"Kira," a soft voice coos, "Kira," a warm hand is placed on my shoulder and shakes me slightly but my eyes still refuse to open. That's when warm lips press to mine and my arms slowly wrap around Jesse's neck and I kiss back with my eyes still sealed shut.
"Ew no PDA!" a voice resembling Naomi's shouts and suddenly a pillow smacks me out of my half dream, half kiss moment. My eyes jolt open as my head flies forward and collides with another one making my body fall back onto the bed.

"Naomi," I grumble while rubbing the sore part of my head.
"What I'm sorry you guys were getting all nasty," she comments as I peak an eye open for the first time to see Chris driving with Katie in the front, John sleeping on the other side of the van, and Naomi in the middle of a game of solitaire.

"Where are we," I murmur as I hoist myself up next to Jesse on the side of the van.
"We, my love, are in the great state of Utah," he responds with a wide grin and I quirk an amused eyebrow up.
"I'd know that mischievous look anywhere, what are you planning on doing here?" I question which makes his face light up even more.
"Well since you asked this just so happens to have some of the best canyons which also may just mean that rock climbing will be quite fun here," I can see the excitement radiating off of him in waves reminding me of a teenage girl who just got asked to Prom.

I just smile and close my eyes as sleep pulls at my head again, obviously no one got sleep last night because of the bears but about an hour of screaming and panicking the family of bears finally left us and John was the first to leap into the driver's seat and zoom away. After that we tried to sleep but still had an adrenaline rush and the echoing sound of each other's screams in our ears so we just decided on ghost stories, or to freak John out, animal attack stories.

I find myself burying my head into Jesse's chest as the mountainous scenery around us surrounds our van while we drive through it's beauty.
"Amazing right?" Jesse mutters as he becomes lost in thought at the sight of these monstrous mountains.
"It's... " I stutter trying to find the right words for the feeling in my chest as I stare out the window, "It's miraculous."

Suddenly cards are slapped right in front of me knocking me out of my gaze and I stare bewildered at Naomi as she adjusts her cards.
"I've been stuck with him for four hours and all he's been talking is climbing a big rock so," Naomi starts, "Do you got any nines?"

Jesse and I both glance at my cards to see the nine resting in my hand, "Nope," we respond.

+++

"Jesse get down from there you're going to die!" I scream as I stare up at my psychotic boyfriend who decided climbing the Delicate Arch was the best thing to do.
"It's ok it's only 65 feet high!" he shouts down at me as he grips onto the practically flat rock and pulls himself up another five feet.
"Exactly! If you fall you're going to die!" I scream as I look at his completely bare torso.
"Oh Lord if we do have children one day please don't let them inherit his recklessness," I mutter a quick prayer and cross my arms as I glance over at John and Chris who are cheering him on.

"Jesse. Down. Now!" I order but he only pouts at my efforts to make him come back to solid ground. Eventually I simply huff and plop down next to Naomi who's watching him with amusement written all over her face.
"Aren't you and John supposed to be responsible adults that watch over us?" I question with a raised eyebrow.
"Na that's what you're here for," she nudges me with a smile and I roll my eyes.
"You know for a body guard you're pretty bad," I grin at her playfully seeing how she'll react. She gasps offended, "Excuse me young lady but you should not talk to your elders that way!" she exclaims.

"Oh right you little old lady," I grin and she just throws her arm around me in a headlock.
"Oh look whose the little old lady now," she exclaims while holding me in a deadlock.
"Just cause you're choking me doesn't mean I'm any older," I wheeze as I pull at her iron like arm that allows little air flow. She swings her arm off of my neck with a triumphant grin on her face, "Never mess with this old lady," she flips her hair and then blows lightly on her nails before pretending to examine them.
"You're one odd old lady," I nod.
"Oh for goodness sake I'm 26!" she finally breaks and soon a shout breaks up our conversation as our heads snap upwards to see Jesse dancing on top of the Delicate arch and Katie snapping pics on her polaroid camera.

"Katie don't encourage him!" Naomi shouts over to her.
"Oh please like he needs any encouragement!" she exclaims and turns back to take another picture as the guys all whoop. Jesse let's out a shrieking shout that echoes on for miles and raises his arms in the air pumping them for a bit and I can tell from 65 feet away that he's livid and radiating more than ever.
"Cause I'm on top of the world eh! I'm on top of the world!" he starts singing and dancing more and my heart skips a beat and he spins around making it appear he might fall.

"Careful," I breathe out as I watch him.
"Jeez you guys act like you're already married," Naomi rolls her eyes.
"So do you and John and you guys aren't even dating!" I exclaim making her huff and cross her arms.
"I still don't understand Naomi," I glance up at her, "You guys would be perfect for each other and it seems that you make the other happy, why don't you just go for it?" Naomi's face suddenly turns somber, something I don't see often.

"It's been seven years Kira, seven and he still hasn't gotten over her, and neither will I guess," her eyes hold sadness and I glance over at John who seems so lively and happy as he cheers Jesse on, "I guess I've just gotten used to the fact that we'll be nothing more." I watch as Jesse slowly makes his way back down, watching his footing because one wrong step could be his fatality.
"Tell him, I've lived 16 years and know next to nothing," I confirm shaking my head, "But I do know you'll regret not telling him once it's too late," Naomi seems to take in my words for a moment before her head cocks towards me and a grin on her face.
"You know you're giving your bodyguard quite the advice," she teases and I let out a short laugh as I watch Jesse descend the rock.

