golden hour

part one - slow burn

--- 2 weeks later ---

The past few weeks, Layla and Bradley have spent nearly every ounce of their free time together, whenever Bradley, or Rooster as his navy friends called him, wasn't in training or getting to know some of his fellow trainees.

While Bradley is occupied with his work, Layla has been writing music for her next album and working things out with her team to replace some of the members of her band, having broken up with her possessive guitarist a few months back. When she isn't working on her music she has been spending time with her mom and sister and also some time contemplating her relationship with Bradley.

At first, Layla thought she was just experiencing that childhood crush all over again and that Bradley didn't think much more of her other than the little girl she was back then. Now though, after spending plenty of time flirting back and forth, him complementing her looks and taking her out on plenty of dates (at least thats what they seemed like to her), and even spending the night together (innocently cuddling of course) a few times so now she was getting antsy. Constantly waiting for him to make a move and then nothing happening.

Yes, it had only been a little over two weeks since they ran into each other but they spent a ton of time alone together and they both knew their time was limited as he would eventually finish the program and she would eventually get back to LA to work on her music.

She was starting to think that it was all a delusion, and she needed to get all those thoughts out of her head. Thinking they were just friends and nothing more, she asked him if he and his new friends would like to go to a bar with her and her best friend, Kelsea, who had been in town at the time. She had been dancing with a few girls and eventually was pulled in to dance with a stranger when Bradley stepped in and called her his girl.

The jealousy had thrown her off at the time but now after talking about everything with Kelsea, she knew it wasn't all in her head.

She was getting tired of the slow burn.

It was a few days after the bar incident and they had decided to get food after Bradley was done with his training. He picked Layla up from a nearby music studio she was renting while in San Diego and spent about an hour listening to her record some vocals for a song she had told him was called 'Mother.' A song she told him she wrote on her flight back from Tokyo after not seeing her mom in months.

Layla and Bradley grab their food and decided to head towards the beach and park with the back end of the bronco facing the water. They brought their dinner and drinks to the back of the bronco to eat while they watch the sunset over the water. After finishing their dinner they walk down along the water and continue talking about everything they've been through the past few years.

Walking side by side, occasionally brushing up against each other as they walk along the shoreline Layla continues to tell Bradley the reason she came out here to see her mom. "My last tour was really exhausting. I was dating my guitarist and he was not the easiest person to be around, but because I went without my family for so long, I guess I kind of just went along with the way he treated me because it was the closest relationship I had at the time. He was draining me, so after the tour was over I ended things with him and decided to come home and spend some time with my mom and sister."

"Ah, I see. I'm sorry about your ex. I can kick his ass if you want?" Laughing and shaking her head, she nudges his side. "No thank you, I appreciate it though. He won't bother with me, he has some new girl already."

Bradley tries to gauge Layla's feelings on her ex, wondering if she's as over it as she sounds or if she's trying to mask being upset. Realizing that he's staring at her, he looks away thinking that she doesn't seem too bothered by her jerk of an ex. Sensing that things are feeling a little heavy, Bradley decides to lighten the mood and in one swift movement, he grabs Layla and throws her over his shoulder, walking further into the water and threatening to dunk them both.