When they first met.
Walking into Cielo's was like being transported to an authentic kind of Mexican nightlife.
The rooftop was more like an enclosed terrace with an outdoor balcony wrapped around it, letting customers catch a breather between food and dancing with a little r and r on comfy couches overlooking Honolulu's striking skyline.
A stage at the furthest end of the dance floor that hosted both local Hispanic musicians and every once in a blue moon star studded bands and artists that usually sell out hundreds of arenas, Cielo's had become a rising name when it came to the island nightlife.
Lining the edges of the bar were vintage light bulbs lighting the colorful tiled bar that lined the east end of the restaurant, the areas away from the dance floor enough for guests to be able to read the drink and dinner menus but nothing to distract for the nightly entertainment that was always present but never went on before 9:30.
The 5-0 men waited patiently to be seated as they stood in the seemingly fast paced line that continued to grow as the night grew later and later, lucky for Danny, Chin and Steve it didn't take much longer for them to be seated.
The stick in the mud Steve Mcgarrett already seemed to be less than impressed with the atmosphere of their current location, arms crossed and rolling his eyes at all the haoles surrounding him.
Looking like a grinch who was about to waste a night out away.
As much as he appreciated the way that they wanted to venture away from their usual spot, he would have appreciated a night in on a work night rather than galivanting as if they were still in their twenties.
Backstage Luna and her sister were lounging around the dressing room eating tacos and gabbing about how perfect Cielo's space was going to be for Roxy's reception, that's when Cielo came stomping into the room shouting swears in Spanish, spouting off complaints left and right.
"Hey Tia (Auntie) - what's the matter?" Roxy asked.
"The singer for the first act is drunk already and headfirst in the toilet back here that's what's wrong! Dios Mio que voy hacer? (Oh – God what am I supposed to do?)" She shouted pacing around the room arms flailing.
"Relax Tita, can't you just move up the second act and forget about the first?" She scoffed at the thought, shaking her head at the suggestions being offered to her.
"And what exactly do I tell the band and male lead waiting to perform in fifteen minutes? The first act is a duet and dance." Neither sister knew what to say to help their aunt, they just sat there in silence waiting for her to realize that the best thing to do was cancel the first act.
As if a light bulb went off in her head Cielo suddenly stopped and turned to look at Luna with a sweet smile on her face as she realized who she could ask for a such a specific favor.
"Luna?" She elongated the pronunciation of her name.
"Yes?" Luna responded cocking an eyebrow at the sudden change in her aunt's demeanor.
"Mi sobrina preciousa (My Precious niece). I am your favorite Tia am I not?" Luna furrowed her brows as she quickly realized the idea brewing in her aunt's head.
"I have a feeling you aren't going to let me say no, aren't you?" She said cautiously.
Once upon a time when Luna was in high school, she had a very promising role in the choir program, not only that but performing in any kind of talent, art, and cultural shows building up her singing repertoire becoming a sensation of sorts back in her high-school days….in Chicago that is.
"C'mon Luna, it'll give you some practice for when you sing at my wedding!" Her sister exclaimed as she jumped out of her seat, yanking Luna up and towards the vanity mirror, ready to doll her up to the next level for the performance.
As the night grew older, so did the lines to the taco bar, all the while the so-called live music hadn't yet started there seemed to be enough of a reason for the trio to stick around a little longer.
"How d'you find this place Danny?" Chin asked curious how Danny of all people who be one to find a place like this.
"Melissa mentioned something about this place being on her Instagram feed, thought it would be fun to try something new." It wasn't an outright lie, as soon as he got to Melissa's house, he ran the idea of coming to Cielo's by her and within minutes he was shown photos and reviews.
"Nice choice. What do you think Steve?" He shrugged, hardly impressed by what seemed to be yet another notch in Honolulu's night club scene.
Before he was able to voice his annoyance, Cielo herself introduced herself and guided the trio over to a VIP table.
"Bienvenidos muchachos (welcome boys) follow me and I will get you seated." She spoke with a heavy Mexican accent as she led them towards one of the VIP tables while balancing a tray of delicious looking drinks, chip and various dip, once she had them seated where she wanted, she placed a drink and menu before each.
