Alice

I know I don't have to tell him what exactly I want to know. I see it in his eyes that he knows it.

And still, I ask, "What happened to you?"

Elijah just nods his head, taking a deep breath as he grabs a stick, drawing patterns into the ground as he speaks. "As I said... I can't tell you all the details. What I can tell you is that we were supposed to infiltrate enemy territory. We got the intel from a mole that worked with the enemies, and so I led my team there..."

"Mason was my right hand, so to speak, and so we got in there together. We realized pretty quickly that our intel was wrong, and that we've been played. Shots were fired, men died... My men. My men died while Mason pulled me out of the line of fire after I got shot in my shoulder, arm, and knee, in an attempt to save at least some of them. But I couldn't. I failed them all."

He looks so defeated, his shoulders slumped when he takes another deep breath. "The doctors said I was lucky, every single one of the hit I took was clean, entry and exit wounds and no splinters or anything left... Physically I'm fit again, they say, and still my knee keeps fucking with me. They say it's psychosomatic, and for the last six months I laughed at them, but now... The last few weeks opened my eyes just a little."

Again he takes a deep breath, this time turning around to look at me, the pain in his eyes instantly sending tears to my eyes that I find extremely hard to suppress.

"I'm not allowed to go back because I'm damaged. Because even though I'm physically healthy, I didn't pass my psych eval. And now I'm here. Spend the last fourteen years in an army that doesn't want me anymore. And I only managed to kill seven people from my team in the process..."

I don't think I've ever heard him speak so much, honestly, and now I know why. Having this weight on your shoulders... It can't be easy to deal with this. I definitely don't blame him for being so closed off.

"I'm... I'm so sorry this all happened to you, really."

"It's my fault, Alice... I trusted the guy. I should've gathered more info about the mole himself. Instead I just barged in there, wanting to get it over with..."

He runs his hands over his face, burying it in there for a few seconds as he takes deep breaths. I use the opportunity to lean against his shoulder, trying to give him the comfort but space he might need. "You couldn't have known..." I whisper.

"But I should've. And because I didn't do my job properly there are widows out there, children who need to grow up without their father..."

A tear escapes my eye, but I quickly rub it away, not wanting him to feel even worse because I start to cry now. To my surprise he even wraps his arm around me, pulling me into his chest as we just sit there, watching the sunset in front of us, only the sound of birds and the rustling of leaves in the wind surrounding us now.

"I'm sorry about Guy... I hope he didn't ruin your evening," Elijah suddenly says, sending a smile on my lips as I tilt my head, looking up at him as I place my palm on his cheek.

"He didn't, and it's not your fault, anyway. I just hope he got the message."

Elijah turns to look at me, a quiet chuckle escaping his throat before he quips back, "If that right hook of yours didn't do the job, I'll make sure he gets it another way..."

And even though I hear the amusement in his voice, I can't stop my heart from doing somersaults in my chest. The obvious expression of protection gives me all sorts of goosebumps.

He wraps his hand above my own on his cheek, those stormy grey-blue orbits gazing straight into my soul when he whispers, "I hate that he touched you..."

And I said it before, Elijah shows his feelings with his eyes, with those storms of emotion that uproot every single inch of my soul every time he looks at me. I think I know what he means, I think I recognize the reason behind his words in his irises, and yet I can't help but ask, "Why?"

He quirks an eyebrow, those stormy eyes now searching mine. "You really need me to say it?"

"Yeah..." I don't even get to say anything more, because he suddenly shifts us around and pushes me down, the leaves and sticks now pricking into my back and hair as he towers over me, his hands palms pressed into the soil next to my head as he just looks at me, studying every inch of my face like he was trying to remember it for the rest of his life.

"I..." He leans down, his breath fanning down my neck when he brushes his nose against my own, creating a friction so gentle and yet so dangerous that I instantly feel my veins fill with fire. It has the same effect on him, I know that, seeing the flames licking at his irises when he leans back to study me again, hesitation still written all over his face. "I want to try."

I can't help the smile on my face from his words, running a hand through his hair as I ask, "You want to try?"

He closes his eyes, nodding his head while leaning into the touch of my fingers on his scalp. "I want to..." His eyes open again, instantly meeting my gaze when his demeanour suddenly changes, determination and conviction running all over his face as he speaks, "I want to get to know you. I want to let you get to know me, Alice..."

