2. Chapter 2
“Have you heard from him yet?” Lisa asks as we enter the ice cream parlor. The teenage girl working the counter peeks up at us.
“No. For the fiftieth time, I haven’t heard from him yet,” I say, rubbing my temple.
She huffs and puts her hands on her hips. “What’s his problem?”
“It’s been, like, thirty minutes. He probably doesn’t even have his phone.”
We step to the counter, and I order my usual, a double scoop of butter pecan in a waffle cone. Lisa is next, ordering her plain vanilla in a sugar cone. We giggle to ourselves as the employee keeps ducking her head to keep from staring. Jackie and Hannah come in behind us, entering the line that’s built up since we walked in a minute ago.
I get my ice cream and immediately take a big lick, the sweet, buttery goodness coating my tongue. “Besides, he probably asked for my number to be nice.”
“Oh, please,” Lisa groans. “Guys don’t ask for girls’ numbers unless they want something.” Her eyebrow bobbing has me groaning.
When she turns toward the cashier, I bump her out of the way. “I’ve got it.” After I pay, we step to the side to wait for Jackie and Hannah.
When all four of us have our ice cream, we stand together and take a selfie. Jackie nudges me with her shoulder. “Did that guy text you yet?”
“No,” I huff, and take out my phone to show them my screen. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t as anxious as my friends, but it’s weird for me. I haven’t been excited for a guy to text me since Connor and I started dating. That was three years ago. And after he broke my heart, I quit chasing love. Stopped seeking it completely.
Am I ready to start searching again?
I shake my head to clear it. “Can we go sit outside?” I’m using this question as a distraction from my love life, but it is a serious one. It is freezing in here.
“It’s too hot. The ice cream will melt!” Jackie laughs.
“Then eat it faster,” I say, twirling my cone around my tongue.
“Ooh, do that again!” Lisa says excitedly.
“What?”
She grabs my phone out of my hand, swiping the screen and holding it up. “Lick your ice cream.”
So, I do, but in a more lackluster manner.
“No,” she whines. “Not like that. Make it sexy.”
“How?”
“Close your eyes, stick your tongue out all the way,” she says.
“And pout a little,” Hannah chimes in.
I laugh. “Those sound like contradicting actions.”
“Just do it,” Lisa orders.
“Fine,” I say hesitantly, and do as I’m told.
“Oh, that’s hot.” Lisa shows me the pic, and she’s right.
Even though I’m covered in mud, I look…sexy. I don’t do sexy. Ever. Yet, there I am, with my tongue not just licking the ice cream, but caressing it. It’s almost embarrassing, but at least it’s only a picture on my phone.
“Now, send it to Sam.”
“What?” My eyebrows shoot to the sky. “No way.”
Lisa frowns. “Fine.” Turning her back to me, she takes my phone with her and taps the screen.
“Lisa! No! Give me my phone!” I shout as I’m clawing to get around Lisa and trying not to drop my ice cream. Our antics elicit more gawks from the parlor patrons, but I don’t care.
“Too late.” She spins around with the biggest self-satisfied smile on her face.
All I can do is stare at the word “delivered” in my text messages as she hands it back to me. I wait for those three little dots to appear, but they don’t. My heart speeds up, my breaths shallow, and the world around me blurs.
Lisa’s arm around my shoulder pulls me back to reality. “He’ll respond. Relax and enjoy your ice cream.”
“I can’t believe you did that,” Jackie whispers to Lisa as they all walk toward a table.
Neither can I. Or maybe I can, but never thought she’d do something like that to me. She knows I like to think things through. I need to weigh all my variables, compare all my possible outcomes. I don’t act on a whim.
With a sigh, I tuck my phone into my back pocket. He’ll respond. Surely, he will. Either way, there’s no sense in worrying about it yet. Wait for his response, or lack thereof, and I’ll get my answer.
I join my friends at the table. My tension ebbs as I laugh at all the dried mud that has flaked off in a huge dusty mess all around them, but ramps right back up when my phone dings in my pocket. I don’t move, just stare wide-eyed at Lisa, who’s grinning like an idiot. With a deep swallow, I take my phone out and unlock the screen.
“Who is it? Is it him? What did he say about the pic? Did he love it?” Lisa’s rapid-fire questions don’t even register in my brain.
I’m too busy trying to quell the frenzied butterflies in my stomach. The corners of my mouth tick upward as I read Sam’s message.
SAM: Is your last name really Erlenmeyer?
“Are you kidding me?” Lisa asks. “That’s the first thing he says!?”
I chuckle, but it’s laced with disappointment. Part of me was hoping the first thing he’d mention was my picture. I shake it off and I type my response.
brYNN: Yep, it is. Is that surprising?
SAM: Not as surprising as your picture. Is the ice cream good?
“What’s he saying that’s got you smiling like that?” Jackie asks.
I shake my head. “He asked if the ice cream was good.”
“Tell him it would be better if you were licking it off his chest.”
