LINA'S POV
I opened my eyes and looked around. I looked down to see an arm around me that didn't belong to me. It was hairier, bigger, muscular. I looked over my shoulder to see Miles, sleeping, making my eyes go wide. Holy shit. As he felt that I was moving, his eyes opened and met with mine.
"Hi." He said.
"Hi." I said.
"How are you feeling?" He asked.
"I'm okay." I said and he nodded.
We got out of bed and it made out to my kitchen. To my surprise, Miles started looking around in my fridge, he pulled out a carton of yoghurt and easily found two bowls. He poured up some yoghurt and pushed the bowl over the bar counter to me.
"You need to eat." He said and handed me a spoon.
"Thank you." I said and he smiled softly.
"Hey... ehm... thank you for staying last night." I said looking down at the bowl of yoghurt.
"Don't worry bout it." He said with a small smile.
"I feel a little embarrassed, though." I said.
"There is no reason to." He said.
"Still." I said and he leaned onto the counter.
"Lina, I don't care. I wanted to be there for you." He said and I looked up at him.
"Like I've told you, we want to get to know you. Let us." He said and I sighed.
"Wanna know me?" I asked and he nodded.
"Follow me." I said and got up from my seat. I opened the door to my office and which revealed bookshelves filled with framed photos of me as a kid, my mom, my dad, accomplishments, news articles, etc, etc, etc.
"Woah." He let out.
"Everything I've ever done in the Navy and at Top Gun is in here. Every article anyone has written about me. It might sound like I love myself but I can look at these things and remind myself of who I am when life throws me a curveball." I said and he looked down at me.
"Mission Valley." He said and looked at a picture of the team that flew the mission, as well as the report I had to write about it afterwards.
"One of my biggest accomplishments." I said.
"Hardest mission I've ever flown." I added.
"What's this?" He asked and pointed at an article.
"It's the first time the tabloids connected the dots between me and my dad. They knew he had a daughter but they never knew who I was until then." I said and he nodded.
"Look at you." He mumbled as he looked at a picture of me and my dad.
"Last picture of me and my dad before everything really went south. Two weeks later, I found out my mom had cancer." I said and looked down at the floor.
"Must've been hard." He said and I nodded.
"Yeah." I said.
"He... he never showed up... when mom got sick." I said.
"He filmed another movie instead." I added.
"Barely talked to him for years. One day he just knocked on the door, saying he was sorry." I said.
"Then he left again. He called a few times but I didn't see his face until I was in the Naval Academy and on my way to Top Gun." I explained.
"He had some friends he was visiting in between projects." I added.
"Made time for them but not for his own daughter." I said.
"You really wanna know me, Rooster?" I asked and he let out a chuckle as I used his fake callsign
"Yeah, I do." He said.
"It's not a fairytale with magic, rainbows and fairy dust." I said and he chuckled.
"I can take it." He said and we stood face to face, he looked down at me with a small smile.
We sat down on my balcony with a cup of coffee and we talked. I told him about my childhood, how it was growing up with the one and only, Tom Cruise, how it was when my mom got sick, the navy, top gun, Iraq, my favourite colour, food. The list became long. And he told me about his childhood, how he got into acting, his movies. His list became long in the end as well.
"You ever feel scared up in the air?" He asked.
"Never." I said.
"Honestly?" He asked and I nodded.
"If I get scared up there, I'm dead." I said.
"How often do you go on missions? Or is it like you go on tours like Iraq?" He asked.
"It differs, my squadron is based at Top Gun, whenever we aren't out we are here ready and prepared to jump in on a mission or wherever we are needed. But like to Mission Valley, I got called in when I was doing a tour in Iraq." I explained.
"And then you are on the next plane out of there." He said and I nodded.
"Do you ever feel like your tours in Iraq affects you in your personal life?" He asked taking a sip from his coffee.
"Not really, I honestly think it's different when you are an aviator. We don't see faces like field soldiers do." I said.
"When you are in the military, Miles, you can't feel and care." I said and looked him in the eyes.
"The enemy doesn't." I said.
"If I start to feel for the enemy then it's just to get out of there, I won't be able to do my job. It's either them or me." I said.
"And I don't plan to go home in a body bag." I said.
"When you are out on missions or if you are doing a tour, you have to think of yourself as dead." I said and he looked at me with concern.
"As soon as you do that, you will be able to do your job. Think yourself as alive, you will be careful. The military doesn't accept careful." I said and he nodded.
"Is that why you always are so serious and closed off when we are up in the air?" He asked.
"Yeah." I let out.
"It's a work injury." I said with a small chuckle.
"You are always at a risk when you go up there, anything can happen. And if I start to think and feel, I won't come back down in one piece." I said.