I read him for a moment, trying to figure out how serious he is about this, if he knows what exactly this means.

"Date me. Only me," he suddenly says, almost as if he read my mind.

And he must see the hesitation in my eyes, because he interrupts me before I can even think of opening my mouth to say something, "I'm not saying put a label on it or anything. I'm saying... Give both of us the chance to get to know each other, without someone else occupying us."

I have to admit, I'm scared shitless. This is definitely not where I expected this evening would go, but then again... Who knows what to expect with this man?

Because I also didn't expect him to be the one to take that step, to lay himself out there like that. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have found the courage to do it.

"Okay..."

Elijah doesn't even hesitate when the words leave my lips, his body instantly crashing down on me, kissing me with everything he has. And I feel it as his lips move against my own, as we lose each other in the fire that burns between us... This kiss is a promise. A promise to give us a chance. A promise to focus on each other and not let ourselves get in the way.

It seems like we can't stop giving this promise, because it feels like hours until I come up for air, until Elijah releases me from his hold, his stormy eyes instantly inviting me back in when they shoot those flaming hot glances of fire at me. "We should go home... It's getting dark... And we're in the middle of the woods..." I say in between breaths, trying to my rationale back.

A smile spreads on his lips as he nods his head, brushing some hair out of my face before he presses a kiss on my nose. "You're right, come on."

We make our way back home, and I can't deny that it feels somehow weird when we enter the house. I've never been on a date with someone I also live with. "So... Do you want a nightcap or something?" I ask, eliciting a laugh from Elijah as he nods his head, taking his hand in mine as he leads us into the kitchen.

He pours us both a drink before we plop down on the couch, exhaustion suddenly taking over as soon as I hit the comfortable cushion beneath me. I take a sip of the scotch, letting the strong taste fill my senses. I'm not a big fan of scotch, but Elijah only drinks the good stuff.

I close my eyes, leaning my head against the headrest with a sigh. A smile crosses my face when I feel Elijah's hand above my own, and I turn as I open my eyes, seeing him right next to me, mirroring my stance. "I had a good time tonight."

The fact that he's trying so hard to show me what he thinks and feels warms my heart, it just shows how much he actually wants this to work. "Me, too." I smile. "We need to visit that forest more often."

"We do."

We just sit like that for a while, sipping our drinks and enjoying the silence, the feeling of his thumb drawing patterns on the back of my hand being enough to ignite that fire within me, little by little.

And I know I don't want to jump into this, but I also know I won't be able to resist him any longer if he keeps on doing that.

God, how stupid that sounds...

But I guess that just shows how irrational the effect he has on me is, he has that hold over my sanity, over my reasonable thinking, that just goes up in flames the second he enters my peripheral.

"I think I should go to bed," I blurt out as I get up from the sofa, feeling both relieved and lonely when my hand leaves his own.

"Okay, uh... I know this is unconventional, but... Let me walk you to your door?"

The fact that he's just as awkward about this as I am calms me a little, and I can't help but laugh as I nod my head, feeling his hand in my own again as he gets up from the couch.

We walk up the stairs and within seconds reach my door. I turn around, resting my back against the wall when I say, "This is me."

Elijah laughs, tucking a strand of hair behind my face, the simple connection of his skin on my temple sending a shiver down my spine, letting the tension between us peak within the fraction of a second. His fingertips feel like sparks on my skin when he runs his thumb over my cheek, and again I feel my heart thunder in my chest from this simple motion. My head spring from the intensity of this touch, and I feel like I'll lose it if I don't get away from this sexy-as-sin man in front of me.

"Good night, Elijah." I get on my toes and press a quick kiss on his cheek, lowering his hand from my cheek while giving a squeeze.

The crooked grin on his face tells me he knows why I'm saying goodbye now, and it just makes me want to throw all inhibitions over board even more now. Why does he have to look so tempting...

"Goodnight, Alice." He brushes his lips against my cheek, the contact would've made me stumble backward if it weren't for the door behind me.

"See you tomorrow..."

And then he shoots me a wink before he descends the stairs again, leaving me breathless and dizzy from an act so simple as a kiss on the cheek.