A:N/ This is something different to my previous McWeston stories. I'm assuming that on the show Steve, Danny, Lori, Chin Ho are of the same age, with Kono being quite a bit younger than everyone. This story is set when they are around 19/21/22 years old. Kono won't be included as she's much younger than the rest and won't fit in well with this timeline. Upon reflection, neither will Chin Ho due to the rigidity of this storyline. This will be set in Hawaii but the background of characters and their stories will be AU. There may be some similarities with the show but I'm trying something new here. Like with all of my McWeston stories this is a one-shot. I hope you enjoy it.
Daniel Williams, known as Danny by everyone, had just woken from his deep alcohol induced sleep. He could vaguely remember graduating from University of Hawaii yesterday. He had just completed his administration of justice course and had been handed his degree infront of his friends and family. He wasn't in his usual bedroom instead he had ended up back at his family's home an hour away. He was glad to be back in the bed he had during high school. He had some great memories in that bed, some he wished he could forget. E.g. his mom and younger sister walking in unannounced during 'amorous' activities. He closed his eyes when he saw that the alarm clock next to him displayed '7:00 am'. He didn't know what time he had got back but he knew that he definitely needed some extra hours of sleep. Just as he was about to fall asleep again, he heard knocking on his bedroom door.
"Danny?"
Danny grunted with his head in his pillow.
"Danny, are you awake?" he heard.
"Yes! What do you want?" he shouted turning onto his back to see what his sister had to say.
"Hey." she smiled brightly. She'd always been an early bird. When she entered his room, all he could smell was sea salt. He figured she must have just come back from a surf. "So..." she sat down on the end of his bed. "How was the party?"
"It was great from what I can remember..."
"Why did you come back here? Surely your place was closer to the party."
"I have no idea why I came back here either."
Danny's sister stayed silent and began walking around his room.
"Is there something else you wanted, Lori? I'm quite tired..." Lori was Danny's 19 year old half-sister. Danny's mom had remarried when he was really young and Lori was born a few days after his third birthday.
"Was your friend there?"
"Which one? I have many friends."
"The one you live with..."
"I live with three guys, you've gotta be more specific."
"The tall one who studies marine biology." Lori sat back down.
"Steve. Steve McGarrett."
"Yeah was he there?"
"Of course he was."
"Do you think he had a good time too?"
"I'm pretty sure he did." Danny replied nodding his head.
"I'm sure there were lots of girls there for him to have a good time with."
"Yes there were actually. Lots of girls, surprisingly." The girls in their year class tended to stick together so the guys assumed they would be celebrating on their own but that wasn't the case.
"Good for him. Good for you all."
Danny knew that his sister had a crush on Steve. He knew that Steve would never go there. He always had his eye on girls his own age. Plus he knew that Steve would never disrespect him by making a move on his younger sister. That's why he tried to keep their conversations off the topic of McGarrett.
Danny had gone to shower after sharing breakfast with Lori. They had to make their own as their mom, a nurse, was at work and Lori's dad was also at work. He was a cop for the HPD which made Danny choose to go down the criminal justice route when it came to his studies. Lori sat down to watch a movie when she heard knocking on their front door. Putting down the remote she made her way over to the door. She peered into the peep-hole and saw Steve standing there. She didn't know what to do. She used the small mirror near their door to check her hair and made sure that her eyebrows were tamed. She opened the door slowly hiding part of her body behind it.
"Hi." he said.
"Hi..."
"I'm Steve, Danny's friend."
"Oh yeah!"
"Is he here?"
Lori nodded "He's taking a shower right now."
"Ah good. I got worried when he didn't come back to our place last night."
Lori and Steve stayed there in silence.
"You can come in if you like."
"Yeah sure."
Lori stepped back and let Steve enter. She closed the door as he looked around their entrance hall.
"Um, you can sit through there if you want. I just put a movie on." Lori pointed to the room ahead of them. "I'll tell Danny to hurry up." she smiled shyly. She watched as Steve walked into the room before running up the stairs to the bathroom.
