Page 39 of Falling for my Best Friend

“Don’t know what to tell you.”

He sighed. “Life is so cruel.”

“Maybe we could blend them up and you could drink them.”

He shook his head. “Too sad.”

“Won’t they melt in your mouth if you wait long enough?”

“Yeah, but I’d have to spend the whole day eating ice cream.”

“The horror!” I said, raising my hands to my cheeks.

“You’re right. That is exactly how I want to spend my retirement.”

“You and me both,” I said.

We ordered our ice creams and watched as the assembly line of “dessert specialists” mixed our concoctions to our exact specifications. By the time the woman plopped my ice cream in its temporary waffle nest, my mouth was watering so much I was afraid I would start drooling on myself if I didn’t take a bite soon.

Aiden’s chocolate eyes were as big as his cone when he turned to me at the end of the counter. “Can you hold this while I pay?” he asked.

“I already paid.”

“You shouldn’t have,” he said. “I’m the one that suggested this place.”

“Yeah, but you paid last time.” I grabbed a handful of napkins out of the dispenser and shoved them in my purse. “What do you say we find a nice bench where we can focus on the ice cream at hand.”

“Lead the way.”

We crossed the street and went through the black iron gates of Venus Park. Aiden didn’t lower his cone from in front of his face a single time on the way to the closest bench. The joy he got from having his own massive scoop of ice cream was infectiously cute. It was one of my favorite things about our ice cream outings.

“How is it?” I asked when we finally sat down. “Or is that a stupid question?”

He lowered the cone, revealing a smile framed by chocolate lips. “It’s heaven.”

I reached in my purse for some napkins. “The peanut butter cups were a good call then?”

“Best decision I’ve ever made.”

I laughed and handed him some napkins.

“It’s all over my face, isn’t it?”

“No.” I shook my head. “Just your mouth.”

He stuck his tongue out and swiped it along the entire perimeter of his lips, making a face full of intense concentration.

“Whoa, you looked really serious there for a second,” I said. “And also kind of like a monkey.”

“Whatever. I’d be devastated if I missed a drop of this. It’s too good.”

“And you don’t even need a prescription.”

He smiled. “How’s yours?”

I sucked another bite off my tiny plastic spoon, letting the cool sweetness dissolve on my tongue and slide down my throat. “I must say I’m impressed with how well they’ve married the cake batter with the ice cream. It’s super cakey and creamy at the same time. To be honest, I might never eat another vegetable again.”

“I can’t say I’m surprised. Cake and ice cream is a classic combo.”

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