"Uh ma'am we didn't reserve a table." Chin called after her.
"Oh we don't do reservations here, just leave a review of your service here to be published on our website and your service will be complimentary for the evening. It's a part of our grand re-opening specials for the month. We select random guests to enjoy and review."
"Thank you." Danny said immediately taking a sip of the drink he had before him.
"This is our house made horchata. Your server Ricardo will be by to take your order in a few moments."
"You gotta admit the service is spot on." Chin said happily taking another sip of his drink.
"Alright I'll hand it to you this wasn't a horrible idea." Steve set aside his sober grumpy attitude and took a chug of the drink and got started on the big bowl of homemade tortilla chips before him.
After Ricardo came by to take the trios orders, they let themselves relax, enjoying the entertainment that was all the couples dancing as if it were some sort of dance competition. It didn't take long for the food to be brought out to their table and they got to chowing down.
That's when the music was cut, and all eyes were on the woman on stage ready to present the night's entertainment.
Putting the finishing touches on her sister, Roxy turned the swivel chair to face the mirror so Luna could look at herself.
Instead of her signature messy bun, she twisted and maneuvered her wine-red locks into a high ponytail, braids weaved on either side of her head.
Luckily the dress that she had picked out for the evening Cielo deemed appropriate for the occasion, so she didn't have to do any improvising, an olive-green halter dress that hugged her curves just tightly and then right at her upper mid-thigh flared higher on her right side showing a little more leg than the left in an asymmetrical fashion.
Her make up now had stayed untouched as the brown smokey cat eye and full matte brick red lips complimented her choice of dress and hairstyle just perfectly.
Walking as if on a floor made of jello Luna nervously made her way behind the curtain waiting for the first act to be presented, noticing her sister's nervousness Roxy squeezed her hand and tried her best at a pep-talk.
"Don't be nervous! How many performances have you done in the past?" Luna let out a nervous chuckle as her sister dragged her closer and closer to the curtains of the stage.
"Keyword sis past, I haven't done this in years!" Roxy rolled her eyes and laughed at the once super girl that was her sister, now turned into a nervous Nelly.
"No time like the present to get into a past hobby. Now get out there and work it! You never know who is watching!" Roxy let out that last bit in a taunting tone.
Before Luna could react to her sister's final words, the curtains of the stage swung open in a single swoop- causing her to jump a bit as she clutched the microphone tightly in her hand.
"Bienvenidos a todos! (Welcome all) we have an amazing line up for your entertainment so without further interruption please put your hands together para la banda (the band) Illuminar featuring Marcelo and my beautiful sobrina (niece), Luna!" The crowd on the dance floor cheered for the large instrumental band taking the stage along with a tall, dark handsome man with a black suit, and a beautiful Hispanic woman with bottle red hair and a sexy green dress.
"Oh Steven?" Danny said ever so sweetly trying to get his friend's attention, who was currently too busy stuffing his face full of delicious tacos to care about what was happening on stage.
"What?" He asked sounding rather irritated that someone was trying to distract him from the food he was busy chowing down on.
Danny's finger pointed towards the stage, causing Steve to roll his eyes, but reluctantly veer up to where he was being urged to look.
When he finally caught sight of the woman on stage, he choked on the food in his mouth, not understanding why Danny was so eager for him to look, recognizing her instantly as the woman that he was supposedly eye banging at the store earlier that day.
Steve's reaction earned himself a few stifled chuckles from the Danny, as he was clearly unable to hide his apparent amusement, Chin being left in the dark to the inside joke, raised an eyebrow at Steve choking on his food and Danny laughing hysterically.
"Steve's new girlfriend." He nodded up towards the woman dancing on stage, all the while earning himself a swift elbow to the rib cage by a barely lucid Steve.
(The song that they sing is called Dutty Love by Don Omar featuring Natti Natasha)
The violins started out slow and low, building up to a faster beat once the steel drums got started that's when Marcelo started to sing while twirling Luna to the beat of the music.
