Chapter 2

Friday came quickly, at least, in Bucky's case. Even though he was dying from anticipation (despite the fact that Sam was just a friend at the moment), the week went by quickly. Saying that, it may have been because the vet clinic wasn't as busy as it usually was. He often got home rather early due to this, and was therefore able to message Sam more than usual. He said previously that he wasn't a massive fan of texting, but, he did seem okay with it and would always text Bucky back within a few minutes of recieving the message. But, of course, it was way too soon to even make a move on Sam. He barely even knew the man. All he knew was that he has a dog named after a species of bird because he "thought it sounded badass so why not", that he was a paramedic, that he sometimes wrote songs in his spare time, and that they were both 23 years old. There were many questions he wished to know which he did not have answers to (yet), though, he would probably have most of these answered today.

Bucky sat within Starbucks, humming from pure relaxation within the booth he was sat in. It was probably one of the smallest and more desolate coffee shops he had been to in town, but it was most certainly cosy. The sweet, somewhat herbal aroma of coffee filled the store as he read one of his favourite books, The Sign of the Four by Arthur Conan Doyle. He could probably stay here forever, if he wanted to. He hadn't ordered anything yet, though. He was a gentleman, and would rather wait until his friend arrived then order food and drink for them both.

He glanced over to the door (which he was sat right next to) as it opened.

speak of the devil, he thought, as Sam walked in.

He flashed a warm grin once he noticed Bucky looking up at him, and sat himself on the seat in the booth right in front of him. He instantly glanced over at the book laid upon the table, with its black ribbon bookmark nestled between the pages, "never thought you were the sort of guy to read Conan Doyle," Sam remarked, glancing up at his friend, "and I never thought you were the sort of guy to actually know who Conan Doyle is," Bucky replied, resulting in a small chuckle and smirk from Sam.

That goddamn smile, he thought to himself.

How could he literally fall for a man upon first sight?

"So," Sam continued, "what's your favourite book? I mean, I'm assuming you don't read Conan Doyle all of the time." Bucky could've sworn he felt his cheeks burn up a little, and was about to answer, before a barista came over and asked if they could take their orders, if they were ready.

"Uh, just a tall Cappuccino, please. Medium strength, by the way," Sam replied, his tone of voice so smooth and relaxing, just like whatever he had ordered. He didn't really drink coffee. He had no idea what a cappu- whatever he said- was. It was a little too bitter for his taste.

"Cookies and Cream Frappuccino, please," Bucky added, hoping that Sam didn't think he was odd for ordering something a basic teenage girl would order.

He didn't say a word though, he just gave a warm smile, and Bucky could've sworn he was going to melt.

"Oh, wait," Bucky remembered, "my favourite book. Right. Um, probably Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I hate the author, but, the stories are amazing-"

"what house are you?"

"Slytherin," Bucky giggled, noticing that this man was definitely just as nerdy as he was, "and you?"

"Hufflepuff," Sam beamed, his smile lighting up the store, "we should definitely watch the series over at my house someday. I mean, if y-" "of course," Bucky swiftly replied, "I'd love to watch the series yet again, but this time with someone who seems to enjoy the series as much as I do."

"Then, it's a date. How about tomorrow? You can check in on Falcon then, if you want."

God, don't word it like that. Please don't, Bucky squeaked out in his mind. Though, at the same time, the thought of having a date with Sam where they sat down together and watched Harry Potter sounded amazing. Bucky replied to him with a simple "yes", then moved on to discussing their favourite characters and moments from both the books and movies.

Their drinks arrived after about 3 minutes, and they both drank a little bit, though forgot all about the drinks once they got into a deep conversation about some other nerdy things, and also about Falcon, who was doing well, to Bucky's relief.

They eventually left at closing time, and waved goodbye to each other.

Bucky was literally smitten with this man.

Is love at first sight even a real thing? And if so, is this proof?