HAPPY || b. barnes ✔️

008

• • •

"I want to paint down my memories, so I don't forget"

Sleeping with Sirens,
Save Me A Spark

• • •

C H A R L I E  thought about Bucky more often than she cared to. After she had joined him on her break, and they spent nearly half an hour in conversation, she started to admire him for the man that he was.

He was very quiet, as anyone with his past would be, but he found ways to contribute to the conversation that would almost always make her laugh or smile. She liked that about him.

And of course, his visits to the coffee shop soon became her favorite part of the day. They became more frequent too, and sometimes he would come later in the day so she could sit with him on her break.

He started to grow more comfortable with her, which she easily noticed. While their conversations were always friendly and happy, for the most part, Charlie did long to have a deeper and more meaningful conversation with him.

She wanted to know more about him. His favorite color, his favorite food, why he kept his hair past his shoulders, would he ever shave?

All of those questions seemed to circle her mind, not only when he would visit, but when she wasn't with him. She'd find herself thinking of him when she was helping Oliver with homework, or making dinner, or even when she was trying to sleep.

She hadn't felt such a curiosity for a person in a long time; she had forgotten what it felt like.

When Charlie arrived to work on the Friday before Halloween, huddled underneath a jacket, she was warm with excitement about seeing Bucky Barnes again. While she had seen him just yesterday, she was still excited.

And Addie picked up on it as soon as she saw Charlie.

"Someone's excited today."

Charlie gave her a look before she walked around the counter and disappeared into the back to hang up her belongings.

After greeting Leigh and Harry, Charlie walked back up to the front while tying her apron. "I don't want to hear anything about it."

Addie leaned against the counter, her fingers playing with the ends of the dreads she had taken hours to perfectly set. "I'm just saying, girl. You've been in a good mood lately. It's cute."

Pursing her lips, Charlie started to work at counting one of the registers. "I'm always in a good mood."

"Mhm. Sure. Being happy looks good on you, Charlie." That was the last thing Addie said before she was forced to help a new customer.

Charlie froze for a moment, her fingers threaded through a few dollar bills. She did feel happy, and that was a strange feeling for her. Happiness was still an odd feeling for her to have. After the five years she had spent nearly alone, and the fact that it had only been six months since the blip, things were still in an adjustment period.

But Addie was right, happiness did look good on Charlie. She hoped it would stay that way.

That hope diminished a few hours later when the single person she didn't want to see most in the world walked through the glass door.

Noah looked nervous, and in his hands was a bouquet of red roses. A thick black jacket wrapped around his body and his cheeks had reddened from the cold weather.

Charlie was immediately filled with a state of anger and frustration; as well as a small amount of flattery. But she didn't focus on that, she only focused on the anger part of it.

"I told you, you can't come here," Charlie yelled at him when they stepped outside.

"I can't stop thinking about you. It's not fair. I didn't ask to leave, how could you want to end something without an actual ending?"

A frustrated hand ran through the loosely curled bangs that sat on the top of Charlie's forehead. "Because, Noah. I am not the same person I was five years ago. And not for nothing, but I was planning on breaking up with you anyway. You hurt me, Noah."

"It was a mistake."

"It wasn't a mistake!" Charlie yelled.

Noah looked down for a moment. "I love you."

"I can't do this again. I'm serious. If you come back again I'm calling the cops. Last warning." Then she brushed past him and walked back into the shop.

There were a few tears in her eyes, mostly from embarrassment. But Charlie pushed on because she had a job to do and money to make.

• • •

Charlie Grant had never been when lunchtime rolled around and she was able to finally take her break. She grabbed a bagel and lined it with peanut butter this time around, before getting her water bottle and making her way out of the back room.

Bucky Barnes was sitting at the table, where he had been for almost an hour now. A few papers were sat in front of him but when he saw Charlie coming he shuffled them away.

She smiled when she sat down across from him and immediately started to eat her lunch.

"I'm so fucking hungry." She grumbled to herself. "Oliver was a pain to get out of bed this morning. I didn't get to eat breakfast."

"You should eat more than a bagel then."

"Yeah, probably. But then that requires me to go somewhere on my break and I would rather just sit here and do nothing."

"You have told me that you're lazy." Bucky tried not to smile.

"I am, so terribly lazy," Charlie said. "I have to train someone new on Monday. I hate training. It's so annoying."

Bucky smiled for real this time, as Charlie went on to complain about her job and how much she'd rather stay in bed all day. He admired the way she talked, how she swore too much, and how she would play with her hair when she talked.

He found her adorable.

How was your guy's day?? I hope they went well ily 🖤 Thank you so much for your votes and comments I love every single one of them

updated 8.17