L e l a n i

Sweat sticks to every inch of my body as I lead Brodie through the dark thicket of bushes and trees of the woods. I cling tightly to the branches surrounding me, hoping that gravity and the muddy slope of the incline we're traveling down don't send my body tumbling down into the blanket of weeds below us. I've done this hike several times in broad daylight, but I didn't realize that the conditions of a dark sky and the inconsiderable glow of the moonlight peeking through the canopy of koa and palm trees above us would make it so much more difficult to navigate.

"Lani," Brodie breathes out with exhaustion, "Are you sure you know where we're going?"

"How many times are you gonna ask me that?" I huff back to him, trying to hide my lack of confidence as I lie, "I know exactly where we are."

He chuckles, "Why is it that I don't believe you?" I turn my head back to him, letting the glow of my headlamp illuminate his movements. I stand and watch Brodie's biceps flex as he grips tightly onto a root in the ground, letting his feet glide against the dirt beneath him and sliding down to me. We both take a moment to sit and rest against the incline. Our breathing is loud and rugged as I quickly dig out the bottles of water from my backpack, offering one over to him. "How long have we been hiking for, anyway?" Brodie asks, before taking a long swig from the plastic bottle.

I glance down against the watch clung against my wrist, my eyes widening as I take in the time: 4:00 AM. "Two hours," I mumble back to him quietly. Okay, so maybe I am a little lost, but I'll be damned if I admit that to Brodie. "We're about halfway there," I guesstimate. Not wanting him to catch onto my bluff, I retort back, "You're not getting tired on me, now are you, Maverick? You did promise me that the night was mine."

He cuts devious eyes over to me, a handsome smirk crossing his face as he quickly stands to his feet, "Oh, please. I've got enough energy for the both of us." Brodie offers out a hand to me, impatiently tapping his foot as I gulp down some lukewarm water. "Waiting on you, Miss Kahale."

I giggle, tucking our bottles back into the bag before accepting his hand and letting him yank me up off the ground. We begin our trek through the uneven forest again, the sound of crickets and rustling leaves accompanying us along our dark journey. Once we're finally back on a clear trail, free from the confusion of overgrown plants, Brodie speaks up again, "I thought you said you were taking me to heaven, huh?"

"What? Is this not what you had in mind?" I tease back, slowing down my pace as he meets me at my side. "Haven't you ever heard of the Stairway to Heaven?"

"I can't say that I have," he admits, shaking his head. "How are we going to get in? God doesn't accept delinquents like us. We're fugitives; practically outlaws!"

"Oh, shut up!" I laugh, shoving him playfully, "It's not that bad! We're only going to be trespassing and climbing a few thousand stairs."

"A few thousand?!" he gasps beside me. "No wonder this hike is illegal! Making a human climb that many steps is practically manslaughter."

I can't keep myself from rolling my eyes at his dramatics, "I thought you said you had enough energy for the both of us, huh? Don't tell me you're all talk and no action, Brodie; that'd just be disappointing."

"Oh, I'll have you know I'm all action." Brodie cuts his dark eyes over to me, immediately making my stomach swirl, "It looks like you are, too, aren't you?"

My ears register the tone of his previous statement, making me swallow hard in an effort to dissipate the lump in my throat. I'm not used to a man having this sort of impact on me; an impact that sends goosebumps traveling against my skin and makes the area between my legs ache. I learned to guard my heart and control those emotions over the last couple of years, but one small word from him sends those feelings into hyperdrive, and I can't stand it.  "Stop that," I say, cutting my eyes away from him.

"Stop what?"

"That," I cut back annoyed, knowing he understands exactly what I'm talking about, "Making everything you say, flirty."

Brodie trots in front of me, gently forcing my chin up and continuing to walk backward as he teases me, "Is Lelani blushing? Are those flushed cheeks I see?"

"Stop," I giggle, pushing his hands away from me. "I'm just hot."  Which isn't a complete lie, considering the way the humid air is sticking to my skin right now.

"Mhmm," Brodie hums to himself, completely unconvinced. "So tell me, what's the history behind these forbidden steps, anyway? I mean, there's got to be a reason they're illegal, right?

