Home Is Her // Dunkirk

[3]: Mr. Tough Guy

Previously on, Home Is Her -
"Running out of air from panicking, everything starts to fade out, then all I saw was black."

"Come on...." "Wake Up!!" "Come on Hazel!!"

I slowly open my eyes and begin to cough up water.

"Haha!!! There yeh go Autumn." Tommy smiled patting my back.

I rub my eyes and look around frantically. "Hey, Hey...it's ok. We're on the beach." Alex says rubbing my back. I nod and bring my knees up to my chest, resting my head on them.

"How long was I out?" I ask in a quiet voice, not moving from my position.

"Only about an hour or so." Tommy said watching the poor men run into the ocean who believed they could swim home. I nod taking a deep breath and stood from my spot.

"I'm going on a walk." Without any other words, I walked off.

Not getting very far a man ran up to me. "Autumn Smith?" I nod, "Um, 'm sorry to tell yeh but your father has passed."

My jaw drops and my eyes widen, "What happened?!?" My voice came out weak.

"Shot from air, died instantly Miss." I slowly nodded and thanked him.

Once the man ran off I fell to my knees with my hand over my mouth.

Did I really think coming here would be easy? That I could help others and return home with Papa and everyone would look at me, a women differently. Yet here I kneel, no better than the others. Weak and pitiful.

Crying softly in my hands, a light hand rests on my back.

"Hazel?" Without looking up I instantly knew it was Alex from his voice and nickname he has given me.

I hear shuffling next to me a peek to the side to see him sitting next to me. "I heard, about your father." He spoke softly. "He was proud of you. He spoke of you everyday we've been here." I smiled through the tears and looked over to Alex.

Even sitting he still hovers over my frame. "I don't know what I have left for myself when...or should I say if we return home." I fiddle with my fingers.

I feel his green eyes looking into my hazel ones. "You, Autumn Smith have many things to return home to. People will look up to you as the first women who survived Dunkirk. You will return to old and new friends. You will start a family and grow old with a kind, loving man by your side." At this point, Alex and I are looking at each other,

"Hazel, you're going to make it out of here, your father gave us a mission, he gave me a mission to return you home. Hell, even if it wasn't a mission I would still do everything in my power to get you home love." He spoke so forwardly.

"Why do you call me Hazel?" Was the only question I thought to ask.

He smiles to himself, "After that long promise and speech I put together for you, all you think to ask is 'why I call you Hazel'?" He states running a hand through his hair.

"Your eyes."

"Huh?"

"I call you Hazel because of your beautiful eyes." He says looking serious once more. I look down hiding the light shade of pink rising to my cheeks.

I cough lightly and look up at him. "What about you? Do you have a family to return to?"

Alex shakes his head left to right. "Mum passed on my 20th birthday so a year later I decided to become a solider. So here I am, a 21 year old British man trying to ignore his problems." Alex laughs, yet no humor is viable in his laugh.

I frown and look up at him to find him looking out over the sea.

Without thinking, I raise my arms and wrap them around his torso. After a short time I figured he wasn't planning on hugging me back so I begin to pull away.

Just as I was almost separated from him, he grabs my hands and wraps them around his neck while placing his own on my waist.

I sigh in relief. Alex lifts me up gently so I am now straddling his waist. After a while the sun goes down and Alex is laying on his back on the sand. My legs are still on either side of him while my head lays in the crook of his neck. His arms are securely wrapped around my waist.

Who knew Alex could show this much affection or emotion. In the little time I have known Alex, I have learned he is very guarded and doesn't share personal information. He's closed off.

Then again, we aren't all trying to get to know each other out here, we are at war. People die. We might die.

But right now, I don't want to think about any of it. I just want to spend an hour if not longer in a strangers arms. A stranger who has grown on me faster then anyone I have ever met.

He has grown in a way I have never felt before, an new emotion that I have yet to identify.

~*~

Oooo, Alex and Autumn....what are your thoughts?

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Till The Next Chapter🖤