Broken Strings

T H E I C E C R E A M S H O P

"How do you regret one of the best nights of your entire life? You don't. You remember every word, every look. Even when it hurts, you still remember."

- Jenny Han

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Eighteen Years Ago

Anisha sat down at a table and waited for Andrew to come back with her ice cream.

She had really wanted ice cream. Strawberry was her favorite. And she loved sprinkles.

And she had wanted to sit outside.

Sit under the stars.

It was only a little past eight but she could already see bright stars in the night sky.

Tiny bright dots in the sky, smiling down at her. Reminding her of how happy she was.

Because she was. She was incredibly happy.

And the way she felt right now, she hadn't ever felt this way before. Never before, never with anyone else.

And she was scared. Because it had only been five months. They had only been together for five months.

She wasn't sure but she might be in love with him.

Andrew made her happy. So fucking happy.

And she smiled up at the bright sky.

Things couldn't be more perfect.

Everything was perfect.

"One strawberry ice cream."

She took the cup from Andrew's hands as he sat across from her.

"Where are the sprinkles?" She gave him a small glare as he rolled his eyes and reached over to poke her cheek, clearly teasing her and her obsession with strawberry ice cream with sprinkles.

"Who the hell puts sprinkles on strawberry ice cream? That's just weird." He gave her a dazzling smile. A sweet and sparkly smile.

She loved it when he smiled. She loved it when he smiled at her.

And all this happiness and warmth that he radiated filled her up with joy and love. Andrew Hayes made her feel like the luckiest girl in the entire world. He made her feel like the happiest girl in the entire world.

"I'm just kidding, they ran out of sprinkles. They had gummy bears though. But I didn't think you wanted that."

"What kind of ice cream shop runs out of sprinkles?" She stuffed a spoon of ice cream into her mouth, shrugging. And looked around at the colorful world around her.

The lights were flashing from the pier. And the waves were splashing against the sand. The breeze was cool. And the stars were bright.

It was perfect. It was all perfect.

And she looked back at Andrew.

But he was already staring at her.

And she smiled. Because he made her happy, so incredibly happy.

"Do you want to go to the pier?" Anisha awaited his response. Because she did. Because the night was perfect.

It was a perfect summer night. And she just wasn't ready for it to be over.

"Now? It closes in less than an hour." He raised an eyebrow and looked down at his watch. "And besides, don't you have to be home by ten? Your mom already hates me enough. It'll just be another reason."