New Frontiers

"Didn't you ask for scrambled eggs?"

The sheriff lifted his gaze from his desk, his eyes half covered by his cowboy hat. He scoffed at the deputy's question, looking up at his blank face. "No, Ollie, I didn't ask fer scrambled eggs, I asked fer fried eggs. Not that I'd reckon ya'd listen anyway." He scrunched his brows, hiding his expression underneath his dusty, unkempt hair. He was already unhappy about having to spend the night in his office after a long day's travel, and this mistake, no matter how small, wasn't helping.

Ollie carefully put down the plate of eggs on the shelf next to the sheriff's desk. "Javier, is this about what happened in Ram's Ranch?" His freckled face reddened.

The sheriff snapped his head up and pierced through Ollie's eyes, big and blue like the never-ending skies over an open range. He never realized just how blue they were. Though Javier was furious at Ollie's ignorance, he felt as if he was swimming in Lake Travis with him again, intertwined with—

No! He couldn't think about that now. What purpose did dwelling on it have when nothing had happened? The sheriff bit his lip and stood up, his breath trembling. He looked down at his well-worn boots. He subconsciously curled his toes as his anxiety festered inside him. The butterflies in his stomach bounced back and forth, and memories of the man before him rippled in his mind like the light on Lake Travis that gone summer's day.

Javier grabbed his holster from the corner of his desk. His hat fell back as he tilted his head up, eyeing the door at the end of the hallway. "Ollie, let's take this outside." The sheriff stomped on the aging wooden planks, knocking into Ollie with his shoulder as he brushed past him.

"Javier, it's alright, I've still got some eggs left. We can talk about this over some mornin' grub."

The sheriff didn't turn back.

Ollie rubbed the shoulder that Javier had hit and followed the muscular man's figure out the door.

The two men stood an arm's length away from each other, face to face as the hot Nevada air blew dust across their boots. Though they were close, it felt as if the space between them was the expansive universe, moving them farther and farther apart. Javier tilted his head down, yet he could feel Ollie's annoyed gaze eyeing him.

"Javier, can we just put this aside for now?" Ollie huffed as his foot tapped impatiently, his rhythm matching the song Javier's heart sang. The beat got faster as the silence between them grew.

"I'll meet you inside, Sheriff," Ollie finally said, turning back towards the door to the Sheriff's office. Javier lifted his head up, his eyes darkening, his heart thumping as he watched his partner walk away, just as he did at Ram's Ranch.

"No, not again," Javier pleaded under his breath. He impulsively reached towards his holster at his side until he could grasp the grip of his revolver. He held his breath as he lifted his tarnished weapon from his waist and pointed it at Ollie's back. He remembered the beautiful definition that made up Ollie's figure, blushing at the flow of thought rushing through his mind.

The click of the loaded revolver stopped Ollie in his tracks. He turned around, panic building in his eyes. "Woah there partner, it's only eggs," he started, slowly putting his hands up.

"This ain't just about the eggs, Ollie!" Javier's voice raised as he waved his gun back and forth. Ollie cautiously made his way towards Javier, the dirt softly crunching at each step.

"You can't solve all your problems with a duel. Sometimes you just have to talk it out." Ollie was only a meter away from the barrel of the gun, yet a faint smile lit up his dirt-stained face.

"Not this time," Javier insisted. His breath became stagnant, his heart felt like it was collapsing. His messy hair slightly parted in the wind, revealing his red, anxious face. He couldn't steady his damn hand.

In the blink of an eye, he was face to face with his partner. He could feel Ollie's slow and calming breath sink into him, harmonizing with his own melody.

"Come on, we're partners!" Ollie put his hand on Javier's shoulder, gently brushing the dust off his jacket in the process. Javier lowered his gun, loosely holding it by his side. The breath was ripped out of his chest, and suddenly, his mind was blank. He couldn't hold his feelings in anymore, he didn't want to see Ollie walk away again.

"Maybe I just don't mean anythin' to ya..." Javier muttered, his warm breath brushing Ollie's eyelashes. Ollie gripped his shoulder harder.

"Look, I know I got your eggs wrong, but do you need to really act this brash towards me?" Ollie asked.

"I..." Javier began to speak, but the rush of adrenaline prevented him from saying any more.

"What do you need?" Ollie's voice, growing impatient, echoed down the empty street. Javier's dark brown eyes darted to meet Ollie's blue skies, like wild mustangs galloping along the endless Nevada skyline.

"I need you!" Javier clamped his hand over his mouth, finally dropping the gun. Dirt spattered on the side of his pants. Javier's lip quivered. He was afraid of what could happen now that everything was out in the open.

Ollie let go of Javier and stepped back, avoiding eye contact. His expression was unreadable, save for his shock at Javier's candidness.

"Is that what this is about? Of course we need each other, we're partners!" Ollie reached out again, but Javier met him halfway, gently touching his calloused fingers.

"No, I... " Javier steeled himself with a deep breath. "I love you." Javier's eyes watered, watching for Ollie's reaction. Ollie didn't move his hand.

Javier continued. "After seein' you talkin' up that other sheriff at Ram's Ranch... I couldn't take it. I can't hide it no more."

Ollie stood still, his fingers intertwined with Javier's. The wind blew harder, yet the distance between them was gone.

"Javier, no sheriff can replace you." Ollie lifted his other hand up and caressed Javier's face. Javier leaned into the touch, gently brushing against the course lines of his grasp. Ollie stepped closer, their lips only an inch apart.

"Ollie, I was worried you was gonna run away."

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, I won't ever walk away again." Ollie's chipped tooth was exposed as he smiled. Javier took a deep breath and pressed his lips against his partner's.

The kiss they shared was an unexplored frontier, and together, they discovered the beauty of their new world, where the only thing between them was the faint breeze of the dusty plains.