Love and Fight

Icy Summer

When the final class bell rings, I'm already outside leaning against my motorcycle. I'm not quite sure why, but I wanted to leave five minutes early using the excuse of going to the bathroom just to wait for Jade here. I guess I wanted to make sure I wouldn't be late. I didn't want to keep her waiting for even a second.

Students start descending the steps towards the exit and I find myself frantically searching for her among the crowd. My gaze scans everyone looking for her delicate face, and when I spot her, I straighten up and feel like I'm holding my breath for a second. She's with her friends as usual and shrinks back with a shy smile, probably because they teased her about meeting me. She's not overly dressed up, but I can tell she took a little extra care in getting ready to go out with me, and it makes me feel incredibly special. Her braided top isn't revealing at all, yet it feels like I've never seen anything sexier.

Her friends point at me, and she follows their gaze. I quickly try to wipe the idiotic expression off my face and give her a smile. Once again, I see her turn back to her friends and hand something to Alex along with her backpack. Probably her car keys. Then she says goodbye to them and walks towards me.

As she gracefully walks towards me, I'm initially taken aback while watching her. Her hair dances around her with the movement, and she gazes at me in a mesmerizing way with a smile that's both shy and eager. Authors should use this girl as inspiration to describe angels I think. Then I realize that this isn't my usual self and avert my gaze, straightening up once again.

Well, it's true that just asking a girl out without the intention of taking her to my place is already unusual for me. But I've never been the type to get anxious, nervous, or have high expectations. I've never needed that because I knew exactly what would happen: take them home, have some small talk over drinks, have s*x, and say goodbye. No complications or uncertainties. But this? I have no idea how this date will go, if she'll like me, or what will happen at the end of the day!

I feel like I'm about to collapse as she approaches and greets me:

“Hello.”

And just like that, all the thoughts dissipate.

“So,” I return her smile, regaining my confidence. “Ready to get to know a bit of Brownveen?”

She nods, and I hand her the spare helmet. She puts it on her head, struggling a bit to fasten it, and as much as I want to help, I sense that's not what she wants, so I just find it amusing.

Over her shoulder, I notice some people observing us, but I don't pay much attention since they probably think she's just another girl I'm taking home for s*x. I have that reputation, and this is the first time I feel embarrassed about it. She probably already knows some stories from her friends and must think I'm a jerk. Yet there she is, standing in front of me with an expectant smile.

I try to push away these thoughts and concerns and put on my own helmet. I climb onto the motorcycle, and she follows, holding onto my shoulders like she did the first time we were together. I decide not to question why she's doing it and simply smile because I'm with a girl who is so different from the rest.

I start the motorcycle and calmly exit the parking lot.

Usually, my trick to make a girl cling to me is to rev the bike powerfully and speed away. It gets them excited and thrilled, feeling like they're experiencing a wild adventure by being with me. But I have no desire to do that with Jade. She still doesn't feel secure on my bike, doesn't feel secure with me, and she doesn't seem to mind going out with a bad boy. I want to give her that sense of security, not be the "dangerous" guy this time.

We ride at a reasonable speed, yet I don't sense Jade relaxing in the slightest. She appears extremely tense about our date, but I intend to help her loosen up as the day goes on.

Our first stop is the small Icy Summer ice cream shop on the main avenue of the town. In my opinion, one of the best in town and where I have my fondest and most nostalgic memories... I push aside those thoughts before spiraling into melancholy as we dismount from the motorcycle. We hold our helmets in hand as we walk side by side towards the entrance.

“Why did you choose this ice cream shop?” Jade breaks the silence, smiling.

“It's the best in Brownveen. Great location, delicious ice creams, and I have good memories of this place.” I return her smile as I hold the door open for her to enter first following behind.

The space isn't very large; it's even a bit narrow. But it's bright, well-lit, and best of all, it features three huge counters with dozens of ice cream flavors, toppings, and treats for each customer to serve themselves and create their own perfect ice cream cup.

To me, it's an utterly ordinary place, nothing special, and somewhat old-fashioned. But Jade's eyes sparkle, and her jaw drops in awe. It's beautiful how she seems unsure of where to look.

“Is this like a self-service for ice cream only?” She asks, still in awe of the place.

