Nadine peered thru the lens of her camera, taking shot after shot of their surroundings. She found everything interesting, which was pretty much the way she always felt whenever she explored a place she's never been to before. If there was one thing she loved, it was traveling, and she knew James loved it as much as she does. There's nothing like going to a foreign place to remind you of who you are and your place in this world, especially for celebrities like them.

The sun was out but there was a cold breeze hinting of impending rain. It had rained lightly that morning, so Nadine was wearing a white parka and James was sporting a leather jacket, their footsteps making squishing sounds on the slightly wet ground. She and James had just visited the State Capitol and were now walking towards Crocker Art Museum. Thankfully, most tourist spots in Sacramento were of walking distance to each other so they didn't need to take another cab.

Nadine had read about the Crocker Art Museum being one of the best art museums in California, with collections of both historical and contemporary art. Being an artist at heart, she couldn't contain her excitement and started skipping down the pavement, bringing James along with her.

"Hey, hey, hey!" James laughed, walking fast to catch up.

Nadine suddenly stopped and stared when the Crocker Art Museum came into view. It was a gorgeous structure, a combination of an old house and a modern building that was unlike any other museum she's ever seen before. There were few people milling about, children running up and down the huge expanse of pavement smack at the front of the white architectural marvel where the house and the building met. Nadine ran over to the same spot as the playing children, laughing, spreading her arms wide and breathing it all in.

She turned to James, her eyes sparkling. "Tayo ka dito. Right here, James. I'll take your pic, then take mine okay?" She took him by the shoulders and pushed him to the middle. She angled her camera and James smiled mischievously at her. Click. James bit his lip. Click. Started taking of his leather jacket. Click. Pulled on the neckline of his black shirt as if to show off his chest.

Oh, I know what he's doing!

Nadine burst out laughing. "Stop that James!" and James laughed along with her. "Serious na. Don't look at the camera. Just take it all in." She gestured around her. James followed suit and took a moment to appreciate their surroundings, squinting at the sun. Click. Click. Click.

He looks like a greek god, for crying out loud. Not fair.

She shook herself out of her reverie and walked over to James. "Me naman," she said, handing him her camera.

She looked around while James took her picture, going for candid. It wasn't hard, as she was really in awe of the place; the smile on her face was unintentional. She didn't even notice when James took out his phone and snapped shots of her, then handed his phone to a passerby and approached her, putting his arm around her. They both smiled for the camera and then thanked the guy.

They entered the museum and Nadine was so taken aback by the beauty of the place that somehow her hand found James' and squeezed it. James smiled at her and let her wander, his hand not leaving hers as they checked out artwork to artwork, from the sculptures scattered strategically in the halls to the paintings that dotted the walls. She stopped in front of a particularly interesting painting entitled Portrait of My Father by Steven Kaltenbach, sitting on the bench in front of it.

"You know, if I weren't in showbiz, I think I'd by happy doing this."

"What? Being a tourist?" He laughed at his corny joke.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Sira. Being a photographer. Tapos kung papalain, maybe even a director. Ewan ko. You know how I was sort of thrown into this whole thing anyway, right?"

"That's a painting, not a photograph," he pointed out.

"You know what I mean."

James nodded and sat down next to her. "I think you would have excelled in whatever you do. You're determined like that. It's one of the things I immediately liked about you." The admiration was evident in his tone.

"Weh," Nadine scoffed.

"Remember in DNP, when we were suddenly asked by Direk Andoy to kiss, even though the script only called for a hug?"

"Of course I remember!"

"Yeah, well, I looked at you and I saw the hesitation in your eyes. I was about to call out to Direk to beg off the kissing scene for you, but then your eyes changed. And you muttered to yourself 'Kaya mo yan, Nadine.'" His voice took on a faraway tone as he stared at the painting, seemingly lost in thought. Then he looked back at her and smiled. "I remember thinking, 'here's a girl who will do what needs to be done for her career. I'm sure she'll go places.'"

"Narinig mo pala ko nun." What James said was true, though. She did have a moment of hesitation before she decided to push through with it. And boy, was she glad she did.

"I'm just glad you took me with you for the ride," James continued, looking at her.

"Are you kidding me? We're in this together, remember? Right from the start."

They looked back at the painting.

"How about you, what do you think you would be if hindi ka nag-artista?"

"Well, I didn't plan on this for sure. You know that. Maybe a chef, working in a restaurant or a hotel. It's really hard for me to imagine it now, though. You know I love my career now."

"Don't you miss not being famous?"

He shrugged. "Sometimes. But then I think about how I provide for my family now and I know it's worth it."

Nadine nodded. She and James were pretty much the same in that respect and they both knew it. It was always more about their families than themselves. If nothing else, knowing that they are able to provide for their families kept them motivated. The fact that they were also passionate about their craft was only secondary to that.

James got up and held out his arm to her. "Let's go? There's still so much to see!"

She took his arm and together they explored the rest of the museum, reveling in these rare moments where they could simply enjoy sightseeing, with no reporters or fans around to bother them, no cameras pointing at their every move. Just James and Nadine, being themselves.

***

"Here you go." James handed Nadine a corn dog he had bought from one of the food stands at Orchard Park. They had gone straight there after they finished at Crocker Art Museum and were now walking around, eating some munchies along the way.

There were more people out here and two Pinoy couples have already approached them, asking for pictures, to which they obliged.