"Danny!" she hissed banging on the door.
"What?!"
"Your marine biology friend is downstairs!"
Of course Lori could remember his name, she just didn't want Danny to know that she thought of his friends.
"What?!"
"That guy Steve from your dorm is downstairs!"
"Alright! Tell him I'll be out soon!"
Lori made her way back downstairs. She walked into the lounge where Steve was waiting.
"Would you like anything to drink?" she asked playing with the fraying sleeve of her jumper which she had thrown over her bikini and shorts after coming home from the beach.
"Yeah sure. Thanks." he replied looking to her from his spot on the couch.
"Is juice okay?" she asked standing in the doorway.
"Yeah that would be good thanks."
"Um, okay." she replied leaving. As soon as she was in the kitchen she slapped her forehead. She chastised herself for not being able to talk to him normally. In everyday life, she was confident, she had to be with her jobs, but there was something about Steve. She poured him a glass of mango juice and then went to add a few cubes of ice from the fridge. She brought it back to him a few moments later. Steve was relaxed back against the couch watching the film that Lori had put on. She handed him the glass and then went to sit on the arm chair on the other side of the room. She had taken her phone from her back pocket and was pretending to use it.
"You don't want to watch this?" Steve asked noticing that she wasn't focusing on the screen.
Lori looked up and him and shrugged. "Oh no, I was just going to wait for Danny. He'll probably end up changing it once he comes down." Lori replied. "speaking of Danny, I'll go and see where he is..." she got off the chair.
But before she could take two steps Steve told her to leave him. "I just came over to make sure he stayed somewhere safe last night. I'm not in a rush to see him."
"Oh. Okay..." Lori sat back down. She stayed silent as she watched the film looking over at Steve every now and again. "Congratulations on graduating yesterday." she smiled shyly turning her head when she saw Steve look to her.
"Yeah thanks! I'm glad it's over."
"So are you going to start looking for jobs now?"
"Nah, I'm going away for the rest of the year. Get my head on straight before I start working."
"Where are you planning on going?"
"New Zealand and Fiji."
"Wow. The ocean is incredible down there I hear."
Steve nodded. "Part of the reason why I am going."
"What's the other part?"
"My mom and her boyfriend live in New Zealand."
"Oh." she replied. "That's cool."
"Anyway... are you working? I remember Danny said you refused to go to college once you graduated from high school."
Lori nodded. "I have two jobs. They are afternoon and evening shifts though. So I can surf during the morning."
"You surf?" Steve looked at Lori.
"Yeah I go every morning. I love it."
"I do too. It's a shame Danny is so against it."
"Right." Lori giggled. "He's a city kind of guy." she was glad that she had found something to talk about with Steve. She didn't feel so nervous anymore.
"Do you know whether he plans to stop on the island?" Steve asked Lori. Danny had flown to Los Angeles last month to see what it would be like to live and work over there. Two months before he had visited San Francisco.
Lori shrugged. "I really don't know. I would love for him to stay here with me but at the moment I have no clue."
"I want him to stay here too. We were roommates for four years. He's been my longest friendship. I couldn't imagine my bestfriend living on the mainland."
"You two are really close..."
"Yeah we are. I think we got lucky being assigned the same dorm room on our first day."
"I think you're lucky that you have managed to live in such a small place with Danny for so long. I'm so thankful this house is big."
"It means you can keep out of his hair when he's in a bad mood right?" Steve mentioned smiling. He knew Danny's moods were temperamental.
"Exactly." Lori smiled back to Steve.
"What are you two talking about?" Danny asked standing at the door in just some boxer shorts and drying off his hair.
"You." Lori replied.
"Oh what a surprise..." he answered sarcastically. "What you doing here, buddy?" he asked walking in to sit down with Steve.
"I wanted to check on you since you didn't come back to our place last night."
"Pfft I don't even know how I ended up here."
