Not Another Diva

13 - Bossy Pants

"Was this a stupid idea, or..." I ask as we round the first corner of the trail. Bree is walking next to me, not exactly huffing and puffing, but I can tell she's exerting herself. I'm actually holding myself back already, not wanting to push her too hard.

"No, no. It's a great idea." Bree pauses to take a few breaths. "I've never been up here before."

I look over at her. "Really? I mean, isn't this a thing in L.A.?" It's the whole reason I chose this over any other date we could have done. I'm always seeing celebrities and their dogs and significant others photographed here. The hike to the Hollywood sign is pretty iconic at this point.

"I guess so. I've just never had anyone want to make the trip."

Her voice is winded as we walk. It's been about ten minutes and I already think we need to take a break. I pause by the edge of the trail and pull out some water from my backpack.

"Here." I hand her a bottle.

"You've thought of everything, haven't you?" Bree smiles as she holds the water. I watch as she puts the opening to her lips and takes a long drink. It's not too hot out today, but being in the direct sun makes it feel ten times hotter.

To be honest, so does watching Brianna drinking water.

"Zack?"

Her voice causes my eyes to refocus. And now I see that she's staring at me, holding the bottle out for me to put it away. Sheesh, I must have zoned out.

"Oh, yeah. Ready to keep going?" I pull it together long enough to put the water away and take a few steps back onto the trail. I picked a moderate route, because yes there is more than one trail to choose from, but this one has the best features. Since Brianna has never been here at all, I'm even more excited to take her.

"Ready. Let's do this." She falls into step beside me as we continue winding through the trail. I make sure she stays in the middle of the path, keeping away from the brush and possible rattlesnakes.

Of course I don't tell her this. She might be less excited about this date if she thinks her life is in danger. Which it isn't. As long as she stays out of the bushes.

"How long will it take to reach the top?"

"Depends on how fast we walk. But I've got something else planned when we get up there." I tell her and wink. She laughs a little, which always gets my heart racing. I love seeing her happy, and she seems to be feeling it more often.

"Okay, I'm up for this. Let's pick up the pace."

We walk side by side for the next while, just taking in the view that's starting to make an appearance the higher we ascend. The hill rolls down below and the rest of the valley view spreads out further with each step. The Hollywood sign in all of its glory is growing larger and larger as we make our way.

"I don't think about how huge this thing is when I'm sitting in my office or on my deck at home. But obviously it has to be big enough to see across the entire area."

"It's easy to forget about the details when it's always right in front of you," I say as we continue hiking. Brianna is keeping her eyes on the sign but I'm keeping my eyes on her. I don't think I could forget any of the details that make up this woman.

"It's funny, I love looking at this sign for the dumbest reasons and now that it is right in front of me, I can see how dumb they really are." She's speaking quietly, almost to herself. But I hear her.

"What dumb reasons do you have?" My words pull her attention back to me, and the look on her face confirms what I was thinking. She wasn't really saying it to me, just thinking out loud. "Sorry, you don't have to tell me."