𝚏𝚒𝚏𝚝𝚢-𝚘𝚗𝚎. 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝
One week of complete bliss and silence from the outside world.
The two of them arrived from Texas today and were immediately flooded with hundreds of texts from the squad when they disembarked the plane.
Bradley: Annual dogfight football day! Beach behind the Hard Deck @ 2 pm sharp. Don't be late!
Natasha: Me and Athena will be there!
Reuben: Hey Jake, Bhavika you guys coming?
Bhavika: Sure we just got off the plane and are heading over to my place.
Javy: Welcome back! See you both later.
Jake: Thanks Javy. Penny bringing refreshments?
Wren: Yes, we are running low on water bottles so bring your own.
Logan: Got it!
Bhavika: Can I bring my volleyball stuff, not the biggest football fan.
Callie: Yessss!
Mickey: Oh that was fun! Let's do that too.
Reuben: You get so excited about everything man, but he's right that was pretty fun.
Bradley: All in favor of playing volleyball like this text.
15 people liked this text
Brigham: Uhh, Bradley you didn't like the text.
Bradley: Shit you can see that?
Bhavika: Compromise we play both, split the times.
Jake: I'm down.
Bradley: She's your girlfriend you will always take her side.
Wren: I like that idea.
Bradley: Splitting the time sounds nice.
Wren: Quick to change your mind huh?
Bradley: You suck.
Wren: And you swallow.
Natasha: Stop it you two there are children in the chat.
Bob: Nat I have a wife.
Mickey: And I have a girlfriend.
Bhavika: Okay everyone we'll see you all there.
Bhavika chuckled and turned off her phone, looking over at Jake who was sitting on her couch.
"They are children." She burst out laughing and covered her mouth to muffled the laughing.
"They really are!" Jake agreed. "So where's your volleyball stuff, I can go haul it to the truck."
"In the garage. The volleyball might need to be inflated again and all of the things necessary to set up the net should be in a bag next to the nets. Thank you." She called after him as he opened the door to her garage and disappeared behind it.
Bhavika walked into her bedroom and rummaged through her dresser drawers trying to find something to wear. Nike shorts and a sports bra would suffice for the activities planned for the rest of the day. She packed a change of clothes, two water bottles and a large snack bag - practically her entire pantry - and called it good.
"Ready to go?" Jake called and unlocked the front door.
"Sure am." Bhavika said and sound the bags over her shoulder.
"Woah that is a lot of stuff you sure you need all of that darlin'?"
"All of you men eat massive amounts of food, so in that case I need to supply that massive amount." She handed him the snack bag with an innocent smile.
"Jesus this is heavy." Jake said and hoisted up the bag.
"Oh, I didn't know you couldn't lift that. Here I'll take that back from you." Bhavika poked fun at him.
"Nope I've got it sweetheart." Jake said and hauled the bag over his shoulder.
"You got it cowboy." She smacked his back and followed him down the steps.
Jake nearly threw the bag into the car, Bhavika knew the bag was heavy. She just chose to hide it, it was funny to see him trying to impress her, but she could honestly care less.
"How much shit did you put in there?"
"I need to go to the grocery store after that, is all you need to know." She beamed at him and he drove off in the direction of the beach.
The couple arrived at the Hard Deck and went around to the beach in the back. She spotted all of the women there, they were going to put number the men at some point. There were completely even 11 and 11, with Mav and Penny they were 12 and 12.
"Hey everyone!" She hollered to the squad and their partners. There was a chorus of hello's. "Can some of you guys help grab the volleyball stuff?"
Some of the guys ran over to Jake's truck to help him grab the stuff and Bhavika joined the group of women.
"Hey there." She smiled and set down her bags.
"Welcome back, how was Texas?" Natasha said and hugged her briefly.
"Great! It was really great." Bhavika smiled widely. "His family is the sweetest. His mother is probably one of the most amazing mothers I've ever met, but my standards aren't hard to reach." Athena smacked her arm at her joke.
"Not funny."
"Sorry." Bhavika laughed. "Look the boys are coming."
They all pitched in too help set up the volleyball court. The squad made quick work of it and were up and ready to play with in 20 minutes.
"Let's play!" Bhavika announced and everyone cheered.
They guys had all taken off their shirts - well except for Bob - and the women hanging at the beach could only stare, some guys too. Unlucky for the women trying to sink their manicured claws into any of the guys, all of them were taken - Neil wasn't but there was speculation on that. Maybe six years ago they all would have had a chance, but no one on the Dagger Squad was single. Moves had been made.
"Spike it!" Lahela yelled to her husband.
Bob spiked the ball over the net but it was hit back over by Logan. Bhavika combated the action and the ball floated back over to the other side. Javy hit it back over and it was blocked by Natasha and landed on their side of the sand.
The game went on for over three hours. Three hours that seemed to have no end, Bhavika was pretty sure that Lahela had left for a couple hours before coming back. The game ended 15 to 16, the competitiveness between all of the aviators really reflected in the score of the games.
"Let's take a break." Bradley said looking like he was about to pass out. "Wren help me up." He held out a hand for his fiancée.
"Okay love up with you." Wren pulled him up and he wrapped his arms around her. "I don't want to play football."
"Don't go back out on us now Rooster." Jake said and wrapped his arms around Bhavika.
"Who said I was backing out?" Bradley stood up a little straighter. "Game on, let's go."
"No, sit down darling you need to eat something. You haven't eaten anything in a while." Wren pat his back and grabbed a bag of chips from Bhavika's large assortment of snacks.
