Chapter 25

Ollie scuffed his nose and his stare stayed fixed on the large cone sign on top of the ice cream parlor.

“This is where you want to come?”

June bobbed. Her inside was already jellylike unable to contain her excitement. This place was famous for selling the most expensive ice cream in the city. She had tasted it once with the twins and it was worth the hype and price.

“This is what’ll make you happy? Taking ice cream makes you happy?”

He said with puzzlement as if he couldn’t believe it even when she’d told him six times now and counting because this wasn’t the last time he would ask her.

“Yes.”

Perplexity played out on his face and a furrow contoured into his forehead.

“Something as mundane as ice cream—.”

“Yes, Ollie, something as mundane as taking Ice cream makes me happy.”

Frustration girdled her shoulder. Ice cream makes everyone happy.

“I meant it when I said I will do anything, you know,” June grumbled, frustrated. He was about to say something painstakingly long. “I very much meant it. You don’t have to go low “

She threaded her eyebrows together until it was touching. “What?” she spoke out baffled.

“Do you want to rethink your decision?” He inclined his head to her briefly before shifting his gaze to the sign. A sharp line formed on his forehead as if the sign was causing him literal pain.

“It’s fine. If you don’t want to be here. It is totally fine. You can drive me back. You have done enough for me today. Thank you.”

And she meant it. He’d showed up on her doorstep when he had no reason to. He’d consoled her. He’d soothed her until she forgot why she was like that in the first place. He’d even said he would kill whoever caused her to cry. It probably was a joke but somehow it made her happy. Call her crazy.

She pivoted. Ollie grabbed her by the worst peeking down at her. His coppery eyes were surprisingly warm around his cold façade. It tickled something in her. Had his eyes always been this captivating? Or was it because she was seeing him in a new light?

“Let’s go have the ice cream before they close up.” He gritted.

“Yes.” She triumphed.

Ollie snorted in frustration as she made a show of hauling him to the two-way glass door.

He step forward and pulled the door handle, following her when she walked in.

“What the fuck?” Ollie let out another groan of frustration behind her while she shrieked mindlessly.

The parlor was an aesthetic of pink. The small cubicles spread across the space. The wall. Even the floor. Everything was a show of glistening pink. And she loved it.

She spared a look at Ollie before walking to the counter. He looked ready to bulge out his eyes. His whole expression made her laugh.

The server’s cheek pulled up with a grin when he saw her. “How may I help you?” His gaze moved over her head. His full-fledged smile fell into a half-panicking smile.

Ollie could be scary if he wanted to be. Imagine making a grown man look almost frightened.

June’s eyes glazed through the show of ice cream, wanting a lowdown of each. Her mouth flooded at the glorious sight. She wanted to pounce on everything.

Her eyes drifted to Ollie who examined the display, pensively. It was as if he was about to make a. decision that would change lives. She snickered under her breath. Ollie shot her a piercing stare that had her light laugh draining into a cough.

She tilted her head to the waiter, smiling. “Butter pecan, please.”

“What about you?” The server’s throat visibly moves up and down before adding. “Sir.”

“Same as her,” Ollie said.

After, they walked to the cubicle at the end that was slightly cut off from the rest.

Ollie pulled out a chair, gesturing her to sit. June licked her lips when her eyes fell on Ollie’s muscled forearm. His eyes caught hers and an amused smile played easily on his face he tightened his grip on the armrest making his veins more prominent.

June gurgled. His arm wrapped around her neck would be fulfilling.

Heat burned her cheeks making June settle into her seat to hide her reddening cheeks.

Ollie took the seat across her, his wide a-yard shoulder blocking her view of the parlor but she wasn’t complaining. She liked what she was seeing better.

Her hands trembled when her gaze fell on the ice cream and she giggled. Her stomach grumbled in anticipation

“You are like a child with her favorite candy.”

Without warning, he hunched forward, raising his hand over her head. His scent steamed into her nose and she inhaled. His fingers ran through her hair, massaging her scalp.

Her pulse jammed and kilowatts of electricity jolted through her.

“Aren’t you such a cute thing?” His long toned fingers streamed down her face to her chin tinkling the skin below.

His touch burned into her skin in its wake causing her nerve to jolt to life.

June stiffened when her heart did a pitter-patter.

Ollie must have noticed her reaction because his lopsided grin fell and he sat back on the chair.

Though her tongue wanted to beg him to not stop, her brain was occupied with the storm taking place inside her. Her heart did not just gear into full speed because of Ollie. It was probably the ice cream. The mushy feeling she felt inside was not for him, it was for the sky. The beautiful sky above.

It took her a minute for her to regain her composure.

She picked up the spoon. The scribbled words on it drew her attention so she brought it close to her face until the letters were visible.

To a lifetime of taking ice cream together. Heart.

She twirled the spoon between her fingers, her eyes catching the words at the back of the spoon.

His girlfriend.

Her gentle laughter filled the air, earning a look from Ollie.