"Well at least you're not in a gutter."
"True."
"Danny, do you want to put some clothes on?" Lori asked pointing to his shorts.
"Not really..."
"It's not very polite is it? Steve is a guest in our home."
"A guest who has seen me naked before so what does it matter."
Lori scrunched up her face in disgust. "Oh my goodness! Steve I am so sorry you had to endure that sight."
"Hey!" Danny shouted out.
Steve laughed out loud. "She's funny..."
"Can you leave us?" Danny asked Lori rudely.
"Can you leave? I was trying to watch a movie here." Lori responded putting her phone back into her pocket.
"Lori! Hey!"
Lori turned around and saw a shirtless Steve approaching her. Lori's friend Ariana whispered into her ear wondering who the hunk was.
"Hi, how are you?" she asked casually when he reached her and Ariana.
"I'm good. It's nice to see you here."
"Yeah, I thought I would try somewhere new. I didn't realise you came here too." Lori lied. She knew. She had heard Danny and Steve talking on the phone last night.
"I come here about once a week. It's great here. Not too many people know that this beach is pretty sweet for surfers." Steve replied keeping his eyes solely on Lori. He hadn't even noticed her friend. "Have you been in yet?" he asked.
"No. I sent Ariana, here, to test it out first." Lori pointed to her friend who was standing behind her.
"Oh sorry I didn't mean to ignore you. I'm Steve."
"Ariana." she held out her hand to Steve.
He shook it and looked out of the corner of his eye to Lori who seemed to be conveying the same thought that was running through his mind. 'Who the hell shakes hands with a member of the opposite sex when they meet? Why so formal?'
"You're really hot." she said which brought his attention back to her.
Lori coughed. "Um, okay Ariana... let's go." Lori pushed Ariana away from Steve gently. "Down girl..." she whispered into her friend's ear.
"What?!" she hissed back. "He is hot."
"Lori!" they heard Steve hollering. "You two forgot something."
Both of the girls turned around and noticed they had left their surf boards in the sand near where Steve and his friends Tommy and Chris were standing.
"Oh shoot!" Lori and Ariana made their way back over to the guys. Lori quickly picked up her towel from the sand throwing it over her shoulder before plucking her board out of the sand. While Ariana bent down slowly, trying to be seductive infront of the guys. Steve didn't seem to take any notice whereas Chris seemed to be enjoying the show.
"I'm going in." Steve told his friends as he ran into the water with his board.
Lori was looking at Ariana making a show of herself. She'd always been very outgoing and confident with her body especially around boys. It wasn't long before Ariana had noticed Steve wasn't there so quickly moved away from Tommy and Chris.
"Is he gay?" Ariana asked Lori when she had caught up with her.
"No. Ariana, not every guy finds you irresistible. You've gotta dial back the sexy sometimes you know."
"I usually get any guy I want."
"Babe, I've known you for five years. I've experienced you getting any guy you want." Lori tied her hair up in a bun and dropped her towel again. "Are you coming in?"
"Nah, I'll just top up my tan. You have fun with that hunk over there." Ariana pointed to Steve who was many metres away from the shore before setting down her towel and laying down.
"I saw Lori earlier." Steve told Danny later that evening.
"Oh yeah, where?"
"The beach not too far from campus. The one that hardly anyone uses."
"I had no idea she went to that one." Danny mentioned.
"Neither did I. I've never seen her there before."
"Was she okay? No guys hitting on her?"
"Nope she stayed with me most of the time actually. It was her friend that seemed to be hitting on the guys."
"What do you mean?"
"She was trying to be all seductive in her bikini infront of me and the boys." Steve mentioned as he continued to play on the console. "I'm not into that man."
"What's your type?"
"I don't have a type in terms of looks..."
"Oh yes you do."
"What are you talking about?" Steve asked looking at Danny briefly.
"You only ever brought brunettes back to your room."
"Not only... there just happened to be lots of dark haired girls on campus."
