Afterburner

Chapter 4

The cold air was covering your body in chills. You didn't want to change it because it felt good to you at times and if you made it any hotter Bradley might actually combust from his internal temperature always being set to inferno. You were nestled on your side facing Rooster. He laid before you with his mouth open gently blowing on your face every now and then. Most nights you had slept like a rock pushing Bradley into uncomfortable positions as he slept around your body. He dealt with his sliver of the mattress and you managed to ignore all the noise he managed to muster overnight. But tonight being an off night, you couldn't find a comfortable position to lay in, you couldn't help but hear the exhausted fighter pilot next to you. Your eyes opened and you rolled them in annoyance once you took in what you normally thought was cute, tonight you didn't want to deal with it. Your hormonal rage was seconds away from unleashing itself. You knew how hard he worked everyday in the sun and you couldn't help but feel guilty about having thoughts of strangling him right now. But the sound that was coming from his throat sounded more obnoxious and outrageous every second you heard it. The blood pumping in your ears wasn't even loud enough to drown it out. You shoved his shoulder roughly to get his attention. It took a lot to do that in times like these. He quieted and you closed your eyes taking advantage of it. "Fucking hell Bradley!"You complained about fifteen minutes later.
"Babe I've been doing this with you for the past two hours. I'll go sleep on the couch." He mumbled. He sounded like he could collapse from how tired he is. You felt bad but you already knew how hard it would be to get through your day without caffeine. You were in major withdrawals from coffee. Sure they said you could have one cup but you never could stop at one cup before. You were a coffee fiend. His footsteps got quieter as he walked down the hallway and you laid in the silence, now able to spread out even more. You snuggled into your pillow and realized it smelt like him. You smiled and let it comfort you as you fell back asleep.

"Rooster!" You called out into the darkness. "Babe!" You called again.

"What Duchess?" He called back with sheer annoyance in his voice.

"Come back to bed I'm so cold." You groaned. You heard him sigh. Seconds later he was standing wrapped in a blanket in the doorway with messy hair and puppy dog eyes.

"God woman I have to fly planes in the morning!" He exclaimed.

"I know! I know! I'm sorry I don't know why I can't sleep tonight!" You told him honestly. He plopped onto the bed wrapping you in his arms and placing his hands on your growing stomach. You both closed your eyes and within two minutes Roosters alarm was going off. He moaned. You bit your lip. "Babe I'm sorry!" You apologized profusely.

"Don't worry about it" he mumbled as he rubbed his sleepy eyes. "I'll pick you up for lunch. Don't forget we have our date with Seresin" he told you with his raspy voice. Every note in the tone of his voice made your heart fall for him all over again.

"Ok baby" you told him softly. He got up and turned the light on in the bathroom to take a shower.

As promised, approximately thirty minutes before lunch you heard the familiar sound of the broncos engine. Turning around you saw the Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses combo you had been waiting on. Rooster strut into the hangar and smiled once he saw you. "Ready?" He wondered. You grabbed a hold of his hand and let him sweep you into the car. He put the car in drive and reached for the Red Bull he had in the cup holder. You cringed knowing it was your fault he was this tired. He only resorted to energy drinks in desperate times.

"How was class today babe?" You asked.

"Wasn't the worst Duchess. Nothing to worry about there sweetheart." He smiled as he kissed your cheek. Within a few moments you were pulling up in front of the diner. You pulled on Roosters Top Gun hoodie and used that to cover your body. You grabbed hold of his large hand again as he opened the door for you. With a slight blush you walked under his arm and into the restaurant. It only took seconds to find the top of the cocky blondes head.