Flashlight
Chapter three
Wanda sat quietly on your couch watching you pace around the living room while you told her about Bucky's apology and the feelings that the words had evoked in you. They still confused you. For a while you thought that you were getting over him, but having him this close had proven otherwise. His admission that seeing you was hard on him as well, made the whole situation even more difficult. Confusion, heartache, anger and sadness all whirled around in your head. That was where the pacing had come in, it was simply impossible to keep still.
Wanda looked apologetic as she carefully watched you, not saying a word as you kept moving, talking her through the moment of interaction repeatedly. It wasn't until you finally stopped talking, stopped repeating the same words over and over again, that she spoke.
"You never got closure, of course those feelings are still there." she stated simply, sighing as a tears began to slip from your eyes. She stood up and wiped them away, pulling you into a hug.
"It's okay to be confused, or angry or sad, even all of them together. It's understandable," she whispered, rubbing her hand in circular motions over your back as she held you close. You couldn't help but sniffle at her words. Your heart feeling heavy as it beat loudly in your chest. When was this going to get easier?
"At some point, you'll have to talk to him about this," Wanda pointed out and you knew she was right. Nothing had been resolved, how were you supposed to move on? When Bucky left, you had thought he'd be back in a little while. Then weeks turned into months and months turned into years, leaving you broken and disillusioned.
"Unfortunately, today is not that day" Wanda said, apologetic once more, as she pulled away, "Today we have a party, one we need to get ready for sooner rather than later," she added and you nodded as you wiped a hand over your face.
Moving to the bathroom, you bent over the sink and splashed water in your face. Wanda followed, handing you a towel as she leaned against the countertop. Her eyes fixed on your face, watching intently. You knew she was checking for more tears.
"Sure you're up for it?" She wondered after a moment of silence and you offered her the best smile you could muster. Natasha deserved a great day out with her friends. You were not going to mess that up for her. Taking a deep breath, you thanked Wanda for offering up her shoulder for you to cry on, before you moved around the bathroom and got your make-up out. It was time to remove the running mascara from your cheeks and surprise your friend.
A short while later the large group, consisting of ten women and eight men, rang the doorbell at the apartment of the unsuspecting couple. Excited giggling echoed as the group was stood the narrow hallway.
The door opened quickly, revealing Clint on the other side, who feigned surprise at the appearance of the group. He stepped aside with a big grin on his face, allowing the group to enter the apartment. On the couch was Natasha, dressed to kill and you immediately knew that she had figured out her surprise long before you got there. You should have known that keeping a secret from the woman would be impossible. How she managed to do it, you didn't know, but in all the years that the two of you had been friends, you had never been able to get anything past her.
"Who told you?" You asked out loud trying to look stern and Natasha laughed mischievously, not answering the question. Everyone looked around, wondering if the culprit was amongst them. It didn't matter, not really. It would not stop anyone from having an amazing day. Shaking your head with a smile, you held out your hand, pulling her up as she took it.
Waving a quick goodbye to the men, you pulled Natasha out of the apartment as Wanda quickly grabbed her coat and handbag. Downstairs a large black Hummer limousine was waiting for them and Natasha jumped up and down giddily. At least that part seemed to be a surprise. Laughing at her happy reaction, you opened the door and waved everyone in.
When everyone had taken a seat, Wanda moved quickly, handing everyone a glass of champagne to share a toast on Natasha's happiness. As the cheers died down, all eyes turned to you, waiting for the itinerary for the day.
You chuckled at the sight of the eager women before retrieving a piece of paper from your bag. On it stood the entire day planned out, though you were not about to give them all the information. Instead, during your brainstorm sessions with Wanda and Maria, you had all decided to give the women one schedule item at a time. You hoped to create a fun-filled surprising day for everyone.
"Okay ladies, first stop is a vanity inducing photoshoot. We will be arriving in about 15 minutes, so have a drink and relax," you explained and several mirrors were pulled from purses to check up on make-up.
"Don't worry girls, we've got plenty of time for some finishing touches, as well as room to change," Maria smiled, glancing around the group. Relief fell over the giggling group after her announcement and everyone went back to chatting.
While most of the other women were catching up, Maria, Wanda and you were watching Natasha closely. She was staring out the window, a smile stretched on her face as she noticed just where the driver was taking the group.
"The beach?" She asked, eager for confirmation. You only nodded and her smile grew. She always did love the ocean, it had seemed the only place for this shoot. A quick glance was exchanged with Wanda and Maria as a weight was lifted off your shoulders. Despite the fact that all three of you knew Natasha better than anyone, there had been a small uncertainty that she would not like your plans. Her smile proved otherwise.
The sun was out, high in the sky, basking them all in the warm spring air as they spilled out from the car. Though the photoshoot itself would be on the beach, you had found a local beach club that was willing to put the whole group up. They had reserved a large table with easy access to the restrooms for everyone to get ready. Soon, make-up bags were pulled out and everyone got to work. Ahead of today everyone had received an email with the request to bring along a summery dress. For Natasha, you had been able to sneak one out of her closet one evening while she was busy cooking.
