CHAPTER TWO
Falling Back Into Old Habits

MIRAMAR, CALIFORNIA
FIGHTERTOWN, U.S.A.
2014

PER USUAL, The Hard Deck was nearing maximum capacity as patrons leaked out from all ends of the establishment. Some were forced to take up residency on the exterior decks due to the lack of interior space, that of which Cassie was becoming quite familiar with.

While she was lucky enough to have grabbed a seat at the bar, she was surrounded on all sides excluding her front that was pressed as far as it physically could into the counter. With every nudge from the strangers around her, Cassie gripped onto her beer bottle even tighter, afraid that one of these harmless bumps would send the glass bottle flying.

Penny Benjamin, a sight for sore eyes, was practically running back and forth behind the bar to tend to her customers. The woman had naturally aged since the last time Cassie had been on North Island, but still, the friendly face was comforting to see upon returning from her latest deployment. The bar had also gone under new management, but they evidently weren't doing that efficient of a job since Penny appeared to be the only employee around during a Friday rush hour. Taking a swig of her beer, Cassie realized that she had reached the bottom of her bottle and couldn't stand watching the woman being torn every which way for much longer.

She called out to her, "Penny!"

The woman glanced over her shoulder and held up her index finger, "Hold on, Cass, I'll get you in a second —" Cassie sighed before swiveling her legs out from under the counter, pushing herself on top of it, and swinging her body around so that her feet landed on the other side.

"Where's your help?"

Penny scoffed, "C'mon, now, Cassie. When have you ever seen more than one person working here at a time?" After handing off another round of beers, she faced Cassie and held her hand up, rubbing her thumb and index finger together, "It's all about the money. If only one person's working, then all you have to dish out is one person's pay — but I don't think Carl's the sharpest tool in the shed."

     Penny leaned in closer, but Cassie doubted anyone would be able to overhear from the bustle of the bar. "He's yet to notice that I've also been taking all the tips." Cassie laughed aloud as Penny continued to maneuver herself around the counter.

     Cassie trailed behind her, "C'mon, let me help you, Penny. I won't even take any of your tips — you're drowning here!" At the sound of glass shattering from somewhere near the dart boards, Penny deeply sighed before grabbing the rag thrown over her shoulder.

"Fine —" she pointed at Cassie, "— but just until I get back."

While she had worked her fair share of waitressing jobs in her youth, bartending was nothing like Cassie was used to. Fortunately for her, most people who frequented the Hard Deck opted for beer, so the process of making the drinks wasn't all that difficult. The demand of which, however, was where Cassie lagged behind Penny's expertise.

When she returned and threw the glass contents inside of her rag into the recycling, Penny asked Cassie, "Girl, how old are you? Ninety-five? You're moving like my grandmother — God rest her soul." Cassie was taken aback by Penny's assertiveness as she easily knocked out an entire line of orders within a few seconds.

Bewildered, Cassie scoffed, "You make it look so easy!"

Penny laughed, looking over towards Cassie as she filled a glass with the tap, "That's what over a decade's-worth of experience will get you." After handing the overflowing glass to a customer, Penny pointed towards the opposite end of the bar, "Go man over there. We'll divide and conquer." Cassie did as was told and hurried over to the vacant end of the bar, facing the front doors where even more people were flooding in. She used a nearby rag to wipe down the wet counter before attending to the newcomer whose shadow cast over her.

"What can I get you — ?" Cassie stopped herself short upon seeing her own reflection in a familiar pair of Caravan sunglasses.

Bradley lifted his shades over his eyes before breaking out into a laugh, "Are you shitting me? Blackwood?"

Regaining her composure, she nonchalantly shrugged, "In the flesh." She fished out a Budweiser, already aware of his drink of choice. "I didn't know you were stateside."

Bradley folded his sunglasses and set them on the counter, accepting the bottle, "Same goes for you. What brings you by, anyway?"

Cassie hesitated, "Oh, y'know..." She waved her hand around in an unspecific reference to the surrounding crowd, "...old friends."

