THE RECKONING '.'.'. bradley "rooster" bradshaw

5

Bradley p.o.v -------------------------

Sunset. The one time the world feels at peace, but not tonight. I park my car on the side of the road, next to the beach, and watch it. The sky mixes colors showing pinks and blues before slowly morphing to black. I hate sunset. I hate it because of her. I hated how every time I look at them I could see here silhouetted in front of it, it makes me sick.

I've learned how to block Invert Mitchell out of my life and continued to forget. That was until I saw her at that bar. She looked dimmed, like the light inside her was slowly flickering out, I could guess why. She looked at me with those eyes, the same ones as her father's. Green. A light morning green and the emotion behind them was hatred.

I haven't seen her flinch this entire time, not one waver from that hatred, until today. I felt like the scene went in slow motion. Hangman's words to her rang through me. For once I saw a look of pure betrayal in her eyes, a look I knew all too well.

Ana and I knew each other since birth, always attached at the hip. When I lost my dad and my mom she was the first person I ran to, she was my shelter. Until she wasn't. Ana set me back four years when she and her dad pulled my papers, and she wasn't sorry. She was grinning the night before I found out, and now she is just so "heartbroken." Heartbroken my ass.

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eight years ago - the night before

"I'm so done with you, Bradley Bradshaw." Ana looks at me laughing, her eyes carrying joy with them.

"Done with me?" I say acting offended, while she continues to laugh. The sun had started setting silhouetting her in front of it, god she was beautiful. We were sitting on the beach, laying on a picnic blanket just enjoying each other's presence. I say up reaching into my back pocket to pull out her gift.

"Well Ana, Tomorrow is obviously your birthday, so technically I'm early but I thought it would be better if I gave this to you now, so your dad would not be staring daggers into you when you open it." She reaches for the gift as she laughs.

"Bradley," her eyes look back to me once she opens it, I can see her lips turn up as she opens her hand to reveal a small necklace that has a fighter pilot, and engraved on its back it says,

"So a part of me is always with you - b"

She looks up at me with joy in her eyes as she hugs me, almost knocking me over. "It's perfect Bradley, can you help me put it on?" I nod yes as she turns her back towards me handing me the necklace. I put it on her, and attach the clasp to the back before she turns back around.

She just smiles at me, and I feel myself just smile back. I grab her hand and hold it before putting my forehead to hers. "I love you, Analee Mitchell." before I lean in and kiss her, the kiss full of passion, and intimacy. I look into her perfect eyes before planting a kiss on her forehead and wrapping my hand into her hair. 

"God I love you so much," I say to her.

"Promise me one thing, Bradshaw?" She says as she smiles at me.

"Anything."

"Promise me that you'll hold me forever, that the wind won't change on us. As long as we stay here with each other, then it will always be like this." She says, and I lean down and kiss her once more.