In My Eyes

Ch•19- Connected

          "I noticed something else" Friday said "there seems to be a pattern in the photos. He walked by the same street light camera at least once a day"

          "So he must live over in that area" I put two and two together. So if we go there, we might be able to find him.

                                    ***

           It was sunset now, and I was standing outside the door of an apartment complex. It took a long time for me to find this place. A few chats with the locals, even though I barely spoke the language. I used basics, I spoke with a small fruit stand owner, apparently a man who looks similar to the one in the photo purchases fruit a few times a week there.

          I went to each apartment with in a two miles radius and asked a manager from each complex if he lives here. It must have been weird to see a teenage girl with thick sunglasses randomly walk in through your door and approach you with a shady cell phone photo.

          One of them asked me why I was looking for him, and I awkwardly responded with "he uh.... uh... won a contest, he won a contest for having the best hair and he left before winning his prize"

He seemed to believe me.

          Anyway, hours later, here I am. The last person I asked told me he lived here. And he even gave me his room number. That wasn't the smartest thing for an apartment manager to do because that's a violation of privacy, but whatever. It's not like I'm a weird stalker person, right? Right?

          I curled up my fist and knocked on the door. No answer. I knocked again. Someone fumbled on the other side of the door. My heart was beating fast. Shadows at the crack of the door on the floor grew closer. They stopped and stayed in place. There was a peep whole in the door. I raised my sunglasses over my eyes and stuck my eye in front of the circle "I'm not the police or anything, just open up"

           The door opened up a crack, I fixed my eyes on blue ones that stared back on me "leave now" he spoke in Romanian and shut the door.

          "I know Steve" I crossed my arms over my chest. The door slowly reopened. Bucky stood on the other side, his hand on the wall. His hat wasn't on and he wore old, worn-down clothes. I shoved my hands in my jacket pockets "Steve Rogers? You know him, right?" Steve told me that Bucky lost his memory a long time ago.

"That famous Captain guy?"

"Does he mean anything to you?"

"No"

          "Then why did you open the door when I said his name?" I leaned forward on my feet. His mouth fell open slightly, I stumped him "I need to talk to you Bucky"

         "Leave me alone" he grunted, about to shut the door. I put my hand on the door and held it open "Stop!" He yelled.

        "My name is Jessi Stark" I pushed back against the door. My name caught him off guard, he stepped back from the door and I was able to open it all the way. I stood in the doorway, my hands fell down to my side. I pulled off my beanie and let my hair loose. He took a step away.

          "My Grandfather is Howard Stark, and I'm sure you've heard of Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man" Bucky didn't nod or say yes, but I could see it in his eyes that he knew what I was talking about "I'm close friends with Steve, I know that you know him. He's told me a lot about you"

"Does he know you're here?" Bucky asked, sounding almost afraid to hear the answer.

        "No" I shook my head "nobody does. My Aunt knows I'm somewhere in the city but she doesn't know my exact location"