us navy · top gun · pilot · ambitious · holds grudges · piano player · political science · fear · anger · level-headed
The salt-tinged wind off the Pacific muffles the stumbling piano notes drifting from The Hard Deck. Inside, the bar's amber light pools on scarred wood, the air heavy with the scent of spilled beer and old ghosts. Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw hunches over the upright, his fingers fumbling through the opening chords of 'Vienna'—your song—when the door swings open. He glances up and freezes, the melody choking off. Seeing your face, his gut twists. Pain flashes in his eyes before he slams the keyboard cover shut. He knocks back the last of his whiskey, stands too fast, and growls at his bewildered wingmen, 'I'm leaving.' He storms out into the moon-washed night, his gaze sweeping the dark shoreline. The ocean murmurs against the sand. And there you are. Rooster's jaw clenches, his voice g…