I tear my gaze away from the phone to gape at Lisa before bursting into laughter. “No. I don’t think I’ll be saying that.” I swirl my tongue around my ice cream and go back to the message.
brYNN: It’s delicious. Didn’t my picture do it justice?
My stomach clenches as I await his response, those three dancing dots taunting me.
SAM: It did it more than justice. I don’t think I’ve ever been jealous of an ice cream cone before.
Heat rushes to my face, and my smile grows so wide, more mud flakes off my cheek.
“Ooh, now what did he say?” Lisa asks.
I can’t even speak the words, so I turn the phone around to show them. As my three friends read, they all have the same reaction. Intrigue at first, then wide eyes, then the giggles start. Seeing my internal feelings reflected on their faces validates me.
“He’s typing!” Hannah shouts.
I whip the phone around in frantic anticipation. I haven’t responded yet. What more could he have to say? The dots appear, then disappear, only to reappear again. Whatever he has to say, he’s waffling about it.
“They keep disappearing.” I hate the disappointment in my voice.
“Well, it’s probably pretty hard to type one-handed,” Lisa says before licking her ice cream.
I give her an incredulous look. “What do you mean one-hand?” Then realization hits me. “Ew, Lisa. He’s not doing that.”
She shrugs. “Wouldn’t surprise me after that picture you sent.”
My phone dings, pulling my attention away from my lewd friend, and I see a message that makes my stomach flip. “He wants me to call him.”
“Do it!” they all shout in unison.
With a sharp nod, I step outside into the hot July afternoon. A welcome change from the frigid ice cream parlor. I know it’s hot out here, but the ice cream keeps me cool, and honestly, it tastes better without the staleness of the air-conditioning tainting it.
Speaking of... I swirl my now melting ice cream around my tongue.
Tapping my phone screen, I scroll down to Sam’s contact info. My finger hovers over the “call” icon as my breath begins to shake. What am I so nervous about? It’s only a phone call. “Ugh, stop being dumb,” I say to myself and hit the button.
My foot taps the ground wildly as I listen to the ringing. I bite down on my bottom lip, only to immediately remove it and spit dried mud onto the ground.
“Hello?” Sam’s smooth voice comes through the phone.
I stand straight up, my whole body going rigid. “Sam, hey. It’s me, uh, Brynn.” I’m still picking pieces of mud from my tongue between my words.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I am. Sorry. I got mud in my mouth right as you answered.” I mentally slap myself for how stupid I sound. I’ve had mud in my mouth all day. Why is it an issue now? Nice one, Brynn.
“Wow. I didn’t know they made mud-flavored ice cream.”
I laugh. “Ew. That would be the worst. Don’t worry, mine is good old butter pecan.”
“Yeah, I saw your picture,” he says, low and full of confidence.
I take a lick to cool myself before I can speak. “So, what’s up? You still at the Mud Down?”
“No, me and Walt are back at the hotel. He’s in the shower, so I thought this would be a good time to call since I’m alone.”
My heart races. Why does he need to be alone to talk to me? What is he going to say? “Oh, cool.” Cool? Cool? That’s all I have to say? I’m such an idiot.
“I, uh, wanted to call and ask...” He takes a breath. A deep one from what I hear through the phone. “I know we just met, and… This is going to sound so dumb, but do you want to hang out tonight?”
My racing heart jumps into my throat, pounding in my esophagus so hard I can’t speak. I try to clear my throat, but it doesn’t work. I’m silent for several seconds.
Sam sighs. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to be weird, but I thought maybe you’d like to?”
“Yes!” I all but shout the word, surprising even myself. Thankfully, there’s no one out here except me. “I’d love to.”
“Really?” The delight in his voice is palpable.
“Yeah, really.”
“Awesome. Uh, I don’t know what there is to do in this town, but I thought we could grab something to eat, maybe go for a walk.”
I crinkle my nose. “Well, I kind of wanted to eat pizza with my friends and compare our battle wounds from the Mud Down. It’s tradition.”
“Oh, okay.” Sam’s delight is replaced with savage disappointment.
I chew on my lip, not caring one bit about the mud anymore. “How about we hang out after my friends and I get pizza? That way I’m not ditching them completely.”
“Yeah, of course.” I can hear the smile on his face. “Let me know when you’re done and I’ll come over.”
“No. I’ll come to you. There are three other girls in my room. We won’t get a word in edgewise.”
To my relief, Sam laughs. “Okay, I’ll text you my hotel and room number. I’m sure we can find something to do.”
I’ve already got a list going in my head; minigolf, a movie, the mall. My rampant ideas get cut short when my ice cream drips onto my hand. I forgot all about it.
“Sounds good,” I say, trying to wear my ice cream down enough to stop it from dripping more.
As we say our goodbyes and hang up, I chomp into my cone, grinning from ear to ear. I’m sure I look like the goofiest person on the planet, but I don’t care. I get to hang out with Sam.