Trial And Error

Chapter Two

Kian's POV

"Let's go, Lucas! We only have a mile left!" Kian yelled over her shoulder as she took in her exhausted friend

The man panted as he trailed behind barely holding on, "Shut the fuck up Kian. You said that nine miles ago."

"Luckily for you, this is the last one, so push it!"

"I hate you so fucking much."

"Love you too buddy." She smirked as she increased her pace.

They had just established a habit of running together before work. Originally the activity had been something that Kian would do on her own. However, after looking at his run time from his prior physical fitness tests, Lucas had been in desperate need of her assistance. They weren't poor; rather, they just weren't up to his standards.

As the sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon, Kian took in the serene setting of the park. Even after seeing it every day since she arrived, she could never get bored of the sight. After she crossed the ten-mile mark, she started feeling the burning in her legs and could feel the sweat trickling down her back. While she relished the runner's high, the Marine lowered her speed and placed her hands on her hips. As the sun warmed her skin, she felt at ease.

The Lieutenant took up running as a hobby in high school. with a mother who could only do so much and an emotionally abusive father. For her, the times spent on those lengthy, silent treks served as a form of free therapy. A period of time when she could focus solely on the future she had envisioned, shutting out everything else. In the end, she benefited a lot from it, especially considering her current career.

Feet smacking the pavement neared her, "I thought that this would become easier over time." He panted out resting his hands over his head, following in Kian's rhythm.

Kian chuckled softly, "We've only been doing this for two weeks, Lucas."

"Worse two weeks of my life." He exaggerated dramatically causing the woman to roll her eyes

"You're a Marine Lucas, how did you get through OCS?"

"No idea." He huffed "But, to be fair I was a stick back then. Less weight for me to carry around."

When she first met Lucas, he was the definition of a stick—a very strong stick. Kian had assisted him in gaining weight throughout the years because she experienced a similar issue when she was younger. Kian looked over the now-stocky man, who was at least an inch shorter than her in height. The once-neatly styled short blond hair was now pressed up against the blood-red face. Regardless, he continued to display model-like characteristics.

"How are the finishing touches going on the proposal?" She asked

"Shh! Don't say it out loud, someone might hear." He shushed scanning the area as if there were any civilians at this hour.

Kian laughed again, "No one is even here, you paranoid weirdo."

Lucas had felt Olivia was the one after just three years of dating, therefore the Marine had been planning it for some time. No one, especially Kian, could truly argue with the statement. The pair had been fully and thoroughly drawn to one another from the time they had first met. W ith the approval of Madison, as well as Olivia's family. Kian and Lucas came up with a comprehensive strategy for how he would propose. It was simply a matter of time before they had one that they had finally mastered.

He tucked his hands into his pocket as he felt his heart rate come down, "Olivia and I haven't had any alone time in weeks. The first time we actually got to spend time with each other was yesterday, before the party. With Madison's album and our recent training schedule, you know how it is. After the time we spent planning this thing I just want it to be perfect. She deserves that much." The pair stopped picking up the canteens that they had left, "The most alone time we've gotten in weeks was yesterday before we came to the party." He fiddled with the cap staring at the ground.