Leaving only Footprints (Karalie)

[Lani Hunter]

The morning was clear and crisp, the last of the snow finally melted from the ground and the temperature warm enough so standing water didn’t freeze. Finally, the birds were out making their nests and the migratory birds had returned to start their warm season in Vermont among the sweet maple trees that were starting to bud new leaves. Lani stood waiting under the canopy of a large maple at the entrance to one of the paths around the Lake stretching out his muscles. Running in the winter had not been pleasant and so his treks had been brief and frigid. He still wore long pants in his favorite color of black with thick socks to protect his legs against the chill, but also allow them not to overheat. It was a challenging balance. He wore a dark green Celtic’s hoodie that was about as old as he was, since he’d inherited it from his dad and worn enough that it was perfect for keeping him warm while running.

He stretched out slowly and thoroughly as he waited. He couldn’t believe his luck when he had run into Karalie, the sweet southern bell again. This time having caught up to her on the path. He was glad to hear her leg had healed well from the strain it had taken. In need of a running partner Lani had suggested when they parted ways to run together sometime and they had exchanged numbers. Which was why on this beautiful Saturday morning when Lani could just be sleeping in, he was up and in the appearance of awake at the lake. He had done a light jog to get here as a warm up and he was excited to have someone to keep him motivated. He was a sprinter at heart and only years of running rooftops he’d gotten great endurance and speed but he tapped out after a while. Really he had never had to run from someone more than a few blocks, because either they gave up or he lost them in the allies.

Looking at the ground as he stretched his quads, Lani lost himself in thoughts, mainly, how bad would it look if he laid down and napped on the pavement. He was not a morning person and even though he knew they were meeting early to run he’d still stayed up until odd hours of the night. He was just a nocturnal person and he promised himself a nap later after he showered. Motion caught his eye and he looked up to see the girl approaching. He smiled and gave a wave, dropping his foot back to the ground. He stepped a few paced to meet her and stifled a yawn. “Good morning,” he said, more tired than cheerful despite the chipper mood of the morning.

[Karalie Heise]

Karalie took a deep breath.  She had been out for a run before, but this was the first real one of the season.  Well, first real serious one, one where she intended to push herself to the max, one where she hoped to feel her lungs burn fiercely in her chest from the fresh air intake as she pushed herself to her limits and beyond.  Today she was going to make Lani chase her.

She'd run into the boy by chance, and was glad she had.  They caught up and exchanged numbers, and with the weather breaking a promise of a good run was in the works.  She could use the practice and he was good incentive.  Karalie knew he was a good runner, knew he could keep up and push her to her limits.  He would be good for her to get into shape, having slacked a bit with the serious winter.  She found herself inside most days, not wanting to face the weather to even get to the gym.

It was a beautiful Saturday morning, not a cloud in the sky as she made her way to their meeting place.  She'd gotten up easily enough, having a small breakfast before pulling on her running gear.  She covered herself in a light windbreaker, knowing she would need it, still finding herself chilly in this weather.  Some might think it was alright to run around in short sleeves when it was sixty something degrees out, but to her that was still cold.  Too cold for no jacket, anyway.

Lani had beat her there and she smiled when she saw the boys handsome face look up to her, his greeting sounding somewhat groggy.  "Oh, sweetheart, yer gonna have tuh wake up if ya'll plan on bein' uh match for me today." She teased lifting her arms up high over her head in a stretch, a pageant smile bright on her face.  "Not used to early runs?"

[Lani Hunter]

Lani shivered slightly, holding onto hope that it would warm when the sun rose higher in the sky. He wondered how far Karalie was hoping to make it today, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t done anything all winter, just mostly only the necessary jog. He yawned again, and seeing as there was no one around he made it a whole hearted action, shaking his head and stretching out his arms. To be honest, Lani was feeling lazy, he wasn’t used to getting up so early and he certainly wasn’t used to getting up and doing things so early. When he worked he usually napped during the day and rose with the other riffraff of the world. He was glad that he’d run into Karalie though, he wanted to do something he set his mind to… that didn’t involve showing up some new security system. Which, maybe if he hadn’t decided to do last night, he would be more awake his morning.

