Chapter 20: Tourist Trap
Timeline: 09:00, Sunday
Location: GIG/Apex R&D Campus, Agonwood
Sunday morning, I walked downstairs in my pajamas to find my kitchen under siege. Dan stood at the stove, flipping strips of bacon with a fork. Ellie occupied the island, slicing fruit. Marcus sat at the counter, nursing a coffee and looking thoroughly amused.
"Morning, sleepyhead," Dan cheered, waving the fork. "We're making a growing boy's breakfast."
"I see that," I said, rubbing my eyes. "How did you get in?"
"Marcus has a key," Dan said, pointing the fork at him. "And I have charm."
"He threatened to break the window if I refused to let him in to cook you breakfast," Marcus clarified.
"Details," Dan scoffed. He plated a stack of pancakes that looked like they defied gravity. "Eat up. We have a big day. We're going to the city."
"San Francisco?" I asked, taking a seat.
"The one and only," Dan said. "I start working there next month, and I haven't even seen the bridge yet. Marcus gave you that keychain, right? It's a sign. We need to see the real thing."
I smiled, remembering the little box on my pillow back in Morgantown. "Okay. A tourist day."
"We prefer the term explorers," Ellie corrected. "We plan to hit Pier 39. Then we visit the sea lions. Finally, we eat chowder out of bread bowls until we regret it."
"I'm in," I said. It sounded perfect. Normal. Just us.
The front door chimed. The room went quiet. We all looked at the door.
"I specifically left him off the invite list," Marcus said quickly, raising his hands.
I walked over and opened the door.
Alex stood there, looking casually expensive in a soft grey sweater and dark jeans. Behind him, Julian leaned against the railing of the porch, wearing sunglasses and checking his phone.
"Good morning," Alex said, his smile bright and disarming. "I heard a rumor about bacon."
"It's a lifestyle," Dan called out from the kitchen. "Come on in, Alex. There's plenty."
Alex stepped inside. Julian hesitated, peering into the house like he was entering a quarantine zone.
"Come on, Vane," Marcus called out. "It won't kill you. It's just cholesterol."
Julian sighed and followed Alex inside.
The kitchen, which had felt cozy a moment ago, suddenly felt very small.
"We were just planning a trip to the city," Dan announced, handing Alex a plate of bacon without asking. "Golden Gate. Fisherman's Wharf. The whole tourist trap experience."
"Sounds… crowded," Julian noted, eyeing the bacon suspiciously.
"It's Sunday," Dan said. "That's the point. People watching."
"I can have Thomas bring the SUV around," Alex offered. "We can all fit."
Dan looked dejected. He wanted to drive. He wanted to handle the logistics of the adventure. "Actually," Dan said, "I rented a minivan. I figured we'd pile in like the old days."
"A minivan," Julian repeated, the word tasting sour in his mouth.
"It has sliding doors," Dan said proudly. "Very practical."
"I'll drive," Marcus volunteered quickly, sensing the impending testosterone clash. "I know the city traffic better than anyone."
"Perfect," Ellie said, clapping her hands. "Road trip."
"I'll be ready," I said and unveiled my intended shirt for the day: "Heisenberg Department of Law Enforcement: We know how fast you were going, but we have no idea where you are."
For some reason, there were several groans.
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Timeline: 11:30
Location: Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco
The minivan ride proved to be an exercise in social anthropology. Dan sat shotgun, controlling the music (80s rock). Marcus drove. Ellie and I sat in the middle row. Alex and Julian were relegated to the back bench.
Alex seemed to find the novelty amusing. Julian looked like he was plotting a hostile takeover of the rental car company just to burn the v. But we eventually made it to the wonderfully chaotic, loud, vibrant mess of humanity in the shape of Fisherman's Wharf. The air smelled of salt water, fresh baked bread, frying fish, and waffle cones all at once.
"Sea lions first!" Ellie declared.
We pushed our way through the crowds to the railing overlooking the docks. The massive sea lions were piled onto the floating wooden pallets, barking, shoving, and sleeping in the sun.
"Look at them," Dan laughed, leaning over the rail. "They're just giant, wet dogs."
"They are pinnipeds," Julian corrected, standing stiffly behind us to avoid touching the railing. "And they smell terrible."
"It's the smell of nature, Julian," I said, leaning next to Dan. "Hey," Dan said, nudging me. "Remember when we went to the zoo in D.C. and you tried to explain the physics of how a gibbon swings?"
