JENNIE
During my first three days in LA, we mostly stayed at home. We spent the time talking and exploring our bodies. We were like hungry teenagers who couldn't keep our hands off each other. I didn't need the rest of the world; I was comfortable staying in with Lisa in this cocoon.
"Okay, we need to get out. You need to see LA!" Lisa said as she stood in the kitchen in a bathrobe, her hair damp as she held a white cup of coffee.
"Thank you, but I am perfectly fine here."
"Of course you are," she laughed. "I have an idea. Let's go to see the sunset today. And tomorrow, I'll show you my favorite spots in the city."
"Do we really need to go anywhere?" I groaned.
"Yes, we can't stay in the house for ten days."
"I thought you liked it here with me." I pouted my lips. I knew she enjoyed our time together as much as I did. The evidence was physical, our bodies thrumming with desire at the end of each day.
She reached me and put her hands on my shoulders.
"Not really," she said, but there was such merriment in her eyes that I smiled. She touched my lips with hers so tenderly, slowly propping my mouth open, playing with my tongue.
The familiar tingle at the bottom of my stomach appeared. I wondered where all this desire came from; we were like endless vessels of need.
We moved to the garden. I was sipping wine, and Lisa nursed her half full glass; she would be driving later today. It was an exceptionally warm day, the sun heating our faces.
"You know, I told my mom about you," I said.
Lisa looked alarmed. "How did she react?"
"She was happy. It doesn't matter to her if I am with a man or woman as long as I am happy and cherished. And it appears she doesn't really like Kai."
"Why?"
"She thinks a couple should be more secluded, and Kai spends a lot of time with his friends, and I mean a lot. My mom and dad, they have their own world. No one is allowed in. I didn't have that with Kai, and it was okay with me. But now I am understanding what she means." My cheeks warmed. "And my mom is one person who completely accepts my decision about kids. She doesn't say, oh you'll want them later, you will change your mind. Actually, she says it's too much work and if she was in her thirties now, she probably wouldn't have kids. She loves us, but she says it's too much of a routine, with too much noise. But when she was young, she did not have a choice. Everyone had kids, and there wasn't any option where a couple could opt out."
"Aren't you offended?" Lisa asked.
"Firstly, my mom is a woman and a separate person. Secondly, she is my mother. I respect that and always have. My brother and I were relatively easy teenagers, but she still remembers that time with a shudder."
"You said your brother's wife is pregnant? What does your mom think about that?"
"Mom is happy for them, but she said she won't be too much help. When we moved out of their apartment, she and Dad started traveling a lot, and some kind of glowing aura appeared between them. She said she would help with any emergencies, but she wouldn't be a daily babysitter. Christina, my brother's wife, is completely happy with that. She already did a whole search to find the right babysitter."
"And what about your brother, is he okay with this arrangement?" Lisa asked.
"Being raised in my family, he has a strong feminist streak, but sometimes it's not enough. I am not sure how it's in the United States, but in Ukraine, grandparents take an active part in taking care of their grandchildren. Mostly, they are happy to babysit, and if they are retired, sometimes they become full-time babysitters. My brother wants Mom to take a bigger part with the child rearing. And he can't understand her lack of excitement.
"I told him that it is his kid, and our mom has already spent twenty years on us. It's time for her to live a life without kids," I explained. "She showed me once the number of books on tantra and sexuality she is reading with my dad,"—I covered my eyes with a hand—"and how many sex toys they have. I hope I have the same libido when I am fifty-six. So, they don't need to go back to taking care of diapers again; they are finally busy exploring themselves."
"Is your brother also this close with your parents?" Lisa looked intently at me.
"Not so close that my mom would show him sex toys," I laughed. "But he is close with Dad; they have the same personality."
Lisa took a sip of her wine and smoothed her hair back. "Yours sounds like a happy, trusting family," she remarked, but her eyes were sad.
"Tell me about your parents. Why aren't you in touch?"
"It's simple: They rejected me when I realized I was gay. They wanted me to have a traditional family, with lots of babies and a husband with status." Lisa dropped her face into her hands. "It crushed me. One moment I had loving parents, and the next moment they said I couldn't set foot in their house until I came to my senses and abandoned 'my gayness'." Lisa put the last word in air quotes. "But how could I abandon it? I always knew I was attracted to women, and it confused me when I tried to be normal. I was completely alone." She rubbed her eyebrow, and there was desperation in her voice.
I reached out to Lisa and hugged her tightly. She dropped a head on my shoulder.
