Page 26 of Unforgettable Player

She leaves before I have a chance to argue.

Damn. I have had a crush on Cute Bookstore Guy ever since I saw him working here a few summers ago, but I can’t exactly just forget the fact that Connor kissed me last night. When I glance over to the register, Scout’s bending the poor guy’s ear and giving me signals with her eyes to hurry up. Maybe talking to a cute guy who is not my best friend’s brother might be a good idea.

With a sigh, I study the shelves for something ‘sexy’ to buy. Maybe the horror section is the wrong place to look. Is Silvia Moreno-Garcia sexy? The Mexican Gothic cover has a sexy woman on the cover, but I’ve already read that and if Cute Bookstore Guy thinks that’s sexy, then I’m not his type. Unless he’s bi—like Connor. Nope, get him out of your head.

Scout’s giving me hurry the fuck up eyes, so I grab a book I’ve been meaning to read for a while—sexy or not—and take it to the check-out line.

Scout steps around a display holding bookmarks and pretends to be studying them with keen interest as I step up to the counter.

“Shirley Jackson,” Cute Bookstore Guy says. “Cool.”

Okay, cool is good. It’s not sexy, but it’s good, right?

“Have you read it yet?” he asks.

I glance at his name tag. Gabe. I’ve seen it before, but we’ve never called him Gabe. He remains Cute Bookstore Guy, no matter how much more time it takes to say.

“No, not yet.”

“It’s so good. Way better than the Netflix show,” he says as he rings it up, handling the book the way you’d handle a delicate bird. I like it when people revere books and treat them with the respect they deserve. But I also love when people dog ear books and highlight them and write in the margins.

“Netflix ruined it—in my opinion,” Cute Bookstore Guy—Gabe—is saying as he puts my purchase into a paper bag. “All those jump scares? The novel is way more subtle. It’s artistic, you know?”

“Totally.”

I have no idea what he’s talking about. I broke up with Netflix the second they stopped letting you share your password and made you watch ads. Disney+ has The X-Files, The Golden Girls, and all the original Star Wars movies. What more could you want?

I don’t say all this—that would be weird. I just nod and smile and tap my card on the machine when he asks me to.

I’m about to rush out of the shop and tell Scout I could hear her clearing her throat behind those bookmarks when Gabe says, “So….”

I pause, waiting for the rest.

Is he nervous? He’s rubbing the back of his neck and smiling shyly. “Um … I was wondering if maybe I could get your number—your phone number.” He laughs at himself. “What other number would I want?”

“Oh … um, sure.”

Scout squeals behind the bookmarks. I wish I could shush her.

“Cool.” Gabe runs his hand through his hair. “Cool,” he repeats.

I take my phone out and give him my number so I can get out of the store before Scout breaks anything in her excitement.

She hunts me down and pushes me into a side street so she can scream into my face.

“I told you,” she says, out of breath. “You’re gonna have sex with Cute Bookstore Guy.”

“Shh. And his name is Gabe. We gotta start remembering that.”

“See! You’re already practically a couple.”

“Calm down.”

She grabs me by the shoulders and shakes me. In that E.T. voice I used to love when we were kids, she says, “Ell-i-ot.” Ugh. She also does a great Yoda.

“Stop.” I laugh. “You’re getting ahead of yourself.”

“How? He just gave you his number.”