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SEVEN
the dream team
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☆.｡.:*　　.｡.:*☆

CELESTE has received some unorthodox orders in her military career, but she thinks this one takes the cake. It was strange to begin with, Maverick informing all of the aviators to meet him at the beach outside The Hard Deck after lunch, and not in uniform. Out of habit and comfort, she still pushed her hair back into her military low-bun, but then opts for some cut-off jean shorts and a black tank top.

     She meets the other pilots where the tide greets the sand — most of the guys have forgotten the shirts entirely, with the notable exception of Bob, who hides modestly in a large yellow t-shirt. The other girls there have ditched their military hairstyles, Phoenix's hair in a ponytail whilst Luisa's falls in two braids down her back. Quincy adjusts his shades curiously, teasing Coyote about the 'poisonous jellyfish' in the water, while Ryan paces around restlessly.

     If Celeste didn't know any better, she would think this was a beach barbecue, not training for a high stakes mission.

     When Maverick finally shows up, he introduces the idea of today's exercise: Team Building. It has noticeably been lacking in their recent tasks, so he has abandoned all flying time for today in order to focus on it. And the activity in question?

A good old-fashioned game of beach football — dogfighting style. Offence and defence at the same time.

They split into two teams, one of them led by Maverick. Celeste finds herself teamed up with Bradley, with Phoenix, Bob and Lynx among her other teammates. Getting in her position, she digs her feet into the sea-soaked sand and ignores Quincy's chiding on the other side of the 'pitch' as she gets ready. The sun is setting, cutting a heavenly golden lining around the beach (but equally a blinding disadvantage for anyone faded towards it in this game, shades or no shades).

"You ready to take 'em down?" asks Bradley, giving her a playful nudge.

"I don't know," Celeste quips, "are you, Bradshaw?"

"You know me. I'm always your wingman."

     "Everybody in your positions..." Hondo, the designated referee, squats with great responsibility at the edge of the sand as the two balls are placed on the ground to begin with.

     "I finished High School so I could stop doing team sports," Celeste mumbles to herself, shaking her head. Bob is stood next to her and shares a sympathetic look that seems to say You and me both, my friend, but nevertheless he throws himself into the task.

     "Go!"

     At the sharp blow of the whistle, the game begins. Initially it feels as frantic as a real dogfight would be, the ball flying every which way as both teams attack and defend with no mercy — except that it's noticeably more fun than a dogfight would be. Even Celeste can admit that. The beach is a crazed map of aviators yelling each other's call-signs, as if they're up in the air aiding each other.

     Bullseye is of course the first to let loose, tip-toeing mockingly around Payback with the ball before sprinting to a touchdown; skills that have remained since his High School football days. Then the other team bags a touchdown of their own, thanks to Phoenix storming past the boys and blazing a trail. She and Cosmo share a high-five while beaming triumphantly.

Just as Tintin is shrieking, having received the ball and now being pursued by Hangman, Rooster is running backwards to make sure he catches it when it flies his way. Cosmo, meanwhile, is focused on blocking another player, and before she knows it she's almost being toppled over by his body crashing into hers. Bradley spins around instantaneously, laughing as Celeste staggers to re-gain her balance. By instinct, their hands reach out for each other — his find themselves on her waist, while she rests one of hers on his chest to stabilise herself.

     That should be the end of it, but it isn't. The moment only lasts a split second, but Celeste finds herself physically unable to ignore their closeness anymore. When first seeing Bradley at the beach, she'd purposefully tried to keep her attention elsewhere. However as they pull away, she's left thinking about what his chest felt like underneath her hand... or the space on her skin where his were, that still tingles with the sensation. Bradley also seems thrown off by the brief contact, the ball flying over his head without a care in the world.

     Come on now, she lectures herself, don't get distracted.

     Their team get the ball again, Coyote bringing the ball to a touchdown. In celebration, Bradley leaps up into the air for a celebratory chest-bump, landing again with a swaggered sway of his shoulders and hips as the sun glistens off his skin. The hot flush that explodes along the nape of Celeste's neck renders her speechless.

     Oh boy...

     It's Quincy who snaps her out of it. In her periphery, she spots him staring at her judgementally — even with his sunglasses on, he can see right through her. When his tongue tucks itself into his cheek and he gives her a knowing look, Celeste slaps him lightly on his arm in embarrassment.

