Practically inhaling the bite I take, I go in for a little more, and he laughs as I devour everything but the crust.
“That escalated quickly.”
“Lisa’s going to kill me when she finds out.”
“If,” he says, getting up and circling around me to shut the door. “Ifshe finds out.”
I smile, grabbing a breadstick. “I like the sound of that if.”
“You know there are chairs you can sit in, right?” He nudges his head at where I’m wiggling my ass closer to the pizza box.
“Yeah. I guess I thought I’d be less likely to eat any of the food you were offering if I didn’t sit in a chair.”
“How’s that working for ya?” He smirks, lowering himself back into his chair.
“Not very well, but also pretty damn well because fuck, this pizza is good.”
He stifles a laugh. “It is, isn’t it? Straight from the best pizza joint in town.”
I eye the name on the box, not recognizing it. “They’ll definitely have a return customer in me.”
“They don’t usually deliver this far out, but I happen to know the owner really well and he handmakes the dough using his very own special recipe.”
“Yeah?” No idea why, but a tinge of jealousy twists in my stomach. I barely know this guy.
“He’s my brother.”
“Oh.” Something settles inside me, and it’s weird because I never should have been bothered by him talking so fondly of someone to begin with. “So does that mean you get free pizza all the time?”
“Hardly. He doesn’t give any special treatment to family or friends. Everyone’s seen as a customer when it involves his hard work.”
I smile at that, licking sauce from my hand. “Makes sense. Give too many handouts and people start taking advantage.”
“Yeah, and I like supporting him anyway. He was the only one who supported me while I was in film school. Everyone else made jokes about me ending up as waiter or working at a drive-through.”
I roll my eyes. “I bet they all feel pretty stupid now that you have your name attached to so many major motion pictures.”
“Eh, if they did, I wouldn’t know. All that negative energy put a wedge between so many of my relationships that I haven’t spoken to many of my family members or friends in years.”
“That sucks. I’m not close to my family either, and don’t really have time for friends. The only one I keep in contact with is my old best friend from middle school.”
“One solid person in your life is better than a dozen people who are ready to see you fail at any given moment.”
“That’s true, and it’s hard to trust people these days. I never know who’s genuine and who’s just trying to use me.”
His expression softens. “Well, if you ever need someone to talk to who’s always willing to share his pizza, I’ll be around a while.”
“Thanks,” I say without missing a beat. “I better get back to my trailer in case Lisa has someone keeping tabs on me.”
His lips twitch at the corners. “Hopefully you’ll sleep better now that your stomach is happy.”
“Hopefully not too well.” I stand from the table and toss my trash in the closest bin. “Night, camera guy.”
“Did someone forget my name?”
“No. I remember it very well, Hayden,” I say, stepping closer to the door. “I just happen to like the name camera guy.”
A chuckle slips from his shining lips. “It does have a certain ring to it, and it beats being called, ‘Hey, you with the camera.’”