Bradley pursed his lips, "Hmm, it's a little hard to socialize from behind a counter, don't you think?"

"I'm doing it now, aren't I?"

Bradley shrugged, raising his beer to his lips, "Touché." As Cassie turned to tend to the other newcomers, Bradley reached across the bar to latch onto her hand. Cassie faced him, confusion written across her features.

"What time do you get off?"

Cassie would be lying if she said she wasn't at least a little taken aback by the question. Over the past two years, she and Bradley had gone from hating each other's guts to trusting each other with their lives — literally, since they were assigned to be each other's wingman on their previous mission. Following her graduation from TOPGUN, Cassie had been immediately deployed for a two-year stint in Afghanistan with none other than Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw at her side. Now, a few weeks after returning stateside, Cassie honestly didn't know what would happen between her and Bradley.

To be clear — nothing happened during said deployment. After their hostility towards each other cooled off, the natural chemistry that existed between the two became clear as day. Their peers always joked that they shared some secret language with their lack of explicit instructions and how seamlessly they moved in tandem. Either one could speak a one-syllable sound and, even if their monitoring officers didn't understand, the other immediately did so.

Near the end of their mission, that chemistry began making itself well-known within Cassie and Bradley's personal relationship, too. Eye-contact held a little longer. Touches lingered more than usual. What really cemented the notion that something was brewing between them, though, was Cassie's near breakdown when she found Bradley unconscious after they were forced to eject from their planes. He came to a few minutes later, after the pair was picked up by search and rescue, but those few minutes were what Cassie equated to hell.

If you were to ask her, she would defend herself by saying that she couldn't live with the guilt of losing a wingman. Cassie had a front-row seat to how a similar experience haunted her father decades later, and she selfishly didn't want to live the same fate. Pete had told her that if she flew long enough, it would happen eventually, but Cassie was sure to put it off as long as possible.

It was why she preferred flying in the front seat. Cassie was given impromptu WSO training in Afghanistan in case the need ever arose, but Cassie hated every second of it. She'd much rather be the one in control. Yeah, it was nice to know that she could take over a wizzo's responsibilities if need be, but unless it was a life-or-death situation or she had absolutely zero confidence in the pilot's abilities...that would be a hard pass.

Bradley gently shook Cassie's arm, using his free hand to snap his fingers in front of her face, "Hello? Anybody home?"

"Ten," Cassie replied. The answer had been sitting on her tongue as soon as the question left his mouth, but she had an unexpected wave of emotions preoccupy her.

Leaning back towards the customer side of the bar, Bradley released Cassie's hand before nodding, "Ten it is, then. On the dot."

Cassie quipped an eyebrow, "On the dot." She finally turned around, prepared to tend to the awaiting customers, only to see Penny with a hand on her hip instead. The smug expression on Cassie's face wiped clean, concerned that Penny would reprimand her — even if Cassie wasn't officially "on the clock," she felt guilty that she was chatting away while Penny was left to deal with the mob.

"Penny —"

"Who was that?" All of Cassie's worry vanished at Penny's teasing tone. She took a step towards the beer taps between them, eyeing Bradley, "He's cute."

Cassie pressed her lips together to suppress a smile as she followed suit, "He's no one."

Penny nodded, "Mhm, sure." After setting down two more full glasses on the counter, she faced Cassie, "From the attire and ego I'll take a wild guess...pilot?" Cassie shook her head in amusement, which Penny accepted as a confirmation. "Well, if he ever offers to take you for a joyride, say no. Well — okay, say yes, but be prepared to report to an admiral after." Cassie glanced over towards Penny, an eyebrow raised. She shrugged, "What? I'm just being honest."

As the next few hours passed by, Cassie soon got into the groove of bartending, and she and Penny seamlessly served drinks and accepted cash. With a little more than half an hour left of operation, Penny took her first "break" since her shift began at noon. She leaned back against the countertop and momentarily closed her eyes, releasing a heavy sigh. Cassie took care of the fort for the time being, able to handle the lull in customers.

