Page 45 of The Problem with Princes
I notice the closed sign as we walk in. The woman behind the counter puts her hand to her hair and then runs her hands down the front of her apron. “Welcome, Your Highness. What may I get you?” she asks in Greek.
Ty releases my hand only to put his at the small of my back, guiding me forward.
The woman behind the counter watches the motion, with a knowing look. My face heats, which is stupid, because it isn’t like I’ve never been on a date before. But the look on this woman’s face says she knows what our relationship is about.
I swallow.
If I ask her, will she tell me? Because I’m not entirely sure. Are we just friends? Friends with benefits? Or does Ty think of us as more?
I shake my head. I’m not a hundred percent sure whatIwant us to be.
“What would you like?” Ty whispers close to my ear.
I pull my thoughts away from the woman and look up at the handwritten board above her head. “Oooh. Ice Cream.”
Tyrone slides his hand back around and rests it on my waist. I study the board even more intently, so I don’t over analyze it.
“Have you ever tastedPagoto Elaeolado me syko?”
He startles me and I jerk my head toward him. “What?”
“Pagoto Elaeolado me syko.Have you ever tasted it?” He motions with his head to the order board, completely unaware of what his touch is doing to me.
“No. But it’s one of the things I had on my list to try.”
He leads me forward and orders two cones made of olive oil and figs. The woman turns from the counter and leans over the ice cream freezer at the side. She hands the two cones to Tyrone, forcing him to remove his hand from my hip. My body relaxes.
He hands the second one over to me and walks over to a little cafe table. We sit down and both take a bite of our ice cream.
I close my eyes and let the creaminess coat my tongue and mouth. It’s like ice cream I’ve eaten at a shop in Georgetown, only the flavor is completely unique. The olive oil is subtle, but discernable. However, it’s the sweetness of the figs that takes center stage. It isn’t overpowering, just very pleasing. “Mmm, this is delicious.” I take another bite.
Ty smiles. “Does it live up to the hype I unintentionally gave it by making you wait so long?”
I nod. “Totally worth it.”
He sets his hand with the cone down on the table, the bottom of his cone hovering just above the surface. “This game you mentioned playing as a girl involving Jaguars—”
I love the way he says it, using the longusound in the middle. It is so European. “What is the game about? Can you teach it to me?”
I guffaw and a little bit of ice cream comes out of my nose and lands on my hand. My eyes widen and I look up to see if he notices.
The large grin tells me he did. I take a deep breath and the smell of dairy and figs fills my nose. Great. Now I can be reminded of my unladylike behavior for the rest of the day.
“It isn’t really a game that the boys played. It’s just silly and juvenile. You don’t want to play it.”
He looks at me; if anything, my explanation seems to only heighten his interest. “Can’t I be the judge of that?”
“No.” I shake my head. “I will not be a party to you learning this dumb game. I should never have mentioned it.”
But his frown makes me back pedal. “Okay, fine.” I don’t even try to keep the exasperation from my voice because I know he is just going to think I’m a complete idiot when we are done with this. Or maybe just really childish.
“I need to be able to draw and write. I can’t really do that with the cone in my hand.”
He reaches over and takes the cone, tilting it in my direction. “You need to lick it, so it doesn’t drip.”
I lean over and lick the cone. His eyes follow my every movement, and he flicks up his brows when I catch his gaze. For a moment, I forget all about the stupid MASH game.
He clears his throat and looks at me expectantly.
