JAMES
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" Wait that's not how it works," Joaquin says with his confused look before Sam laugh next to him.
" Well, it is how our Jenga games works, look the point is once you nailed without dropping anything you need to take a shot," Sam says with a laugh,
" See how our game night better than anyone now?" Steve chime in.
For a minute I laugh along with them because nothing gets in their way when it comes to shot games even when it seems like a mistake by the second right before Natasha walked into the room
" Drink up losers, I'm here now," She says as she walks closer, carrying two bottles in her hands," About time you shows up," Sharon grin gets wider as she leap off my side to walk up to Tasha," Blame my yoga instructor for that," Tasha roll her eyes as she hugs Sharon.
" Hey Nat," both Lang and Sam says in the same time, Joaquin gives a quick nod before I watch Tasha walk toward Steve and seattle down next to him, her eyes lurking over me." Barnes you look nice," she nods.
Leave it to Natasha for making a simple compliment sounds like a tease, it's one of her charm that she always had since college.
I smirk at her before I take the shot in my hand," You should've seen him twenty minutes ago, he looks like strays cat under the rain," Steve tell her,
" Oh really," I chuckle, throwing a piece of cashew towards him as I shift on the couch, leaning forward to the stack of Jenga in front of us.
I try to pull the twelve row on the left before it start to wobbly," Don't drop it babe," Sharon says as she claim her spot back next to me," When's the last time I dropped on this game," I say with a nod as soon as I take the wood piece off the stack neatly and take my first shot.
Game night has always been Steve and Nat's ideas since college and the four of us have all agreed to put it on our schedule even after more than eight years later, it's the one time all of us could truly let go off all the responsibilities for the night.
The game goes on and on even after Lang dropped the Jenga blocks on his fifth shot, we switch from one game to another and to the most random charades, everyone are laughing and drinking as if none of us needs to sober up before Monday morning.
" Buck you remember 2011, this is the song you lost a bet on," Sam laugh, Sharon gives a fake shocking face over me as she turn up the volume on the vinyl,
I blame on the alcohol for making my cheek feels hot and I start grinning by the embarrassing flashbacks,
" What are you betting on?" Sharon asks as she walks back to her seat, Natasha chuckles by the end of the couch," Two bottle of some cheap booze," Natasha says with a fake cough," For each of you so that makes eight bottles in total?" I say defensively, pouring two glass of whiskey by the mini bar, Sharon bright blue eyes gazing over me with an unreadable look, my lips curves just enough to broadcast my thoughts as I look away from her and swirl the ice in my glass.
" No, I remember you ordered twelve," Lang says looking up from where he is standing next to my bookshelf, I stop short as I look over him, not remembering that details myself.
" Who got the extra four?" Sharon chuckles taking me aback. " Spector," Steve says from his seat.
" Who's Spector?" Joaquin asks, finally looking away from the chest board on the table in front of him. I walk behind Joaquin as I hand Sharon the other glass on my hand," Oh yeah, Marc," Natasha says lightly with a grin," Gosh, I miss that guy," She says playfully toward Steve.
" You didn't tell me Marc's one of you guys," Sharon says looking up at me, grinning as she takes the sip on the whiskey," I think I've mentioned him a few times," I say with a shrug, Sharon shakes her head playfully," You know Marc?" Steve asks, looking over Sharon from his seat," Know in a way Bucky told me with some embarrassing stories a couple times," She says with a grin," Yeah well he wasn't around for long," Natasha says as she leans back on her seat,
" He moved to London before third semester," Natasha says with nods," We didn't really get along tho," Steve shrug a shoulder before he put his hand over Tasha's shoulder.
" Do you think he's still with Layla? " Sam chuckles as he takes the empty seat across Joaquin," Who knows, Sam, he's never been the get in touch type," Tasha chuckles," The sneaky bastard, he skipped class more than anyone else in the entire Harvard," Steve says with a laugh, Sharon chuckles along, her eyes looks at me with a more of understanding look.
Truth is Marc never really get along with the other, he never contacted anyone after he moved to UK- at least not until two years ago when he called for some business offering, I was with Sharon having lunch when he called and no one from the group knew how Marc and I been working on a side job here and there since.
" Wait, was it during open mic night?" Sam asks looking over Steve, " Open mic, really? who are you guys in college?" Joaquin laughs, I shake my head grinning as I try to pull the hazy memories of that night," I don't recall any of it?" I chuckle over Rogers, he looks at me for a seconds before Tasha chuckles," To be fair were basically wasted before you start pulling your Romeo card," She says with a laugh, shifting on her seat before she down the second beer followed with Rogers and Wilson laugh in the same time.