"Yeah whatever. Carry on."
"If she can chill, can get my attention by just being herself, not trying too hard, then I'll 90% of the time be interested."
"So you're into girls that aren't attention seekers?" Danny said looking at Steve now.
"Yes. And this girl just seemed to have a board as an accessory. I was there for an hour and it didn't get used once."
"A few of Lori's friends are like that." Danny shrugged. "They use it to entice guys. Lori is the one who actually uses it for the purpose of surfing."
"She's good out there. I don't know why I didn't think she would be but I was impressed."
"I should hope she's good. She's been surfing since she was a kid."
"I'm home!" They heard the front door slam from downstairs. "Danny?"
"What?!" he shouted from his spot on the bed.
They could hear footsteps coming up the stairs and down the hall.
Lori opened the door. "Hey.. what are you..." Lori walked in with her head down as she tied her hair up. "Oh, hey Steve." she said looking up at the two guys.
"Hi, you alright?" he asked.
"Yeah are you?"
Steve nodded and carried on playing the console game he and Danny were playing.
"What did you want?" Danny asked not taking his eyes from the tv in front of him.
"To see how you are... I haven't seen you all day." she replied leaning on the door.
"I'm fine. How was work?"
"Busy... that's why I am back so late."
"Mom and dad are at work. Mom called to say she'll be back in the morning." Danny told her.
"Have you guys eaten?" Lori asked.
"No, we might head out." Danny replied.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Do you want to come?" Steve asked. Danny and Lori looked up at him. "What?" Steve said quietly to Danny.
"No.. you guys go do your own thing. I'll be okay here." Lori replied smiling at Steve before leaving the room.
"Why would you ask my sister to come?"
"Why would you leave your sister here late by herself knowing that there's nothing to eat and your parents aren't home?"
"She's 19, Steve."
"And your point is?"
Danny raised his brows at Steve.
"Nevermind. Forget I said anything." Steve said quietly.
"Where do you want to eat?"
"I feel like seafood." Steve replied.
"You always do." Danny complained.
"Well I'm sorry for not being a hamburger kind of guy, Danny."
Steve and Danny continued to play before they decided to leave. Danny went to use the bathroom and then Steve went to wait downstairs. He heard the television on and went into the lounge. He saw Lori sitting in an arm chair drinking a smoothie while watching a cop show.
"Hey..." he said trying to get her attention.
She looked at him and swallowed her drink. "Hey." she smiled before looking back at the screen.
"You can come out with us you know. Danny's just being awkward."
"It's alright. I'll be fine here." she replied putting her smoothie down on the table beside her.
"I think we're going to get seafood tonight. Do you want us to bring you something back?"
"Don't worry about me - honestly." she replied smiling sincerely.
"You ready to go?" they heard from behind Steve.
"Yeah let's go. See ya." Steve said facing Lori.
"Bye."
"We'll be back by 11, Lori." Danny called from near the front door.
"Okay, bye!"
When Steve and Danny arrived back, Lori had gone upstairs and all the lights were out. "You can just stop here, buddy. And then tomorrow morning we can go back to the apartment to pack up our stuff."
"Yeah, yeah, that's fine. Will you get me a toothbrush though?"
Danny walked over to the small bathroom that was downstairs and went through the drawers of the small dresser that was in there. He pulled out a packet of toothbrushes and placed them on the side of the sink.
"There's a whole load in there. Take your pick, dude." he told Steve walking back from that bathroom as Steve was lurking by the lounge.
"Alright thanks man." Steve went to the bathroom while Danny headed upstairs.
Danny went to his mom and step-dad's room to get a pillow and blanket to take down for Steve to sleep with on the couch of the lounge.
He waited for Steve to leave the bathroom. He began to flick through their tivo. Danny selected a movie he had been trying to watch for a couple of days but had never got round to it. Steve came into the lounge sitting down next to Danny.
"What are you watching?"