His face broke into a smile to hear her sweet accent. He shrugged his shoulders. “You know that’s not a bad idea, why don’t we go get some coffee?” He gave a charming smile and gestured toward the coffee shop across the street jokingly. He chuckled to himself and couldn’t help but return her smile. It was infectious and her bright mood brightened Lani’s. Usually morning people annoyed the hell out of him, but Karalie was too precious to be annoyed with. “You wish,” he grinned his eyes flashing with the excitement of a challenge. Lani was going to make Karalie eat those words, and perhaps regret this at the same time. He didn’t need to walk for the rest of the day, he was gonna be fine just laying on his couch and trying not to be audibly in pain.

He dramatically hung his head and groaned. “You have no idea,” he muttered to himself and looked back up at Karalie, “Which is why you, my friend, are going to keep me from skipping out on this.” He pointed a finger at her and gave her a look as though he were holding her to some unspoken promise. Picking up his other foot to stretch his other leg as she stretched herself, he figured they had just a bit longer before they really got into it. “How far did you want to get today?” He asked, the paths around the lake had set distances but if they wanted to do more than the large loop, which circumnavigated the lake, they could easily take some of the side trails on their way around. He dropped his foot and shook a little in anticipation, the laziness was slowly being replaced with excitement.

[Karalie Heise]

The smile widened on her face, becoming more genuine a coffee sure did sound good now, and had he actually been serious she would have considered it. Karlie was something of a caffeine junky and it wasn't easy for her to pass up an offer of the black, liquid gold.

"I think maybe I'll grab one of those coffees while waitin' for yah tuh catch up." She taunted in that sugary sweet southern drawl of hers. The only thing better than coffee in the morning was talking smack.

She laughed at his words and gave a nod. "Ya'll have my word." she considered his next question, tilting her head to the side, her lips pursing in contemplation. "Let's start easy. How's about five miles?" she had no doubt they could do that within an hour speed pending. She knew the paths well enough to have the approximate path already mapped out in her mind. "If you can make it I'll treat'cha tuh coffee." that tease was back in her voice as she started to stretch her legs, pulling them back behind her. "Whatcha think?"

[Lani Hunter]

“Ha ha,” Lani said dryly, giving her a tired glare. He smiled to show he was joking and looked down the path and then back at Karalie. “You’re going to be eating those words, I hope you know.” He really shouldn’t be boasting so much, he had very little confidence he could. He was fit and he ran a lot, there were very few people he’d met could match him on a straight flat stretch, but only if it was a small burst, and Karalie he was sure could not only keep up with him but put him to shame. She wasn’t exactly an out of shape police officer, nor was she a thief he was intent on getting away from. She was precious, he decided, with a smile, her accent made everything she said sound sweet even as she taunted him.

He smiled, well then it was settled, Karalie was his new running partner. He should hope she didn’t find out where he lived or she might find him if he decided sleeping was more fun than running. Lani nodded, five miles didn’t sound too bad, not at all. He’d done that before, granted it had been a while, but he did run rooftops enough and if one counted the up and downs of it all then chances were it added up. “Sounds good.” He said and his lip quirked on up one side giving him a cocky impish look. “You’re on, Karalie.” He was easily driven by competition and she’d struck a deal with a devil and now Lani was prepared to win. “And if you run me into the dust – which you won’t, by the way – I’ll treat.”

“How’s your knee been feeling?” He asked as she stretched out. He felt warmed up and now that he’d been moving for a little bit and engaged in conversation he was ready to go. Like an antsy dog excited for a walk to start he couldn’t stand still. He was looking forward to running this. Five miles would be no big deal. The fact that she called this easy, though, worried him a tad. He’d probably made five miles before but certainly never more. If he had to run more than five miles then it was a sign he was about to get caught. Still, even though he enjoyed running he’d never really pushed himself to go farther, he’d mostly focused on getting faster and more clever, spying opportunities to lose a tail instead of outrunning them. This would indeed be a change.