When newcomers ceased straggling inside, she decided to inquire about Penny's daughter, "How's Amelia?"

The woman opened her eyes and dryly laughed, "She's entered her rebellious years prematurely, it seems." Penny shrugged, "I can't blame her, with the divorce and all. It hasn't been the most smooth-sailing." She pointed towards Cassie, "Take my advice: never get married."

Cassie chuckled to herself, "Alright, I won't." The music flooding through the wall speakers abruptly stopped, and the bar's audience collectively boo-ed.

Penny sighed, "Great, just what I needed." Before she had the chance to exit from behind the bar to inspect the presumably-malfunctioning jukebox, the sound of a piano quickly filled the music's absence. Both Cassie and Penny narrowed their eyes towards the direction of the piano, noticing that a crowd had formed around the instrument, manned by none other than Bradley himself. Once he began his rendition of "Great Balls of Fire," the ongoers had livened up once again and began singing along.

Penny noticed Cassie smiling to herself and took the opportunity to ask, "So...is Mr. Hawaiian Shirt why you're back here?"

Cassie redirected her attention towards Penny and shook her head, "Oh, no, I didn't even know he would be on North Island. I..." Penny noticed the sudden shift in the girl's tone. Even before she spoke, Penny had a pretty good idea of what Cassie's next words were about to be, and she dreaded telling Cassie news that Penny knew she didn't want to hear. "...I came to see him. I haven't seen him in a while, and I figured, while I have some downtime..." she shrugged, "...I might as well, right?"

Without further explanation, Penny knew exactly who this "him" was that Cassie was referring to. At Penny's reluctance to make eye contact, it was Cassie who then noticed the shift in demeanor. She could easily decipher the woman's expression. Cassie let out a long sigh, "Where'd they ship him off to this time?"

Penny hesitantly answered, "Iraq."

"He piss off another admiral?" At Penny's silence, Cassie's suspicions were confirmed. She gripped the edge of the counter and shook her head, "Go figure."

Penny maternally rubbed Cassie's arm, "I'm sorry."

"I mean —" Cassie dryly laughed, "— I never expected him to be there at the airport, standing there with flowers or a sign or whatever, but one of these times, it would be nice to have someone to come back to, y'know?" Penny was unsure of how else to comfort the girl other than offer her an empathetic glance. She was well aware that Cassie despised fake niceties. While Penny wasn't feigning concern, since she empathized with Cassie given that Penny's own father was an admiral, Cassie was in enough of an agitated state to not press further.

Penny had known Cassie ever since her stout toddler legs allowed her to run around North Island, dragging her father by the hand alongside her. Despite going by her mother's surname, Cassie Blackwood was her father's daughter through and through. Were the circumstances of her upbringing different, she would have grown to be the poster child of a "daddy's girl." Although she wouldn't outrightly admit it...Pete's absence due to his own subordination, while not unexpected, was still as much a slap in the face.

After Bradley's performance ended and his newfound fans' cheers echoed around the wooden walls of the building, Cassie glanced back up towards her ex-wingman who was teasing the crowd with an encore.

Cassie returned her gaze to Penny and nodded her head backwards towards the impromptu piano man, "That's Bradley Bradshaw."

Penny perked up at the last name, "'Bradshaw'...?"

Cassie nodded, "Goose's son." She was aware of Penny and her dad's prior encounters, and by proxy, that she knew of Goose. Cassie straightened up from her previously-slumped over posture, "He hates my dad." She glanced back over towards Bradley and shrugged, "Can't exactly blame him, though."

Penny narrowed her eyes in curiosity, "Does he...?"

Cassie shook her head, answering Penny's half-baked question, "He doesn't know I'm Maverick's daughter."

