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Riley had struggled to sleep that night. She hadn't stayed at the Hard Deck late after Peyton's performance. She had practically rushed out of the door, trying to escape all the things that had happened in one night. She wanted to talk things out with Rooster—not immediately jump back into his pants. And so she had to distance herself for the night, even when it had looked like he was coming over to talk to her before she left. As for Luke, he had been too occupied with the other aviators for the rest of the night to bother paying much attention to Riley and so she got off pretty easy.
But when she went home, she found it almost impossible to sleep. She tossed and turned. Flipped her pillow over multiple times for the cold side. She even attempted listening to ambient music on YouTube. But nothing was working. Her thoughts were keeping her awake. And not just her ones about Rooster's hands being all over her body—but thoughts about the upcoming weeks too. The Top Gun mission was making her a little nervous. They didn't know all the details, not yet, but knowing that the enemy had their hands on fifth generation fighters was enough to make her feel weary. They were beasts in the air and could cut down practically anything—especially F-18's. Riley didn't doubt her talent, but she knew when a suicide mission was being put down in front of them. And they hadn't even heard the full story yet.
So, instead of sleeping, she got back out of bed and changed into a baggy sweater and running shorts. She put on her headphones, slipped into her trainers and went for a run in the pitch dark. The neighbourhood being built for the Navy made it safe—perhaps one of the safest places you could be and that made Riley feel at ease enough to go for a run at 4am.
Riley ran at the seafront, on the sidewalk that overlooked the golden beach and Pacific Ocean. She had a certain amount of love for the beach at night. It wasn't clustered with families bathing in the sun, building sand castles or dogs running up and down the sand. It was quiet at night, with only the sound of the waves crashing against each other. That's why Riley left the earphone facing the ocean out, so she could hear it along with her music as she ran.
By the time Riley made it home, her clothes dripping in sweat, she was awake enough to not bother going back to sleep. So instead, she showered and then sat in the living room, flicking through Netflix for most of the night. Riley appreciated moments where she could do such mundane things as much as she loved her job—it just felt nice, getting to do something that wasn't physically taxing; boring even.
Eventually, her alarm went off from her bedroom, indicating that it was time for her to get ready for their second day of training. Her brother texted her, asking if she wanted picked up but she denied his request, telling him that she would drive herself. She was riled up and ready to go, she didn't want to have to wait for her brother—even if he was only down the street.
