“Right.” Ethan’s voice got louder as joy washed over him. “Like a guy on a horse should ride down the sidewalk or something.”
“Can you imagine?” I giggled, letting the image play out in my mind. “I feel like that would be either a really good start or a really good ending to a Vegas comedy movie.”
“When you become a famous director, please make that movie…” Ethan trailed off as he smiled down at me.
“I would have to be incredibly famous to convince people to watch that. Who would watch a Western set in modern Vegas?” I laughed.
“I’d see it.”
Ethan grinned, then ran his hand through his hair. I’d been waiting for him to start walking toward the car—we only had about twenty-five minutes left—but he hadn’t yet. Maybe he was waiting for a few more people to clear out of the parking lot? The air was beginning to chill, but I couldn’t bring myself to suggest we go back yet.
Out of nowhere, he asked, “What’s your favorite movie?”
“Oh, that’s like asking what a musician’s favorite song is…” I hummed as Ethan came to stand beside me, leaning against the railing that separated the walkway from the now smooth fountain pool.
“Everyone knows that when you pick a favorite movie, it is forever, and there are no takebacks. Whatever you choose, it’s more serious than going to college or getting married.” Nudging me playfully with his shoulder, he added, “You can’t change your answer. Choose wisely.”
I huffed. “Okay. MaybeSeven Samurai?”
Ethan opened his mouth to say something, when I changed my mind. Holding up a hand, I said, “No. I take that back.His Girl Friday.”
“I don’t know what either of those—”
“Ethan?”
Ethan’s gaze shot over my shoulder, and the color drained from his face. I turned, then caught sight of Emmie. This close, she was maybe even a little prettier than she’d appeared from far away. My heart sank. If this girl was Ethan’s type—tall, short hair, trendy—I was absolutely not. Not that I wanted to be. Nittha’s romantic daydreams were rubbing off on me. Pushing the thought aside, my head swiveled from Ethan to Emmie as an uncomfortable silence settled between them.
Emmie rocked back and forth on her heels for a second before saying, “Am I interrupting? I can go.”
I got the distinct impression that while she didn’t want to leave, Emmie was being sincere about her willingness to go if Ethan or I asked her to.
Something about the question seemed to jar Ethan into responding. “We were just talking about movies. Do you know Jamie?”
“Uh, no. Hi, nice to meet you.” Emmie waved in a short jerky movement, which came off about as awkward as I felt.
“Nice to meet you, too,” I said, smiling and pulling my shoulders back to invoke an extra measure of confidence. I hadlow-key resented wearing braces for five years, but right now, I was extra grateful for every cent my parents spent on myorthodontia. Sure, the drive over to the fountain left my hair looking like someone had stuck me in a wind tunnel, but at least I had my smile going for me.
Silence stretched between the three of us again. Emmie seemed like she wanted to say something but couldn’t decide if she should do it in front of me. Ethan seemed like he wanted a meteor to fall from the sky and crush him. Attempting to break the ice, I turned to Emmie. “I’ve seen you at TrendCon. What kind of videos do you make?”
“Mostly book reviews with a side of lifestyle stuff,” Emmie said, her voice sounding like she was torn between being grateful for the assist and wishing that I would drop off the face of the earth. To Ethan, she said, “What are you doing here?”
“We’re working on a video.” Ethan’s words were clipped, as if giving her information was costing him dearly. “What areyoudoing here?”
“Mall,” Emmie said, as if there weren’t a mall in every casino. Side-eyeing me, she added, “Ethan, maybe we could get coffee sometime and finish talking about the thing we were discussing at the pool party?”
Cryptic much? My Spidey senses tingled. What were they talking about? It had to be important if she was willing to exchange coded words about it in front of me, a literal stranger. Emmie stared at him, her face equal parts unsure and hopeful as she playfully batted her eyelashes.
“Uhm, I have to check my schedule. I’m kind of busy with my grandma and filming and…” Ethan’s voice trailed off as he rubbed the back of his head.
“It doesn’t have to take long. Maybe we could eat and talk? Like we could get dinner while…”
I stopped hearing what Emmie was saying as Ethan’s entire demeanor sank, like strings were attached to the back of his neck, pulling him toward the ground. I couldn’t watch this. Not because I cared, I reasoned with myself, but because the guy had bought me a snack. Anyone who would feed me didn’t deserve whatever emotional cajoling was happening here.
“Oh my gosh!” I drew in a sharp, dramatic breath and snatched Ethan’s wrist up. Squinting at the face of his watch, I feigned terror. “Ethan, we gotta take the car back. Now.”
“What?” Ethan sounded confused, as if this whole interaction had mentally sapped all his energy.
“The car. We need to take it back to your friend ASAP. Like, we should probably run to the parking lot.” I nodded, making my eyes as wide as possible to signal that if he wanted help, he should play along.