[Karalie Heise]

His dry, mock laughter brought a genuine smile to her face.  There was something about Lani that drew her to him, and it wasn't just his pretty face.  She liked him.  Him, actually him, not in the way she liked most other boys.  She couldn't place it, something just seemed different.  Maybe it was because, for a change, Lani didn't hit on her.  She didn't have that guard up that she so often felt she needed to when hanging around those of the opposite sex.  He didn't have that piercing look Carter did, or the flirty smile Lucas had been so good at. It was as though he saw her from the inside out. Her, Karalie. Lani simply was a breath of fresh air.

"I hope so, cause I didn' have uh very big breakfast." Her answer was coy but airy as she pulled the other leg up behind her.  It would be a hard run.  Twelve minute miles weren't the easiest things in the world, but if it took them more than an hour she would be fine with it.  They could take a nice easy pace, which she knew might be for the best.  Then in the final stretch she could pull out any energy she managed to reserve and pull forward.  If, of course, she was able to really keep up.  Just because she was cocky enough to believe she could win this battle didn't mean she actually could.

"I can agree tuh those terms." She said with a nod, dropping her leg down and turning her body from side to side at the hip.  "Much better.  Some rest an' relaxation helped.  Wasn' easy gettin' back intuh th'swing've things, though." She noted, popping her hands onto her hips.  "Thanks again for not makin' me feel like uh complete idiot for that.  Like, seriously, that was sort've mortifyin'." She smirked shyly, looking down at her running shoes before adjusting the thin headband over her head to keep the stray hairs in place.  "I feel stupid even talkin' 'bout it. Maybe we should just run an' forget I said anythin' at all."

[Lani Hunter]

Lani’s deadpan expression cracked into a smile to mirror hers. He couldn’t help it, he laughed. She returned his banter easily, her accent definitely led people to underestimate her but there was a clever and sarcastic person hiding behind that accent. He liked it, there weren’t many people he could banter with so easily, Odion being one, but things had been too tense for banter between the two of them. He was nervous about the five miles, but no one would ever know it as he stood with a cocky expression and an eagerness in his bright eyes. He wasn’t going to make this an easy win for her and if he could he was willing to kill himself for victory. The telekinetic was competitive, for someone who had never played on a sports teams or anything like that, he was determined to be the best at anything he tried to do. Which meant becoming the best thief there was, and he was getting close. No one in Boston was better, he thought boastfully.

“It’s a deal then,” he agreed with an impish grin. “I’m glad to hear that. You’re not any worse off than I am, this winter made it… difficult to get outside.” He said with an exaggerated guilty expression. Giving her a sympathetic look Lani just shook his head. “Anyone who would have made you feel like that is an ass,” he told her firmly. He nodded and raised his hands giving a shrug to show he was moving on with the conversation. Or rather… Only the flash of mischief across his face would warn her before Lani sprang off down the path. He didn’t doubt she was far behind but he also wasn’t honorable enough to feel back about getting a head start. He glanced back and stuck his tongue out at her just to egg her on and see how much of her energy he could taunt out of her before they got to the end.

Running wasn’t as mindless as so many people thought, really it was a mental game, the physical stamina and endurance came from practice but the drive came from endless internal battles with the pain and the desire to stop. Lani was one of those people who knew how to keep his pace for a little while but often got bored and sprinted. He enjoyed sprinting, seeing how fast he could go for how long. It wasn’t the greatest of ideas but dead sprints had saved his skin more than once. There was something to be said for those people that could keep going once the pain became too much to bear, but breaking that seal to walking was usually the detrimental end of anything he had ever done. It seemed to him that when he broke his stride to walk and rest he had that much a harder time getting his feet to pick up again. He glanced at Karalie, he’d never had a running partner before and already this was more fun than running alone.

