Without You (Bob Floyd x Reader) [Top Gun : Maverick]

[11]

A familiar feeling washed over  you as you pulled into the parking lot of the Hard Deck, a place that you previously couldn't stand, but now felt yourself longing for. You always ended up here, even after all this time. You had been so busy recently that you never had an opportunity to come by.

"Here? Really?" you questioned.
"Yeah.. Get a feel of the locals! Cmon, I'll buy you a drink."

~~

You stepped out of the passengers side of the car as you two made your way to the bar. Penny spotted you immediately. "Well, hello!" She smiled, pleasantly surprised. You took a seat at the bar, noticing a man helping Penny behind the bar. "Who's that?" You asked as the man who drove you here sat beside you. "I could ask you the same." Penny grinned. "That's Pete. Or, well, his callsign is Maverick." She looked at you, indicating it was your turn. "Oh, this is Tom, my fiancé." You smiled. "Oooh, nice to meet you, Tom..." Penny started, sticking a hand out. "Oh, uh, Scott. Tom Scott." He smiled, shaking her hand. "What can I get you two?" Penny looked between the two of you. "Ladies' choice," He answered Penny, then turned to you with a smile. "Y'know.. a vodka martini sounds good..." You smiled. "Just one." Tom pulled out his wallet. "On the house." Penny smiled, taking a few steps back to make the drink. 

"So this is where you lived before New York, huh?" Tom smiled. "Well, only for about a month." You sighed. "Do you think we'll see that chicken guy you call like every other month? Or that Roger waters guy?" He nudged you. "Seriously? Roger waters?" You chuckled. "Yeah! From pink floyd!" Tom chuckled back. "I doubt it. It's been 5 years, and they probably don't even live in the area anymore.." You leaned your head on him. 

"Oh my god, Y/N, my love, there's a jukebox." He smiled. "Im aware." You smiled back. "Do you have any quarters?" He asked. "Go nuts." You chuckled, handing him all the change from your pockets as he stood up. "You sure?" He asked. "I'll be fine." You gave him a kiss as he walked over to the jukebox. You pulled out your phone and scrolled for a second, only looking up to thank Mav for your drink.

Some guy bumped into your side as he made his way to the bar. "Sorry.." he mumbled. "Hey Mav, the usual?" He said in a happy voice. "Oh, it's the 'usual' now?" Mav replied. You looked up to the man next to you. "Have you no spatial awareness?" You sighed, turning your body to this man. "Okay, rude, I said sorry." He scoffed without looking at you. "Okay, at least I don't live alone with an empty void in my heart after my temporary roommate moved out 5 years ago." You smiled before he even turned to see who you were. "Okay, first off fuck you, I do not have a "void" in my- wait-" He spun around. He saw you and smiled. "I do not have a void in my heart because of you Y/N Astor!" He shouted with a goofy smile on his face. "Oh, we both know you do Bradley Bradshaw!" You smiled back with a similar but slightly quieter volume. "No, I don't." He faced his body towards you. "Sure." you shrugged. 

"Why are you here? Do you need money?" He gasped as his voice dropped to a whisper, "Did Tom...die?" He grabbed you by your shoulders, "You poor thing," he pulled you in and hugged you, pulling your head into his chest and stroking your hair. "What?" You said, pulling yourself back up.  "When's the funeral?" he put his hand on your knee.

 "What funeral? Who died?" Tom smiled, walking up to the two of you. "No one" You laughed. "Tom, this is Bradley. Bradley, Tom." You introduced the two of them as they shook hands, exchanging quiet 'hey man's. "Ooh, let me see" Roo took your hand as you wiggled your ring finger to show off your beautiful engagement ring. "Am I invited to the wedding?" He joked. "You? Yes. You are the only aviator allowed at the wedding." You smiled. "No Jake or Bob?  Why?" He asked as Tom sat on the stool behind you and you leaned on him. "You think that's a good idea?" You tilted your head. "I mean you ended everything on a good note right? ...right?" He asked as you sucked on your teeth. Tom was just listening to you two because he had almost no idea what you were talking about. "Well I mean with Jake, yeah we ended as friends." You sighed. "And Bob?" He said, picking up his whiskey soda without thanking Mav. You took a second. "hhhm uhh soo.." you started. "I forgot how much drama you come with good lord.." Roo rolled his eyes sarcastically as he took a sip from is drink. "Ok so I left him a note because it was hard but cmon, Brad Brad, it's been 5 years, I haven't spoken to him since and it was only like a month that I was here! Plus, I doubt I'm ever even going to see him again." You shrugged. Tom wasn't even paying attention, he was looking at all the decor along the walls and the waves of the beach. He was born and raised in New York so he was like a fish out of water. 

