To Hell and Back // Alex Keller.

Bailamos.

Slow wind jumped from one empty roof of a tall building to another, running through the open windows of the apartments, stores, and small restaurants. A thick blanket of heavy, gray clouds took over once bright blue sky, as soon as the heatwave left the town with the last flight for the day just to be back on the next week by Monday. Nature was quiet when somewhere far away the roar of the storm echoed through the distance. For a quick moment, some could catch the white light of the lightning as it angrily struck the dry ground.

The weekends in town were unusually quiet. Some residents escaped the walls of their own houses to find anything more exciting somewhere far away. At the same time, they locked themselves behind the heavy doors and enjoyed the peace of slow life. And some were in between, as every seat in the pub got occupied as soon as the dark hour fell onto the town.

Enrique Iglesias' song from the time when most of the visitors of the pub didn't even know how to talk, travelled from one corner of the building to another.* Cheering of the people by the bar mixed with the loud conversations, music, and clinking glasses with various drinks. A redhead found herself dancing with one of the few people she knew in town. The voices of the ladies turned into one during the chorus of the song they knew no lyrics to. But, eventually, every song ends and the dance floor gets emptier. The pub was packed on a Friday night, as every seat indoors and outside was taken over by unfamiliar faces to the two. A baseball game played on the large TV on the other side of the room, catching the eyes of the few. Any commentary of the game was doomed to get lost in the noise of the pub as the weekend fell onto the city.

"Thank you for dragging me out of the house, Nat." Two glasses stood still on a wooden surface of the table, as they finally found a seat in the shadows of the bar. Lonely ice cubes floated in the cocktail, melting over a drink and the hot atmosphere of the pub. Kelly couldn't wait any longer and took a few sips of a refreshing mojito.

"At least now I know you are alive." A brunette smiled, watching over a childhood friend. Her brown eyes were curiously travelling around the room, catching the difference between the locals of town and New Yorkers. Something about it brought a smile to her face. Small towns always had their own taste. No one was running along the long streets and avenues, or pretending to be someone they never meant to be. Not everything had to be around and about money, a from time to time Natalie had to remind herself about it.

Miller and Anderson knew each other from the early years of the middle school. Most of the childhood friends eventually fade away as the time passes by, but the bond between the two only grows stronger. Natalie worked in NYC, and when she got a rare moment to visit a childhood friend, a brunette didn't have to think twice.

"How's the practice going?" Crazy stories were always Natalie's favourite part about Kelly's job. Of course, most of the personal details stayed in the walls of her office, to protect the patient's identity and privacy. But, some things would escape from time to time and reach the ears of the one Miller trusted the most.

"Quiet. Looks like during the summer as soon as the snow melts, it takes away people's problems." Summer was the moving time. People were too occupied with changing something while the sun rays still felt warm and the trees were painted green. Problems would arrive with the first cold winds in the fall. Kelly's mind came back to Keller, wondering if he would disappear with the drop in temperature, just like good summer days. A redhead bit her lip, wishing for them to cross the path for a little longer.

"Even Mrs. Complain is doing better?" A surprise was written all over the brunette's face when Miller's words reached her ears. There were a few clients even Natalie couldn't forget about, and the calmness in the air and work life of her friend was astonishing. But, it is impossible to run a marathon with no days for rest.