𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍, bradley bradshaw

chapter twenty five

She was slightly out of breath once she reached his car, having to swallow harshly when she met him at his car, him leaning his back on the driver's door as he looked down at her, a look on his face that she could only identify as, jealousy? His jaw set, fists clenching along top his thighs, his side profile's outline being burned by the crisp evening sun.

It's the way that even though she was getting ready to scorn him about possible being jealous about her relationship with Payback, she couldn't deny the way her heart fluttered as he turned his head to her as she called his name once more. His eyebrows raising, as he saw her lightly flushed face, her chest rising up and down as she swallowed harshly. "Jesus, when was the last time you ran?" He spoke sarcastically, the ghost of a smile hinting at his lips.

She rolled her eyes with a scoff, setting her hands on her hips, "I only ran when I had to, Bradshaw. I don't do it for fun. Who the hell does that?" He shrugged, "I do."

Dakota pursed her lips her eyes thinning as she glared as she glared at him, "Yeah sure, of course you do. You know I'm not even surprised that you do, Bradley. I mean for the love of god look at you. Like holy shit did you just-" she cut herself off sharply, catching the ramble that she happened to stumble into, something she did when she was getting ready to confront someone.

She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes as she heard a light chuckle come from the man in front of her. "Never mind that," she waved her hand, thankful for her aviators that covered her embarrassed expression somewhat. "What I meant to say was," she made her way next to him, joining him in leaning her back against his car, shoving her hands into the material of her army-green jumpsuit.

"Why did you seem so upset during training today? You were fine this morning." She said quietly, the distant sound of jet engines roaring across the painted sky. "'Cause I was." He shrugged, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. Their shoulders brushed against each others as he shifted his weight to the other foot. Her eye brows furrowed, her unruly curly tickling her cheek as the hot wind blew. Shockingly, her hair didn't look like shit when she took her bun out in the locker room when they were dismissed. "Why?"

She found herself once again, scared to speak too loudly, that her voice would simply break the blissfulness that she was trying oh so hard to bask in; just being in his presence, the faint smell of his cologne intoxicating her senses. "It's stupid." She heard him mumble, her gaze focused on the side of his face as he kicked around a pebble that was placed on the asphalt.

Dakota pursed her lips, "It probably isn't." A beat of silence between the two before she spoke once more, just watching as he avoided looking at her. "C'mon Bradley," she hesitantly brought her hand up and placed his against his bicep, feeling in muscle tense at her touch then relax quickly after. "Y'know you can tell me. I mean why would I out of all people judge you?" A triumphant feeling washing over her as she saw the corner of his lips quirk.

He shrugged his shoulders, making her hand fall back to her side, and lifted his head from the ground to stare out at the runway around them.

The silence around them drowned her, making her feel like a mountain was placed on her lungs, making it hard to breath as if she were fighting for her life, just to keep the silence from just killing her. "I'm scared." He muttered beneath his breath.

She furrowed his eyebrows, her nails digging into her palms that were in the pockets of her jumpsuit once more. "Of what?" He sighed heavily, turning around and placing his forearms against the rolled down window of the driver's door, clasping his hands lazily together and relaxing his neck, making him look down. "Of everything. The mission, the future,"

It was as if a higher being had been watching her struggle these past couple of weeks, giving her a taste of that sweet, forbidden nectar that she never allowed herself to have. "You." Her heartrate increase with just hearing him speak that last word.