"It came out like two months ago. My classmates were talking about it." Danny replied not looking at Steve and placing his feet up on the coffee table infront of them.
"Is it a movie or a show?"
"It's a tv movie about a real life crime, I don't know yet. I literally just put it on."
Steve and Danny stayed on the couch watching the movie for about half an hour before they heard footsteps and the lounge door opening. Lori was there in her pyjamas and didn't look impressed. She had clearly been sleeping. She stayed leaning against the door frame.
"You okay, Lori?" Danny asked, quickly looking at her before turning his attention to the screen.
"Can you turn it down please? I can hear it upstairs." Lori pointed to the ceiling. Her room was directly above the lounge.
Danny picked up the remote and turned it down by 10.
"Thank you."
"Lori, while you're there, do you mind getting me and Steve a beer please?"
Lori sighed. "Are you..? I just want to sleep." she muttered turning away.
"I'll get them." Steve said quickly standing up and leaving the lounge. "Where exactly are they?" Steve asked Lori who was in the hallway.
"Don't worry about it. You go back in and enjoy the movie." Lori replied looking and sounding glum. She walked past him but Steve decided to follow.
"You okay?" Steve asked as they entered the kitchen.
"Yeah." she sighed opening the fridge and picking out two bottles of beer. She went over to the drawer which housed the utensils and looked for the top-opener.
"You don't look okay..."
"I... It's just Danny."
"What about him?"
"When it's just me and him he can be a great guy, awesome brother but when you are here... he's different. Rude."
"I've noticed he's not polite to you. I just figured it was your relationship."
Lori shook her head as she turned her attention from Steve to finding the bottle opener. Lori sighed. "Do you mind looking for it? I want to go to sleep."
"Yeah of course. Go on up."
"Thanks." Lori walked past him.
"Goodnight." he said looking back at her.
"Night." she replied.
Steve and Tommy had arrived at the beach near Danny and Lori's house at 7am one morning. Steve was surprised when he saw Lori sitting alone. He approached her quietly. Touching her shoulder, he felt her jump a little.
"Sorry." he said holding up his hands when she turned around.
"It's okay. You good?" she asked turning back around.
"Yeah are you?" he asked taking his t-shirt off.
Lori nodded. "Yeah I'm fine thanks. Just waiting to get into the ocean."
"Why are you waiting?" he asked taking a seat on the sand next to her.
"I'm Ariana's assistant for the morning." waving a make up brush around in her hand.
"Where is she?"
Lori pointed to a huddle of people. Moments later Ariana emerged from the huddle and stood next to a peach coloured surfboard which was standing in the sand a few yards from her.
"She's modelling for a new boutique." she informed Steve.
"Oh."
"Lori!" Ariana called over. She began to draw imaginary lines over her nose and forehead in the shape of a T.
"Urgh..." Lori mumbled. "I'll be back in a minute."
Steve watched as she dabbed the brush over Ariana's T-zone and on her cupids bow.
"You coming in bro?"
"Yeah yeah in a little bit." Steve answered Tommy who was standing behind him. "Go ahead."
Lori was walking back over and Steve pitied her. He could tell that she did care for Ariana but there were about ten other things she'd rather be doing than tending to Ariana's face.
"No offence..." Steve started as Lori sat back down next to him.
"No offence but?"
"Your friend seems really high maintenance." Steve told her as they watched Ariana flicking her hair over her shoulder and posing for the camera man.
"She is but doesn't everyone have a high maintenance friend." Lori looked at Steve. "You do in the shape of my brother."
"I can't argue there."
"We live ten minutes away and he can't even come and spend time with you guys because of his hatred for the ocean. Let me guess you guys didn't get seafood that other night did you?"
Steve smiled and shook his head. "You know him so well."
Lori looked back at her friend.
"Why don't you just go in?" Steve asked. "There are at least three people there who can look after your friend."
Lori sighed. She looked back to where her Ariana's car was parked. She had left her board in there while Ariana had her photos taken.
"Are you going in too?" she asked.
