The pieces of my puzzle.

Nineteen.

A/N: this will continue the events of the previous chapter.
~Mike❤️❤️

(Azara's POV)

After I catched up with my dad, promising to have dinner soon. I made my way to my car.

"Hey, wait!" Bradly called, running up to me. "Let me walk you to your car." He smiled at me.

I smiled in return. "Always the gentleman." He bowed his head in response, making me laugh.

"Also, I'm taking you to the doctor." He stated matter-of-factly.

I raised a brow. "No you're not." I replied stubbornly.

He rolled his eyes at me, but then they softened with concern as he grabbed my hand in his. "Please Az, I have a friend who can do it if you want. Just please." He pleaded.

I looked into his brown eyes and sighed. "Ok." I agreed.

He pulled me into a gentle hug. "Thank you. I just want to make sure you're okay."

***

We went to Bradly's house and waited for the doctor to arrive.

When the doorbell rang he opened it to welcome them in. And I was surprised to see a woman.

I had thought this 'friend' was a man but apparently not.

She walked up to me and held out her hand for me to shake. "Hi. I'm Dr. Lila Smith." She introduced.

She was a short blonde with sparkling blue eyes and a perfect smile.

I did not return the smile as I shook her hand. "Azara Mitchell." I introduced myself flatly.

As you can probably tell, I'm not great at meeting new people. Because of past events I have major trust issues so it was hard for me to trust people.

Bradly leaned on the doorframe as Dr. Smith checked out my shoulder.

After a while she was finally finished with the check up and gave me some pills for the pain and a strap to wear. As if I'm gonna wear that thing.

I thanked her and stood up as Bradly walked towards her.

"Thanks again for doing this, Lila." He said, pulling the doctor in for a hug.

I just stood there awkwardly as the hug went on a little longer than I expected.

When they pulled away, she looked into his eyes and her crystal blue ones reflected nothing but love and adoration.

And that's when I felt a wave of jealousy ripple through my heart as I realized that they were or still are a thing.

I didn't give myself time to look into Rooster's eyes to see what he was feeling before I cleared my throat to get their attention.

"Thanks for the check up doc. I should get going. See you tomorrow Rooster." I said without smiling. My stone cold composure returning to my face.

As I got in my jeep I could hear Rooster's calls but I just started the engine and drove away.

I had a coffee date with inferno and I drove to the café he suggested.

I tried to get my breathing under control as my chest tightened.

Ok he didn't tell me he had a girlfriend. But why am I jealous? It's not like I was dating him.

But what if I loose him? I just got him back.

I'm probably overthinking this whole thing.

Why am I acting like this?

Because I love him. I always have and I always will.

But maybe we're not meant to be. Maybe his heart is destined for another.

Lila is stunningly beautiful. She has an amazing job.

She's everything I'm not.

She's blonde. I'm a brunette.

She has amazing blue eyes. Mine are green.

She has a thin and athletic body. I have a curved and muscular body.

She has a shining smile. Mine is not as bright.

Of course he would go for a blonde. Why did I ever think I stood a chance?

I pulled up to the coffee shop and took a deep breath. I had luckily managed to control my breathing and refrain from having a panic attack but I was still on edge.

I headed inside and smiled when I saw Inferno sat by a table in the corner of the shop.

"Heya bud." I smiled as I hugged him. He smiled in return and we sat down.

"How you doing?" He asked.

"I'm ok. My shoulder is a bit better. Rooster forced me to see a doctor." I said flatly. My voice cracked only slightly.

Inferno raised a brow. "What happened?"
He knew me too well.

"I think Rooster and the doctor are dating. She's a friend of his." I answered, twirling the straw in my drink instead of making eye contact.

Inferno placed his hand on mine. "I'm sorry Az."

"Maybe I'm just overthinking everything. But I can't get hurt again, not by him."

"I know. But maybe it's a sign that he's not meant for you. Even though I don't think that's the case. But hey, if he's into blonde supermodels then he doesn't know what he's missing out on."

I chuckle at that and decided to change the subject. "So how are you feeling about the mission?"

He tensed slightly. "I'm nervous as hell but I feel like we're ready. And I am happy that you're the one in the cockpit with me. I trust you more than anything or anyone Azara."

I squeezed his hand and smiled sadly. "Thank you for trusting me Luke, and I trust you more than anyone to watch my back up there." A glimmer of sadness flashed across both pairs of eyes as we were brought back to the realization that the mission was 4 days away.

"Oh did you hear? Hangman was kicked out earlier this morning for assaulting an officer." Luke said with a smirk.

I laughed. "Good. He was a thorn in my side."

We continued to chat and a few hours later I had to leave for dinner with my dad.

I sighed sadly. It wasn't like it was the last time I was gonna see my best friend. It was just that I wanted to spend as much time with him as I could.

He walked me to my car like the gentleman he was. "I love you 3000, Az. You're the best friend anyone could've asked for." He hugged me tightly.

"I love you 3000, Luke. Without you I might not be here today. Thank you." I said, holding onto him just as tightly.

"And remember, I'm with ya till the end of the line."

I nodded. "Till the end of the line."

It may seem a bit soon to say all this but we didn't know when else we would have time to say it.

I got in my car and let a single tear slip down my cheek. I pray we all make it back.

A/N: no offense intended towards blondes!! Have a great day/night!

~Mike.❤️