To Hell and Back // Alex Keller.

Wrapped in the rays of the sun.

The town that was once painted yellow with the smoke of the wildfires finally got its colours back. The warm wind was picking up its pace, taking the smoke somewhere far away, but every local in town knew that it would eventually come back. Rare patches of the blue sky could be seen through the yellowish blanket of the smoke, as they fought their way through. Burning to lungs, the smell of fire was taken over by the blooming flowers, and freshly cut grass. Rain was nowhere to be seen in the forecast for the next few days, but it was something nature needed more than any human being on the planet.

The creaking of an old window echoed through the peaceful silence of the house's walls as the warmth inside pushed the officer to finally open it. The gaze of the blue eyes travelled through the green landscape. Steam was escaping upinto the thin air out of a warm cup of freshly brewed coffee, and it played with Keller's facial hair. Half of another day had already passed, and the clock was slowly nearing lunchtime.

"Hey, sleepyhead." Alex quietly knocked on the tall door leading to one of the bedrooms in the dark house. Silence was a frequent guest as the man found comfort in his own company, despite the demons in Keller's head keeping him up at night. But, from comforting to suspicious quietness turned in a matter of time, as one of the rooms got occupied by a redhead.

"Alex.." Kelly was wrapped in a blanket, trying to catch the last moments of a long sleep when the rays of the warm rays of the sun entered the room with the man. A soft pat fell on the other side of the bed as an invitation to the officer. She moved away a bit, trying to make space for Keller on a soft, queen-sized bed.

"Want me to join you, beautiful?" The cup of coffee was left on the nightstand as the last notes of attention from Alex left the thin walls of the porcelain. A soft smile sat on the edges of his thin lips while the distance between the two was getting shorter with each step of the man on the cold, hardwood floor.

"Mhmm." A woman was fighting the battle with sleepiness as she finally opened her eyes. The bedroom was bathedwith the sunshine, and a few fell on her face as if playing with Miller's skin. Finally, her eyes found blues in the same room. The long-forgotten feeling of warmth was spilling inside a redhead, as she caught herself staring at the officer for way too long.

The bed creaked under the weight of the man. His large hand was sitting in Kelly's when the soft skin finally met rough. Opposites attract, or so they say. Keller found himself in the warmth of a soft bed on a summer afternoon. It was a luxury the officer could never afford during the long years of service. Each day spent at a slow pace felt foreign to Alex, as his body and mind were asking for more. His life was a boat race for way too long, and the sudden slowdown felt like the strangest thing in the world.

Everything else on the mind of the two stayed outside of the door, as the arms of the man got wrapped around Miller'sshoulders. His thump brushed against the cheek of a woman, tucking behind her ear the fiery messy hair. A redhead could feel the air suddenly suffocating as if Keller held his hand around her neck. There was something magnetic in the deep, bright eyes of the officer that were drowning the woman in them, in the slightest eye contact they could have. Ever since the failed relationship ended for Kelly, she promised herself not to get attached again. But, on a summer afternoon, it was clear that Miller failed that mission badly.

Alex was never the prisoner of his emotions. He was a calm man with his head and mind deep into the military. Running from one mission to another, the last thing the officer was focusing on was love. A short night with the people whose names he would never remember, kept the man away from neglecting his needs. But, even the toughest people need a supportive hand by their side. At the end of the day, there is nothing motivational or healing in coming back to a cold, empty home. Ever since joining Farah's forces and deserting the orders of Laswell, the unknown side full of emotions opened to the Keller. The officer couldn't deny the comfort Kelly's company brings to him, as his lips caught hers just to steal a quick, morning kiss.