[Karalie Heise]

He wasn't kidding.  The winter had been brutal.  Then again, every winter in Pilot Ridge was brutal, at least according to her.  "Every winter's difficult tuh get outside." She pointed out, hands on her hips now as she leaned down into a lunge.  She had to smile warmly at his comment, though.  They would be an ass, but Hammel, and the world around them, was full of assholes.  Heck, she'd dated one. Somehow she suspected that Luke would have been concerned for her but his initial reaction would probably be to laugh at her expense.  That's how Luke was.  She tried not to think of Luke, not what she was with someone who wasn't him.

The smile that sprang across his lips made a curious brow pop up on her face.  Suddenly he was off running, leaving her there in his dirt.  "Hey, cheater!" She called out, getting up straight and taking off behind him.  She wanted to be mad, but giggled despite herself, her smile widening over her lips.  He stuck his tongue out and against her better judgement she pushed herself forward, expelling some of the energy she was trying to reserve.  She couldn't allow him to have that sort of lead! It would mess her up and force her to catch up in the end in case he pulled further ahead.

Lani was sprinting and she couldn't help but shake her head at him.  He was going to mess her stride up before she even got it!  She focused on an even pace, faster than she would have liked this early in her jog, but enough to not stay far behind Lani.  The name of the game was pacing herself, and if she went too hard now it would be difficult to finish without being in pain.  She didn't mind the burn, though.  She liked the way her legs felt when she was done a jog, the way her chest ached as she gulped down big, heavy breaths of air.  Best was the endorphin's, how good she felt about everything, especially herself, when she was through.

"Ya'll better enjoy that view while yah can, cause not long from now i'll be blockin' it." She called out, taunting him with playfully smug grin if he cared to turn and see it.  For now she had to admit her own view wasn't bad, but she certainly wouldn't mind just watching the scenery either.  

[Lani Hunter]

“True,” Lani agreed after a moment of thought. Winter was just a terrible time of year, well okay there were parts of it that he liked, like the clear and clean snow. Especially after it was freshly fallen and not marred by footsteps. Then there was the warmth that came in food and drink and the holidays that came with family. At least at the beginning it was okay, the latter part of winter, when it clung to the world with its icy claws and refused to yield, was miserable. It wasn’t snowing, any snow was quickly slushed and dirtied as old snow grew old and covered patches of the ground in gray heaps. Then everything was wet, very wet, miserably wet. Lani hated the rain enough as it was and when everything was melting and puddles grew out of nowhere, well, Lani was glad he’d gotten over his fear of puddles or he’d never get anywhere.

Lani laughed, glancing over his shoulder at her, not a hint of remorse crossing his wicked face. The thief didn’t believe in cheating, he only believed in doing whatever it took to win. It probably wasn’t his wisest decision to go this fast this early on. He had a lot of energy from being cooped up all winter and he was expecting it to last even though more likely than not it would fail him. With a bit of effort he forced himself to slow and set a pace, just enough to keep ahead of Karalie. His lungs filled with the still chilled air and it woke him better than any coffee could have. The only thing that would make this better was if there was a pile of jewels waiting for him at the end. His power kept an eye on Karalie and counted her paces, passively feeling her shoes on the ground. If she sped up he would know it.

Laughter tore from him and he didn’t just turn back to look, he started running backward for a few steps. “Well then, come on slow poke,” he called mirthfully. He turned back when the danger of tripping became real. He turned in time to lightly skip his way over a patch of rocks before he was back on level ground. He let up his pace a little bit, it was still early and Lani wasn’t above fooling around. Karalie was not prepared for the thief that she had gotten herself tangled with. He would wait for her to catch up and so long as she didn’t put in a mysterious burst of energy, he’d keep alongside her. Lani felt his legs burn pleasantly and his heart thumped in his chest at a steady rhythm, keeping his pace like a metronome.