     "Lynx!" she calls out to her teammate, who has just received the ball. He lobs it her way and she manages to get a touchdown to her own, much to the dismay of her brother. That'll shut him up.

     As the game goes on, the rules and score-keeping loosen, and before long the group are simply having fun playing. Athena is on fire, intercepting a throw to Hangman and speeding along the sand to score a touchdown — the best part is he doesn't even care. He forgets his own ego, getting lost in the game like everyone else. Maverick is unstoppable too, running circles around his younger colleagues, even when he got knocked onto his back in the sand. After Bradley offered him a hand up (without a word), he got in one last touchdown before he called it a day. Even Mavericks get old. The squad booed him jokingly as he walked off, but soon got back to the game while he sat down and put his shirt back on.

     The energy flowing between the aviators is ecstatic — there isn't a single mouth not fixed with a grin, laughing and going with the truly chaotic course of the game. At one point, Celeste notices Bob is free, and throws the football his way. He catches it like a hot potato in his hands, suddenly electrified with the burden of responsibility.

     "Go, Bob! Go, go, go!" Celeste cheers him on.

     The WSO does so, practically running for his life until he scores a touchdown. Behind his glasses, his eyes pop open wide in disbelief as everyone cheers for him — Luisa, despite not even being on the same team, whoops with happiness and runs up to give him a double high-five. Everyone else is soon surrounding him, Bradley lifting him onto his shoulders as the air is filled with chants of "Bob! Bob! Bob!" from the aviators.

     Even Hondo gets involved in the game eventually. When one of the pilots tosses him the ball, he yelps in the sudden onslaught of players that follow him, running crookedly along the beach until everyone piles into him in a mess of bodies. For Celeste, her knees sinking into the sea-drenched sand, she can't remember the last time her muscles ached so much from grinning and laughing. She thinks the same might go for her fellow aviators too — so she thinks Maverick was right. They do feel like a team now.

     The sun has started turning the sky orange now, the golden hour at its peak as they call it a day on beach football. Celeste walks back to The Hard Deck with Luisa, Phoenix and Bob as some of the other guys hang back and debate lightheartedly over who won... not that anyone truly cares, at this point. They just had so much fun. Feeling the sand grow coarser and finer underneath her bare feet, the four of them strike up a chat.

     "That last touchdown was epic, Bob," Phoenix punches his arm lightly, making him chuckle.

     "I had no idea what I was doing," he remarks sheepishly. "I just ran like my life depended on it."

     "Hey, why don't we all hang around for some drinks at The Hard Deck?" Luisa suggests, not needing to wait for a response to know they'll all agree. The mood is just so relaxed right now, that everyone feels so tightly-knit. "Alright, I'll go and see if I can round up the other boys... and convince them to put their shirts back on."

     Phoenix chuckles as she runs off, while Bob tugs on the neck of his t-shirt and watches Luisa run down the beach again. Penny Benjamin is waiting for the trio at the patio with Maverick, having watched the whole game. "You guys looked like you were having fun out there," she says fondly with a smile.

     "It's certainly one of the more... unusual training exercises I've done," Celeste nods to him.

     "You guys know who won?" Maverick asks. When the trio exchange equally clueless looks, lost on what the score was a long time ago, he lets out a full laugh. Just then, Luisa runs back panting for breath, her arm half-in the sleeve of the white blouse she's putting back on over her tank top.

     "We're all staying for some refreshments, Maverick, do you wanna join us?" Luisa asks politely.

     "No thanks, I'm uh... I'm taking off." To demonstrate, he nods sheepishly towards Penny — the two aviators who have known him longest connect the dots, their jaws dropping slightly. Him and Penny? Celeste is intrigued, but seeing how comfortable they are with each other convinces her that perhaps Penny Benjamin is at last the right one for this wild card.

     "You guys might be having other company though," Penny says with a wink, pointedly to Luisa.

     She raises an eyebrow, glancing between her fellow aviators, as if they might know what she means. They just shrug, equally as clueless — that is until a child-like squeal grabs all of their attention:

     "Mommy!"

