Tsk. Bringing up an ex on the first date?

The day did not go entirely as I had planned. The night before, I had mapped out a foolproof strategy on how I would behave and present myself.

How I would lower my gaze and rest it on his lips and suggestively smile like the sexy heroines in the movies do.

But the minute I stepped into the ice cream parlor and our eyes met, all the plans I had went out the window.

All I wanted to be was myself.

Not the main character in a contemporary or young adult novel or the fierce boss lady in an action movie, myself.

The cold breeze blasting from the air conditioners inside the ice cream parlor was a welcome relief from the searing heat outside. My gaze flitted around the cozy room till I spotted him seated at the far end of the room on one of the comfy-looking green couches meticulously arranged across the room.

I fixed my recently done braids, smoothened my t-shirt, and strutted to him.

His concentration was fully fixed on whatever he was doing on his phone so he didn't look up until I cleared my throat.

"Oh hey! You're here. I was tempted to purchase the ice cream but I was afraid it'd melt before you showed up."

The first thing I noticed was his scent. He smelled fresh and aromatic, like lavender mixed with the fragrance of aromatic walnut. His slightly wet coils glistened as the fluorescent tubes above reflected light on it.

I resisted the urge to dig my fingers into it.

"No problem, let's go order."

As he walked towards the counter, his long legs striding purposefully; his blue jeans hugged his slender but visibly muscular thighs.

The blue jeans were paired with a white, long-sleeved turtle-necked sweatshirt that emphasized his shoulders and slender biceps. A gold chain hung from his neck and rested on his chest.

It seemed like he predicted that I was a sucker for guys in turtlenecks and chains when he picked out his outfit.

We ordered the same flavor of ice cream but with different toppings.

Mine was topped with sprinkles and peanuts while his had coconut shavings and brownies.

I let out a moan of pleasure as the chocolatey goodness melted on my tongue.

I didn't even realize how audible it was until I heard him laugh.

"What?" I said in a muffled voice still scooping more ice cream into my mouth.

"The way you eat ice cream is adorable."

I beamed into my cup and giggled.

This boy was turning me into a secondary school girl all over again.

I liked the feeling and I also hated it.

We finished our cups in comfortable silence.

"You have something, uh, a bit of cream left–" I tried pointing to the left side of his lips where the smudge was but he kept wiping at the wrong spot.

I rolled my eyes and reached my hand out to wipe it for him.

The moment my thumb touched the spot, his hand grabbed mine and slowly caressed the back of my hand as I gently wiped the smudge of cream off.

His dark brown eyes bored into mine until I couldn't hold his stare anymore.

I wasn't used to feeling this nervous around anyone but with him and his piercing stare, my heart couldn't stop racing.

"So, out of pure curiosity, what's your type? Like, what do you look for in a potential partner?"

I knew I was reaching, we hadn't even talked about feelings or whatever but I could perceive a mutual attraction so, I didn't care.

"That came out of the blue but I don't mind. Uh, I like a girl that's sweet, respectful, fun, loving, kind, a believer, and most importantly, very intelligent. Those were the qualities that drew me to my ex-girlfriend."

At the mention of his ex, my mood deflated but I did my best to cover up with a smile and continuous nodding to at least feign interest.

"Cool, uh, when did you start dating your ex exactly?"

If I had known better, I wouldn't have asked. I would have saved myself the heartache and envy as he launched into a spirited description of his ex.

Her name was Diamond and they met in his church when he was in SS2. Her spirituality, beauty, and grace drew him to her.

They dated for two years and a few months before breaking up in February because of her family.

The way he talked about her, with that wistful smile on his face made me feel so inadequate.

I cut him off, "Do you still have feelings for her? You know, after your break up and stuff."

Taking my hand in his, he looked at me as if he wanted to stare into my soul.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that I think you're beautiful and I always enjoy the time I spend with you."

I didn't know if he could see the jealousy I had pushed down or if he was genuinely sincere but a warm feeling spread through my body and I was happy again.

.

.

Seconds turned to minutes and minutes turned to hours.

It was almost 5 pm and I couldn't believe how fast time went.

I hated to have to leave as I was having so much fun with him.

We had ordered another serving of ice cream and my belly was full and I was overcome with joy.

"It's getting late. We should be on our way," I said.

I did not mean any of it because I didn't want to go.

"Damn, what did we even talk about that made time go by so fast?" He laughed.

"I don't know!" I said, chortling.

We made our way out of the ice cream parlor and into the evening air.

I was about to hail a commercial motorcycle when he clutched my hand and pulled me to his side.

"Today was fun. I want to do this again sometime."

He laid his hand on my cheek and leaned in as if to kiss me and my eye were already fluttering closed until he pulled back and embraced me instead.

"People are around. Let them not start giving us weird looks." He whispered in my ear as he ran his fingers through my braids.