"I stand by my calculations," I laughed. "They use angular momentum perfectly."
"Nerd," Dan said affectionately, draping his arm around my shoulders.
I felt Julian's eyes on Dan's arm. It lacked the heat of jealousy. Instead, it carried the cold, calculated assessment of a predator watching someone touch its property. I instinctively stepped away from Dan slightly, moving toward the edge of the group.
Alex appeared at my elbow. He handed me a waffle cone with a scoop of mint chip ice cream.
"How did you know?" I asked, accepting it.
"I pay attention," Alex smiled. He looked out at the sea lions, ignoring the chaos of the crowd. "You look happy, Lonna."
"I am," I said. "It's nice to just… be."
"It is," Alex agreed. "Though I believe Julian is currently calculating the probability of catching a disease from the air."
I looked back. Julian stood near a trash can, looking thoroughly disgusted as a child dropped a pretzel near his shoe.
"I should go rescue him," I giggled.
"Let him suffer a little," Alex said, taking a bite of his own cone. "It builds character."
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Timeline: 13:00
Location: Boudin Bakery
Lunch was the main event. Clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls. We managed to snag a large table on the patio. The weather held—cool, crisp, and sunny. Dan sat next to me again. He was in his element here—loud, happy, telling stories about his residency that were equal parts gross and hilarious.
"So the guy comes in," Dan said, gesturing with a sourdough crust, "and he has a lightbulb… well, you know where."
Ellie groaned. "Dan, people are eating."
"It's a medical marvel!" Dan insisted. "The vacuum seal alone…"
"Physics," I chimed in. "Suction."
"Exactly!" Dan pointed at me. "Lonna gets it."
Julian sat across from us. He hadn't touched his bread bowl. He drank an espresso he had seemingly materialized from thin air.
"You're not eating?" Dan asked, looking at Julian's untouched chowder.
"I prefer bowls made of ceramic," Julian said calmly.
"Bread makes for a structurally unsound vessel. It absorbs the liquid, creating a soggy mess before you can finish." "It's delicious," Dan countered, ripping a chunk of bread off his bowl and dunking it. "You're missing out on the simple joys, man."
"I prefer complex joys," Julian said, his eyes flicking to me.
"Like what?" Dan challenged.
"Like winning," Julian said.
The table went quiet.
"Winning what?" Dan asked, his smile fading.
"Anything," Julian said. He leaned forward. "You like the chaos of the ER, Dan. You like fixing things that are broken. I prefer to build things that don't break."
"People break," Dan said, his voice hard. "That's life. You can't engineer your way out of being human."
"Watch me," Julian whispered.
"Okay!" Marcus announced loudly. "Who wants to go to the bridge? I parked the van a mile away, so we have a nice walk ahead of us."
"I'm walking," I stood up quickly. "I need to walk off the bread." I started walking away from the table before anyone could stop me. Dan caught up to me first.
"He's a piece of work," Dan said, falling into step beside me.
"He's complicated," I defended automatically.
"He's arrogant," Dan corrected. "And he thinks he owns you."
"He doesn't own me."
"Does he know that?" Dan asked. He stopped, grabbing my hand to pull me out of the flow of tourists. "Lon," Dan said, his face serious. "I know I joked about you coming to California. But… seeing you here? With them?" He looked back at the table where Alex and Julian were standing up. "You fit," Dan admitted, sounding a little sad. "You look like you belong in their world. The blazers, the big words, the intensity. You shine."
"I'm still the girl who lived above the noodle shop."
"Maybe," Dan said. He squeezed my hand. "But you act as Dr. Patricks now. And I think… I think I missed my window."
My heart squeezed. "Dan…"
"It's okay," Dan smiled, though it failed to reach his eyes. "I remain your friend. I'm still the guy who brings you frozen ramen. That doesn't change." He let go of my hand as the others caught up.
"To the bridge!" Dan shouted, forcing the enthusiasm back into his voice.
I walked toward the Golden Gate, surrounded by my friends and my colleagues. Dan walked ahead with Marcus. Alex walked beside Ellie, charming her. And Julian walked beside me, silent and in my shadow. His presence was heavy and persistent, continually a variable I lacked the formula to solve.
We reached the bridge. It stood massive, red, and beautiful against the blue sky. I touched the keychain in my pocket. We actually made it to the real thing.