Chapter Eleven: Bucky's Brave New World
After a frustrating conversation with her publicist,
Casey, Sarah flung her phone across the bed in exasperation. She had hoped for
good news but was met with disappointment, and Lily's impending scrutiny only
added to her distress.
So once the team departed for their respective
missions, Sarah retreated to the common room, sinking into a sofa with a heavy
sigh. Tony's presence didn't go unnoticed, but Sarah was too preoccupied to
engage in small talk.
"I heard things went well at S.H.I.E.L.D. the
other day," Tony ventured, attempting to draw Sarah into conversation.
Sarah nodded wearily. "Yeah, despite my initial
reluctance, I actually found myself enjoying it. It wasn't exactly thrilling or
headline-worthy, but it was alright. It’s just… I don't know. I'm not sure if
it's enough."
Tony felt a pang of sympathy at seeing Sarah's
despondent demeanour. The Sarah he once knew was spirited and carefree, a far
cry from the subdued figure before him.
"Sarah, when Nick first approached me about
helping you, I'll admit, I wasn't thrilled. I’d always had this image of you as
a spoiled, entitled brat who shirked responsibility," Tony confessed.
Sarah looked up, a wry smile playing on her lips.
"Can't blame you."
"What I’m saying is, I was wrong," Tony
continued. "You've proven me wrong. If you genuinely wanted to become an
agent, I have no doubt that you could."
Sarah shook her head, her gaze falling to her fingers
as she absent-mindedly twirled a lock of hair. "No, I couldn't. I'm no
Sharon Carter."
"You're right; you're not Sharon. You're Sarah freaking
Carter! You made the brave decision to pursue your own dreams,
not Peggy's, not Sharon's. Yours. You're rewriting the rules. You're forging
your own path. And that, my dear, is something to be admired."
Sarah's spirits lifted slightly at Tony's words of
encouragement. It was like a burst of sunshine on a cloudy day. For a moment,
it almost felt like she was talking to Steve again, having one of their
heart-to-heart talks from the early days of their friendship. Before everything
got so complicated.
"Now," Tony declared, "how about we
kick things up a notch and dive into some physical training, huh?"
A beautiful royal blue dress lay gracefully on
Sarah's bed, accompanied by a delicate card adorned with elegant script: "Can't
wait to see you -B". Sarah had heard countless tales of Bucky's charm
from both Steve and her late aunt, Peggy. Sure, she had witnessed glimpses of
it herself, but this... this was on another level. She hadn't expected him to
be so effortlessly suave. She loved every bit of it.
As Sarah stepped into the waiting car, she couldn't
resist sending Bucky a playful text.
"I hope it was you who sent a car to pick me up. If not, I’m screaming Stranger Danger."
Bucky's response came swiftly but remained as
cryptic as ever.
"Stop fishing. Sit back and relax."
Sarah chuckled to herself, rolling her eyes at his
enigmatic reply.
The town car came to a halt outside a posh,
suspiciously deserted, restaurant. Despite knowing full well this was all
orchestrated by Bucky, Sarah still felt a twinge of apprehension. However, upon
opening the front door, she was greeted by the sight of Bucky, alone, holding
two champagne flutes.
"Told you I'd be back before you knew it,"
he grinned, his presence instantly easing her nerves.
Sarah's heart fluttered as she gazed up at Bucky,
his rugged features softened by the warm glow of the candlelight. She'd meant
for this to be a fling—a delicious distraction from the hot mess that was her
life. But as he flashed that lopsided grin that made her knees go weak, Sarah
realised she might be in way over her perfectly highlighted head.
Bucky wasn't supposed to be anything more than a Band-Aid
for her battered heart. A fun little secret, like her guilty pleasure playlist
full of *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys, or that stash of emergency Godiva hidden in
her Louboutin shoebox.
But here she was, melting into his strong arms like
butter on a hot croissant, feeling more alive than she had in months. The way
he looked at her—like she was the only woman in the world, not just another
Hollywood starlet—was enough to make her crumble faster than a gluten-free
cookie.
Sarah knew she should be focused on her grand plan,
on rebranding, on reclaiming her spot in the limelight. But with Bucky's
fingers tracing lazy circles on her back, all those schemes and red carpet
dreams felt as distant and unimportant as last season's Prada.
************************
For dinner, Bucky eagerly dug into a hearty serving
of Wagyu beef steak, sautéed mushrooms, roasted vegetables, and fully loaded
potatoes, while Sarah picked at a skinny La Scala salad.