[Karalie Heise]

The cocky little twerp had the audacity to laugh at her, not that she really cared since it was all in good fun. But then he actually turned around and started jogging backwards. She knew he was just mocking her at this point, especially once he called her a slow poke, but all she could do was shake her head at him.  He was asking for it.  She was going to pulverize him in this little race even if she burst her lungs in the process.  He would eat those words.  Lani was about to be made her bitch.

"Yer real good at talkin' th'talk, but I don' think ya'll have it in yah tuh run th'run."  She saw the little patch of rocks on the ground and dodged them easily.  One of the things she'd worked on once her knee was feeling better was to take better notice of her surrounds, which meant anything in her way which could cause her to get hurt.  Much like driving, she paid closer attention to everything, but especially the ground.  

Her legs moved faster and she steadied her breath.  Her lungs already started to gently burn, but it was in the best kind of way.  Once she reached a certain point it wouldn't really burn as much, just give her more push to go forward.  Her legs felt solid and strong with every pound against the asphalt and she could see herself starting to close some of the distance between them, not that there was all that much.  She could sprint if she wanted to, close the gap completely, but then she would be spent.

In a couple of moments she had pulled up beside him, the smug grin on her face equally playful.  "Ya'll don' know who yer messin' with.  Ain't no icy paths tuh help yah now."  She pushed forward a little, trying to pull ahead and take the lead.  It wasn't her fastest, but they were barely a half mile in at this point, if that, and she wasn't about to exert all of her energy just to prove a point.  She wanted to hit that five mile mark, even if it ran her ragged, but it wasn't necessary.  She would see how long he could hold out.

[Lani Hunter]

The wicked grin didn’t leave his face as he turned his back to Karalie again. Her accent made her threats hard to take seriously and Lani was just having far too much fun being annoying. He smiled a small chuckle coming from him as he ran. His breath was starting to shorten as the run continued but it was nowhere near ragged. He was feeling good and he was feeling confident and excited. Lani took a great deal of pride in his ability to piss people off. Faking it was half the battle, he knew that and he was sure she knew that. “You’re doing an awful lot of talking yourself,” Lani tossed back over his shoulder. The telekinetic watched for her out of the corner of his eye and was glad to see she didn’t seem to have lost any speed due to her injury. He might be in trouble. Oh well, faking it was what he did best.

“Oh hey, good to see you,” he said with a smile, as if he didn’t know he was being a pain in the ass. His smile grew as he caught sight of her grin. She was not one to take his sass and leave him to, she knew very well how to dish it right back. That was something not a lot of people did. He liked that, he was already really liking Karalie, he was glad he’d run into her that second time. Lani scoffed, “Ha, blame it on the ice, sure,” he said a sly look in his eye as he grinned at her. She sped up and Lani kept right with her. He looked ahead and breathed in the clear air for a few moments then glanced over at Karalie and couldn’t help himself. She was beautiful, and sweet. Maybe Odion wouldn’t appreciate him looking, but Lani loved Odion, it was plain and simple for him.

Taunting aside Lani glanced back toward the road. “Hey, Karalie, so I’ve been thinking, we should train for something.” After all it was no fun to just run and run without an end goal in mind. With no end goal there was no plan and if there was no plan then this was utter madness. He used his long legs to lengthen his stride in an effort to conserve energy. He knew that Karalie was competitive and he was just as competitive, it just made sense to do something with their talents. Even if it wasn’t against each other but them against everyone else it would be a blast. Besides, Lani had never done anything like that and he had always thought it would be cool to try. If he was persuasive enough he might even be able to talk Odion into doing it with them. Odion wasn’t as enthusiastic about running as Lani was, though.