She shrugged once more, half-heartedly this time, "That's the power of an admiral for you." Without even mentioning his name, Penny gathered that Cassie was referring to Iceman. He was often getting Pete out of trouble — like he surely would for his most recent misdemeanor — so Penny couldn't say she was surprised to see that Iceman would pull similar strings for his honorary niece.

Before Penny could spare her two cents, Bradley reappeared next to Cassie, leaning on the consumer's side of the bar. Cassie nodded towards the people filing out of all exits, "Wow, you sure know how to clear out a crowd."

He shrugged, "Thought I would make ten o'clock come a little sooner."

Cassie glanced at the analog clock hanging on the wall, "Hmm, looks like you still have a few minutes to go." She shooed him, "I have to clean up. Go busy yourself with...something."

Bradley released his weight from against the counter, holding both of his hands up in surrender, "Alright, yeesh." He began retreating to the jukebox as he called over his shoulder, "Glad to see you're as bossy as ever."

"Old habits die hard," Cassie responded, gathering the residual glasses on the counter to be washed. Penny's eyes flickered between the two, entertained by their banter.

She took the glasses from Cassie's hands, nodding towards Bradley, "Go."

Cassie shook her head, confused, "What? No, I can help you clean up —"

"Cassie." Penny raised her eyebrows, beginning to grow tired of the Mitchells' genetic stubbornness, "I got this. Go." The click of a song being selected on the jukebox rang throughout the otherwise quiet bar, and both women turned their heads towards the music-playing device.

Bradley held an imaginary microphone with one hand as he used his other to rhymically snap along to the tune, moving across the floor back to the bar, "You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips..." Cassie jutted her lip out in an attempt to stifle her laughter since she knew it would only encourage Bradley further. "...and there's no tenderness, like before in your fingertips..."

He returned to his previous position on the other side of the bar, "...you're trying hard not to show it...but baby —" He gripped onto the edge of the counter, "— baby, I love it." Cassie shot an incredulous look over her shoulder at Penny, who was watching with an amused, yet nostalgic, expression.

"You've lost that lovin' feelin'...whoa, that lovin' feelin'...you've lost that lovin' feelin' —"

"Okay, okay —" Cassie walked around the bar and grabbed onto Bradley's upper arm, beginning to drag him out of the bar.

"— now it's gone, gone —"

She yelled back towards Penny, "Goodnight, Penny!" The woman continued cleaning up, watching the pair with a knowing smirk on her face.

"— gone, woah — oh — oh — oh — " Bradley's singing transitioned into laughter once they were outside and Cassie's annoyed expression was caught in the twinkling string lights lining the building's exterior. He amusedly scoffed, "Oh, come on, you're really that mad?"

She crossed her arms across her chest, "No — but you're insufferable."

He shrugged, "What can I say?" He leaned his head down so he was at her eye level, "Old habits die hard."

Upon hearing her earlier words repeated in a mocking tone, Cassie shook her head and began to turn back towards the Hard Deck, "Alright, well, good night —"

"Okay, wait — wait —" Bradley quickly stepped forward to grab onto Cassie's arm like he had done earlier. She turned her body back around, facing him. "In all seriousness..." Bradley glanced towards his worn boat shoes, his avoidance of eye contact being a nervous tic that Cassie had picked up on over the years. He slid his hand down from her elbow to her wrist, ultimately latching onto her hand. He looked back up towards Cassie's face, "...I'm glad I ran into you." She subconsciously took a step closer, her previously-annoyed facade melting away.

"Me too."

Suddenly, a similar feeling as to when Cassie was alongside Bradley's unconscious figure rose within her stomach. The tightening inside her middle, as if her internal organs were wrapping themselves around one other. The inability to differentiate between nausea or butterflies in her belly. It was the same sensation she felt before she lifted off of a runway. The adrenaline pumping through her veins, quickly followed by the whoosh of endorphins once her aircraft was finally in the air.