"Salad? Really?" Bucky raised an eyebrow.
"I thought you said you were nothing like those Hollywood types."
Sarah waved off his comment with a dismissive
gesture. "Oh, I'm not very hungry, that's all."
Bucky grinned at her feeble attempt to play it cool.
"What was that?" he teased, waving his hand in a mock
imitation of her. "That was the worst acting I've ever seen... And from a
professional actress, no less!"
Sarah's cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she
averted her gaze from his playful eyes. When he gently stroked her hand across
the table, a flutter of warmth spread throughout her chest.
"Sarah?" Bucky's voice was gentle, coaxing
her to open up. "Talk to me..."
Taking a deep breath, she finally locked eyes with
him, her expression demure. "I just thought... I mean, I assumed...
you know, seeing that you've been away for so long... I wondered if
maybe..."
"Sarah, sweetheart, I have many abilities, but
mind reading isn't one of them."
Sarah groaned before the words spilled out. "I
thought that tonight would be the date… The magic date."
It took Bucky a moment to process her words. "The magic date...
right. Of course, the magic date, yeah," he choked, shifting uncomfortably
in his seat at the mere thought of being intimate with a celebrity.
Sarah watched him closely, chewing on her lower lip as
she waited for his response, hoping for a genuine reaction rather than the
awkward stammering she had just witnessed.
"Before any, uh, magic happens…”
he started, thinking back on Sharon’s jealous fit of rage, “I've actually been
meaning to ask you... What are we doing? You and me... What is this?"
Sarah froze, her wine glass halfway to her lips. The
candlelight flickered, almost emphasising Bucky’s distractingly handsome features.
She'd seen this look before… in movies, sure, but never directed at her with
such intensity.
"Wh-what do you mean?" she stammered,
buying time. "We're having fun... aren't we?"
"Fun..." Bucky repeated, the word
hanging between them. His eyes, usually twinkling with mischief, now held a
storm of hurt. "Is that... Is that all you want though?"
Sarah’s picture-perfect Hollywood smile faltered. Oh,
God. He was looking for a label. Should she have seen this coming? Probably. Was
she prepared for it? About as prepared as she'd been for an impromptu walk down
the red carpet in six-inch heels after a juice cleanse.
Bucky scoffed as her silence stretched on, running a
hand through his hair. "You can't honestly be this oblivious, Sarah,"
he said, his voice sounding dangerously close to something akin to hurt.
"Do you not see how much I care for you? Just because you're beautiful
doesn't mean you can just–"
Bucky stopped short, gutted by the vacant expression
etched on Sarah's face.
"You know what? Forget it… I don’t wanna do
this. I can't pretend to be okay with–“
"You don't understand," Sarah interrupted,
her brain finally catching up to the conversation. She set down her glass with
a little more force than necessary, ignoring the disapproving glance from the
waiter. "I can't just jump into a relationship. Not now."
Bucky’s face fell, and Sarah felt a pang in her
chest.
“God, why did he have to look like a kicked
puppy? It would be so much easier if he was just another vapid Hollywood pretty
boy,” she thought.
"I have things to see to... Important,
career-altering projects in the pipeline.” The words sounded hollow even to her
own ears, like lines from a B-movie script.
Bucky leaned back in his chair, his eyes never
leaving her face. "Projects," he repeated, his tone flat.
"Right."
"You don't get it," Sarah continued, a
hint of desperation creeping into her voice. "I have people counting on me
to–"
"To what, Sarah? To keep playing this game? To run
from something real?"
She looked around the restaurant, suddenly aware of
the curious glances from wait staff. Great. Just what she needed; to be the
star of tonight's celebrity gossip TikToks.
"It's not that simple," she whispered,
wishing she could make him understand. The stakes, the pressure, the constant
scrutiny… it was all so much more complicated than he could imagine.
Bucky’s gaze softened, and he reached across the
table, his fingers brushing hers. "Sarah… I'm crazy about you. And I
think... I think you might feel the same way. You're just too scared to admit
it."
Bucky made a valid point. The butterflies when he
texted, the way his smile made her forget about Steve-related drama for a
blissful moment… that wasn't exactly "casual fling" territory.
But then reality came crashing back in, and she
pulled her hand away.
"I'm sorry, Bucky," she said softly,
hating the hurt that flashed across his face. "I just... I can't. Not
now."
