𝘚𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 | A Top Gun Fanfiction

Chapter 8: 𝘓𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯' 𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨

"Stirrups?" Maverick calls out a third time, but his voice is so much clearer. It's also closer, which would imply -

"Maverick!" I gasp, falling back against the lockers again when he appears around the corner, both his hands shoot up to cover his eyes.

"Sorry!" He exclaims. "Sorry! You're not dressed are you?"

"No! No, I am, I'm -" I press my fist to my mouth and shake with laughter. What little I can see of Maverick's face from under his hands sinks as he frowns. Still laughing, I nudge my locker door shut and tip toe towards Maverick, reaching up to his face and carefully taking his hands in mine. The rise and fall of Maverick's chest stop abruptly. He visibly tenses, raising his shoulders and drawing himself up as I pull his palms off of his eyes. Maverick's eyes, squeezed so tightly shut that they're all wrinkly and creased, flutter open. "Do I look naked to you?" I tease.

Maverick breathes out a subtle laugh. "No."

We lock eyes, green irises moulding together. Maverick's face sculpts into a smirk and I smile faintly. The two of us stare openly, neither showing signs of looking away. The deeper I fall into Maverick's eyes, the less I want to leave. There's so much to see in those eyes. My stomach knots up ominously, a warning sign I ignore in a feverish attempt to memorize each fleck of gold in Maverick's eyes. A dangerous flame burns behind that intense gaze and it tempts me, drawing me further than you'd think would be possible. But before I can dip my head beneath the surface, I feel fingers slip between mine.

The touch is so gentle but it scares me out of my reverie.

Purely out of a knee-jerk reaction, I yank my hands to my sides, tugging them right out of Maverick's. His smile flips and disappointment sparkles in his eyes.

"Stirrups -"

"What're you doing in here?" I ask bluntly, desperate to change the subject before things get more awkward than I've already made them. "This was the girl's locker room last I checked."

"Well, I was looking for this girl..." Maverick answers, a smile lighting up his face as he cocks his head to the side, staring down at me with one brow raised, the other slightly furrowed, a teasing glint in his eye. "...so I could tell her how impressive her ideas were and how fun it was to be in the air with her..."

I smirk and cross my arms over my chest. "Oh?"

"And I was also going to see if she was ok...because she acted excited an' all, while we were flying, but I didn't get my glasses back and she's been locked in here for over an hour..." Maverick shifts his weight back and forth, never once breaking eye contact. He bites his lower lip. His hesitation speaks louder than words. That same sick feeling grows in my stomach, stronger than it ever has been. Pity. It glows in Maverick's eyes, burning a hole through my chest, right where my heart is. I hold my breath and wait. What else can I do? I can't just...tell him. I can't, even if there's a nagging in the back of my head or a tug on the web of emotions shielding my heart. "So," Maverick slides an inch closer. "Are you?"

I choke on my own air, "Am I what?"

"Ok?"

Gosh he's still on this?

He's Maverick, he doesn't back down. It's been two days of knowing him and it's already common knowledge.

"I'm fine," I reply quickly, my voice as stiff as the rest of me.

Maverick smiles like he doesn't believe me. I watch him swipe his tongue along the crowns of his teeth as he shakes his head and chuckles dryly. "Ya know...when people say 'I'm fine' it's because they're not?"