Secretive - Bucky Barnes

3 || Gloves

[Nova]
»Hi« I greet him back, smiling, and just as I start with telling him how well-picked the restaurant is, he starts as well, »If I may say, you look beautiful today.«

I feel my cheeks blush one more time, and we both thank the other, again, in a choir. Awkward. »You look pretty good as well.« I say, knowing that it is the understatement of the year.

It is quite unfair handsome he is without even trying, without any make-up having a skin so clear and smooth-looking, meanwhile I spent hours for my appearance today.

»After you, my lady« I hear him right behind me when he holds the door open for me. Even with my heels, he is at least five centimetres taller than me. I feel the heat crawling up again, not only for his gentlemanly behaviour, but the nickname he gave me in the end, jokingly or not, and his presence right in my back. The hair of my neck rises slightly.

James leads us to a nice round desk in the corner of the third floor. A burgundy tablecloth is widened on it, and candles and white plates with white serviettes are on it. When I want to sit down, my body tensions recognizing him right behind me again, and pulling and pushing the chair for me. »Thank you«, slips through my lips, smiling up at him and gaining the same back.

Is this a dream? Is this real? I thought something like this only exists in the novels in my shelf.

Knowing I should not order pizza nor pasta on a first date, I decide to pick salmon steak with croquettes and a tomato-cucumber-salad, while he orders a bottle of water for us and beef tenderloin with salad and chips for himself.

»Shaved and no alcohol? What's the deal?«

»I don't need to lift my spirits, they're high enough when you're around. Plus, I do not want to look like Dumbledore.« He smirks, perfectly knowing that blood is filling my face again.
Idiot.

»Why is that? Dumbledore is like the new Brad Pitt. All handsome and soft skin and wiser than one would've imagined.« I answer, glancing around in the restaurant. The view I have is amazing; right beside me, there are windows and I can follow the sun's way down entirely. In front of me is an even more beautiful perspective; James in a good mood and the most attractive man I ever knew personally, or even not personally; the most handsome I ever walked pass.
Behind him, there are several more tables, every single one round and with a burgundy table cloth as well. The ceiling is high, the decoration dark, making it all cosy and candlelight and romantic. Finally, my glance sticks on a couple to my right. They sit a few tables ahead. He, probably in his late twenties, shoots his glance to a light-haired girl sitting with her back to me. Resting his chin on his hand, probably totally forgetting about manners and how to act in a suit, his eyes follow her features, trailing over her face with such an intimacy and appreciating glance, I almost turn around in modesty myself, if it were not for me being so into romance.

»In which world do you live in, now?« James suddenly asks, his deep voice as comforting as the place he chose.

My eyes travel over to his, in which I can see pure interest. »What do you mean?«

»You have that glance again.« He leans back for the waitress pouring water into our glasses. She seems to rip his clothes off with a lustful glance at him, but he does not even seem to notice, which – whyever – satisfies me a lot.

I, questionably, raise an eyebrow at him and take a sip. »Well, it's like... Like you're seeing things no one else does. Like there are details that are invisible for everyone else but you, like you're drifting away and escape reality, but not in a bad way, that is. I sometimes saw it when I walked pass you, and I always wondered what was going on in your head.«

»Oh, that.« I 'accidentally' let a few strands of my hair fall into my face, to hide the light red my upper cheeks turned into. Damn it to be so pale. Damn James to make me heat up that often. What is wrong with me?

»See that couple over there?« I point at them inconspicuously with my head, and he nods, hair staying perfectly in shape. »I always imagined Mister Darcy looking at Miss Bennet that way. Like he sees all that he wants, no matter the consequences or burdens. Like his eyes can't trail off the brightest star on the sky, or rather, the only star in the sky for him visible.«