"Yeah I was just keeping you company."
"You go. I'll join you. You didn't have to keep me company." Lori smiled.
"I wanted to."
"That's nice of you. Will you stay here while I go and get my board?"
"Sure."
Lori lifted Ariana's hoody from the blanket they were sitting on and plucked the keys into her hand.
"I'll just be a minute."
"Alright."
Steve, Tommy and Lori surfed together for an hour before deciding to rest and rehydrate. Lori had kept her eye on Ariana from time to time but after about half an hour she was completely focused on the ocean.
"Are you kidding me?" Lori said aloud as they walked out of the ocean with their board under their arms.
"What?" Steve asked looking down at her as they walked.
"Ariana's left."
"Don't worry about it. Tommy will give you a lift home." Steve said pointing to Tommy who was at the other side of him.
"Sure thing, Danny's sister."
"You can call me Lori." she smiled. "Thanks Tommy."
"You can call me Thomas." he replied.
Lori looked up at him and grimaced. She'd called a guy she'd met a couple of times by his nickname.
Steve pushed Tommy over. "Dude, don't be a dick." Steve chuckled and then looked at Lori who had placed her board into the sand near her belongings. "Nobody calls him Thomas. Don't be embarrassed."
Lori glared at Tommy. "You got me for a second there."
Tommy smirked as he dried himself off.
"Do you think Danny will be up yet?" Steve asked.
Lori laughed. "Absolutely not. He gets up at midday nowadays." she replied throwing on an oversized tshirt and putting her flipflops on. She squeezed the moisture out of her hair as she waited for Tommy and Steve so that they could make their way to the car.
"Ready?" Steve asked.
"Yeah."
Tommy and Steve dropped Lori off right outside of her house.
"Lori, can you tell Danny that we need to clear out all of our belongings from the apartment by tomorrow evening. Let him know that I'm going there tonight. About 6 o'clock."
"Sure." Lori replied stepping out of the car and opening the boot of Tommy's car to get her board out. Once she did she walked to the open window of Steve's side. "Thanks for the lift home, Thomas." she giggled walking to the front door.
Steve and Tommy laughed. They waited for Lori to enter the house before driving off.
Ten days later, it was time for Danny's leaving party. Without anyone's knowledge he had reconnected with his biological father who was on the mainland and he had got Danny some work experience in a law firm which was run by an old friend. Danny would be moving not to LA or San Fran but all the way to the east coast. He was headed to New Jersey in two days time. Danny and Lori's mom had put together a get-together at a local bar. She'd managed to get the whole floor and asked the manager to allow the whole family and their friends to attend. That meant that there wouldn't be an open bar and those who wanted alcohol would have to have their i.d. This allowed Lori and their younger cousins to be at the party.
They had ordered a massive cake for Danny. It was chocolate with vanilla cream. The decorative piece on top were a couple of books made out of white chocolate and also scales of justice. Lots of Danny's friends were there thanks to Steve texting everyone he knew to come. Danny and Lori's maternal grandparents had made an appearance before heading home to bed. With so many people giving Danny attention it was easy for Lori to blend into the background and just observe - people watch. She was sitting at the bar and felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Steve.
"Are you okay?" he asked spinning the chair Lori was sitting on to face him.
Lori sighed and faked a smile.
"No? What's up?" Steve asked sipping from his glass of whiskey.
"I..." Lori sighed heavier this time and turned her head to look for Danny.
"Do you want to go and get some air?" Steve asked worried about Lori.
She nodded and they headed out together. Passing by her dad and a couple of her cousins.
"Do you want to tell me why you look so miserable at your brother's party?" Steve asked as they walked along the street.
"I just don't want him to go."
"This is a huge deal for him."
"I know..."
"He's going to be with his dad. He'll be getting hands on experience."
"Yeah I completely get that but...I just wish he wasn't going so quickly you know. He's known for a long time that he'll be leaving us but we aren't being given time to actually process that."
