Emojis and Food

Chapter 6: Ice Cream Cones and Soda Floats

Shaun 🐔&

💖Katy 💖

Hey so...

Bad news 

I wont be able to make it tonight

what?

why?

Awww, that's too bad.

Yeah sorry Wong called for some "ring related business"

oh well, too bad, bye shaun

Lmaooo 

seriously tho shaun, it's sad you can't come

•••

Xialing practically skipped over the cracked sidewalk while she re-read the group chat. It would be thrilling to be alone with Katy again. But when she glanced at the small scar on her pinky the events of the previous week's incident flashed in her mind, making her cringe and nearly trip over a raised part of the sidewalk. She readjusted herself and pondered. What was she going to do? What was she going to say? "Hey, Katy, sorry for caressing your face. It's just that you're so beautiful I had to get rid of the singular flaw on your face that was that stupid sauce." Katy hadn't said anything after Xialing had done that. In fact, she didn't say she minded it... Maybe she even liked it? 

No, that wasn't possible. Katy was just shocked. Just as shocked at Xialing. She didn't say she had minded, but she also didn't say that she didn't mind. The best course of action was to do exactly what Katy was doing. Ignore it. Xialing gulped in the warm night air and breathed it out, opening the door of the ice cream parlor as she did so. 

Luke and Laila's Ice Cream Parlor (and sodas!) had opened in 1957 and remained open ever since. The chalkboard behind the register told the story of Luke and Laila, how after years of hard work and dedication and experimenting with flavors they perfected their shop along with their marriage that "lives on with each and every scoop." Xialing rolled her eyes at the cheesiness of the tale. Love couldn't possibly last that long. 

She walked across the black and white checkerboard tiles on the floor. Past the white circular tables that were surrounded by peony pink chairs. She leaned her hip against the jukebox that stood under an arctic blue and candy red neon sign that read

"Shakes

Soda-Floats 

Sprinkles 

Scoops!"

She thought of her previous relationships. Well, calling them relationships was generous. They were mostly flings or one night stands with a range of vastly different men or women. With each person, the time spent with them would get longer. That is until Xialing would call it off. She knew she was a bad girlfriend. Never wanting to go out, not simply with dates but in general. She knew her temper could be incredibly frightening. Most of all, she knew of her father. He met one woman and obsessed over her, even after death, neglecting all else. Xialing knew she was a great woman with an incredible future, and she did not want to deter it with an obsession that led to more hurt than love. 

But then she met Katy Chen. A silly and admiring young woman. One who didn't know her own strengths, goals, or beauty. Xialing had always had a sense of confidence in herself. She was never big-headed but she knew what she was. She was sure of herself. She wanted to instill that sureness and confidence in Katy. Katy- the woman who somehow didn't have any of that despite actually having something that Xialing didn't fully have. Happiness. She was content in doing what she did even if others weren't. And that was something that Xialing admired. 

Xialing didn't love Katy. It was impossible to love someone after knowing so little about them. She didn't know her favorite color or her birthday or anything personal about her. But she cared about her enough to not want her to have to deal with someone as vile as Xialing. But that didn't matter now. What mattered was the older couple who finally made up their mind and sat at a seat in the window. Xialing stepped up to the counter and chose her order.

"Hey!" Katy said as she leaned against the wall next to Xialing, her ice cream already dripping from its tiny sugared cone. "What's that?" she asked, nodding at Xialing's cup. 

"It's ah- soda float," Xialing began. "I got an orange soda instead of Coke though, so it tastes like a creamsicle. What's yours?"

"Two scoops of the lemon meringue and one scoop of what I think is the blackberry pie..." she explained. "I asked for the lemon and blue berry flavor but it doesn't really taste like blueberries..." Xialing looked up at the worker at the counter, who she now realized was a grown man with a 5 o'clock shadow who probably didn't just start working here. 

"You want me to tell him he got it wrong?" she asked. 

"Nah, it's fine." Katy brushed it off. "It tastes good so it's fine." She said offhandedly as she began walking out of the cold parlor, the warm night air comfortably caressing them as they walked out. 

Xialing was sure to keep herself in check. She averted her eyes when she realized she was staring too long at the shiny and smooth rosy lips. She unbit her lip when a pink tongue slipped out to clean away the drips of pastel yellow ice cream. But when Katy tripped over a raised part of the sidewalk, she couldn't stop herself. She was behind Katy before either of them knew it, wrapping her right arm around her waist so her thumb was hooked in the left belt loop of her blue jeans. Her fingers caressed her hip and her arm jerked Katy back. Xialing realized what she was doing and quickly let go, pulling her hand away. 

"Whoa- Thanks!" Katy said as she straightened herself up. "I- oh no..." She looked at her hand, now dripping with creamy yellow from a now crumbling waffle cone. "I guess I squeezed it when I fell..." they both looked down at the two scoops and top half of the cone as they laid on the concrete. Xialing took a napkin that was sandwiched between her palm and her cup and handed it to the other girl. Katy took it and began wiping her hands. "I have more in the car- plus some wipes." 

"You're really prepared." Xialing commented. 

"I learn from my mistakes." Katy said. "Once Shaun and I..." Xialing let Katy walk in front of her so she could roll her eyes in peace. Xialing understood that they were best friends, but it seemed that Shaun was all she ever talked about. Maybe they were on the verge of being more than friends? Maybe they were just close. Whatever it was, Xialing was amidst an internal battle with herself. One part said to interfere for her own benefit, while the other part begged her not to, for Katy's. 

They stopped at the car where Katy opened the passenger seat and let her leg stick out as she opened the glove box. "You can just sit in the driver's seat for now." she said. "It's not like we're going anywhere." Xialing did so and opened the window to let her elbow rest while her hand held her mostly filled cup of the sweet dessert in front of her. She pulled her leg up and let her knee rest near her face. Katy had just finished wiping herself off. She continued the story. 

"So I was like 'Shaun I don't even like blue, I like green'- like that dark leafy green, that's my favorite- and he was like 'then I bought all this blue food for nothing?' and I'm like yeah! Who do I look like- Percy Jackson?" 

"Oh my gosh I loved those books as a kid!" Xialing said. 

"Me too! Katy replied, twisting her hair back in a messy bun with a green scrunchie. "I stopped reading after The Titan's Curse though."

"I think I stopped after either that one or The Battle of the Labyrinth..." Katy looked down and Xialing moved her orange treat to her right hand. "Do you want some?" she asked. Katy looked down and hummed for a few seconds before answering. 

"Alright!" She took the cup and sipped from the red plastic straw. "Mmmmmm!" she rolled her eyes up and smiled. Xialing silently sucked in a breath. "Ohmigosh- it is like a creamsicle!" She smiled at her and handed back the cup. Xialing took her own sip of the cup, cherishing the summery taste of vanilla and citrus. They sat in the car, long moments of silence followed by conversations about anything either of them could think of. A TikTok that one saw, a show that was recommended to the other but they haven't watched it yet, could fill the comfortable silence just because the sound of each other's voices was perfect.