(Marcelo singing)
Jure q no volveria a sucederme de nuevo
Volvio a pasar
Q cupido no volveria a enredarme en su juego
Y aqui ahora estas
Uou uou uou
Hablando de amar
Uou uou uou
Hablando de amar
As Marcelo sang, he led Luna through a series of beautiful twirls and turns before it was her turn to sing.
Improvising to the beat of the music Luna began to sing and dance.
(Luna singing)
Tu tienes algo y no se que aun no lo descifro
Pero alteras mis sentidos
Otros amores del pasado me han dejado diabetica
Y no puedo ser dulce contigo
Le temo a que tu y cupido me vendan un sueño
Y falle de nuevo
A q hoy estes conmigo y mañana con tu dueña
Si me vuelve a pasar me muero
Steve wasn't not a man that anyone would ever believe to form a mesmerized expression on his face, but watching the way that Luna was singing and dancing, it was as if she was some kind of siren, pulling him right into her spell.
(Luna singing)
Oh, oh oh uo
Me gustas pero tengo miedo de fallar en el amor
Oh, oh oh uo
Me gustas pero tengo miedo de fallar en el amor
(Marcelo)
Yo a cupido no le creo pero en tus ojos veo esa actitud
Que te hizo confiar?
El pasado a sido duro pero casi estoy seguro q princesa tuu
Lo puedo cambiar
Con la forma en la q sexy me bailas
Y lo rico q tus labios me besan
A tu lado se me pasan las horas
Lejos de ti no sales de mi cabeza yal
(Luna)
Con la forma en la q sexy me bailas
Y lo rico q tus labios me besan
A tu lado se me pasan las horas
Lejos de ti no sales de mi cabeza pai
(Marcelo)
Oh oh oh oh oh
You drive me crazy mama
Oh oh oh oh oh
Me gustas nena
Oh oh oh oh oh
You drive me crazy mama
Oh oh oh oh oh
Y no te lo puedo negar
Y yo q prometi q al amor no le creeria más
Y aqui ahora estas
Me la paso pensando en ti todos los dias
Hablando de amar
Y yo q caminaba solo en el mundo, sin rumbo
Y aqui ahora estas
Y ahora aqui estas tu devuelveme la luz
Hablando de amar
Jure q no volveria a sucederme de nuevo
Volvio a pasar
Q cupido no volveria a enredarme en su juego
Y aqui ahora estas
Uou uou uou
Hablando de amar
Uou uou uou
Hablando de amar
(Luna)
Tu tienes algo y no se q aun no lo descifro
Pero alteras mis sentidos
Otros amores del pasado me han dejado diabetica
Y no puedo ser dulce contigo
Le temo a q tu y cupido me vendan un sueño
Y falle de nuevo
A q hoy estes conmigo y mañana con tu dueña
Si me vuelve a pasar me muero
Oh oh oh uo
Me gustas pero tengo miedo de fallar en el amor
Oh oh oh uo
Me gustas pero tengo miedo de fallar en el amor
He wouldn't have ever admitted to anyone not even himself that he was a little bummed at the way she was dancing so provocatively with her partner, from the outside looking in it seemed as if they were an actual couple.
But luckily for him Marcelo preferred male companionship rather than female.
Nearing the end of the performance Steve headed to the bar to see what else they had to drink in the virgin variety, having had enough of the company of two gossiping men- talking about his eye candy on stage.
(Marcelo)
Con la forma en la q sexy me bailas
Y lo rico que tus labios me besan
A tu lado se me pasan las horas
Lejos de ti no sales de mi cabeza yal
(Luna)
Con la forma en la q sexy me bailas
Y lo rico q tus labios me besan
A tu lado se me pasan las horas
Lejos de ti no sales de mi cabeza pai
Oh oh oh oh oh
You drive me crazy mama
Oh oh oh oh oh
Me gustas nena
Oh oh oh oh oh
You drive me crazy mama
Oh oh oh oh oh
Y no t lo puedo negar
As the music began to fade, the duo took their last couple of twirls flowing into a bow once the music finally ended.
Marcelo and the rest of the band walked back behind the curtain of the stage, meanwhile Luna stepped down the staircase in the middle of the stage, making her way towards the bar wanting to quench her built up thirst.
"Primito, me regalas un agua con limon porfa?"