     Instantaneously, a little girl comes running haphazardly from inside The Hard Deck, charging full-force towards her mother. Even with the shock that slaps her around the face, Luisa breaks out into a smile and kneels down. "Gabriela! My little angel!" she exclaims, opening her arms as her daughter bounds into them. It takes a moment for Celeste to adjust to the sight — the last time she saw Luisa's daughter, she was still small enough to be cradled. But now Gabriela has a mop of curly toffee-coloured hair, can walk and talk, and does so without any hesitation.

     Gabriela is soon followed by an older woman, who when stood with her daughter and granddaughter, makes it look like it's simply Luisa at three different stages of her life. Silvery trails streak her hair and sun-worn wrinkles are etched in her skin, but that might be the only thing extinguishing Marisol as anything other than her daughter's clone. Bob watches it all slightly taken aback, although still with complete admiration... now she thinks about it, Celeste has noticed that's the look he always reserves for her.

     "Mama, what are you doing here?" Luisa asks, with Gabriela balanced on her hip; her voice and smile wobbles with nerves over the two worlds colliding. She clearly wasn't expecting the visit.

     "We wanted to see you before your big mission," Marisol replies, "is that such a crime?"

"You see me plenty at home."

"Don't you remember we used to visit your father at work all the time?"

     As the two start bickering in Spanish, it turns out there is still one more surprise to come. She walks around the corner, in a Star Trek t-shirt and baseball cap with her cinnamon hair spilling out underneath. "Marnie?" Phoenix asks in recognition, her voice creeping up an octave as it does when she's fond of someone — Celeste, too, smiles at the sight of her. They have only met a couple of times, but it was difficult not to warm up to the witty, fun-loving girl.

     But they all know who she's really here to see.

     "Shh... I wanna surprise him," Marnie presses a finger to her lips and winks at them. She waits patiently as the other pilots come walking up the beach now, chatting as they put their shirts back on. It takes a few moments until the man she's been looking for finally notices her — he stops dead in his tracks, pulling off his shades to reveal the total disbelief in his eyes. A lovestruck grin hits him like a ton of bricks.

     "Baby!" Fanboy yells.

     They both rush towards each other at the same time, as much of a giggling mess as the other, until they collide in a soul-swapping kiss like no one else is around. The force of their embrace is so great that it knocks her cap off into the sand. Once they pull away, Fanboy and Marnie keep their foreheads touching as they babble away to catch up with one another ("I missed you."/"I missed you, dumbass! Why d'you think I'm here?"). Some of the pilots watch fondly, laughing at Fanboy's excitement at being reunited with his newlywed.

     Penny wasn't wrong — it looks like they might have a whole party going on here.

     "Alright, everybody," Luisa announces, "let's head inside! Who wants drinks?"

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

The team is all in good spirits in The Hard Deck, thanks to Maverick's training. Although he left with Penny on his motorbike a while ago, the atmosphere is still kicking. The three year-old Gabriela is quite a hit, currently being watched over by Payback, Coyote and Tintin who try everything in their power to entertain her. Even Rooster and Hangman seem on better terms, challenging each other to a friendly game of pool (with a healthy dose of competition, of course).

A few of the other pilots and WSOs alike sit with Marnie, now Abrams-Garcia after she and Fanboy got married a couple of months ago. She pulls up some photos from their wedding, updating all those who weren't there on went down — Payback had been his best man, of course. The happiness that radiates from the photos is so unabashedly happy, that Celeste can't even try to find it sickening. She just knows they are perfect for each other.

"I'm just sorry more of you couldn't come to the wedding," Marnie says remorsefully, her head nestled under her husband's arm. "We just wanted to do it quickly, 'cause Mickey was getting deployed soon after and... when you know you wanna get married, you can't exactly wait for that kind of time!"

"It was great, except for when Payback almost forgot the rings... didn't you, Reuben?" Fanboy throws back a slight glare at his front-seater, but he's too busy doing a cartoonish dance to make Gabriela laugh.

"Could be worse," Quincy shrugs, his wedding band glinting in the light. "When Felicia and I got married, the car that was taking us from the church to the hotel where the reception was got lost, and we were driving around town like headless chickens 'til we finally got there." A few of the people sitting there laugh at the memory, whether they were there or not.

"Well, they're beautiful photos," Luisa smiles wistfully.

Fanboy kisses Marnie on the top of her head, before breezing away to accompany Payback, who in his words is "borderline scaring the poor girl" with his impressions at this point.

"Have you guys ever thought about it?" asks Marnie curiously.

