A double date with my best friend—but seriously, how bad could it be? All I have to do is watch a movie and be a gentleman, yeah? Harper is outgoing and talkative, so I won’t have to worry about any awkward moments. Showing up at her house unannounced had the potential to be a disaster and she took it like a champ.
Yeah, bruh. It’ll be fine.
Finally, I feel myself drifting off, lids heavy. Brain foggy. Rhino mascot. Pizza. Wind in my hair, Marcus’s Jeep.
The hockey locker room.
Brown hair.
Blond hair.
Maddie and her pretty face lurk in the recesses of my mind.
Harper and her laugh.
Maddie and her smirk.
Harper…
Chapter 16
Harper
Meet us at the theater in an hour, the text from my best friend reads, followed immediately by another:
We’re going to the movies for a double date and you can’t sayno…
Double date?
My stomach drops. Is she referring to Easton?! How long have they been planning this? I start to type, just as another message from her pops up.
Macy:Promise me you’ll take Easton home so I can be alone with Marcus after?
A smiley face follows it before I can say no. Setting my phone down, I groan. She knows I can never resist her when she begs!
My bestie is one clever manipulator, I’ll give her that.
An hour later, I pull into the movie theater parking lot and begin the search for a spot, one row after the next, driving farther and farther from the entrance of the building because of all the vehicles that beat me to the good spaces.
I park in the last row.
Tug at the hem of my denim skirt when I slide out the driver’s side, then futz with my top—a cropped T-shirt—so distracted by my outfit that I almost forget my keys.
This isn’t a real date, I remind myself as the marquee lights of the theater flicker and glow in the dark evening sky, casting a neon radiance across the pavement.
The place is busier than usual. Loud.
I do a quick scan of the lobby—couples, families, and groups of friends in line for tickets and snacks—spotting Macy first, her brown curls swaying as she flirts animatedly with Marcus. As if sensing me, my best friend looks up and waves, her smile wide and genuine, the kind of smile that makes you feel like you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.
I relax a little, my body less tense.
But then I see Easton.
Standing off to the side, his hands shoved deep in the pockets of his jeans, he is the picture of casual indifference as he glances this way and that.
Looking for me? Probably not, but a girl can hope.
I straighten my spine when our eyes meet; his go straight to my face…my shirt…my skirt…my legsas I approach, and I catch a small quirk to his lips. A subtle look of appreciation.
