Secretive - Bucky Barnes

2 || Christian Grey

[Nova]
I only have little time to take a shower. I did not plan on going on a date for so long, and with university early tomorrow, my bed seems to scream for me. Nevertheless, I knew there would have been no way around telling my circle of friends since they expected me to go on a date anyways - and obviously, I was, ignoring their messages for the past four or five hours -, so I decided to get it over with as soon as possible, and am now staring into four faces on my phone.

Carly, the beautiful blonde girl with bright blue eyes and a body like an hourglass, is the first to find words after I closed my mouth and ended the monologue of today's date. »So, you're basically dating a hundred years old?«

»You're sure your obsession with fictional characters from earlier times hasn't gone too far and you lost your mind? I mean, who would invite a young girl to theatre for the first date?« Lucas, a dark blonde, tall guy, pretty well-built to be honest, asks. I know him from university, he is studying international business, and I also know that he usually has pretty good shots with girls.

»She's basically a grandma, too, so I think it fits.« Sam states, her dark curls circling her face and emphasizing the deep brown of her eyes.

»Thank you all for making clear what you think of me«, I raise an eyebrow and try my most annoyed look, causing Carly to giggle, »but he is real indeed. And just to be clear, Luke, it is the second date.«

»Did you mention you like theatre to him?«

»No.«

»Then it's still strange.«

»Maybe he just has a good knowledge of people.« I defended James, getting more and more how different I see things from the usual, or at least, the nowadays ways of dating. I do not mind though; I know I have some perspectives that are quite divergent from others.

»I think she should go for it.« Brian, a black-haired guy which reminds me immensely on William Herondale, with his steel blue eyes and a trained, slimmer figure and sadly – not that I have something against the community, but I probably would have dated him myself just for him reminding me of my favourite fictional character – is gay. He is in a relationship for three years now, and I can nothing but admire how well it is going, all in all. »I mean, c'mon, Zac really is an asshole. She doesn't deserve to be treated like this. Did he text you by now, by the way?«

»Yes, he did three hours ago, but I just saw it now. He said he suddenly needed to pick up his little sister from kindergarten.« I roll my eyes theatrically, almost able to see my brain from the range of the circle.

»Could be?« Sam asks carefully, but Carly corrects her right after by mentioning Zac told me he would be an only child. Plus, he could have shown up just after that.

»Crap.« is the respond the dark-skinned girl gives.

The rest of the conversation is not that interesting. We talk a lot about the days of the others, Sam apparently flirted with her dentist and Lucas plans on bringing home a girl this weekend he laid an eye on for weeks now. When I ask him if he was not ready to settle, he answers that he 'likes to be free and wild as long as he is young', causing everyone to grin quietly to oneself.

The days until Saturday rush. I learn a lot, getting notes on every topic though the next exam is in January, workout in the gym that is placed a few streets down and work in the library, a job I am very thankful for, because I could not imagine myself on a cashier's desk or bringing food and collecting orders from customers. Every now and then I look on my phone, hoping I got a message from James, but there is none, whenever my glance falls on the display. I should have known it, because I put my phone on vibration in places it should be muted, and put it on tone everywhere else. No message received until Saturday morning, and I sigh.