Dancing 101 (Lani)

[Adrianna Carstyn]

Adrianna hadn’t really liked running into precogs. It wasn’t that they weren’t nice people, but the power messed with her. She’d get odd flashes instead of concrete images and it just confused her more than anything. The problem was: things always changed. The future was one thing that was never set in stone because people changed so often. As people changed, so did their future along with whomever else that they encountered. It was a web of futures throughout the world all entwined somehow and in no way could one person even begin to understand it. Let alone a mentally unstable girl with some serious sanity problems as it was. She didn’t even want to begin trying to figure it out. Despite the web of confusion, Adrianna believed in fate. Amelia had told her that everything happened for a reason and she believed it. Fate had sent her out that morning to run after she and Craven had fought because fate had wanted her to meet Lani. She’d sworn she wouldn’t socialize and yet she had with this boy in front of her. There had to be a reason behind it. Maybe he was the answer to her fears. He could help her get past all of the abandonment problems and she could help him get through whatever it was that he kept from her.

Had Adrianna known what Lani was thinking of at that moment, the questions roaming in his mind, she’d have been able to put his thoughts at ease. If she had known he was a thief, she probably wouldn’t be happy about it, but if she knew the reason for him getting into it, she’d understand. She’d understand better than he could imagine. Adrianna had started working at the old diner down her road when her mother got sick enough to have to quit her job, right before she’d been taken away to go to Hammel. It wasn’t stealing, but it was the same thought process he’d gone through, well in her eyes at least. Her opinion of him wouldn’t have changed, not in the slightest. She’d still care so much about him and would still want to be with him as much as she wanted to be now. The only part that would make her act any differently towards him would be that he had lied to her when he said he was going to see his family or when he lied about always being tired. Even then, she’d forgive him as long as he was honest with her from then on. It took quite a lot for Adrian to stop trusting someone. Usually being lied to was what did it, but it depended on the lie itself.

Adrianna hadn’t even meant to come off so stubbornly, but she would never see the good in herself. Not the way he did. She’d never see that she was strong or more than just a pretty face, at least not any time soon. It would take a lot of time for her to see anything along those lines. She was stubborn and strong-willed in certain cases, whereas other times she broke easily. A living contradiction she turned out to be. When she asked the question, she immediately regretted it because she was so used to being shot down whenever she asked anything like that. It was an instinctual reaction that she shied away from and it scared her to think she said something wrong. She looked up at him when he told her not to worry and tilted her head to the side. He looked like he was about to bolt, and yet, he stood there thinking over his answer. “People? How can that be true? You always seem so easy-going to me…I don’t understand,” She said quietly. Her eyes roamed his face, memorizing like she always did. She never wanted to forget anybody that she encountered in life, no matter what happened between them.

Adrianna wondered what he was afraid of besides his little sister being hurt. She wondered if he had anything like her fear, the type of fear that had been haunting her throughout her childhood and into her teenage years. It was an understandable fear in all consideration, but that didn’t make it any better the way she saw it. She smiled faintly as he tried to remember who he was quoting before he said it. She’d heard the quote before, of course the wording was different but the meaning was the same. She bit the inside of her cheek and looked down as he explained his reasoning behind the quote. “I feel like I’ve been stumbling through life as it is. Saying sorry is a daily thing for me…” He nudged her and she met his eyes as he spoke. His words made her heart leap, but she didn’t want it to. She wasn’t as naïve to think that she was the only reason he stuck around. Despite that sinking reality, she smiled and hugged him. “I’m really glad I met you, Lani,” She muttered into his chest.

Adrian tended to filter everything she said. It was a force of habit that she was trying to break. Having such a strong filter kept her from saying what she felt most of the time. It also allowed for her to be a total push over and that wasn’t much better. She was afraid of saying something that would push him away. She had a tendency of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time if she didn’t filter herself and she wasn’t willing to let that happen now. Adrianna was pleased to see the desire in his eyes again. It made her skin crawl, but it was a nice feeling. He kept leaning closer and she just smiled wider. As he got closer she felt like she was being pulled forward. His words sent a chill up her spine and she could feel his warm breath brush against her cheeks, his lips just a few inches from hers. But right before she felt the brush of his lips against hers, he pulled away and she was left with an almost blinding desire. She folded her arms across her chest and huffed. Her lower lip jutted out and she gave her most adorable pouting face that she could conjure up. “You are trouble that’s for sure,” She said trying to sound upset, but a smile was starting to break through.

The very idea of telling Lani what she’d been thinking had sent flames through her cheeks. She couldn’t even imagine saying it out loud. Her innocent mind shied away from it for the most part, but there was that part of her that desired and craved his touch that was thrilled by the thoughts. She’d never voice those desires though, at least not yet. She smiled at his question and scrunched up her nose, “I never said I was good at it, but I’ve taken a lesson before. It’s really not easy. All the spinning makes me dizzy,” She giggled and rubbed her temple at the imaginary headache that she’d summoned simply by thinking of break dancing. “I’m sure I could give you the basics though, if you were interested.”

[Lani Hunter]

Lani really hoped he could help Adrianna get past her abandonment problems. If he could he wanted to show her that falling hard wasn’t wrong but it made it harder. It was almost as if being single for so long had given Lani a high level of independence. If he could learn to be a little dependent at the same time that Adrianna learned to become a little more independent they would have succeeded far more than either of them expected. Oh well, it all remained to be seen. Lani honestly didn’t envy Odion, he liked to live in the moment and though he was constantly worrying about the future and what it held he could at least forget about it for these moments with Adrianna. Also if Lani had the power to go back in time he probably would start trying to change things and screw up things even more. No it was probably a very good thing that of all the powers Lani got none of them had to deal with time. He was happy to have his telekinesis and focus on working with the time that he had.

At this point Lani was getting pressure from all sides to break his walls down and reveal his secrets. He was just a little stronger than most people expected when it came to stuff like that. He was tightlipped as a statue and as sly as a fox when it came to lying. Most of the time it took someone with a really good ear and eye to catch Lani in a lie. He was a liar and perhaps that was what made him worse than actually being a thief. For all his reasons he was just as selfish as anyone else. Hadn’t his handler just told him that he was no better than any of the rest of them. Intentions only took one so far, what Lani was doing was far past what he had intended and the worse thing was how much he loved what he did. He was just doing it for the wrong reasons now. Even if he were to quit his job would he ever really be anything else? There were few people in the world that Lani trusted, Adrianna was working her way into the ranks but he was still too afraid of what would happen if he told her.

Everyone had something about them that was contradictory. Lani could often be called a hypocrite for he encouraged thing that he didn’t practice. Perhaps it actually made him the better adviser because he was the opposite so he knew what it was like to take that wrong path. He saw the reaction she had when she asked the question. He didn’t want to make her think that there were off limits topics with him. Though of course there were but he never wanted to shoot her down completely, maybe turn the conversation, unless she got a little too close. He was very much like a beast with a wound. If one were to stoke him away from the wound he was fine and calm but when they edged closer to the wound the pain started and Lani had a tendency to bite. Which made it worse when people were determined to dig into that wounded area. He nodded a little when she questioned him. “Yeah, people,” he looked down at her his hand reached up to touch her hair and give him something else to look at while he tried to explain himself. He smiled and found the courage to look back into her eyes. “I have a tendency to care about people, even if I don’t really know then well,” he explained, “So I guess you could say it is a weakness cause I… I don’t know…” He sighed and felt like more of his walls were crumbling down but this was Adrianna, he had to find a way to trust her. “It’s not the social side, it’s more that I… I can’t walk away.”