Thankful for the change of subject, and the subsiding heat in my cheeks, I promptly answer back, "Well, they're formally known as the Haiku Stairs. The Navy built them in the 1940s or so? They used them as this, like, top-secret facility for transmitting radio signals to communicate with oncoming ships. Anyways, they eventually opened the stairs up to the public in the mid-'80s, but they closed them down a few years later because people were complaining about their condition."

Brodie's shoulder's perk up in genuine interest at their history, asking, "So they've been closed ever since?"

"Well, they tried reopening them in 2002. Hell, they spent nearly a million dollars trying to repair them, but residents kept moaning about safety concerns, and they eventually just gave up on them completely."

"What a fucking waste," he weighs in, nodding his head in disbelief. "They spent all that money restoring them just to keep them closed?"

"Basically," I say, shrugging my shoulders. "There was this really bad storm that hit the island back in 2015 that fucked up the stairs more, but even then, the view and experience are too worthwhile to miss out on." My eyes are on Brodie's, appreciating his devotion towards the conversation. My chest can't help but swell as his gaze locks onto me, patiently waiting for me to share more, "I thought you were deserving of something worthwhile after surfing that wave today."

A beautiful smile crosses his face as the words leave my mouth, a sense of pride overcoming him, "I did crush that fucking wave today, didn't I?"

I cock my neck over to him, my face beaming with delight knowing that I was the one who had the honor of teaching him, "You sure fucking did." My eyes cut ahead of us, taking in the image of the vast and lush ridge stretching up in front of us. I nudge Brodie's arm with my elbow, motioning his attention to the shadows of jagged stairs ascending up the towering landscape before us,  "And now we're about to crush this fucking mountain."

༄༄༄

Brodie and I practically tiptoe towards the fence leading to the mountain ridge staircase, but just as the rusted metal steps come into view, so do the bright headlights of a police car. Catching glimpse of the security guard sitting inside the vehicle at the same time, Brodie and I dart into an overgrown bush beside us.

"Oh fuck, Lelani," he whispers out in a panic, "How the hell are we gonna make it past that one?"

I bite onto my nails, quietly observing and inspecting the area and the path we'll have to take to sneak past the cop. The bright lights of his vehicle won't make our stealthy mission easy, but if we kept our bodies in the shadows of the trees  enough, we could start climbing up the ridge without getting stopped. "You said you ran track, didn't you?" I smirk over to him.

"You are fucking trouble," he laughs, his teeth biting down against his bottom lip. "What happens if we get caught?"

"We won't get caught," I reply confidently. "Do you trust me?"

"Do I have a choice not to?"

"Not really," I giggle, scrunching up the end of my nose, "On three, alright?" He nods, and I start the countdown, "One."

"Two," he continues, both of us hunched over in preparation for our sprint.

"Three!"

Brodie and I dart straight towards the fence, using our best efforts to stay hidden within the darkest patches we manage to run through. My bag swings violently against my back, the sound of our water bottles clunking together creating more commotion than the two of us needed right now. I look back behind me, making sure my hiking partner is still close. He grips onto my arm, as we approach the fence, my heart nearly beating out of my chest as a white glow illuminates our once hidden bodies.

"HEY," a booming voice suddenly reprimands us. The sound of a car door opening has Brodie and me moving in double time as we clamber ourselves past the worn down and bent wire-fencing.

Rough hands cling onto my waist, assisting and steadying me as my feet scramble across the pile of rocks beneath me. "Go! Go," he urges, propelling me forward. Nervous laughter escapes me as we continue to desperately scramble across the uneven path.

The metal fencing rattles behind us, making my neck twist back in fear. I'm surprised to realize that the cop is only a few feet away from us, his movements nearly as fast as ours. My veins are coursing with adrenaline as my eyes land on the first step of the earthy staircase.

"YOU TWO ARE TRESPASSING," the angry voice startles me, making me jump as my legs begin making their ascent.

"Come on, Brodie," I tremble, clutching onto the railing falling to each side of my body and using it to my advantage as I thrust my body up, taking two steps at a time. A burning sensation rips through my calves, the steepness of the climb not aiding in making this pursuit any easier.