"I am so sorry," I murmured, "I can't understand how people who should be the closest, the most protective, could abandon their child when she's most vulnerable."
"It has been almost five years and I still can't understand their actions and absence in my life."
"Have you met with them during this time?" I asked.
"Yes, a few times, and every time we meet, they pretend I'm not there." Lisa rubbed a heel of her palm against her chest, her eyes fixed on the horizon.
"That is so rotten. As if you could change who you are." I wished I could alleviate her pain somehow.
"Yes," Lisa said simply. "But finally, something that defined me brought something wonderful in my life: you."
I inhaled the strawberry smell of her neck and kissed her lightly. "You are one of the strongest and most independent women I know."
"Don't you think that sometimes independence goes hand in hand with loneliness?"
I was silent, but it was exactly what I was thinking before.
"My grandmother, the one who lives in Tel Aviv, helped me a lot. She supported me and visited here often. Her latest husband was the sweetest person. His sister was gay, and he knew about the hardships she dealt with. I think she's proud of me." Lisa sat back and smiled. "She was the one to encourage me to go after you."
"Say a huge thank you to her from me," I said.
"Maybe one day you can say it in person."
I beamed. "I would love to."
She smiled and looked out to the green fields. It was quiet for a moment.
I cleared my throat. "Lisa, can I ask you a question?"
She looked at me, her brows furrowing. "Sure."
"This, you know, how important it is for me." I swallowed loudly. "My choice of being childfree. And I need to know …" I looked down. "Are we on the same page? Because I am not sure I could survive, if you …" I still looked at my fingers grappling chair arm. "If you want to have kids. I …" My throat closed, and I couldn't say one more word. And finally, I looked up at her.
Her eyes were huge, but that smile, it warmed me. She took my hand in hers, slowly peeling off my trembling fingers from that chair.
"I am gay, Jennie—"
"But gay families can have kids now," I interrupted.
"I know. But since I realized I was attracted to women, I accepted that my life would be different. In those early days, when I still hoped I could be with someone, I just imagined a partner and me. And then I realized something was broken in me, and I was alone. And I was at peace with that. But I had never imagined having a kid in my life. I was too focused on myself and too protective of my space. I never swoon upon seeing baby pictures. I love quiet, I love my schedule, and I am not ready to give it all up. I never thought that I could have a kid myself." She actually shuddered. "But now, it is as simple as a day. I choose you."
"But what if I wanted kids? Would you do it?" I asked.
She leaned back on her chair, thinking.
"This is being childfree,"—she took her left hand—"and this is having kids." She took her right hand. "I am in the middle, not tilting into any direction." She pointed to the space between. "If my partner wanted kids, it would ruin my routine, but I would go with it. And I would not be the one to give birth." She lifted the right hand. "But if my person decides to be childfree,"—she nodded at me—"honestly, it's so much easier."
"What would be the decision if you were alone?"
"Easy, I'd go childfree."
Still, I was not convinced.
"But when years go by, won't you change your mind?"
"I want to be honest with you. Now, I don't think that I would change my mind, but some life-altering event could happen, and poof, all my beliefs could go haywire. But what I understand now, and what I feel I will understand forever, that it's always about choice. Here, the choice is between you and future imaginary kids. And I hope that I am not a person who can betray you that way. I can't promise anything, but I will do my best to choose you."
There was a blur of movement as I rushed to her, dropping on her lap, pressing against her warm body, my arms entwining around her neck, and my lips finding hers.
She laughed. "I choose you, Jennie."
I dropped my head on her shoulder and closed my eyes. Minutes ticked by as I listened to her heartbeat.
"Okay, let's get ready. We need to catch the sunset," Lisa said.
I groaned. "Do we?"
"I thought you were a big traveler and adventurer."
"I was."
She giggled and tugged at my arm, and we went inside to change.
We packed snacks. Lisa ate mostly organic vegetables, so we wrapped celery and baby carrots with a dip and a few sandwiches. As Lisa revved the engine and backed from the driveway, I looked around the neighborhood. She turned on some indie songs in the car, and we joined the traffic on the highway. We talked about books, and as it turned out, we both were avid readers, but Lisa mostly devoured non-fiction, while I was fixated on fiction; romance was my weak spot. However, there was also a place for a chilling gruesome thriller in my heart.
