What if we Drown (30)

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The following Sunday afternoon, Ashlyn had met Derek at his apartment and told him that she wanted to share with him her favorite pastime; the fresh fruit ice cream stall her father used to take her to every Sunday after Church.

Giovanni's was busy for a Sunday, but the wait had been worth it when they were greeted with a warm smile and an extra scoop each, on the house. Anything for my best customer, Gio, the owner of the stall, had said. They'd promptly thanked him, leaving a generous tip, before stepping out from beneath the awning.

The June sun was high and beating down on them now as they strolled along Marine Parade enjoying fresh ice cream and the promises of summer. The berry and lemon sorbets created a refreshing explosion in her mouth, as Ashlyn grinned up at Derek waiting to gauge his reaction to the mango and coconut blend he'd asked for.

Giovanni produced some of the best ice-cream she'd ever tasted, and she'd been elated to find that he was still around when she had moved back to town. Even with age, he hadn't lost his charm or passion for icy treats, traits which it seemed he was passing on to his apprentice.

When his lips touched the ice cream indulging in that first taste, Derek's eyes closing for a moment as an expression of bliss. But a flash of a second later, he winced, his nose and eyes scrunching.

"Brainfreeze," he groaned, pressing his palm to his forehead. Ashlyn took another lick of her ice cream, hiding her amusement.

He took another lick, this time taking in much less, and turned to Ashlyn with a delighted smile.

"This is good. Really good," he moaned, to which Ashlyn nodded, her expression reflecting his as she took another heaping taste of hers.

The breeze was non-existent, her hair limp against her back and shoulders. She was saved for another day from the sticky tart that had previously acted as a second shampoo during these afternoon trips.

This was one of Ashlyn's favorite summer traditions, something which she'd made sure to start up again when she'd returned to Glassmont, another little piece of her father's memory.

They moved at a casual pace, their steps following the path that wrapped around the marine parade, and down towards the Bayview track that hugged the sandstone cliffs.

When the berry sorbet that topped the lemon in her cone had been consumed, Ashlyn's nose twitched at the tangy flavor that graced her tongue. She didn't miss the change in the direction of Derek's gaze when he looked to her ice cream from the corner of his eye, a look of curiosity passing over his face.

"You know, I've never tried lemon sorbet before," he mused, stepping in front of her and tossing her a wink.

Ashlyn shook her head, holding her hand out so that he couldn't reach it. She knew what he was trying to do, and she wasn't prepared to make it easy for him to attain. She owed him after the stunt he'd pulled with the tomato sauce.

He pouted, his lower lip jutting out as he looked to the ice cream, like a puppy that longed for something out of reach. Ashlyn laughed, her other hand against his chest to fend him off.

She had no aversion to sharing the ice cream with him if that was what he wanted, but there was no fun in just giving it to him. To play the game brought them both more enjoyment, and she loved making the most of these playful opportunities that existed between them.

Derek's gaze when it shifted to hers told her that he enjoyed the game as much as she did. Slowly it continued to shift past the cone, past her eyes, and over her shoulder, his eyes widened with feigned wonder.

"Hey, what's that?" He asked, pointing to something over her shoulder. Her curiosity piqued, Ashlyn spun around to follow his pointing finger, the hand that held her ice-cream following as it passed beneath his nose.

She squinted, trying to locate the object that had caught his attention, but all she could see was a couple of birds that flocked along the rocks, the line that flooded from Giovanni's behind them, and a flyer that curled around a nearby lamp post.

Derek chuckled behind her, and something cold dripped onto her fingers that gripped the cone. Her lips quirked at the corners.

That little sneak, she thought, turning and playfully shoving his chest. A bite-sized chunk was missing from the side of her ice cream, and the evidence clung to the bottom of Derek's nose.

"Tangy and delicious." He grinned, wiping his nose on the back of his hand.

Ashlyn shook her head, amused with his childish tactics. A mischievous spark ignited in her eyes when she was struck with an idea, the perfect compromise. If he wanted ice cream, then she was going to give it to him.

