To Hell and Back // Alex Keller.

The listener.

Rainy days passed as fast as they arrived. Warm wind travelled from one street to another, crossing the deserted roads. The heat of the spring air took the last hints of the rain away, burying the puddles deep into the ground as it was asking for more on a sunny day. Songs of the birds echoed in the quietness of the small town, while nature was changing its colors. The last days of spring left their kisses on the roofs of the houses, letting the summer heat take over the town. Seasons were changing in a blink of an eye, while people tried to catch the time at least for a moment, living between the past and the future.

The gray car was hiding in between tall trees in the green leaves. Away from the lonely house, and all the neighbours who could feel curious on Wednesday afternoon. Miller became a frequent guest in the town she couldn't even locate on the map. It felt to a woman as if she was on her own mission given by Price himself. The sneakers left marks on the ground, as the redhead walked the well-known way towards the tall, dark house hiding in the trees.

The sun rays were unusually bathing the living room in light through the large window. The tall grass was trying to reach the window and almost closing the view to the long-forgotten backyard. A pile of books on the floor was only growingtaller with each Kelly's visit. The days seemed endless to the officer, as he was waiting for the unknown. For the charges to drop, for a phone call from the captain, and for the prosthetics to arrive. The list was long, and so were the pages of the books his bright blue eyes were running along.

"Did you go across the border to get coffee?" Two bright red coffee cups stood tall on the coffee table. The drinks turned cold a long time ago. Little did Alex know about the two other cups that were gone a long time ago, during Miller's drive back home.

"Yes, I did." Kelly reached for the cups, offering one of them to the man before taking a sip of the drink that felt more nostalgic than a photo album. Time passed, but coffee from Tim Hortons kept its specific, awful taste. Yet, it always makes you come back. "Somehow people in the US think that double-double is four creams and four sugars."

"Thank you. Ever tried asking baristas to make it your way?" A rough carton of the paper cup touched Keller's fingers, as the aroma of the drink was escaping into the thin air through the opening in the lid. Coffee could be man's friend at any time of the day, but the milky-colored drink in the cup held an intrigue in the air for Alex, as his lips finally touched the cup.

"I wanted Timmies." A redhead leaned against the sofa back, letting herself relax just for a moment after a long drive. Her face would never tell about the horrible taste of the coffee, but somehow nostalgia took Miller's head just for a moment. The gaze of the hazel eyes fell onto the blinds, keeping the light outside. With each passing day, every conversation in the air and a word Alex shared with her, a woman couldn't feel but have more questions in her head.

Why the big house was so big and lonely? What happened to his leg? What will happen?

"You're not from around here, aren't you?" Alex's voice echoed in the silence of the living room, as the blue eyes ran over the face of the woman. The freckles were thrown all over her face, as the sun left kisses on the soft skin. The sound of his voice dragged her out from the world of endless thoughts hiding in Kelly's head. The wind outside was picking up the speed, as the trees knocked on fragile windows of the house.

"No, I am not." Her voice was cold and the words cut shaped like a knife. It was one of the topics which could send the shivers down redhead's back, as the heart was aching for the forgotten pain. At the end of the day, home is never the place but the feeling. And maybe, Miller was still looking for her miles away from everything she'd ever known.

"Why did you move, Kelly?" Note of the interest could be heard in Keller's voice, as the drink was slowly disappearing out of the red cup. The officer rested on the other side of the sofa, as the tiny drops of sweat were forming under the cotton fabric of the man's shirt in the summer heat.

"I thought I was supposed to ask you questions, not sitting in a therapy chair." The hazel met blue in the rays of the sunon the warm afternoon. A hint of a smile formed in the corner of Kelly's lips, hiding the little storm that was calming down inside of her chest.

"Just wondering." Shrugging his shoulders, Keller looked away and broke the eye contact between the two. An empty paper cup found its place on the empty coffee table, waiting to be thrown away in the garbage. The soft seat of the sofa seemed way too comfortable to leave its captivity.

"Needed change. Liam didn't come back from the mission. Well, he did come back, but in a coffin. And then everything fell down like a house of cards." Miller's gaze was focused on the texture of the wall in front of her, as the words were escaping from the woman's lips. Nightmares and traumas can sometimes fit into one sentence, leaving all the painful details somewhere behind.

"I'm sorry. That's quite intense, Kel." Alex was never the type of person who was too loud or talked a lot. Throughout his life, Keller was the listener. Not the one to ever complain, or share about the things that were keeping him awake at night. The tattoos drawn all over his arms were used to being covered by the short sleeves of his shirt and the armoured west, but not to be kissed by the sun.

"And what happened to you, Keller?" Everything comes to an end, the same way Miller reached the button of her owncup and took the last sip of the drink she once enjoyed. The sofa let out a soft creaking sound, as the body of a womanleft the warm seat. Two cups finally met up with the garbage can, taking away the bittersweet feeling the drink left on the woman's lips and mind.

"Occupational accident." Kelly caught herself staring at the man's tattoos, wondering the meaning behind every little piece of art over the rough skin of the officer.

The two kept their own distance between the late afternoons in the walls of the dark house and the outside life. Each day felt like a step forward, taking two steps back at the same time. No details about the injury ever slipped off Alex's lips, no matter how long their conversation could be.

And maybe one day, he could become the talker too.

Helloooo, everyone! Sorry for the short chapter, I think I'm alive after yesterdays game (Oilers better take the cup lol). Hope y'all have a great week! Thank you for 100 views, looots of love