CLAUDIA Heinz dated precariously and preciously. She took care of her relationships and she considered them sacred. Unlike the rest of us who had fun with it, Claudia actually went into dating in consideration of finding the one.

The one always seemed like a stretched concept to me, but you couldn't tell that to Audie. Her the one existed, in a white horse or as a white knight, it didn't matter. As long as he existed, she was on the hunt to find him.

To the rest of us of lesser... wholesome, more conventional, almost torridly bitter and horrifically grim views if you ask a certain category of people, found this akin to self-subjected torture and destruction.

And because she set herself to go through that, to wind herself up to dream that high, put people on pedestals— fight when it could be a fail, fight until the rose-tinted glasses could no longer hide the ugliness — she also set herself to feel the impact of thudding back on earth when they choose to break her heart.

She gave them ammunition when they already had a gun.

Truth be told, not all of her breakups end poorly. In fact, she has the best record of calm and envious breakups. Of sitting down in front of each other, low murmurs of words that seem to drag on until they inevitably go to the real point with a sheepish tilt of their head, a weird curl in their lips, and end. Right then and there.

And though Claudia would smile back, shakily, painfully, the ugly truth of breakups crack something inside her every time, and we get the girl who is just as a mess like the rest of us.

Breakups bring the ugliness in people. Whether they're the ones breaking up or the ones receiving the blow. It's the retaliation, the depression. It's the afterward that shows you a fissure of yourself you've never seen before.

And Claudia, who was doing so well, cracked once again.

"Jesus Christ, Naddy, I don't know where the fuck I am," was her greeting at three in the morning, the sun still obscure and my eyes half sewn shut. I fumbled for my phone and the glare of it made me want to chuck it, but Claudia's panicked wheezy voice gave me a jolt.

"What do you mean?" I sat up slowly, feeling the painful throb of my bones. I had been up last night working on the bare bones of a piece I had finally found the pefect thread for.

I always have a fun time at the Fabrics District, perusing rows and rows of fabrics, and hitting up a hotdog stand later. It follows an adrenaline shot of excitement and productivity to work on it immediately until I reached 1am last night and a poor, bent back.

"Oh w-wait, I think I'm somewhere near Hummers. You need to pick me up and help me, oh my god." She was getting frazzled, her voice pitching even through a whisper. "I did it again, Naddy. I shouldn't— I did it again."

I winced. "Claudia, it's just been three weeks."

"I know," she half-wailed, her voice wobbly.

This was a side of Claudia that showed her most vulnerable state, the one that wasn't as upright with her glasses and firm shade of lipstick, ready to face the day and seize it. Wrangle it if she must.

This was Claudia heartbroken; fraying and clinging to her sadness.

"But he said he found someone else. We weren't working— god. S-so I partied with my roommate and I... I'm here. Naddy please."

"I don't know how I'm going to pick you up, Audie, but I will, okay? Take a deep breath and get out of there. If you don't feel safe waiting outside, tell whoever owns the house to get a grip. I'll be there soon. Just take a deep breath."

She inhaled sharply as if trying to get her bearings, holding herself together until I come to rescue. "Okay. Hurry."

As soon as I ended the call, I felt frazzled, awake and panicking myself.

"Okay, okay, one at a time, one at a time..." First— dress up, no, no, find someone who can pick me up to pick Claudia up. I didn't have a car because I refused to do the driver's test (my motion sickness wasn't severe during short periods, but somehow it added up whenever I was the one behind the wheel) and public transportation's not going to work. First— go through the list of people who have a car and in close proximity, while loading car services. Second— get dressed.

The first part proved to be the hardest, as even after I've laced my shoes and ran out of my apartment, continuous scrolling through contacts— even debating on exes, people who have a car are indisposed and only half of those I can trust.

I knew Ella and Ross would be less likely to pick up, but even I was grinding my teeth by the time even Esther or her girlfriend weren't picking up. I thought of calling Claudia's brother with the pickup truck even though Jordan is nearly two hours away. Maybe less if he went through every speedlight, which is just as likely, but his overprotectiveness will make Claudia hate me.

My scrolling was desperate, cursing car services when it wouldn't load any free cars in the area.

Until I found a familiar name.

I swear, Bucky mentioned his cousin having a car.

I hesitated for a split second before I called. His scratchy voice answered by the fourth ring before my hope evaporated around me.

"Naddy?"

