He waved to the lady. "Just give me one, any flavour is fine."
I tried the bubblegum and was shocked to realise that it wasn't too sweet and sugar-overloaded like I thought. It was perfect. It was a unique flavor I couldn't describe.
"This is amazing. Want to try?" I asked. Darius looked pissed and I shrugged taking a bite of the chocolate and smiling to myself.
Nickname was accomplished.
"Butterscotch?" asked the lady.
"Yea, that's fin – what?" asked Darius, seeing my face.
"Don't get butterscotch," I said. He narrowed his eyes and then shrugged. "Just get me vanilla," he said.
I bit back a laugh at that and he gave me another look.
"What now?"
"Vanilla is white, right?" I asked as the lady gave it to him and he nodded.
"Dairy is eating Dairy," I said, laughing out loud as I started walking through the rest of the lane. I could practically feel his scornful look burning through my back and then heard his footsteps catch up to mine.
We walked in silence, or more forced to since I couldn't stop laughing and dropped the bag a few times, so many times that Darius got annoyed and held them all for me.
It was a good five minutes before I caught my breath and realised half the ice cream had melted down my hand and looked around for something to wipe it to.
"Don't you dare wipe it on my coat," he said and I started laughing again.
"Why not then? You can wear dairy everywhere you go," I said, laughing at my pathetic joke till he shoved a handkerchief in my face and I wiped my hand and wrapped it around the cone so I wouldn't get more all over me.
"Why didn't you want butterscotch?" He asked and all laughter was wiped off my face. He noticed I stopped walking. He was eating his ice cream as he turned to look at me.
"Eh," I hesitated. Do it, Ivory. You've already waited too long.
"Well," I began before my courage deserted me again. I ignored that the guava also started melting, making it a purple mix on my hands and ruining his handkerchief as well.
"My ex liked that flavor," I said quickly and then decided I might as well come out with it all, and added, "And he is James so I think it's an incredibly bad idea to do that business deal ‘cause he's a prick."
CHAPTER THIRTYFOUR
I waited, and waited, or it seemed like I waited but it was really just a few seconds before, once again, he surprised me.
He smiled, took a bite off his ice cream and turned around walking.
It took a moment before my heart calmed down and it registered that he smiled, a full smile that reached his eyes.
"Come on, Aluminium. If you get sick again, Marge will kill me," he said, looking over his shoulder. I looked at the ice cream that was running down my fingers and, dare I say it, some on his coat from my fingers and I wiped it off quickly.
"Wait," I said, confused, as I caught up with him and realised how much of a normal man he looked like. Eating ice-cream and carrying bags.
"This is actually good. Want to try it?" he offered.
"No."
"But it's refreshing. I got it so your taste buds don't explode with those extremely sweet and overpowering flavors," he said, confused.
"No. I mean, you're not angry, or annoyed, or something. I don't know." I was feeling frustrated.
"Why would I be? I didn't own you. Well, you’re mine now but all that was before I knew you and who you dated is up to you. And did you really think I didn't know?"
"You knew?" I asked in surprise.
"Your face. You’re not subtle, are you?"
"What?"
"The way you said it was so hilarious. You can't expect me to not laugh," he said, and then paused, and then chuckled like he was remembering it. He found this funny, he found this bloody funny. Well, it wasn't funny to me.
I was so afraid of what he was going to say. I was expecting him to lash out. I don't know, be angry with me. I would rather he’s angry with me now then bring it up in the future that I didn't tell him. Well, I freaking told him and this was what he did, laugh?
"What?" he asked as he licked his ice cream, staring at me.
"You're not going to say anything?"
So he knew. He knew who James was and he still wanted him to be his business partner. Was he doing it on purpose? Making your wife's ex your business partner, it was like shoving it in her face, saying I don't care about you.
"I am," he said, taking the plastic bags.
I waited. Well, what was he going to say?
"I'm going to think twice before letting you borrow my jacket," he said, nodding at the pocket where I was sure half the scoop melted onto. With that, he turned around and headed back the long lane to the taxi stop.
Well I was bloody confused as I stared at his back before I remembered how to walk and rushed after him.
"So nothing," I muttered as I followed him, stopping also when he stopped to say goodbye to some of the stall sellers.
"Nothing," I snapped, narrowing my eyes. I worried for bloody nothing. Nearly gave myself a heart attack for no reason.