"What, getting married?" Phoenix snorts, taking a swig of beer. "Not for me..."

"No, not marriage, I just mean... having a special someone?"

"I don't know. I've been there, done that," Luisa stares down at her placemat, sighing as she remembers something she would rather block out completely.

     Some of the other pilots go on to share their own stories — Payback about his dozens of failed dates and girlfriends, while Coyote admits his lack of them. Others are more successful, Tintin shyly mentioning his long-term partner, while it takes all the restraint in the world for Quincy to not ramble about his wife.

"What're you guys talkin' about?" Hangman pipes up from across the bar, standing up straight with his pool stick in hand.

"Significant others. You sweet with anyone, Hangy?" Marnie teases him. "No girls back home falling at your feet?" At this, the other girls grin with satisfaction at how openly she likes joking around with Hangman — and unlike with most other people, he doesn't let it bruise his ego. Marnie enjoys it thoroughly... and so does Fanboy, as a spectator.

     The pilot answers with a charismatic smirk, eyes glinting as he replies, "I don't know about significant others... but others? Sure, I've had plenty of 'em."

     Bradley lets out an involuntary groan, guttural at the back of his throat as he shakes his head. He takes his shot, stepping back to allow Hangman's turn. Meanwhile back at their table, Marnie narrows her eyes at the pilot as she rests her chin on her balled fist. "There's gotta be someone out there for him," she thinks out loud. "And I mean the real deal. I'll bet he won't know what hit him."

     "If Jake ever has more than a casual fling or a flirtation one day," Luisa pauses the sipping of her drink, "I'll die of shock."

     "I'd like to see that day. Y'know, just to be surprised," Celeste shrugs.

     Marnie turns in her seat, focusing her attention to Ryan and Quincy stood by the bar talking. "You got anyone special? Sorry, I don't know your name..."

     "Ryan," he answers curtly. "And no, not for me."

     Quincy nudges him in the shoulder. "What about Emily?"

     "Dude, shut up—"

     "Emily? Who's Emily?" Luisa interrogates, sitting bolt upright in her chair.

     "Shit," Quincy murmurs, "was I not supposed to say that?"

     "What the hell, man?"

     "I don't remember an Emily!"

     "C'mon, Ryan, you have to tell us now!"

     Realising he's not escaping the claws of this situation, Ryan shoots a death stare at Quincy, before washing down his pride with a swig of beer. "Look, it wasn't really anything," he undermines it all. "Emily was just someone I met when I was deployed one time. We talked for a while, hit it off, exchanged numbers and that was it."

     "When was the last time you called her?" asks Marnie innocently.

     Another swig of beer. A sigh. Her jaw drops.

     "You're telling me you never got back to her?!"

"I told you, it was nothing. She probably doesn't remember me anyway, or she hasn't thought about writing back."

"Have you ever thought about it?"

That seems to throw Ryan for a loop. Time for another gulp of beer, his mind seems to reply, as he hides his love life at the bottom of the bottle. Taking this as a sign of surrender, Marnie raises her hands in defence. "Okay, I'm sorry, I'm going all obnoxious-newlywed-wanting-everyone-to-be-in-love on you. Still, you never know when you've met the one. I didn't think I had when I met Mickey. It was—"

"— In the movie theatre, we know," Celeste interjects, having heard the story only fifteen minutes ago. Apparently they had both gone to see the new Star Trek movie together as hardcore fans, only to spend all of the trailers arguing over their unpopular opinions on the franchise. Sparks had flown, and the rest was history.

     Before Marnie can dig up anyone else's love lives, Marisol Romero comes out of the ladies' bathroom, looking flustered as she scans the room frantically. "Where's Gabriela?" she asks abruptly.

     Luisa looks around, puzzled at first, before her face drains to a panic-struck pallor. "I thought she was with you?"

     "No, no, I left her with you and the others."

     "They stopped watching her a while ago, Mama."

     "Mija! Ay, no puedo creer esto..."

     "I know, I know, I'm trying!" Luisa leaps up from her seat, brushing loose strands of hair from her face as her eyes search the sea of faces in the bar. "Guys, can you see her anywhere?" Some of the pilots start looking, one of them thinking they saw her, but it turned out to be a woman re-tying a shoelace.

     "She can't have gone far, Lulu. Don't panic," Celeste reassures her, noticing how quietly tight with worry her friend has become.