"Bucky." I exhaled, closing my eyes. Relieved, almost happy. "I need help. Do you have a license?"

"I'm not familiar with the area so you'll have to direct me," he said as I climbed his cousin's car, one of those high class soccer mom cars, white with cream leather and the look of pristine, minus the juice box and the soccer kids. Apart from a distinct smell of coffee grounds and cheeseburger, smelled relatively brand new.

I nodded and we sped off. I had rushed him too, the word emergency had woken him up like a gong to his head and he didn't hesitate to end the call and started getting ready.

I nibbled at my bottom lip. "I'm so sorry to get you involved, but-"

"- Claudia's a friend too," he cut in, lifting the corner of his lip in assurance. He drove cleanly, eyes never straying the road, hands deft with the wheel. "You don't have to apologize."

"Turn here," I said and he swiftly did so, not even slowing down or hesitating. "I don't know why you don't have a car, you're an excellent driver."

"Thanks and I do, but I had to give mine up because Hermione just got her license. I'll be getting my older sister's this Thanksgiving."

"Oh. That's cool. I don't like driving."

"Really?"

"Motion sickness."

"Oh."

We settled in an uncomfortable silence that gnawed at my chest. "The sky's getting lighter."

"Yeah."

"It's going to look like a nice sunrise."

He was quiet now before a weird curl of a smile twisted in his mouth.

I blinked at it. "What?"

His hair was mussed up, one half sticking up and the other side was flat. Like slept on one side. "You don't feel comfortable with small talk are you?"

"No," I admitted. "Usually the people I call in times like these have their radios on or like, exes of mine when I was still in a relationship with them. If not, then Esther. And Esther likes silence so it's ok."

"Oh, well. Do you want an update on my progress?"

"Yes please. Left here too. She texted me somewhere around the apartments close to a pizza place."

His hands maneuvered skillfully before he spoke again. "It's been great. I've been to a few more dates— four different others. Nothing past the third date so far. I don't know if... most of them kind of... want to uh..."

As blood rushed to his ears, one of the longest records of him taking his time to turn red, I smiled. The afterthought I had may have been a proven theory. His charm could bed a woman by the second date.

"Stay the night?"

He nodded mutely.

"You're not... sure yet if you want to do it with them or... just... do it? Or, um, performance issues—" I swallowed my laugh at the dawning horror on his face. Now he was scarred red and half choking.

When I got in, I didn't realize how different Bucky was. Maybe it was the emergency quality of the situation, or seeing him drive like a professional— boys who looked good while driving are at an advantage – but it was only when he started blushing did I see the difference from serious Bucky to blushy Bucky.

I didn't know which one I liked best. Maybe both.

"I... am going to turn on the radio." He pressed a button and a pre-programmed playlist went on.

We drove in silence after that, my small smile stayed until we rounded up the street asleep with closed blinds and parked cars. Rows and rows of those Gregorian apartments, solid in their pillars with the same copy and paste style. Bucky whistled at the designs.

Claudia was half hidden under the awning of the closed pizza place, hugging her arms over her cheetah printed dress and high heels. Her hair was bunched up and her makeup was stained, and when Bucky pulled to a stop and I jumped out, she burst into fresh tears, welcoming my warmth as I enclosed my arms over her.

"Ten minutes," she got out through her soft sobs that shuddered her body. "Just give me ten minutes."

"Okay," I closed my eyes and hugged tighter. "Okay."

This was Claudia. Sensible until broken hearted, diving through one night stands to sort out the pain in her chest, to forget for just one brief moment of the sudden loneliness she thought she had given up on, and regret it the morning after. The pain doubled, the shame of what she's done hanging over her like a dunce cap.

Ten minutes. Ten minutes to let it all out and forget about it right after.

And just as promised, after ten minutes, she gave one last good sniffle, untangled herself from me, and stood straight. Her make up was in ruins and her mascara was a gunk mess down her cheeks, but her eyes shone a ferociousness to pull through, forget about it and move on.

"I'm okay now."

Of course she isn't, not yet, but Claudia was nothing but solid in her footing. "Okay. Is that - oh hey... Bucky." She waved briefly, eyes wide, then leaned in close to me and hissed, "you brought Bucky?"

"Everyone is more or less indisposed," I hissed back through a clenched smile, mirroring hers. "Didn't have much choice, okay? Esther wasn't picking up, and I sure as shit not asking for Asher's inglorious driving skills."