Well that certainly didn’t make a lick of sense. He wasn’t sure he was quite ready to tell her completely about that, after all it was his weakness. Truth be told, it there was someone in the streets fighting with someone he could probably walk away, but if it was an obviously unfair fight Lani would step in. His boss knew that and so he knew that when people were in danger he would do all he could to keep them safe. If they got into the topic of fears chances were that Lani would find something else that needed to be done. He hated talking about his fears, his problems, hell he could barely tell her what one of his weaknesses was. His list of fears was terribly long, most of them were rational but there were a few irrational ones. Like water. He’s fine but don’t ask him to go swimming. He smiled at her and shrugged. “Who isn’t stumbling? In reality were all blind as bats and so it’s understandable that we stumble.” She hugged him and the feeling of her arms around him was just as comforting as when he put his arms around her. He closed his eyes and hummed a little with happiness. “Me too,” he told her.

Lani’s own desire was hard to fight against even when he was trying to tease her like this. It was only the satisfaction that her desire was just as strong as his was that made it all worth it. He smiled warmly at her a low chuckle bubbling up from his throat. She pouted and looked completely adorable. When she made that face Lani was sure that he would just melt. He snickered at her annoyed tone. He leaned down gently taking her face in his hands and kissed her gently. Thrills ran down his spine and his heart pounded with excitement. Oh he was so happy to call her his. He broke the kiss and grinned down at her. “I try,” he gave her a wink. He could completely be ok with spending the next few hours just being with Adrianna. He still couldn’t quite explain these stirrings in gut but they were pleasant so he was willing to let them go.

A laugh couldn’t help but push up from his chest and he shook his head. “Break dancing for me in the past has been a thing of teamwork. Maybe we should work on getting me to keep a beat before I start flinging my arms around like a crazy person.” He laughed, “Remember what happened last time?” He flushed red at the reference to him nearly taking out his handler at the club. Now that he knew the man he wished he had clocked him a little harder. Some of the break dancing moves that Lani had seen were actually rather interesting because they could also be used in a fight. Not the spinning on the head thing but kicking the legs in the air to attack and get back on his feet, now that could be useful. “I’ll do whatever you want,” he said swaying a little, “You’re the teacher here, Master Adrianna.” He inclined his head giving her a place of superiority.

[Adrianna Carstyn]

Adrianna was determined to become more independent. She didn’t want to keep getting hurt like she had been for the past couple of relationships she’d had. Whether it be a random guy at a club, or her best friend, her luck in the men’s department wasn’t so lucky. But she did feel lucky for having Lani right now. He’d already provided her with someone to talk to and a shoulder to lean on, she just wished he’d feel like he had the same. She was there for him if he needed and she’d be a shoulder to lean on if he wanted her to be. He just needed to realize that she could be trusted with a lot. It didn’t bother her that he wasn’t ready to lean on her yet, but she did want for him to depend more on her because she still depended on him.

She wasn’t trying to pressure him into telling him her secrets, she was merely curious. She wanted to know him, all of him, but she wasn’t going to nag at him until he told her. She wasn’t like that. And she definitely wouldn’t want anyone pressuring him on her behalf. Adri was oblivious and gullible to the nth degree. She refused to see through lies unless she was frustrated. She just didn’t like accepting that people lied to her. She liked to think that everyone was honest and straightforward, even if she knew that wasn’t the case.

Adrianna hated that she was always contradicting herself. It wasn’t so much that she didn’t like being a contradiction, it was that she didn’t like feeling strength and weakness at the same time because it just confused her. Then add onto that her fear of pushing people away and you’ve got one messed up girl. She was always worrying about small things she did. She didn’t want to push him away or scare him or freak him out or all three. She knew that she had a bad habit of letting her curiosity get the best of her, but it was just how her mind worked. Her eyes stayed on his face when he looked at her and she waited for some form of an explanation if he was going to give one. His hand reached up and her eyelids fluttered along with her heart. When they locked eyes again she saw a bit more confidence. The way he explained made her eyebrows pull together because it sounded a lot like something she’d say. As he stumbled she reached up and took his hand, hoping to make him feel a little more comfortable while he spoke and allowed some of his mask to fall away. Her heart gave a small squeeze when she realized that she was getting somewhere deeper with him. She smiled faintly and brought his hand to her lips, kissing his knuckles and squeezing his fingers, “I understand what you mean. I’m really glad you trust me enough to tell me this…” She beamed with a bright smile.

She hadn’t expected much of an answer, but what he gave her was plenty. She didn’t exactly want him to spill everything because then he’d be like her and she was sure he didn’t want to be like that. She wanted to get to know more about him over time, not all at once. Slowly she’d learn about what he feared, what his strengths were and whatever else he felt comfortable sharing with her. She didn’t really have many fears besides abandonment, outside of the obvious fear. Death. Everyone feared death in some way, she feared death by torture, slow and agonizing. Like Cancer. She feared the life that her mother was living, but few people knew the details. “But I’m a dumb blind bat it feels like, stumbling more than most bats would. If that makes any sense whatsoever.” She sighed heavily and pressed her cheek against his shoulder, enjoying the feeling it sent through her. His agreement made her smile and she nuzzled closer to him.

Adrianna had felt desire once before, but it was less emotional and much more physical. It’d happened when she went to the club and first met the boy that she was actually beginning to get over. It was strictly lust, no caring or feeling behind it at that point. Whereas with Lani, the desire to be close to him was more overwhelming than she remembered her lust being. She wanted to just curl up in his arms and stay there forever while they kissed and cuddled. She’d be content with that. His hands took hold of her face carefully and he kissed her tenderly, sending her heart flying. Her breathing hitched and she shuddered unwillingly with a powerful yearning. He winked and she giggled, “That you do, and boy does it work.” She shook her head slightly and grinned up at him.

Adri snickered when he commented on the break dancing. She’d gotten the whole hand stand thing down due to gymnastics, but spinning on her head like a top…not the easiest thing for her. She recalled the last time he’d attempted break dancing and held back a giggle. He’d very nearly hit a man in the face and it had been sorta funny. She wasn’t sure she could really handle much work. It was time for a break. His words left her with authority and she had no intention of really using it, but he’d said whatever she wanted and her desire hadn’t exactly left her yet. Adrianna slid her arms up around his neck and pecked him on the lips, let go reluctantly and plopped down on the stage, “I say we take a break from dancing and chill for a bit.” She nodded with teasing finality. Her arms stretched up as she reached for him, craving his arms holding her close, so she could pull him down beside her, “Sit with me?”

[Lani Hunter]

That was it. He had shown his face and how his mask was coming back up. Maybe there would be a time where he could take off his mask and leave it off around Adrianna but not now and probably not in the near future either. As long as he could keep himself safe and not completely push her away he was willing to keep up this juggling act. The lying, the sneaking out. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, he was absolutely sure of that. But would he hurt her more by telling the truth? Of that he was absolutely sure as well. He didn’t want to be just like all of her other relationships, he didn’t want to be just another bad decision. If things didn’t work out he wanted them to end the way that he could keep his promise of being friends. That was most important. He didn’t want to leave her but if it came to that he was determined not to abandon her.

