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 trailed off, 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 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.
Thank you so much for reading! 🙏 Your support means the world to me, so if you enjoyed this chapter, please show some love by liking the video and leaving a comment with your thoughts… It really helps the story reach more people! 🎥💖
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