"Mom!" Valentina yelled and everyone whipped around.
There walking down the beach was Admiral Corrine "Speed" Ford. Bhavika hadn't seen her in six years.
"Hey honey!" She seemed happier since the last time Bhavika had seen her.
"Corrine, how's the retired life treating you?" Maverick laughed surprised to see his friend.
"Extremely well. Just came to see my daughter and spend some time with her." Corrine said and hugged her daughter. "Hey baby."
"Hi mom." She kissed her cheek. "How was Mexico?"
"Warm and sunny, I with I could go back." Speed said and looked over at her daughter's husband. "Reuben."
"Admiral Ford." Reuben nodded nervously.
"Anyway, let's play football!" Javy announced and everyone followed suit.
Bhavika hung back and watched the others run off and play the dogfight football that they all loved so much.
"Speed it's nice to see you again." Bhavika walked up to her former team leader.
"It's nice to see that you are well again." Speed smiled.
"It's nice to be well again." She replied with a chuckle.
"I'm sorry."
"For what?" Bhavika asked puzzled by the sudden apology from the admiral.
"I let you down." Bhavika shook her head at Speed's self doubt. "I let you nearly die all those years ago."
"I'm pretty sure I'm still standing here living my life. Speed you could never let me down. I said those exact words to you the day we left on that boat. And I still live by them today, you didn't let me down Speed. You never have and never will." Bhavika reassured the admiral.
"That makes me feel a lot better. Thank you."
"No need." Bhavika smiled and looked over in the direction of the others who weren't joining the game. "It was nice to see you again."
"You too." Speed nodded and let her go.
Bhavika laid down her towel next to Minerva, Mickey's girlfriend, and Lahela. They all watched as their partners played offense and defense at the small time, during this bizarre game.
"It's a weird concept no?" Minverva asked.
"No you are right about that. I don't really get the point. They all seem to love it though." Lahela agreed.
"They could play it for hours, but from what I can see they are all exhausted." She smiled seeing all of the others tapping out of the game.
Jake eventually came sauntering over to her, collapsing on top of her. "Hey there cowboy, all worn out?"
"Yes." He mumbled his sunglasses askew on his face. Bhavika gently removed them and put them on her own face. "You look hot with those on."
"Im sure I do." Bhavika said carding her fingers through his hair. "Take a rest, but scoot off me a little bit I can't breathe."
"Sorry." He shifted his body weight off of her.
"All good, now rest." She smiled and let him overtake her entire towel.
"No stay." Jake looked up his eyes looked heavy with exhaustion.
"I have never seen anyone so clingy before." Bob said and looked up at his wife.
"Robert please you followed me around like a lost puppy for weeks." Lahela rolled her eyes.
"I did not." That was a lie and he knew it. "Actually forget that."
"That's what I thought." Lahela smiled at him and leaned back into his lap.
"Bonfire anyone?" Mav declared. "Oh they are all asleep." He said and lowered his voice, looking at the aviators sprawled out on the beach. "Let's just build it for later."
"Good thinking." Penny snickered and the two set up a bonfire a little farther down the beach. Giving the aviators their well needed rest. For working as hard as they do on a daily basis everyone deserves a break.
᯾⁂𖣔⁂᯾
Everyone had awoken from a sleepy haze to find themselves still on the beach, long after the sun had set.
"Morning aviators. We've set up a bonfire and we have food." Maverick told all of them and they looked at the burning fire in the distance.
Bhavika had put on a sweatshirt and some sweatpants, the air was brisker this late at night. She handed Jake something she had packed for him.
"So considerate." He kissed her cheek and put on his own sweatshirt.
"I try my best." Bhavika took his hand and walked with him over to the bonfire.
Everyone gathered around, eating, drinking and soaking up the warmth radiating from the fire. It was fun to finally do something like this as a whole group.
"Hey everyone gather around for a picture." Penny yelled and brought out her camera.
The entire squad created a little formation and held the poses for the camera. The flash of the camera blinded their faces but they all managed to keep their eyes open.
"Cute. This is going next to the old one." None of them had seen that picture in six years, nearly forgot about it.
The bonfire burned in front of them as they all sat around and talked. Tomorrow would be a mundane day and Bhavika was excited for that. Normally a person would hate the idea of a boring, normal day but in this case, Bhavika hadn't had a "normal" day in six years.
"Training you all extra hard tomorrow." Mav said and sipped his beer. "200 push-ups and 4 mile run if you are shot down." Everyone groaned at that, but behind her groan Bhavika smiled.
"Really Mav?" Bradley whined. "Just one normal day."
"Oh Bradley when you have fallen out of the sky, broken almost every bone in your body, fell into a coma and lost you memory. Call me. Seems like a pretty damn normal day to me." Bhavika joked.
"Darlin' some people, mainly me, don't quite enjoy your dark sense of humor to cope." Jake said and she sat down on his lap.
"Oh really?" She feigned surprise. "I happen to find my dark humor incredibly funny."
"And that's adorable." He chuckled and she hit his chest.
"Moorkh." She said under her breath and Natasha snorted on her beer.
"What did you say?" Jake asked confused.
"Nothing my love." Bhavika patted his cheek and settled back onto his chest, his arms wrapping around her waist.
Bhavika leaned her head on Jake's shoulder and looked at her friends around her. Five years is a long time to be disassociated with the outside world. But, she eventually got back into the world and she had some amazing people to help her along the way.
She smiled softly.
Everything would be alright.