Lani was out of his comfort zone with Adrianna. If he really wanted to be in his comfort zone while he spoke about this kind of thing he would probably be about ten feet away his arms crossed and leaning against the wall. So they both had their problems. That was good to know. It was like they had something more in common, even if that were just the fact that neither of them were perfect. Contradictions and lies were Lani’s definition. He wasn’t sure that he had told her anything that didn’t at least have a little element of truth to it but if the questions started coming the lies would start flying. Her hand closed on his hand and he found a little bit of comfort in that though he wasn’t sure whether or not that meant she could feel the small tremble. And there it was. Adrianna was digging deeper, as much as Lani pretended to be shallow it was pretty easy to tell that the surface was just the smoke and mirrors and behind the act was someone real. Her kiss was sweet and he smiled down at her grateful that she was willing to let the subject drop. He rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes.

Well this dance lesson had certainly turned into an interesting conversation. “Thank you,” He said not really sure why he was thanking her. For not judging him? For not laughing, or perhaps for understanding. He had already admitted that he didn’t trust people very easily and he smiled his hand closing around hers. Like the statue he was like stone but his stone was like ice and as much as he wrapped his heart in the cold comfort it could still melt. It seemed that Adrianna was getting good at warming his heart and coaxing him into speaking about things that he wouldn’t normally talk about. He sometimes felt like he needed a little recovery period after he had been with her to refreeze his heart and deal with the people he knew weren’t the kind of people who should be trusted.

Adrianna didn’t have to worry about spilling everything, he had chipped a little it for her but there was such a dark and cold secret looming behind his smile that it was terrifying that once it came out she would only see him as a liar and a monster. At least he wasn’t the only one wandering around in life like a blind man. He wondered sometimes if he were to let his power wander and closed his eyes if he could see through his mind but he was never willing to give his power that kind of freedom. Lani laughed a little as she used his analogy. He felt bad for laughing, this wasn’t really a laughing matter but for some reason he found it humorous imagining a cartoon bat run into a wall. “Well, we’ll just have to work on your echolocation,” he said with a smile. “Life isn’t something we’re supposed to have all the answers too. I mean some people think they have the answers but they’re philosophers and I’m pretty sure most of them are on drugs anyways.” He chuckled a little it.

Lani had never experienced anything like lust or love, unless you counted his love for his family. If this was lust he was going to be ok with committing this deadly sin. The desire to be near her and touch her and kiss her was making his mind go completely blank and he was relying on instinct. The heat rising from her lips to his felt almost too hot but he wanted to taste her more. His passion almost took him over and the gentle kiss would have turned differently had he not pulled away when he did. He smiled glad that she was feeling the same. What was it about her that just made him lose his mind? He could keep a level head around her until they got close like this and then he really didn’t know what happened. He laughed and chewed a little on his lip. He waggled his eyebrows at her and grinned like he was the cockiest thing in the world. “I must be lucky.” He told her.

Goosebumps followed her hands and he wanted more from her kiss. Then she was on the ground. He stared at her for a moment confused and pretty sure he had missed something. He smiled, he could use a break, not that he was tired but more that the talk had taken an emotional toll on him. Not that she needed to know that. For most people the truth set them free, for Lani the truth trapped him deeper in his lies and in all honesty the truth could put him in chains. “Ok,” he agreed with a chuckle. He grinned and folded his legs under himself in a more controlled fall toward the ground. He fit into her arms and slid his arms around her holding her close. A small smile on his face he leaned against her and rested his head against her head. “You know,” he said, “You’re the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time.” Of all the people he had met he had to be honest that she was the first one he hadn’t fought with or talked to once and never again. It was a different relationship, very calm, whereas he felt like Odion and his mind games sometime got the better of his temper.

[Adrianna Carstyn]

Adrianna couldn’t help but wonder how the relationship would work out. She wondered if it would be lasting or if he’d turn out just like every other guy she’d been with. Lies didn’t bother her, not really, but if she was going to be hurt because of the lie, it did tend to make her a little upset. With Talen, lying to her about Rhett, she’d gotten hurt because of it. Craven lying about his feelings for her, left her broken for a while. Luke had never truly lied to her though. He’d left because he wanted to be with his family, and when he came back at least he’d been honest about having a fiancée. She wanted people to be honest with her but she knew it wouldn’t always happen and she was okay with that. She just couldn’t handle being hurt the way she had been the last few times. Broken and bleeding.

There was still the possibility of it being lasting, but she didn’t know how long it would last. A few months? A year? Longer? She didn’t know what the future held, she didn’t want to. The future changed often and she had no intention of getting her hopes up for one thing only to have a completely opposite thing happen. There was simply no use in knowing exactly what they future held because it wasn’t set in stone. No matter how long the relationship lasted, she knew they’d carry on some form of friendship. She hoped it was a close friendship, but you never really could tell. She’d thought she and Talen would have stayed friends and that definitely hadn’t happened. Lani was different though and she had hopes that he wouldn’t just leave her that way.

Adrianna was surprised by how open Lani was being with her. She’d noticed early on that he wasn’t the open book type. He had secrets and he had different masks for everyone. Of course she liked to believe that he didn’t use a mask with her all the time, but she knew in a way that he did. Despite it keeping her from seeing everything about him, it was nice because the mask showed her the side of him that no one else saw. She didn’t know that, but soon she’d figure it out. Everyone had a mask of snide, sarcastic bitterness, but she hadn’t really seen that with him before. Her only run in with a different side of Lani was when she’d met Martin, but that wasn’t very extreme and he’d showed some caring about his friend then. He wasn’t a bad person, that she knew, no matter what he thought. She returned his smile and closed her eyes when he did, her breathing becoming irregular due to her soaring heart.

Adrianna looked up at him and tilted her head to the side, “For what, Lani?” She asked softly. Her eyes stayed on him and she blushed as his fingers closed around hers. He’d shown her a lot of him today and for that she was thankful, if anything she should be grateful to him. She hadn’t expected so much to come out of these lessons, but he’d managed to make her feel comfortable and strong after she shared her secret and now he had opened up to her. It made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside as the sappy movies she watched described her puppy love.

As she told him about her problems with stumbling through life using his words, she actually pictured the little white bat from Anastasia running into a wall repeatedly. It took all she had not to snort as she remembered a scene from the children’s movie. She heard him laugh and couldn’t help but join him, it was a pretty entertaining thought. “Yeah that should help,” She rolled her eyes slightly and smiled. “But having all the answers would make it so much easier to figure everything out. I mean those philosophers may be on drugs, but at least they have an idea of what the answers are, though sometimes the answers they come up with are a little off.” She shook her head slightly, “I just hate not knowing anything about what is going on in my life and constantly being confused by everything.”

Lust was considered a sin, but really Adrianna didn’t understand why. It brought two people together in a heat of passion and weren’t humans put on this earth to reproduce? Lust just helped that out a bit. In all seriousness though, she was still quite the innocent girl. Still had her v-card and was waiting for a guy that was worthy of ‘deflowering’ (what kind of a word was that?!) her. She had known what passion was, but hadn’t been so overwhelmed by it before. Craving the close proximity and being comforted by it was all new to her. She giggled at his comment and shook her head again. As cocky as he tried coming off, she didn’t buy it. It was Lani, her sweet, adorable and somewhat shy boyfriend. He was in no way cocky or arrogant with her, which is exactly why she liked him.

