Page 107 of Hooking Up

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The path veers to the left. Walker heads right. Motionsfollow me.

We move through a cluster of trees. Then out the other side.

The city comes into view. All of it. Downtown, the Hollywood sign, the cluster of buildings in Century City, the Ferris wheel at the Santa Monica Pier, the ocean.

My lips part with a sigh. "It's so…"

"Weird to think of LA as beautiful, huh?"

"Yeah. But it is." It's like a post card. Bright blue sky, big yellow sun, rows of buildings bleeding into the coast. "The world is beautiful." I swallow hard. "Sorry. I sound like a poster."

"It suits you."

I flip him off.

He slides his arms around my waist.

"You do this kinda thing a lot?"

"Depends what you mean bythis kinda thing."

"Explore the city?"

"I try to."

"Will you take me?" I press my lips together. I'm asking for too much. I want too much. He's not going to be mine. I can't have him showing me the world. But I want it.

"Yeah." His lips brush my neck. "But I can't be held responsible for my actions if you keep wearing those tight shorts."

I laugh. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-four."

"You're old enough to control yourself."

"Not around you."

My cheeks flush. It's dirty talk, yeah, but there's an earnestness in his voice. He means it.

But does he mean his body?

Or his heart too?

I sink into his touch as I take in the view.

It's gorgeous.

For the first time in forever, my world isn't a bundle of regrets. It's beauty. It's possibility. It's hunger. "It's weird. I never really think of this place as Hollywood. All the stuff in the movies is bullshit."

"And then some."

"But I'm close to it. My dad owns a visual effects company. He loves movies. We used to go every weekend. And then we'd still watch something after dinner."

"What type of thing?"

"Everything. Classics. Foreign films. Popcorn films. I can't tell you how many times he explained thatJawslaunched the summer blockbuster."

"It did."

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