(Cousin, I please have a water with lemon?)
She asked sweetly, stepping up onto the bar step, leaning against the counter, hoping that he wasn't going to give her a hard time about her performance.
Thankfully for her, Jorge her cousin from her mother's side who when growing up would constantly pick on Luna, seemed to be overwhelmed with the influx of customers wanting to be plied with drinks.
"Aqui toma." (Here- take it.) He slid a tall glass over and went on about his business, making the other guests a priority over any kind of want to humiliate his beloved cousin.
"Gracias."
A familiar voice caught Steve off guard as he sipped on his second horchata of the night.
For Luna it was the sensation of eye's so close upon her.
Each turned towards a sensation trying to catch their attention.
Luna's brown eyes grew wide as she was met with Steve's similarly wide-eyed gaze, she whipped her head back towards the bar rolling her eyes as she couldn't believe who was standing next to her.
Rolling her eyes and letting out an exasperated sigh as she realized what her sister was up to back at the store.
"Funny seeing you here." Steve stated, Luna pursed her lips in amusement and nodded, veering her head back towards him.
"Hey, my aunt and uncle own this place... that should be my line."
"Touché."
"Your buddy sure knows how to take a hint."
"And your sister sure knows how to drop them."
"Touché."
He was at a loss for words at the moment, clearly having been so busy with staring at the woman in front of him in line, as opposed to catching on to Danny's obvious scheming in the moment.
"Gotta give em props though." Luna sipped on her water as she let herself relax against the bar.
"Nice to know I'm not the only one with meddlin' family."
"Oh you have no idea."
"Steve." He stretched out his hand as he introduced himself.
"Luna." She accepted the strong shake of lightly calloused his hand.
"Nice performance out there."
"Thank you…… nice to find out I'm not so rusty at it."
"You mean you don't do that often?"
"Nope……haven't done a performance like that since high school."
"Could have fooled me."
"Are you enjoying your guy's night?" She asked as she made herself comfortable, leaning against the counter of the bar as she stood.
"I guess, I mean I'm not much of a club guy. Too many haoles." Luna chuckled at the smug tone in his voice as he mentioned the Hawaiian word for outsider, nodding his head toward her when he said the word.
"Oh so you're a native, aren't you?"
"You catch on quick." She offered him a small smirk before quipping back with her culture's own word for outsider.
"I'm familiar with outsider nicknames Gringo so yes I catch on really quick." She rolled her r as she said the work Gringo.
Their witty banter being cut short as one of Luna's admirers had enough of a peaked interest to come over and completely interrupt the conversation, and completely violate her personal space at the same time.
"Hey baby." He said said with a clearly buzzed voice, way too close to her face, she furrowed her brows and made a sour face as the scent of alcohol on his breath puffed onto her face, glaring at the man draping his arm on her and basically grabbing her ass.
"You have exactly 5 seconds to get your paws off me before I pin your head to the bar top." She said simply, taking yet another sip of water.
At first Steve thought about stepping in but seeing fierceness in Luna's glare he thought he would let this little scene play out.
"1…...2….3." One squeeze of her ass and that little angelic face wasn't so angel like anymore.
"Alright asshole." She swung his arm around in her hands, pinning his arms behind his back and smacked his head on the bar top, giving a little smirk down at the drunk man almost twice her size. Steve was absolutely amazed, the way this tiny woman was able to maneuver the man before her and pin him down in a 'you're under arrest asshole' type of manner.
"Touch me again or any other girl without her consent and I'll do more than just pin you to a bar top, entendido?" She tightened her grip on the man's arm, bending it more and more waiting to hear his reply of understanding.
"Understood." He groaned out.
"Now run off before I have the bouncer help me throw you off the roof!" She let him up and ordered him away.
Smoothing her disrupted dress out, she had clearly forgotten that she had an audience, she looked up from her little adjustment to find, Steve staring at her with a very amused expression on his face.
"What?" She asked innocently.
"Nothing." He chuckled turning to the bar to take another drink of his Horchata.
"So, Gringo…. What can we do to your night, so it isn't a total bore?" She asked as she took her spot next to Steve once again making herself comfortable.
"What is Gringo going to be my nickname or something?"
