“I can’t be any combination of hot, tired, and hungry, or I become…unpleasant.” I hoped my facial expression conveyed the gravity of the situation.
Ethan eyed me as if I might start tearing at my T-shirt and become a giant, green, screaming monster. Finally, he said, “Scale of negative five to five, with zero being a true neutral, how close are you to a meltdown?”
“Two, I think.” Something about the way the question was phrased elicited a small laugh from me even though we’d managed to walk into a dead end.
“My little sister, Sophie, gets like this. I can work with a two.”
“Can you? Because I can tell you now that once we hit three, I can’t be held responsible for my actions,” I said as another question crossed my mind. “How old is Sophie?”
“Seven.” Ethan winked at me as if he hadn’t compared me to someone who was still perfecting the ability to tie their shoe. I scowled up at him right as something caught his eye. “Aha! There is a tram.”
“What?” I asked, putting the less-than-flattering comparison out of my mind for a moment.
“I saw this shuttle from my hotel window. I wondered if it might be around here.” Ethan said this more to himself than to me as he picked up his pace, navigating us toward an off-white stucco building. Sure enough, as soon as we walked inside, a tram pulled up. Ethan turned to gently place a hand on my arm. “Here, let’s get on.”
I took my backpack off and laid it on my lap so I could lean back as the two of us dropped into gray plastic seats while the tram waited the advertised five minutes for additional passengers to get on. Trying to distract myself from the heat and the lingering feeling of his touch, I asked, “Do you have any other siblings besides Sophie?”
“Yes. My dad had a family before us, so I have two older sisters. They are adults now—Katie and Stephanie. Then there is me, my sister Izzie, who is fourteen, and Sophie, the seven-year-old. So, I’m the oldest, the middle, and the only boy.” Ethan then reached for my backpack. “Want me to carry this for a while?”
“It’s heavy.” I shook my head. Ethan shrugged at me like he didn’t care, so I added, “And sweaty.”
“Up to you, but I don’t mind,” he said with a wave, as if wearing someone else’s sweat wasn’t a sacrifice.
I was about to say no, when it occurred to me that, actually, I was really over having that sweaty, heavy thing with me. I sucked in a breath. “You sure?”
“Will it keep you from turning into a gargoyle until we feed you?” Ethan teased. I nodded, and he lifted the bag out of my lap as the nearly empty tram started to move. Everyone else knew it was too hot to walk any great distance, apparently. Eyeing me, Ethan asked, “Better?”
“Yes,” I admitted, begrudgingly enjoying the sensation of air cooling my legs down. As the tram chugged toward the casino, I watched Ethan as he gazed out the window. This end of The Strip was mostly parking lots and pavement, but he still seemed to be enjoying the view. As if he was completely comfortable. Iwondered what it would be like to relax like that. What would it feel like to not constantly worry about school, my parents, or the future? Or at least to not let it show. How was Ethan doing this?
He probably got a lot of hugs as a kid.That had to be why he was so chill about this whole #GrannieGate fiasco. The thought popped into my head right as the tram slowed, and I couldn’t stop the silly grin from spreading across my face.
“Ready to get some food?” Of course Ethan chose that exact moment to face me. Taking in my goofy grin, he asked, “What?”
“Nothing.” I managed to suppress a laugh as I imagined Buzzy smothering him in hugs.
“You are not looking at me like it’s nothing.” His eyebrow lifted as he pulled the backpack on and stood up.
“It’s just. You seem like someone who got a lot of hugs as a kid.” I giggled as we walked off the tram. “It has to be why this whole GrannieGate thing isn’t stressing you out.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m unfazed,” Ethan replied, guiding us toward the entrance to the Luxor. “But I did get lots of hugs. What’s so wrong with being openly loved? All those hugs gave me too much confidence. That’s why I’m the envy of everyone at TrendCon.”
I snorted. “Why would you be the envy of everyone at TrendCon?”
“Because I’m here with you.”
I almost tripped over my own shoes as I tilted my head up at him to see if he was serious. Ethan returned my gaze, and my mind went back to go-karting and the electricity between us.As the seconds stretched, I wondered if that was all in my head, or…
Ethan leaned down, and my heart rate went up. He was so close to me now. I stepped a fraction of an inch closer, unsure of what to expect from him but also sure that I wanted to find out. His eyes searched mine; then he whispered, “And who wouldn’t want to wear your sweaty backpack?”
My brain basically froze as I watched him straighten up with a mischievous cackle as he extended a hand to reach for the Luxor’s door.
He’d been joking. That was why he was leaning in. He wasn’t going to try to…well, I don’t know what I thought he was going to do, but clearly it wasn’t anything intimate. Which, now that my heart had stopped racing, should have been obvious. What was going on with my imagination today? Clearly, I was hot and tired and officially inventing meaningful moments between Ethan and me instead of picking up on jokes. I blamed Sterling and Nittha for putting ideas about us in my head.
I gave myself a shake as I walked through the door and laughed. “Don’t forget, I’m also hangry. I have so much more to offer than a heavy, sweaty gear bag.”
“Ah yes. The vague, appealing threat of being pummeled to death if we don’t get food soon. Speaking of which…” Ethan stopped to mentally peruse the shops, until he spotted something promising. “Will ice cream work? Or they have chips and stuff at that little stall there?”
“Can we have both?”