Plastering an innocent smile on her lips, she tipped the cone so that more of the lemon sorbet was smeared across his nose. His eyes widened as she made contact, a playful spark taking life until it consumed the espresso in his eyes.

Taking advantage of the split-second she had before he reacted physically, she dropped the cone and took off running, her sandals slapping the pavement and her hair floating behind her like an autumnal tree bending in the wind.

Derek's laughter was deep and rumbling behind her.

"You are so going to pay for that." He laughed, his voice gaining on her as he closed the distance between them.

Ashlyn made the mistake of glancing over her shoulder to see that he was only two, maybe three strides away, a manageable distance for him to close with his long legs. This gesture, paired with her laughter, caused her to stumble over a crack in the pavement. In one fell swoop, Derek caught up to her and spun her so that her legs backed into one of the park benches that lined the waterfront.

Ice cream dripped from his cheeks and chin as he grinned at her. His eyes shone with victory while hers glistened with the knowledge that she'd wanted to be caught.

"I feel bad that you didn't get to enjoy your ice cream." The grin in his cheeks deepened. "Let's see if we can't do something about that," he added, the corners of his lips quirking with mischief. He took her face in his sticky hands, and flashes of the previous weekend with the tomato sauce flashed behind her lids when she blinked.

Not this again, she cried mentally, while her eyes and her heart relished in the playfulness. She reached behind her to avoid the sticky mess that pursued, and her legs buckled as she fell back onto the bench.

Derek continued to pursue, his arms caging her in on either side, his face level with hers.

"You can end this now if that's what you want," he said, his head tilted to the side. For a moment, the playfulness in his eyes was gone, replaced by concern as he sought to make sure that she was okay with this.

Ashlyn shook her head, a smile in her eyes to reassure him. It was all the indication that he needed.

One of the arms that locked her in moved, reaching up to wipe some of the sorbet from his face. She tried to wriggle away, but before she could get out of his reach, he brushed his finger down the bridge of her nose. A little tease.

She reached back behind her, her fingers clutching at one of the flyers that had decorated the lamp post. Just in time, she managed to bring the flyer around and hold it between them before his hand returned, and lemon sorbet could be smeared across her face. She could feel through the paper where his nose would have touched hers, and her heart stuttered.

Derek laughed, taking the flyer and wiping his face with it, while Ashlyn gave a sigh of relief.

"Sorry about your ice cream." Derek chuckled, a patch of ice-cream still clinging to the side of his mouth. Boldly, Ashlyn reached up and wiped it from the corner of his lip, his breath warm against her fingertips.

Sorry about your face, she added with a grin. His eyes followed her hand as she wiped the sticky residue on her shorts. When he saw that he'd been caught watching, his gaze snapped to the flyer in his hands, a brush of pink embellishing his cheeks.

"Fourth of July bonfire, huh?" he asked, reading the print on the flyer he'd used to wipe his face and hands.

Ashlyn nodded, the smile breaking in her cheeks as she took the flyer from his hands, stood, and took it over to the bin.

It was only two more weeks until the Fourth of July, and preparations for the festivities were already underway, and Ashlyn's excitement continued to grow. Next to Christmas, it was her favorite holiday, and she was thrilled to have someone else to share it with. There was nothing better than a day spent with friends beneath the twilight.

Wiping her hands on her shorts, Ashlyn came back to stand in front of Derek, offering her hand, which he took. Pulling him to his feet, the two of them resumed walking towards the end of the main road and the path that cut around the cliff face.

"It's a pretty big community thing I take it?" He asked, his head turning every few steps to read her movements. Ashlyn nodded, her enthusiasm for the event beginning to seep from her pores.

"Lorraine and the twins called this morning," he mentioned, his eyes cutting to hers. Ashlyn and Derek had been talking about them a couple of nights ago during their class when Derek had mentioned how much he'd been missing having them around. But with work, and the busy season, he couldn't get the time off to go and visit. So Ashlyn had suggested he invite them to come and visit, even just for a couple of days.

