Lt. Taylor (Swift) Grace has known Bradley (Rooster) Bradshaw since they were just two years old. They had done everything together since, she even moved herself back four years when Rooster's papers were pulled out of nowhere in the academy. But, w...
a/n: I know I've never added in an authors note but listening to "The Ones Who Didn't Make It Back Home" by Justin Moore will really set the mood for this chapter
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
It was the last night before we left for our special detachment mission. Everyone agreed to meet up at the Hard Deck. The group had only been together for a little over a week and it seemed like an eternity. We had bonded, we had become family. There was melancholy in the air, making it oddly heavy for a place as usually lighthearted as that small pub on the beach. It was obvious to see that we had all accepted that some of us may never be coming back. It was almost as if everything in the world revolved around the mood of our little beach side hangout, the sky being dark and stormy on that day. Due to the weather, the few aviators that agreed to meet were Penny's only business that night. Even she seemed in a funk that day, knowing that one of us, who has become just as much family to her as we had to each other, or Maverick might die within a matter of days. Bradley and I walked in, hand in hand, not wanting to let go of each other, the fear that one of us might lose each other finally sinking in. That night we sat in silence, the only sounds coming from the jukebox, the pool balls, and our beer bottles. After a while I finished my beer, and as soon as I sat it down I grabbed Bradley's hand, lacing our fingers together slowly. As I cuddled into him resting my head on his shoulder while he plants a kiss on top of it, I slowly look around the room. The solid core of the group was my focus.
There was Fanboy and Coyote, who I didn't know as well as the others, but despite that, we welcomed each other with open arms. There was Payback, who I have warmed up to quickly. I reminisce over all the times we teased each other on deck for stupid encounters in our various stories. There was Bob, who had grown on me more than I thought he would, opening up after having several conversations with him. He became like the brother I never had, teasing me about Rooster and even checking on me in the infirmary after my crash. There was Hangman who still managed to piss me off like no other, but despite our constant bumping of heads, he has slowly grown on me. I don't know when exactly this happened, whether it was during football or in his millions of attempts to apologize after almost getting me killed. Whatever the case, I was grateful for it. Then there was Phoenix, my sister from another mister. We met during our academy days and have been close ever since. She always knew what I was thinking, and always knew how to cheer me up. Finally, there was the man I couldn't say enough about, Bradley Bradshaw. If I lost him, I think I would come close to ending my life. Ever since the early age of two he has been the best friend a girl could ask for, the person I could never keep a secret from, a shoulder to cry on, someone I could confide in, and such a driving force throughout my life. My life without him would be like Friends without Joey, or Outer Banks without JJ, it just wouldn't be complete. He is the love of my life. We had been through so much together, and the thought of losing him would tear me apart. So I pushed the thought to the back of my mind, hoping it would never become a reality. Just thinking about the possibility of never seeing one of the people in this room brought tears to my eyes. When Bradley noticed this he pulled me so I was standing in front of him. I wrap my arms around his torso as he wipes the tears from my eyes and places a gentle kiss on my lips before bringing me into a hug.