"Only if you call me Haole." She shrugged.
"What did you have in mind…. Haole?" A familiar salsa remix came onto the speakers which made her think.
"How about a dance lesson?"
"Won't your dance partner get jealous?" He asked remembering the way she danced so seductively with her partner on stage, not wanting to step on anyone's toes.
"He is the jealous type. As long as you don't go around asking his boyfriend to dance, you'll be fine." The smirk on her face turned into a dashing smile as she held out her hand, tempting him onto the dance floor.
(Author's note- inspiration for this scene came from the song "La Habana" by Pinto Wahin and DJ Ricky Luna)
Steve couldn't help but smile at Luna's charming confidence, he accepted her hand and laced his fingers with hers as she led him into the deep crowds of the dance floor. Assuming that his posse would be wanting to be in the audience she took him on the further side of the dance floor, away from any kind of audience that would be watching them.
"Don't be afraid to get close – I don't bite." She said loudly through the music.
"I won't." He pulled her close by her the small of her back causing her to let out a surprised gasp in the process, pressing her body tightly to his, a smirky smile formed on Luna's face, not minding the way that it felt to be manhandled a bit, especially by her new friend.
Step by step Steve followed Luna as she led them through the beginning of the dance, getting the gist of the dance, and having had enough of letting her lead, he decided to take over. Taking her by surprise he pulled her into his body, then twirling her out before leading her into a low dip, a very surprised Luna's head whipped back so fast it should've caused whiplash.
'Oh so the Gringo knows what he's doing after all.' She thought to herself.
Pulling her back up she looked up at an amused Steve with an evil smirk on her face, letting him take the lead through a few more twirls, steps and dips a slow climax came on during the song where she saw an opportunity to cause him to sweat. The song came to a slow point where Steve led her into a spin out and then back into him, Luna keeping her back against Steve's chest began grinding her hips against his reaching her hand up to graze the back of his head and stroking down to his neck. Resting her head on his chest and shoulder she flashed her eyes upwards to meet his gaze – she was met with a look of lust, she had him right where she wanted him, feeling his hot breath on her face he got caught up in the moment and leaned in slightly as to kiss her. Just before their lips could even brush, she lifted his arm to twirl herself into facing him again shaking her head and chuckling, she had gotten her revenge for that surprise dip.
They finished out the dance with one last low and breathless for Luna dip.
"Thanks for the dance." She gave a squeeze to their laced hands and slipped out heading towards the far balcony where it was more secluded.
"Where are you off to?" Steve asked following after her.
"Balcony to get some air… your welcome to join me." She answered turning back to speak to him with a smile on her face.
He thought for a moment about going to let his friends know where he was going to be, but he figured a simple text letting them know where he was would suffice.
The balcony at this time of night was absolutely breathtaking, even with the lights of the city surrounding, the glow from the starts and moon couldn't be outshined.
To add to the lax atmosphere there were circular couches huddled around fire pits, heading towards the furthest couch on the corner Luna slid into the opening and made herself comfortable by the fire, Steve following close behind.
"I owe you quite the apology, Gringo." She stated as she crossed one leg over the other, careful not to flash the color of her underwear in the process.
"For what?" He said in a smug voice knowing where this was going.
"For assuming that you didn't know how to dance."
"Apology accepted." Luna chuckled.
"So Haole where are you from?"
"Illinois, born and raised in Chicago." Steve smiled thinking of Lou as soon as she said the infamous city name.
"I got a friend from there, doesn't stop talking about his love for the sports teams there." She chuckled.
"Blackhawks and White Sox for life but I could care less for football, the Bears are kind of embarrassing to watch."
"I'd have to agree, they suck."
"Who knows maybe they'll finally kick out Cutler and we'll actually have a chance."
"Won't you miss it?" Steve asked giving away that he and Danny really had been eavesdropping on they're conversation back at the store.
"Absolutely, but I've lived there my whole life, and I guess I just need a fresh start somewhere familiar." Steve nodded not wanting to press any further considering her mysterious answer, he was however interested to hear what she would miss most, hearing Lou always talk about all that he missed from his former home.