I can't help but laugh at her reaction.

“That's exactly it. You can help yourself as much as you want.”

She looks at me excitedly for a moment before dashing to the first counter, choosing one of the ice cream cups in various shapes and colors. I closely follow her and pick a round orange one, as I always have. We serve ourselves with various flavors of ice cream we like, and I notice she grabs almost every chocolate option. I settle for some more bitter flavors but can't resist getting a scoop of chocolate hazelnut as well.

Jade gets excited once again at the toppings counter and ends up putting a decent amount of colorful sprinkles on top of her several scoops of ice cream. I prefer tangy flavors and add some fruits to my cup. At the end of the counter, the cups are weighed, and the cashier tells us the price for each. Jade reaches into her pocket to get her wallet, but I question her with a smile.

“What are you doing?” She looks at me completely confused.

“I'm getting my wallet.”

“You're not paying for this.”

“What?” Her confusion only grows, and I find amusement in her innocence.

“I invited you. I'll pay for your ice cream.”

“Wait. No. I owed you, remember? I should pay for...”

Before she can finish the sentence, I hand the money to the cashier, who happily accepts it, glad to have it sorted out. Jade stares at me in disbelief while I continue to smile at her reaction.

I nod my head, indicating for her to follow me, and we consider the matter closed. We climb the narrow staircase to the mezzanine with several open-air tables to enjoy the afternoon sun, and we sit in one of the corners, even though there are only two other occupied tables up here.

"So..." She begins after savoring a few generous spoonfuls of her ice cream. "What are the good memories you have of this place? Did you used to come here as a child?"

"Yeah, with my older brother and my mom when we lived nearby," I'm engulfed in a warm nostalgia, thinking about the games we played and the laughter it always brought.

"You don't live with them anymore?" Jade unknowingly pulls me back to the harsh reality of the present.

"No..." I hesitate for a moment, searching for the right words, but they don't exist for this kind of occasion. "They passed away. I live alone, far away from here."

In that moment, I don't see Jade in front of me. I see the movie that has replayed in my head millions of times. Mom getting sick, being hospitalized, the funeral, Jordan and me moving, the accident, and the second funeral. Two years, and this damn film is still etched in my mind as if it had implanted its painful claws there.

"I'm sorry." Her sweet voice brings me back to see her again. "I know what that's like. The loss, I mean." She hesitates too. "I lost my mom a few years ago, and it still hurts as if it happened yesterday."

We spend some time eating in silence, not knowing what to say because there's nothing that can ease the pain. I can tell she's also drowning in her own thoughts, and I decide it's best to set that aside for now and distract her with another topic. This was supposed to be a good date. It will still be.

"You know, that wasn't the only reason I brought you here." I say, enjoying her confused expression, which makes me smile. "What a person puts in their ice cream cup says a lot about them."

She lowers her eyes to her ice cream and I follow her gaze, finding more amusement when she looks back at me.

"Let me guess. Mine says I'm a diabetic child."

I can't contain the laughter her comment evokes, and I love that she's laughing again too. I manage to speak again after calming down a bit.

"Well, actually, yours tells me that you don't deprive yourself of the things you enjoy and don't care much about what others think of you in those moments. That's great."

"And what does yours say then?"

I lower my eyes to my ice cream, noticing mainly the pieces of fruit I added, and I'm disappointed with the sight.

"I think it means I'm a ninety-year-old retiree."

I look at her and see the smile growing on her face.

"Come on! I'm serious." She says, still laughing.

I ponder for a moment before admitting with lowered eyes.

"I think it means that this lost its appeal for me a few years ago... In fact, I rarely come here, and when I do, I go for more tangy flavors... I think they suit my palate better."

"But you got a scoop of chocolate today, and I saw it! That means it hasn't lost all its appeal for you. There's still hope for that tangy palate of yours!" She teases me, and it catches me off guard.

What Jade doesn't know is that the last time I had a chocolate-flavored ice cream was during my childhood. She doesn't know that I only indulged in that flavor when I was with my mom and my brother. And she certainly doesn't know that, indirectly, she's the only reason I felt comfortable enough to do it now.

Jade doesn't know the profound influence she has on me.

And honestly, I don't even know myself.

But with each passing moment, I feel more compelled to find out.