STARS // PETE "MAVERICK" MITCHELL

Chapter 6: Playing With The Boys

Waking up at five am every day can take a massive toll on those who are night owls, people who are more active and feel more energy at night, versus early birds, which are more active and have more energy in the morning. Unfortunately, I am a night owl, which makes waking up at five am every morning, seven days a week, suck. Being a fighter pilot isn't like school, where you can be exhausted and still manage to do good. No, you must always be constantly awake and aware because anything can happen at any time.

Luckily for me being at Top Gun is akin to being in school, so we have the weekends off, and today is Saturday. It is an incredible feeling to be able to wake up peacefully. I woke up exceptionally well rested, with no rushing to get ready and no stress. I just wanted to lie in bed forever; however, that is not how reality works.

As I got out of my messy queen bed, my phone started to ring. I quickly jumped awake and ran down the stairs into the kitchen to answer the obnoxious ringing phone.

"Hello?" I answer.

"Oh, hey, G-Force!" It took me a moment to process whose voice that was, but the second I realized it was Maverick, I jumped up in excitement.

"Good Morning, Mav," I tell him, unsure where this conversation was headed.

"Good morning to you, too. Goose and I were wondering if you wanted to grab lunch somewhere?" Maverick politely asks me.

"Yeah, that would be great!" I respond, trying to play it cool and not be super excited that I'm going to eat lunch with him and Goose.

"Cool, is there a specific place you would like to eat at or..?" Mav asks, but I cut him off.

"Why don't you surprise me?" I say because I honestly have no idea what is around here.

"Deal! I'll pick you up in thirty minutes," He happily tells me.

"Sounds good; see you soon, Mav. I say, and with that, I hang up the phone.

I look at my clock and realize it is already 11:03 am, which means I have precisely twenty-seven minutes to get ready. I run to the bathroom and hop into my white-tiled shower. Once I was done showering, I got dressed, brushed my teeth, and did my hair. After all, I don't want to look hideous. Once I finished, it was precisely 11:30 am on the dot, and my doorbell rang, symbolizing that Maverick was at my door waiting for me.

When I opened that door, I saw Maverick, but it was different from every other time I saw him. It was as if everything suddenly just clicked together in one moment. I wasn't just looking at Maverick in jeans, wearing a white t-shirt and a leather bomber jacket; I was looking at a handsome man with beautiful green eyes that you could get lost in forever just by looking at them. I know he isn't perfect and is struggling with similar things I was also going through. But, holy moly, I have a crush on Maverick! I think to myself, and now I have to get past the awkward stage because he is standing right in front of me, and I am just staring at him.

"Hi, Mav!" I greet him, ignoring the awkward silence he just witnessed.

"Hey, G-Force, I uh-... I hope you don't mind me asking you if you wanted to grab some lunch; I just figured since you didn't have too many friends, you would want to hang out with Goose and me." He says somewhat slyly and nervously.

"It's no problem. I was just about to grab some lunch, plus it would be much more fun with you guys!" I say honestly and maybe a little too excitedly.

"Are you ready to head out?" He asked me.

"Yeah, I am all set and ready to go!" I stated. I started looking for his car, but I saw a red and black motorcycle instead of a car. There is no way I am riding on a motorcycle. My dad always joked about how he would kill me if I drove a motorcycle. Technically, since I'm not driving, I'm not disobeying his wishes.