Trust Me

It didn't take long for Maya and Lucas to climb up the ladder and walk up the 6 flights of stairs. After the man's smug comment earlier, Maya had sped up the stairs like she was trying to escape him, while he followed behind, enjoying the chase. Maya lived in an apartment in LA that didn't have an elevator, so she was used to climbing stairs. Thus, she climbed to the top without breaking a sweat.

The man laughed as he caught up to her. "You're quite fit," he said in an impressed manner.

However, when they reached the top, Maya realized they were just standing on a platform and there was no access to the rooftop. "I thought we were going to the rooftop?" she questioned with suspicion. Did this man lie to her again? Lying seemed to be a habit of his.

But Lucas smirked and grabbed something. "We're getting up using this," he said casually. Only then did Maya notice that he was carrying a backpack and there was a grappling hook and some rope inside! As it was dark in the alleyway, she didn't see it earlier.

Who the hell was this guy? Why did he have a grappling hook?

Maya looked at the man in doubt. Had he watched too many movies and played too many video games? Did he know what he was doing?

Maya glanced down at the alleyway below and felt her legs tremble. She wasn't usually afraid of heights, but this was making her worry a little.

Before she could completely process what was happening, he started tying some knots on another string of rope and wrapped it around her waist. The concentration on his face showed that he was serious.

"Are you for real?" Maya asked in disbelief as she still tried to process their situation.

Without answering, the man smirked and said, "Spread your legs."

Maya looked at the man in shock and refused to move. Shaking her head nervously, she took a step back. Why was he tying her up and telling her to spread her legs?

But he laughed in amusement and said, "I'm making you a harness. I need to loop this through your legs." As he spoke, he waved the rope in his hand.

Maya furrowed her brows. Although she didn't completely trust the man, she slowly spread her legs and watched with curiosity. If he wanted to do something to her, he could have done it in the car, or the alleyway, or even on the ladder when she couldn't move; he wouldn't wait until now, would he? Sure enough, he looped the rope between her legs like he said he would and brought it back to the front of her body. As she watched, she found herself slightly fascinated by what he was doing. His confidence and seriousness clearly showed that he knew what he was doing, but it was the first time that she had seen him like this. Who knew this arrogant playboy was actually skilled in something.

After a few more knots and loops, the man secured the rope with some carabiners. Maya looked down and tried to hide her impressed expression. It actually looked like a professional harness. Had he been trained? Now that she thought about it, she never asked him what he did for a living...

If he wasn't rich, she would probably think he was some kind of a burglar or criminal mastermind.

"How do you know how to do this? Are you professionally trained?" she asked, hoping the man could get rid of her lingering doubt.

But, he smirked again and said without answering her question, "I will go up first and pull you up from the top."

He then stepped forward towards her and grabbed the carabiner that was hanging in front of her. "When I throw you the rope later, attach it like this," he said as he demonstrated the proper way to secure herself to the rope. "Trust me, as long as you follow my instructions, you will get to the top safely. You're just going up one floor of the building; it won't take long. Relationships are built on trust. If you can't trust me, how are we supposed to get married?"

Maya looked into the man's eyes and bit her lip nervously. She was tempted to turn around, run away, and abandon the task that her sister had given her, but there was a sense of anticipation in the man's eyes like he was sincerely hoping that she could trust him. And she actually wanted to.

While she was hesitating, she saw the man attach his harness to the grappling hook rope calmly. Then, in one swift movement, he threw the hook onto the roof as though he had done it many times before. It quickly caught onto something and he tugged hard on the rope to make sure that it was secure. His every move was calm, confident, and professional.

"I'll see you at the top," he said reassuringly.

As Maya's doubts started to fade away, she watched as the man started pulling himself up. From where she was standing, she could clearly see the man's arm and back muscles, and she found herself subconsciously admiring his well-trained body.

Maya didn't know much about rock climbing and mountaineering, but from the looks of it, Lucas had some kind of a pulley system set up, so it didn't take long for him to reach the top. As he climbed over the ledge, he made it look so secure and effortless that she actually wanted to give it a go.

Lucas peered over the ledge and waved from the top to signal that he was fine. He then threw the rope down and it dropped in front of Maya. As the rope swung loosely in front of her, she bit her lip nervously and hesitated. "Trust me," he yelled from the top.

Maya looked at the man and a smile appeared on her face. She then nodded and attached her harness to the rope the way that Lucas had demonstrated. That was right, she should trust him. It clearly appeared as though he was a professional and he had done all he could to ensure she was safe. There was no reason not to trust him. It wasn't like he wanted to kill her...

"Lean back and hold on tight. I'll start pulling you up," the man yelled.

Maya leaned back, held onto the rope, and looked up at the handsome young man. As he began to pull her towards him, she felt her body lift off the ground...