     With a group of the others, Luisa rushes over to the pool table. Bradley stands up from taking his shot, raising a confused brow at her. "Hey, is everything okay?" he asks.

     "Have you seen Gabriela? I think she just wandered off..."

     "What do you mean? She's right here with Bob."

     The gang stare at him, their tunnel vision of worry opening up once again. Surely enough, when they look over to the side, Gabriela is right there with Bob. The quiet WSO is sat with a bottle of sparkling water in his hands, listening intently as the toddler babbles about something only half-coherent. When Gabriela points at the 'rainbows' on his chest, demanding to know what they are, he quietly explains his badges in the simplest way he can think of, but keeping the kid absolutely latched onto his every word. It is like the pair have known each other for years. Eventually he notices Luisa standing there and gives her a little smile.

     "Everything okay?" Bob asks. Next to him, Gabriela starts jumping up and down on the spot.

     "Yeah... yeah, everything's good," Luisa replies, her gaze softening; almost like she's taken aback by the surprisingly sweet scene.

     Celeste herself is wrapped up in how adorable it is, when Marnie next to her gives her a small nudge. "So... what about you?" she whispers, almost with a slight knowing tone. "Anyone special?"

     She scoffs, shaking her head. "Oh, we're back to that now?"

     "C'mon! You can even lie if you want, I'll pretend I believe you."

     "Alright... well, I've kinda given up on relationships like that," Celeste admits as plainly as she can. "Especially with this job. I've had a couple of boyfriends in the past, one was more serious, and neither of them worked out. It's just... easier this way."

     "You really think so?" Marnie digs deeper.

     Celeste looks at her, swallowing thickly. No, she thinks. If she had to tell the truth... the complete, honest one... it would be that she really is fine on her own. She works well that way. Even when she returns to a completely quiet house after being deployed, eating dinner for one and sleeping with one side of the bed empty, she can cope with that. No attachments, no hearts broken. No problem.

     But lately, Celeste wonders if maybe she wants someone else there too.

     And not just anyone, either.

     Like a magnet, her gaze feels its way around the room to find Bradley — he is leant by the window, both of his hands resting on the top of his pool stick. He's too busy watching Gabriela at first, but when his eyes finally meet hers, it is as though all the other noise in the room fades away. The Hard Deck's bustle and crowds melt to nothing as they feel like the only two people in the bar. They smile at first, until the longer they stare, the more they fall.

     She's really in it now.

     Soon everyone is ready to head home, especially with Gabriela starting to get sleepy. After all the cooing goodbyes from the other pilots, Luisa leaves with the floppy-limbed three year-old in her arms. Marnie and Fanboy part ways after a long time holding each other, forehead-to-forehead, mumbling sweet nothings and promising they'll go on Honeymoon when this mission is over. Everyone goes feeling like more of a team than they ever did — even Hangman feels more reliable than Celeste has ever considered him to be. On her way out of the bar, she's just about to follow Quincy to his car when another figure appears beside her, looking hopeful.

     "D'you want a lift home?" Bradley asks her.

     Instinctively, she looks to Quincy to gauge a second opinion; he takes one look at the pair and winks at her. Typical.

     "Yeah," Celeste nods gently, "sure."

     "Alright... cool."

     The two of them head to his Ford Bronco, where getting into the passenger seat and feeling that timeworn leather beneath her skin brings back memories. She remembers the times they used to drive around in this thing, back when they were High Schoolers. Even though they went different places, Celeste could always count on Bradley for a lift if she needed it, whether it was for Math Club or seeing a friend. The journey was almost always her favourite part though — he always had some music quietly playing, mostly tunes from the Sixties which Carole had played all the time. Often they'd end up singing along, or laughing and chatting over the music.

Their journey back home tonight is a little reminiscent of those times. Fishing through the glove compartment, Celeste finds some old cassettes and sticks on an Otis Redding one. 'Try A Little Tenderness' fills the air between them, windows rolled down and singing along between snippets of conversation — everything from exchanges of thoughts about the mission, to complaints about Celeste singing off-key.

When they pull up in front of the Sterling home, Bradley shuts off the music and the engine. The pair sit in comfortable silence — Celeste's head lulls against the headrest to look at him, mirroring the way he looks across at her too.

     "So, this is it," she says, like she doesn't quite want it to end.

