Page 81 of Unforgettable Player

I text Elliot when I’m five minutes away. When I get to the house, he comes straight out.

He doesn’t look happy, but then, he has been in the house with his dad, and I know that’s tough on him.

“Hey, you okay? Do you need anything?” I need him to know I want to help. We’re a team. No matter what he needs, I want to be there to give it to him.

“I’m fine.” He offers me a smile. I know a fake one when I see it.

I drive, resisting the urge to kiss him. He doesn’t look like he wants me to do that right now.

My hands are shaky on the wheel. Palms sweating. Heart racing. Fuck, what if he turns me down? What if he tells me he doesn’t want this after summer’s over?

“I’m going back to school,” I say, my tongue dragging on the roof of my mouth. I don’t remember the last time I was this nervous. “My advisor emailed me the info. I just have to speak to the Dean and fill out this petition with my intentions to return.”

“Connor, that’s amazing.” He gives me another smile. It looks sad, but at least this one’s real.

“I’ll get to see you next year.”

He doesn’t say anything. I hear him swallow.

“Elliot … I’d like more of this. Me and you, I mean.”

Still nothing.

“I wanna see where it goes. I want more than casual with you.”

I couldn’t be clearer. But still, Elliot isn’t speaking.

“Eli?”

“I’m sorry,” he says.

“What for?”

He swallows and the sound is so loud in the silence of the car. “I can’t.”

I need to pull over. I can’t focus on the road. As soon as the car stops, I unclick my seatbelt and face him, praying that if he just looks at me, he’ll see how sincere I am, that he’ll feel the same way I do.

My hand’s shaking when I put it on his leg. He doesn’t move. “I know it’ll be rough at first, with Scout, but she’ll understand. We’re getting along better these days and⁠—”

“Exactly,” Eli says in a quiet voice. “You’re getting along better. Why would you want to ruin it?”

“Maybe it wouldn’t have to ruin it? Maybe she’d get over it in time?”

“She wouldn’t.”

Anger bubbles up inside me, but I control it as best I can. “I can’t believe you’re letting Scout bully you like this.”

“She’s not bullying me. It’s a shitty thing to do, Connor.”

“Eli, look at me.”

He keeps his gaze trained on the window.

“Please.”

Finally, he forces himself to look in my direction. Our eyes meet and his brows come together. I can’t help myself, I put my hand on his cheek and rejoice in the fact that he at least didn’t flinch.

He leans into my touch for a second before pulling away.