Adri saw the confusion on his face and laughed quietly until it finally registered. She was dying for a break because her mind hadn’t stopped since he first walked in and it was taking its toll on her causing too much exhaustion. She smiled when he agreed and curled up in his arms sighing in content. Adrianna snuggled against his chest and closed her eyes briefly soaking up the warmth of his body and his strong arms wrapped securely around her. It was soothing and peaceful. As he began speaking she opened her eyes and watched him curiously. His words shot through her and a dazzling smile lit up her face. Adrian blushed and kissed his cheek, “I’m glad I can be that for you. Lani…you know I’ve had some experience in the whole dating thing, but it’s never really been like this for me…” She buried her face in the crook of his neck and tried to find the courage to continue, but she didn’t know how to put what it was that she felt into words.

[Lani Hunter]

When lies were involved someone was almost always hurt, either by the deception or because of falsified information. It was hard to live in the real world when the real world was build on as much fiction as novels. It was hard to know what was real and what was false. Usually falseness was easier. As much as Lani was hoping he was protecting her and keeping her from harm he really didn’t realize how much it was going to hurt her when and if things ever actually came out. Would she feel betrayed, terrified of the danger he was putting her in. But when someone who had constantly been lied too fell for a liar yet again there had to be something said about the both of them and their flaws in the relationship. Lani really probably wouldn’t come to his senses about this unless something happened to Adrianna or the ghost of Christmas future paid him a visit.

The only thing he could really do was carry on. Carry on with life and hope that of all the things that happened they would be able to get through. He hadn’t been lying when he said that they could help each other, already she was helping him learn that he could trust someone. Yet again it was just a man named Lani Hunter standing in his way. Besides he had other more pressing things to talk about that didn’t involve any of his problems. And those were her problems. The more he could conquer other people’s demons the more he could ignore his own. If Adrianna had offered to be his rock as well he wouldn’t know how to react. He wouldn’t react with grace though. Chances were Lani would shut down again and Adrianna would once again be walking on eggshells around him.

Lani had been so careful about his masks and he realized the more he had the easier it was to bring one down and pull up another without his real face showing. Adrianna was foolish if she thought he wasn’t giving her a mask right now. True his mask was more real now than it had been in a long time, but it was still a mask. Carefully calculated and painted. The few times he let it down around her he had almost been frightened by his visibility to her. He was just more comfortable being this pretend Lani. Perhaps what terrified him the most was that if he let his mask down and showed the terrified, worrisome, vulnerable Lani that he would no longer be her hero. It was like he was trying to tell her about crying and how it didn’t make her weak. It worked for other people, but not for Lani. Lani couldn’t show that kind of vulnerability. He was such a hypocrite.

He swayed a little considering his answer carefully. “For understanding,” he said finally enjoying the way she said his name. If he could continue to help her feel strong perhaps he could then help her become independent and then if she fell she would be able to catch herself and not have to rely on someone catching her. Adrianna was on her way to being a strong person, stronger than she already was. And if Lani could see that he might realize that she would be better off knowing what threats she faced and he could really use help and support. But he wouldn’t do that, because deep down he was a coward. Not the hero she imagined, not the lifeline and rock he was on the outside. But a coward, afraid to even talk about his problems, lest people find out he had them. Because then people would try to fix them for him.

Really instead of stumbling Lani was just dancing through life. Not really caring what happened on the outside. He grinned at her and shook his head. “I think the only answers they’ve found is that there really are no answers.” He told her. He laughed a little, “You know I think we’re really better off just dancing through life. You know carefree, but people can’t always live that way.” He smiled warmly at her and hugged her tightly. “My dear Adrianna, we live and we learn. If we knew everything what fun would the journey of life be?” Lani was in pretty much in the same boat. Confused by everything, confused because he thought he had all the answers. He wasn’t really all too concerned about it and that was where he different from her. She fretted about it whereas Lani just kind of glided by not really sparing it too many thoughts.

Perhaps because lust bread fornication it was a sin. Who knew really? Lani personally believed that if there was a higher power it really didn’t give a damn about them. And if it was active in their lives he would be furious about why it was his sister and not him who got cancer. Why had her golden heart been burdened with that whereas Lani’s black soul skated by without a scratch? It was as the saying went, bad things happen to good people. It was unfair. Life was unfair. It was all for the better that people learned that early as Lani had. He had been deceived as a child and now as an adult, or almost adult, he was paying for it. It just showed the horror of the world. That a man who could have been a father to Lani had chosen to deceive and hurt him. That was always the most painful thing. That moment of disillusion when he realized that the man he had respected as his boss and seen as a father had deceived him so terribly.

Lani smiled, glad for the break. This had been more emotionally strenuous that he had expected. Perhaps due to Odion’s constant prying he was getting better at letting people in. Not that he was brilliant at it or anything but it was a start at least. He closed one eye reflexively as she kissed his cheek. He smiled warmly at her and snuggled closer to her. His eyes locked onto hers and he realized how much he had been letting her in and how much she had let him in. “Really?” He asked unable to stop himself. She nestled into his body and he reached up running a hand through her hair soothingly. He hesitated, “Is that a good thing?”

[Adrianna Carstyn]

Adrianna was probably the most forgiving person anyone would ever meet. She learned how to forgive most people, even if it did take a little time for her to get over what had happened. The two people she still had yet to truly forgive, were the two men who had caused her fears in the first place. It was irrational of her to stay mad at them for all these years, but she still didn't exactly know why she should forgive them. She'd most likely never see either ever again, but that didn't matter. They'd done permanent damage to her. Lying about something along the same lines as Lani was, didn't have a permanent effect. Not emotionally at least. The only way it could become permanent was if his boss or one of the men captured her and did something to her. Surely though, Lani wouldn't let that happen.

Hope was something she was lacking though. Ever since her experiences have been going down hill, she hadn't been the same. She was incapable of hoping for very long. If Lani hadn't made his move with the girlfriend thing, she might have lost hope in having a relationship with him. Luckily enough, he had. She liked having him there to sort through her problems because he was honest and straightforward, but in a way that made sense to her and helped. It made her think of other variables in the complex equation of her thoughts and memories. Adrianna was glad she had him, but she wasn't sure he was as glad to have her. He didn't seem to need her like she needed him and that was the seed of a problem being planted. What if he didn't need her at all?

Adri really hadn't meant to think of that. Of course Lani needed her in some way, he wouldn't want her as a girlfriend if he didn't. Right? The problem was going to spread like wildfire through her mind and eventually it would start to seep through into her body language. Unless she squashed the problem now, but she was too afraid to ask. She was afraid that his answer would be no. If he didn't need her, what was she there for? Other than to be another play thing? No. Lani, wasn't like that. She needed to stop over analyzing everything. Fear was getting in her way of being happy and soon enough this relationship would be affected by it too.

His simple words made her smile wider and she pecked him on the lips, "You don't need to thank me for that. It's what us girlfriends do. It's the same way that you understand me when no one else seems to." Adrianna said shyly trying not to put her foot in her mouth. It was very possible that she would if she continued to talk. Then again, if she did put her foot in her mouth, maybe he'd understand her even then. She could only hope because she really didn't want to say something stupid after all they'd said already. That would be just her luck though. Or lack there of rather.