     "Yeah, what a day..." Bradley sighs. "What's it like camping out with your parents?"

     "Too weird. Mom keeps trying to do my laundry, and I'm like, 'Mom, I'm thirty-four.' I think Quincy enjoys it though."

     He scoffs. "Of course he would."

     "You wanna come in?"

     "Nah, I should probably get going... in a minute."

     "Okay..."

     Bradley turns in his seat so his chest faces her, his arms folded across it. "So, Marnie really grilled you guys earlier, huh?"

     "Oh, yeah," Celeste pinches the bridge of her nose as he laughs. "She wasn't that annoying about it. I guess maybe I'd be that happy too if I'd just gotten married."

     "Maybe. I wouldn't know."

     "You remember Quincy's wedding?"

     She ends up blurting it out, meaning to ease into the topic more smoothly... or initially not at all. Bradley's chest stops moving for a second, his breath held like they hold each other's gaze. She remembers exactly how it felt to watch him through the shadows that night. His silhouette in the car shifts in the seat before quietly replying, "Yeah... yeah, I remember it."

     Celeste nods, staring down at her interlocked hands on her lap.

     "Have you ever... I mean, thought about it?"

     "In– in what way?" Bradley stammers.

     Do I have to spell it out for you? she thinks. "I mean, why did we make a move that night..." Celeste treads carefully, "and why did we stop?"

     She forgets to breathe in the moments that follow. Time seems frozen, as she waits in agony for his reply. Bradley's lips part, slightly taken aback, as he sinks into his seat with a dragging, heavy sigh. Suddenly she regrets saying everything she did — was it wrong to even step into this territory? Celeste doesn't usually let herself get carried away so easily. She sees it all now... their friendship being ruined thanks to her question.

"I... I have thought about it. So many times."

What? Her head snaps up to stare at him, like a deer in headlights.

"But I don't know, Cel... I don't know if I can..." Bradley struggles on his words, and decides to re-wind a little. "Our jobs, they're dangerous, alright? We go into missions not knowing whether we'll come back out on the other side. I saw what happened to my mom when my dad died, and it was awful. And if– if you burned in, and we were... that close... I don't know if I could..."

Celeste can see he's struggling to articulate, inflicted with the pain of the past. So she quickly interjects, her armour up around her heart once more: "Look, I get it," she insists. "And you're right. It would never work anyway. I mean, we'd be deployed in different places all over the country and the world. Would we even see each other more than we do already? Then a few years down the line, we could be totally miserable with each other, and that would just be the worst, 'cause what friendship's worth overstepping just for that... right?"

"Cel..."

For a split second, the gentleness of his voice coaxes her from the lies she's telling herself. Bradley's hand reaches out on the top of hers, smoothing his thumb over her knuckles to try and comfort her — so he least expects when Celeste quickly jerks her hand away.

"No, you– you can't do that," she says firmly.

"I'm sorry, I was just—"

"I can't be distracted for this mission. We can't be distracted. And if every time I look at you, I keep thinking about..." Celeste stops dead in the middle of her sentence, surprised that she finds herself strangled with a lump of emotion in her throat. It doesn't help that she sees the pain she's trying to bury in Bradley's expression. "Just... let's just focus on work for these next couple of weeks, alright?"

Averting her eyes fully away from his now, she fiddles with the seatbelt until it frees her with a noisy clunk and clatter.

"Thanks for the ride, and the talk. It was good to clear things up."

"Celeste, wait—"

She slams the door of the Ford Bronco shut, walking briskly up the path to the front door before she can be lured back to him. As she fiddles with the keys at the front door, Celeste still hasn't heard the car drive away. God, why won't he just leave? Eventually when she locks herself in the house, the engine shudders and starts outside, and she watches Bradley driving away through the thin lacy curtains.

     Left alone, Celeste tries everything in her power not to think of that night, but it's too late...

     Even Bradley is misty with the memory on his drive home.

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

"So he just left?" Bradley asks incredulously. "What an asshole."

     "We were hardly together every time I was deployed, it wasn't gonna work anyway," Celeste justifies with a self-preserving shrug, like she's unaffected by her recent break-up with her boyfriend. But even she knows she can tell herself the most intricate lies.