"Fucking kids!" I barely hear the officer grunt, his voice trailing off as more and more distance is put between us.

Brodie and I collapse when we finally reach the first platform of the staircase, both of our heads peering down below us in trepidation that we've been caught. I'm overcome with a sense of relief as the image of a uniformed man stalking back to his car comes into view, feeling reassured and safe to know that the officer gave up chasing us god knows how many steps back. A metallic taste makes its way to the back of my throat as my lungs cough for air. My ears ring with the beating of my pulse, and my head is dizzy with overexertion.

"Goddammit," Brodie heaves out beside me, sweat trickling down his face and making his dark hair stick to his forehead, "I haven't felt that scared in a hot minute."

"Me either," I laugh out, between ragged breaths. "But we made it, huh?"

"We made it," he chuckles back, sending me a playful wink.

We give ourselves several minutes to calm our restless and tired bodies down, letting the night wind cool our hot, flushed skin. Finally conjuring enough energy, we gather ourselves up and carefully start climbing the rusted stairs again. One step at a time, we make our way up the ridge, greenery blanketing every surface of the enormous mountain-side. The next hour and a half of our journey are spent like this, ascending up steadily-one step at a time- the muscles in our legs burning with the physical strain being forced on them. As more time passes, the sky slowly brightens, its once dark complexion becoming lighter and turning the deep blue into a beautiful shade of purple. I smile, proud to know that we'll reach the top of the hike just in time to catch the sunrise.

"We're almost there," I smile back to Brodie, pointing ahead of us to the top of the ridge. I don't pay attention ahead of me as the words leave my mouth and not thinking to test out the condition of the next step, my foot reaches for its metal surface. I feel my chest drop as the staircase gives out up under me, and my body starts to slip. My arm instantly reaches for the metal railing beside me, completely failing to grab onto it, due to its bent and warped state. Brodie's arms grip around my stomach, catching me just as a piercing pain tears against my left forearm as it makes an impact against a sharp rock beneath the broken step.

"Oh god," I cry out in pain as I fall into his arms. He pulls me into his body firmly, squeezing me against him as he keeps me from falling further. My eyes are already burning with tears as they register the color of red starting to drip past my fingertips.

"Are you okay?" Brodie hurries out in a panic, twisting my body towards him. His eyes instantly widen as he takes in the sight of the blood. "Oh god."

Without another word, he begins yanking off his dark grey t-shirt, tearing it from his body and quickly wrapping it around my wound. "You okay, Lani?" The sound of my name on his lips forces my eyes up to his, which wear the deepest look of concern.

"I'm okay," I choke back. "Careful. That step's a little wobbly," I joke in a pathetic attempt to distract myself from the hurt. I ignore Brodie's orders to sit down as I continue climbing my way up the last few steps of the hike. He helps me down as we sit against the flat, concrete slab of the top platform and his hands work quickly as he takes a water bottle from my backpack and begins cleaning my wound.

I watch him attentively as he meticulously works on covering the injury back up, which isn't nearly as bad as I anticipated it to be. He doesn't say a word, gently wrapping the cotton material around my arm and tying a knot with the edge of the t-shirt sleeves to keep the man-made bandage in place. "You alright?" he finally asks, running an inspecting glance over his work.

"I'm fine," I hush out, feeling the words get caught in my throat as the image of his bare, toned torso stares me right in the face. "Thank you," I whisper up to him.

"You're welcome," Brodie whispers back, meeting my stare with a boyish grin. My chest swells with admiration, and for the first time, I'm really letting myself take in the image of his chiseled, but soft face and his playful, but tired eyes. He studies my features too, skimming his eyes all the way from the top of my head to the edge of my chin. A glow peeks up behind Brodie's head, the sun making its entrance in the morning sky.

"You keep on staring at me, and you'll miss the best view," I say, pointing past him and directing his eyes to finally witness the breathtaking scenery around us. He pulls me to my feet, and we walk to the edge of the landing together, holding tight to the railing bordering the cliff as we gaze out onto the flourishing landscape stretching out for miles below us. A beautiful orange and yellow glow fill the blue and cloudless sky ahead of us, illuminating the city-like features of the island and shining against the ocean that extends endlessly behind it. A dark, emerald shade of green blankets the hilly terrain bordering us, contrasting against the ember and topaz colors of the unbelievable view.