"They're planning to come and spend the week of the fourth in Glassmont." He turned to Ashlyn and smiled.

Ashlyn was filled with both glee and nerves; glee that he would have the opportunity to see them, but nervous at the prospect of meeting some of his family. She tried to smile back, but Derek was no fool. She knew that he would see the hesitation that marked the corners of her eyes and the tightness of her jaw.

Things between them were complicated in that they were in some sort of limbo between being friends and being something more. Each time that she'd wanted to bring up the topic of them, she'd held back, afraid of what his answer might be.

When Derek looked at her the way he so often did, when he touched her with that same gentleness like he had that day in her kitchen, she had to believe that there was something there. But she feared that putting a name to what they were would shatter the magic, that whatever existed between them would break into tiny fractals of hope, love, and eventually despair.

She longed to know what they were and yearned for the promise of something more, something she never would have thought possible. But the possibility of this caused a riot in her stomach, afraid that knowing would make everything more fragile. Right now, caught in the in-between, things progressed smoothly, and they both seemed happy. She didn't want to disrupt that.

His hand closed around hers, the warmth of his touch progressing through her as he squeezed.

"They're going to love you, Ash. How could they not?" He spoke, coming to a stop at the head of the Bayview track. She watched as he hesitated with his words, as though holding something back.

Could he be so sure of that? Ashlyn thought while attempting to hide these insecurities behind her smile.

"Hey. I know them, and I know you. There is nothing about you that would put them off. You'll see." His thumb rubbed the back of her hand in assurance, and she nodded weakly. She trusted this man, which meant she had to trust his judgment too.

She had to have hope that things would go well when the day of their visit came.

When he seemed convinced of her trust in him, Derek let her hand go and approached the drinking fountain.

He bent to turn on the fountain and rinsed his hands beneath the water, splashing some over his face to ensure all the sticky residue was gone. Ashlyn followed his lead, feeling much better as the water washed over her hands, her fingers no longer sticking together.

When they were both cleaned up, he held out his hand, and the two of them began walking along the Bayview track, the gravel crunching beneath their steps.

When they were a few paces into the track, Derek broke the comfortable silence.

"So, what's it like? This community bonfire?" he asked, lightening the mood with a topic he knew she'd appreciate.

Ashlyn began to bounce on the spot like an excitable child, the change in topic working as he'd no doubt intended. She stepped in front of Derek, a grin plastered on her face. This was precisely what she needed to keep her thoughts preoccupied, and she was more than willing to talk about the extravagant event.

Every year they have this big celebration on the beach. Everyone in the community takes the afternoon off work, and we all go down to the beach. There's lots of food, and beach games, there's a bonfire and fireworks, and it's the most incredible thing, and..., she spoke in a rush, her hands unable to keep up with the thoughts that wanted to be known.

Derek's laugh was boisterous when he took both of her hands in his, ending her rapid listing. Ashlyn threw her head back, silent laughter passing her lips.

"I take it you're a fan of the event." Derek grinned, pulling her closer. Ashlyn nodded with vibrant energy. There was something magical about laying back in the sand dunes and watching the night sky explode in flashes of pink and purple, red and blue.

There was enough expanse between the ocean and the dunes where they set up each year, that Ashlyn was able to enjoy the afternoon with her friends, and experience the magic of the night all at once.

"I can't wait to experience it with you," he spoke his voice softer than before. Ashlyn's cheeks rounded when her heart filled her smile.

Ashlyn was about to remove her hands from his and say something when a cormorant squawked overhead as it circled to their right; it's attention focused on something below.

Ashlyn looked up to see what was happening at the same moment that Derek's hands tightened around hers, bringing her focus back to him, the laughter in his eyes replaced by a look of horror. His gaze was fixed on something past her, the slant of his head looking below the path. Ashlyn's expression fell, her head turning in search of what had caught his attention.


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