She Was There First
"Really, come on now, Steve. It won't be that bad, I promise!"
Steve looked up from the ground and gave Bucky the flattest, most unimpressed, 'are-you-serious' look he could muster. He struggled to keep up with Bucky's long strides, shuffling along after him as best he could with the taller of the pair's arm draped over his narrow shoulders. He couldn't believe he'd actually agreed to this, cursing that smile that Bucky could flash and bend people to his will no questions asked, considering backing out at the last minute, but being dragged back in by the pleading look on his friend's face. He knew that he couldn't say no to Bucky, and the crafty son of a bitch knew it too. "Trust on this, will you? It'll be fun! How bad could one night be? Just you, me, and a room full of attractive girls to dance with," Bucky said, putting some extra pep in his step with each word.
"That might not be a problem for you, Buck, but I'm pretty sure you've noticed that girls aren't exactly lining up to dance with a guy they might step on," murmured Steve, resisting the urge to shrink back as they neared the bright lights of the dance parlor a mere stone's throw down the street. "Don't be that way. I'm sure you'll find some lovely young lady to sweep off her feet in there. And if not," he ruffled Steve's hair good-naturedly, "you can always dance with me!" Steve shoved him away, grinning in spite of himself. "Yeah, right. Like I would be caught dead dancing with you. I'd never find a girl to dance with then," he said, resuming his walk alone. Bucky chuckled softly as they entered the fray of people clamoring to get inside the parlor. "Just stick by me. A couple of handsome scrappers like us? The dames'll come running straight for us."
In Bucky's defense, he wasn't wrong, per say. The minute the both of them entered, they headed straight into the crowd of mingling dancers, and true to Bucky's word, a number of different girls had wandered by, giggling, winking and expressing their availability to dance with him. Just him. "What am I; chopped liver?" Steve mumbled, standing awkwardly to the side as a cute redhead chatted up Bucky. It was almost as if he were a stone in the middle of the river: everyone went around him, or worse; just walked right into him as if they didn't even see him. He was pretty sure that he'd been jostled senseless by nearly every girl who walked bay, bumping into his shoulders, stumbling to get around him, none of them apologizing. Bucky happened to glance back at him with a smile on his face, and Steve had to plaster a fake one on for him, shrugging his shoulders half-heartedly. Bucky went back to the redhead, once again leaving Steve alone in the crowd.
Bored with just standing around being awkward, Steve looked for something else to do. He wandered around the parlor, trying his hardest not to get stepped on by all the busy dancers. He didn't expect to see anyone he might know sans Bucky, nor did he think he would be making acquaintances with anyone there. Halfway around the parlor, he realized he'd picked a terrible moment to go wandering around alone. The music picked up in tempo and with it, the dancers followed suit, stomping and spinning and swinging. All around him, Steve was smashed into walls or other dancers, staggering around getting his toes stepped on, and once, getting elbowed in the side of the head by accident. By the time her returned to the spot where he'd left Bucky, he had been battered and bruised as though he'd been in a fight…and where was Bucky?!
Steve spun in a circle, an exasperated look on his face, desperately searching for Bucky. He was so ready to leave the parlor and just go home, just leave Bucky here with his sudden abundance of dancing partners, but he knew that if he just disappeared, Bucky would have a heart attack, thinking something had happened to him. He sighed heavily, rolling his eyes skyward. He wasn't even sure where he was and he certainly couldn't see through the throngs of people swaying and swirling about. He was dreading the thought of having to dive back within the crowd to look for Bucky, but was saved by the sound of his name over the music and shouts of the other dancers. "Steve!"
He whirled around to find Bucky weaving his way towards him through the crowd, a sweet-looking brunette in tow. She wore a red dress and matching saddle shoes, her hair pinned and pulled over her shoulders to keep it away from her face. From behind Bucky's broad shoulders, she seemed to notice Steve and smiled, her eyes crinkling and a giggle escaping her lips. Steve frowned. He just knew that she was thinking, 'oh, this poor, pitiful looking kid. He looks like a stringbean.' Bucky stopped short in front of Steve, swinging the brunette out for Steve to see. "Steve, this is Eliza Berry," he said breathlessly. His normally well-kept hair was slightly swept out of place and it was clear that both of them were breathing pretty hard. They must've been dancing; Steve wondered if they had been one of the couples who had stepped on his toes or knocked him into the walls.
