Weeks of planning, and a deal with Sinjin that she would just as soon forget, Jade parked her car and looked at her girlfriend.
"Still can't see?"
"How?! You have me wearing a sleep mask and two blindfolds," Tori sighed in exaggerated frustration. In truth, she was excited. This wasn't the first time Jade blindfolded her to surprise her. The feeling in her loins could attest to the affect those memories had on her libido. Well, memories and the presence of the girl in control.
The driver's door opened and Tori heard Jade's boots on a gravelly surface. The sound faded briefly as Jade passed around the car. Then her door opened and Jade said, "Get out, Vega!"
Sightlessly, Tori tried to get out of the car gracefully. She failed miserably and Jade barked out a laugh when Tori's butt landed on the ground.
"Here," Jade said, holding out her hand so Tori could feel and grasp it. Jade pulled her upright then said, "Okay. I'm going to take your other hand and lead you. The ground is uneven and there will be a slope to it. Then we'll come to a ladder. I'll go up then have you follow. I'll guide you every step of the way. Got it?"
Tori smiled, "Um, could you go over that again?"
"Grrr..." The comical growl stopped and Jade gently took Tori's left hand in her right. Their fingers laced together without conscious thought.
Then Tori almost fell again when Jade pulled her along. Ungracefully skipping to avoid a painful face-plant, Tori cried, "JADE!? I thought you were going to tell me when to follow..."
"I said I'd guide you. I never said anything about talking..."
"Jade..."
"God! Alright! If it will make you stop whining... I'm walking forward now. It will be flat with scrub brush for about another twenty yards then we'll start down a slope. I'll tell you when we get there."
After walking for a minute or so, Jade released Tori's hand, saying, "Stay right here for a minute."
"Okay," Tori agreed. "I trust you, Jade."
Though she knew Tori loved her, the declaration of trust warmed her heart. It wasn't like she didn't know it but to hear her say it so openly…
The sound of a regular tapping on metal reached Tori's ears. She guessed Jade was scaling a ladder or metal staircase. Then some rustling noises drifted down from above as well as the sound of a metal sheet being hit followed by a "Damn it!" She smiled, guessing Jade had rapped her head, hand or elbow on something.
"I'm coming down," Jade called. When she reached the ground, she guided Tori. Then she said, "Tori. Reach out in front of you." Tori obeyed, grasping a horizontal metal bar. "Reach up a little with your other hand." She did so and felt another. It was a ladder. She smiled, proud of her aural recognition. Her father had taught her well.
"Now, Tori, place your foot a little in front of you. Very good. Now, start climbing. Take your time. I'll be right behind you."
Tori scaled the ladder and heard Jade right behind her. When her foot slipped, a hand was there to guide her back to the step.
From the sound earlier, Tori knew Jade had gone up more than a dozen or so feet. But now that she was climbing it sightlessly, she wondered how long it would take. Shortly after, she paused. "Jade, let me catch my breath."
"Okay, Tori. We're almost there. Another few feet." Jade was pleased that Tori hadn't questioned her. But she was nervous, not just because she got Tori to scale a tall metal ladder with her eyes covered. Not too smart, West.
"I'm okay," Tori said as she reached for the next rung. A minute later, she felt Jade right behind her.
"Tori, grab the vertical bars and go up another couple of feet. Then step forward. Another step and let go of the bars. One more step. Reach to your left." Tori's fingers brushed the top edge of a sheet of corrugated metal. It was roughly chest high. "Let that guide you a couple more feet then stop."
Her heart hammering in her chest, Tori did as directed. There was a warm breeze brushing her face and hair as she stood still. The singer was nervous, excited and pumped up from scaling that long ladder. She wasn't sure which was the strongest influence on her heart rate. Then arms wrapped around her waist and lips kissed her neck, through her long hair. Then one hand pulled the hair back and those warm lips brushed her ear.
"Jade... Oooh..."
Smiling to herself, Jade pulled back. Time enough for fun. Now she wanted Tori to see what she did. "I'm removing the blindfolds now." The two scarfs came off and Jade went on, "Take off the sleep mask. But be ready. It's kinda bright out here."
Her arms went around Tori's waist again as she turned the girl towards the metal barrier. "Take it off now."
Blinded momentarily, Tori blinked as her eyes adjusted to the light. When she could see again, she gasped. It was unusually clear that day, allowing them to see the LA Basin laid out before them. The towers of downtown were ahead of them with the gleaming waters of the Pacific beyond. Briefly, Tori's eyes trailed north along the coast 'til the Hollywood Hills obscured that view. Then she gazed towards the south, seeing the Palo Verde Peninsula and then the harbor and Long Beach.
"Jade, this is incredible. Where are we?"
From behind, Jade gently turned Tori's head to the left. She saw more metal structures in a rough line in that direction. Then she saw the shadows cast on the ground behind the stands.
"Oh my God! We're on the Hollywood sign! Jade! How... Isn't this... Oh, wow!"
Tori turned and pulled Jade to her, kissing the raven-haired girl. Their lips molded together before their tongues met and danced.
Tori pulled her phone out and began to take pictures of the view. Then she turned and took several pictures of Jade and even the sign as it extended away from them.
Jade gestured to the platform they were sitting on. Tori saw a blanket spread out and a nylon-covered basket at one end. "You hungry?"
"A picnic?! Jade, you're taking me on a picnic?" Tori asked even as she took a picture of the small scene.
"Yeah, well don't get used to it..."
The platform was about six feet wide leaving them plenty of room. There was also a small barrier in the back. It wouldn't stop someone from falling or jumping but it did act as a warning for anyone on the letters' platforms.