“Give me your spoon for a sec.”

He handed it over to her without question.

His spoon read the same and the back was her boyfriend.

“He thinks we are a couple.” June’s inside bubbled at the thought. Her eyes closed in as her smile grew larger.

Ollie looked over his shoulder as if annoyed. “I knew he was up to no good.”

Her eyes caught the half’s heart on their cup. She was quick to drop the spoon and bring up the cup in the air, aligning the heart.

“See.”

He struggled to maintain the frown nestled in his face as his mouth was starting to twitch with amusement.

“Isn’t this just pretty.” She poked him.

In the end, his face spilled into a full-blown hearty beam that squeezed her chest and she couldn’t resist not returning his smile.

“Do you believe in love?” June spewed out. She regretted immediately when Ollie’s face fell and deepened into something dark.

Oh, shit. She just had to ruin it when she and Ollie were starting to get comfortable with each other.

She dropped the cup in her hands.

“Yes.” His voice was a husky murmur.

The conversation wasn’t taking an awkward turn right? She deeply wished it weren’t.

“Love does exist but it shouldn’t be indulged in.” He said in a deep timbre voice.

“Okay? You make it sound like it’s an addiction.”

“Because it is.” Disdain slid off his voice as he spoke.

“It makes people irrational. Pushes them to the edge until they are rock bottom. People become so drunk in it, they can’t help themselves. It’s just an addiction with a good PR agent.” Ollie said with conviction and no ounce of emotion.

“It’s silly but if someone loved me to that point. It’ll make me happy.” She said. “It’s silly. I know.” She fondled her hands on the table.

She had never been important to someone. Hell, no one had noticed her enough to take a liking to her. Even when they did, it was always sexual.

“It isn’t.” He covered her folded hands with it and gave it a light squeeze before taking it, leaving her to mourn his touch. “It’s okay to want to be loved. At some point, everyone wants to be loved. With their flaws, they want to be cherished.”

June gaped and merely stared tongue-tied. She’d expected him to scorn her or possibly berate her. But he didn’t.

She took a deep breath, his words drizzling into her. A sudden giddiness overwhelmed me. A warm wind wrapped around her, loosening her heart’s entanglement.

No word passed between them. They stayed in silence as the world whirled between them.

Giggles of high schoolers taking a seat beside them broke the connection between them.

June blinked away.

“I highly doubt you have any flaws.” She joked to break the tension growing between them.

“Everyone does. Some evident. Some well hidden you don’t even see it.” A smile crawled into his face. “But, I’m an exception. I’m perfect.”

She rolled her eyes. “Please, not even a single embarrassing moment?”

June breathed out when the air around them shifted to something light.

His smile deepened into a peal of laughter, filling the air with his deep melodic voice.

“I knew it. You are just too perfect. It's annoying.”

His mouth twirled as if hesitating “I once sold my car for a girl and transferred a huge sum of my father’s money to her.” He said. “she told me her mom was sick and dying but it was all a scam. She and her boyfriend orchestrated it. They see me as a rich dumb kid.” His muscle tensed and his jaw clenched. “My father found out. He blew it out of proportion. The whole school knew.” He looked out of the floor-to-ceiling window. “I couldn’t go to school for a week. It was that embarrassing.” He muttered under his breath. “Why am I even telling her this?” She assumed she wasn’t supposed to hear that.

June blinked unsure of what to say.

“It’s okay June. You can laugh. It was stupid. I was truly a dumb kid.”

“What?” She was short of words but, it wasn’t because what he did was stupid. It was because she hadn’t expected Ollie to be such a sweet kid growing up willing to help someone. “It isn’t stupid. You were kind and good-hearted and she took advantage of that.”

“Stupid you mean?”

“No—.”

“June, I didn’t tell you so you’ll make me into some philanthropist. Cut it.”

She opened her mouth, closing it back. She decided against what she wanted to say. Ollie was convinced even if she shouted to his ear that it wasn’t stupid nor was it a dumb thing to do.

The late sunshine casted a shadow on his chiseled face accentuating his handsome features. His face was so perfect and so symmetrical. It should be used for template for plastic surgery.

He ran his hands through her hair, pulling her out of her trance-like state. “Falling for my charms already?” He asked. But answered. “You will regret it.”

She scoffed. “Maybe if you were less condescending, more human and cut out your grandiosity then I will fall for your charms.”

“Good.”

“Good what?” June asked. “Good cause you will never?”

“The ice cream is going to melt.”

He hesitantly scooped out ice cream from the cup and shoved it into his mouth. His eyes widened before a delightful groan that thrummed through her followed.

“I was expecting it to taste like shit.” He shoved a full spoon into his mouth. A twinkle appeared on his face as he closed his eyes, savoring it. “Good thing.”

June laughed wholeheartedly.

The world zoomed out around them. Leaving just her. Ollie. The ice cream they were devouring. The sun disappearing into a gray-shrouded sky. And a growing sensation, pushing to explode.

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