Eliza reached out her hand, the smile still on her face. "Nice to meet you, Steve," she said. Her voice sounded like laughter in a bottle, always ready to burst into a fit of giggles at some point. It was nice. Steve shook her hand with a small grin. "Nice to meet you too, Eliza-"
He'd barely gotten the words out of his mouth before he found himself being swept away in a circle, Eliza's arm over his shoulder, her hand in his. Eliza smiled back at Bucky, who stood laughing, looking surprised as she danced away with Steve. "I'm gonna steal him away from you, alright?" she called over the music, winking at Bucky. Steve glanced his way, a slightly frightened look in his eyes. "Take good care of him!" Bucky simply called back. Eliza dragged him towards a scarcely available spot and grabbed his arms. She threw one over her shoulder, having to lean down just a bit so he could reach, and wrapped the other arm around her waist. "Ready?" she beamed, swinging her hips with the music. Steve stared up at her, a little intimidated by her height. She had at least a foot on him, and was still shorter than Bucky when they stood side by side. Eliza spun them, twirling out and nearly dragging Steve with her had he not dug his heels into the floor. She twirled back towards him and Steve had enough sense to catch her, albeit stumbling a bit.
"Whatsa matter? Don't you know the Lindy?" Eliza asked over the live music, a confused smile on her face. Steve shook his head, staring at her like a deer caught in headlights. "N-not really. I don't dance much." Eliza giggled. "You wanna take it slow for a bit, Shortbread?" Steve raised an eyebrow at her nickname and she laughed again. She repositioned his hands on her waist and shoulder and began a slow sway with him, something that he could keep up with. Around them, dancing pairs faltered a step, eyebrows raised at the two of them dancing out of sync with the music.
"People are staring at us," Steve said glancing past her arms. "That's alright. I'm more concerned with dancing with you, Shortbread," Eliza said, continuing their impromptu forward-step, backward-step dance routine. "You didn't strike me as the type of guy to care what other people thought of you. The way Bucky was talking about you, I pictured you being…" she trailed off, looking thoughtful.
"Taller?" Steve offered with a small, nervous smile. Eliza laughed, a genuine, hearty one that threw her head back and pulled her smile from ear to ear. "No, one-in-a-million, Steve," she said. "Wish I had guys like you in Oklahoma!" The music slowly descended into a slower, more manageable pace, better suited to Eliza and Steve's dancing. The other dancers seemed to move just as the music did, suddenly becoming less energetic and more fluid. "Ah. There we go. Now we're the new fad," said Eliza winking at Steve. Steve relaxed, unaware that he had been so stiff. "Stubborn, headstrong, don't know when to quit," Eliza continued, listing the things she'd heard Bucky praise Steve for. Steve gave her a sheepish grin when she raised an eyebrow at him and his list of traits. "Big-hearted, caring, selfless, level-headed, a real sweet kid, compassionate, kind…and not a bad cook either, I'm told." Steve laughed, the tips of his ears burning red. He'd never heard anyone call him those things, save for his mother and Bucky on occasion if he was feeling particularly mushy. He still couldn't believe that Bucky had gushed about him so and to hear it relayed so endearingly from Eliza was almost a dream come true.
"He said that you would change the world, Shortbread," she added, removing her hand from his and poking a finger at his chest, "and with a heart like yours, I can't say that I don't doubt him. You've got great, big things bundled up in a little package, Steve, and I can't wait to see what you'll do with them in the future." Steve felt his knees turn to rubber, already knew that he must be as red as a tomato from Eliza's words, ducking his head under her gaze and grinning nervously from ear to ear. He glanced around them quickly, expecting to see Bucky somewhere watching, laughing, shooting him a thumbs up, probably even mouthing the words 'kiss her' to him from the over the shoulder of his own dancing partner. But Bucky was nowhere to be found. It seemed like it was only him and Eliza, and as weak-kneed and embarrassed as he was, he was alright with it.
His heart was pounding so fast that he worried about having an asthma attack right there on the dance floor, and each time he dared to look up at Eliza, he burned another degree hotter and took deep, deep breaths. Eliza paused in her dancing and furrowed her brow in concern. "Steve? Are you alright? Do you want to sit down?" Steve glanced up at her, saw the worry wetting over her green eyes and knew immediately that he didn't like seeing her that way. "M'fine. I'm fine. Just need to…" He waved his hand around as he searched for words. "Come on," Eliza said, taking his hand and pulling him through the sea of dancers.
Eliza led him through the front doors of the dance hall and settled them both against the outside wall underneath one of the windows. The music thrummed from the open doors and echoed into the street, even the sound of the singer's cover of Can't You See I'm Dreaming muffling its way through the glass above their heads. Steve breathed in the night air, thumping his head against the brick wall as he gulped in fresh air. Eliza fanned herself next to him with one painted hand. "Ugh. Didn't realize how stuffy it was in there till I came out here in this air. Felt like a Georgia heat wave in there." She looked down at Steve, her brows knit in concern. "You alright, Steve?" When he nodded, she smiled with relief. "Good. Hate to see you drop like a fly in there so soon after that wonderful dance." She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall and Steve stared at her. He was half-tempted to ask her if Bucky had put her up to this, being so…friendly and casual with him; he hadn't had the best of luck with women. Most of them didn't want anything to do with him and would only even glance in his direction if Bucky was by his side, god forbid they actually cast a greeting his way. He couldn't believe he had actually gotten this far with Eliza, a woman who was kind and friendly to him as she was beautiful. 'There is no way…' he thought to himself. Still, he wasn't complaining and even wondered if, by the end of the night, without any prompting from Bucky, he would actually gather up enough courage to kiss her. He smirked and chuckled softly to himself, shaking his head at his own thoughts. 'Yeah right. Fat chance; you'd have more luck tacking on a few pounds and shooting up like a beanstalk.'
