Revenge Turned Sweet

Chapter 14: Suspicions

"I used to work here and my boss- well Austin -is a big- well huge fan of the Avengers so I figured since we're here anyway..." I trail off when I see Bucky's face begin to fall. I tuck my hair behind my ear and bite the inside of my cheek.

"Or not. We don't have to, I just figured it would be something to do." I shrug and turn around to keep walking, surely there's something else for us to do to preoccupy our time before we have to go back.

I barely get two steps away before he yanks me back by my arm, catching me when I stumble a bit. "We can go in," he says, smiling at me. "But, I'm not an Avenger."

I shake my head at him. "You're wrong." I push the entrance door open, eliciting the small entrance bell that gets the attention of someone behind the counter that I don't recognize.

"May I help you?" He asks with a sickly sweet tone and I purse my lips.

I scan the small dining area, finding it's quite busy but Austin is nowhere to be found. "Y-yeah, is Austin here?" I ask as I swing my head back to look at the seemingly young boy.

"He's in the back. Is there a problem?" His eyes flash to Bucky standing behind me and I shake my head at him.

"No, no problem. He's a friend of mine. If you wouldn't mind grabbing him for me I would really appreciate it." I smile at him and feel Bucky softly taking his hand away from mine. The boy nods cautiously and jogs to the swinging door heading to the kitchen.

"Holy shit. Was that The Winter Soldier?" I catch the thought coming from him quite literally as the door swings shut behind him.

I roll my eyes as I turn back to Bucky, finding him looking quite uncomfortable in the setting. "Are you okay?" I ask and tilt my head at him. He nods but his eyes just keep scanning the room.

"Excuse me?" I turn around and see the boy has returned to his spot behind the counter. "Austin actually went home early today, I'm sorry."

I shake my head to try a dissuade the disappointment running through me. "No- That's okay," I say and chew on my lip. "Can I just have two coffees then, please? One black and one with milk." I hand him a few dollars in cash and tell him to keep the change. As I watch him pour the coffee, I mull over the situation. It's not like Austin to leave the shop early, not at all.

"Thank you," I mutter as the boy slides two paper cups over the counter. Bucky and I leave the shop and step out into the cool air, which seems to melt his frozen demeanor. I hold one of the cups out to him which he takes hesitantly. "It's just coffee," I chuckle before taking a large sip of mine.

"Austin was your boss?" He asks me as I walk around him on the sidewalk.

I nod, swallowing a generous amount of coffee. "Right when I came to New York I knew I needed a job. He was the only one who would hire me on the spot." I smile to myself at the memory, though the backstory of it being dark, Austin brought light into my life when I needed it.

"Do you know anything about him?" He pauses when I shoot him a glare. "I mean; does he have a family, has he always owned the place? That kind of stuff."

I stop in the crowded sidewalk, turning fully to face him through narrowed eyes. "What're you doing?" I furrow my brows at him when he doesn't respond. "Why are you questioning me like he's some criminal?"

He sighs and twists the paper cup in his hand. "I just find it strange..." he trails off and I widen my eyes at him, telling him to continue. "Why was he so quick to hire you, help you and all that?"

I scoff at his words, feeling like someone just insulted my family when Austin is basically that to me. "Unbelievable," I mutter while pinching the bridge of my nose.