Wrong Quarterback | ✓

12 | illicit affairs

            Avery tries her best to save her hand from the cold liquid of the soft ice cream as it trails down the cone, desperately running her spoon along the rim of the once pretty looking whirl of white covered with colorful rainbow sprinkles.

"Eat faster," She orders, giving up her attempts with the spoon entirely and runs her tongue up the cone. "It's melting all over me."

"Because you're holding it in the dumbest way," The corners of Ethan's mouth quirk up as he watches Avery struggle, reaching his hand out for the cone. "Here."

Begrudgingly, she hands it over and runs her fingers through her wind tossed hair in an attempt to comb it out but the stickiness the melted ice cream has added to her skin does more harm than good, only tangling the blonde waves further. The rays of the sun peer through the clouds, casting a lingering warmth beneath the blue fabric of her lightly knitted cardigan, as they walk down the street lined by the three story apartment buildings. Unzipping the pocket of her petite crossbody bag, she fishes out the sole napkin she brought along from the ice cream parlor but no matter how much she wipes it seems her skin only grows stickier and she sighs, tossing the tissue into a trash can as they turn the corner onto the next street.

As Ethan swears under his breath, readjusting his hold on the cone of ice cream they're sharing, her lips pull back in a smile. He shoots her a sideways glance, the flicker of amusement crossing his eyes mirroring the gleam in her own.

"Are you going to help out or?"

Rolling her eyes, she jabs her spoon into the ice cream and he's quick to steady the cone as her force almost knocks it out of his hand. She swallow back a small laugh. "Sorry."

As she eats from the ice cream he does too, handing the cone back to her.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into having sprinkles on top."

"I can't believe you're boring enough to not want them in the first place," She counters, smile only widening from the tired look he feigns as he glances over at her. "You can't have soft ice cream without sprinkles."

The breeze of the ocean wind becomes less and less noticeable the further into the city circle their feet take them, the salty air seeming to grow more humid trapped between the soft colored buildings lining the streets.

"I'm not boring. You're predictable."

Avery's brows shoot up at that, not even bothering to swallow the bite of ice cream on her tongue before she speaks. "Predictable?"

"Sprinkles, Avery."

"It's a classic, Ethan."

Scooping some of the ice cream off of the top with his spoon, he nods to himself as if considering her words. "Didn't take you for an out-of-towner."

Her mouth falls open, a huff of disbelief escaping her lips as she stops dead in her tracks. "Take that back."

He whirls around swiftly on his feet, noticing her struggle to remain her offended pout, the corners of her lips threateningly twitching as if ready to break a smile any second. The sun reflects a glimmer in his dark eyes, matching his smile as it grows even wider. "So dramatic."

"Do you take it back?"

He slants his head to the side, regarding her for a beat, snatching the cone from her hand with a shrug before continuing down the street. "No."

Her eyes narrow, quickening her pace as she takes a few steps in a jog. "Don't hog it," She says, lacing her fingers around his elbow to slow him down as comes to his side. She reaches over to scoop some more ice cream onto her spoon, resting the piece of plastic against her lips as the cold melts on her tongue. Glancing up at him as his brows dip together once, smile cracking into a grin. "What?" Did I get some on my face or something?"