As they sat on the blanket, Jade pulled out several sandwiches, some chips, two quart bottles of water and a bottle of wine. "I wanted this to be special. Happy birthday, Tori."
"But it's not my birthday yet."
"What? A couple of days? And how much time will we have together? I have to be at the studio most of the day and you're recording. Then there's the party at your parents' house that night."
"Thank you," Tori said, her eyes glistening.
They ate and talked quietly, enjoying the simple food, the wine and each other. Jade told Tori what she knew about the sign and a little bit about what she did so they could be up there.
The sign, originally Hollywoodland, was erected in the early 1920s as a real estate ad for homes in the hills above Hollywood, which was then a district of Chinatown. The letters L, A, N and D were removed in the late '40s and the original structure was completely replaced in the 1990s. The letters are forty-five feet tall. The land is secured by the LAPD but, as Jade explained, she got Sinjin to hack into the security system to set up a temporary loop that will shut off after four hours.
"Sinjin? What did he get out of this?" Tori asked with a snicker. Then she frowned, "It better not be..."
"Relax Vega. And, as you would say, Eeew!" Jade grinned and said, "He wanted that but I...convinced him otherwise. Instead, I got him an in at the studio for an interview.
"Now, come over here. I want you..."
"Wait!" Tori held up a hand. "What about the communications center?"
Just beyond the sign and up the hill was the Los Angeles Central Communications Center. The tower and microwave dishes there handled all cell and radio traffic for the LAPD, the LAFD, the Unified School District among other LA city and county agencies.
"Relax. The building is mainly maintenance for the antennas and no one is stationed out here. And since the CCTV cameras and the motion sensors are on that loop, we're on our own."
"Are you sure we're okay?"
"If Sinjin screwed up, the cops would've been here before I got you up the ladder. Probably before I even parked the car outside the gate."
Reassured, Tori crawled over and into Jade's arms. They made out for several minutes. This quickly escalated to one of the hottest sex sessions they ever had. The location and attendant risk heightened their passion.
As Tori came on Jade's mouth, she smiled. The Goth was thrilled that her plan had worked so far. That thrill increased dramatically when Tori went down on her, causing Jade to cry out when she came.
Afterwards, they lay in each others arms for several minutes. Jade surreptitiously glanced at her phone, checking the time. Still an hour before the loop would shut off, she gently moved, causing a lightly dozing Tori to mutter before she opened her eyes.
Tori looked at Jade and smiled sweetly, "Hi."
Jade looked back at Tori and replied, "Hey, beautiful."
"Jade, this is the best birthday ever!"
With her phone, Jade took a picture of a smiling, sex-disheveled Tori with the remains of the picnic behind her. "You may want to..."
Tori understood and adjusted her clothing and hair. Jade did the same then pulled some duct tape from the basket, tore off a couple of strips and affixed her phone to the back of the H so the screen was facing them. Activating the camera set above the screen, Jade directed Tori to stand on the near end of the blanket. Then Jade made a couple of adjustments so the camera was on and recording. Then she knelt at Tori's feet, pulled a small black box out of her shirt pocket, opening it to expose the shining, antique ring within.
The ring had been Jade's grandmother's. She gave it to Jade after the girl came out to her. "Your grandfather gave me this ring almost fifty years ago. The dear man ate canned soup and toast for almost a year so he could buy it – he was determined to get a full karat stone. We were married for forty-one years until he passed. I'd say that's good luck. I want you to have this. If this girl is the right one for you... Well, you know what to do.. I love you kiddo."
"I love you too Granna. I... Thank you."
That memory flashed through Jade's mind as she lifted the ring box and its precious cargo up to Tori. Jade asked, "Tori, I know this is our personal celebration of your birthday but I want this day to mean so much more. We've been together since high school and, after the past six years, my love has only grown. I hope you know how much I love you. So… Will you marry me?"
Tori, her eyes wide and sparkling with unshed tears, clapped her hands over her mouth mumbling her response. Then she dropped her hands and yelled, "Yes! Oh God, yes!"
Jade pulled the ring from the box and slipped it over the third finger of Tori's left hand. Then she kissed the hand as if they were in an old movie. Tori dropped to her knees and the two kissed, slow and loving.
That evening, Jade and Tori took the Vegas out to dinner. Trina was in New York so Tori sent her a long email with the video as an attachment. Likewise, Jade sent her parents the video of the engagement as her mother was in Seattle on business and her father was south in San Diego with his second wife on a mini-vacation. The Wests both liked Tori, although Tori was never convinced when it came to Jade's father, and were happy and proud of their daughter and future daughter-in-law.
The newly engaged women took the Vegas to Nozu. By this point, Holly had already seen the ring but restrained herself until the girls told she and David about the engagement. Then she shrieked and hugged Tori then Jade, already babbling about the upcoming wedding.
Finally, when their entrees arrived, Holly settled back to eat. She was still extremely excited but she was also now hungry. David smiled in relief as his wife started on her chicken teriyaki.
After the dishes were cleared, Tori said, "Jade actually filmed the engagement. She's a really good film maker." Jade beamed at her future wife's pride. "Jade, show them."
Proud of the simple film she had from her PearPhone, she cued it up and handed the phone to the elder Vegas.
Both huddled over the small screen as the engagement played out. Holly started to sniff and grabbed her napkin to wipe her eyes. David's eyes moistened and his lip quivered a bit but held it in. Then, as the three women shared embraces again, he played the vid again.
"Um, girls? This building and the antenna... Where exactly were you?"
Note: Not sure if there really are ledges on the backs of the letters but I saw them on one of those cheesy Syfy movies (that make the B movies of the '50s look like Oscar material). It was about dinosaurs in LA and a pterodactyl dropped it's prey on the ledge on the 'O'. That started this story in my mind.