Chapter 3: Raptors With A Side Of Romance Please!

*RECAP: "Well, it did seem like he tried to apologize Riley, and Owen's actually a nice guy"

"What?! Lou are you seriously taking his side right now? How do you even know him?!"

"Last year's Christmas Party, the one you were too sick to come to, and I've hung out with a few times after work with him. He's actually pretty chill."

"Plus, Owen did try to talk to you" Eliza chimed in.

"He could've been trying to yell at me more, I don't take shit from anybody"

"Be that as it may Riley, but I think you're more attracted to him than you care to admit. Give him another chance, if he's a dick again then fine, he's a dick"

"I sense a but coming"

"But…if he ends up apologizing, you should try and get to know him, who knows what could happen"

"And let's be honest here Ry, you can be a dick too"

"Only if they deserve it, and what exactly do you think will happen?"

"You never know" Lou said with a wink and I all but choked on my coffee and spat some out. I quickly wiped it up and grabbed the other sandwich I ordered.

"I think it's time I got back to work"

"Ok spinster" Eliza sang.

"Shut up"I said curtly as I Lou and I left to head back to my post. Once we got back I said my goodbyes and went to walk over to my Jeep, and there was Barry talking to Owen standing next to my door. Barry noticed me and waved to me so I waved back, while Owen didn't even look up at me he just stared at his feet intently.

"Riley! Come here!"

END RECAP*

"Hey Barry…Mr. Grady" I greeted them, Owen didn't budge.

"How was lunch?"

"Uh, lunch was…good? I guess?"

"Who was that fellow you left with?" he asked smiling as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and gently elbowed my arm.

"Oh, just a good friend of mine"

"Just?"

"Just"

"Ohhh, I see you're a taken woman then"

"Nope"

"How are you not with that man then, I mean, I don't swing that way but hard to deny he's good looking"

"He's not my type, and he's married to my other good friend Eliza, anyway why do you ask?"

"Oh, just making conversation and attempting to tease you" We both laughed before he made his way back to the catwalks, Owen stayed behind.

"Um, Mr. Grady…Did you need something?" He finally looked up at me his green eyes staring into my different colored ones, as if searching for what to say next.

"Look, I uh…I want to apologize for earlier y'know? You didn't deserve that"

'Well I'll be damned'

"Apology accepted on one condition" He gave me a confused look.

"You accept my apology for being an ass"

"But, you only defended yourself"

"Yeah well I could've done it with more tact so, are we cool?" He grinned from ear to ear and I nearly melted right then and there into the soil beneath my feet when he shook my hand…well more like swallowed my tiny hand in his massive one and moved it repeatedly.

'Sonnuva bitch…I'm doomed'

"Yeah, we're cool, c-o-o-l- like an iceberg" he said before we both burst into a fit of laughter, it was a terrible joke, but hey, I happen to be a lover of terrible puns and jokes alike. In fact I'm usually the offender.

Owen gave me a 'see ya later' before jogging off back to the catwalks himself. I hopped into my Jeep and plugged my auxiliary cord back into my phone and turned on my music. I had probably sat in the Jeep for only 5 minutes but it felt like 5 hours so I hopped out, leaving the Jeep running and stretched a bit. I grabbed my mirrored aviators and put them on before watching the catwalks and the pen itself. One of the workers, Terry came over to me with an awkward smile on his face. Terry was in his mid-20's, and stood at about 5'10, and all muscle with short chocolate brown hair.

"Hey Riley" He stammered.

"Hey Terry"

"I was uh, wondering if you'd um…maybe tonight we could y'know, go to dinner, or for a coffee? Whatever you like" I was floored, I couldn't believe he just asked me out. Don't get me wrong I don't consider myself unattractive but I certainly don't find myself dateable. I heard some light murmurs from above on the catwalks and when I looked up, everyone, and yes folks, I do mean everyone, was on the catwalks watching Terry and I.

"Uh, look Terry, I just met you today…"

"I know, and I wanna get to know you better, you seem pretty awesome from what I've seen so far, and I just want to know you more" I sighed, he wasn't going to let me get out of this easily. I placed a hand on his back and gestured for him to walk with me, our backs to the catwalk.

