Page 41 of Final Goodbye
“Declan!” I put my hands in the air as if I was surrendering. I mean, I wasn’t lying.
“Of course you’re a big reason I’ve been enjoying being back home. I just didn’t want to show my cards too soon. It’s kind of nice to see you squirm.” We both let out what laughter we had left when she turned around and gripped the wheel.
“Okay, let’s get out of here. Where to, Mr. Cooper?” she asked as if she were my chauffeur.
“I know we just ate, but what about some ice cream?” I offered.
“You read my mind. My stomach always has room for dessert,” she said, sticking her tongue out before she licked her lips. That subtle movement of her tongue reaching for her lips gave me the urge to reach over and be reckless, but those thoughts would have to wait. I told myself I was going to get to know her on a more personal level today. There was no way I was going to let her think I just wanted something physical. With her admitting she was sticking around; it was time to show her how she deserved to be treated.
She pulled out of the parking lot, taking off toward the main road. We took the long way to the ice cream shop so she could test out her new car. Windows down, her chestnut waves blowing in the wind, and some Taylor Swift pop shit blaring through the speakers. The lyrics sounded depressing as fuck, but she looked unphased. The smile across her lips proved otherwise.
In this moment, driving down the windy roads, just her and I and the music blaring, she was unraveling, coming out of her shell. I loved the person I was seeing through my eyes.
I hadn’t beenout around town too much since I arrived back, but I’ve driven by this small ice cream shop every time I’ve gone into work. There always seemed to be a line outside, which meant it had to be good. Even with the weather turning and wintertime on the horizon, the locals awaited what had to be the best ice cream cone in town.
There wasn’t a door to go inside, just a walk-up window where you placed your order. A big, neon ice cream cone sign lit up on the side of the building, enticing you to come by. It looked like a small wood cabin but with everything they would need to make up the perfect dessert. Cones, bowls, sprinkles, candy toppings and mix-ins. They even had espresso shots and coffee drinks, hot or cold. Something for everyone who was looking for a sweet treat.
It was our turn to order when Declan had me put in my order first; I already knew with the way he treated me at lunch that he would most likely pick up this tab as well. Plus, he was still holding my credit card captive, so I wouldn’t have been able to buy our ice cream anyway.
I looked straight ahead at the kid that had to be around Chase’s age and ordered my ice cream. “I’ll do a single scoop of the Very Berry Strawberry in a waffle cone please.” I waited for Declan to say his order next but couldn’t help noticing the strange look on his face.
“You’re the only person I know who likes strawberry ice cream. I mean, who doesn’t get some sort of chocolate-based ice cream?”
“Don’t judge me for what I like. Plus, I bet you get something basic and not fun likeplain chocolate.At least my ice cream has fresh strawberry pieces mixed in,” I teased while waiting for him to tell the kid his order.
“I’ll, um… I’ll get a scoop of Plain Chocolate in a waffle cone, please.” His order made me chuckle out loud. He jokingly looked ashamed as he hung his head low with a small grin on his face.
Cones in hand, we walked around town, hoping we wouldn’t freeze with the chilly weather and cold desserts. Luckily, we came dressed for the cooler climate and the sun was still out for just a little bit before it set over the mountains.
“Come on, Mr. Boring. Let’s head over this way.” I guided him across the street and headed toward a park I knew was down the way just past the bar. I figured we could sit and talk, continue what we were trying to do in the car earlier, and get to know one another.
“I promise you, Paige, I’m the least boring person you have ever met.”
“Oh, yeah? Says the guy eating plain chocolate ice cream like he’s five years old,” I joked.
“In my opinion, you can really judge a place based on their basic flavors. You can never fuck up chocolate, and if you do, well then, the rest of it probably sucks,” he said as he licked the chocolate dripping down his finger from the cone. Maybe he wasn’t so boring after all. I’d seen that tongue in action the otherweek but watching him lick up the melted chocolate mess had me wishing I got to see more.
It was what he said next that really had me stunned.
“Paige, we need to talk.” I hated that phrase. Nothing good ever came from those four words. What the hell did we need to talk about? I’m sure the worry was painted all over my face when I tried to compose myself.
“What do we need to talk about…” I asked, hesitating in dread of what would come next. We weren’t even together. We had only kissed a couple times and flirted a whole lot. But was I getting the wrong idea? I mean, at first, I just wanted a little bit of fun, a distraction. But now that I’ve spent more time around him, I’ve started to realize how much I enjoyed his company. Maybe I should have expressed in a better way that he was a huge reason for keeping me around. These little moments and the way he joked around with me, he was bringing the joy back into my life that I didn’t know I was missing.
Was I getting ahead of myself?
“I can see the worry etched all over your face, so first of all, stop worrying. Us needing to talk is not a bad thing.” A small amount of relief washed over me.
“I want to get to know you, Paige. The way you were just drooling over me licking up my ice cream made me realize how badly I want to taste your mouth again. But fuck, the last thing I want you to think is that I’m the type of guy just looking for a physical relationship.”
His ability to act so much older than his age, so responsible and mature, it shocked me. As someone who normally expected the worst of everything, especially with how my life had been going lately, I didn’t expect a guy to want to put the physical stuff aside to get to know me.
“I was not drooling…” I lied.Maybe I was, but he didn’t need to know that.
“Yes, baby girl, you were. And I don’t blame you. I’ve been internally drooling at the sight of you flicking your tongue across your ice cream too but I’m doing my best to hold back my urges. We have spent our alone time lately with our mouths attached to one another and I just want to spend more time hearing that pretty voice of yours.” That might be the sweetest way someone had ever told me they wanted to pump the brakes on kissing me, and I wasn’t even mad.
“What do you want to know about me then?” I asked as I looked up at him, still trying to turn on the charm. I wanted to talk too, but I also wanted to make it tough for him to say no to me.
I wanted the thought of me to linger in his mind forever, that way it was damn near impossible to forget about our physical connection. I’d be getting another kiss by the end of this date we were on—if that’s what you wanted to call it—I’d make sure of it. I mean, after all, you could get to know someone and still kiss them at the same time.