Brodie motions his head past the railing, challenging me with his eyes to join him on the other side of it. I accept his offer with a nod, and he pitches me over the steel fencing before jumping over himself and joining me on the grassy ledge. The sudden lack of security and the high elevation we're standing at sends my heart racing. We both take a seat against the patch of dirt, weeds, and grass, quietly admiring the perspective of the world from where we're sitting. After a few moments, Brodie starts to speak up, "This is a good view," he begins, turning to me as a wide smile begins to cross his face. His eyes lock onto mine before finishing, "But I like this one better."

The statement sends my skin swarming with goosebumps and my stomach flutters as he keeps his stare firm on mine. The air around us is thick, surging with the tension and attraction that we are both creating. Brodie's body inches closer into mine, closing in the gap between us as his arm meets against my shoulder, the contact of his skin against mine sending my pulse beating faster.

"Brodie," I hush out, half-warning him and partially warning myself, "We made a deal. We can't be anything more."

He cocks his head over to me, his voice low as he whispers back, "Anything more than what?"

I bite hard onto my bottom lip, trying to replace the tempting thoughts coursing through my mind right now, with some sensible ones.

Don't do this to yourself again, Lelani. You'll only end up heartbroken. Think about how disappointed Dad will be. Don't mess with another Marine...

But just as I'm reeling myself away from the idea of Brodie and the possibility of pursuing anything romantic with him, the ache between my legs becomes stronger, making it impossible for me to resist the temptation of his lips on mine. Impulsively, my body leans closer into his. Brodie's fingers trace along my jaw as they travel to the back of my head, lacing themselves into my hair as he guides my face towards his. We rest our foreheads against one another, breathing in each other's air as the traction slowly pulls our lips closer and closer together.

"Brodie. We can't," but even though my words are ushering us not to do what we both know we're about to do, I know deep down I don't mean it.

"We can't," he repeats, keeping his hands laced into the thick strands of hair at the back of my head.

Fuck it. The magnetism forces away the small amount of space left between the two of us, as our lips collide into one another. His lips are soft but rough as he pulls me into him harder, our kiss becoming deeper as I let my chest fall against his and our bodies rest back against the earth beneath us. Heat travels its way down my every limb, pleasure making my neck hot as his tongue travels against my bottom lip and trails down to my neck. I gasp as his mouth clings to the skin against my collarbone, practically drinking me in as he sucks against it. My hands travel their way up past his chest, stopping when they reach his jaw and drawing his lips harder into me. I thought the ache between my legs was bad before, but I couldn't have been more wrong. I soak in the feeling of his fingers as they travel down the curves of my waist and hips. His hands stop as they reach my ass, and he pulls my pelvis into him, making me feel his erection as the fabric of his shorts rub against the material of my leggings.

"Oh god," I moan out, feeling my panties become wet as he rocks my hips against him once more.

"I want us to be more, Lani," Brodie growls out, forcing my eyes onto his.

As my ears register his words, my thoughts are taken back to another memory. Panic fills me as his words bleed into someone else's. I start to pull myself off of him, my walls starting to build their way back up. Brodie keeps his touch gentle, his hands meeting against my jaw and compelling me to look back at him, "What's wrong?"

"Please," I beg, pushing his hands away, "I can't do this." He doesn't hesitate as he darts his hands away, respecting my wishes as I climb off of him. My chest is already throbbing with regret at the absence of his touch on me, but my head is spinning with the idea of being hurt again by the broken promises of a Marine who owes me nothing.

"Lani, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I-"

"It's okay," I assure him, trying to regain my composure as my shaky fingers begin tucking my messy hair behind my ear. "It's not you. It's me. I shouldn't have kissed you. I can't be with you, Brodie. I just can't do this again."

"Do what again?" He grips onto my hand, "Talk to me, Lelani. What are you so scared of? I'm not going to fuck you over. I really like you."

"Yeah," I scoff, starting to walk back to the railing, "That's what you all say."