" Romeo card?" Lang asks, I force out a smile as a cold breeze swing over the back of my neck as I try to remember that detail of my past life, I remember the music, the bar and the hangover the next day- but I had no inkling of whatever Tasha was talking about the Romeo card. " ... He wrote his number to the woman behind the bar, you and Marc left earlier after the bet." Steve says with a grin before I blink back and get myself back together.
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It's almost 3:15 am when Joaquin call the night off, he and Sam leave first before Lang walks to his old truck, his friend Kurt just arrived five minutes ago after Lang made the call how he needs someone to drive him, part of me glad that he's sober enough to made that wise decisions and not bring up anything about our deal earlier throughout the night.
Everyone drives off my place leaving Rogers and I cleaning up the living room while both Tasha and Sharon are upstairs.
I'm on taking the third empty bottle off the carpet when Steve grin over me," It doesn't matter how old we get, it always the same mess," He chuckles, holding a trash bag in one hand, I grin as I take it off him and toss it to the trash cabinet behind the kitchen counter.
" You punk," Steve laugh," Jerk," I grin as we walk back to the living room. " You good?" He asks shortly, I glance over him before I nod my head once, " Yeah," I say hesitantly, " Remind me again about the open mic night," I chuckle shortly, leaning backward on my seat with the my third Macallan.
" What?" Steve says abruptly," I'm just curious how it went," I say looking over him, Steve chuckles as he slide an unopened beer from the side table and crack it open with his key, a trick I remember taught him when we were in high school.
" You know I don't remember much, Steve." I sigh as I lean forward to put the almost empty glass on the table, Steve expression growing serious the seconds he noticed I wasn't playing, him out of everyone in the group knows how much I don't remember most part of my past life.
Telling me about my accident, the whole injuries I had and my brain condition was the first thing Sharon said to me the first time we met.
She was one of the surgeons who took care of my injuries after the accident which caused me losing parts of my memories. I never remembered on what happened before the accident, but I remember when Steve told me it was a single car accident, caused by a malfunction on the machine of my old Aston Martin.
Steve was the one few people in my life who was there the whole time, knowing of what I've really lost from that night. Both Lang and Sam only knew weeks after the accident since they both were having gap year in another state.
And to think back in time, Steve not only has been my business partner in the last decade but he also been my best friend who get me through out all of my thick and thin, none of them knew what I've really lost, except for Steve.
" I don't even remember who I was anymore,"
" I've got your back, always."
" You said you've got my back Steve," I sigh before I look up at him," Tell me how it went because between the bet and the music I don't recall anything else," I say just enough for him to hear," It was just another drunk night Buck," Steve chuckles before a sliver of guilt flashed through him as he looks over me," Okay fine I'm sorry, you were drunk and start hitting on the woman behind the counter, you bought extra two bottles for her before night got fucked," Steve sigh, I furrow my eyes when a memory come in a blur, the music, the stairs I climbed down to the bar-
" What else happened?" I say as I drag my eyes away from the glass in front of me to find Steve staring from his seat," Her husband happened to be one of the security in that club, next thing you two were fighting," He says with a grin back on his face, probably remembering more details I didn't know.
" Don't worry, it wasn't a big thing," Steve sigh before he swing the bottle and empty it," Besides it happened almost a decade ago, we were drunk and stupid just let it go, I have." He chuckles, still holding the now empty beer bottle in his hand.
" Well it just not fun when one of you start talking about how wild we were in college as if it happened yesterday and I'm the only person who remembered it like a puzzle." I tell him with a half hearted grin, Steve looks at me as he chews his lip with a contemplative nod, " Maybe it's time to make more new memories," Steve says shifting off the couch, I hear him letting out a rush of breath as he walks up to my kitchen bar, opening the fridge that seems like Sharon might have just stacked up this evening.
" Starting with the woman who've been with you all these times," He says, closing the refrigerator before he leans in front of it. Steve chuckles as he rip open the cashew package, I run a hand behind my neck trying to relaxed the stiffness as I look away." You're not still looking for the thief are you?"
I look right at him when he says that, definitely wasn't expecting him to know any of it since we haven't been in contact since he went to his honeymoon. " Sharon told Nat about the ring and given what you told me before my trip," Steve shakes his head with a grin on his face that doesn't reach his eyes, I had a feeling of where Steve is going with this and I don't like it at all.
Steve stares at me as if he waits for the whole truth,
" I fucked up," I sigh out a rush of breath as I walk toward the top kitchen counter where I know Sharon put the vodka. I hear Steve scoffs under his breath as he walks behind me," You fucked up or you fucked someone on my wedding venue?" Steve says under his breath, fuck - He really heading straight off a cliff and I can't do anything to stop it.
I shake my head with a small laugh even though I don't consider any of it funny," You really think I'd go that far?" I sigh," I don't know Buck, you never told me what happened that night." He suggests.