Bradley reached up to tuck Cassie's hair behind her ear, keeping his hand rested on her cheek. Cassie waited a second, then two. The anticipation was eating her alive. What's he waiting for? she internally mused. She could recall the relationship column of a women's magazine she read in the airport advising to wait for the guy to initiate the first kiss, but Cassie couldn't wait any longer. Bradley was taking far too long.

Cassie cupped her free hand around the back of his neck and pulled his face down towards hers, pressing their lips together. Screw whatever Cosmopolitan says.

The butterflies in Cassie's stomach soon transformed into an abruptly-awoken animal, who had apparently been in hibernation for the past few months and was prepared to devour. With a similar excitement overtaking Bradley, their innocent kiss soon turned passionate. After all, the tension between the two was nearly unbearable; now that the first cut had been made, their suppressed feelings were making a grand escape from their prior confinement.

Bradley was unknowingly stumbling backwards, pulling Cassie alongside him. When his backside bumped into his electric blue Ford Bronco, the car alarm began blaring as its headlights flashed in synchronization. The noise startled the two of them, breaking their faces apart as if an electric shock transmitted from the vehicle into their bodies. They released equally breathless laughs upon the realization that they had set off the alarm themselves.

From inside, Penny hurried out from the back room to inspect what was occurring outdoors, relaxing once she realized that no one was in immediate turmoil. Instead, she saw two adults giggling like lovestruck teenagers.

Bradley rested his forehead against Cassie's, "Wanna go for a ride?"

Cassie narrowed her eyes teasingly, "You're going to have to be more specific." He laughed, his hot breath fanning Cassie's face.

Bradley's flickered upwards, "In the sky."

Cassie let out a faux gasp, pulling her head away to give off the full effect, "Who are you and what have you done with Bradley 'By-the-Book' Bradshaw?" At Bradley's incredulous expression, Cassie moved a hand onto her chest, continuing the charade, "Only if my hardass TOPGUN instructor were here...whew — he wouldn't be able to believe it!"

Bradley rolled his eyes, "Ha ha." His grip tightened around Cassie's waist, "I guess you're finally starting to rub off on me." Her lips turned upward into a smirk.

Cassie kissed Bradley again, pulling away just enough for her lips to graze his with every movement, "I know the best spot to sneak in."

"I know an even better one." Cassie instantly pulled her face away, donning an annoyed facial expression at Bradley's instinct to turn everything into a competition.

Bradley caught on, scoffing a laugh as he quickly ducked his head, accepting defeat on this issue. He leaned closer until their foreheads were touching again, his characteristic grin returning, "Well, then...show me the way home, honey." In approval of his decision to follow her lead — since her spot is obviously better, it's the same one Maverick used to take her when she was a little girl — Cassie's mouth morphed into a girlish smile to match Bradley's boyish one, accepting one last kiss before temporarily parting in order to get in on either side of the car.

Bradley inserted his keys into the ignition and twisted his wrist, prompting the engine to roar to life. The car's headlights shone towards the inside of the bar, catching the attention of Penny, who had returned inside, once again.

She leaned against a high-top table as she watched the pair pull out of the gravel parking lot. A nostalgic smile sat on her face, reminiscing about the time where she felt a similar way about a boy a long, long time ago.

PRESENT DAY

AS THE CLOCK STRUCK TEN, the inhabitants inside of the Hard Deck were immediately ushered out of the building.

Penny Benjamin, the current owner of said establishment, cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled over the rumblings of protest from her customers, "You don't have to go home but you can't stay here!" The group of naval aviators expressed a collective groan as they exited the bar in a pack, their uniforms distinguishing themselves amongst their peers.

Two lagged behind the others, not dressed in their khakis, with their arms lazily wrapped around one another.

"Penny never fails, huh?" Bradley asked aloud. "She closes up shop right at ten o'clock. On the dot."

Cassie nodded in agreement, "On the dot." A sense of déjà vu came over her as the repeated phrase resurfaced a memory. She glanced up towards Bradley from her position underneath his arm, smiling contently to herself.

