I Know the Sound of Your Heart

He was there again. It didn’t come as much as a shock to Rosie anymore. He was there almost every night now. She liked to refer to him as the guardian angel that she didn’t need. Rosie was perfectly able to take care of herself. Yet every night he still warded off the pervy drunk men who made passes at her. Every night he still walked her home to make sure nothing happened to her. Every night she let him. They had become friends since the first night he had wandered into the bar and decided she needed to be watched and “protected.”

From the first night he came into the bar where she sang, she could tell he was different from the other men that usually came in. For starters, he didn’t make creepy passes at her while she was on stage singing. He just sat at the bar and watched her. He actually took interest in the fact that she was up on the stage singing. He would just sit and listen, whereas the other men would whistle at her and make comments loud enough for her to hear them on stage. Not him, though. He listened intently when she sang. The other men just looked at her like a piece of meat that was up there for them to look at. Rosie wasn’t doing this for them. She was doing it for herself. This was the best job she had.

Of course Rosie had another job, there was no way she was ever going to be able to live off of what she made at the bar, but she hated her other job. She was a secretary at her father’s company. She hated he man she worked for, but every time she asked her father if she could work for him instead of her boss now, her father would refuse and simple state that his secretary now was great, and he didn’t need another. Her boss was in his late twenties and treated her like dirt, well when he wasn’t flirting with her. He only saw her as a piece of eye-candy, like the men at the bar. At least at the bar, Rosie had a distraction to keep her mind from the drunk men.

When she finished her final song, she walked down the stairs from the stage and straight over to her guardian angel, ignoring the comments from the men she passed, “It is such a relief to see you tonight.” She told him with a sigh as she motioned for the bar tender, John, to bring her a drink, “I’ve had such an awful day. So, seeing you makes things a bit better.” She admitted. It was true. Rosie loved when she was around Bucky. He was always able to turn her day around, no matter how awful it was.

Bucky couldn't remember when he'd first started going into that particular bar. He was pretty sure he'd taken some dame out on a date one night, she hadn't had a friend for Steve though so it had just been the two of them, and that was when he'd first spotted her. Well, he heard her before he saw her, but that was besides the point. He thought that she was drop dead gorgeous, but obviously didn't act on it seeing as he was already there with someone else, but he had stepped in when he saw some burly, shady looking guy following her out of the bar at the end of the night. He couldn't help himself. It was clear that she wasn't interested, and the idiot just hadn't seemed to have been taking the hint at all.

The girl he'd been there with at the time hadn't been all that happy about it, but he didn't think that he would have been able to sleep at night if he'd let things play out the way they were more than likely to. That had been the start of many more nights of Bucky coming to her rescue, and had also caused a friendship between the two to blossom.

"That's what I'm here for, doll." He said, sending a charming smile her way as he motioned for the bartender to get him another drink as well. He could tell that she'd meant what she said. She didn't seem to be in the highest of spirits, and he wondered what the cause of her low mood might have been. "If you wanna talk about it, I'm all ears, but you don't have to if you don't wanna." He'd be there for her regardless. At least, that was the unspoken decision that he was making himself. "You were great up there as always." He added, sending another smile her way.

@ frank castle.
Rosie let out a defeated sigh as she took a long sip of her drink, "Thanks, but I didn't feel like I was that good up there tonight." She replied to his compliment. It was nearing closing time, but the bar tender always stayed longer for if Rosie wanted to have a drink or just relax after her performance. She looked over at Bucky and ran a hand through her hair, "It's my boss as per usual. Well not the one here. At my other job. He treats me horrible like dirt in front of everyone in the office, but when it's just the two of us he's always flirting with me, and I'm so sick of it." She ranted, "Today was worse than usual though." She stated before taking a sip of her drink, "He was in a absolutely terrible mood today from the moment he walked into work and said a lot of really awful things to me and just really tore down my confidence more than usual."

"Honestly Bucky, I really wish that I could quit there and tell that man what I really think about working for him, but I can't make it off of what I make here." She admitted before finishing off her drink, "I'm sorry. I probably sound like a complete mess." She stated and frowned at her empty glass. Rosie didn't know what it was about Bucky, maybe it was just their friendship and how close they had grown since he had started coming to the bar, but she was just able to open up a lot more easily to him than other people.

