CHAPTER SIX
Regrets
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song: I Aint' Worried - One Republic
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"I aint' worried bout' it."
𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐓 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊 the next day to discover that there were no pilots ready to fly the planes. Cyclone was enraged, racing around questioning everyone in his path regarding Maverick's location. She looked for Hondo, but he, like the pilots, was nowhere to be seen.
The woman wished Maverick had informed her about his disappearing plan so she might have avoided the stress in the office from the admirals. She'd been wandering through Top Gun's corridors, studying the portraits and badges adorning the walls, mementoes of the grounds' history.
Heavy footsteps were approaching her. When she looked around, she noticed an enraged Cyclone approaching her. She was preparing for a lecture, rant, or both. She was met, though, with a lopsided smile.
"Engineer Ruth." Cyclone acknowledged the woman, causing her to shift her attention to the next words he spoke. "Admiral, sir." Colette admitted she was partly afraid she was going to hear something unpleasant. "Because we don't have any pilots here, I'm dismissing you and your crew early for the day." Cyclone explained.
Colette's eyes widened slightly before closing them, as if it were a twitch. "Thank you very much, sir." Colette praised before the man walked away from her, his fists clenched. He was clearly upset about not knowing where his aviators were. Colette walked into her office, collecting up her belongings before feeling a buzz from her phone.
Penny reported that the pilots had arrived at the beach outside the Hard Deck. Colette smiled slightly, knowing it was one of Maverick's brilliant ideas. That explains why Hondo couldn't be found. He did have to keep an eye on Maverick like a babysitter.
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𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄 𝐆𝐎𝐓 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐂𝐀𝐑 and started strolling towards the sand, feeling the sun on her back. Penny caught her attention from a distance, sitting on a seat outside the Hard Deck preparing some stock. Colette grinned before waving back and walking in her direction. Dressing for the beach, she changed into denim shorts and a white T-shirt.
She set her keys on the bench and took a seat across from Penny, her flip-flops besides her. Her hair was cascading down her back. "Hey Pen," Colette said, looking over at the aviators as they began their game of dog fight football.
"Hello, Ettie. "How was it on base this morning?" Penny's enquiries elicited an angry expression from Colette. "Oh, you know, an enraged admiral on a rampage, questioning everyone as if we were on Law and Order." Colette informs the woman, eliciting a laugh.
"Oh no." Penny manages to get out before bursting out laughing. "That's because of Maverick." So I've got an issue with him." Colette says before laughing. The whole thing was a little amusing. Maverick walked up to the two women seated on the bench.
"Colette, it's good to see you." Maverick says, smiling innocently at the woman. "Colette raised her eyebrows at the man. "A little heads up would have been great, Maverick.", this causes the man's smile to falter slightly. "It was a last-minute decision." But you're right; I should have warned you." Maverick replies moving towards Penny and her water bottle, resting a hand on Colette's shoulder.
"I'm not mad, but Cyclone sure is." Colette stated, suppressing a laugh. "We will cross that bridge when we get to it." Maverick retorts, mildly concerned about the admiral and the ramifications of his stunt.
Maverick nods at Penny before returning to the throng of aviators surrounding Hondo. Colette chuckles softly as she notices the many pairs of abs throughout the area. Working in the navy had plenty of benefits.
The aviators started sprinting with each ball, scoring points left, right, and centre. Colette studied Bradley, admiring how he moved easily, even when he tripped an fell, it looked good. Bradley sprinted towards Coyote, their chests pumping before he wiggled.
Colette smiled faintly, needing to avert her gaze to avoid him seeing her in such light. Penny observed the woman smirking at her. "Are we staring?" Penny said, capturing the younger woman's attention. Colette's cheeks warmed slightly and turned rosy.
"I'm not the only one." Penny responded with a smile and a friendly smack. "I don't want to hear about it." Penny said, causing the woman across from her to giggle. Colette inhaled deeply, her senses flooded with the scents of salt water, sunscreen, and coconut. Another reason she adored the beach so much. Colette's light brown hair framed her face well, as did her dark blue eyes with a green tinge.
Her skin was sun-kissed, often drawing a number of eyes from men. She was perfectly aware of the effect she had on people, she inherited her effortless beauty from her late mother, her hero. Colette continued to watch the intense game happening between each of the aviators. She had played the game once or twice; her father was the infamous 'Wolfman' after all. Hondo was refereeing, he caught her gaze, giving her a 'come over here' look.