"So what do ya say?"

"I'm gunna have to say no Terry, I'm sorry but I work late, and by the time I get home I just wanna sleep. Plus you're young, you don't want an old disgruntled war vet around you, trust me" He thought this over before looking at me with.

"Look Riley, please give me one shot! Just a quick coffee this Friday after work, we'll just talk, like two friends hanging out, if it makes you feel better you can tell me about the war"

"Ohhh no, that is one thing I will never tell anyone, not even my closest friends, look Terry, you're young, you should be chasing after young girls, not trying to fix an old one"

"Friday, 8 P.M., I'll wait for you at Tim Horton's, and another thing you're not old"

I opened my mouth to say something but he'd already left to the catwalk and I didn't want to scream no in front of other people, that's just a dick move so I just shut my mouth and walked back to my car. Barry came over to me and smiled.

"So the kid huh?"

"Barry, between you and I, I said no, but the kid didn't leave me much choice"

"He's a handsome kid though"

"Easy Cupid, I know he is but he's not my type—"

"And what exactly is your type"

"Not a kid barely out of college, I'm 33, I want to settle down, not club it up every day, trust me Barry this is the only 'date' I'm going to have with Terry, besides he'll get bored of me soon anyway, they always do"

"And what makes you say that"

"Prior experience, don't get me wrong I like to drink… occasionally, but not every day, or every weekend, and hit up clubs. Both myself and my body are too old for that, it's not my lifestyle. I'm a country girl I like bonfires and tailgate parties"

"Riley, it's just a coffee date, don't freak out just yet"

"Right, you're right, but why do you want me to do this?"

"Because I know Eliza, and she texted me after you and Lou left from lunch, she asked me to set you up with someone"

"Remind me to kill her later, been meaning to ask though, totally unrelated to the topic at hand but are we allowed to smoke here?"

"Sure, dirty smoker, you may, but I have to get back to work ok?"

"Ok, thanks" I said before grabbing my smoke case and lighter from my pocket. I lit one up and took a nice long inhale. God I needed that. I was about 3 puffs deep into my smoke when If You Like Piña Colada's by Jimmy Buffett came on, it started with a head bob and singing quietly under my breath before I started to belt it out and dance.

"If you like pina colada's, and getting caught in the rain, if you're not into yoga, if you have half a brain, if you like making love at midnight, in the dunes of the cape, then I'm the love that you've looked for, write to me and escape!" I was too into the song to notice if anyone was watching, and it's not like I cared either, it was just me goofing off letting off steam. I field stripped (fancy military term for rolling your smoke between your fingers until the ash and tobacco come out and you're left with just the filter) my cigarette and grinded the ash and tobacco beneath my boot before the remains in the empty coffee cup from this morning.

The whole time I was doing this I was still dancing, like a goofball, when I turned back around there was Owen, or at least his massive chest, and I hit it…and nearly fell. Thankfully, or in my opinion, unfortunately, he caught me and I felt my cheeks burn red hot. Because not only did he grab me but he'd bent over to catch me, in his arms, with his face inches from mine. Fuck. The worst part is we both froze in place for a moment before he finally spoke.

"Your eyes are neat"

"Um, uh, thanks, you have nice green eyes?" I stammered like a tool, my chest rising and falling as fast as my heart beat was racing. Look, I panicked. Mistakes were made. It felt like forever before we snapped to and split apart like a teenagers getting caught making out by their parents.

"Yeah so uh, pretty neat that one eye is blue and the other is green, didn't notice that" He said rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"And I didn't notice how green your eyes were, that's pretty cool" I lied.

"So uh, Barry and I were talking and he told me you served"

"Uh, yeah 11 years, he told me you served too"

"Yeah, um, U.S. Navy 14 years, what did you do?"