Oh how she wished she could be as graceful when dealing with life as she was when she danced. It'd be a lot easier than what she was doing now. After all, she wouldn't be so worried about tripping and falling. Adrian laughed, "If only I could dance through life, I'd be a lot better at it then. I know I'm incapable of really going carelessly through my life. I'm not like my mother at all." She laughed again and shook her head in helplessness. She was soothed as his arms wound tight around her and her heart melted at the sight of his smile. He really was amazing. "It wouldn't be very fun I guess, but it'd be a heck of a lot easier," She huffed with a giggle.

Adrianna was almost sick with the exhaustion she had of being so completely drained emotionally. Her mind running away with her hadn't helped. In fact, it was the reason she felt so exhausted. What she'd told Lani was what made all of her, but she'd shared it with a lot of other people. The fact that she was worried he'd end up the same was what drained her and sucked the life from her body. Why was it that thinking always managed to do this to her? It was such a pain in the ever lovin' ass as her mother would say.

Adrian breathed him in, trying to savor this as one of the memories she'd keep of him. They were so close and yet, she felt distant because she didn't know how to explain what she felt. Of course she cared strongly about him. She was happier than ever being with him, but what else was it that made her so comfortable around him? He reminded her of someone close to her, but who? No, it wasn't just one person, he was a mixture of the people he cared most about. He had the carefree life of her mother, but the shy uncertainty that her former best friend possessed. Maybe that was why she had fallen so easily for him. His fingers stroked her hair and she slowly let the tension slip from her shoulders. Adrianna answered with a wide smile, "Of course it's a good thing. You're so different, but yet you contain the best qualities of the people I've cared so much for." She blushed and gnawed at her lip nervously.

[Lani Hunter]

Forgiveness was an interesting thing. Sometimes forgiving others is often easier that forgiving oneself. That was part of the reason that humans felt the need to justify their actions so that they could think of themselves as right and get the blame off of themselves. God, if anything ever happened to Adrianna because of Lani’s lies he didn’t think he could ever forgive himself, much less face her. But if something did happen he would do everything in his power to get her to safety. Lani, however, was praying to any deity that would listen that that would never happen. Ever. It would be surprising to Lani that she had that kind of faith in his though. He didn’t even have that much faith in himself, it was mostly ferocious determination and stubbornness that made him dangerous. Also the fact that his temper was a hard thing to get but when his fuse wore out it was vicious.

That was part of the reason that he figured his boss never went after his sister. After all it had been desperation for her life that had made him start stealing in the first place. And now with his power the chances of him losing control and killing someone were really high. Especially when his sister was involved. He would see red and not even realize that what he was throwing was human until he knew his sister was safe and by then who knew if his power would even avoid his sister and that he would even have one after he came to again. It wouldn’t have been the first time his power acted without Lani being aware of what it was doing. Only as upset as he would be chances are that he wouldn’t even try to stop it like he normally would.

Perhaps that would be why he needed someone like Adrianna. Someone who thought before they acted and didn’t shot now ask questions later. He wasn’t sure what he needed, if she were to ask him if he needed her he honestly wouldn’t have an answer. He liked to think that he didn’t need anyone, but already he had been proven wrong with Adrianna and with Odion. Certainly it had been subtle but Adrianna was helping him by making him think, and due to Odion’s insistence, actually try to follow the advice that he was giving. But he was stubbornly still sure that he didn’t need anyone. His problems were his problems and he didn’t need anyone to help him out of them. Oh well, she was his girlfriend and maybe he should open up to her, but that would have to wait until he was sure he could trust her.

A smile was pulled out on his face as she kissed him chastely. He held her close and buried his face in her long hair. “You’re the best,” he told her with a smile. He pulled away and looked into her eyes when she claimed he understood her. He was usually good at reading people, but he usually never got past the surface like he had with her. Odion was another exception but he was proving to be the best friend he had ever had. One that cared about him just as much as he cared about him. It was funny how they both tried to deny it but both knew that the other cared. But it was so nice when he was with Adrianna because he could show and even say how much he cared and hear it back from her. There were no mind games, not dancing around the truth. But now Lani had to wonder if that was because she didn’t insist on the truth. Odion didn’t let him get away with stuff like that. He didn’t let his smile slip because that would only let on that something was darkening his thoughts.

Lani grinned at her. “So why not?” He asked, “There’s no need to make things hard. Just go with the flow, things will happen when they happen. What will be will be.” He shook his head at her. “Well good thing you have me then, I think I can pull a little spontaneity out of you.” He winked at her and snickered like he already had plans for crazy things that they would do. Which of course he did. They were going to do some interesting thing, he wanted to give her experiences that would last a lifetime. “Isn’t there a song like that?” He asked her curiously. His mother was really into musicals so he knew a thing or two, but mostly this one song from Wicked. Dancing Through Life. He loved that song, but mostly because it was his life. There was really no need to tough it, when he could just slack off and still get the same thing out of life. No need for stressing, at least not anymore than he already did. Oh Lani was two faced, he liked to pretend he didn’t care but then he worried like an old grandmother.

He pulled her close and he fit into the folds of her body. It was comforting that she was here with him and he couldn’t even begin to imagine what sort of thoughts were running through his mind. Lani blinked and looked down at her his eyes sparkling with interest when she explained her opinion on him. He smiled at her and leaned down giving her a tender kiss. “I’m glad,” he whispered, “You really do bring out the best in me.” It was true, he wasn’t being manipulative, well not on purpose. He wasn’t lying to her, well, not at the moment. And he hadn’t stolen from her, well unless you counted stealing her heart. Ok so maybe it was a lie, but she certainly made him feel as if he were a better person. She didn’t make him look at his flaw, instead she let him hide them and gushed over his positive features.

She was so beautiful here with him, leaning against him he just wanted to support her emotionally and physically. To be honest she reminded him a little of his sister, someone who could depend on him to be strong when she wasn’t but also someone who would be honest. He took her hand and entwined it with his. He took a glance at his phone for the clock and smile. They had been here longer than he had expected. The emotional revelations and physical exercise were enough to wear anyone out. However on a spur of a thought Lani wanted to show her a little piece of his world. “Hey,” he said softly, “I want to show you something.” Rising to his feet he pulled her up with him. It wasn’t too much effort to get where he wanted, not from here. The auditorium was by far the easiest place to reach the roof from the inside. He led her back toward the back of the stage behind the curtains and into the paths behind the stage to a black painted ladder that was barely visible against the black walls.

[Adrianna Carstyn]

Adrianna was probably one of the worst when it came to forgiving herself. If she caused a problem, it took her a very long time to forgive herself. Forgiving others was easier, especially for someone who saw the good in everybody, or tried to at least. She often looked for the good in someone and then figured whatever mistake they made was an out of body experience. Naïve, to the extreme, but to her it was better than being resentful and saying that everyone was a bad person who tried to hurt everyone else. Only a few people were really like that, one of which was Zac. Luckily for her though, she’d managed to steer clear of him. Adri had the most faith in Lani, she didn’t exactly know why, but she knew that it was rightly earned by him, even if he didn’t agree. She had faith in him that he wouldn’t hurt her intentionally and if he did, that he wouldn’t just leave her to deal with it. She had faith in him to perfect his power so that it didn’t have a mind of its own and she had faith that he would always protect her. She just wished he had faith in himself.