"I get it. I had no idea and I was the one that lived with him."
"I don't like the thought of him being with his other family for a whole year. What if he decides to stay out there? Who do I have?"
"You have your parents, your friends, your work colleagues. All these amazing beaches on the island to catch some killer waves. Waves that you couldn't get on the east coast." Steve mentioned trying to cheer Lori up.
"Hmmm..." Lori sighed and they walked in silence for a while.
"I know it's hard to acknowledge but regardless of the way he acts sometimes, Danny is a grown man. He has to spread his wings at some point and I personally think he being with his biological father on the east coast might be a better option than him being alone on the west coast like we thought he would be. You know?" Steve gently nudged Lori's shoulder with his arm as they walked together.
Steve and Lori walked together for another twenty minutes before heading back into the party. Steve had managed to get Lori's mind off Danny and his big move which was good for the both of them as the move was bothering Steve too. They walked back into the bar with Lori going back to the seats at the bar and Steve going to socialise with his and Danny's mutual friends.
An hour had passed and it was nearly time for everyone to leave. Danny was making a speech near his cake. Lori was standing with her parents who were on Danny's right hand side while Steve was standing with their friends at his left hand side. Lori was hugging her dad as they watched Danny making his speech. Steve kept looking over to make sure she was okay. He knew she had her dad by her side but it didn't stop him making sure for himself. Danny ended the speech telling everyone to enjoy one last drink and make sure that the cake gets finished before they leave so that they don't have to take it all home.
Lori went back to her seat at the bar which she had unofficially designated for herself. She looked over her shoulder when she heard someone groaning a little as they stood near her. It was Steve sitting on the seat next to her.
"Are you feeling better?" he asked.
"Yeah I am."
"Good. I'm glad."
"You helped me realise this is what is best for Danny. I can't be selfish."
Steve nodded as she spoke. The barman came up to them and asked if either of them wanted a drink. Lori asked for a lemonade while Steve asked for a lime cordial soda with a slice of lemon. He'd had a few drinks already tonight and didn't want to drive home recklessly.
"I know that I won't be alone just because Danny won't be around. I'm actually really lucky to have family on the island, amazing friends and I live on the most perfect island in the world."
"You do." Steve agreed standing up. "You'll also have me here." he stated. Resting his arm over the back of Lori's stool and leaning down close.
"What do you mean?" Lori asked not really fazed by their proximity.
"Look I like you. And I think you like me too. I don't know how Danny will feel but as he's going, something is pulling me to make sure you're always protected and cared for. I can never be your brother so..."
Steve and Lori kept their eyes locked on one another. They hadn't even noticed the barman giving them their drinks.
"So what you are saying is that you and I should be more than just friends?" Lori asked for clarification staring momentarily at Steve's lips before back to his blue eyes.
He nodded. "If that is what you want, just say the word."
"Yes. That would be very nice." she smiled biting on her bottom lip lightly.
"Can I kiss you?"
Lori nodded licking her lips quickly as Steve lowered his lips to meet hers. Their kiss only lasted a few seconds so that they didn't draw any attention to themselves. They looked over their shoulders and saw Danny with his mom and Lori's dad talking amongst themselves metres away. Their mom had an envelope in her hand which she was passing to Danny. Steve and Lori watched him open the envelope and out dropped a set of keys.
"Wow." Lori said out loud.
Their mom and Danny's dad had arranged for Danny to have a small apartment to himself which was a block away from his dad and two blocks away from the law firm.
"He's got his own place. That's amazing." Steve commented as they watched Danny hugging his mom and then shaking the hand of his step father. His step-father shrugged and pointed back to their mom. Danny hugged her one more time.
