Jealous

Finally Helen spotted the familiar face amongst the crowd and she shot her hand up to wave.

“Bucky!” she called out and the tall man caught her eye, his face lighting up. Bucky pushed his way through the crowd and gave Helen a quick side hug.

“I hope you’re in the mood to dance tonight, doll, it’s a beautiful night,” he beamed at her. A live band was playing on a small stage in the middle of the plaza, and everyone was bustling about talking and dancing. The restaurants and bars on the edges of the plaza were open for business, helping to create a fun and lively environment for an evening spent outside. Even though the air had a chill to it, Helen hardly felt it as Bucky led her deeper into the warm crowd.

“Where’s Steve? I can’t dance without my equally as left-footed partner,” she remarked with a chuckle.

“He’s not coming out tonight,” Bucky answered with a little huff of disappointment. He gave Helen a weak and brief smile that she immediately saw through.

“Why not?” she questioned with a frown.

“Well he said he wasn’t feeling well, but I think I’ve upset him somehow,” Bucky replied with a shrug of his shoulders before he came to a stop in a less rowdy area of the party. “But I don’t want to think about it; I’ll make it up to him the next time I see him. Right now I need to teach you how to dance.” He offered his hand and Helen smiled as she accepted it, wondering why she could already feel her cheeks blushing.

Helen lost track of time as she was lead around by Bucky, weaving in and out of other couples as they also enjoyed the merry setting. Bucky slowly introduced new steps to Helen, repeatedly telling her to just relax whenever she noticed he was trying something new, and when she did Helen realised it wasn’t that difficult to learn the new movements. Bucky guided her with such grace that she hardly needed to focus on placing her feet away from his, because they just never bumped into each other in the way that Steve always stumbled into her.

Even when the slower songs played, Bucky didn’t budge. Helen had expected him to pull away and take a break until a less romantic song was performed. Instead, Helen found herself being held closer and softer, a change that she began to enjoy more and more as the night went on. Bucky was a handsome man to look up to, with dreamy blue eyes that Helen was more than happy to gaze into, and she swore that she wasn’t imagining the increased intimacy between them. She tried to tell herself it was just the dancing, that she was dreaming to even think that a man like Bucky would want her, but she couldn’t help feeling saddened when Bucky eventually pulled away from her.

“I’m going to get a drink, would you like one?” he asked with a gesture to the nearest bar.

“Yeah, sure,” Helen breathed, remaining by Bucky’s side as he walked towards the establishment. She couldn’t stop overanalysing the situation, pondering whether or not Bucky was simply being friendly. As they neared the door, Helen reached in to her handbag for her wallet but Bucky put out his arm to halt her.

“This one’s on me, for being such a good student,” he insisted with a grin.

“Thank you,” Helen said, her genuine smile showing Bucky that she truly appreciated it. He gave a nod and entered the bar, Helen deciding to wait outside instead of trying to push through the long line with him. She fiddled with the clasp on her handbag, missing Bucky’s hands on her and dancing with him. A hand rested on her shoulder and she spun around, surprised to see an unfamiliar man instead of Bucky.

“Hi- Oh, I’m sorry, I thought you were my sister,” he explained before laughing. Helen joined in timidly and shrugged off his mistake.

“Oh, it’s all right,” she said with a smile, sensing that the man’s gaze was still on her. She looked up to meet his green eyes that were shadowed by a black fringe.

“Would you maybe like to dance?” he asked. Helen’s gaze immediately flicked towards the bar, but she still couldn’t see Bucky. As her mouth opened to decline, she shut it, realising that she probably had no chance with a man like Bucky. It wasn’t as though they were dating, and after all he was teaching her how to dance so she could impress other men.

“I’d like that,” Helen agreed. The man took her hand and led her away from the bar and they began to dance, Helen surprised at how natural she was now when it came to gliding across the pavement.

Bucky exited the bar with two rum and juice mixed drinks in hand, excited to pass one to Helen except he couldn’t find her. Worry etched across his face as he scanned the crowd, disheartened that she had left him. Eventually Bucky caught a glimpse of her smile and his face fell as he realised that she was dancing with another man, and enjoying herself. He began drinking the rum, wanting to remain where he was and pity himself, waiting until Helen thought of him again and came back to find him, but then he realised that wasn’t the right way to go about dancing with the girl you wanted. His jaw clenched and tilted upwards as he straightened his back, giving himself authority. Bucky strode through the crowd and caught Helen’s eye before he could speak to interrupt the couple.

“Bucky, hi,” Helen breathed as she pulled out of the green-eyed man’s grasp.

“I got your drink, doll,” Bucky said, holding it out to her and glancing across at her new dance partner.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realise-“ the man stammered while holding his palms up to prove he was innocent.

“Oh, he’s not- we’re not together,” Helen tried to explain with a nervous laugh. The green-eyed man looked to Bucky for confirmation but only received a stern glare that informed him to back off.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated. “Have a good night, Helen.” The man then disappeared into the crowd.

“That was strange,” Helen sighed as she took her drink from Bucky and took a sip. “Oh, this is delicious. Thanks, Bucky.” He beamed down at her, slinging his arm around her and leading her away from where the other man had walked to.

“Well how about you finish it and then you can dance some more with your pal?” Bucky suggested, hoping for the best. He grinned when Helen smiled her agreement, hoping he was going to be able to keep an eye on her for the rest of the night.