We walked through the airport and followed the signs that directed us to the rental cars. As soon as we walked out of the doors, the wind hit with a ferocity and Easton's hand began to rub my shoulder that it rested on.
"You're cold, right?" he asked with a grin when I looked up at him.
I was. Even though it was May, San Francisco didn't like to necessarily follow the calendar when it came to weather. The breezy weather felt chilly, especially for this Southern girl.
"Man, you must be freezing," Easton said as he investigated my arm to see that it was covered in goosebumps. I was cold, but the bumps had nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with the way Easton was rubbing my arm. He'd always been an attentive best friend, but this trip was bringing out a whole new side to Easton that I was liking way too much. But I was supposed to enjoy the moment, right?
We got our car, and Easton navigated the congested roads of San Francisco, taking us right into the downtown area.
"Should we start with Lombard Street?" he asked as we approached the charming architecture of downtown San Francisco and the dark blue water of the Pacific.
"Can we call ourselves tourists if we don't?" I asked, and he shot me his alluring grin.
"Probably not."
We drove slowly down the long, windy street that overlooked the beautiful water with dozens of other cars full of tourists, and I took in the cute flowers planted on either side of the road and the adorable homes and businesses surrounding us.
"Isn't it crazy that we can get on a plane for five hours and then, surprise, we are in what feels like a whole different world? Even the air feels different here," I said as I rolled down the window to let in the chill. Even though the sun was now higher in the sky than it had been when we’d left the airport, it was still cold. But it felt like we needed to smell the ocean air to really take in the moment.
I felt my hair whip around my face and the sea air filled my senses.
"I love Saratoga, but too bad we couldn't have our very own ocean," I said about the small city we called home.
"I agree," Easton said, and I looked over to find him watching me. We were traveling down the road at such a slow pace that driving wasn't taking much of his concentration, and I guessed he'd decided to use the excess on me.
"I've never known anyone that loves life as much as you do," Easton said as I rolled up the window.
"Except for you," I said.
He shrugged. "Maybe. But you enjoy it much better," he said.
I pondered over that thought. I guessed it was my mantra for the trip. But Easton enjoyed life too, didn't he?
We'd made it onto the main road right next to the ocean, and Easton turned his attention to concentrating on driving again.
"I'm pretty sure we can park there." He pointed up at a building just beyond us that looked like it had a parking garage. I didn't want to think about how much it would cost to park right there next to the ocean, and I knew Easton would probably try to fight me on who should pay for things now that we were on our trip. But this whole adventure was my idea and my present to him. I couldn't very well let him start paying for things. Besides, I'd done plenty of saving over the years. Now was the time to splurge a bit.
Easton found us a parking spot, and we left the garage to walk toward the waterfront when my stomach let out a long growl.
"Hungry?" he asked with a raised eyebrow before looking down at my stomach.
"Nah, that was just gas," I answered, and Easton burst out laughing. I loved making him laugh like that. Even at my expense.
"Well, I think your gas is telling us you're hungry," he said once his laughter had subsided. But he still had a wide smile on his face. "Pier 39 is right up here. Let's walk and look for a place to grab lunch."
I nodded as we walked down the street. It wasn't too crowded, thanks to the fact that it was a Thursday at noon, but we still had to maneuver our way around quite a few people to get to the pier where the crowds became more dense.
Easton once again put an arm around my shoulders as he guided me toward the delicious smells that wafted our way.
I tried to be at ease under Easton's touch. It looked like this was going to be a new normal for us, at least during this trip, and my heart couldn't freak out each time he touched me. But my heart didn't seem to have gotten the memo because it still beat erratically, especially when Easton began playing with my hair once again.
"Looks like we have the choice of a bakery," Easton pointed to the famous San Francisco bakery I'd heard lots about, "or seafood." There were two restaurants at the end of the pier that boasted all kinds of fresh fish fare. We went with the restaurant on the left purely because the crowd outside was the largest. Easton had taught me that large crowds meant good food. And it was almost always worth the wait.
We put our names in with the hostess before settling onto a bench right outside of the restaurant. Surprisingly, we’d been told the wait time would only be 15 minutes long. The restaurant must’ve been good about getting people in and out.
"So, what do you think of San Francisco?" Easton asked. Unlike Easton, this was my first trip to the city. I'd been to Northern California a couple of times, so I'd experienced the San Francisco airport. But I’d never done any exploring here.
"It's beautiful," I said, looking up at the sun trying to peek its way out of the clouds. "Even if it is a little dreary. Have you filmed a video here?"
Easton clutched at his heart. "Are you telling me you haven't watched every one of my videos?" he asked, his eyes wide in mock hurt. I knew he didn't expect me to watch everything he'd ever filmed. But I had.
I thought about lying—what would it look like to him to know that I had, indeed, watched every video? But I decided against it. I'd only look like a good best friend. Besides, I hated lying to Easton, and not telling him how I was in love with him was more than enough lying to my best friend for a lifetime.
"Of course I have. I just haven't committed them to memory," I said with a roll of my eyes at Easton's dramatics.
He pursed his lips as he watched me and then sent a huff of breath out of his nose. "And to think I thought you were a true fan."
"Someone has to keep you humble," I said with a pump of my eyebrows that earned me a feather soft touch across my neck. Easton had long ago found just how ticklish that part of my body was.
I let out a cackle of giggles, making Easton laugh as well.
Only after our laughter had died down did he answer my question. "Not in the city. But we've filmed a couple in wine country as well as Yosemite," Easton said. "And we did the touristy stuff here a couple of times, but never for the cameras."
I nodded, hoping the look on my face was enigmatic. But I couldn't help but wonder if Easton had come to this exact place with Priscilla. Even if he had, what did it matter? My brain threatened to overanalyze everything before I calmed it with my mantra.
"Easton, party of two," the hostess called out with a smile that she directed right at the handsome guy with me. I didn't blame her.
She guided us through the tablecloth-covered round tables of the restaurant until we stopped by our table right next to a window.
"It's gorgeous," I breathed as I sat at our assigned table, my entire attention focused on the rippling water just on the other side of the enormous window. The place was full of life, boats coming in and going out to sea, people teeming along the other seafronts to the left and right of our restaurant. I swore I even saw a few gray blobs in the water that had to be seals.