"What'll you miss most?" Luna pressed her lips together, laying her head back against the couch; pondering this question, of course she will miss the food and scenery that was most obvious, but she chose to stick with a more personal response.
"The way cool summer nights smell…." She closed her eyes and inhaled the Hawaiian night air, realizing how odd this must look she lifted her head back up to find the curious expression on Steve's face.
"I don't know, it's hard to explain, there's just something nostalgic about how it smells at night in the middle of the summer." Of all the answers Lou had given him, even all the answers others had given about their favorite places, this was definitely one that caught him off guard the most.
"Yeah, we don't get many cool nights here." Steve commented.
"I'm sure I'll survive with cranking the AC up to the max. Besides, living in paradise doesn't seem too shabby."
"I don't have many complaints."
"Why'd you let your friends drag you out here if you're not much of a club guy?"
"They can be persuasive when the situation calls for it." He muttered.
"Other than too many haoles, why the dislike for clubs?"
"Too many drunks, spilled drinks and annoying remix music. I usually go for a calmer type of scene." She nodded in agreement.
"What about you? This your type of weekend fun?"
"Occasionally, if it's like this, authentic culture amazing food, live music and dancing that is more than just grinding or basically having sex on the dance floor." As soon as the last part of her explanation left her mouth, he gave her that 'really' look, and they broke out into a fit of embarrassed laughter.
"Not that I'm complaining, but you don't call movin' like that sex on the dance floor?" She rolled her eyes as he pointed to all the couples on the dance floor.
"Salsa, merengue and all those other dances they may be sexual but there's at least some romance and culture to it, it's more than the usual club dancing." Steve smiled at the passion coming from her explanation of what dancing meant to her, it was endearing.
"I'll give it to you on that one." He smiled at her.
"What do you do for work?" She smiled and took the chance to be a little mysterious with his question.
"I'll let you guess that one, but I bet you'll never get it right." Steve stared at her and thought for a moment.
"Alright, singer?" She laughed and shook her head.
"I'm flattered that you think I'm that good but nope. Try again." She said with a teasing voice causing him to think of more options.
"Dance instructor?" She shook her head again, causing Steve to furrow his brows in concentration, trying to think of what a woman like her would have chosen for a career.
"Definitely could have been if I didn't switch my major halfway through but nope."
"I'm stumped…give me a hint?"
"If I give you any hints it'll give it away. I'm gonna make you work for this one." He chuckled.
"Can we come back to it?"
"Fine by me but be warned my lips are sealed on that one." Neither one could keep from smiling, each could admit that they were having fun getting to know one another with a little witty banter thrown into the mix.
"What do you do for work?" She asked as if expecting an answer out of him on that one.
"Nope, if you're not telling I'm not gonna either." She giggled and nodded I agreement.
"Deal, we'll save the career reveals for next time."
"Next time?" Steve asked.
"Do you want there to be a next time?" She asked hoping that he would say yes, but as soon as she finished her question, she heard her sister calling behind her loudly.
"Luna!" Luna groaned as she heard her tipsy sister scurrying over to them.
"Yes Roxy?" She asked trying to not show her obvious annoyance.
"Well hello." She said towards Steve, happy to find that they were getting along so well.
"Hi, I'm Steve." He stood up to shake her hand.
"You already know my name. I'm Luna's sister, nice to meet you." She spoke as fast as the merengue song that was playing in the background, mind clearly clouded by the few tequila shots she had taken with Cielo.
"Likewise." Steve said chuckling at the tipsy young woman.
"Luna, Tita and I are going to the North Shore now to get some errands done in the morning – think you can get home, okay?" Luna nodded knowing full well what her sister was trying to do.
"Yeah, I'll just get an uber." Roxy handed her phone, shawl scarf and clutch purse back to her.
"I could give you a ride home." Steve chimed in.
"Sure." Luna said before hugging her sister goodnight.
"De nada querida Usa proteccion!" (You're welcome my love! Use protection!) Roxy yelled as she turned to walk away, but not far enough for Luna to miss smacking her butt with her clutch bag making her scurry off faster giggling along the way.