The next evening Steve had come over to the Weston-Williams household to say his goodbye to Danny. He was leaving in the late afternoon the next day but Steve knew it was only right to keep that final day for Danny to be with his family. When Steve arrived the family were out back having a bbq. Danny's maternal grandparents were there along with two of Danny's cousins. The other family members were working but Danny didn't mind. He'd said most of his goodbyes at his party. Steve was warmly welcomed and handed a beer by Danny's grandpa before sitting down next to his grandma. He looked over the table to Lori who was sitting with her younger cousin playing on Lori's phone. They said 'hi' to each other. Neither wanted anyone to suspect anything between them so kept a low, civil profile when it came to being around everyone else. About fourty minutes after his arrival, Danny had called Steve to come into the house. Danny was standing in the kitchen alone.
"What's up buddy? Ready to fly the nest?" Steve asked rubbing his hands as he spoke.
"I think so. Second time moving out but to a whole new state will be strange."
"Yeah it will. You'll be absolutely fine. Especially in your new apartment." Steve smiled. "Your mom told me just now. But I saw her handing you the envelope with the keys last night."
"On the topic of last night I have something to say."
"Yeah go on." Steve leant against the worktop as Danny stood against the opposite one.
"I got sent a video this morning with you and my sister in the background."
"Shit. Danny." Steve sighed.
Danny held up his hand. "Let me finish."
Steve nodded his head and stared at Danny.
"My sister has had a crush on you since you first met during our first year at UH. I've known that all along. I thought it was something she would get over. It would appear she's always held a torch for you. Even after three and a half years she still feels something for you. I thought you were just my best friend who was polite to my little sister. It wasn't until recently that I realised you care for her too."
Steve nodded agreeing with what Danny was telling him.
"I initially thought I would dislike any one of my friends dating my little sister. I saw it as being disrespectful. But brother, you... If anyone had my permission, as of now, it would only be you. It is only you. I need to know that she is in capable hands. The hands of a loyal, kind, warm person. And that's you my friend."
Steve sighed at the realisation that Danny wasn't mad and actually approved of him and Lori dating.
"I'm not done yet." Danny told him.
"Go on, buddy."
"You're going to the other side of the world soon. You need to talk to Lori about that."
"I will. I promise. She already knows about my trip so I can guarantee that we will have a conversation about that."
"I love you man." Danny stepped forward to hug Steve.
"I love you too." Steve patted Danny's back as they embraced for a little while.
"What are your plans before you fly to New Zealand?" Danny asked pulling away.
"Surf. Sell some things which I bought in college which I don't need anymore. Spend time with Lori. Educate myself a bit more on the Australasian oceans. Try and figure out what I can do with my degree."
Danny snorted. "Dude. Why did you pick that when you had no idea what career you can go down?"
"In my mind, I was going to be in 100 grand worth of debt, or more, I might aswell study something I enjoy. I didn't really see the end game."
With Danny thousands of miles away, Steve had made it his mission to make sure he went to see Lori at her house at least every other day. He went to pick her up one morning and then they walked down to the beach together. The sea was pretty calm so they enjoyed a stroll along the shore. Steve had his arm around Lori's shoulders as he rested her head between his shoulder and arm.
"When do you go to see your mom?" Lori asked as they walked.
"I haven't booked my tickets just yet."
"They're going to be more expensive the longer you leave it."
"Yeah I know. I just don't know whether I want to go there anymore."
"Really?"
"Yeah at least not yet anyway. It's nearly five months which I'll be spending alone."
"Your mom and her boyfriend are there..."
"They work a lot. Sometimes are off together for days at a time."
"Oh I see. What are you going to do?"
"I'll probably stay here for another couple of months and then head there in september."
"Fair enough. That means we get to spend more time together."
"It does." Steve nodded. "Danny told me we have to consider me leaving to go to the other side of the world."
"We have now, haven't we? Besides you'll be back in january..."
"Yeah I definitely will."
"Good." Lori sighed happily stopping and leaning her head up towards Steve. Steve stopped and wrapped his arms around Lori's waist leaning down to kiss her. He could feel Lori pulling his tshirt so that he was closer to her. They were going to have a fantastic couple of months together before he left for his adventure to the continent of Australasia.