It took us forty minutes to reach El Matador Beach. We grabbed our jackets and descended to the beach. The sky was already turning purple, and massive rocks were scattered on the beach like toys left by a kid who didn't bother to clean up after himself. The water turned all shades of violet and pink, and it was mesmerizing. Lisa took my hand, and we walked towards the sun. There were a few people, and I was aware that it was the first time we were outside and could be a couple in a public place. California was a liberal state, and nobody gave us a second thought. But for me, it all was new. As we reached the perfect spot where the sun was slowly hiding behind the rocks, Lisa stopped and stood behind me. She wrapped her arms around me and whispered, "Thank you for flying here to see me."
I turned around and looked at her. There was a calmness of the ocean in her eyes. I touched her cheekbone and slowly kissed her. There were people around us, but nobody cared.
The world erupted in a million shades of purple, and we silently watched as the sun hid behind the rocks standing in each other's arms. I wanted to pause this moment, to stay here. It would be imprinted in my memory forever.
She took my hand and led me down the beach.
"When did you realize that you liked girls?" I asked.
"I think it was when I was in my teens. And when I told my parents, they made me feel strange, broken; they said it was not human nature to be attracted to people of the same sex. And I believed them, I tried to hide that part within myself. I tried to find boys attractive. Oh, it would have made things so much easier, and I actually went out with a guy who my parents liked. The moment his cold, clammy hands touched my hips, I couldn't take it anymore. I broke up with him. Then the river flooded, and my body wanted a taste of life. And I found myself in beds with girls, often older than me. I explored their bodies inch by inch. My body found relief in their arms, but my heart and soul were lost. I never really felt anything towards them."
That hurt in two ways, one—I imagined Lisa in the arms of another woman, and second, how lonely she had been. I squeezed her hand.
"Once, a woman named Madeline came into my life," Lisa continued. "She was a talented surfer on weekends and a fierce attorney on weekdays. She fell in love with me. By that time, I was so lonely that I craved attention and touch. Just a few weeks into our relationship, she asked me to move in with her. I was twenty-six, she was thirty-five. Madeline was gentle with me, and she cared for me, but my heart was not in it. I started to wonder if something was wrong with me, if I could love at all.
"By day, we lived our lives. By night, my body was her toy, and my mind was shut. She tried to make me happy, she really did. But as time went by, her touches made me colder and colder. Eventually, I said we needed to break up. She cried, she begged, but I left. The pain on her face almost woke me from my dream in a cold sweat. Almost. Now Madeline is married to an older woman and lives in New York."
"Do you miss her?"
Lisa shook her head. "No, I never really warmed to her. It was like when my parents left me, a shell grew around me. And no light penetrated it, no feelings got in. I learned how to live alone, and it was easier, safer …" her voice trailed off, eyes on the horizon. "Till I met a woman in a Tel Aviv bar."
"You are not alone anymore," I said, touching her chin and turning her to look at me.
She stopped walking and looked silently in my eyes. I pressed my lips to her forehead, and I felt like one more wall of her inner cell was crumbling down.
The sun had hidden, and it was suddenly colder than before. As we reached the truck, I asked, "Where next?"
"I have an idea." Lisa smiled mischievously. "I will take you to a movie scene."
I quirked an eyebrow. "Which one?"
"Oh, you'll see." There was a playful grin on Lisa's lips.
As she was driving, I peeped into the cars moving along with us. They were all separate worlds: a tired man in a suit, a woman happily chatting with a teenage girl, and an elderly couple. Then I turned to Lisa; she was a relaxed driver. I took in every inch of her face. She eventually noticed and took my hand in hers.
"Do you want to meet Jack and John tomorrow for breakfast? Jack sent me a message. It said something like, 'Stop hiding her.'"
I laughed. "Yes, sure."
"They have a son, Ian, and he's nine. He's a really quiet boy, so don't worry, nobody will throw a kid at you."
"I am okay with older kids. It was Kai who always tried to convince me to change my mind by asking me to hold a baby or play with somebody. In the usual world, kids are not interested in me, and we coexist in the same room pretty well," I said.
It was almost dark outside. Long ago, we had exited the highway and were now winding up the narrow road. I tried to make out the surroundings, but only trees lined the driveway.
"I hope you're not a serial killer," I said, squinting in the window.
"We're almost there," Lisa chuckled.
And around the next turn, I saw what she meant. Shimmering lights of a Los Angeles night were everywhere, surrounding us. We climbed to an observation point, finding a few cars were here already.
"Now I understand what you meant about taking me to a movie scene." I grinned.
The closest car to us was quite far, and I could only see the dark shape of it; it was swinging lightly. I felt my face heating. Lisa took my hand and gently pressed it to her cheek, and then she moved it slowly down, her velvety skin under my fingertips. She stopped my hand at the hollow of her breasts, and I kissed her, burying my other hand in her hair, moving her closer.