"MP, Canadian Forces, Air Force"

"Ah cool cool, so…"

"So…"

"Do you wanna do your check thing? Barry's busy at the moment so he sent me"

"Uh yeah sure, that'd be great thanks" I followed behind him mentally slapping myself for being such an idiot. 'Are you shitting me? "Didn't notice how green your eyes were that's pretty cool"?! Ugh what am I like fucking 12?! I couldn't even speak a damn word of English, I sounded like Bobby Boucher from The Water Boy. He must think I'm an idiot…'

When we got to the first gate I jiggled it and removed my holster with the gun still inside, and turned to him. "Can you, uh, hold this for me please?" He nodded and I handed it to him, the mere brush of his fingers against mine as he took it sent my heart into my throat.

I gulped, not out of fear of the raptors, but from the nervousness he was giving me just being around me. Like a teenager all over again. I quickly shoved that thought out of my head before he punched me in and I walked toward the second gate. I stopped midway and looked around, slowly and carefully before placing a hand on the gate. Soon Blue came sprinting up with the pack behind her and I quickly removed my hand, but she didn't snap at me. No, she merely stood there and stared at my hip for a moment before looking up at me.

"Hey Blue, Delta, Charlie…Echo" They all just stared at me.

"May I touch this?" I asked her pointing to the gate, they merely just looked to where I was pointing then back at me, unsure of what else to do I reached my hand slowly outward. Owen grabbed my hand and pulled me back quickly, causing me to yelp in surprise, but Blue screeched at him. Delta, Echo, and Charlie all faced him hissing and snarling at him.

"Oo, she did not like that" I said looking at him, the raptors were focused on Owen and his hand.

"Grady, let go, they're watching you" He snapped out of his reverie and let me go, then pulled me slowly to his side.

"I just wanna test something"

"Ok" was all I could manage as I felt my whole insides about to explode, quickly trying to shove out all intimate thoughts of us, worried that the accumulative feelings I was facing would literally kill me. He had his arm around my shoulders then leaned over to my ear, his eyes still watching the raptors.

"Do something" he whispered in my ear, his hot breath tickling my neck. I was about to implode, I could feel it. So I just wrapped my arm as best as I could around his waist, my stupid short arms just barely reaching the other side, and leaned my head against him.

"We're ok" Blue looked between the two of us and collectively the raptors seemed to stop snarling and hissing. She looked me up and down then did the same to Owen before the 4 tore off back into the bushes.

"What the fuck was that"

"For the first time since me, Blue respects someone. She listens to you, almost understands you" He looked at me with the same awestruck face I was probably wearing.

"What did you do?"

"I dunno I just keep my gun at the door, way I figure it is, this is their territory right? Their home, and I should respect it"

"Well, keep doing it and…thanks"

"For?"

"Treating them with respect"

"Isn't that what we all should do?" I said as I broke the embrace and checked the gate with a tug before walking out of the paddock entrance and waiting for Owen. He stood there stunned for a moment before coming out behind me and handing me my pistol.

"Yeah" He looked down at me with a smile as I clipped it back to my belt, I went to walk away

"Hey Riley, call me Owen would you?"

"Wha-? Don't I normally?"

"In there, you called me Grady, please call me Owen"

"Uh, sure"

And with that I walked back to the Jeep. I got in, shut the door and proceeded to bang my head repeatedly against the steering wheel I was grasping tightly. My phone now playing Come & Get Your Love by Redbone.

"Shut up car" I grumbled beneath my breath as I let out a huge puff of air and sat back up, switching the song to Sonne by Rammstein. I stared blankly forward as I lifted my cap up a bit to push my golden blonde strands back that were starting to poke out before pulling it back down and sighing.

'I'm so screwed'.

*A/N: Well that's it folks Chapter 3! Sorry if it's rough, I woke up late this morning and had to rush to work and without my Timmies in the morning or some form of caffeine, my brain farts a lot. Any who hope you like this one too! And shout out to Apollofan210, Liaskane, Katy1986, Kara Valmont, MariLucia, stjarna22, katie93319 for all their support and love! I love you guys! And also thank you Kara for the Birthday wishes! Also I wanted to say that the actress who I've chosen to portray as Riley is Emilia Clarke, more Terminator Genesys style but with golden blonde hair and she has one green and one blue eye (as mentioned earlier in the story)*