ruining it. It was becoming increasingly annoying but there was nothing he could do about it, properly.

He shoved his journal in the pocket of his jacket and walked down the stairs towards the door out of the apartment building.

Mrs. Vulpe called his name suddenly.

"Mister Barnes!"

He turned to look but slowly kept walking. "Uh... Yes?"

"Money due in two weeks!"

"Yes, I know, Mrs. Vulpe." He groaned a little. He had to find a way to get the money.

Grabbing a newspaper off the ground in front of the doorway and opened it and headed down the stairs. He read through open employment jobs. Day-call type jobs. Delivering pizzas, or painting a house. Anything that required minimal conversation.

An abrupt noise and someone falling into him and his paper forced Bucky from his thoughts.

"Oh no! I'm sorry!"

He knew that voice. Bucky looked down and saw his neighbour. It was Lois, wearing the dark blue scrubs he washed for her a week or two ago and sitting on the dirty ground.

She looked up at him, realizing who she had run into.

"Oh! Hi, Bucky." She became a little shyer.

Bucky looked at her and their surroundings, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" She pushed herself off the ground. "You're uh really sturdy."

He looked around and noticed no one had seemed to notice or care. His breathing relaxed.

"I just got off a night shift so I'm a little tired. My fault."

"It's okay." He shrugged. He was about to offer her his hand but she already started getting up.

She picked up her backpack from the ground and smiled, tiredly at him. "So, where are you off too?"

"Uh... the market."

"Oh. Nice. That reminds me that I need to pick up a few things." She looked at him and slowly walked into the apartment doorway.

He couldn't tell if she wanted him to ask her to join or not. The 1940's gentleman in him kicked his ass and he spits out his question. "Would you like to come with me?"

She opened the door and walked partially into the apartment building. He followed a few steps behind to hold the door and waited for her to answer.

"Um..." She seemed a little hesitant for some reason. "Do you mind waiting a few minutes so I can put on some different clothes?"

Bucky nodded. "I'll wait out here."

She nodded and quickly ran inside. Bucky wanted to roll his eyes at himself. Did he overstep the kindness? Did people not do that kind of stuff anymore with neighbours, with friends?

Bucky only waited 5 minutes overthinking his actions. He heard her footsteps approach the door, and he opened it for her, that nice mannered part of him seemed to win every time with this pretty girl.

He noticed she had taken her hair out of her ponytail and put on some overalls. She held a little bag to carry a few groceries.

"All ready." She breathed out, he could practically hear her heart pounding in her chest from the exercise of running up and down the stairs. Or at least that was probably what it was from.