Rosie sighed once more before she passed her glass back to the bar tender and slapping a couple bills on the counter. She looked over at Bucky, "Walk me back to my apartment?" She questioned, as if she didn't already know he was going to. Rosie knew that she could walk back by herself and that she was perfectly able to take care of herself, and she always told Bucky that as well, but lately she just really enjoyed being around him more than she had before. Not to say she didn't enjoy his company before, but lately her enjoyment was higher whenever she was around him.

Bucky could tell something was off about her the moment he walked over to her. He hadn't known her very long, but he'd gotten to know her well enough that he knew how she normally acted. Rosie was a bubbly and upbeat person with a contagious laugh to match, but that wasn't the girl who he saw before him right then and there though. He frowned slightly at her words and shook his head.

"What d'ya mean? You were great! Blew me away as always." He assured her with a slight smile. He could tell that his compliment didn't help raise her spirits any, and it was honestly a bit concerning. He'd never seen her this low before, and he didn't want to be too forward and expect her to tell him what was bothering her, though he did hope that she felt as though she could confide in him at least a little bit.

When she did start to explain everything to him, he was silent and allowed her to explain everything that was going on. He didn't like what he was hearing, but he figured that he should let her get everything off of her chest first. He was sure that alone would be like a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. "Don't apologize." He told her, shaking his head. "You have every right to be upset about this, Rosie. You're a good person, and you don't deserve to be treated the way that this asshole is treating you."

"Do you want me to talk to him? I can if you want. I know we haven't known each other very long, but no doll deserves to be treated that way. Especially one as sweet as you." And he meant that too. Rosie was sweet as pie. He didn't think that she had a mean bone in her body, and he hated seeing her this upset. If she wanted him to get involved, he would, because she definitely didn't deserve to be treated this way. Not even a little bit.

"Don't I always?" He sent another one of his signature grins her way as he stood up and offered her his arm.

@ frank castle.
Rosie smiled slightly when Bucky tried to tell her she did great on stage, "Thanks, Bucky, but I just wasn't feeling it tonight." She admitted with a frown. She loved that Bucky tried to make her feel better because she was having an off night. She wished that more guys were like him because she was really losing hope for most of the men in New York.

When he asked if she wanted him to talk to her boss, she quickly shook her head, "No that's okay. He probably wouldn't care if it was coming from some guy that was looking out for me." She said before an idea struck her, and she looked over at Bucky with a huge smile on her face, "I've got an idea." Rosie stated as she hoped off the bar stool and took the arm that he had offered her and started to walk with him out of the bar towards her apartment. She knew that her idea could be a long shot, and that Bucky might refuse all together, but she had to offer.

"So here's my idea, and you could totally refuse if you want, and I would understand fully." Rosie started as they stepped outside, "My boss isn't going to care if you're just some random guy that comes in to tell him to back off because you're my guardian angel. He just won't care. He will brush you aside and continue his everyday tyrants. He would care, however, if you came in to pick me up one day as my boyfriend. I know it sounds ridiculous, but hear me out. If you come in to pick me up and walk me home, like normally, my boss is going to ask who you are because he's never seen you before."

"So, I tell him that you're my boyfriend. He probably won't believe me at first, which is why you'll have to come back a couple times to show that you're actually my boyfriend, even though you aren't, and then he'll finally get the hint that I'm not interested in him and he can back off." She explained and smiled up at him with a small giggle, "But I mean you don't have to do it. I just wanted to ask because if I was going to ask anyone to do this I would only want it to be you. You're my guardian angel that I don't need, except in this case because I really need you now." She rambled with a small blush.

"Considering the day you've had, I don't blame you." Bucky said to her. He still couldn't believe that her boss treated her that way. He didn't understand how some men thought it was okay to treat women that way. His ma had taught him to always be a gentleman. Hold the door open for a lady, offer her his jacket if she looked cold, pay for her meal on a date. He supposed that some men just weren't taught how to properly treat a woman, but he still didn't really think that excused this man's behavior at all. Not by a long-shot.

