“You speak Japanese,” Grady states as he stares at me.
I shrug. “A little.”
“Uh, that sounded more like a lot.”
“I may have spent a semester studying in Tokyo.”
“You what?”
“Yeah, in undergrad, I studied in Tokyo. I got pretty good at Japanese, but I’m not nearly as good as I used to be. I come here sometimes to practice.”
“Wow. Well, that’s really impressive.”
“Do you speak any other languages?” I ask him.
He shakes his head. “I know a little Spanish. I try to learn a few phrases when we travel, but, no, I can’t do what you just did in any language but English.”
“You should try learning another language. It’d be a great way to connect with your fans in other countries.”
He places a napkin on his lap and looks back at me. “You are really unexpected, Emma.”
“I’ve been called worse.”
“I doubt that.”
“I guess you’ll have to get to know me better before you judge me,” I say to him as the chef brings us an appetizer.
I pull out my chopsticks that I keep in my purse. I don’t do the cheap wooden ones.
He nearly chokes on his drink. “You brought your own chopsticks?”
“Always,” I say with my hand to my chest, feigning shock. I wink as I pick up a gyoza and pop it in my mouth. I’m fully aware Grady is watching me, so I slowly pull the chopsticks out and then lick the end of one. I notice he squirms in his seat, and I may take a little, OK, a lot of pride in my abilities with the chopstick and my abilities to make a grown man squirm.
“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” I add with a smirk as I grab my water.
With that he starts laughing, really laughing and I grin as I scoot the plate toward him. “Try it, they’re really good.”
He takes his wooden chopsticks and digs into the appetizer.
I’m surprised how easily our conversation begins to flow from there. He asks me about my time in Japan and I tell him about my adventures there. I ask him if he’s been there and he says no. He talks about visiting Beijing, China, and Phuket, Thailand, which are the only two places he’s been in Asia. We fall into a debate about the best places to visit, and by the end of the meal, I’m actually surprised that I like him, like really like him.
“Come on, let’s go for a drive,” he says after we finish.
I look down at my phone. “I…it’s sort of late and I hate to be a party pooper, but I do need to get some studying done.”
“Just for an hour. I want to show you something.”
He drives for about twenty minutes and stops at a park. “Come on,” he says, grabbing my hand.
“But it’s dark…” I reply, stopping in my tracks as I get out of the car.
He turns his phone’s light on and puts a hand on my back. “Live a little.”
“Uh, I like living, that’s sort of the concern.”
“Please,” he asks with a puppy dog face.
I pull my keys out of my purse and place one in between each finger.
“Really?” he asks.
I shrug. “At least I’ll go out with a fight.”
He laughs and I follow him. He goes around the entrance and helps me up and over a short wall.
“We’re breaking and entering, aren’t we?” I ask as I brush some dirt off my pants.
“Come on.” He takes my hand in his and gives it a tug. I sigh and follow him, letting him keep my hand tucked in his.
After twenty minutes of walking up a trail, I stop.
“How much farther?”
He stops and stares down at me. “I know you need to study, but do you trust me?”
I cock my head to one side and study him for a long moment. “Fuck it. Yeah, I guess I do.”
He laughs. “OK,” he says slowly, “that doesn’t sound too convincing, but I’ll take it since you met the asshole Grady first.”
He offers me his hand again and I slowly accept it. We don’t say another word to each other as we climb up the hill. I’m glad I wore comfy shoes tonight. It takes us a while. But as the cityscape of Los Angeles comes into view, I know why he made me come up here.
“Oh wow,” I murmur as I look out on the city where I now live. I haven’t explored much since I arrived in August. I just didn’t have time. I’ve gone to a few places, Santa Monica Pier, Griffith Observatory, the Tar Pits, and Disneyland, but that’s it. Most weekends I spend studying, and I try to get home for the holiday breaks.
I don’t say another word as I stand perfectly still and survey the city. It’s a cool and clear night and the city lights look amazing. I wrap my arms around myself to fight the chill in the air, but all too soon, I’m engulfed by warmth as Grady comes to stand behind me, wrapping his long arms around my shoulders.
“I told you it would be worth it,” he whispers in my ear. “Welcome to my Los Angeles.”
“It’s beautiful,” I say.
We don’t speak for a few moments as we both take in the view. I turn to him. “Take a photo of me?”
I hand him my phone and he snaps a stellar photo of me with Los Angeles in the background.
“Wow, photo evidence of you breaking the rules,” he says with a grin.
I roll my eyes, but before I can take my phone back, he pulls me against him and takes a selfie of us.
“Now, I’m guilty too,” he adds with a wink as he hands me back my phone.
I laugh. A group of people approaches from the trail, breaking the magical spell of the moment.
“I should really get back.”
“Come on, Cinderella,” he says as he releases me and grabs my hand again. I’m beginning to like the feel of that.
We don’t say much as I follow him back to his car.
“Here, you choose the music,” he says, letting me play with the screen in his car. I buckle up and begin to scroll until I find the perfect song.
I turn up the volume to “Beautiful Day” by U2 and roll down the window. Grady follows my lead and adds to it by opening the sunroof.
We jam out to the song, messing up the lyrics and belting the chorus. The time seems to go quickly, and before I know it, Grady is pulling up to my apartment building. He manages to find a parking spot on my block.
“I’ll walk you up, just to be safe,” he states as he turns off the car.
I accept his hand again as we walk to my apartment. He insists on getting me to my door and I don’t say no.
“Thanks for a wonderful evening,” I say to him as I stand in the hallway outside my apartment.
“Thanks for coming out.” He pauses. “I wasn’t sure you would.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Shoot.”
“Why the charades?”
“The charades?” He frowns.
“Yesterday, when we met, you were a total prick.” He winces. “But, you’re not. So why the act?”
He leans against the wall and looks at me. “I’ll tell you what. You go out again with me and maybe I’ll tell you why.”
I roll my eyes. “Seriously? You’re going to hold the answer for ransom?”