Adrian had enough problems without the added thoughts of him not needing her. As if abandonment wasn’t enough, let’s pile that on top. She had this way of forming problems in her mind when really there was no problem to be formed! It was a force of habit though because she felt that if in a relationship the need was one sided, it couldn’t work out. Everything had to be equal in relationships. But already that wasn’t the case with them. Adrianna had spilled her secrets, but wasn’t pressuring Lani into telling his. That was an inequality and yet, Adrian had looked right past it. Her mind was more complex than an intricate web spun by even the most skilled of spiders. I’d sure hate to be stuck in that mass of confusion.

Some people didn’t like that Adrian thought about everything before she made any moves. If she acted based on will alone, she’d have hit quite a few people and she probably would have kissed Lani a lot sooner, too. But that wasn’t her. She had to look at the consequences first and analyze them to see if it was even worth it. Usually, the consequences were not worth it. Then there were the people, like her mother, that were fond of the way she analyzed everything. It made her responsible and it kept her from making dumb mistakes. Unfortunately, she didn’t over analyze when it came to trusting people, it might have saved her from a lot of pain. In this situation though, she was pretty comfortable with trusting Lani. He hadn’t given her a reason not to yet.

Adrian returned the smile when she pulled back from kissing him. It was nice that she didn’t feel like she had to be passionate every time she kissed him. With the other guys, it had been like that a little too much. She closed her eyes as she hugged him and memorized the soft material of his shirt. She snorted once and giggled when he pulled back. The seriousness in his eyes had her captivated and she was really happy that she’d opened up to him. He made it easy to trust him and even more so because he understood her better than most. Of course, she knew that she didn’t understand him completely, not yet, but she was willing to wait for it. Good things were worth waiting for. Adrian was happy that now she could finally explain to him just how much she cared about him and what was better was that he would return that sentiment. She didn’t have to wonder what his thoughts were when it came to her because he often showed her that he cared.

“Que sera sera. What will be will be. My mother always told me that when I was younger, gosh you two are so alike it’s unsettling,” Adrianna laughed. That had to be the reason she cared about him so much. The wicked glint in Lani’s eyes made her sigh and shake her head, “Already planning on turning me into a stunt woman? Oh this should be quite interesting.” She didn’t mind being spontaneous, least of all with someone she could trust. If Lani told her to go bungee-jumping though, he should expect to be strapped in with her. Her eyes widened when he mentioned a song that went along with what they were talking about. Was there one? Well, the only one she could think of was the one from Wicked, but he wouldn’t know that. She knew every word because her mother had been obsessed with Wicked for a period of two years, then she moved on to Moulin Rouge…what a weirdo. “Uh I think so, I know of one from this musical that my mother watched over and over again.” She shrugged and smiled at him.

Adrianna was content just being held so close to him. It was unbelievably helpful just being with him and not having to worry about making a fool of herself. He was always so accepting when she spoke her mind, nothing she said had scared him away yet and that was a start. If she could get through the awkward first stages of their relationship, they could both get through a lot. Feeling his lips brush against hers made her heart flutter and her face heat up more. “It’s not hard to bring out the best in you when all you’ve shown me is a good side,” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and kept her eyes on his. “I mean, so far all I’ve seen is this incredibly clever, funny, charming guy who’s been through a rough time at a young age, but hasn’t let that slow him down. You’re amazing, Lani.” Adrianna whispered the last sentence and leaned her forehead against his shoulder. She really couldn’t believe she had just said that.

Comforted by his hand in hers, Adrianna looked at him. The look on his face when he checked his phone made her wonder just how long they’d been here. Well, they’d started out dancing for a little while and then ended up having a heart to heart and now were lost in each other’s company. Not that she minded it one bit. Adrian could have fallen asleep right in his arms, but luckily for her, Lani wasn’t going to allow that. She’d have been embarrassed had it happened. As he stood up, she took his other hand and stood up along with him. “What exactly are you planning on showing me? Already with the spontaneity,” Adrianna laughed and followed him willingly. As he led her back behind the curtains she had a feeling she knew where they were going. The roof was accessible from the backstage. She held onto his hand tight as the visibility lessened.

[Lani Hunter]

Of relationships Lani really had no better idea than she had. In fact he was probably extremely inexperienced. Could this relationship last with the imbalance that they had at the moment. The imbalance of knowledge couldn’t be a good thing. He really hoped that this relationship would last. It really wasn’t just that she was his first love, or really that she was his first girlfriend, but because he wanted to make her happy. Adrianna wasn’t the bravest of persons but she was trying. That was clear and that was really the reason that she was brave. Because she was afraid but she was determined to be strong for herself. So regardless of where their story ended whether it was as an old man and woman or if they ended with friendship being their deepest bond. It didn’t matter, so long as she could take care of herself.

Lani paused thinking about this as he looked at her. He wasn’t ready to jump into something so deep. He was still too independent to think of himself and another person. In a way he was selfish because he knew that at this moment he would be looking out for himself and not her feelings. But then would be really? Really he would defend her whether or not she was his girlfriend. That was just the way he was. She was so adorable when she snorted like that. It was like he was seeing her real face. Not the one she put up to the public but one that was real. It was really a sad reality but everyone had masks. And granted some people like Odion almost never let their masks slip and then there were people like Adrianna who didn’t even know that they were putting up a mask because they were so flimsy it didn’t hide things well.

Lani smiled and laughed. “Don’t worry,” he grinned teasingly, “I’m not really your mother in disguise.” He said leading into awkward silence. Wow that really was a little disturbing. Lani grinned and shrugged, “Perhaps not so soon, but perhaps there could be some use for a stunt woman. Have you ever jumped off a roof?” He asked jokingly. Of course she hadn’t, and she certainly didn’t know that Lani had. Even before he had his power he had been willing to take that leap. He had never gotten very badly hurt. Sure he had gotten a broken bone here and there but eh it was worth it not to be caught. Lani let out a little grunt as she said it was from a musical. “Makes sense,” he said with a grin, “My mother is really into musicals as well. If it was up to her she would always have some sort of show tunes playing. Good thing my father opened my eyes to the Who.” He bobbed his head. For a strange thing he was really grateful for that. The Who was a band that he had always loved.

Adrianna being in his arms he simply smiled pleasantly. Lani’s eyes stayed calm and curious as she spoke. What she said disturbed him a little bit. She denied that she brought out goodness in him. But then she went on to add that he hadn’t shown her any part of him that was ugly. “I don’t want you too see me any other way,” Lani said softly. He didn’t want her to see him distressed or angry or helpless. He smoothed her hair with his hand and inhaled her sweet scent. As she continued to speak Lani only got more upset. He took care not to show it but when she rested her head on his shoulder he hugged her close to himself and closed his eyes knowing that he was lying to this woman. This woman who thought he was amazing. Clever, funny, charming. A liar. ‘I’m a liar,’ he wanted to scream. He was lying to her. He was a thief and a liar. Not good at all. Instead he made his voice smooth as silk and rested his head on her head. “Don’t forget you’re all those things and more.”