They reached the first mile marker and Lani was honestly glad he was still feeling okay, though the burning in his legs was getting greater every step he took. And they still had four miles left to go. But Lani was not going to admit defeat. So what if he couldn’t walk today, it wasn’t like he had anything he had to do. He was perfectly content to go home after this run, shower and put himself in some comfortable sweats and spend the rest of the day on his couch with his cats.

[Karalie Heise]

"I've earned that right." She shot back, as if she somehow had more of a right to talk trash than he did.  Of course she didn't really believe that, but that wasn't the point. With every step she was finding she was more glad she'd happen to run into him again.  Maybe it was fate.. Karalie had a strange relationship with fate.  She did believe, on some level, everything was preordained.  It gave her comfort to think Jesus was guiding her through life, that he wouldn't steer her wrong, even if he'd cursed her with this God forsaken power.  She had to believe there was a bigger picture, a deeper meaning to what she deemed a curse.  Her misfortune would help someone, she was certain of it.  Maybe Lani.  Probably not Lani, but whatever the reason their paths had crossed, twice, she was glad for it.  She felt strangely at ease around him, even as she attempted to make him eat her dust.

She stuck out her tongue at him after he accused her of blaming the ice for her mishap the last time they ran.  He kept pace with her as she sped forward, her body beginning to dampen with perspiration.  She could feel the familiar tingle in her legs, the burn starting to radiate through her muscles. She looked over, catching his eye and smirked at him.  Maybe he was surprised that she was able to keep up.

His suggestion cleared her mind momentarily from the competition afoot.  Train for something? Did he mean like a race? "Yah mean like uh marathon or somethin'?" She asked, turning back to the road she could watch the ground as she went.  Didn't want to trip or slip or fall or whatever else again.  Not in front of Lani.  He might be gracious about it, but she was certain she'd never hear the end of it.  They reached the one mile marker and she thought it over a moment.  "I was thinkin've doin' the color run up in Burlington in uh couple months.  I've never done one an' always wanted to.  Ya'll ever see one've 'em? They like throw color powder on yah.  Everyone looks like uh rainbow done gotten sick all over'em by th'time they cross th'finish line."  She wasn't sure if that would be up Lani's alley or not, or if that was even what he was referring to, but it would be nice to have a partner.  She was thinking of asking Marnie to tag along for that.  She was sure the girl would be all for it.  Actually, she probably still would, even if Lani accepted the offer.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani laughed, oh that was rich! “Sure on the losers end,” he retorted tossing her a smile to make sure she knew he was only teasing. Lani had a very strange relationship with fate. He hated it. And he was holding onto the hope that when he died he would get to punch whoever was responsible for his life in the face. He never seemed to catch a break and he was sure that there was someone up there who just loved screwing with people. If fate had worked to bring he and Odion back together, then he wanted to know who was working so hard to keep them apart. It seemed as though they could never catch a break. After all those memories being thrown back in his face… well, Lani was still surprised he had his sanity intact, but now at least he and Odion could move forward. Hopefully, to better things.

The telekinetic laughed without reserve, she reminded him so much of Adrianna with that antic. He still blamed his ex girlfriend for his own habit of sticking his tongue out at people. Well, at least to start, now he just did it because he knew it drove Odion nuts. The idea of it kept Lani smiling. It was strange, even though his body was screaming at him to stop this madness, if he smiled he couldn’t hear it calling so loudly. Smiling was easy about Karalie, she was so unique and sweet. Lani was glad he’d run into her again, it definitely brightened his day to go running with her. Though after the fact he might not be feeling so hot as he hobbled from place to place. Lani chuckled to himself, who was he kidding, he was a telekinetic, he was only going to move today to use the bathroom.

