CHAPTER FIVE:
you didn't have to miss me, bradshaw.

            Maverick had kept his word on the 200 push-up deal. Riley had passed Rooster in the yard as he was doing his—having been the first person to be 'shot down'. Sweat was dripping from his forehead and his teeth were clenched as he struggled to complete the push-ups. He was at one hundred and seventy three. In her passing, Rooster had glanced up, catching her gaze before he began going through the push-ups a lot faster. Riley stopped and stared at him for a moment. Could he really have been that mad at her that it was fuelling him to complete the almost impossible 200 push-ups?

            Riley shook her head and headed back into the base, passing her brother as he was gearing up. He snickered as he looked across at Rooster, "Knew it would be him." He told her confidently, settling his hands on his hips as he watched Rooster with a pleased smile on his face.

              Riley sighed, "If it wasn't for him it would be Payback and Fanboy out there." She reminded him of Rooster's heroic act. It proved that he didn't just care about himself up there—he was loyal to his team and would die for them. Even if it was just a training exercise; he would do the same thing on a mission.

             Jake scoffed, "And it should've been," Jake said, making Riley roll her eyes, "Up there, it's you or them. You should always put yourself first, Riles—"

             "You don't really believe that do you?" She asked him, baffled by how selfish her brother had come to be. She knew he hadn't always been that way. There was a time where he would've done the same as Rooster, "Jake, what about mom—"

             "I said what I said, Riles," Jake spoke over her, cutting off her next string of words. She stared up at him, disbelief written over her face. Her brother stepped closer to her, "Just do me a favour and don't pull any of that shit out there, okay? No point in being a hero if you don't make it back." He spoke down to her, their green gazes locked on each other.

            Riley shook her head, "You're unbelievable." She banged into his shoulder, passing him as he called after her but she didn't turn back. She didn't even want to look at her brother right then.

            Riley tried to pretend like she couldn't see a change in her brother those last few years—but she had, it was impossible not to. Jake had always been cocky and confident but it wasn't just that anymore. He truly did believe that it was each man for themselves out there. Riley knew what had made that change but she still didn't agree with it because it completely discredited everything their mother had stood for. Everything they had once stood for.

            "Hey, you good?" Phoenix asked in passing, reading the look of annoyance on Riley's face.

            Riley stoped, glancing back at her brother that was heading out to the runway. She then looked back to Phoenix and put a hand on her shoulder, "Just be careful with him up there," Phoenix looked at her in surprise. Riley heaved out a sigh, "We call him Hangman for a reason, right?" Her voice almost held defeat, like she was slowly coming to terms that her brother truly was a one-man-team.

            Phoenix head her gaze, "You did good out there, by the way." She said, reaching up to give her hand a squeeze, changing the subject. Riley gave her a smile and then headed inside and to the lounge area where radios had been set up to listen into the communications between the pilots whilst they were up in the air.

            For the rest of the day, they spent their time in the air. And if Riley thought she was pissed at her brother, she was even more pissed at him when he was in the air with Phoenix and Bob. Just like she had suspected, he had turned tail and left them when they needed him—and got them 'killed'. But in doing so, he only got himself taken down by Maverick shortly after. The last group of the day had been herself, Jake and Rooster—the two people she wasn't particularly on good terms with. So it was going to be a disaster from start to finish.

            Jake had done what he usually does, which was try and get to Rooster whilst they were in the air. Riley had told him to knock it off when Rooster had told her that he didn't need her to come to his rescue. She had told him 'fine', flipped him off through the window and then dropped down a couple feet when she had noticed Maverick laying low beneath them, planning on catching them out. And with herself out of the picture, it had left Rooster and Maverick to go at it whilst she and Jake watched. Riley could feel the tension between them. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she knew there was history there—one that Rooster hadn't forgave Maverick for. She couldn't imagine what; but she knew that it was messing with his ability to fly up there with Maverick. That had only been proven when both of them spiralled into a cobra manoeuvre and almost got themselves killed when they dropped below the hard deck.

          In the end, both of them had pulled up when Riley and Jake were yelling at them to pull back. They had almost hit 100 feet when they finally did and Riley had held back the urge to curse Rooster out and call him an idiot for what he had done. He had never been a reckless flyer, not like her or Jake. But somehow, Maverick had got deep under his skin and made him loose all of his cool up there.

By the time they had finished, Riley felt exhausted. She was packing up her things by her locker after slipping into her casual clothes when Maverick approached her, "Karma." He called out. He still had his sunglasses on his face even though he was indoors, meanwhile Riley's hung from the neck of her loose fitted t-shirt.

Riley straightened herself out, "Sir." She greeted him, nodding her head respectfully.

"I just wanted to say I was really impressed by you today," Maverick began, stopping in front of her, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his brown leather jacked ornamented with many patches. Maverick smiled to himself, like he knew something she didn't, "It isn't often I see a pilot pull moves like you did other than—"

"Yourself?" Riley interrupted him, giving a small smile. Maverick nodded, his face showing amusement, "My parents were both pilots. I've flown a jet more than I've drove a car. It comes naturally at this point, sir." She told him.

"Still, it's impressive. Dropping the jet the way you did. Like you said, I haven't seen that shit since my own Top Gun days. Not many pilots like to take those kind of risks these days," Maverick complimented her, giving a nod of his head. He lingered for a moment before putting his hand on her shoulder, "Good job." Riley grinned as he left, soaking his words in. Despite not being able to shoot Maverick down, she had still managed to impress him and that was more than enough for her. She couldn't wait to gloat to her brother all about it—once they made up, of course. But in the meantime, she was still being mad at him.