"The easy let-down, huh?” Bucky scoffed. “Nah,
I get it... Goodbye, Sarah."
With that, he turned on his heel and left, unwilling
to dwell on the pain of being rejected by Sarah Carter.
Sarah watched him go, feeling a stab of regret and
sadness sweep over her. She had never intended to hurt him, but she knew she
couldn't risk exposing the complexities of her life to him. That was simply the
price she had to pay. The price of celebrity... not to mention the price of
being a Carter.
The sun streamed through Sarah’s floor-to-ceiling
windows, but she might as well have been in the Arctic for all the warmth she
felt. Her heels lay discarded on the carpet, evidence of her hasty retreat from
last night's disaster with Bucky.
Sarah paced her bedroom, her silk robe swishing with
each turn. She'd drafted approximately 45 texts to Bucky, Each one more
cringe-worthy than the last:
"I'm sorry, can we talk?"
Delete.
"You were right. I am scared."
Delete.
"I miss your stupid face."
Dear God, delete.
Sarah flopped onto her king-size bed, burying her
face in a pile of cashmere throws. "Get it together, Carter," she
mumbled into a pillow that probably cost more than most people's monthly rent.
But 'together' felt about a million miles away.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Bucky’s face—hurt, confused, and still devastatingly
handsome. How did he manage to look like a Calvin Klein ad even when he was
mad? In fact… was he hotter when he was mad?
With a groan, Sarah hurled her phone across the room
into her walk-in closet's shag carpet (thank God for Tony Stark’s overpriced
interior designers).
She ran her fingers through her honey-blonde waves,
achieving that perfect "I woke up like this" look that usually took
her glam squad hours to create. The irony wasn't lost on her… she could style
her hair in a matter of seconds, but her love life? Total train wreck.
************************
Sarah stepped out into the crisp morning air, the
dew-kissed grass tickling her bare feet. She'd traded her usual designer attire
for a pair of yoga pants and an oversized sweater. The closest thing to a
disguise a Hollywood It Girl could manage.
Lost in a Bucky-induced haze, Sarah wandered
aimlessly through the sprawling backyard of the Avengers Compound. She was so
caught up in her mental drama that she nearly bulldozed right into an
unexpected house mate.
"Whoa there, watch your step," a voice
chuckled, snapping Sarah back to reality.
She looked up, blinking owlishly behind her
oversized sunglasses. Tony stood before her, looking annoyingly put-together in
running shorts and a fitted tee. His eyebrow was quirked in that way that
always made her feel like he could read her mind. Good grief, she hoped he
couldn't.
"Tony! I didn't realise anyone else was up."
His eyes twinkled with amusement. "Early bird
gets the worm, or so they say. Though in my case, it's more like the early
genius gets the... well, whatever it is I'm after."
Sarah managed a weak laugh.
"So, what brings you out here so early?"
"Just needed some fresh air, I suppose,"
she replied, offering a small shrug. "You know how it is. The pressure,
the media..."
Tony narrowed his eyes at her. He wasn't buying that
for a second. "Sarah, honey, allow me to let you in on a little secret...
I don't rely on F.R.I.D.A.Y. as much as everyone thinks I do. I rely on my keen
extrasensory perception. Very little gets by without my knowle–"
"Bucky kinda, sorta broke up with me last
night," Sarah blurted, cutting Tony short.
Tony froze, his expression morphing from playful to
gobsmacked in an instant. "What?! You and Barnes?"
"What happened to your 'keen ESP'?"
"Oh, please. Grow up. I use F.R.I.D.A.Y. for
everything," Tony rushed. "So... so you and Barnes... I mean, is it
serious? Wait, does Steve know? When did this even take place? And how do I not
know about what's going on under my own roof?"
Sarah groaned at Tony's barrage of questions,
shooting him a less-than-playful glare. "Alright. Okay, I'm sorry. I'll
stop. I'll stop... Let's start with something simple. Do you like him?"
"I do. I really do, actually.”
In truth, Bucky wasn't just a distraction—he was an
oasis. A safe harbour in the storm of paparazzi flashes and family drama. He
was the smell of fresh coffee on a lazy Sunday morning, the comfort of your
favourite sweatshirt after a long day of smiling for the cameras.
He was, Sarah realised with a jolt that was equal
parts thrilling and terrifying, starting to feel like home… The way Steve once
felt. Well, still did, but that was an Everest for another day.
Nothing else mattered when he was around. Not her
sister's impending wedding, not Steve’s brooding glances, not even her own
ambitious schemes.
