𝐋𝐀𝐁𝐘𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐇 ― ☀ ☁ ― 𝖑𝖆𝖇𝖞𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖍

\\ 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 //

"SO? WHAT DO YOU THINK?

 Her father sat on one of the chairs by the kitchen counter as he watched Taylor cook up their favorite dish, her mother's recipe, a simple chicken parm with white sauce spaghetti.

She takes a few seconds to register his words, scooping up the pasta into two separate plates and placing the fried chicken on top of it. Taylor turns around with both plates in her hands, her lips pressed in a thin line as she looks at her father's face. The pitch he'd made to her was about a sequel to his 1986 hit, Top Gun. And he wanted her to play Iceman's adopted daughter, Faith Wilson.

She stayed quiet as she looked into her father's eyes full of hope and determination, and nothing but love for his art. His hands are by the side of his head as he continues to try and pursue her, "You get to fly an F/A-18 by yourself, now that you have your license."

Damn, was he good at convincing her.

Taylor Cruise takes a deep breath as she places her father's plate in front of him on the counter, sitting opposite him by the table. She gives him a sweet smile that was reserved for him, nodding at his idea. Her father jumps up in excitement from his seat as he gives her his toothy grin, he's around the counter in mere seconds, pulling her into a hug and peppering her cheeks with kisses.

Taylor hugs her father back as he kisses her cheeks, before he pulls away with a final forehead peck and he pulls his plate of food across towards him to sit beside her. The father and daughter sit in silence as they eat their food, her father groaning at the taste and telling her how much it tasted like her mother had made it.

They're finishing their food, as Taylor questions in curiosity, "You get any auditions yet?"

Her father plops in his final bite of fried chicken as he furrows his eyebrows and replies, "I think we have a few coming around by the end of the week. You'll be free by then, won't you? We can take their auditions together, you, me and Kosinski." He suggests, and Taylor raises her eyebrows, it was a dope idea.

"You have any contacts? I'm completely clueless 'bout Goose's son?" He throws out into the conversation.

"Yeah, he's a tough one to crack. You have any thoughts on the other female, uh, Trace, is it?" Her father shakes her head. Taylor takes a deep breath, placing another bite in her mouth.

This was gonna be exhausting.

⋆  ⋆  ⋆

IT'S THE END OF THE WEEK ALREADY, AND THERE WAS STILL AN ENTIRE STUDIO OF ACTORS WAITING TO AUDITION.

Kosinski, Tom, and Taylor were already in the room. Tom and Joe were sat by the table near the windows, as Taylor leant against the window with her arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed in absolute disbelief. 

It had been nearly ten hours since they'd sat down in those chairs and began the auditions, and there hadn't been a single good one. 

Some were more considerable than others, but considerable wouldn't do.

So far, their luck hadn't been the best.

And the best was their only requirement.

Because this was a project that needed to be perfect, hence, the long years for a perfect script. And they had it now, the script. They just needed the actors to begin.

Taylor stands up straight as the next actor comes into the room, greeting him with a smile. He was tall, blonde, buff, had green eyes like hers', and a toothy smile. She stands in front of him as he looks at her with widened emerald eyes and a nervous face.

The blonde simply stares at her, his mouth open but no words slip out. Another beat passes and he shakes himself out of the trance, bringing his hand forward for Taylor to shake, "Uh, Glen, Powell."

"Well, hi, Glen Powell, I'm Taylor Cruise. That's my father, Tom Cruise," her father nods with a sober smile, "and that's Joe Kosinski." The man simply nods with a welcoming smile.

"Gotta say, Powell, I loved 'Set It Up'." The man just stands still.

"I know who all of you are. I'm sorry, that's a weird thing to say." Glen looks down to his shoes as he shakes his head in apology. Taylor simply waves him off, a mutter of "We're used to it, buddy," escape her lips.

Taylor claps a hand on his shoulder, slowly moving beside him towards the center of the room as she moves away once he's by the mark on the ground to return back to her spot by the window, leaning against it.

They go around following the script, and it was... good. The guy was quick at improv, seemingly bringing a cockier side to the character of Goose's son, a somehow perfectly fitting smirk on his face.

There was something missing, a spark, a tad bit more of that chemistry that Faith and Bradley had. The vulnerability. The transparency they'd show to one another. It wasn't there right now.

It wasn't that bad, but it wasn't great either.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

TAYLOR CLOSES THE DOOR TO THE ROOM, TURNING TOWARDS THE OTHER TWO IN THE ROOM WHOSE HANDS HAD FOUND THEIR CHINS IN CONTEMPLATION. 

The two were looking at each other before Tom looks to Kosinski, before they both look at Taylor.

"It's.... okay." Joe observes, waving a hand around, Tom just nods in agreement. 

Taylor points a finger at the director, "Yeah, I feel the same way!"

"There's not much of that transparency of Faith and Bradley. They're just so, vulnerable around each other. Right now, I couldn't see it. They're a beautiful pair, but this, it wasn't the best." Tom points out, shaking his head with his index on his cheek, the curve of his thumb finding his chin.

Taylor's face contorts, annoyed at the fact that the day did not seem to end, and neither did the determination of some other actors sitting outside the room.

"Hey, how about, we take five?" Tom mutters, patting their shoulders.

She decides to make her way to the balcony outside, hiding her face with her hoodie.

Taylor takes a deep breath once she's out of the busy rooms. The California sun was no joke, the way it made your eyes squint at the brightness of it. But it was beautiful none the less. It was blazing orange, a yellow ring around the reddened coral sun, a bright mix of purple and blue surrounding it.

The sky was partly why she decided to take on the role. 

She felt at peace when she was up in the air, whether it was sky-diving, free-falling, or flying a helicopter, or an F/A-18, or a P-51, whatever it was. It was one of the best feelings in the world to her. 

She closes her eyes, taking in the Californian heated wind brushing across her face as she leant her elbows against the railing, leaning forward.

A few seconds of peace pass.

But peace always has to be ruined, right?

A throat is cleared from behind her, and she jolts away from the railing, opening her eyes, and turning around. Her feet are kept apart in habit, palms bunched up in fists. But the second she finds her eyes in those hazel greens, she falls back.

"Miles?" She asks, remembering him from the night from not too long ago, or the multiple movie nights that followed after.

"You know my name?" He asks, standing there with his mouth open and brows raised in utter surprise.

Taylor's brows furrowed in confusion, though her lips are pulling into a smile, "Of course, I know your name, Miles. How've you been?" Her hands fold to her chest.

And then it hits. He'd grown up on her movies, and right now, standing in front of her, was extremely intimidating.

"Oh, I- I've been good." A pause settles. 

"So, uh, how's the golden man?" He asks, pointing a finger in her direction. 

Taylor's lips pull up at the edge, jumping into it, "Oh, yeah, he's been great. A bit of a diva, really."

They share a laugh after another pause of simply staring at each other.

 She asks him with actual confusion. There was no update that he'd be auditioning, let alone come over. "What brings you here?" She asks, smile wiped off as she looks at him in curiosity.

"Uh, I got a call for the audition. My manager, she said there was an open slot, and I felt like giving it a shot." He nods, and she nods back.

Just then, her father's by the glass balcony doors, "Tay, let's g- Oh, hey, Miles!" The man stands in shock once again.

"Miles?" Taylor looks at the actor when he's frozen in his spot. He mutters out, "Oh my god, two Cruises. And they both know my name."

"Uh-huh, okay, how about you take a seat, and we'll call for you when it's your turn?" The two Cruises get to work, standing at either side of the starstruck, literally, man and grabbing his forearms to help him sit by the couch outside their make-shift audition room.