Page 20 of The Sitcom Star
Maddie had gotten pretty good at reading people over the years, and Adrian, she figured, wasn’t the sort of guy whose demeanor changed much in different situations.He was never acting or playing a part.He just…was.She found it refreshing.
But at the same time, the curve of his back, his arms—maybe even his ass?—made excitement pump through her veins.
“Hey,” she said, coming to stand beside him.
“Hey,” he said.“Shall we?”
He started walking west.It was a cloudy Saturday afternoon—though Maddie still wore her sunglasses—and the sidewalks were a little busy, but not as busy as they sometimes were.
“So we’re just…walking?Wherever?”she asked.
“Mm-hmm.If you see anywhere you want to stop, let me know.”
She nodded.
“You don’t have to walk quite that fast,” he said.“It’s not a race.Stop, smell the roses or the—Oh, God.Whatisthat?”
He lifted his shirt to cover his nose, and she laughed as she pointed to an overflowing trash bin.She was still wearing her face mask, which had the benefit of reducing some of the odors.
Once again, it felt like her heart was speeding up and slowing down at the same time.His expression was making her laugh and relax, but when he’d lifted his shirt, it had revealed a tiny slice of skin—apparently, he wasn’t wearing a white T-shirt underneath today.There was something particularly enticing about that tiny bit of skin that was usually hidden, and she curled her fingers into a fist so she didn’t reach out and caress him.
They passed by a bunch of stores, many of them big chains, and when they got to Spadina, Maddie said, “Let’s go to Graffiti Alley.”She always enjoyed looking at street art, but she’d completely forgotten about the existence of this place.
“Sure,” Adrian said.
Some of the art was different from what she remembered, but the building with all the fish looked the same—that had always been her favorite.
Back in the day, she might have posted a picture on social media, but now her accounts were much sparser and more curated.Whenever she posted something, there was a flurry of likes and comments.
Many people were taking photos, but she and Adrian didn’t.They just paused now and then to study something closer and point out what they liked, without preserving the memory for later.
They went back up to Queen and continued walking, until Maddie came to a stop outside an ice cream shop.“I’ve heard of this one before, maybe onYYZist?”
“Yeah, it’s pretty good,” Adrian said.“The owners are Filipino and they have lots of interesting flavors.You want to go?”
The idea of an unplanned ice cream stop caught her a little off guard.If she wanted a treat, she purposely went out to get it.She didn’t just wander down Queen Street and think,Ooh, let’s go in.She didn’t normally have the time for an afternoon like this.
But she did now.
They’d have to wait in line outside before going in, though—it was busy.Adrian put on his mask as they studied the list of flavors on the chalkboard outside the shop.There were so many promising ones, and it seemed impossible to choose.Double chocolate brownie, raspberry pandan, calamansi pie, ube, rosemary brown butter… Trying to figure out what to get helped to pass the time, but she was still slightly peeved by the long line.
“I promise, it’s worth it,” Adrian said, as she leaned to the side to see how many people were in front of them.
When they finally made it inside ten minutes later, Maddie exhaled in relief.She slipped her sunglasses up to see the menu and prices.A double scoop sounded good to her or…ooh!They served halo-halo, which she’d never had before.It came with a scoop of ube ice cream on top, and that was one of the flavors she wanted to get.
Adrian ordered double chocolate brownie and calamansi pie in a sugar cone.When Maddie ordered her halo-halo, the server looked at her a little oddly.Perhaps she recognized Maddie, but she didn’t say anything.
And…shit.Adrian was already paying—Maddie hadn’t intended to let him do that.She’d have to be more on the ball next time.
The server placed the clear plastic cup, topped with purple ice cream, on the counter.
“Thank you so much,” Maddie said, reaching for her halo-halo.
The ice cream shop was across the street from Trinity Bellwoods Park.They found a patch of grass a few meters from anyone else, took off their masks, and started eating.
The ube ice cream was creamy and delicious.She wasn’t sure what all the things in her cup were, but there were lots of different colors, and it was rather exciting.With her spoon, she picked up some ice cream and a green cube of something-or-other, then looked over at Adrian…and forgot to put the spoon in her mouth.
He was licking his calamansi pie ice cream, valiantly trying to stop it from dripping, and she couldn’t help herself from staring at his tongue.Imagining other things he could lick.