     The pair have been discussing their love lives, or the lack thereof, standing in the doorway of her hotel room now that Quincy's party-fuelled wedding is winding down. Her sandals dangling from her hands and Bradley's shirt slightly unbuttoned and freed from his tie, the two of them haven't found a way to say goodnight yet.

     Softly kicking the bottom of the doorway next to her heel, Bradley replies, "Some people just can't handle that kind of stuff. But that's not on you."

     "Yeah, I know. And it's okay. I think... I'm kind of accepting that I'm gonna be alone."

     "What? What makes you say that?"

     "I'm not sad about it. You know me, relationships have never been the top of my list. It's easier this way. Not having to count on anyone."

     Bradley considers this for a moment, his careful brown eyes drinking her in slowly. "I mean, sure, you can be single if you want... but you'll never be alone. You'll always have me."

     Her wingman. She knows. Celeste tilts her head at him, a pang of comfort fluttering through her body like a thousand butterflies released from their cage — to cover up the sensation, she makes a half-retching, half-groaning noise, feigning disgust at Bradley being so sentimental. It makes them both crack up, their shoulders shaking with giggles... but she really does appreciate every word.

Somehow she just knows he's right. He'll always be there for her, through thick and thin.

Mumbling for him to come closer, Celeste wraps her arms around his shoulders, and relaxes once she feels Bradley's hands smoothly caressing her back. Cheek-to-cheek, they just hold each other for a moment. Then, her lips almost brushing the shell of his ear as they move, she murmurs:

"One day, someone's gonna be so lucky to have you, Bradley Bradshaw."

     He exhales softly, his smile almost as audible as his breath is warm. Her eyelids flutter shut, chin sinking into his shoulder as she forgets the humid Floridian air sticking to their skin. Celeste runs her hand slowly down his arm, really paying attention to every bump and dip of toned muscle there. Meanwhile Bradley's thumb draws circles around the part of her spine that rises up. Their hearts seem to beat just as wildly against each other's chests.

     Slowly, Celeste pulls her head back, and Bradley doesn't move his. Their faces become shrouded by shadow to each other, in the exhilarating mere inches that separate them. They have known these face all their lives, and yet it's like they see them in a new, unchartered light. There is barely a thought that goes into what happens next — it's like magnetism, beyond their control. They draw in towards each other, shutting their eyes until their lips find one another. At first the kiss is tender and careful. But like slipping on ice, they're soon pulled under. Her hands run through the back of his hair, his slide up her back to bring her closer. The two of them melt into each other without a thought. Their hearts start to beat as one.

     But as quickly as it began, they snap out of it. Celeste is the one who suddenly jerks her head away, eyes as unblinking and bewildered as Bradley's are when he wakes up from the trance too. Their hands fall from each other like leaves from a tree, dissolving into awkward coughs and averted gazes at a distance. One thing is painfully clear to them:

     Everything has changed.

☆.｡.:*　　.｡.:*☆

AUTHOR'S NOTE

OOOOOHHHH that ending!! 🤭 now you finally know what happened 'that night' in its entirety. bradleste certainly went on quite the rollercoaster this chapter. despite their chat in the car (which broke my heart by the way) it's becoming more and more difficult to ignore/hide their feelings. this is the kind of angst of friends-to-lovers that i'm suck a sucker for in fiction/movies — how do they decide if they want to take the next step?

that wasn't the only bit of romance in the air either. i've definitely been setting up a lot of luisa and bob in this chapter, as well as throwing in a love interest for fanboy because why not? it may or may not have been because when i saw danny ramirez in look both ways, i fell head over heels... so along came marnie abrams-garcia's cameo! she's played by zoey deutch, and fun fact: afterwards i saw her and glen together in set it up and noticed (like everyone else) their insane chemistry, so i had to throw in some marnie & hangman banter to build on that. although the love story is ultimately between fanboy and fangirl *wink wink*

^^ also this 'emily' who ryan talked about 👀 she may or may not be left vague on purpose...

and of course, the iconic beach football scene was here too 😎 loved writing every bit of that! i've had i ain't worried stuck in my head for days as a result.

anyway, as i'm writing this author's note, i just realised this book is going to have 15 chapters overall... so we're kind of halfway there now? how crazy is that? in the next chapter, there's a new POV starring the lovely luisa romero and a lot of her backstory, as well as some cute stuff with bob floyd (among many other things) so stay tuned!

──

published: april 4th, 2023