Meant to Be

October 22nd

Ella fiddled with her necklaces in the mirror, looking over her outfit. She'd put on blue jeans and a black top that tied at the front. It wasn't a whole lot more exciting than what she usually wore to school, but it wasn't a proper party so she thought she could get away with something casual.

When she went downstairs the first few people had arrived and Steve was handing out drinks. She quickly made her way over to Nat and Wanda who poured them a shot each. Ella didn't check what it was before she downed it, she winced as she swallowed.

"You could've told me it was tequila, I would've got us some lime" Ella groaned, looking around for another drink to wash the taste away.

She dug a bottle of her mom's wine out of the fridge and settled on that, even though it was only marginally better. She poured the three of them glasses and made sure to put the bottle back in the fridge. If it was a toss-up between warm white wine and tequila she'd probably end up picking the latter and it definitely wasn't that kind of night.

A few more people had arrived while the three of them were tucked away in the kitchen, they eventually joined Steve in the living room, there was a game on TV that seemed to have everyone's attention. When Ella walked in she scanned the room, her eyes landed on the girl sitting next to Pietro, Ella realized she must be his plus one. The girl, Jess, was a good friend of Christian's. Ella mentally groaned, she was hoping to have an evening without any prying eyes, but apparently, she wasn't that lucky.

Ella sat down with Wanda and Nat on one of the couches. The three of them chatted, passing the time as Ella waited for the one person she really wanted to see. Wanda was equally as anxious as Ella, she'd invited Vision and he'd texted to say he was running late. Nat laughed at the pair of them as they sat bouncing their knees in unison.

When she'd finished off her wine she collected the others' glasses and wandered into the kitchen for refills. While she was on her way the doorbell rang, her heart jumped in her chest, hoping it was Bucky. But she opened the door to see Vision. She gave him a polite smile and a quick hug, trying to disguise her disappointment. She pointed him in the direction of the living room and turned around to spot Sam and Bucky making their way up the driveway.

She couldn't contain her smile when she spotted them. She gave them both a quick hug, but as she pulled away from Bucky he kept hold of her hand. Not for the first time, his touch made it feel as though there was electricity coursing through her.

Sam disappeared into the living room and Bucky followed Ella into the kitchen, where he set his beers down on the island and pulled out a bottle. Ella refilled the three wine glasses she'd brought in with her, but before she could take them in to her friends, Bucky came and stood behind her, placing his hand on the small of her back. The touch made her flinch momentarily, his hand was cold against her skin.

She turned to face him, leaning back against the kitchen counter. He stayed standing close to her.

"I broke up with Christian" she whispered.

Bucky took a sip of his beer.

"I guessed. I'm sorry, it was the right thing to do though, wasn't it?" He said, gently.

"Yeah, but it still felt like shit," she sighed.

"I can imagine. Although I've never had to do that myself"

"Seriously? You've never broken up with someone?" She frowned, realizing they'd never discussed his love life. How have we managed to avoid that topic?

"Nope, I mean never had anyone to break up with" he answered. "I guess you could describe me as a serial casual dater, so no break-ups required."

"Really? How come you haven't casually dated anyone at school then?" Ella asked, despite the fact she was sure she already knew the answer. She just wanted confirmation.