CHAPTER TWELVE
Trey turns in the opposite direction of L.D. and we start the walk back up Lombard Street. This time our slower pace gives me time to take in the details of the landscaped area and houses on each side of the roadway.
We walk back up past all eight curves of Lombard Street, on the pedestrian steps this time. Once we reach the top of the hill we drove down minutes ago, the need to fill the space starts to claw at me. I try to pretend we’re a normal couple, out for a cute stroll rather than what we are. And what are we? I can’t even answer the question myself.
My anxiety builds and I start to question what we’re doing here more and more. I’m about to throw out one of the hundred or so reasons I’ve thought of to make my exit when Trey picks up our conversation as if no time as passed. “Do you like pizza?”
“Of course.” Who doesn’t like pizza?
“There is a great place a block or so from my house. I’ll order and we can pick it up on the way to my place. What do you like for toppings?”
We’re walking to Trey’s house? The ability to see his personal space is all the motivation I need to keep this night going. “Anything. I'm not picky.”
Trey laughs at my answer as we stop at a street corner. “Yeah, you say that now. Girls always say they’re not picky when they don’t want to seem picky, but they don't mean it.”
Still waiting to cross the road, I flash him a look even my sister would be proud of. “Well I’m serious. As long as it isn’t anchovies we're fine.”
His eyes widen when he thinks he’s caught me. “See!” His finger playfully points at me while he smiles through his accusation.
“Were you planning to order anchovies?”
The crosswalk lights up and we both step off the curb. “No, anchovies are disgusting. What kind of person would eat them on a pizza?”
I scoff at his answer. “Then why would it matter?”
“It just does,” he answers with a slight high and mighty tone.
“But…”
As we continue to walk on Lombard Street, I stare at Trey and realize regardless of how much I want to argue with him, I have no comeback. Mainly because I can’t remember what we were even arguing about. Anchovies? Pizza toppings? Picky girls? The man has completely talked me in circles. By his smug little smile, he knows it too.
“So you’re okay with green peppers, mushrooms, and onions?” he asks while typing into his phone.
I nod, it’s actually what we ordered the most when I still lived at home. I went through a big vegetarian phase in high school. Those were the three non-meat ingredients we agreed on and they sort of stuck even after I admitted I missed steak.
Trey puts his phone in his back pocket and steps closer but doesn’t grab my hand. I’d make the first move myself, but my nerves won’t allow me. For lack of a better topic I try to keep the conversation going.
“So where do you live?” Hey, I said Icouldkeep it going. I never promised stimulating conversation.
“I’m off Fillmore Street, a few blocks from our office. My house was one of the first purchases I made after we sold Dragons Reborn. That and the car.”
I have no idea where Fillmore Street is considering I barely know where I live. “It’s in Knob Hill, right?” I remember Aspen telling me that's where Trey lived, and I try to play it off like I have knowledge of the city.
Trey’s head turns to me and his brows furrow. “Um, no. The opposite direction to Cow Hollow.”
My face heats, but I hope he’ll think it’s from the cooler evening air not my embarrassment. “Aspen said…” I trail off.
Trey snorts. “I told Aspen I lived in Knob Hill once,” he does this silent chuckle thing, “it’s kind of a long story, but I can see how it might be a memorable fact. Anyway, no, my place is a few blocks from the office. I walk some days.”
I still have no idea where Fillmore Street is, but I don’t question it more. “Where did you and Finn work before you sold Dragons Reborn?”
Trey’s gait slows for a moment while he looks to the sky. His smile and slight head shake suggest he’s lost in memories of their early days. When his pace picks back up, he starts talking. “Originally there were four of us. Finn, Ryland, Grant, and me. Our freshman year we all ended up roommates in the quad.”
He says the term with a deep voice but explains before I probe him. “The dorms all had a quad room on each floor. It was the room at the end of the hallway, which used up all the extra space. Since it was bigger, they put more of us in them. Living with three other guys was not always the easiest thing.
“Ryland ended up walking on the soccer team sophomore year, so he had to live in team housing, but the rest of us stayed together. Finn was always messing around with his computer. While most of us were studying, he’d design these simple games. Our favorite was a picture of the most hated professor on campus. The object was to throw things at him. You’d get points for direct hits. It was silly and stupid, but we all loved that one.
“One night, after a few beers, Ry suggested Finn make a soccer game. It would use most of the same code but wouldn’t get anyone sued if we let other people play it. The four of us talked it out and Finn started coding the game that night. He finished the next morning still hungover."
