Substance over Styles | H.S.

I. Ice Cream

Hello everyone!

Firstly welcome to my story Substance over Styles. I really hope you're going to enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you so very much for spending your precious time on it and supporting it by reading. It really means a lot (and I'm not just saying that).

Secondly...enjoy the first chapter!

~*~

"Yes, hello? I would like to order some food."

"What? No, just food. It's Mia, Mia Peterson. Yes, hello to you too, Mrs Chang. Yes the usual is perfect. Could it be delivered?"

I sighed at her next question, feeling absolutely pathetic and lonely. One thing was sure, I definitely wasn't the prettiest girl in town. My body, however, was all right. It was probably the only physical feature about myself that was indeed decent. I didn't show it off, though, on the contrary, I covered it up as much as possible. Yet I had accepted my future spinsterhood a long time ago and I was already making arrangements to buy nine cats and a wooden rocking chair.

"No, Mrs Chang," I answered her question with a sigh, "It's still only for one person, I'm afraid."

~*~

Even after eating all the Chinese food I had ordered from Mrs Chang, I still felt my tummy growl. Truth be told, I sometimes drowned my self pity with food, which seemed a perfect coping mechanism at the time being but after a couple of hours, it only made everything so much worse. I wasn't particularly happy in life, but I managed to live my life well, without thinking off ending it. I wouldn't do that, I couldn't do that, because I cared too much about my parents and was way too rational to actually commit suicide. But my parents really were my everything, even though they usually didn't approve of my coping system, which remained eating.

So tonight, I decided not to follow my parents' advice, once again, and went to the night shop to get some Ice Cream. I didn't bother driving my car. The little walk towards to the shop could pathetically sooth my new years resolution to exercise.

We all had to start somewhere, didn't we?

I greeted the man at the counter who smiled after recognising my very ordinary face. I went straight to the back of the shop where the freezers were placed. I wasn't really the social type, which was fine by me. Yet there were four people who would never let me down. My mum. My dad. Ben. And Jerry.

I opened the door and searched for my favourite flavour of the delicious brand. I browsed through the different options, but sighed when I didn't immediately spot my favourite. I heard someone clear their throat behind me. I mumbled a quiet sorry once I realised I was taking way too long to find what I wanted. I stepped back to let the person take their container with ice cream, but squealed instead when I bumped into a hard chest. I lost my balance and tried to hold onto anything to keep me from falling, yet no such luck.

At the last minute though, I felt a pair of strong hands grab my waist and keep me from falling head first to the ground. I simply stood there, trying to recover from the little panic attack I had experienced. Yes, I was one off those people who got scared of nearly everything. I closed my eyes and took my time to try and get my breathing on point. I took steady breaths in and out just as the doctors had taught me to do years before.

I felt my mind slip back into its usual state of serenity. Well at least before I realised that the person behind me was a man, a very tall man, a man who was still holding onto my waist might I add. Embarrassed as never before, I gulped down the panic that was about to retake its previous position. My skills in the field of romance, boys and courting were bellow zero, so yes, a panic attack was a very normal reaction. When I finally recovered, I sighed.