Anchor ⚓︎ Jake 'Hangman' Seresin

⚓︎ chapter fifteen ⚓︎

Eight Months Later

"No you're not," Torie protested as tears began to brim in her eyes.

"We are," Eleanor replied tearfully.

"But how are we gonna have our weekly dinners anymore?" Torie asked.

"You'll just have to make the trip out to California  when you can or I'll come here when I can," Eleanor responded.

"Or you can just move in with me and stay here," Torie responded, pulling her best friend into a hug as they both laughed but tearfully.

Jake had been for just a month from his deployment when the bomb had been dropped that he was being reassigned to a new squadron.  Said squadron was in Lemoore, California, meaning they were moving out west.  Torie was naturally taking the news horribly.

"I guess it just snuck up on us sooner than we thought," she told Eleanor, "I thought most reassignments didn't happen that often, but I guess it has been two years, hasn't it?"

"Yeah," Eleanor replied breathlessly, "a lot has happened in two years."

Torie nodded in response. "But I'll come visit and you will come visit too, right?" She asked, "Plus, we have to really start making decisions about the wedding when you guys finally decide on a date."

Eleanor laughed. "Yes to both."

The front door to Eleanor and Jake's apartment opened and Jake walked in, just getting done with work for the day. He spotted both girls sitting on the couch and was quick to note both of their tear filled eyes.

"I came back at a bad time, didn't I?" He sheepishly said as he scratched the back of his neck nervously.

Torie playfully glared at him. "You're taking my best friend from me, Seresin," she spoke in a playfully angry tone, "I want visitation rights."

"Hey, I can't help it if she fell for my charming ways," he defended, sitting down next to Eleanor, "blame her."

Eleanor shook her head before taking his hand into hers. "So is this a bad time to tell her about my confirmed air-to-air kill from this last deployment?" He asked, his tone teasing.

"Wow, impressive," Torie acknowledged, her tone genuine.

Jake shrugged. "As far as I know, I'm the only pilot on active duty with a confirmed one," he told them proudly as he puffed his chest out a little.

Eleanor snorted. "Humble, this one," she joked with Torie, who laughed along," but I know someone, who isn't on active duty anymore but does have three confirmed kills," she told Jake, patting his cheek.

"Who?"

"Doesn't matter, he's not in my life anymore," she replied before getting up to begin making dinner for the four people joining them for dinner.

"Is Natasha still coming over?" Eleanor asked.

"Yeah," Jake told her, "bumped into her as I was leaving and she confirmed she was coming by in a half hour."

Eleanor nodded in acknowledgment before continuing to cook dinner.  Her phone began vibrating and she looked to see Bradley calling.

"Hey, Bradley," she greeted.

"Hey, how goes it?" He asked.

"Just cooking dinner for me, Jake, Torie, and Natasha," she told him, "what are you up to?"

"I just got news about being reassigned," he stated, "I'm moving back to Virginia!"

Eleanor stopped cutting the vegetables she was cutting up and let the knife drop on the cutting board.  "You're moving back here?" She asked, her tone sounding more sad rather than excited like Bradley was hoping.