Despite the length of time they went without seeing each other, whenever they did, it was as if no time had passed at all. They always picked up right where they left off. Sure, the rational side of Cassie would call their on-again-off-again behavior immature. For all she knew, Bradley could have had all kinds of conquests while she was away — and it wasn't like she could blame him. Their relationship bore no official label. No jewelry representing an unsaid promise. No vows of faithfulness exchanged.

The irrational side of Cassie — which currently predominated — however, could not care less. As much as she hated a cliché, right at this present moment, Cassie felt that she had all that she needed. She was in too much of a state of complete and utter bliss to worry about what the real world had in store for her tomorrow.

When a familiar shade of blue appeared in her peripheral vision, Cassie's attention switched to the Ford Bronco parked out front. Although its once-vibrant color faded with time, Cassie felt a special connection with the car even though it wasn't even hers.

(Probably because she was so well-acquainted with its back seat...)

Cassie retracted her arm from around Bradley's middle to skip ahead, eager to greet the car as if it were an old friend. She ran her hand along the hood before turning around to lean against it.

Although Bradley couldn't have been more than ten feet away, Cassie cupped her hands around her mouth before yelling loud enough for everyone within a half-mile radius to hear, "Rooster, you big stud!"

He shook his head in amusement, "Oh my God..." Bradley quickly glanced in the direction of their newest aviator comrades, the twilight hiding the redness of his face upon seeing nearly all of them peering back. Phoenix looked at Bradley with a knowing expression, but it was Hangman who caused his grin to falter. Bradley couldn't get a clear reading of the underlying tone behind Hangman's smirk and quipped brow directed towards Cassie; whether it was jealousy, ill-intentions, or something else entirely. Regardless of the reasoning, it made Bradley feel uneasy.

He stood to Cassie's right and rested his hands on her hips, positioning their bodies to be chest-to-chest so that his stature shielded her from the others' view. Unbothered by their compeers, Cassie perched Bradley's sunglasses on top of her head and clasped her hands behind his neck.

She lowered her voice so only Bradley could hear her through all of the outdoor commotion, "Take me to bed or lose me forever." The lines on either side of Bradley's mouth deepened as his smile grew.

He tilted his head back to shout in a similar manner as Cassie did moments prior, no longer concerned with their voyeurs' stares, "Show me the way home, honey!" Their cackling laughter echoed against the metal of the car and the Hard Deck's wooden exterior, earning themselves even more attention as they climbed into the Bronco. Within seconds, the engine was revved up and ready to go, moving the car out of the makeshift parking lot and onto the nearby road.

The walk from Cassie's house to the Hard Deck was short, but the drive was even shorter. Knowing the way to the beachfront cottage through muscle memory, Bradley wordlessly turned onto the house's street and parked alongside the curb out front, across from the vacant beach. When he switched off the ignition, the headlights followed suit, leaving the pair in near darkness aside from the dim streetlights. The porch light adjacent to Cassie's front door was long burnt out, and continued to be something that she and her mother failed to replace.

Bradley purposefully took long strides to get ahead of Cassie, planning to forego a gentleman-like persona and open the door for her. After taking the front steps two at a time, he was about to ask for the keys in a faux-posh accent when his leading foot stepped directly through a hole in the decking.

His body's momentum naturally threw itself forward, Bradley falling face-first onto the rotting porch. The wooden planks had crumbled underneath Bradley's full body weight, resulting in him crashing onto the dirt-and-sand combination lying within the lattice.

Cassie gasped at the simultaneous sounds of the porch collapsing and Bradley's yelp, covering her mouth with her hand. She cautiously teetered on the first step as she peered into the large hole in the middle of her porch, staring at Bradley's Hawaiian shirt-clad back.

"Oh my God —" she refrained from audibly laughing until she clarified that he wasn't hurt, "— are you okay?!"

Bradley groaned as he pushed himself off the ground, "Yeah...I'm just peachy." Once he made it back onto his feet, he faced Cassie, "Y'know, it may have been nice to know that you have a huge-ass hole in your porch." Cassie allowed herself to laugh at Bradley's completely soiled front, his once-white shirt underneath his button-down now caked with dirt.