The shoot was incredibly fun, carefree and every single person in the group looked amazing. Everyone was smiling, laughing and overall relaxed. The photographer had a wonderful sense of humour and managed to keep the atmosphere light. By the end of the photoshoot, everyone was trying to brush off the sand that managed to get all over their dresses. The group then turned their attention to you again as you instructed them to change into loose fitting clothes, the second outfit of the day.
With everyone back in the car, Wanda prepared the group for the following hour and a half, in which they would get more active. More champagne was distributed and the laughter got a little louder. The same voices died down quickly, as the car stopped in front of a gym, everyone wondering what the plan was.
Smirking, you ushered them inside where you were greeted by an instructor. The woman, who introduced herself as Aliyaah, quickly began to explain her class. Pole dancing. Not long after, everyone gave it their best try with Aliyaah's help. It was safe to say that most of the women in the group were not made for a career in dancing, let alone pole dancing. Most only managing to move around it with their feet placed firmly on the ground, laughing loudly as they did so. Perhaps the amount of alcohol already consumed didn't really help matters either.
Luckily no injuries occurred and after a quick shower and a last outfit change, everyone moved to the restaurant two doors down from the gym. There, an array of starters was already waiting for them. Famished from the work-out, everyone was happy to sit down and eat.
When the food was gone and another two hours had come and gone, the women filed back into the waiting car. It drove them back into the city centre where they would commence their bar crawl, after dropping their bags off. By now at least half of the group was already far too loud and unable to stop laughing long enough to have a meaningful conversation. And everyone seemed to be having a good time. Every laugh seemed to chip away at the weight you had been carrying on your shoulders. Finally you could accept that the day had gone off without a hitch. It had been a success, you could stop stressing. Almost at least, you wouldn't fully relax until your head hit your pillow tonight.
Entering the first place, Maria immediately went over to the bar and ordered shots for the whole group. Soon enough, Natasha was dancing with her cousin, Carol, and some of the other women while you wondered about the right amount of time to spend at any given bar. Maria shrugged at your pondering, figuring that you'd move if the group began to get bored.
That was the reason it took another hour at least for the group to re-assemble and move to the next bar, a decision that had been made upon Natasha's request. You should have known she had something up her sleeve at that point, but you all followed her to the next bar, oblivious to her intentions.
It wasn't until she took off at a run, inside the bar and jumped into the waiting arms of her fiancé, that you caught on to her ploy. Shaking your head with a smile with a smile etched on your lips, you turned around to see the rest of the group laughing at what just happened and you shrugged, laughing along with them. Might as well enjoy hanging out with the men. Maria winked at you, before happily joining her boyfriend at the bar, accepting the drink he was already ordering for her.
Walking over to the bar yourself, you waited patiently for the bartender to notice you and ordered yourself a drink. As you waited for the drink to be served, you took a deep breath and looked around the bar, seeing most of the people in your combined group already dancing and enjoying themselves. The day really had been great and there was nothing more planned. Rolling your shoulders back and stretching your neck, you smiled as the tension eased out of your body.
"Weight of your shoulders?" An all too familiar gruff voice asked from behind you and you sighed, basking in the scent that seemed to surround him even in this crowded place.
"Well you know me, I can't truly relax until it's done." your perfectionism often keeping you on edge. Which was why you were so grateful for Maria and Wanda today, they usually knew just what to say to keep you calm and turned to look at Bucky as he stepped up next to you, a small smile played on his lips as he nodded at your answer. He knew this about you very well.
This man used to be your calm, but now his mere presence made you tense. Standing close to him, you could feel the heat radiating off of him and you were tempted to reach out and touch him. However, you feared that it would only scare him off, so you refrained from doing so. Instead you settled for the intense sense of happiness that flowed through you, because of the simple fact that he had chosen to approach you when he didn't have to do so.
"How are you holding up?" you asked and he shrugged.
It was only then that you noticed that he had been practically hidden in a quieter corner of the place, behind the circular bar. There weren't too many people on this side of the bar since it was more narrow. He had probably chosen the spot because if that little factoid.
"Taking care of yourself?" You added, turning away only to grab your glass as it was placed behind you, focusing on him again. He shuffled on his feet, hands pushed into his pants pockets and his eyes on the floor.
"Sure" was his only answer, before Carol called out to you, distracting you for a single moment. As you turned to respond, Bucky was quick to sneak off.
With a sigh, you shook your head and resigned on the fact that it was all the conversation you were going to get. As you tried to push Bucky from your mind, you moved towards Carol, Natasha and Wanda who danced wildly to the musical beat that shook the floor as it poured from the sound-system.
A/N: Another huge thank you to the wonderful beanstalk007 on Tumblr for helping me with this chapter!
And as always, feedback is greatly appreciated! And if you want to get tagged, let me know.