Colette smiled as she hopped away from the comfort of her bench seat, towards the clump of aviators about to begin the next play. Colette slid her sunglasses from the pocket of her denim shorts over her face. She simply avoided the aviators going in opposite directions before standing alongside Hondo.
"Are we having a beach day?" Hondo chuckled deeply; Colette remarked. "Yes, Maverick texted me about the plan; it's my responsibility to look after him." Hondo explained looking towards the woman. Colette chuckled faintly before turning to face Jake and Bradley.
"You're not mistaken. You did, however, miss Cyclone's frantic rushing around." Hondo made a little frightened grimace as Colette explained. Colette gave him a tight-lipped smile as she noticed Maverick leaving to take a seat on the beach.
She noticed Cyclone's tense demeanour out of the corner of her eye. He was having a heated chat with Maverick while staring across at the aviators in front of Hondo and Colette. The duo noticed their superior and turned around to face the ocean, avoiding eye contact. Bradley noticed this and laughed hard with a grin. They were terrified.
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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐍 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐙𝐎𝐍, imparting everything a golden hue. Colette was sipping her whisky sour from a stool inside the Hard Deck. She knew it would be her first and final drink of the evening. The door creaked open as a swarm of aviators entered the peaceful bar. Penny let out a sigh before turning her focus to the line of pilots waiting for drinks.
Colette laughed to herself when she noticed the way she looked. Penny had more patience than anyone she'd ever met. She was, quite honestly, fantastic at her job. Colette had little trouble befriending Penny. Being the only daughter of a fighter pilot provided you with numerous benefits. She was always brought everywhere.
Penny first met Colette when she was six years old, cowering behind her father's legs during a reunion for the Top Gun class of 86'. At the time, she knew three other people. Hollywood, Maverick, and Iceman. They'd all taken a liking to her having being pampered as a niece. Penny was in her late twenties. She noticed Colette and the worried expression on her face. Penny had built a fort under a table with cushions and blankets, providing a safe haven for a six-year-old Colette to escape the loud laughter and liquor that was prevalent. Penny had treated the little girl as if she were her own, always watching out for her and providing an atmosphere of security.
Jimmy, Penny's employee who also knew Colette, approached her with another lime. With a smile, he placed it besides her drink. Colette grinned at Jimmy's gesture; he knew how much she preferred two limes to one. "Thanks a lot, Jimmy." Colette stated before returning her attention to her drink.
Jake Seresin was perched in the seat beside her with his beer as she felt a presence besides her. "I thought I saw your pretty face around here, but I thought I was just dreaming." Jake stated with a cringe, making Colette smile. "Not your best line." Colette's answer elicited a giggle from the man.
"Yeah, I knew I was pushing it. Especially using it on someone I know a little too well." Jake explained as the pair both let out a laugh. "Still not overly bad I will give you a little credit." Colette remarked with a sly smile. "At least you didn't die of cringe, that is something." Jake retorts with a smile. He seemed more giggly than normal, hinting at how many drinks he had actually consumed.
Bradley clenched his jaw as he stood beside the pool table, watching the duo. History was beginning to repeat itself, and he had no intention of losing Colette this time. He understood she didn't want to hurt anybody or make a decision. But she couldn't sustain her ties with them both.
Bradley drew Maverick's attention. Maverick frowned as he studied the enraged man. He followed his sight until he came across Jake and Colette talking. He felt small smile creep onto his face. Bradley adored the girl, and he was envious that she was talking to Jake of all people.
Colette was getting carried away in the conversation, talking about what they had been up to since they had last spoken. She was beaming brilliantly, the kind of smile that made Bradley's heart skip a beat. Colette caught his eye as he turned away. His stare was cold and threatened to turn Jake to stone.
When Jake excused himself to go the restroom, Colette felt a growing the aperture in her stomach, filled with nothing but guilt. She could see how similar it was to the last time she was involved with them both. It hadn't gone well the last time, and she wasn't going to win them back only to lose them again.
She grew nauseated, her heart began to race, and her vision became foggy. Her mind was overflowing with thoughts and scenarios of what could go wrong. She turned back to her drink, downing what was left, feeling a burn at the back of her throat. When she noticed Jake approaching her, she began gathering her belongings.