We made love in the car. Like in the movies, with Los Angeles glistening mere steps away.
Afterwards we climbed to the rear seats, Lisa put her head in my lap, and I stroked her hair. The lights around us mesmerized me.
"What will happen with us?" I asked.
Lisa took a sharp breath and studied me. "What do you want to happen?"
"I want to be with you, and not only for a week in a month, but always. And I want to stop lying. I will tell Kai everything as soon as I see him. It's time for him to find a woman who will give him what he wants."
"Would you do that?" Lisa pressed. Her face didn't betray anything, but I saw the glimmer of hope in her eyes. She perched on an elbow and moved her face close to mine.
"Of course," I said. She wrapped her hands around me and pressed her soft lips to mine for a moment. "Did you think you were going to stay my paramour?" I laughed.
"I don't know. I decided to live in the moment while you were here. Because the longer I thought about us, the more I freaked out. I guess I was too afraid to let myself hope." She pressed her hands to the sides of my face. "And here you are, brave enough to talk about it, to dream."
"But I have no idea how to make it work, the logistics of us. We live on different continents, for God's sake! But I know that we should make it work," I said.
Lisa's expression changed to business-like and she asked, "Where do you want to live?"
"Here," I blurted out without thinking.
"But you haven't even seen LA during the days you've been here," Lisa laughed in return.
"Oh, it's a city on the ocean, how bad can it be?" I scratched my nose. "Okay, wait, I replied too fast, but it was the first thing that came to my mind."
Lisa tried hard to hide her smile.
"What are you so happy about?" I asked.
"Sorry." She tried to make a serious expression. "It's just that it's perfect." And she tickled me, and I laughed as she kissed me. The kiss became deeper in a second. Our bodies pressed together in the space of the car, my breathing quickened, and it was crazy how my body reacted to Lisa's touch.
She stopped abruptly. "But what about your family?" Lisa asked. "This place is far from Ukraine, and you are so close to them."
"That's true," I said as I was still trying to catch my breath, my heart beating fast. But really, what about my family? I would miss Mom and Dad tremendously. My brother would be busy with his kid soon. Zoom calls would work, but …
"I have an idea. Once you said you wanted to live in Europe for a year? That way it's only a couple of hours from Kyiv, and you could visit them often. And during that year you could understand if living abroad will work for you."
Lisa mentioned a year as it was nothing, but for me it seemed like a long time.
"Do you see us together in a year?" I asked quietly.
Lisa paused and tucked my hair over my ear. "Of course."
So simple. These two words reshaped my world in a moment, and then she smiled and looked at me.
"What do you think about Barcelona?"
"I was thinking about it too," I agreed. Really, Barcelona was a place I would love to spend a year in. I would not want to live there forever, but for a starting point it was great. "And there is a Benzon office there."
As Benzon was an international company with many offices scattered around the world, they relocated employees pretty easily. If you worked a few years in Benzon, you could relocate to any office or just work remotely.
"This sounds like a deal," Lisa said, beaming.
"Deal." I pressed my lips to the hollow of her throat. Her pulse hammered against my lips.
Lisa put a hand on my hip, and as I was only in my underwear, she slowly traced the edge of my pants. I moved my hand under her shirt and squeezed her breast lightly. Oh, she loved when I did it. Not only couldn't I keep my hands off her body, but she was really sensitive, responding to my touch.
As I kept stroking her, the silky skin under my fingertips, she slipped a hand in my pants. She was moving it slowly, building my needs. My body rocked with the rhythm of her touch. The noises I made were light cries of pleasure. Lisa moved closer to my ear and lightly bit my lobe.
"So, are you sure about Barcelona?" she whispered. I heard her ragged breathing as I caressed her nipple. She moved her fingers faster, deeper.
"Yes! Yes!" My body shuddered. "Yes, I'm sure," I breathed out.
The next morning, I woke up to a light kiss on my cheek. Lisa was already dressed. She put a glass of orange juice in front of me.
"Good morning," she said, lightly touching my hair. "We should get going soon."
I took a few sips of juice. "Should I be nervous?" I asked.
"No," she laughed. "They are probably more nervous themselves. They want you to like them."
I smiled and went to the shower. Lisa said to be chill, but I was still a bit jumpy. They were important people in her life. I put on a casual dress that looked like an oversize t-shirt and put on my white sneakers.
"How do I look?"
Lisa scanned me up and down. "Sexy."
