Meant to Be

November 22nd

"Do you have any good Thanksgiving plans?" Ella asked Bucky as she pulled her gym bag and coat out of her locker, swapping them for her books as she made her way to swim practice.

"Nothing special" he replied, sounding decisively unenthused.

Ella stepped back, closing her locker and looking over to him.

"Do you think it'll be strange without your dad?" Then she paused, "sorry, I don't know why I assumed you wouldn't see him. Correct me if I'm wrong."

Bucky's shoulders had dropped, and he was avoiding eye contact. He shook his head, "you're not wrong."

Their walk to the pool was unusually subdued. As much as Ella tried to get Bucky to talk, about literally anything else, she couldn't. His responses were monosyllabic at best. Feeling disheartened, Ella changed and jumped into the pool. Her conversation with Bucky had left a niggling feeling in her chest that she couldn't shake. She wondered if maybe she shouldn't have mentioned his dad, or conversely, maybe she should have gone further with the topic. Maybe he had wanted to talk about it. Her practice session went badly, to say the least. Usually being in the water cleared her mind, her focus on her performance pushed everything else aside. But now thoughts about Bucky took center stage.

After practice Ella waited by Bucky's car, when he and Steve left Steve shot her a quizzical look, "are you not coming home?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to talk to Bucky quickly," she replied.

Bucky smiled over at her, trying to hide his confusion, before turning to Steve.

"I'll bring her home when we're done I guess," he shrugged. Steve nodded in response.

When Bucky and Ella were in the car he wasted no time asking why she'd had accosted him.

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

Ella fidgeted in her seat, unsure how to broach the subject.

"Uhhh, I guess. I feel kind of silly so feel free to laugh at me if I am. I just wanted to check you were okay, when I brought up Thanksgiving and your dad you just seemed... a little off. I was just a little worried and I wanted you to know you can talk to me if you need to."

Bucky was surprised, he hadn't concealed his feelings as well as he'd hoped but he was surprised Ella had still picked up on how off he was feeling. But that being said, he wasn't up for talking about it.

"It's fine," he lied.

Ella leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder, not entirely convinced by his words. Bucky wrapped his arm around her and pressed a kiss into her hair. Three little words were playing on his mind, he chastised himself. They weren't even together yet. He shook his head, leaning forward to start his car. Ella sat upright as he did, but left her hand resting on the center console for Bucky to hold as he drove. He pulled away and quickly intertwined their fingers. He pulled her hand towards his lips and pressed a kiss into her knuckles. At that moment he felt nothing but exceptionally grateful to have Ella in his life.

Bucky drove to her house and parked up on the road, hoping for an offer to come inside. Of course, Ella was desperate to spend the evening with him, so she wasted no time inviting him in. Once they were inside she said hello to her parents, giving her mom a quick peck on the cheek as she cooked chili for burritos.

"You didn't eat yet?" Ella asked, surprised.

Her mom shook her head, "we thought it would be nice if we waited for you."

Ella couldn't be sure, but she thought Bucky's face might have dropped just a hint at her mom's comment. However, before anything more could come of it her mom spoke up.

Sarah looked over at Bucky, "would you like to stay for dinner?"

"If that's okay," Bucky replied, forcing a smile.

"Of course, you're always welcome." Sarah nodded and pulled another plate from the cupboard.

"I'll give you guys a shout when it's ready," she said as Ella and Bucky turned to head upstairs.

They passed Joe on the landing and gave them both a stern look.

"No funny business," he warned. Ella rolled her eyes, trying to ignore her dad's attempt to embarrass her.
Was he always this bad?

However, Bucky, wanting to stay in her parents' good books replied with a quick "yes, sir."

Ella pulled Bucky into her room, pushing the door closed behind her. She dropped her bag and books onto her desk, for a split second she considered telling Bucky she needed to do homework, but when she turned around and saw him laid on her bed, arms open and waiting for her, she quickly banished the thought. Ella kicked off her shoes and kneeled on top of Bucky, her long hair brushed across his face, tickling him. He let out a laugh and gathered her long, loose waves up in one hand, pulling them over her shoulder and out of the way. His other hand wrapped around the back of Ella's neck and pulled his lips towards his.

Their lips melted together and Bucky rolled over so Ella was laying next to him. His hand found a home on her waist, his fingers pressing into her supple skin. His tongue explored her mouth, and he felt his pants tighten as Ella let out a gentle moan as his tongue danced across hers. Ella's hands wrapped themselves into Bucky's soft curls, holding him close.

Being in Ella's room, on her bed was tempting both of them towards taking the next step, Bucky's hands were straying into unchartered territories, every move being spurred on by the breathlessness he was causing Ella. His hand trailed up her back until it reached her bra, he swiftly unclasped it before running his hand over her ribs. His thumb traced over her pert nipple, earning a soft moan from Ella.

However, their intimate moment was rudely interrupted by Steve barging into the room, announcing "dinner's ready."

Bucky pulled away as fast as he could, cringing to himself as he realized that it probably looked even worse than it was.

"For fuck's sake, Steve," Ella groaned, turning to look at her brother. "Whatever happened to knocking?"

"Oh, believe me, I won't make that mistake again," he replied, quickly stepping backward out of Ella's room, cheeks flushed.

"Sorry," Ella whispered, giving Bucky a quick kiss. "He's a pain in the ass sometimes."

Bucky nodded in agreement and they both made their way downstairs once Bucky had done up Ella's bra. He found it a lot more difficult than unhooking it. Ella shot Steve a death stare across the table to make sure he wouldn't mention the compromising position he'd spotted her and Bucky in. His pink cheeks were more likely to give the situation away than he was to say anything though.

Ella's parents were none the wiser, and quickly sparked a conversation with Bucky as they all tucked into the burritos. They asked him how school was going, how he was getting on with swimming, and finally, what his plans for Thanksgiving were. Bucky did much better hiding his emotions this time around, answering vaguely, "just the usual, we don't do anything special."

He shrugged as he said it, forcing a small smile. Ella watched him with eagle eyes, trying to decipher if he was hiding something. However, his comparatively more upbeat tone almost convinced Ella she had been worrying for nothing.

As tempted as Ella and Bucky were to pick up where they left off after dinner, Ella's parents were a little stricter on school nights and it was starting to get late. So as he was still trying to make a good impression, Bucky didn't stay long. As Ella saw him out she gave him a quick kiss.

"See you tomorrow," she said, already starting to miss him despite the fact he was still standing in her hallway.

When he was gone, Sarah walked over to her daughter. She'd been keeping an eye on Bucky and Ella from the kitchen. She wrapped her arm around Ella's shoulders and looked down at her with a smile.

"Is my little girl in love?" She teased.

Ella rolled her eyes at her mom's question, but all she could think was maybe just a little.