“Yeah,” Lani nodded, “I’ve always wanted to do one but never had a chance.” He watched her out of the corner of his eye as they ran. She was very pretty and the color that exercise added to her face made her all the more beautiful. “Oh?” Lani said his tone curious. Shaking his head, Lani listened with interest, he’d never heard of a color run. He smiled when she explained what it was. Her accent made him smile even wider, it was adorable! His eyes shown with amusement the more she explained until finally he had to laugh out loud. “That sounds like so much fun! We should totally do that!” He said enthusiastically, briefly turning his head back to the ground as he had to hop a root. Maybe even Odion would be into that, though Odion wasn’t that into getting dirty, if Lani recalled. Well, it wouldn’t hurt to ask. That would be so much fun, running with Karalie and Odion. He smiled at the thought of Odion getting covered in paint. He’d probably shower for hours. Well, even if Odion didn’t run, Lani was going to hunt him down and make sure he got good and colorful. Lani laughed softly to himself. Hell, Odion might tag along just to see Lani in a color that wasn’t gray. “How long is it?” He asked, if it was longer than this five miles he was going to be in trouble.

[Karalie Heise]

Karalie was no stranger to 5k's.  She'd done a handful in the past, but it wasn't for the competition.  She enjoyed running.  It was the only constant thing from her life; she'd run as a kid and she ran as an adult.  Well, mostly adult.  It was the one true piece of her she was able to carry from home that stayed static.  She didn't do beauty pageants anymore, but running? That was different.

His enthusiasm made her smile wider and she turned her head to look at him.  His cheeks were flushed with the exercise, and she didn't need a mirror to know hers were the same.  Those pale cheeks of hers had a habit of going red the second she exerted herself in any way.  Was he really that excited about doing a run with her?  She felt flushed by it, and not just from the running.

"It's uh 5k." She explained, wondering if he was concerned about the distance, which only made her smile more.  "It's, like, three miles. Don'tchu worry." She had to laugh, reaching over and nudging his arm with her closed fist, not wanting to risk stealing any memories from him.  Karalie was working hard to increase the amount of touching she did and she was becoming far more creative with it these days.  She supposed that's what happened when you had a boyfriend you wanted to touch but were afraid to.  Boyfriend.. was that what Carter was? Oddly she didn't want to think of Carter while she was there with Lani.  

"We'd be nearly half done if we were doin' it now.  Would that be be yer first 5k?  How you holdin' up, by th'way?" She asked, not sure how he was hanging in there with it being his first run in a while.  "Need tuh take uh break an' catch yer breath? Yer lookin' a bit haggard." She taunted.

[Lani Hunter]

The idea of working toward something was alluring to the man who always needed to have a plan. If there was a goal there could be a plan and where there was a plan things were going to get done. Without a plan the world was chaos and he was more likely to sit on the couch and think up excuses. Maybe having a plan for everything was a little ridiculous but it wasn’t like he had to plan for every detail, he just needed the skeleton. If this were a theft they were planning for it would be much more extensive. Lani was worried that he would back out if he didn’t push himself to do it. He would always find something more important to do. Granted, most of his life hadn’t been his to determine and he was finding freedom was glorious as it was hard to focus his energy.

“Okay,” he said, three miles, that was less than what they were doing now, that would be find right? Lani’s eyes lit with mischief and he raised a brow at her. He didn’t know Karalie well enough to know that her touching people was something that she was working on. Instead he found the action of camaraderie warmed his heart. It had been a long time since he’d had a friend to just talk to. Sure there was Odion and Lani loved him, but that was different. Adrianna was too busy with her own life to bother with Lani’s. There were still others but he didn’t see them nearly as often as he liked, he should fix that. He made a mental note and then turned his eyes back to the path ahead.

Lani flushed at the question. “I’m doing just fine thank you,” he replied with an impish smile. He shrugged his shoulder, “It’s not like I’ve never run 5 kilometers before, it’s just that I’ve never done a 5k as a race or anything, you know?” He quirked a brow that hinted at his uncertainty but the set determination shown in his eyes. A wicked smile flashed across Lani’s face and he got caught in his own trap. “I could do this all day,” he boasted and picked up speed, stretching his legs so that his superior height gave him the advantage of a large stride. “I was just slowing down so you could keep up.” He winked, shots fired.