Good thing Dhylan is here…
If he wasn't, I swear I would've cried even more. A looootttt.
They served us more ice cream—some in tall glasses, others in huge bowls. All colorful. All pretty.
All smelling like fresh cream and strawberries.
…Like him.
Nope.
No.
Absolutely not.
I shook my head so hard the spoon rattled. Shake the thought away. Shake it OFF.
Should I shake more? Maybe shake until my brain falls out? Effective?
Dhylan smiled at me softly.
Somehow, just knowing he's here—quiet, not asking too many questions, just listening to my entire emotional downfall—felt calming. Like sitting in warm sunlight.
The bell at the shop rang continuously as people came and went. Marshmallow-sweet air, chocolate-scented breeze… surreal, like drifting inside a candy dream.
Thankfully, this place is far from school.
No one will see my swollen eyes. Or my dignity melting faster than this ice cream.
I took another scoop, this time with cookie bits.
My tears welled up again, clinging to the edges of my eyes, but I didn't bother wiping them. Let them fall. Let them drip into the whipped cream of my problems.
"I'll be dead if I gain weight. My manager will kill me," I said while casually scooping an even bigger bite.
Dhylan laughed.
"I'm sure you'll get it back. Just eat for now. They're melting."
He gently pushed another bowl closer to me.
"Ah, you're a dangerous person," I muttered. "A person who spoils people. Very bad."
He smiled.
A bittersweet one.
My heart squeezed.
Ah… poor Dhylan.
Oriel, how can you be this cruel to this cute and soft man?
I sighed dramatically.
And then—everything shattered.
A loud voice echoed from his phone:
"I LOVE YOU, DJ!!!"
Dhylan panicked instantly.
He scrambled for his phone, the white plastic takeout bag rustling by his side.
Right—he was carrying that. He must've been on the way to Oriel.
A knot of guilt twisted in my chest.
"Hello, miss me my Ori~?" he answered in that joking tone he only uses with her. Dhylan brought it to his ear and instantly recoiled.
While she was screaming on the other end, Dhylan looked at me with wide eyes, silently asking: Do I tell her?
I quickly crossed my fingers into an X and shook my head violently.
He turned away, nervous, obviously bad at lying.
"Yes, yes—ah, just… traffic. I'll be there in a bit. Don't miss me too much."
He ended the call with a soft exhale.
Then grinned.
"Always miss me."
"You should go," I said, smiling.
"I can't leave you here."
"I'll be fine!"
I gave him the biggest thumbs-up known to mankind.
Dhylan: unimpressed.
He shook his head no.
After a bit of back-and-forth, Dhylan and I finally agreed: he'd walk me out and stay with me until I got on the bus.
We only realized how late it already was.
So we ended up deciding he'd escort me all the way to the bus stop and wait until I boarded.
The bus practically dropped me in front of my building anyway—I promised him I'd be totally safe and that I'd message him the moment I got home.
The clerk gave us a funny look as we exited, Dhylan pushed the shop door open, the bell chiming behind us.
I watched his back—the denim jacket, the relaxed shoulders—until he suddenly stopped right outside.
I almost bumped straight into him.
"What's wrong?"
I peeked from behind him—
My jaw dropped.
Standing under the streetlight, arms crossed, expression carved out of stone, eyes sharp enough to stab me—
"Sup, Pres?" Dhylan gave a casual salute.
Ice's gaze drifted from him…
to me.
What did I do?!
Why are you looking at me like I kicked your dog and set your house on fire?!
"It took you long enough," he said, tone bored but somehow irritated.
I glanced back at the ice cream shop.
The glass walls made everything visible.
I prayed he only saw my back.
Wait.
WAIT.
Why are you even HERE?!
"Yes, we took a while. Do you need anything?" I said, stepping closer to Dhylan like a startled squirrel.
"It's late. You should go home," Ice replied, face still emotionless as an iceberg.
"Yes, we're about to," I nodded quickly—
Then clung to Dhylan's arm in panic.
Sorry, Dhylan.
You are unfortunately my human shield for today.
Next Chapter:
All I wanted was ice cream. Just ice cream.
But suddenly Dhylan is cool and heroic, Oriel is screaming on the phone, and Ice is—
PULLING.
ME.
And now I'm trapped in his car, acting like a spoiled kid with a crush I definitely should NOT have.
Especially when he turns to me with that guilty voice and asks: "Are you mad?"
Sir, please—my heart can't take this.