Chapter 33

Danika had never had a day like this. No one had ever made her feel this special. The love she felt for James was more than she'd ever hoped for. He treated her special even when he didn't need to.

They ate hot dogs from a cart and walked around, laughing as the world churned around them. It was like the world had come together just for them.

They were walking along a street and came upon an area that was brightly lit up. They both paused because everything looked weird, and then they noticed cameras. Right in front of them, two actors she recognized came out of a building, both of them talking about something that really didn't make sense, but probably because it was only part of a scene. The actors moved closer to where she and James were standing, both of them staying in character until they were about two feet away and someone called cut.

The actor, she thought his name was Chris, turned and flashed them a smile. "You two look lost."

"So sorry. We were just walking. "

"It's okay. You probably weren't in the frame. Have a good evening."

James turned them around, and they raced off laughing the whole way. Once they were around the block, obviously away from the film crew, they both stopped and clung to each other as laughter spilled out around them.

"Oh my God. How did that happen?"

James shrugged and pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head. "I have no idea. I guess we must have ignored a sign or something. I don't even see a sign."

She shook her head. "Wow, we actually walked onto a film. Was that a movie or a TV show?"

"I don't know. I have no idea what he is in right now. I'm not watching much TV, so I just don't know."

"Neither do I. Living outside the US, I changed all of my TV habits. We've watched a few movies and some TV, but I'm not caught up on shows."

"How about we make our way back to the hotel? It's too far to walk. We can call for a car."

"What about public transportation?" Danika asked.

"Let me look." He pulled out his phone and cringed. "Uh, no. It will take about an hour on public transportation and about twenty minutes by taxi to get to our hotel."

"Oh, crap. That's a huge difference."

"It is. Let's find a taxi."

"Sure." They walked hand in hand over to a high-end hotel. "I really enjoyed today. Thank you. This has been as perfect of a day as I could hope for."

"I feel the same. I enjoyed spending time with you."

"So tomorrow morning, do you want to wake early and do the Hollywood sign hike?"

James's eyebrows rose. "Oh, I don't want to make you do that."

"I think it would be fun. I know you were looking at that. It takes about three hours. We can eat breakfast before we take off and do the hike, then check out and start our drive back."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. It would be fun. We'll get in some good exercise, shower, go find somewhere to eat lunch, and head home."

"I don't want to head back to the real world. I want this to last longer."

She squeezed his hand as a taxi pulled up in front of them. "I know. I like this. It has been fun."

The taxi ride only took them about fifteen minutes. After a quick shower, him getting her off as the water flowed around them and her dropping to give him a blow job, they fell asleep fast and woke early when his alarm rang.

At first, she regretted her suggestion of climbing the hill, but as they reached the sign, she looked back over the city, marveling at the view.

"This is amazing."

He stood beside her, his arm draped over her shoulder. "It is. So much humanity, such a small space."

"Right. Maybe one day we'll make it to Japan, and you can show me around."

He met her gaze. "I'd like that. I'd love to show you everything."

"Being with you is fun."

He pulled her into a kiss, holding her close before he snapped a selfie with the sign in the background. They both took a few photos before another group of people showed up. The new people had their phones out, recording and snapping photos. They were loud and a little obnoxious. She glanced at James, who shrugged as they started to make their way down.

Once they were about fifty feet down the path, it opened enough for them to walk side by side. "Wow, they were loud," she said.

"Yeah. But that's less scary than a group who is so quiet they can sneak up on you."

"Oh, yeah. That would be creepy."

She didn't really think much about what James did for a job. He'd told her multiple times that he couldn't really talk about his job, but the last comment told her a lot about his work life. She imagined that he'd had a group of creepy, silent people sneak up on him and his crew.

"The memorial, I heard the guys talking about it the last time we were together. Can I go with you and place flowers? Would that be appropriate?"

James cleared his throat, and she glanced over at him. Sadness made his eyes bright as he nodded.

"Um, yeah. That would be appropriate."

"So two guys lived."

James nodded. "Yeah. Jinx, who was badly injured. From what I heard, I don't think his brain is functioning. His parents can't let him go. Then there's Thario. He lost the lower part of both legs and part of his hand. I should go see him."

"Do you think he'd want to meet me?"

James snorted. "He's a flirt. He would probably be so obnoxious you'd be telling him to shut up."

"Well, if you want to, we could go see him next weekend. I think I should get to know some more of your friends."

"It's sad to see guys who were injured, but you have to still treat them like you would before."

Danika thought about his words as they hiked. "So basically, he wants to be treated like a person."

"Yeah. He doesn't want pity. He's doing something with computers, I'm not sure I understand it all, but he's a good guy."

"Well, as long as you think he wouldn't mind meeting me, why don't I fix something for lunch and we can go over? Well, if he's free."

"I'll send him a text and make sure he doesn't have plans."

"Good." Her stomach tightened at the idea of getting more involved, but this wasn't her ex trying to get her to meet people to manipulate her or force her into having sex. She'd suggested the meeting. Getting to know James's friends was important. For one, if she knew the people he hung around and was friends with, nothing like her last relationship would ever happen. Not that she believed for one second that James was anything like Ezra. If she'd really paid attention, she would have known to run from Ezra as fast as she could long before she'd moved to England with him.

So far, there'd been no red flags with James or his friends. She was in love with James. If she found out something awful, she hoped she would be able to walk away. Was she strong enough to walk? She hadn't been with Ezra, and she would regret not leaving him forever. With James, she wanted nothing to regret.