"I totally forgot about it, I swear." Bradley shook his head in disbelief before attempting to wipe off the dirt covering his clothes to no avail. Cassie couldn't help but giggle, "Oh, come on." She reached forward to grab onto his hand, pulling him out from the underneath the deck and around to the back entrance of the house. Unlatching the rusted gate, Cassie led Bradley through the same entrance she had used earlier, ending up in the cottage's lone bedroom.

After closing the door behind him, Bradley glanced around the familiar space, "Looks like nothing's changed."

Cassie shrugged off her jacket and slung it over the desk chair, "Nothing has." She nodded towards where her last few open luggage laid strewn on the ground, "Mind the bags." Bradley took one long stride over them, ending up directly behind Cassie. When she felt his fingers slip underneath the hem of her T-shirt, she looked over her shoulder, "What are you doing?"

Bradley froze in confused panic, "What d'you mean?" Cassie turned around so they were standing face-to-face.

She shook her head, "I'm not letting you into my bed like that." She pointed her index finger up and down his dirtied frame, "You just went crawling underneath my house," she pointed at the pristine bed behind him, "and these are new sheets."

As Cassie slipped past Bradley, he scoffed, "What, d'you want to hose me down first?" At the sound of the shower turning on from the other side of the wall, Bradley faced the open doorway that Cassie now inhabited.

She nodded matter-of-factly, "Yeah, I do." When she disappeared into the bathroom, Bradley instinctively followed her. Cassie stood inside with her back facing the door, reaching her hand behind the shower curtain to test the water temperature. Upon hearing Bradley's shoes hit the transition strip of the bathroom floor, Cassie turned around to face him.

She bent down as she simultaneously lifted her leg, pulling off her shoe in one fell swoop. She did the same with the other, setting them both off to the side. Bradley followed her lead, easily kicking off his boat shoes that slid on and off. Cassie stepped forward and wordlessly peeled off his shirt. It clung to his skin from a mixture of sweat and wetness from the ground he fell onto minutes prior, but Cassie soon discarded it into the sink.

Bradley's hands returned to her hips, pulling her closer so that their bodies were touching. Cassie lightly dragged her nails up his arms, awakening goosebumps on his skin by the time she reached his bare biceps. After she traced his shoulder blades, Cassie raised her arms straight up in the air. Bradley's suggestive smile matched Cassie's own as he pulled her shirt over her head. He then reached around her back to unclasp her bra, helping her pull her arms through before letting it drop to the floor with her top.

Bradley rose his arms in a similar manner, garnering laughs out of both of them. Cassie began to pull his undershirt off of his body, only for it to get stuck around his face. Cassie was convinced Bradley was doing it on purpose as he exaggeratedly thrashed his head around, only getting his head more tangled in the shirt's neckline.

She laughed at his childishness, "Oh, c'mon." Once Bradley finally cooperated, Cassie was able to shift her weight forward as she reached to pull the remainder of his shirt off of his tall frame. Cassie shook her head in amusement as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Years ago, they would have undressed within seconds. Or, depending on where they were, wouldn't have even bothered with removing every piece of clothing. Although neither of them said it, both of them knew that this time was different.

Two years had passed since Cassie and Bradley's last encounter, and a lot could change in two years.

A lot did change.

Nonetheless, Cassie returned to the fantasy that welcomed her back each time she reunited with Bradley. Like she had told him earlier, nothing has changed. She may have been referring to the house, but she could have very well been referring to whatever was going between them too. She kissed him, mumbling against his lips, "Insufferable."

Bradley scoffed a laugh, "Oh, shut up. You love it." Cassie pressed her lips together, feeling herself tense up at the mention of the "L-word." Given the fact that they weren't anything official to begin with, the "L-word" wasn't brought up too often, if at all, during their conversations. If it was, it was in meaningless phrases like this. The weight surrounding the word triggered Cassie's insecurity of not having as much of a developed personal life as other people her age.