"You're a lot more than just a bodyguard Naomi," I turn to her and she smirks.
"I feel like we just had a chic flic moment man," she grins as the ice seems to break between us and we're laughing our heads off.
"Hello ladies!" John grins as he throws his arms over Naomi's shoulder and mine as he leads us towards Jesse who's just reached the bottom of the rock.
"So we were planning on getting some lunch and exploring the canyons..." John explains.
"Sounds good to me," I shrug and he suddenly stops.

"Oh I meant just Naomi, Chris, Katie, and I," he remarks, "Jesse has something else planned for you two." Suddenly Jesse's arm is now around me and he's leading me away from our friends and towards an Asian man who sits in a golf cart.
"Jesse..." I trial off as he leads me to the back of the golf cart, "Where are we going?"
"Well I assumed since you loved rock climbing so much from the last time we went together that you'd want to come with me and climb actual rocks," he grins and I feel a bundle of nerves and excitement twist inside my stomach.

"Like climbing a canyon?" I question and he nods slightly.
"But don't worry thanks to Li over here we're actually going to be strapped up and safe in halters," he confirms and nods to our driver as we make our way through a valley.
"And how high are we climbing exactly?" I question nervously glancing up at the monstrous cliffs surrounding us.
"Two hundred and sixty feet," he shrugs.
"TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY FEET!?"

+++

"I can't do this," I whine as I look down at the 70 feet I've climbed, "I'm going to die!" I scream, "Or worse break a nail!"
"Kira I think you're overreacting a bit," Jesse remarks from 10 feet above me.
"Hey it's an actual problem and very painful!" I point out, "Plus I can't tell if my stomach is eating itself out of hunger or if I'm about to throw up from nerves," I point out and soon he slides down next to me, his halter wheezing as he does so.

"Kira," he starts looking me in the eye, "If you want to go down I'll take you back down." Guilt seems to flood my chest as I realize I must be making his dream turn into a nightmare, he's been wanting to do this for ages and now I'm making him miserable by complaining and going as slow as a snail.
"No," I shake my head and look at the unending cliff above us, "I'll do it," I nod my head and his eyebrows raise slightly, "And I won't complain anymore," I remark and his face lights up at that.

"Thank you," he sighs and I give him a sheepish smile.
"Sorry for making you miserable the past thirty minutes," I apologize with a crooked smile and he only grins before grabbing the back of my head and placing his lips on my forehead.
"I forgive you love, now," he sighs and glances up as I do, "Let's climb a mountain."

My feet find a new rock every thirty seconds as I attempt at keeping up with Jesse's pace, I'm pretty sure you're supposed to train for this type of thing but hey you only live once and I guess climbing at an amateur indoor rock climbing facility counts right? My shoulders begin to ache as we reach over 100 feet and I begin to question if I can in fact do it.

"You alright down there pipsqueak?" Jesse shouts down as he's about 20 feet higher than me. I gasp a few times clinging to the mountain before responding, "Yeah just enjoying the view," I grin as I look up at him and I can see him roll his eyes even at the distance I'm at. Jesse turns back around and begins to climb faster than before and I only rest my head on the rock in front of me and try to calm my racing heart. I just need a five minute break where my arms and legs rest just for a little while.

Looking up I see Jesse is even higher than I expected him to be and with determination coursing through me I throw my hand at the next rock and pull myself up, stepping on each new stone like stairs. Soon I look down and lose all of the breath that was in me as I see the golf cart to be smaller than the size of a lady bug and the ground to look miles away when in reality I'm only at 150 feet. I just climbed all of that, a voice in my head confirms and I feel more strength course in me.

"C'mon Kira you got this!" I hear a voice shout that doesn't belong to Jesse and my head snaps up to see four heads peeping over the edge and recognize them as Chris, Katie, Naomi, and John all holding some form of fast food in their hands.
"We have a cheeseburger up here for you with no onions!" Chris shouts and I quickly realize that my stomach is in fact digesting itself.

"Coming!" I shout desperately as I move my arms and legs once more towards the top. My shoulders begin to burn but I push it aside as my butt begins to feel it also and I know that I won't be able to walk for a week after this. A loud whoop meets my ears to see Jesse has made it to the top in some sort of record time.
"TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY FEET!" he shouts throughout the canyons making his voice repeat itself in an unnerving echo.

"Come on Kira!" Katie screams down at me and soon they're chanting my name through the canyon and I want to make it to the top just to pound them for screaming my name so loud. Soon I'm at 230 feet and I look down with a large smile, my muscles are numb now and barely function but they function enough to make me push through and soon my hand wraps around an edge and my other finds the same before hoisting myself up and my butt rests on solid ground.

My feet dangle over the ledge as my muscles ache and remind me of what I just did.
"Holy shit I climbed that," I breathe out as my body refuses to move. I look up to see Jesse up and dancing around cheering for his new achievement and a smile finds it's way onto my face as I see how happy he is. Naomi's hands find my shoulders and hoist me up to my feet as I wobble slightly and almost fall off the cliff before Jesse's hands are hastily wrapped around my waist and his lips are pressed to mine. I respond almost immediately as I recall what we've just achieved together.

"Ew what did I say about PDA!" Naomi shouts causing us to pull away but never for the smile to leave our faces. Jesse only nods slightly at me, "We did it." I'm soon nodding with him as I rest all of my weight on him, too tired to actually hold myself up, "We did didn't we?" The sound of my stomach growling snaps us out of our gaze and soon my head whips toward Chris.

"Now where's my damn cheese burger?"