“But I screwed up. He's not going to want to see me
anytime soon.”
"As a guy, speaking on behalf of all men… He'll
forgive you."
Sarah sighed, her gaze dropping as she pondered
Tony's confident words. But despite his reassurances, doubts still lingered in
her mind.
"Sarah, look at me," he urged gently.
"Everyone makes mistakes, especially when it comes to matters of the
heart. It's what makes us human. But if you truly care about Barnes, don't give
up on him. Embrace this new, brave, tenacious spirit you've got going on."
In the past, Sarah had acted impulsively, solely
driven by fear and uncertainty. It was a pattern she knew all too well, one
that had cost her dearly with Steve. Was she truly ready to risk losing another
love the same way?
"But what if I've already pushed him
away?"
"Then it's time to do some damage control.
Apologise. Lay your heart on the line and let him know how you really feel.
Honesty goes a long way, especially with someone like Barnes. He may have a
tough exterior, but really, the guy’s all mush."
Sarah nodded slowly, absorbing Tony's advice. She
knew he was right. If she wanted any chance of salvaging her relationship with
Bucky, she had to be honest with him, no matter how difficult it might be.
"Thanks, Tony.”
"Anytime, sweetheart. And hey, if you need
backup, just give me a call. I've got plenty of experience in the love
department... Sort of."
************************
Sarah Carter, America's Sweetheart and current
tabloid darling, was about to break every rule in the Hollywood handbook. Armed
with nothing but Tony’s "borrowed" tracking system and a heart full
of rom-com courage, she marched down Warren Street.
No disguise. No security. Not even her trademark
oversized sunglasses.
If this wasn't a grand gesture worthy of a Nicholas
Sparks movie finale, Sarah didn't know what was.
She spotted Bucky before he saw her, his chiselled
profile tense as he stared at his phone. Probably deleting her 8,749 text messages.
"Barnes," she called out, her voice
carrying over the buzz of traffic.
His head snapped up, those ocean-blue eyes widening
in disbelief. "Sarah?" he hissed, glancing around nervously.
"What are you...? You shouldn't be out here!"
"No," Sarah declared, channelling her
inner Julia Roberts, acutely aware of the smartphones already pointed their
way. "I'm exactly where I should be. And I don't care who sees us
together."
She locked eyes with Bucky, willing him to see the
sincerity behind her words. But he only managed a fleeting glance, his jaw
clenched tight… tighter than her Spanx on Oscar night.
"Bucky, I do want to be with you."
For a heart-stopping moment, Bucky’s eyes met hers,
and hope flared in Sarah’s chest. But then he turned away, deflating her grand gesture.
Right. Of course. What had she expected? That he'd
sweep her off her feet in the middle of Upstate New York? That the crowd would
burst into applause as the camera panned out for the credits?
Real life, Sarah was learning, didn't come with an Alexandre
Desplat soundtrack.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Sarah started to
back away. Maybe she could still salvage some dignity. Call her agent, spin
this into a quirky PR stunt. Anything to—
Suddenly, a strong hand grasped her arm, spinning
her around. Before Sarah could process what was happening, she found herself
wrapped in Bucky’s embrace, his lips crashing onto hers with the force of a
thousand unspoken words.
The world around them faded away. The curious
onlookers, the whir of smartphone cameras, the honking traffic… it all melted
into white noise. There was only Bucky and the solid warmth of his chest
against hers.
When they finally broke apart, both breathless and
slightly dazed, Sarah found herself staring into Bucky’s eyes. They were filled
with a mixture of wonder, hope, and just a hint of that roguish spark that had
first drawn her in.
"You're crazy, you know that?" Bucky
murmured, his forehead resting against hers.
Sarah grinned, feeling lighter than she had in
weeks. "Crazy about you," she quipped, fully aware of how cheesy it
sounded. But hey, if you can't be cheesy during your big romantic moment, when
can you?
As Bucky’s lips quirked into that heart-melting
smile, Sarah knew there'd be consequences to face. Lily and Cece would be
furious, Casey would have an aneurysm, and the internet would probably explode.
But right now, with Bucky’s arms around her and the
promise of a new beginning stretching out before them, Sarah couldn't bring
herself to care.
Let the cameras flash. Let the tabloids speculate.
For once in her carefully scripted life, Sarah Carter was writing her own
Hollywood ending.
And it was shaping up to be quite a blockbuster.
Watch Episode 11 Here:
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