Playing Knotty by Elia Winters

Author:Elia Winters
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pocket Star

Chapter 16

Is this a date?”

The question had been on Emma’s mind for the last day and a half, although she hadn’t intended to blurt it out before they’d walked three blocks from Prologue. It seemed especially strange to ask when he had just paid her fifty dollars for the evening’s work. Ian didn’t answer right away, instead looking down at her as they walked, his hands thrust into his jeans pockets. Next to his six-foot frame, she felt shorter than she was. Funny how she’d never really noticed how tall Ian was until right then.

“Well, that depends. Do you want it to be a date?” he said. They reached an intersection, and Ian looked both ways before grabbing Emma’s hand and hopping out into the road, crossing quickly against the lights. When they reached the other side of the street, he didn’t let go right away, and she found herself staring down at their entwined fingers before he noticed her gaze and released her hand.

Realizing he was waiting for her answer, Emma considered. But then Ian stopped abruptly in front of a game store, scanning the products in the display window. “What are you looking for?” she asked, grateful for an opportunity to switch topics.

“The new Halo is supposed to be out soon. Or maybe it’s already out.” He pursed his lips in thought, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. “I forgot to ask Brent. He would know. Well, it’s probably not out yet, or it would be in the window.” He turned away and continued up the sidewalk.

“You saw Brent today? How’s he doing?” Emma had to rush to keep up with Ian’s loping strides. “Hey, slow down. Some of us have short legs.”

Ian slowed down, smiling. “Sorry. I forget sometimes. And yeah, he has gaming tournaments every Saturday morning. I usually go when I’m free.”

“Oh.” That actually sounded kind of fun. But no, she shouldn’t think about the other fun date-like things she could be doing with Ian: The more attached she got, the easier it would be to get hurt. “And, um, no. It’s not a date.”

“What?” Ian’s eyebrows drew together in confusion before realization hit. “Oh! I forgot I’d asked. Well, fine. A friend dinner, then.”

“Did you think it was a date?” Emma looked up at him, but he was focusing ahead. The building they were passing was under repair, and they had to cross in the pedestrian walkway beneath the rickety metal scaffolding and orange mesh safety netting.

“I didn’t think it needed a label. Not everything needs a label, Emma.” He looked down at her, but in the shadow of the scaffolding, it was hard to read his expression. He seemed frustrated. Then they passed back out the other side into the dull late-afternoon sunlight and turned right, heading for a bar and grill Emma had walked by a hundred times but never visited. “How’s this?” He gestured to the menu on the door.

Emma studied the options. It was standard pub fare.

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