Eliza yawned suddenly, covering her mouth with the back of her wrist. "Boy, I think I'm ready to call it a night and turn in. Would you believe I've been here at this dance hall for hours?"
"You've been dancing for that long?" Steve said, an eyebrow raised. His breath had been steadied and he could feel his heart settling in his chest. "Not really. I lost my date and was really just jumping from lonely partner to lonely partner. I suppose they left me." She stretched, raising her arms over her head. "That's alright though. I started having a great time when Bucky came sidling up to me, that beautiful smile on his face, asking me was I taken and could he 'have this dance?'" She turned to Steve. "Then he introduced me to you, and my night easily became the best dance I've ever had." Eliza sighed and glanced down the road. "But it's a shame it has to end. I'm working the early shift tomorrow; don't want to be falling asleep at the cash register. My boss would burst a blood vessel if he caught me using it as a pillow."
"Let me walk you home," Steve offered. Eliza looked ready to protest, but Steve spoke up. "I insist. I couldn't just let you walk home on these streets. I couldn't sleep if something happened to you on your way home." Eliza smiled so warmly at him that Steve felt his ears turning red under her gaze. "You're sweet, Shortbread," she said. "Alright. I accept your offer." She put forth her arm and Steve, after a moment of bewilderment at the gesture, accepted it, linking his arm in hers and keeping her graceful pace down the sidewalk.
Steve was in a dreamlike state as he walked down the sidewalk, his eyes settled into a thousand-yard stare for different reasons other than trauma or terror. Eliza was still on his mind, her laughter-in-a-bottle voice and warm, welcoming smile. He was pretty sure that if you took him by the shoulders and looked into his eyes, you could still see her face reflected in those blue orbs. Steve had never felt like this, but he knew that he knew what it was called. He was sure that he was lovestruck, and was sure that he didn't want to be snapped out of that trance.
"Steve!"
He heard his name, sharp and loud, from nearby. Bucky. He'd totally forgotten about Bucky. And there was the brunette then, jogging towards him from his spot outside the dance parlor, which was still alive even at-Steve checked his watch-nearly eleven at night. "Oh, hey…Bucky," he said slowly, knowing that he was in for in earful. "Where were you? I was looking everywhere for you!" Bucky demanded. His face was awash with an emotion somewhere between relief and anger. "Last time I saw you, you were with Eliza, then you just disappear from the whole building!" Steve nodded. "I was still with Eliza. I walked her home." He smiled brightly. Bucky stared at him in disbelief. "You walked her home? You walked her home for an hour?" Steve checked his watch again. "She lives far away. She came in a car, but her date left her there. I walked her home." Bucky ran his hand through his hair and looked heavenward. "Jesus, Steve. I thought you'd gotten into somebody's business again…had me checking every alley in sight…find out you're just fine with a girl-" He suddenly snapped his gaze back to Steve with wide eyes. "You were alone with a girl."
"A beautiful one," Steve added dreamily. Either Bucky ignored him or didn't hear, but he didn't comment on Steve's obvious puppy love. "You were alone with a girl, Steve. Did you dance with her? Did you kiss her?"
"She said it was the best dance of her life," Steve said, feeling his knees grow rubbery at the memory. Bucky cuffed him around the neck in the crook of his arm. "My God, Stevie, you did it! See? I told you tonight was gonna be a good night! I'm proud of you, you little punk; didn't think you had it in you!" Steve looked up at Bucky against his hands ruffling his hair. "Neither did I. You…um…" His voice trailed off quickly. "What?" Bucky said, releasing him. "You…this is gonna sound really stupid…you didn't set that whole thing with me and Eliza up, did you?" Bucky looked down at him, frowning at the look in Steve's eyes. He looked so worried about it all being too good to be true that it almost broke Bucky's heart. He knew that Steve had awful luck with women; they never wanted anything to do with him because of his height and how skinny and weak-looking he was. They never saw his giant heart and selfless nature, never fought with his stubbornness and been cheered up afterwards by his gentle innocence. If Eliza had been the first girl to give him that chance, and have him fall this hard for her, then who was he to tell him otherwise.
"'Course not, kid. You did that all on your own."
The worry disappeared from Steve's eyes and was replaced with relief and the original lovestruck gaze that he'd returned to the dance hall with. Bucky grinned and chuckled softly, draping his arm over Steve's shoulder. All was right with the world.
"So. When's the wedding?"