I blushed. "Oh, wait, I almost forgot."
I rushed to my suitcase and fished out the bottle of Ukrainian wine and a box of custom-made sweets.
"Ready," I announced, straightening my dress as I entered the living room.
Lisa squeezed my hand. "Don't worry, everything will be great."
It appeared that Jack and John lived just next door. As Lisa opened the door and ushered me inside, a smiling man in his forties rushed to meet us.
"Oh my God, Lisa, you didn't tell us that you found such a beauty," he exclaimed. "I'm Jack."
He moved closer to me and gave me a bear hug. He smelled like expensive cologne and bread.
"Hi, it's nice to meet you." I smiled.
A tall, lean man entered the hall with a boy hiding behind him. "So glad to meet you, Jennie," he said, holding out a hand to me. "Finally. Was Lisa keeping you a prisoner? This is Ian."
"Hello," Ian replied, lurking upstairs.
I gave the bottle and the box of candy to Jack.
"The candies are homemade and should be delicious. The wine, well, we'll see," I said.
"Thank you. Let's go to the kitchen," Jack instructed.
They had the biggest kitchen I'd ever been in. You could have easily filmed a cooking show there. The copper cutlery was shining, the stove was the size of my bathtub, and the fridge was like a small room.
"It smells delicious," I remarked. The pan with sizzling bacon, the smell of melting batter and grilling sausages mixed with a fragrant coffee and the freshly baked bread made my mouth water.
"Jack is a chef at one of the top LA restaurants," Lisa explained.
"The lasagna I tried at Lisa's was amazing; it melted in my mouth."
"Did she starve you?" Jack asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "Lisa always forgets to eat."
Lisa rolled her eyes. "No, I eat just fine."
I laughed. "I guess she prepared for my arrival. The fridge was pretty stuffed."
"Thank you," she said, looking at John and rolling her eyes. "Please tell him that I am not starving."
John threw his hands into the air. "It's between you and Jack. Don't drag me into the food war."
I noticed how easily they all moved around each other. John poured glasses of the Ukrainian wine for all of us that I had brought. Jack swayed his glass, smelling it.
"I am not sure it's okay. I never drink Ukrainian wine at home. We import lots of Spanish and Italian ones, and I prefer those, as I am not sure the Ukrainian production technology is up to par. But an assistant in a wine shop recommended trying this one."
Jack took a sip. "It's not bad." He took one more sip. "Actually, I like it."
Lisa and John agreed.
"You are just being polite," I laughed.
"No, it really is fine," John insisted, taking another sip and smacking his lips.
"I mean, it's not the best one I ever drank," Lisa said, clearing her throat, "but it's okay."
"I should have brought vodka," I muttered.
Lisa shook her head. "Nah, they don't drink anything stronger than wine. But they love sweets, especially Jack and Ian."
During this time, the boy was nowhere to be seen.
"He'll come out later when he's ready," John assured me when he noticed me looking around.
"What did you see already? Did you do any sightseeing? Where did Lisa take you?" Jack asked.
"Well, we went to Malibu for a sunset. It was really picturesque," I said. A sweet tingle appeared in my chest as I remembered our hands linked together.
"And that's all?" Jack asked. "It seems that you two can't leave the house." He paused and looked at Lisa, her cheeks turning crimson. "But you need to show Jennie the city!"
"She must at least see places like Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, the Hollywood sign, and Hollywood," John told her, bending his fingers as he listed the sights. "And a few museums would be good, too. But don't get your hopes high for Hollywood; it's not the nicest district."
"And if you liked La La Land, Griffith Observatory is a must," Jack added.
"Yes, yes, we are starting with Beverly Hills today," Lisa said, sighing dejectedly.
Jack took a heavenly smelling bread out of the oven and placed it in the middle of the table. John sliced it while Jack served bacon, sausages, eggs, tomatoes, and avocado.
"I'll go find Ian and ask him if he wants to eat with us," John said.
"So, how are you two together?" Jack asked, pausing to examine both of us.
I squeezed Lisa's hand. Jack saw it and glanced at Lisa.
"Good," she said, but her face was radiant, much better than only good.
"I am so happy for you two." Jack looked over at me, as though he tried to see something hidden, his gaze holding mine. "Take care of her. Sometimes she forgets to take care of herself."
"I'll do my best," I promised, leaning in.
"Sounds like a plan." A warm smile played on his lips.
