Tailspin: A Top Gun Love Story

Chapter 5

"I hate to tell you this," you say, breaking the silence, "but I don't think you pulled 9 G's today. I'm kind of disappointed."

Maverick snorts laughing.

You smile, looking over at him. "Also, you came this close" – you pinch your fingers together to indicate just how close – "to crashing." You shake your head. "And here I thought you were actually good."

He closes his eyes, still chuckling. "Wasn't my finest moment," he says.

You raise your eyebrows and, dropping the sarcasm, you say, "If you've had a finer moment than risking your life to save your friend, you're a saint."

He lifts his eyes, looking up at you through his dark eyebrows. His mouth twists into a grimace. "I took the climb too far," he admits, lifting his arms up to demonstrate. "It's why the engines stalled. Not enough airflow."

You watch him struggle with the weight of the responsibility and resist the urge to put your hand on his arm. Instead, you ask, "Are you okay?"

He lets out a heavy sigh and then nods. "It happens." He shrugs.

You blink at him. "You cut it really close today. I feel like you're not quite grasping the gravity of the situation."

He pulls his lips into an amused smirk. "You did not just say 'the gravity of the situation.'"

You roll your eyes. "You're a child."

He laughs and shakes his head. "I can't think about it too much," he says. "I've got to be ready to go back up tomorrow."

You watch him sympathetically.

"Don't," he says. "Don't look at me like that."

You frown. "I just thought that you'd maybe take a bit of a break."

"If I take a break, allow myself to marinate in all of this, I will never come back."

He's looking away as he hands you the drink. You grasp it without responding and bring it to your mouth. You take a sip and then hold it against your lips, looking absently at the asphalt of the parking lot.

Maverick looks over at you after about a half a minute of silence. "Are you okay?" he asks.

Slowly, you shake your head. It's gotten so cold that your teeth start to chatter against the rim of the cup.

"Are you cold?" he asks, shrugging off his jacket before you even respond. He drapes it over your shoulders and rubs your arm to warm you up.

"Thanks," you say quietly, too lost in thought to register his proximity. By the time you recognize that he's got his arm around you, he starts to pull it away. You turn to look at him, your gaze falling over his lips, partly open, so close that his breath washes over you.

He presses his lips together and tightens his jaw, breathing out steadily through his nose. You lower your eyes, feeling his closeness like it's the pull of a magnet.

"I've got to go," you whisper, your eyes lifting slowly.

"Amelia," he says so quietly that his voice cracks. "I'm sorry." He keeps tensing his jaw between his words, as if he's trying to compose himself. "I'm sorry for scaring you."

You turn away, and the heat of his breath warms the side of your neck. "I've got to go," you repeat, standing up. You go to hand back the cup just as he rises after you.

He looks into your eyes, taking the cup from your hand. "Go, then," he says, as if he's trying to call a bluff.

You take off his jacket and toss it to him as you back away, the growing distance between the two of you clearing your head. You smile at him. "See you tomorrow, Maverick," you call.

He smirks at you. "See you tomorrow, Amelia."

...

A/N: Thank you so much for all the votes and comments, you guys are truly amazing! Your support really motivates me to keep writing and I am beyond grateful!

ps. all my irl "friends" are so tired of hearing me talk about Tom Cruise so I'm really glad to have you guys over here gushing over him as much as I do haha

Hope you liked this chapter! See you tomorrow in the locker room *GASP* wait who said that??