7 Days

Ten

Bucky tried to enjoy the reception as much as he could, but in the end, he just couldn't. There was no way he was sleeping in the same bed as Ava that night. He wouldn't do that to her. So he pulled Sam to the side and asked him if he could crash in his room for the night. 

"Why?"

Bucky rolled his eyes. "It's nothing."

"Then no, you cannot sleep in my room."

"Dude!" Bucky scoffed. "C'mon. It's the last night. Don't be like this."

Sam eyed him suspiciously before agreeing to let him sleep in the room. Bucky even offered to sleep on the floor but Sam would not agree to that. He let Bucky know that he would sleep in the bed whether he liked it or not. There was no way Bucky would be sleeping on the carpeted floor.

The party seemed neverending, causing Bucky to swim in an internal ocean of anxiety. He couldn't handle being around everyone so he asked Sam if he could take the key and head up to the room. He gave Bucky the key and clapped his hand on his shoulder, giving him a worried look.

"It's nothing." Bucky grinned sadly before disappearing from the party and heading to Sam's room.

After kicking off his shoes, he laid on the sofa that Sam's room was equipped with. A sigh escaped his lips as his body fell against the hard cushions. He replayed every moment he had with Ava in his head. 

This was all so stupid. He was being friendly with Sharon. That was it. If anyone was flirting with Sharon it was Sam! Bucky knew better and he didn't even like Sharon like that. God, if he could go back in time he would.

He wasn't sure when he fell asleep but he woke up to the sound of an alarm clock. It was annoying but not as annoying as Sam calling out to Bucky. 

"What?" Bucky grumbled, eyes still shut.

"You gotta get up, dude. We gotta get to the airport in a couple of hours and you still have to go and get your shit."

Bucky groaned, turning on his side to hide his face against the back of the couch. He mumbled something under his breath that even he couldn't understand. He didn't want to go back to the room. He didn't want to go back home without making it right. He didn't want to leave paradise on a bad note.

"C'mon, Barnes. You're just gonna have to tough it out."

Bucky took a large breath before finally sitting up and stretching. He spotted his shoes and slipped them on before bidding goodbye to Sam and heading back to the shared room with Ava. Every footstep felt heavier than the last and sweat gathered on the back of his neck. He didn't know what to say or what to do.

When he finally got to the door, he knocked before swiping the door key. The room was quiet and clean. As he walked in further, he realized Ava was not there and neither were her belongings. She had left the room before him. Maybe she didn't want to see him. 

So Bucky sadly packed his things up before taking a shower and changing into more comfortable clothes. After double-checking the room, he headed downstairs to the lobby to return the room key.

He spotted Clint and Natasha, drinking one last time before leaving and decided to hang out with them until it was time to go. Bucky ordered a beer, almost chugging it in two seconds. Clint watched him warily while Natasha raised a brow. She knew Bucky well enough to know something was not right.

"Where's Ava?" Natasha asked, quickly noticing the change of facial expression.

"Might be with Peggy," Bucky shrugged.

"Hmmm... but Peggy already left with Steve for their honeymoon..." Natasha trailed off.

Bucky  blushed, "Oh... well... um..."

"What happened last night?" Natasha cut him off before he dug himself into an even deeper hole.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well... Ava left the second everyone started dancing," Clint spoke up.

So they had noticed, Bucky thought to himself.

"And you weren't in the room when I went to go check up on her," Natasha took a sip of her drink.

Bucky drummed his fingers against the bartop, nodding. He could either dig himself a little deeper or tell them what had happened. So he decided to come clean. Of course, the story was short and to the point. They didn't need all the details. When he finished he couldn't look his friends in the eyes. He heard Clint sigh and Natasha's stare was creating a hole on the side of his head. 

"So what are you going to do now?" Natasha asked Bucky. Sure, he might have been oblivious to Ava's feelings and vice versa but who wasn't when they were starting to figure it out?

"I want to make it right," Bucky replied honestly. "And I explained to her that I don't like Sharon like that. I... just don't know what else I can say or do..."

A beat of silence passed before Bucky spoke up again. "It's weird because I've known her for like two years, right? And this week has been so special for me. I've realized that I'm in love with her—I've been in love with her. I just want to talk to her. But I don't think she wants to even see me."

—

Everyone checked out of the resort by  1 PM and were now piling into the two vans that Peggy and Steve had contracted to pick up their friends and take them to the airport. Ava had appeared right before they took off but was talking to Wanda and didn't leave her side. Bucky wasn't going to pull her away and cause a show. He would just have to wait.

Once they were sitting in the plane, he realized that Ava had switched her seat with Sam. He looked over at Bucky with a sad smile but Bucky just shrugged him off. He put on his earphones and closed his eyes, trying to dream of better times.

They landed in New York about 3 hours later. Bucky had slept through the entire flight and was even snoring according to Sam. But Bucky didn't quite entirely believe him due to the smirk Sam was wearing when he told him.

Everyone shuffled off the plane and headed to the baggage pick up belts. One by one, each person began to grab their luggage. Clint and Natasha left first, then Wanda, and Sam following behind a couple of minutes later. The only ones left were Bucky and Ava.

Ava stood a couple of feet away from Bucky with her arms crossed over her chest and face stoic. Bucky's hands were tucked into his front jean pockets as he rolled back and forth on the balls of his feet. 

He spotted Ava's luggage and stepped forward to pull it off the belt. When he went to grab it, his hand crashed with Ava's.

"I got it," Ava mumbled.

"Ava," Bucky sighed. "Can we talk?"

She yanked her suitcase off the belt and set it down in between her and Bucky. She was still upset—more at herself than anything. But her pride was terrible and she wouldn't let him know that.

"You have 5 minutes."

"I'm sorry," he started. "I'm sorry that I made you think that I had a thing for Sharon. I'm sorry that I didn't handle this whole situation in a more mature way. Just because I love you doesn't mean that it justifies me hurting your feelings. I'm truly sorry that I hurt you."

Ava blinked, swallowing hard and hoping Bucky didn't notice that she was trying to hold back the tears. 

"I want to work this out. If you need more time, I understand. I just... talk to me, Ava."

She inhaled slowly, trying to gather herself. "I can't do this right here, right now. I have some things I have to work on personally. I'm more than willing to talk to you some time down the line but this just isn't the time, Bucky. I'm sorry."

With one last look at each other, Ava grabbed her suitcase and walked away leaving Bucky to wonder if she would ever come back around again.