Hold My Hand || J.Seresin

Chapter 20

The mission was complete, but we were staying on the carrier overnight. Part of me wanted to return back to North Island, just so that I could be back in a familiar place and sleep in my own bed. But it was nice to be on a carrier again. Maybe now that I'd graduated from Top Gun, being on a carrier would become a more normal thing.

Most of the lieutenants were bunked in a different part of the carrier. For some reason, I'd been given private quarters. After Jake and I's confessions, it had turned awkward when Dad and Bradley saw what happened. I really wasn't in the mood to delve into everything with them right now, especially because Jake and I still had a lot to talk about it. Which is how we now found ourselves. After dinner, we left the dining hall and went to my quarters. Jake had said we'd snuck away, but it was just more discreet leaving.

We were seated on my bed. Jake was leaning against the wall and I was leaning against him. While I was glad we'd figured things out, there was still a lot that was up in the air.
"Do you think you'll get orders?" Jake asked quietly, his arm wrapped around my shoulders. His other hand was linked with mine and his thumb was rubbing patterns along the top of my hand.
"I don't know, maybe. Technically, I'm not even part of a squadron. Do you think you'll go back to Souda Bay?" I asked hesitantly. We'd spent years being in different locations, but things were different between us now.
"Possibly. I'm planning to use some of my leave time, but honestly, I'd rather be stationed somewhere in the U.S."
"I'd like that too." I answered honestly.
"If you had your choice of stations, where would you go?"
"I do really like it in North Island, but with my Top Gun graduation opening up new possibilities, I think Oceana. Get back to squadron life." I joked.
"What if we set our home base in North Island?"
"Our home base?" I asked, looking up at him through my lashes. He smiled at me,
"Yeah. I don't want to hold back anymore. Let's take the plunge - move in together."

The thought of us living together didn't scare me. In fact, it made perfect sense for us. No matter where we went, we'd always come back to one another.
"Let's do it." I answered, giving him a smile. He sat up and I adjusted in his lap to face him. He kissed me quickly, his hands resting on my waist.

We stayed in the room the rest of the night, figuring out some of the logistics. Jake would move in with me and then when we were ready, we'd find a bigger place, maybe something with two stories. While there would still be deployments and the possibility of moves, it finally felt like I was putting down roots.

"We're gonna be late!" Jake yelled, his voice echoing down the hall. I ignored him, grabbing a jacket from the hook and slipping it on over my white corset top. It was a bomber jacket my dad had bought for me when I first started at the Naval Academy. Since then, I'd covered it in patches, like my dad's, although I didn't have as many as him.
"You better get used to this." I responded, coming down the hallway, "I don't like being rushed." A retort was at the ready, but Jake held it back when he saw me. He stood from the couch and came over to me, placing his hands on my hips. His eyes drifted over my body and I could feel the heat radiating off his skin. He kissed me suddenly, slipping his tongue in my mouth. My hands wound around his neck and into his hair, pulling it slightly. I felt Jake's hands slip underneath my jacket, his fingers inching underneath the fabric of my top. I pulled back, reluctantly, but we did have somewhere to be.
"Who's making us late now?" I mused with a smirk.
"No one would blame us once they saw you looking like that." He kissed me again, clearly trying to start something. I pulled out of his grip, grabbing his hand,
"Let's go, Bagman." I told him with a smirk. Glancing at his face, he was clearly unamused.

It did seem like we were the last ones to arrive at The Hard Deck. Phoenix was at the bar and gave me a wave when she saw me. Her smile slipped slightly when she saw Jake. I took a deep breath and continued to the bar, feeling Jake's hand on my lower back. Jake's hand moved to my hips once we were at the bar and he ordered our drinks, while I waited for Phoenix.
"So this is legit?" She asked, gesturing between the two of us. She'd been nearby on the carrier and would have definitely overheard Jake's declaration, but there was still a lot for people to learn. Jake's arm slipped to just around my back so we were standing next to each other,
"You jealous, Phoenix?" He asked with his usual Hangman smugness.
"God no." She responded with a scoff, "I'm just trying to understand how this happened." She looked at me for the next part, "Blink twice if he's holding you captive." I laughed at her words and could see Jake was unamused.
"No captivity. Although," I turned to look at Jake, "How did you get me?" A smile on my face as I teased him.
"You fell for my charm, and my dick." He answered, kissing me. Phoenix made a gagging noise. I pulled away, looking back at her.
"We're outside by a fire pit when you two are done sucking face."