Author's Note: I've had the idea for this one for months before I started writing, and I originally envisioned something shorter. When I outlined it, I noticed that it would have to be a longer work to do it proper justice. This story comes in at just over 52K words with a lot of heat in the middle. I had originally thought to put it in the First Time category but seeing as the romance really defines the story, I ultimately chose to put it there. Enjoy!
*****
"Here you go, man. 136 Midland St, right?"
Kyle Patterson snapped out of his reverie, not realizing that the cab had stopped in front of his childhood home. It was a hot, muggy day in the second week of August, and the heat was already so oppressive that he found his shirt sticking to his back. He hazarded a glance over to the house he'd grown up in, finding it both a familiar and strange sight at the same time.
"Yeah, this is it. How much do I owe you?"
"$15.65," said the driver while reaching his hand behind him. Kyle grabbed some money from his pocket and deposited it in the man's hand. Finding the total all there plus tip, he popped the trunk so Kyle could grab his belongings. Two small duffel bags contained his entire life for the past five years, and Kyle couldn't help but notice how small they seemed on the sidewalk. Placing a strap over each shoulder, he stepped up to the front door.
Not much had changed at the house since he'd left. He was glad to see his dad finally gave her a fresh paint job so the house didn't look so dated anymore. Even with the new exterior look, the deck still creaked at just the right spot, and his mother's flowers still struggled to grow, a fact he always chalked up to a lack of a green thumb on her part. It hadn't been home in a long time but it was for now. At least, it had to be.
Before his hand even touched the door, it swung open erratically, and his mother's face appeared with a look of joyous excitement.
"There's my baby!" his mother squealed, wrapping him up in a hug that only a mother could give. "I'm so glad you're home!"
Kyle clung onto her tightly as a stream of happy tears cascaded down her face. It had felt like ages since he'd seen her last. Of course to her, he'd always be her baby as the youngest child. Even if he was all of twenty-three now with a whole lot of battle experience behind him.
She pulled away and really looked at him. "You have no idea how happy I am to see your face again."
Kyle saw the deeper meaning behind her words. There had been one too many close calls in the last five years. Incidents and fights that might have prevented the reunion with his family. She knew it too, the implied meaning hiding behind the spoken words.
Kyle managed a brief smile and a nod. "Glad to see you too, mom," he said quietly before she shuffled him into the house. As soon as he was inside, the familiar smell of the house hit him immediately. Kyle swore that every house had its own distinct aroma, sometimes good but often bad, yet the house brought back a flood of memories. The smell was just another reminder he was home.
"There's my guy," said his father, looking up from the television set and quickly rushing to his feet. "How's my ex-marine doing now?"
Kyle managed a chuckle. "It's former marine, dad. Don't you know you never say ex-marine?"
His father could only grin. "I learn something new everyday. So how's my
former
marine doing?"
"Not too bad. Glad to be home," said Kyle before looking around. It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't the honest truth either. The house seemed a lot emptier than he remembered it. Of course, it was only his parents living there now. Both of his older brothers were long since out of the house, even if they were still there before he left to join the marines.
Grabbing his duffel bags, he walked up the stairs to his room, finding the white, wooden door closed. Jiggling the knob, he stepped into what felt like a time capsule. His bed was just the way he left it, slightly disheveled in a way that would never pass inspection now. The football ribbons and trophies hung off the wall, a reminder of his time in high school and days long since past—a gateway into his life before enlisting in the Marine Corps at the tender age of eighteen.
At the time, it had seemed like the right thing to do. At that point in his life, he was in the best shape he'd ever been, thanks to football. Not to mention, he had no idea what to do after school. College didn't seem quite his style. He had trouble staying interested in his high school work so signing up for another four years sounded like a form of torture. In comparison, the chance to play hero and see exotic places around the globe intrigued him. He was probably the easiest sell the recruiter ever had, but it meant that while his high school friends were preparing to move into dorm rooms, he was in boot camp.
Once he was in, it opened up a different world for him. For a guy who'd barely ever left his own county, suddenly he was all over the place. Japan, Iraq, Afghanistan just to name a few. Destinations that he'd only read about in newspapers before. He spent the most amount of time in Afghanistan, over two tours' worth, finding that was enough for a lifetime.
Even when he wasn't patrolling the middle of nowhere, Afghanistan, Kyle learned to rely on his friends. All of them—Leroy, Smitty, Urkel, Garza, Newman, K-Top—members of his platoon. Most of them were just as lost as he was when they signed up at a young age. Yet there was something about combat that had a way of maturing them, molding them into the men they were meant to be. At least, that was what the brochure had said. For Kyle, he felt not quite right after enough time serving. Like there was something missing. The feeling really exacerbated when Garza got blown to bits by a Taliban mortar.
There were other casualties as well. They lost Smitty to enemy fire and Newman to a sniper. Kyle learned quickly to shield his emotions as the best protection against losing a friend in such an environment. In doing so, it buried the loss far below into his core, where he couldn't dwell on it or let it prevent him from completing a mission. But as his core of friends dropped one by one, he found pieces of who he was dying with them.
It was still a dangerous time in that part of the world, despite the nightly news long since having moved off that godforsaken country. But just because there was no coverage of their firefights, it didn't mean the body count didn't still rack up day by day. Kyle eventually had enough, and when he was asked to reenlist again, he answered with two middle fingers. He was tired of watching friends die.
Stepping back into civilian life was almost like another deployment for him. It's a different feeling to know that people aren't trying to kill you from the moment you wake up in the morning, and it takes a while to adjust back into normal life. There were still things that made him jump. He particularly hated garbage day. There was something about the loud trash vehicles that made his heart race. He'd been warned in advance that the fourth of July would be tough too, but thankfully he had almost a full year before he had to experience that.
Kyle sat down against his bed after grabbing a picture from the wall. It was a picture of his homecoming game from senior year, when they had crushed Dayton 52-10. He stared back at the youthful, more innocent version of himself. Part of him wondered what that kid would say to him now. He also wondered what he would say to him in return? Don't enlist and watch your friends die. Don't leave pieces of yourself in Afghanistan. All of that was better said than done.
There was a subtle knock at the door as his father stepped in. "You doing all right, Kyle? You seem a little quiet since you got home."
Kyle put the picture down on his desk quickly. "Yeah, I'm doing okay, I guess. It's just different being back home. I'm still adjusting to all of it."
"Your mother and I couldn't be happier that you're here again. Some of your calls from over there worried us to pieces," his father admitted. "I'm glad it's all behind us now."
Kyle nodded quietly without saying anything.
"So do you have any idea what you want to do now? Any plans for a job or maybe go see a girlfriend for a bit?"
"I'm not sure. I haven't really thought much about it," said Kyle with honesty. "No girlfriend in sight. Not much on the job prospect front either. I guess I'm a little lost."
In more ways than one.
His father put a comforting hand against his back. "You don't have to figure out everything right away. Take some time to enjoy yourself. Relax a little. I'm sure the last five years weren't easy, and getting back into normal life will take some getting used to. Don't put pressure on yourself, and just take it one day at a time."
Kyle started to nod. "I should start looking for jobs though. I will need something to do. After all, I can't exactly live in my childhood bedroom forever."