"I can't care as much as you can when you are working." I said and he nodded.
"Yeah, I get it. I won't be able to compare it but I get it." He said and I smiled softly.
"The purpose of this movie is to show how it is being a fighter pilot, that's why I am so tough on you guys. You need to feel how it is, how hard it is." I said and he nodded.
"Thank you for being honest with me." He said and I smiled lightly.
"You proved yourself worthy." I said and he smiled, he took my hand and stroked it lightly with his thumb. It sent butterflies in my stomach.
"It actually felt good telling someone." I said in a low voice and he smiled softly.
"Told you I could take it." He said and I smiled.
"Yeah." I said and he leaned forward in his seat.
"I'm going to say something and I don't want you to get upset." He said and I nodded.
"Your dad." He said and I looked away.
"He sat with you for over four hours yesterday, stroking your hair, crying because you were in so much pain." He said and I looked back at him, surprised.
"I don't know him like you do, I can't imagine what it's been like and I know you have reasons to resent him. But I'm telling you, he tries, really hard to get closer to you." He said and I looked down at the floor.
"I don't think a civil conversation would hurt any of you." He added.
"And I think you need him. I think you want him here. More than you show." He said and I smiled lightly.
"Maybe, if you let him, this could be a new beginning for the two of you." He said, still holding my hand.
"I'm not really the person that likes being told what to do." I said and he let out a chuckle.
"Yeah, I've understood that." He said and I smiled.
"But in times like these, you need family. I will always be open to be here for you, I really like you, but if you have a chance of repairing your relationship with him, take it. You have nothing to loose." He said and I smiled softly.
"Guess it can't hurt." I said and he smiled.
"So, you like me, huh?" I asked as I leaned back in my seat and he chuckled.
"Fuck off." He said and I laughed.
"If you don't throw it in my face later then I can admit that.... I like you too." I said and he smiled.
"Captain Lina Cruise, liking someone? Woah." He said and I laughed.
"Asshole." I said and he laughed.
"Okay, what do you want to do today? Hang here? Go bowling? Drink? Go to the gym?" He asked.
"We have work to do." I said.
"They can manage one day." He said and I looked at him.
"Not in the air maybe." He said and I chuckled.
"I want to fly." I said and he nodded.
"Alright, let's fly Maverick." He said and I smiled.
We drove to the gates to Top Gun an hour later. He parked it and we got out and walked into the facility. I looked up at him and our eyes met and we both smiled. He put his arm around my shoulder and shook it lightly making me laugh. As he went into the locker rooms to get changed, I walked into the Chief's office. I knocked on the door.
"Come in." He said and I opened the door to see my dad stand by the window with the director.
"Captain." He said surprisingly and I closed the door behind me. Dad turned around and our eyes met. He looked concerned.
"I didn't think-" He said but I cut him off.
"That I would be back so soon?" I asked and he looked over at dad and the director.
"I was hired to do a job, I intend to do it." I said.
"You feel up for this?" He asked.
"Yes, sir. I'm where I belong." I said and he nodded.
"Okay." He said. I looked over at dad and he smiled softly.
"Thank you, sir." I said and walked back out.
"Lina." I heard dad say and I turned around.
"Are you sure about this?" He asked and I looked down at the ground.
"Yeah, I belong up in the air." I said and he nodded. I turned around to walk towards the runway but stopped in my tracks.
"Dad?" I asked, not turning around.
"Yeah." He said.
"You want to... ehm.. grab a beer later?" I asked and turned my head and looked at him, he looked shocked.
"Ehm... yeah, of course. Yeah, sure." He said with a smile forming on his lips and I nodded.
"You are buying." I said with a smirk and he chuckled.
"Of course." He said and I saw Miles coming out from the locker rooms with Glen, Lewis and Greg. He smiled softly at me and I smiled back.
"Ready to show them what we Cruise's are made of?" I asked dad and he chuckled.
"Yeah." He said and we walked together out to the runway. He patted Miles shoulder on our way out and we gathered around.
"Morning everyone." I said and they all looked a little concerned that I was already back flying.
"Today's exercise is all about steep turns and loops." I said and Glen gave Greg a fist bump.
"I thought we all could use some fun." I said.
"Since this is a more advanced exercise, I will divide you into groups. Both me and Tom will be up in the air with you, making sure you don't get into any trouble, if you do, we'll guide you out of it." I said and looked over at dad who smiled gently.
"Phoenix, Bob, Hangman, you are up first." I said and they nodded.
As soon as my jet lifted I felt an instant relief. I felt calm. I haven't felt this light in forever. I smiled as I soared up in the sky. I looked to my right to see my dad.
I was home.