"I'm all ears, doll." He said, sending a smile her way as they both exited the bar. He could tell by the grin on her face that this was obviously something good she had come up with, and he was really curious to hear what she had to say. He listened intently as she explained her idea to him, and shook his head when she started to ramble. The adorable blush that had formed on her cheeks didn't go unnoticed either. "Hey, don't worry about it, alright? I'm gonna help you." He assured her with a smile.

@ frank castle.
Rosie smiled at his words. She was glad that she was still able to smile after the awful day that she had. When Bucky agreed to help him she cheered and hugged him tightly, “Thank you, Bucky!” She said happily and giggled lightly as she pulled away and wrapped her arm in his again. She was so excited that he was going to help her, “I think you just turned my whole entire day around.” Rosie said happily as she smiled up at him.

Rosie hadn’t known Bucky very long, but he had become such a permanent fixture in her life she wasn’t sure what she would do without him, “You’re honestly my guardian angel, Bucky. You’re so amazing.” She gushed honestly. It was true, though. Rosie wasn’t sure of any guys she knew that would be that willing to help her out like this. He was so good to her and she had no idea why.

"It's not a problem, doll." Bucky assured her, letting out a slight chuckle. He was happy to help her deal with her jerk of a boss. He just didn't understand how some men thought it was alright to treat women the way that they did. He supposed they just hadn't been raised the right way. His ma had raised him and his siblings right though, and so he hated seeing men disrespect women in any way, shape or form. He might not have known Rosie very long, but he did care about her, and he hated seeing her upset like she'd been tonight. If he could help things improve at her other job, he would and that included pretending to be her boyfriend.

[This is horrible, I'm sorry ]

@ frank castle.
(after all the crappy posts I've given you, don't even worry about it lol)

Rosie couldn't wipe the smile off her face. Her day had definitely turned around for the better, and that made her really happy. It was all because of Bucky. He was just the sweetest guy she had ever met, and was really glad that she had him as a friend. When they reached her apartment building, she smiled up at him and hugged him tightly, "Thank you again, Bucky. You're really amazing." She said before she placed a kiss on his cheek quickly, "So, pick me up from work tomorrow?" She asked with a grin. She was just ready to get her boss to back off a bit. Tomorrow was also her day off from singing at the bar, and she just wouldn't feel right if Bucky didn't walk her home.

Bucky was happy to see Rosie acting much more like herself. After seeing how down she'd been earlier, it was a welcomed relief to see her smiling again. Additionally, it was also sort of rewarding and an ego-booster knowing that he was the reason why she was smiling right now. The walk back to her apartment seemed to happen much quicker than it normally did. When they reached her apartment building, he smiled and hugged her back tightly. "It's not a problem, Rosie." He assured her when she thanked him once more. "I wouldn't miss it for the world, doll." He grinned.

@ frank castle.
Rosie smiled at his words before she nodded and then hugged him once more, just feeling all happy and huggy in that moment, "I'll see you tomorrow then, boyfriend." She said with a small giggle before she turned and walked into her apartment building and straight to her apartment, feeling way more excited for tomorrow at work than she normally did. She couldn't believe that Bucky had agreed to help her by pretending to be her boyfriend. He was such a great guy and Rosie was so grateful and excited that she had him in her life and that they had become such close friends over the short period of time they've known each other.

Bucky let out a soft chuckle in response to her words, shaking his head slightly. "She you tomorrow, doll." He said with a small grin. He watched her walk into her apartment building before he turned, shoving his hands into his pockets as he headed towards the subway. It wasn't too much of a hike to get back to his and Steve's apartment in Brooklyn. They'd been living together since his mom passed away. Their apartment wasn't anything special, but it did the job. They had a roof over their heads and that was all that really mattered. He couldn't wait to explain this whole thing to Steve when he got back.

@ frank castle.
(wanna skip to the next day?)

