Page 50 of Broken By the Bad Boy

There’s a smaller queue in front of the ice-cream truck. Ben groans at the idea of waiting in line, but I drag him to stand behind the kid with a yellow bandana. We stare at each other for a few seconds; he waves at us, and we wave back. Ben makes a funny face, and a battle of funny faces begins.

My lips purse as my eyes roam the pictures of different flavors on display. We came here once—Hayden and I. I promised myself I would return to taste all the flavors because I could.

The attendant smiles as his head pokes out from the truck’s window. “You can pick the coffee or…” Most times, I don’t like coffee. The attendant must have noticed because he cracks a tiny smile. “The Oreo flavor will even it out.” He points to another picture of a lemon green ice-cream. “Or this. The mint flavor. It never disappoints.”

I cast Ben a desperate glance, and he shrugs. I nod at the attendant. “Okay. Mint it is.”

“What about you?” he directs to Ben.

Ben scratches the back of his neck. A pink hue stains his cheeks. “My girlfriend will decide.”

My cheeks turn a darker shade of red than his. I bite my lips and whisper, “Coffee and Oreo.”

The attendant laughs. Ben laughs. I laugh.

Minutes later, we head back to my car with our ice-creams slowly melting in their cones. I lick mine and smile. Ben is still frowning because I paid. But it is my treat. We slip into the backseat and sit on opposite ends. Our backs rest against the doors, and our lips widen in a grin. My heart is peaceful as we lick our ice-cream in silence. Today has become one of my favorite moments.

A couple stops in front of the ice-cream truck with their kids. A boy and a girl. From their stance and the rapid movements of their lips, I assume the parents are arguing or about to. But it doesn’t faze their kids.

“They were always fighting,” Ben says.

I chew a part of my cone and look away from the bickering couple. “Who?”

Ben flicks his tongue over his ice-cream. I do the same to mine. “My parents.” My face pulls into a mask. “They weren’t good at communicating. They fought too much. I don’t want us to be like them.”

My heart flutters. “We won’t.”

Ben rewards me with a grin. “Dad used to say he wished he walked out of the arguments instead of exchanging words with her because it only made it worse.” His fingertips brush mine, and a strong current zips through me. “That’s why I went to cool off. I didn’t want to make it worse.”

A smile curves my lips. My heart feels so full I can only grin. Ben is always thinking about me. I paint the tip of his nose with my ice-cream. “You did good,” I state. “You are a wonderful boyfriend, Benny.”

His eyes light up. I think I said the right thing. “Thank you. I want to be a better partner than my dad.”

“Partner?” I tease.

The word makes our relationship sound more significant than it is.

“Yeah. A better partner to you.” Tears sting my eyes. Ben licks his ice-cream, unaware of what his words do to me. He doesn’t need to do more. He is already a perfect boyfriend. “A better husband.”

“Benny.” My heart races so fast, and I fear it will shoot out of my chest. “Are you saying we will get married?”

“Of course.” His chest puffs with pride, and my heart starts a funny dance. “When we are older. We will get married, have kids, and tell them how we met.” The confidence in his voice warmly surprises me. I love him all over again. “I will tell them you asked me out and cried like a little girl when I said no.”

The perfect comeback eludes me, so I flip him the bird. He wants us to get married. He wants to be a better partner.Take that, Hayden. Silence falls on us. A peaceful silence broken by him.

“Can I ask you something?” Ben says. He is chewing his cone. Bits and pieces stick to a corner of his lips, and his tongue swipes over them. I chew on my cone and give him a thumbs up. “Why do you hate Liv?”

The hand holding the ice-cream to my mouth drops. “Really? You want to discuss her on our date?”

Ben takes my ice-cream and finishes it. I want to be annoyed, but I can’t because he already ruined the taste of it. I bring my knees to my chest, and my jaw connects with my knees.

Leaning forward, he touches my cheeks. I swat his hands, and he pouts. Today was going so great. When I don’t laugh, he says, “All the times we fought were because of her.”No shit, Sherlock. And if he were smart, he would dump her for my sake. “I know you would have reacted differently if it was someone else.”

Maybe. But she gets to me all the goddamn time. A mention of her name is enough to rile me up.

“What is it about her that makes you so angry? Why do you hate her? Why does she hate you? Maybe I can help. I don’t want our fights to revolve around the same person. I don’t even want us to fight, babe.” Me too. I can’t handle our fights. He draws my legs to his lap. “Talk to me.”

His eyes hold mine in a trance. I take a deep breath. “I don’t think I hate Olivia.” Ben cocks his head. “She just makes it hard to like her. And she’s pretty. Everyone likes her. She gets all the boys and attention without even trying.” His frown deepens into a scowl. “You even kissed her.”

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