"Fine. Sorry." Then she sighed. "I hope he has wet wipes in that... that looks like my mom's car."

I linked arms with her. "Not to make you laugh or anything, but with Bucky, that tracks."

Claudia laughed, surprising herself. Bucky smiles gingerly at our approach.

"Knowing him, he probably does have wipes though."

"Good." She smiles at him, then louder, "Since it's already way past bedtime— who wants to stop for some midnight waffles? If you don't mind driving that is."

"No problem," Bucky replies easily, that easygoing smile ever present. "Waffles sounds nice at... 4 in the morning."

The only waffles place open was near a highway going out to Long Island, it's 25/8 light blinking blearily. It was isolated, had a sleepy cook and yawning waitresses, and the waffles tasted stale. But the butter was heavenly and the coffee was thick enough for one whole mug to keep our hearts racing.

We ate and drank and talked until the blues of the sky turned pink and orange. Claudia in her party dress, bare face and borrowed hair tie; Bucky in his MATH GEEK SEEN HERE green shirt, tattered denim shorts and mussed up hair; my crumpled white shirt and bedazzled pink SLEEPING BOOTY shorts, a gag gift from a cousin.

We looked like we had a story to tell. One that fit adventures of a lifetime and midnight kisses with strangers. One that spoke well of the damsel in distress under the awning of a pizza place, and her knights, the one who can't drive, and the other in a mom van.

"Let's take a pic," Claudia offered after a nice quiet. "One by one for insta then all of us together. This morning started rough but I'm... I'm content right now, I don't know why."

Bucky smiled, half lazy and half worn. "I feel the same way. My phone's dead though."

I produced mine and Claudia started fixing herself, smoothening a hand over the top of her head.

"It's like a teen fic movie. We feel cute."

Bucky grinned. "I feel the cutest."

I rolled my eyes while Claudia stifled a laugh and she posed. She sat by herself with a contented expression on her face. The stream of the morning light gave her bare face a fresh look.

Once she was done, she motioned for Bucky, who in turn, pouted with one eyebrow raised. "No don't pose, Buchanan, come sit here so I can take some of Nads. You'll go last. Oh, and you're invited to Ross' pre Thanksgiving Thanksgiving party tomorrow night. It's annual and cannot be missed, and I will personally kill you if you don't attend, okay? Someone needs to make sure I make good decisions."

I kept a pose on but my eyes brightened, another idea swept into my head. "That would be a good practice for a one night stand lesson!"

Claudia raised her eyebrow while Bucky choked, spraying the water that was in between his lips and a cup.

"What are you doing to pure Bucky, Naddy?"

"We were talking about it earlier, okay?" It was my turn to get red. "My thoughts jumped. I just thought it up and didn't filter. But if it's a game plan, you could distract yourself from drinking and we can both focus all our attention on Bucky, who would be learning the art of one night stands. Plus... He won't tell me why he won't... do it with his girls."

Claudia raised an eyebrow at him and his slow descent to tomato. The pink hues did nothing to cover for him. "You have 'girls'?"

"Dates," he corrected, still wiping himself. "And it's not like... okay, so I'm not a virgin. But if it's really, uh, something important to the deal then I will, ok? I just didn't think it was such a big deal."

I frowned. "Hey, don't feel pressured. I'm not saying it's a big deal, I was just curious. Sometimes, to some people, these things are deal breakers, you know? It's not like it's mandatory for relationships. It's another level for skinship and connection. If you don't want to do it —"

His eyes held my stare with such a strong, unidentifiable emotion that the words died in my throat. "You're not forcing me. We'll see how the night turns out."

Something about the way he said it made me stare at him.

Claudia blinked. "That sounds vaguely like a threat. But ok. Go switch places with Naddy so we can do you." A sly grin curled in her mouth while I snorted. As we both rose and passed each other, I expected Bucky to be blushing, the tensed atmosphere bouncing back to the chill. Just like any other time when an inappropriate comment came.

An apology was ready on my throat when I took note of his face. Set in a slight twist, mouth thin. Contemplation. When he met my gaze, it wasn't anger, no, but it had a strange, eerily familiar fire. Something that made my stomach twist and my neck hot.

It was a brief moment, but his silence continued.

For the first time since our little contract started, I felt a whisper of a voice, warning me of a storm. As if all this time I had the winning the hand, staked the claim and sat on it.

And now... he was planning to retaliate.