“I love orange creamsicles,” I said, grinning like a kid. “Especially for breakfast.”
“It’s settled then.” Jacob grabbed my hand and we walked quickly toward the ice cream truck.
My heart skipped a beat as our fingers intertwined. I wasn’t expecting to be holding hands with him so quickly, but I liked it. I didn’t want to pull away. His touch felt right.
We joined the back of the line, holding hands the entire time until we finally got to the window to place our order. I actually hated letting go of his hand, even though I was rewarded with a delicious sugary treat. He ordered three of the orange treats and paid with cash.
“I haven’t had one of these since I was a kid,” I said, carefully opening the plastic wrapper as we walked away.
“I have to be honest…” Jacob replied, taking a big bite out of his. “I actually get one every time I see an ice cream truck. I would have screamed out like those kids did, but I didn’t think that would make a very good impression.”
I laughed. “I wouldn’t have judged you. Everybody has their quirks and maybe yours is ice cream in the morning. Do you also need two of them for yourself?”
He shook his head. “One's for Athena.” Before I could object, he held the ice cream out. Athena took two big bites before I squealed, “Stop!” and pushed away the ice cream. Jacob dropped it and Athena licked it up off the ground, obviously not stopping for anything. I thought it was adorable.
We strolled back to the fountain side by side. I kept hoping he'd reach for my hand again. The song from the ice cream truck faded into the distance as it pulled away, looking for the next group of sweet-tooths to profit off of. We took a seat on a wooden bench near the fountain and Athena sat on my feet, leaning into me.
“Do you really like playing Monster GO?” Jacob asked after a moment. “You said you can see the appeal, but I’m wondering if you actually enjoy it. If you're not having fun playing it, then we don’t have to. There’s obviously no pressure to play.”
“I like it well enough. I think if I had designed the app, then I’d probably have done a couple of things different.” I shrugged and took another bite of my morning dessert.
He lifted his eyebrows and faced me. “Really? Like what?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. It would be nice for the streets to have their names on them, like a real map. It would also be nice to have a searchable map, you know so that you could see if something were going on at your destination or even plan a trip based on what you can find on the map.”
Jacob nodded in agreement. “I heard that the developers looked into it, but decided it would be too much of a drain on people's limited data plans.”
“It could if you did it the traditional way,” I told him. “But, if you just adjusted the interface a little, it wouldn't take much data at all. There's another app, it's actually for driving directions, that has something similar that would work perfectly.”
“Sounds like they should look into it again.” He smiled again. “It's a good idea. I hadn't even thought of looking at non-game apps for ideas.”
“It’s just the way my mind works,” I replied. “I’m always analyzing things like this. Sometimes I do it to websites, or to computer programs. I try to think about what I’d change to make something better or more enjoyable. I know I’m making myself sound like a total nerd here. It’s just something I do.”
“I love it and totally understand,” he confessed. “I’m a bit of a nerd myself.”
“Without your glasses, you don’t look like it.” I teasingly narrowed my eyes and took another bite of my ice cream with a grin. It was cold and delicious.
“Neither do you,” he replied with a smile. “You have some on your face.”
He reached over, gently wiping a smudge of orange from my cheek. I wasn't even quite sure how it had gotten there, but his touch sent a chill through me and I felt my heart flip flop.
“Thanks,” I said, my voice coming out breathless and girlish.
Jacob had his creamsicle in his right hand as he reached his left over my shoulder. His fingers dropped down, gently touching the top of my arm. I scooted a little closer to him, his magnetic eyes drawing me closer.
Everything stopped. The kids laughing in the background faded out, the birds quieted down. Even Athena’s panting seemed to silence. All I could hear was my heartbeat, thudding inside of my chest. There was tension in the air, but it was the good kind of tension. The kind that made my hands and feet tingle with delight, adrenaline bursting into my veins.
He leaned in a little closer. I could feel his breath against my cheek. The smell of his cologne wafted off of his shirt. My eyes closed halfway as I anticipated Jacob making his move. He went in for a kiss, bringing his lips toward mine slowly and sensually. We almost touched. There was a centimeter at most between us. It was going to be amazing and incredible and the best kiss of my entire life.
“Hey, what are you guys doing?” a voice said from behind us.
I didn’t even have to turn around to know who it was. I’d have recognized that annoying little voice anywhere.
Tommy, I thought.
“Are you guys going to kiss or something?” Tommy asked, stepping around to the front of the bench.
Jacob pulled away and cleared his throat. He shifted in his seat, trying to play it cool. It was the first time I'd seen him even a little bit flustered, but he shrugged and was suddenly totally collected yet again.