Speaking of the "lots" of change that happened over the past two years, recent events forced Cassie to realize that she still had a long list of things that she wanted to do in her life — things that didn't involve flying for the Navy. She had devoted her entire adulthood thus far to establishing her name within the service, and had objectively succeeded. In retrospect, Cassie wished that she didn't have as much tunnel vision when it came to her job.

In her mind, the Navy was all that was important — was all that she needed. But then there were times like right now, with Bradley, where she longed for another constant in her life. The Navy would always be there, that's for certain, but she felt like she was always on the move, whether shipped off to a deployment or back to the states. She didn't have a house or car in her name, given the short amount of time that either of them would be used. But having someone whom Cassie could rely on no matter her geographical location...maybe that was all that she needed.

Cassie often disregarded talks about romantic partners and marriage and children. It would all come in due time, she figured, but the time frame that "in due time" fell under was coming up very soon on the horizon — hell, if she were honest, it probably already arrived. And, let's face it, Cassie wasn't getting any younger. Although she didn't exactly have the picture-perfect upbringing, she witnessed what true love looked like with her mother and step-father. On the rare occasion, she observed Penny and her daughter's close relationship. She wanted what they all had.

Even the people with whom she went to school with whose social media accounts she followed made her feel bad about the lack of stability in her life. Whenever photos of her previous classmates' families popped up on her timeline, Cassie would be lying if she said that she didn't feel a pang of envy.

Instead of voicing these thoughts that often kept her up at night as she stared at the ceiling, Cassie simply kissed Bradley back. It was the easiest decision, after all. They returned to normal programming — they continued getting undressed, removing their respective jeans before hopping into the shower together. Bradley would stay the night as he always did, putting on spare clothes that were at the house from all the years past.

As if he lived there, Bradley knew exactly where the cardboard box labeled with messily-written "BRADSHAW" in black Sharpie was on the top shelf in the bedroom closet. That box was nearly three decades old, having belonged to Bradley's father from when he and Pete attended TOPGUN. The box ended up at Charlie's house since that's where Cassie and her parents lived for the first bit of her life — but of course, all of this remained unknown to Bradley. Cassie played it off as conveniently finding an old, unused box and having messy handwriting.

Lying in bed together, with her back pressed against Bradley's chest, Cassie almost felt that she was living out the vision that she had in her head. Given the specifics of her and Bradley's relationship, she realized how naive it was of her to believe that Bradley would be "the one," since they were about as serious as a high school couple. If Cassie were to describe their relationship history, she would've been embarrassed.

On-again-off-again for...what, five years? Yeah, that sounds about right. If another person relayed that information to Cassie, she probably would have laughed in disbelief. Bradley shifting from behind her broke her out of her thoughts. He laid an arm over Cassie's midsection, and she rested her own on top of his. Her racing thoughts would have undoubtedly given her insomnia, so she opted to instead focus her attention on Bradley's heartbeat beating against her back.

The constant rhythm eventually lulled her off to sleep, grounding her to the present moment. As she slipped into unconsciousness...

     ...Cassie figured that it didn't hurt to dream.

i was trying to give a lil nod to the shower scene in how to lose a guy in 10 days near the end there. idk if i succeeded but i kinda blacked out while writing + editing this LOL. i feel like i can never write romantic scenes well but i can envision them PERFECTLY. like if i was directing a movie it would be 😚🤌🏼✨ chef's kiss but unfortunately i have to rely on my words that lowkey make me cringe + i have to weave cassie's thoughts in there since that's what's most important to the plot and — 😩 it's a struggle

anyway...hiiiii after [BEEEEEEEP] amount of time 🫣 to compensate i've delivered a bit of a hefty chapter to enjoy at ur leisure 🫂 pls support me in reaching my goal of hitting that "completed" button as part of my #KatieFinallyFinishesHerFics2k24 campaign!