I think that’s something else we have in common. She smiles through the kiss. Although with me it’s half and half. One part party animal, one part party killer.

Is it just her or is kissing just better after drinking this strange drink? Or maybe the answer is Bucky. Everything about him is magnetic. If she had believed in past lives then she definitely would have been convinced she’d known him in another time. This kind of chemistry, she thinks to herself, doesn’t come out of the blue. It’s downright magical.

She pulls away from Bucky slightly, looking him in those eyes that send a tingle down her spine. They gave me a house here. Would it be too forward of me to invite you back there for a drink? I picked up a bottle of apple juice when I settled in. It’s not beer, but… Looking at her feet, she smiles. I’m rambling. I’m in my own head and I’m rambling. All I can think about is that kiss.

Karen laughs, biting her lip, and when she looks back up at Bucky her cheeks are flushed a rosy hue of embarrassment. This all feels so new to her.