To Each Their Own Kink #2
“Why not?” A crease of confusion formed on his forehead. “Is our future doomed because we don’t share the same taste in ice cream?”
“And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!” The words tumbled from my lips as I tilted my head at him.
“I see.” He slowly leaned back into his seat, thumbs tapping against the steering wheel.
“And then I’ll just say, ‘Look, Mum, we really did try but there were just too many incompatibility issues,’ and hopefully she leaves us both alone.”
“Sounds like a plan then,” he mumbled, starting the car.
***
Miles pulled over and I quickly jumped out of the car. “Thanks,” I said, “I guess I will see you at dinner.”
“Yep,” he nodded.
I shut the door, glancing ahead, a large ‘Next Door Records’ sign hanging in front of me.
The store was almost empty as I navigated past the shelves. A musty smell, a scent of aged paper, hung in the air. The stacks of vinyls pressed tightly together were displayed in a chaotic order.
“Alright, Sassy,” I mumbled, peering between the rows of records, “let’s see where you’re hiding.”
After ten minutes of muttered curses, I sighed with frustration one last time and marched towards a staff member for assistance. Summer, the girl with the name tag, seemed bored to death, half-closed eyes skimming the lines of a newspaper.
“Hi.” I approached her at the register.
“Hey.” Her gaze slowly travelled upwards, finding mine.
“So,” I smiled, glancing at the press, “what’s new in the world?”
“Oh,” she mumbled, “I only read the horoscope. Are you a Libra by any chance? Because if you are—” She raised an eyebrow at me. “—the stars are not aligned with you this week.”
“Well,” I sighed with dramatic relief, “then it’s a good thing that I’m not.”
“Anyways,” she said, folding the newspaper shut, “done with that. Do you want to check yours?” she offered.
“Um, sure,” I smiled as I took it. “Thanks!”
“So, anything I can help you with?” she asked.
“Please,” I nodded. “I’m looking for Sarah Vaughan.”
Typing and clicking excessively, Summer’s gaze was fixed upon the computer screen. “Hmm.” She narrowed her gaze, checking something. “I’ll be right back.”
“Thanks,” I said, turning around at the sound of the door creaking open. “Miles?” I gasped in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“Mark’s got that choreography class with Jo, so I thought…I’d stick around?”
“Oh.”
“If you don’t mind?” he added quickly.
A fleeting furrow might have creased my brow. I thought I didn’t mind him staying, but that was exactly what my mother would have wanted.
“Um…” My lips parted a few times but no sound came out. Just then, Summer reappeared, holding the record in her hands. “Lucky you, we’ve got one!” she beamed. “Oh.” Her gaze flitted to Miles and, suddenly, the sparkle in her eyes fuelled with a new curiosity. “Hi!”
“Hi,” he nodded with a smile.
“Need a hand finding that perfect tune?” she asked, casually leaning against the counter and clearly forgetting she was serving me first. Seriously, Summer? That is so not cool!
“Thanks!” he offered, raising an eyebrow at the vinyl in her hands. “Looks like you’ve just got the one we were looking for.”
“We?” she echoed, surprised eyes glancing back and forth between the two of us.
“We,” I repeated with a tight-lipped smile that might have seemed a little bit territorial, my gaze lingering on the record, “will take that.”
Slowly returning to her original state of boredom, “Sure,” Summer drawled.
***
“For a moment there I thought you’d tell me to leave,” Miles said as soon as we stepped outside.
“I admit, that did cross my mind.”
Miles locked his eyes on me. “Why didn’t you then?”
Now, I wasn’t about to confess that the prospect of a romantic tryst between him and Summer caused me some unease. And it did bother me that I was bothered about this in the first place. Even more confusing, this feeling itself was something I wasn’t quite prepared for.
“Scoops!” Before I could come up with a better idea, the words suddenly tumbled off my tongue with panic. “Betty’s Scoops!”
“Excuse me, what?” Miles raised his eyebrows in confusion.
“The local ice-creamery! I mean, the one down the street,” I quickly explained, glancing over his shoulder.
“Wait, hold on.” He stared at me with a wisp of amusement. “Are you saying you want a dessert?”
“Well, you know, all that talk in the car about, uh, flavours…and then, geez, it’s like a hundred degrees outside, right?” I fanned my hand in front of me. “It’s hot. Very hot. I feel so hot. Do you feel hot?” God, I was mortified at every single sound I made.
“I guess?”
“So, I, uh, thought, why not? Ice cream? Chocolate, or strawberry, or even, uh, well, mint… Not really my kink but to each their own, no judgement here.” Phew! I finally caught my breath, feeling a touch of heat creeping up my cheeks.
“Florence?” He tilted his head down, his gaze fixed upon me.
“Yes?” My teeth sunk into my bottom lip as I glanced up, forcing my eyes to meet his.
“Are you done yet?” he asked, his voice soft with concern.
“Um, yeah!”
“Well, thank goodness!” A grin spreading across his face, he said, “I thought you’d never stop babbling.”
“Oh! Sorry about that,” an awkward, crap-I-just-made-a-total-fool-of-myself smile tugging at my lips.