             On her way out, she passed by Rooster who was dressed in washed-out jeans and a wife-beater tank. She paused upon seeing him, considering asking what was going on between him and Maverick. But by how cold he had been earlier, she decided it probably wasn't the best idea. And then there was the fact that she had told him that the whole friendship thing wasn't going to work between them—and she truly believed that. But it was excruciating having to see him and not be able to talk to him.

              "Hey, Riles!" Phoenix called out. She was standing outside of the lounge area with Bob at her side. It was nice, since Bob had became her back-seater they had been joined at the hip. And since Bob was shy and quiet, he was lucky he had a friend like Phoenix who was the total opposite; she had no problem telling someone to fuck off.

               Riley glanced across at her, "We're hitting the Hard Deck later. You comin'?" She called over to her, her coveralls tied at her waist.

              "Yeah. I promised Peyton I'd be there—I missed her performing the other night and she'll never let me live it down if I don't come watch," Phoenix chuckled. Riley tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and began stepping backward, "I'll see ya later!" She called at them, giving a wave as she left, heading for where her car was parked in the bases garage.

            When she entered there was no light other than the sun shining in from behind her. She approached her car, getting the keys out of her pocket, "Riley." The voice stopped her and she fumbled with her keys, almost dropping them.

          "Shit." She swore under her breath, turning around to see Rooster standing by his own car that was parked a few rows down by hers, a blue Classic Ford Bronco. Riley had been in it many of times, driving through the desert with the windows down. Laying on the hood and staring up at the night sky. Her back pressed against the leather as Rooster kissed her.

            She took Rooster in who was caught like a deer in headlights and Riley realised he hadn't meant to call out for her. She scoffed at the silence and shook her head, "I'll see you tomorrow, Rooster." She mumbled, unlocking her door and pulling it open.

             "Riley, wait," Rooster crossed the garage, moving fast to catch her before she got inside. She hesitated and looked over at him. He stopped a few feet away, staring at her with his lips parted, "I wanted to say. I just—I..." He fumbled over his words as Riley stared at him impatiently.

            Riley sighed, "You don't have to say anything, Rooster." She told him, almost defeatedly.

            Rooster shook his head, "No, I want to. I need to. I just—" He inhaled sharply, looking frustrated. He was trying to speak the words he was processing but nothing sounded right in his mind. Eventually he threw his hands up and marched towards her, "I didn't think you'd be here." He confessed and Riley screwed up her face.

             "In the garage? Rooster, my cars—"

             "Not in the garage," He spoke over ever. He gestured around with his hand, "Here. Top Gun. I didn't think..." He trailed off and Riley stared up at him, her eyes slowly narrowing.

             "Well, why wouldn't I be?" Rooster could tell by the hostile tone in her voice that he had managed to accidentally insult her when he hadn't meant to. He just couldn't seem to properly form words that made sense to him or to her.

"I didn't mean—" Rooster cut himself off. He ran a hand through his thick hair and shook his head. The pair stared at each other for an intense moment before Rooster stepped closer to her, making her step up against her car, her back hitting the door.

He raised his hand, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair that had fallen from her ponytail but he suddenly hesitated. Riley swallowed hard. Rooster lowered his face to hers, "Truth is, I've really fucking missed you, Seresin." He confessed, his voice low and deep, his eyes like honey fixated on her lips.

Riley's breath faltered as she stared at him, her eyes darting back and force between his and his lips, "You didn't have to miss me, Bradshaw..." She whispered and his eyes flickered up to meet hers, catching a glimpse of the emotions she had been hiding. Disappointment. Rejection.

Rooster nodded, "I should've stayed—"

"But you didn't." Riley didn't mean to snap but she did and Rooster was more than aware of the tone she had picked up with him. And he couldn't blame her, not really. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

He blinked back, "I—" He was speechless, not knowing how to admit to her that leaving her was the last thing in the world that he had ever wanted to do. He wanted to stay with her, he wanted to be with her. And she him. But their own damn stubbornness was making it impossible to confess.

Riley's eyes were burning as she tried to hold back tears. She had been waiting for this conversation for what felt like forever. It bad been bottled up, all these things she wanted to say to him—needed to say to him. She needed him to understand how he had made her feel when he left her that day.

"You left, Rooster." She reminded him, her voice turning cold, eyes barely blinking.

Rooster threw his hands up, reaching his boiling point of frustration, "You told me to. You were practically shoving me out the door!" He exclaimed in a hushed whisper, his face getting even closer to hers, the heat rising between them.

Riley laughed bitterly, screwing her face up, "Of course that's how you see it—"

"It's the only way to see it!" The both of them went into a silence, staring at each other heatedly, their chests falling and rising sharply. Riley despised this. Fighting with him because of how worked up it got her. He always got a rise out of her and it was aggravating.

She glared up at him, "You keep telling yourself that." She reached for the handle of her door, pulling it open and jumping quickly into her car before he could stop her. She didn't spare him a second glance as she started up the car and sped out of the garage, leaving him standing there, watching her go.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." Riley hissed under her breath, hitting her steering wheel as she drove towards the gates of the base. Why did she always let him get under her skin? And why did she care so fucking much that he left that day? They had never promised each other anything. And yet, she couldn't let it go.