You Are Ours

Chapter 17

N A T H A N

AFTER FINISHING dinner with Ryan's parents, I drive to a ice cream parlour we use to go to all the time when she was in school. They had the best peanut butter crunch ice cream you've ever tasted - plus a few of Ryan's favourites, so it was a no brainier that we'd end up at Missy's Scooptopia. It has a terrible name, but the ice cream is so goddamn good. I park the car in the front, running round the back of the car to just catch her door in time as she gets out.

"Thanks," she says softly, barely a whisper, smiling.

Locking the car, I place my hand on the small of her back, longing to touch her soft skin again. Her body is drowning in a black oversized sweater and leggings that she changed into before we left with only her right shoulder on show - teasing me with the purple colour of her bra underneath. I would give anything to slip my hand under her sweater and feel her sun kissed skin on my fingertips but I can't. I made a promise to Nic.

But I had a plan that would give us both everything we wanted.

"Hi there, welcome to Missy's. What can I get for you?" A short blonde girl, no older than seventeen greets us with a smile.

"Hi, can I get one tub with two scoops of peanut butter crunch and a scoop of chocolate dream, another tub with bubblegum burst, black cherry and cotton candy twist," I tell her pulling out my wallet then handing her my card. "Oh and add a root beer and a Coke as well, thanks."

"No worries, sir. Coming right up." The server says grabbing the tubs to start our order. When I look over at Ryan she looks at me bewildered, almost confused and I can't help but smile at her.

"Penny for your thought beautiful?"

"You remembered? How did you remember?" she says with a confused look.

"Your ice cream?" I ask, she timidly smiles at me, nodding her head and it takes all of my strength to not reach out to stroke her cheek. I wanted to so badly but I can't... not yet. "Movie night at least once a week, then coming here with you afterwards and you'd think I'd forget a thing like that?" I smile.

We use to go to Missy's at least once a week, maybe twice if she needed cheering up. Ryan was predictable and she always ordered the same thing - bubblegum burst, black cherry and cotton candy twist. Odd times she'd changed to pistachio dream or strawberry swirl, but those three flavours were always her go to and I would never forget her order. Even the added root beer on top.

"I dunno, it's just been awhile since we've been here. I didn't think you'd remember is all," she says, shying away from me. Her cheeks flush a light shade of pink as she smiles at the girl behind the counter and my insides twist, excited that I have her all to myself tonight. When the blonde girl finishes, I grab the our two tubs and the bottles of root beer and Coke, holding the door of the parlour open to beckon her outside. "We're not sitting down?" she points.

"Nah, c'mon beautiful, we're going for a drive," I say nodding my head towards the car.

Skilfully holding everything in my hands, I open up her car door, waiting for her to get in. Once buckled in I hand her my tub of ice cream, closing the door behind me. I've got a plan tonight. Something I'm hoping won't be a mistake. It is a bit of a long shot, but I've got to take the leap and try. It seems to be the only way. Starting the car I drive down the road, watching Ryan from the corner of my eye as she licks her ice cream straight out of the tub.

"Fuck, that's sexy!" I groan in my head as I continue to watch her eat the ice cream from the corner of my eye.

"What are you doing?"