"Hey, I'm feeling a little tired, and I think I should go home." Jake frowned at Colette's statement. "Really? We were just getting started." Jake stated as Colette clutched her purse, which was slung over her shoulder. "Yes, Jake, I know, but I need to go home." Colette stated emphatically. Jake's breath smelled strongly of alcohol. The drink in his hand was certainly not his first.
"Then you do that, and I'll go hang out with someone else." I guess I'll see you next year or something, because God knows you'll just run away again, like you always do." Jake stated taking a stab at Colette. He was intoxicated, and it was evident. His statements were nasty and cold. Colette froze, unable to move her feet from where she was. She was aware that her mistakes had harmed others, but she did what she thought was right, and it didn't get any easier.
"I didn't really feel anything, you were just good for a night." Jake slurred slightly before approaching Coyote and a few other members of the detachment. Colette was hurt because she knew the man she had just spoken with was not the Jake Seresin she knew. He was crude and cold.
She felt her vision becoming blurry as her eyes clouded somewhat with tears, indicating that it was time to leave. She turned to Penny and handed her card to the woman. Penny pulled the card from her grasp with suspicion. Colette wiped her tears away as she stared down at the ground. Penny returned her card as the sun began to fade completely from the sky.
Colette quickly snatched the card, stuffing it into her bag, and dashed out the door, greeting the chilly sea air that blew in from the shore. As tears streamed down her cheeks, the red glow from the Hard Deck sign illuminated her features.
She walked to her car, putting her belongings on her lap before climbing into the driver's seat. She grasped her steering wheel, allowing tears to fall from her eyes. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hands, determined to calm down so she could drive.
She wiped her tears aside when she heard a knock on the glass besides her. The Hard Deck sign illuminated the person's face enough for Colette to recognise him as Bradley Bradshaw. She stood there watching as he opened the driver's door. He turned on the car's lights above her head, revealing her tear-stained cheeks. He glanced at her, worried and angry that someone had made her feel this way.
He lowered his gaze to her. Colette tried to wipe away her tears and hide her emotions. "Colette, can you tell me what happened?" Bradley questioned her offer to help her out of the seat. Colette clasped his hand in hers; it was warm and comforting. Bradley leant against her car, taking her hands in his.
"Bradley I'm OK; you should return inside." Colette reported that she received a head shake from the man. "No, Ettie, you're not fit to drive." "Please tell me what happened." Bradley inquires, a solemn expression on his face. He was dressed in jeans and a navy-blue top. Colette exhaled before meeting the man's gaze. "It's just some dumb stuff Jake said." Bradley's eyes dimmed as Colette explained.
"What exactly did he say to you?" Bradley inquired. He desired to kill Jake and inflict his rage on him. "All I remembered was that I was good for a night and that I'd just run away again." "I told him I needed to get home." Bradley turned away from the woman, enraged.
"I'm gonna kill him." Bradley spat as he approached the Hard Deck's entrance. Colette ran over to Bradley and placed her hand on his chest. "No, Bradley, he was drunk, and I don't want you hurting him or yourself." Colette reasoned. Bradley's expression softened as he met her blue eyes. He felt at ease around her; she was his peace.
"I'm going to drive you back home." Bradley stated, turning around and guiding Colette with his arm towards his baby-blue bronco. "You don't have to do that, Bradley." Colette responded, but her comment was unable to persuade the man to give up; he was persistent. "I do, Colette." I need to know that you get home safely" Bradley stated as he unlocked his bronco and opened the door for Colette.
Colette smiled slightly; she had fallen for Bradley because of his heart. It is compassionate and gentle, full of love. Colette hopped into the bronco after locking her own car with her keys. The seats were comfortable and smelled strongly of Bradley's cologne. It was reassuring.
He took a seat on the other side, turned on theignition, and cast a glance at the woman. They felt safe since he had her withhim. He felt at ease and at home once more.
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ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ'ꜱ ɴᴏᴛᴇ
Hey everyone. Sorry that I have not updated in like a VERY long time. I have had assessments and tests that needed my full focus, and I can tell you all my study paid off. I have updated the cover of this fic. HOW EXCITING. I just was not pleased with it before but if anyone has any ideas for the cover, I want to make some changes. But let me know. Thankyou for the love and support, I love you all. Don't worry I have already began writing the next chapter.
See you next upload :)