Roo looked at you then behind you then back at you. "He's not here is he?" You took a sip of your martini. "No, no he moved. He's in Los Angeles with his pregnant wife." Brad shrugged. "What?" You almost shouted but you didn't. "I'm joking. He's at home celebrating his dogs 9th birthday. I'm not even kidding." He smiled. "Well that's nice." you smiled. "Look we better get going, its getting late and we have a flight to catch tomorrow morning. "So soon? How long have you been in town?" He shrugged. "About a week." You yawned. "A week??'" Roo jokingly and gently slammed his hand on the counter. "Yeah but it was on business so you can't get mad at me for not calling." You defended yourself, sipping on the last of your martini.  "okay, okay.. well safe travels to you both and don't forget to invite me to your wedding please." Roo smiled. "We won't." You smiled back, sitting up and giving him a hug. 

"Ready to go then?" Tom asked you after the hug broke. "Yeah let me just go to the bathroom first before the 2 hour car ride to LAX." You smiled. "Okay cool." He smiled as you stood up and gave him a kiss. "Ugh PDA, just leave already!" Roo scoffed with a smile.

~~

As you stepped out of the bathroom you looked in Tom's direction. He was still at the bar, chatting with Bradley, which you found to be very good because you figured they should get to know each other a little better. You realized there was a 3rd person standing near them that you didn't recognize. He had slightly longer hair, slicked straight back. He had a baseball cap on and a gray crewneck with jeans and low top converse. 

You walked up to Tom while looking at your phone. You put your arm around him and leaned on him as you put your phone down back in your pocket. "Y/N..?" The person you didn't recognize said, sounding confused. As you looked at him it clicked. "Oh... my god,, Rob, hi! hello," you stood up straight. "Hey.." He furrowed his brows. You stood in silence as Rooster and Tom exchanged looks. "uh, how's New York?" Bob smiled slightly, not making eye contact and mainly observing you and what you were wearing and how you've changed. "It's good, yeah, business is.. booming.. and I'm engaged" You smiled, resting a hand on Tom's shoulder. "Oh! That's great, it's Blanche's birthday but she passed out so I just.. came here for a drink." He smiled slightly. "A drink?" You asked. "Oh, no, I still don't drink, just some uh, Dr Pepper in a fancy glass.." he swirled his drink around. "No more glasses?" You asked after a brief moment of silence. "Oh, no, contacts right now, just for the past week.." he nodded. What happened to not liking having fingers in his eyes? And his hair is so long, I mean its.. it's nice. It's just different. I mean, it had been 5 years, not that long, he was so different, almost a whole new person. All you did was move, make money, and meet people. You noticed he had a little bit of a stubble. He looked...

good. 

He looked good.

"Hey, Y/N, we better get going it's getting late.." Tom put an arm around you.

"Yeah. For sure." You smiled at him as you two kissed. "Bye, guys." You smiled to Rooster and slightly to Bob before Tom walked you back to the car.

"So that was Mr. Waters?" He asked, opening your door for you. "Pink Floyd had other members, I don't know why you love Roger so much.." You smiled widely. "Because he's the best one!" Tom leaned in and kissed you on your forehead, then again on your lips, then one last time on the back of your hand. He shut the door and made his way back over to the drivers seat.

"Ready?" Tom smiled at you as you nodded. He turned on the radio.

You smiled to yourself as the familiar Chicago by Sufjan Steven's played. As Tom pulled out of the parking space, you saw Bob step out of the bar and look at you for a second before getting into his own car.

You looked out the window, watching the beach and roads you only knew for a month 5 years ago, fly past your window. You wondered what could have happened if you stayed. If this became your home. You wondered if this song was still on Jake's playlist. You wondered if Bob was wondering the same thing about you right now.

You wondered and wondered, but concluded that you were happy like this. You couldn't have been happy here. In San Diego. It was too small and there weren't many interesting people around. You loved Tom. He's good for you. He helped you stop running from everything and he loves you back.

So why did you want to move back? Why did you want to stay here? Staying here last time was literally nothing but trouble and drama. I mean obviously, you can't. But what if you did?

You turned to Tom.  He was singing along to the music, and you realized how crazy you sounded.

Must be pure nostalgia.