Free Falling

Chapter 8: Creating a Team

The next morning, Annabelle awoke to a group text from Maverick instructing all of the trainees to meet him at the beach, along with texts in a secondary group chat with Rooster, Phoenix, and Bob discussing carpooling arrangements. Why training was being held at the beach today, Annie had no idea, but she certainly wasn't complaining. She'd been waiting for an opportunity all week to have some free time down on the shore. The ocean had always been Annabelle's favorite place. She remembered going as a child with her parents, Maverick, and Rooster, her dad teaching her how to surf and hold her breath under the crashing waves. Similar to how she felt in the air, Annabelle felt completely free in the water. While most people were terrified of the vast openness of the ocean, Annabelle basked in the feeling of being able to float for hours on end and still never seeing an end to the sea. 

Unsure what the proper attire would be for the day's events, Annabelle decided on some loose shorts and a tank top with a light jacket just to be safe. She wore her bikini underneath, hoping that some part of the day would allow them time to hang out in the ocean or at least maybe tan on the beach for a while. A sudden knock on her door caught Annabelle off guard, nevertheless she paused on packing her beach bag and went to answer the door, finding Bob on the other side. 

"Hey Bobby! What's up?" Bob chuckled lightly at Annabelle's confusion, immediately knowing her reason for asking such a silly question. 

"You didn't read the group text did you?" It was at that moment Annabelle remembered the group chat with Rooster and Nat discussing all riding to the beach together. She had become so excited at the prospect of spending the day at the beach, she had completely forgotten to respond in any way, or that the chat happened at all. 

"Oh right! Sorry, I just got so preoccupied with getting ready. What did everyone decide?"

"Rooster is going to drive us all. We'll probably all hit the Hard Deck at the end of the day too if you want to join us. If not, I can always drive us so that I can bring you straight home after training."

"No, that sounds great! I'm just finishing packing my bag. Come on in." While Annabelle turned to return to her packing in the living room, Bob found himself hesitant to enter the apartment. They had spent plenty of evenings hanging out at his dorm, but he'd yet to step past the threshold into Belle's dorm room. He wasn't sure why, but for some reason the thought of being in her apartment felt more intimate than being in his. Still, not wanting to offend, he stepped inside and allowed himself to look around at what he could from the foyer. There wasn't much around given that they were only here for a few weeks, yet somehow Annie had made the small dorm feel like a real home. She had a few plants hanging by the windowsill and multiple books were scattered around the living room. He noticed some pictures sitting on the countertops around the apartment, mostly of Annabelle with her parents, but he also spotted some with Nat and some other nameless faces from her time at Top Gun. The simplicity of it all felt very her, and Bob found himself smiling from the peace her apartment seemed to bring. Then that peace had to be disrupted by Natasha barging in just behind him. 

"What is taking you two so long! Rooster and I have been sitting in the car for 10 minutes. I half expected to find you two screwing in here."

"Natasha!" Bob blushed hard at the idea which did not go unnoticed by Phoenix as she sent a smirk in his direction. "We'll be right out Nat. I just needed to finish packing my bag."

"You realize this is still training, right? Not a beach day." 

"Yeah, well a girl can dream. Let's go, we don't want to be late." Natasha immediately exited the apartment, yelling down to Rooster that they were on their way out. Annabelle shook her head at her friend, still embarrassed by her initial comment when she had stormed through the door.