Page 69 of Unforgettable Player

“Yeah, okay.”

It’s not a date, I repeat to myself as we drive to Arnie’s.

We take a booth in the quiet restaurant and start scanning our menus.

“You like the burgers here, right?” I ask.

“I could make out with the burgers here.”

While we’re waiting for our food, Elliot drums his fingers on the table. “Do you like Cher?” he asks suddenly.

Is this a trick question? “Yeah. Who doesn’t like Cher?”

He smiles. “You’d want to hear her sing if she was in a movie, right?”

“Obviously, it’s Cher. It’s kind of disappointing when she’s in a movie and doesn’t sing.”

He laughs.

“What is this? Some sort of test?”

“No.”

“Is it like one of those psychopath tests? If you don’t think Cher’s a legend, you’re a serial killer?”

“No.” He laughs, shaking his head.

A lightbulb goes off. “Did Gabe think Cher was corny or something?”

“Yeah. But let’s stop talking about him.”

“No complaints here.”

If this was a date, it would be the most natural and easy date of my life. We sit close together in a booth and eat burgers and fries and drink milkshakes and I don’t worry about calories or letting myself go. I just watch the gorgeous guy sitting next to me and hang on every word he says. I don’t touch him, but anyone paying attention would see what this is, and I don’t give a shit. I couldn’t be prouder of being here with Elliot.

We stay until closing, but I still don’t want to go home and have to pretend in front of my mom and dad. I don’t want us to go to separate bedrooms and pretend like nothing’s happened.

I’m about to ask if he wants to drive around for a while when he looks at his phone and says, “Shit.”

“What?”

“Scout’s car won’t start.”

“Where is she?”

“She’s at Park City.”

“Tell her we’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

I step on the gas, worried Gabe and those guys might leave her standing outside in the dark by herself.

But when we get there, the women she was talking to in the arcade are still standing around. She’s laughing about something with them. My heart clenches at the sight of her being sociable with someone other than Eli. She can make friends, but she chooses not to.

Despite looking like she’s having fun, she still sags with relief when she sees us. Is this the first time my sister’s been happy to see me in years?

She starts hugging the women goodbye and they wave as she climbs into the backseat of the car.

“Hey, thanks,” she says to me as she buckles her seatbelt. It might be the afterglow of the concert, but she actually sounds sincere.