Nadine watched as the second couple walked away, whispering excitedly to themselves, and mused out loud, "Grabe noh, kahit hanggang dito may nakakakilala pa rin satin."

"I know. Do you remember back when we were doing DNP? Wherever we shot, people were like, 'Sino yan? I don't know them.'"

"Unexpected hit naman kasi talaga yung DNP. That movie changed my life."

"Correction. That movie changed our lives."

They stopped by a playground and watched the children going up and down the slide.

"If you could go back in time, would you do anything differently?" This was something Nadine had always wanted to ask James. If, given the chance, would he have intentionally chosen her as his loveteam partner.

James eyebrows furrowed together. "What do you mean? Which part?"

"Us. Our loveteam. Did you ever regret being paired with me?" She asked this quietly, a little scared of his answer.

"Whoa. Where is this coming from?" James chucked her chin, forcing her to look at him.

"Well, you know what the bashers say. I'm not good enough for you, kaya iba iba babae kasama mo. Hindi mo daw ako type. Ganun."

"Is this why you don't wanna be with me?"

She shrugged. Yes, it was partially the reason, but the bigger part was that she was terrified. Being with James entailed a whole lot of things that she wasn't quite ready for... dealing with bashers was only one of them. She already had her heart broken before when her ex gave way for her to pursue her career. It was a mutual decision, but she had vowed to herself never to let love get in the way of work. She and James had discussed from the start that it would be better if they didn't get involved, in order to avoid all the complications that came with it. Whether she liked him or not was irrelevant.

James sighed. "To answer your question, no, I wouldn't have done it differently. This whole loveteam thing... I think this whole thing was more bearable because it was you, you know what I mean?"

She nodded. She knew what he meant because she felt the same way. James was... everything she could have asked for in a partner. They have always been a team, helping each other out, reaching for their dreams together.

"I just wish it didn't have all the drama that goes with it." James laughed wryly. "But I meant what I said before. If it's not you, then I'd rather be alone. Partners in crime." He grinned at her and she found herself grinning back, her heart fluttering at his words.

James fell silent and looked deep into her eyes, his voice barely a whisper. "You've been such a huge part of my life, Naddie." He stepped closer. "I think even back then I knew..." Another step. "...that I would eventually fall in love with you."

As if on cue, a little boy playing tag bumped into Nadine and she found herself in James' arms as he caught her to stop her from falling. Her breath hitched as his lips inched closer and closer to hers...

"Mommy! Daddy! It's Jadine!" A little girl, about 7 years old, who was playing tag with the boy who bumped Nadine called out, pointing at them. They broke apart and looked at the child. Her parents came over and smiled at them.

"She's a huge fan of OTWOL. Okay lang ba magpa-picture?"

"Sure," James said, reaching out to carry the girl in his arms. The couple took some shots of them with the little girl, after which they joined them for a selfie. Or rather, groufie.

Nadine watched as James put down the girl and pointed at his cheek. "O, kiss kuya James na." The little girl shyly kissed him then went back to her parents with a sweet smile on her face, obviously kilig. She loved the way that James adores children. Children warm up to him right away, too.

Must be his puppy dog eyes, she thought.

James took her hand and intertwined it with his, and they walked in companionable silence, enjoying the cold winter breeze. Before they knew it, they came across an outdoor skating rink. James turned to her, eyes gleaming, that boyish grin he was so famous for on his lips and she knew he was thinking the same thing she was.

***

Nadine giggled as James fell flat on his butt for the third time.

"Ano ba yan! Akala ko ba gymnast ka?" She reached out a hand to help him up, but James pulled her down with him and Nadine fell to the floor of the skating rink, squealing with laughter.

"James!" He wouldn't let go of her arm and they tried to stand up, but their skates kept sliding and they kept falling on their butts again and again, both of them laughing uncontrollably.

They finally managed to get ahold of themselves and stand up again. Nadine guided James as they both glided across the rink. Not that she was an expert, she barely knew how to skate, too, just that she was a bit better than James and didn't fall as much.

Day had just turned into night, and the lights cast soft shadows on James face, making him so breathlessly handsome that Nadine had to constantly stop herself from staring. The rink was full of couples, kissing, holding hands. The winter air was making Nadine's hands cold and she rubbed them together, but James took them and breathed into them, then rubbed them with his hands.

Ginawa na niya yan sa OTWOL, ah, she thought, but that didn't stop her heart from doing a tiny dance.

They skated (rather, wobbled) together and after a few rounds, they finally got the hang of it and were now skating smoothly, arms around each other's waist.

"I could get used to this," James said, then suddenly twirled Nadine around like he does during their Love Me Like You Do number.

Being on skates, Nadine lost her balance and almost fell, but James caught her and dipped her, laughing as he did so. His face was only inches from hers and she could see their breaths mingling in the cold air. She closed her eyes, waiting for the kiss that she knew would come, but droplets of rain fell on her face and she opened her eyes before the heavens opened and heavy rain started to pour.

James grinned and helped her straighten up. They both ran for shelter like little children, the almost kiss temporarily forgotten. They found cover under a tree and without a word, James enveloped her in a tight hug, and she closed her eyes as she held him close to her heart, happy and content.

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to bluefckingmoon who helped me with the tourist spots in Sacramento that I included here. I do hope I did it justice.

Pasensya na sa dalawa kong pahopia. It's like Napa Valley all over again! Peace!

Happy New Year, my loves!

Cheers to an OJD-filled 2016!