" I did, back at the office," I pause, " It was just a harmless betting game on the suit," I lie.
" The point is I fucked up okay, we were just talking down the bar next thing I know I'm a target." I continue as I try to skip the elevator part. " I fucked up for forgetting the ring was in it." I continue with the rest of the truth," Is that why you weren't in the office today?" He eyes me suspiciously,
Shit, times like this it's really hard to decide where to stand because saying something else mean I'm lying to my best friend who knew me more than anyone else. But knowing Steve, I know it's only best to keep him out the loop, not with my deal between Sharon and I still stands.
" No," I sigh," That's not that, I was just visiting Dean's place," I continue before Steve nods," But you know how much that ring meant," I say under my breath I stop myself from saying anything else, I shouldn't have this conversation when I'm on lost count to how many Macallan I drink tonight.
" Look, Barnes I'm sure Maureen wouldn't mind your future wife to wear a different ring, Man," He says before I look up at him," Tell you what we can hit the store I bought my wedding ring from tomorrow," Steve says with a pad over my shoulder before I hear footsteps approaching on the stairs.
" Wanna hit the road?" Tasha asks with a nod toward Steve, Sharon walks behind her with hands behind crossing over her chest. " You bet," Steve says as he grin and hand me the empty cashew bag, " I told her you two should've stay the night," Sharon says," Yeah, I'm afraid that's not happening tonight," Steve chuckles as he put an arm over tasha's shoulder,
" But we'll see you two tomorrow at dinner," Tasha nods, taking Steve's arm in her. I walk back inside and set the alarm behind me the second Steve's car drive off the corner street.
" Tonight's really fun," Sharon says as she stop short and turn around," Yeah," I nod shortly, she holds her eyes on me before letting a gentle smile on her face that I haven't seen in a while," Did you had fun? I did," She grins teasingly, walking closer before she put her hands on my shoulder.
With a five years long of habit, I put a hand behind her waist and take her closer, closing the space between us for a moment," I did," I say shortly as I try to let out a smile that I know doesn't really reach my eyes fully.
" Come on, it's late," Sharon says with a smile," We should go to bed," She whispers, " You go up first, I need to check on some emails first," I try to say it casually but it just came out like a decline because Sharon let out a sigh of breath, letting go off my hands as she take a step backward.
" I'm starting to feel like our deal is meaningless," Sharon says with an obvious frustration," I just can't think of what would happen if by the end of it you ended up not marrying me." she crosses her hands over her chests with another step backward, just enough to create space between us.
I take the time to look over her as the sight of her with the bouquet from earlier flashes over my eyes,
" Shouldn't I be the one to say that?" I mutter,
" What?" Sharon asks quickly before I find her eyes, she stares at me for what feels like a while right before she nods," You saw," She says, I shrug a shoulder as walk closer," Well it doesn't matter now," I shakes my head as I say it.
" Look, these past two week hasn't been the best for us and I'm sorry for how I've been reacting," Lifting her face slightly just enough for her to look at me as I look down at her," And you're right about the ring, I'm sorry," I pause," I'll get all the ring you want,"
Sharon let out a sigh as I press a kiss against the top of her head, " Why did you followed me into the ER earlier?" Sharon whispers, her voice soften as she asks the question, right before I hold her cheeks in my hands." Because I didn't like how we ended things back in the car." I say as I close the space between us.
" Of course I still want to marry you," I say with a nod," I've asked you once and I'll ask you to marry me again if I have to," Sharon holds my hand when I say it and let out a sigh of relief before I lean and take her lips.
Pulling her closer as I move my hands from her face to her waist before I settle under her thighs, lifting her off the ground. She grins against my mouth, hands above my head as she pulls closer," Where are.." She says panting before I put her up above the desk between the bookshelf in our office room," Stay put," I demand," Leave it off," Sharon says before I start walking back to the light switch," As you wish," I pull the corner of my mouth as she lets me snap open the the light blue silk shirt off her, she laughs when I frantically remove my shirt caught on the small hook beside the bookshelf when I fling it away.
We're situated perfectly with her back against the wooden shelf and her feet hanging off the floor. I slides my hands behind her back, turning our kiss into a mixture of heat and the cold breeze from the open window.
I pull away and leave the warmth on her skin as I kneel down, taking one of her feet up my thigh watching her lean her head back, relaxing and letting me to take over. A shiver run on her skin as I take my times kissing every part of her leading to the smooth soft skin of her shoulder.
" Barnes," She says with a breathless voice, her breaths rushes in and out before she wrap her thighs around my waist and I lift her off the desk, " Screw the deal, babe," She says against my mouth before she start taking it back to hers, I smirk, moving my hands to her ass before I squeeze them.
I pin her back against the bookshelf, knocking a few books off to the ground but none of us care to mind how loud this would be.
" As you wish,"