John and Ian joined us. Ian was extremely shy, and he avoided eye contact and stayed silent during the whole meal. We switched to coffee and orange juice since it was only breakfast. Jack was the talker in the family. He told me about his job at the restaurant and said if we had any free time during our busy schedule we should visit.
"Lisa, are you going to take Jennie to Six Flags?" Ian asked. Everyone stopped talking and stared at him.
I tilted my head curiously, biting into a piece of bread. "What's Six Flags?"
"It's a roller coaster park," Ian explained, cutting into some eggs.
"It's so high and fast and the number of loops is crazy there," Lisa said, her face paling slightly as she downed some orange juice.
"Maybe Universal?" John suggested.
"I've been to Universal in Orlando," I said. "And no, we probably won't go, as Lisa isn't a fan of those parks."
"We can go with you. I'll keep you company," Ian said, chewing bacon, finally looking at me.
"Aren't you afraid of those high and scary rides?" I teased him.
He grinned back. "Try me."
I liked this kid. He was quiet and talked only when he had something to say.
John scratched his nose. "We can go, Lisa. You won't be riding; you can just walk around the park with us."
Lisa took a deep breath and said, "If no one is going to persuade me to try, especially you." She pointed at Ian with the fork. "I'll think about it."
"I won't," Ian said, his eyes glazing with excitement.
Jack and John showed me their house. It was huge, with light filling every corner. John worked in music production, and his office walls were covered with glowing magazine articles and diplomas. They had a pool in the backyard and an immaculate lawn with a flourishing garden. The place felt like home, with stylish touches coming directly from interior design magazines. I assumed Jack did it, with lots of cozy nooks to hide in and a huge library. When I went to the bathroom the size of my room back home and returned to them, I heard Lisa talking about Barcelona. When I entered the room, Jack put an arm around her and kissed her forehead.
"I am so happy for you," he beamed.
Jack and John were amazing father figures. The protective care they radiated toward Lisa was mesmerizing. They both hugged me tightly when we had to leave.
Back at Lisa's house, she said, "Get ready for a lot of walking. We need to cover a large area today." She smiled.
I stepped closer to her and took her hand. "I'd prefer to stay at home with you." I touched the back of her neck.
She traced my lower lip with her tongue, the lightest touch sending pleasant shivers down my core. "Would you?" she whispered.
And I kissed Lisa, crashing into her lips. Her hands moved fast to remove my clothes, and in a few moments, she led me to bed, gently pushing me to lie down. She was kissing me everywhere, her lips brushing my breasts and my ribs, stopping under my belly button.
"We should get going," Lisa said with a playful smile on her lips.
I was breathing hard, my chest rising in fast movements. I craved her touch, moving my body closer to her.
"Later," I murmured. But she wasn't moving; her hand was hovering inches from my hip bone. "Please," I breathed out, and it did the trick. She propped my knees wider and feasted on me, making me whimper her name, taking me to the moon in a few minutes.
It took us an hour to get ready, but finally we were out the door and driving to Beverly Hills. We parked not far from Rodeo Drive and walked down the street. I gaped at the sports cars parked right in front of the luxurious shops with popular names everyone knew. Lisa said she saw Richard Gere here once. Then we strolled through the residential area, looking at the houses and imagining who lived inside. We drove to the mansions in upper Beverly Hills, and my jaw dropped even more. The size of the houses, the style, it was like an open-air museum, but mostly hidden behind fences.
Later that day, we drove to Santa Monica, which was crowded because of the nice weather. Lisa took my hand in hers, and most people didn't pay attention to us, but some gave curious looks and a group of tourists even pointed a finger at us. California was liberal and supportive of the LGBTQ movement, but the rest of the world was only starting to get there.
The pier was the same as the one in the Forest Gump. But what I enjoyed the most was people watching. You could see all kinds of people here, like beautiful looking athletes, young people trying to find a way to Hollywood, groups of tourists huddling together, and teenagers on skates and bikes. There was activity everywhere.
For the sunset we drove to the Griffith Observatory. Once again, I was dropped in a movie setting. The sky was all shades of purple, and we took the side trail to hide from the crowd. Lisa put her hands around me, and we stood there in silence, watching the sun going down. I couldn't explain the feeling of lightness and happiness inside me, but I knew the reason for it: Her arms were draped around me.
When the sun hid under the horizon, I turned to Lisa and hugged her close. I felt the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed, her heart beating right next to mine. I couldn't imagine the moment I would need to go back home without her by my side, even if it was only for a few weeks.
We stood in each other's arms as the night descended on us. This moment was one of the few when I realized that I was irrevocably in love with Lisa.