"Vas a ver te voy a regresar el favor hermanita!" (Just wait I'm gonna get you back for that one little sister)
She turned back, rolling her eyes and shaking her head to fund a chuckling Steve seemingly amused by her sister's antics.
"My baby sister, isn't she precious?" She asked not really expecting him to answer.
"Muy preciousa." (Extremely precious) Steve said in perfect Spanish, again with a certain smugness to his tone.
Luna's face felt hot with blush on her face, all she could do was laugh nervously now knowing that he knew exactly what her sister said.
"Well that answers my question of do you speak Spanish."
"Fluent." Again with the smug voice that made her blush ten shades of red in less than two minutes.
"At least there won't be a language barrier when I start spouting crap in Spanglish."
"Definitely not."
After all the embarrassment and blushing they sat there for a little while in a comfortable silence just watching the hustle and bustle of the city below pairing with the beauty of the night sky, enjoying the view.
"What time do you wanna get going?" Steve broke the silence looking down at his watch that read half past midnight.
"I wouldn't mind heading out now, I have a pretty busy morning ahead of me."
"What do you have going on tomorrow?" He asked as if he didn't already know from his eavesdropping session earlier at the store.
"New job, remember?" She said as she wiggled her eyebrows at him.
"Wanna head out now?" She got up and smoothed out her dress gathering up her things.
"Yeah, I just wanna let my friends know." She nodded following him back into the craziness of the club.
Waking over to where their VIP table was, there were Chin and Danny were still at the table sipping on the house special and having some dessert.
"Hey guys, I'm gonna head out." Danny turned to look at Steve and next to him was the girl that they had seen at the store.
"And where are you two off to?" Luna smirked knowing where he was taking this, just like her sister.
"Relax Danno, I'm just giving her a ride home, Luna these are my friends Danny Williams and Chin Ho Kelly." She smiled and stepped closer to say hi.
"Nice to meet you both…oh and Danny- my sister says thank you for catching on to the hints that she dropped back at the store." Danny chuckled.
"We make quite the team, don't we?"
"Team of meddling loved ones you sure do." She said making all three men laugh at the situation.
After a little reminder to not stay out too late from Danny to Steve, and an eye roll from Steve to Danny, they walked off, side by side, heading down to the parking lot to find Steve's truck.
The elevator ride down they stood in a comfortable silence since they weren't the only two riding down.
"Nice wheels." Luna commented as they walked into the parking garage and Steve unlocked his Silverado.
"Think you can get in by yourself?" Steve asked opening the door to his monster truck.
"With heels probably but without I'd have to take a running start." Reaching up to pull herself with the bar she did so with no trouble at all other than having to lift her short leg up a little extra earning another chuckle from Steve.
"Hey if your gonna laugh at least help me up!" She said playfully accepting his hand, once she was in, she set her clutch down next to her and laid her scarf on the center console not realizing that it was sliding down into the backseat while she buckled her seatbelt.
"Thank you." Steve walked over to the other side and got in.
"Straight home or can we take the scenic route?"
"Scenic route porfa, I missed the nightly views of this place." She gave him her address giving him an idea where to head as to not drift too far.
"I thought you just moved here?"
"I did, but my family has been coming to the island for years, kind of an escape from the mainland for holidays and summers."
"So that's what you meant by familiar."
"Yep." Luna has a small nod as she made herself comfortable.
Things stayed at a comfortable silence for a little while as he took her on a drive by the coast where she could see the beauty of the night sky. The further he drove from the city the clearer the stars and moon beamed down; Luna stared out the window amazed by the view.
Of course she had seen it many times before but scenery like this isn't something you get used to.
"I bet you don't see skies like that in Chicago." She chuckled.
"Not quite. But the cityscape here pales in comparison to my Chi." She pulled up a picture of her and her sister bundled up on winter coats squished together smiling pointing to her engagement ring with the Chicago winter night skyline in the background.
"Talk about a Kodak moment." She smiled as she recalled that night, her sister had just gotten engaged that very night, her sister's boyfriend Lucas had entrusted her on helping with the whole charade.
"It really was." Putting her phone back in her bag she laid back and enjoyed the view of their little night ride through the island.
"So you grew up here?" She asked curious about the type of accent he had.
