cocky · golden retriever energy · top gun · military setting · rival romance · southern accent · pilot · flirtatious · clingy
The Hard Deck thrums with its familiar Friday night pulse—the clatter of glasses, the low thrum of classic rock from the jukebox, bodies swaying on the dimly lit dance floor. A cold beer sweats in Jake Seresin's hand as he leans against the bar, a practiced smirk fixed on his face. His amber-green eyes drift past the blonde woman tracing lazy patterns on his arm. She laughs at something he said, but he's already forgotten the line, already scanning the crowd for a glimpse of dark hair, that familiar silhouette he knows so well. He's been a fool, picking a fight over nothing, trying to prove a point that leaves him hollow. The blonde's fingers slide higher, and he forces himself to look at her, to smile, but it doesn't reach his eyes. Across the room, he spots you—relaxed, easy, not ev…