Page 73 of I'll Be the One

We go up the 5, which is pretty deserted at this hour. It’s cold enough that I’m glad I thought to wear a sweatshirt as Henry’s convertible speeds down the highway in the quiet of the night. It never snows in SoCal, but winter temperatures get down to forty degrees, and snow is visible on the peaks of the San Gabriel Mountains surrounding LA. The moon is out, and I can see the stars in the cloudless night sky.

Henry’s silent for the entire drive to the observatory, although he does turn on some Korean hip-hop and puts the volume on low. The music and the engine create a soft hum, and soon I find myself dozing off.

“Hey, we’re here.”

I wake up to find that Henry’s parked in a forested area. There are a few cars parked near us, despite the fact that it’s so late. Henry gets two flashlights from the back seat.

“Take one,” he says. “We’re going to need them to see during the hike up.”

We get out of the car and turn on the flashlights. Snowball jumps out too, and she rushes ahead of us as we slowly make our way up the hill.

“She always likes to go up ahead and wait for me at the top,” Henry explains. “Let’s hope she doesn’t show up with a dead rabbit or something.”

“If she does, chances are, we won’t be able to see it.”

Other than the area lit by our flashlights, everything is pitch-dark. I can’t even see my own legs when I look down.

“Why does it feel like we’re about to bury a dead body?” I ask as we continue hiking.

Henry laughs. “The view is worth it, I promise. I always come up here late at night when I need a quiet space to think or relax. Here, take my hand.”

Before I know what’s happening, Henry’s leading me up the trail with his hand securely around mine. It’s nice and warm,and I’m glad that it’s too dark for him to see me blush.

I have no grasp on how long it takes for us to go up the hill because of the darkness. It feels like forever, especially since I have to be careful not to trip on the rocks in our path. But soon enough, I see a faint golden glow of the observatory up ahead. And I hear the jingle of Snowball’s tags.

“We probably only have a minute left now,” Henry says. “Snowball! Come here!”

The jingling grows louder, and without warning, I get a face full of dog slobber.

“Gross! Snowball!” I laugh and shine my flashlight down on her. She’s thankfully rabbit-free and looks up at me with what can only be described as a dog smile.

It kind of reminds me of Henry’s grin.

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” I tell her, petting her head.

“Skye, look up.”

I glance up, and the sight before me takes my breath away.

Bathed in golden light, the Griffith Observatory sits on top of the hill, just a few feet away from us. The observatory’s white walls and gray domes look pretty plain during the day, but now, lit up against the dark night sky, the building looks like it could be anything from a mystical temple to an alien spaceship about to take flight.

But the observatory isn’t theonlybeautiful thing we can see from up here. Behind the building is a stunning view of the Los Angeles skyline. LA isn’t an attractive city; it’s sprawling and messy, with the occasional searchlight and flashes of passinghelicopters. But even though I know the city is really a mess, from up here in the hills, the gold and white lights of the skyscrapers and the buildings around them are stunning.

“So, is the view worth it?” Henry asks. “I figured you could use a distraction from everything.”

“Yeah, it is,” I say softly.

The combination of the gorgeous view and Henry’s thoughtfulness makes my breath catch.

“Thanks,” I continue. “You’re always so nice to me.”

“I mean... you deserve the best. You’re Queen Skye.”

Seeing “Queen Skye” on people’s signs made me smile, but hearing Henry say it right to my face makes me full-on blush.

“Oh, stop it,” I say.

“No, really. I still remember seeing you on that stage when you first auditioned... you were soamazing. I bet you changed the lives of countless people that day, and you’re continuing to inspire them by sticking it out in this competition.”

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