"Up until halfway through high school we moved out to the mainland for a while, and I came back here after a couple tours overseas." Not wanting to get into all the dirty details he downplayed his role in the military just a bit.
"You were in the service?"
"Navy Seal."
"Cool, sorry didn't mean to get excited it's just my dad was a Marine and my brother is in the army - I have a lot of admiration for servicemen…. and women." She added in the last bit not wanting to leave the ladies out.
"Don't be sorry. Is your dad retired?"
"Yup, retired for eight years. Now he owns a detail shop in Chicago with my little brother."
"Car cleaning type thing?"
More like pimp my ride but less tacky and more badass but they do cleanings as well." Steve laughed instantly thinking of the tv shows outrageous makeovers on cars.
"So window tint and rims rather than velvet interior."
"Exactly."
"I gotta ask one thing." She looked over at him as he sounded semi serious.
"Go for it."
"What kind pets do you have that eat all your bras and underwear?" She chuckled.
"Two six-month-old, twenty-pound German Shepard puppies that I rescued three months ago. I could give them all the chew toys in the world and still bras and panties are second to none." Steve laughed at the thought of two big dogs going at it over a bra.
"That must suck."
"Hell yeah, going to work with teeth marks in my bra isn't the most comfortable situation." Steve laughed at the thought.
Then his mind went to thoughts of how Luna looked in just a bra and he quieted down right away.
"423?" She nodded.
"That's the one." He pulled into her driveway and like a gentleman he got out right away to go open the door for her, and to help her down from his massive truck.
Luna smiled and accepted the handheld out for her, her black clutch in her other hand forgetting the other accessory that fell behind the seat.
Walking up the driveway side by side, Luna couldn't keep the smile from her face no it wasn't a date, but he gave her butterflies as if it were a first date, she was able to contain it a little better once they reached the steps to her door.
"Sorry for stealing you away from your guy's night." Steve smiled knowing full well that she wasn't sorry.
"I'm not." Luna blushed.
"Not much of a guy' night when your friend is trying to set you up, huh?"
"I shoulda caught onto Danny's scheming a lot sooner."
"He's as sneaky as my little sister is with the scheming but I'd be distracted too if someone were talking about dogs using lingerie as chew toys."
"Which might have been her intent all along, to distract you."
"Years of experience on both ends huh." She laughed brushing the small piece of hair poking at her face tucking it behind her ear and smiling brightly at him.
"That's for damn sure."
"Just so you know I don't count this as a first date." He stated catching her off guard.
"As much fun as I've had getting to know you tonight, I'd have to agree." She said as she leaned up against the railing of her porch.
"What are you doing for dinner on Thursday?" She shrugged.
"Probably just grilling out." She shrugged, not wanting to sound like a total loser not having any plans because her sister was no longer to be in town.
"Think you could use a grill buddy? I mean I'd ask you out to a restaurant, but I wouldn't want the furballs to attack your bras again." Luna rolled her eyes and laughed at his subtle way of – asking her on a date, yet at the same time making her feel as if she was being friend zoned.
"Delicates are locked away in the closet, I learned my lesson pretty quick with that one. I wouldn't mind some help with the cooking. Stop by around seven? I should be out of work by then."
"Sounds good to me." She straightened out as he leaned in for a quick hug, breathing in his cologne and wanted to just skip all the decencies and drag him up to her room having her way with him but she figured it wasn't the greatest way to start any kind of relationship.
Steve was right there with her as he got closer to her once again smelling her warm perfume only made him want more of her; but he knew that there was more to this connection other than just sex.
"Have a good night, Steve."
"Goodnight Luna." Steve replied as he pulled away and gave her one last smiled before walking back to his truck.
Luna took her house keys from her purse and walked up to her door letting herself in smile still on her face excited for the next time that she got to see Steve again, little did she know it would be a lot sooner than Thursday.
Steve situated himself before starting up the truck and he noticed a piece of paper stuck onto his rear-view mirror.
Call me
Xxx-xxx-xxx
Your friendly neighborhood Haole
He drove home with a slight smile on his face, looking forward to the coming days, or more looking forward to the coming days that would lead up to seeing Luna again.
