His Winter Heart (Book 1 of Hearts Series) Completed

Chapter 3 - Interesting encounter

With the tone he used to speak down to me in this shop, I couldn't help but go into full beast mode. Be patient. Snow, you need to be patient.

"Thank you for your time this afternoon, sir. What exactly do you want?" I asked, a little more cheerfully than usual, trying to keep my rage at bay.

"Strawberry ice cream," he demanded. He squared his shoulders as he crossed his arms as if he despised the idea of having to speak at all. I tried to suppress the urge to roll my eyes. Customers who are impatient are a real pain in the neck. ‌

And he requested strawberry, which is unusual for a guy to like... guess he has a distinct taste. I shook my head and reached for a cone.

"Do you want it topped with anything? Any add-ons?" I inquired and realized I had forgotten to ask in a polite manner. "Uhm, Sir," I clarified.

He scowled as he shook his head no. "Just the plain one." I nodded my head in agreement and handed him his order. ‌ ‌

He slammed his money down on the counter rather forcefully, as if the thought of handing me money was too irritating to bear.

When I was about to give him his change, he was gone; I looked around and saw no one. While eating his ice cream, a silhouette walks away from the shop as quickly as he can and as far as he can from my workplace.

I stared at the money, wondering if I should just keep his change. I'd feel bad knowing it wasn't a real thing.

In addition, I believed in karma. ‌

"No beauty shines brighter than that of a good heart." Suddenly, a memory soon came rushing back to me. A sense of deja vu embraced me as my mind searched for an answer. My mind reminisced to the deep and comforting voice of my father that never failed to soothe my uneasiness. His words of wisdom left me in wonder how he managed to form those in every conflict we encountered.

Guess I have to wing this then. Go with the flow then.

When I finally decided what to do next, the boy was probably quite far away, but close enough for me to pursue him. Through the glass wall, his figure began to fade from my sight.

So there was no turning back now. I groaned in annoyance and marched to the door, clutching the money tightly. I took one last look around the shop to make sure everything was okay. Mr. Tim is going to kill me if he finds out I left the shop unattended. ‌ ‌We don't even have any security...

I have to hurry. Besides, it wouldn't take much longer than a minute. As soon as I stepped outside the shop, the sun's rays blazed down from the sky, burning my skin. The suffocating embrace of the humid air engulfed me. Immediately, sweat began to form on my brow. I didn't expect it to be this hot in the middle of summer at four o'clock in the afternoon.

Taking my handkerchief from my pockets, I dabbed my forehead with it while walking, my cap almost falling off my head. My eyes squinted in response to his towering stature. His long legs were moving quickly, and he seemed to be moving forward with each step. With each step he took, his pace quickened. I dragged my feet and tried to imitate his stride. ‌ ‌

I came to a halt, exhausted, to catch my breath and call out his name. As soon as it occurred to me that I had no idea what to call him, my mouth snapped shut. I cursed out of frustration. Beautiful. Snow, you are simply stunning.

His steps slowed as if he sensed someone was following him, just as I was about to lose all patience and give up. He came to a halt in his stride and slowly turned around to face me.

I went completely still. I tighten my grip on the handkerchief, shuddering with nervousness. It would be ineffective as a deterrent to what was about to happen.