He pushed those thoughts away and smile. It was just about time. It was good and they would be able to catch what he wanted her to see. It wasn’t anything unique but it was a different perspective certainly. Lani laughed, “You’ll see.” He said cryptically and pulled her along after him. His power found the latter before his hands did. He took her hand and placed it on the step at her level. “All the way up, I’ll be right behind you. Wait for me on the platform.” He said to her and smiled encouragingly. As she started up he followed after her taking care to make sure she didn’t fall. It wasn’t too high, at least for him. Only about three stories. It took him longer than if it had just been him but he wasn’t in a rush. With a smile he stepped up on the platform with her and took a few steps in the dim light and reached up switching the lock with his power and pushing open the hatch.

Sunlight streamed in lighting the small platform and the little latter that led up to the roof. He clamored up quickly and extended his hand down to help her up. One up he stood back and let her take in the view. For people like him, despite seeing it everyday it never ceased to take his breath away. It wasn’t anything compared to the Boston skyline but the way the sun seemed to set the forest on fire as it hit the horizon was just a different kind of breathtaking. Holding onto her hand he led he carefully to the edge not sure how she was with height and letting her take her time.

[Adrianna Carstyn]

Adrianna hoped for a somewhat lasting relationship with Lani. He treated her as if she were something special and he obviously cared enough about her to want to talk to her and hangout. That was already a lot more than she’d ever gotten from Talen. As much as she wanted a lasting relationship, she knew she wasn’t ready for a commitment. She didn’t want to suffocate him with the feeling that he was obligated to want a serious relationship which was why she never pushed him. It was a more casual and relaxing atmosphere of dating, and yet she wasn’t completely capable of it being just that. The things she’d already shared with him kept their relationship from being as carefree and ‘casual’ as she might have liked.

When he laughed she smiled and raised an eyebrow at what he said. Uhm, awkward. Before too long she started giggling a little crazily. “Well I guess that’s a good thing because it’d be a teensy bit weird if you were,” Adri laughed again. She looked at him as if he were crazy, “No I have not jumped off a roof! Have you?” She asked with wide eyes. Something told her he had. It wouldn’t be surprising and yet, she couldn’t imagine anyone jumping without the intention of dying. It was just so extreme! Adrian giggled at his very guy-like grunt when she brought up musicals. Guys just didn’t get it. “If everyone in Hammel broke out into song randomly, I think my life would be complete,” She snorted again and shook her head slightly. That would be something to see. “The Who isn’t bad. Tom Petty is a pretty good singer, I’ll admit. My mother is obsessed with Eric Clapton and Elton John though so I grew up listening to them. Elton John’s song Tiny Dancer is my favorite.” She said with a bright smile. It was also the first song she’d danced a solo to.

Adri knew that what she was saying was a little much, but she tended to say what she was thinking once she got started. She couldn’t stop. Snuggling up against his chest, she kissed his cheek, “I don’t want you to feel like you can’t be different around me than you are, Lani. I mean I like that you’re always so happy and smiley when you’re with me, but if I saw you when you were in a different mood, it wouldn’t make me care about you less.” What she said was true, she did want to see all sides of him because if she did, her feelings wouldn’t change. The only thing that would change the way she saw him was if he deliberately tried to hurt her with his words, and Lani just wasn’t like that. As she continued to speak she wished she could stop herself because what she was saying could be overwhelming to him. She still couldn’t help herself and continued to ramble. She hugged him tighter and buried her face in the side of his neck as he held her. At his words she shook her head slightly in disagreement, but said nothing. She wasn’t that clever and her sense of humor was fed by those she was around. Sometimes her sense of humor was rather dry.

Adrian was curious as to what he was going to show her that was on the roof. Was he planning on jumping off to show her that it wasn’t so scary? Well that would only freak her out more and he should know that. What else could it be? She narrowed her eyes at him playfully and stuck her tongue out, “I wanna know Laniii.” She giggled and followed him closely. Once he put her hand on the step she looked back at him with trusting eyes, “Just don’t let me fall!” She began making her way up as fast as she could without slipping and made her way to the platform and stopped. She waited a few minutes before Lani was right there with her. Once the hatch was open she watched him climb up the few steps quickly.

His hand extended down and she took it automatically as she too climbed up. Once they were on the roof she looked around and wished that she’d brought her sketchpad. Adrianna had never been on the roof, let alone when the sun was setting. Her eyes were wide and a smile lit her face. The view reminded her so much of when she was younger and she went to the top of her roof and looked out at the ocean. She’d never been afraid of heights and she wasn’t now at all because she had Lani with her. Stepping towards the edge she kept a hold on Lani’s hand. “Lani…it’s…it’s beautiful,” She whispered looking over her shoulder at him with an adoring smile. With her other hand she tugged on him a little and pulled his arms around her so that they could share this moment together. She leaned into him and sighed in content.

[Lani Hunter]

Of course Lani thought she was something special. He wouldn’t have kept coming around if he hadn’t. And now that he had defined their relationship it was getting better, easier to be himself around her. Lani wasn’t quite sure what he was looking for. He hadn’t planned this, it just happened. So long term or short fling he would take it as it came but he wasn’t going to try to make this work. Either way Lani was serious about this, unless he was tricking someone he did everything seriously and he meant what he said. But then again he wasn’t the most honest of person and it was hard to tell when he was being serious. The only thing he could really say was that he knew himself and he knew that he was being honest what he said he liked her.

Lani’s face flushed as the silence grew longer. He scratched the back of his head and shifted, “Yeah, that was weird, sorry.” He laughed at himself. Lani’s smile grew sly and he shifted his eyes conspiratorially. She gave him a look and he grinned knowing she already knew the answer and decided not to answer. Lani wrinkled his nose at her at the thought off everyone bursting into song. First off that would be awful because Lani couldn’t sing, secondly why would they sing things instead of just saying it. “Really?” Lani raised a brow, “I can’t even imagine. That would get wearisome eventually.” Of that he was sure. After a few days people breaking into show tunes would drive a person mad. “Isn’t bad!” He exclaimed looking at her as if she had grown another head. “They’re the best! Elton John is great too though, his stuff is soft though. The Who is amazing!” He cried enthusiastically. One of his favorite albums of theirs was Tommy.

Lani looked down at her and smiled. So she wanted to know him fully. That was nice to know, but he didn’t really want to get that close, not yet. He hugged her tightly. “That means a lot,” he smiled. It could mean a million things actually. It could mean that she would accept him for being a thief. It could mean that she would be disgusted with him but still find it in her heart to forgive him. That was a possibility that he was hoping for but not holding his breath on. He held her tightly and hummed a little as he thought. “You know I really like how I’ve seen so many different sides of you.” She really was a lot deeper than he had initially thought. Sure her mind interested him at first but now that he had gotten to know her better her innocence and trust fascinated him. She was just like his sister, only older. His sister was always the one that was able to see the good in people. She was the yin to his yang. Really, as strange as it sounded his sister really was his better half.

“You can be patient,” he scolded her with a chuckle. He couldn’t help himself when she stuck her tongue out at him he reached out spontaneously and grabbed it for a moment. No Lani was not going to be jumping off any roofs, not tonight at least. And he usually didn’t jump unless he had to… and if he knew what was at the bottom of the fall. He gave her a quick kiss before she went up. “Never,” he promised and followed her up. Things moved quickly once they were on the platform. Now that the hard part was over. When he opened the hatch and went out he realized that this was going to be perfect. Something romantic and special just for them. So Lani was cheesy so sue him. He had been forced through enough romantic comedies by his mother and sister that he knew some people just loved this stuff. And honestly Lani was a sucker for stuff like this himself.