@ Second Star
[Yeah, that's fine]

@ frank castle.
Rosie sighed as she sat at her desk, waiting for time to come when she could leave. Her boss hadn't been as bad as the day before, but he was still a pain in her butt. The only thing that was getting her through the day was that Bucky would be picking her up from work and she could finally stick it to her boss, "Rosie my coffee cup is empty!" Her boss called from his office. Rosie groaned to herself and rolled her eyes before she walked into his office and grabbed his coffee cup and refilled it from the machine in his office. She set it back down on his desk with a smile. She glanced at the clock, seeing that Bucky should be arriving soon, "Sir, am I allowed to leave for the night?" "Why? You have plans?" He questioned looking up from his papers, "Actually, yes, you see my boyfriend is picking me up soon. We have dinner plans." She lied, watching as he visibly tensed. She had to bite back the smirk that wanted to form on her lips, "Um, yes, I guess that's alright." Her boss replied. She smiled at him and walked out of his office to her desk, feeling his presence follow her, clearly coming to get a look at Bucky when he showed up.

Bucky walked into the office building right on time. He wanted to make this charade as believable as possible, and any good boyfriend would never be late to pick his doll from work. He really hoped that this would work, he hated seeing Rosie down, she was normally a practical ray of sunshine whose smile could brighten the darkest of days, but that hadn't been the case the night before. He'd noticed she seemed a bit off up on stage, though her performance had been amazing still as per usual, and when he'd walked over to her, well the expression on her face had said it all. He hadn't asked her, not wanting to push her too much to talk if she didn't want to, but she'd opened up to him anyway, and he felt as though that was a clear indication of the close friendship that had developed between them in a short amount of time.

He smiled when he entered the building and spotted her seated behind the receptionist desk. "Ready to go, sweetheart?" He asked, flashing her an ever so charming smile, and not even bothering to acknowledge the man standing out there as well. That was clearly her asshole of a boss.

@ frank castle.
Rosie started to pack up her things from her desk as her boss stood and watched, just waiting for Bucky to show up, "So how long have you been together with...uh what did you say his name was again?" He asked. Rosie looked up and raised an eyebrow, "I didn't. His name is James, but everyone calls him Bucky. We've been seeing each other for almost a month and a half." She replied casually. Most of that was true, seeing as Bucky had been coming to the bar for almost a month and a half. She looked over when she saw Bucky walk in the door, a smile instantly coming to her face once she saw him.

Rosie walked over to him quickly and hugged him tightly, "Of course I am. We haven't actually gone out to dinner in a while, it'll be nice." She said with a grin before her boss cleared his throat from next to her desk, "Right sorry. Mr. Walker this is my boyfriend Bucky. Bucky this is my boss, Mr. Walker." Rosie introduced flatly. Her boss neared Bucky and stuck out his hand, "Please, call me Jonathan." He stated to Bucky. Rosie had to fight not to roll her eyes at his words, the first time she had ever called him Jonathan instead of Mr. Walker was also the last time she had ever called him Jonathan.

"I'd like to take you out dancing afterwards too, doll." Bucky told her with a smile as he pulled away from the embrace. He still had yet to acknowledge the man who was standing in the room. He saw no reason to. It wasn't hard to figure out who that was, and Bucky had to hold back the smirk that was threatening to form when the man cleared his throat. "James Barnes, my friends call me Bucky." He said, shaking the man's hand once Rosie had introduced them. He wasn't going to be rude and ignore him now. He wanted to make the best impression that he could and make this whole charade all the more convincing. "I hope you don't mind me picking Rosie up a little early tonight. We have dinner reservations at this swell restaurant."

@ frank castle.
Rosie smiled widely when Bucky spoke about dancing after their 'dinner', "As long as you don't step on my feet again like you did the last time." She fake teased with a smile. When he spoke with her boss, she took a moment to grab her purse and then returned to Bucky's side as her boss spoke, "Don't mind at all. Rosie worked very hard today. Deserves a nice dinner and dancing." He replied. Rosie had to keep herself from rolling her eyes and biting her tongue to keep from saying something she shouldn't. She instead laced her hand through Bucky's and gave it a squeeze to signal that she needed to leave or else she was going to explode, "We really should get going, sweetheart, or we might be late." She said to Bucky before looking over at Jonathan, "I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Walker. Have a nice night." She stated and gave his a fake smile before she smiled up at Bucky, a real smile, "See you tomorrow, Rosie. Nice meeting you, James." He replied. Rosie could tell that he was a bit angered, and the thought made Rosie excited that everything with Bucky seemed to be working out well.