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↳ 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 'we were liars in love and we danced, swept away for a moment by chance'
━━ 𓄼 𓄹 ━━
. . . SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
THE DINING TABLE WAS COVERED with food. Hands passed the bowl of mashed potatoes around, and Theo ran back and forth intermittently with burgers fresh of the grill. There were carrots, strawberries, cold pasta salad. Everyone was gathered and Cam finally felt like she was home. Theo and Alayna had been just as much part of her childhood as the rest of her family. That was the way it had always been for Bradley and Cam. What's mine is yours.
"Cam was saying that you're thinking of selling the hangar, Mr. Mejia?" Bradley said.
"Unfortunately," he sighed. "Benny, my brother, he pulled out his shares of the old place. We're both getting old, and we hardly fly enough to justify it. But we'll see. These things have a way of working themselves out. Now, tell me about the Navy. I'm sure Rooster and Berlin have stories to tell, yeah?" He said eagerly.
"Marco, give them a break. I'm sure there are other things we can talk about," her mother said, taking a calm sip of water. Cam had a sinking suspicion that it was more than boredom that made her shut the conversation down.
"Of course, my love," Marco said nonetheless.
"I have a question," Amari announced.
"We're all ears," Theo said, grinning at her.
"What's a Berlin?" Amari finally asked.
"It's the capital of Germany," Joanna informed her.
Cam swallowed her water hard, trying not to laugh. "Yes, it is. It's also my callsign, the name they use when I'm up in the plane."
Amari pointed her fork at Bradley, like a queen commanding her charge. "Do you have a callsign?"
"I do."
"What is it?"
He braced himself. "Rooster."
Amari burst out laughing, almost knocking her fork off the table. "Rooster! Roosters can barely fly!"
He feigned ignorance. "They can't? Well, I guess I'll have to change it to something different."