She came up with him and he took hold of her hand and helped her up the last few steps. He stepped back a little turning his eyes from the sunset to the woman that rivaled its beauty. The way her eyes lit up made Lani’s heart sing and it almost gave him the illusion that if he opened his mouth something beautiful would come out. But he wasn’t naïve and he wouldn’t ruin this moment with his yodeling. He followed her forward as she edged toward the side of the building. “Yes,” he agreed but he was pretty sure they were talking about different things at the moment. He stepped up to her and put his arm around her shoulders watching the sun grow dim behind the trees and the stars pop out as the light faded from the sky. “Stuff like this really helps me clear my head, I love it up here.” He told her to fill the silence. Lani really didn’t like silence.

[Adrianna Carstyn]

As long as she was sure they’d stay friends in the end, Adrianna wasn’t going to force this relationship. She’d done that a lot in the past and it always ended up failing her. She couldn’t force someone to want her around anymore than she could force them to fall in love with her. Of course she hoped for someone to fall for her and want her around, but she was done trying to force people into it. Whatever happened, it would make her grow as a person and that’s all that experiences were supposed to do. If he wasn’t the man she was supposed to be with, so be it.

Giggling she shrugged, “It’s fine. Kinda funny if ya ask me.” Seeing his smile turn into a mischievous smirk, she shook her head. She didn’t want to know if he had. And then his expression changed again and she just burst into a fit of giggles again. Clearly, he was not as fond of the idea of Hammel the musical as she was. To her, it would be amazing. “I’m a musical junky so I think it would be hilarious and awesome in general. It might get old fast, but the initial start of it would be great.” Too much of anything could get wearisome of course, but it seemed like too many musicals…well that was just calling for insanity. His outburst had her eyes widen and she shook with laughter. “I think I found someone’s favorite band. I have to admit I loved one of their albums, but I prefer Elton John to Tom Petty any day.”

Adrianna’s wide innocent eyes found his and she couldn’t help but return his smile. It was true, she did want to know him fully, but she’d never push him to show her all the sides there were to him. It would be amazing if she ever asked anything of him. She nuzzled into his chest and closed her eyes briefly. The comfort he brought to her was often what she needed to relax. None of her past thoughts were pushing down on her and she was happy to just stand like this, with his arms around her all day. Looking up as she felt the rumbling in his chest as he spoke, she smiled, “I have many sides, and they often change quickly. I think it’s something with the power I have, y’know? Like to some people it seems bipolar, but everything around me changes constantly and so do my moods.” It was a theory, one she’d thought about for the past few years.

One thing Adrianna was not, was patient. Her eyebrows pulled together when she stuck her tongue out and when he snatched it she bit him lightly and he released it. The reassurance she gained from his kiss only made her go faster. She knew he’d never let her get hurt and she trusted that he would definitely not let her fall. As soon as she reached the roof, everything seemed to slow down and she really looked at the scenery around her. It was straight out of a romance novel. That was two events that had happened since she’d been with Lani that reminded her of a book or movie when she was with him. It was different, but so incredibly sweet. She was living in her own fairytale and Lani was her prince, her hero. Adrianna was one of the biggest romance freaks ever. She lived for it.

The sunset, the buildings, the trees; it was something she’d always admired. Nature in general was something to look at, to slow people down and get them to really appreciate it. Maybe it was the artistic views she had, but either way, she loved this moment. It really was beautiful up there and she was thankful that she was sharing this with him. Adrian slipped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his chest. The silence was brief and comfortable to her, but she preferred listening to the sound of his voice, so soft and caring. “It’s absolutely amazing. I can’t believe I’ve never been up here before, I’d just want to sketch all day if I could stay up here,” She smiled up at him. Especially if she could stay up here with him.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani shook his head at her and smiled. No she didn’t want to know if he jumped off of roofs. Because then she might worry. Because years of experience or not he still missed. Not often and luckily those times were far between. But still. Missing was not fun. Especially when he thought he had it. Thank goodness for his power’s ability to catch him. He shook his head again and wrinkled his nose. “I wouldn’t know who to hit first!” He said as if that was the worst possible thing that could happen. “But I think you and my mother would get along, she sings more than she speaks.” He rolled his eyes but there was a loving smile on his face. He missed his mother, and the crazy way she sang when she was doing tasks around the house. Lani gave her a sly grin and blushed a little s she laughed. He ducked his head as if caught red handed. “Oh which one?” Lani asked interested and shook his head. “What about Tom Petty, he’s got nothing on Roger Daltrey. If I could sing like him I think I would have it made.”

Smiling Lani held her close. It felt nice to feel like he was needed. Perhaps it would have been better if Adrianna pushed for information because some things Lani wasn’t just going to say. He liked his secrets and that was going to come back to bite him in the not to distance future. But for now Lani was smiling and he was loving how his problems seemed to disappear with Adrianna around. He could almost ignore all of his problem and help her out. He looked at her curious about her observation. He considered it for a moment and ran a hand through her hair. “That’s right, if you can have any power you must change constantly. That must get annoying. But that’s an amazing power.” He said and smiled down at her. He wondered if there was any person residue if she borrowed a power. Like when she had borrowed his power had she felt some of his emotions? Felt the comfort of the power around him.

Lani chuckled as she bit at his fingers. He shook his head and lightly pinched her nose in return. She really was too adorable. He could feel his defenses slipping, but the wall around his secrets forming up. They could both be so childish sometimes and Lani loved it. How often was it that he got to act like a kid again? Lani was glad he could share at least the brighter side of life with her. The part he didn’t mind so much. The part with the sunsets and rises and the stars. Now Lani had never read any romance novels but he had been forced to sit through enough romantic comedies to have an idea of what was good and what wasn’t. But even if he didn’t he was going to show her this. She was beautiful standing in the fading light. Lani couldn’t keep his eyes off of her as her hair caught the light and she looked as if she were catching the light and glowing.

Lani edged closer and slipped his arm around her shoulder standing with the other hand in his pocket and watching the sun slip away with her. This must be why people call it romantic. Because not even words could describe this moment. Lani had a feeling that she might want to sketch here. This moment, but for some reason he wanted her to remember the memory, maybe when she sketched it later, if she did, it would be more emotional than sketching it to truth. Lani shrugged. “Probably because you never thought to look,” he teased. He rested his head on the top of hers and sighed wistfully. “It’s possible, but you’ll have to come back when the day light will be staying a little longer.” He laughed and indicated the growing shadows. Soon it would really be dark and he wasn’t sure her eyes were as keen as his were. He tugged on her hand guiding her back to the stairs. He felt his phone vibrate and quickly stole a glance at it.

Great. Someone had a job for him. Just when all he wanted was to stay here with Adrianna. He led her to the stairs and once they were both back inside he kissed her in the darkness. “I’ve got to go. I’m sorry,” he apologized because he really was sorry. Sorry he had to cut this moment short. He guided her hand to the railing of the ladder and then started down before her making sure he could catch her if she should fall.