Better Than Before

Chapter Twenty-Two

     The sound of silverware hitting crockery rang out as Kelsey reached for her half drunk glass of lemonade. Tears were welling up as she tried to focus anywhere other than on the man sat in front of her. Her lips clamped shut she held in the laughter that was bubbling upwards. Lifting a finger to halt their conversation she took in a few gentle sips, being careful not to send herself spluttering the drink across the table in another fit of giggles.

Gathering herself she placed her glass down, folded her arms neatly on the tabletop and met her eyes with the glistening blue ones of Sean.

    "I'm sorry." She composed herself. "Just wasn't expecting that from you!" Another small laugh left her lips which she quickly used her hand to hide her ever-growing grin behind.

    "It was a choice." Seans voice was unsure, a laugh following. "I don't blame you for that reaction."
He leant back in his chair. The street lamps now illuminating the promenade beneath them, their dusky orange light matching the illuminations from the candles now lit in the centre of their table.

     "There wasn't many summer jobs going that year and the mascot for Seaside Scoops ice cream shop was what I landed." He laughed again, the ridiculous sounding sentence setting him off. Kelsey lost her composure, her shoulders shaking as the laugh burst out of her. Reaching for a napkin she dabbed at the corner of her eyes.

     "I used to visit that shop all the time." She managed to get out. "And all this time, that could've been you-" Another laugh came out of her, her eyes scrunching shut as she grabbed at her stomach, folding in her chair as the silent gasps for air continued.

     "-I mean, I just can't believe it, that was you in those pink tights and ice-cream costume! Oh and those shoes!" Kelsey lost it again, her hands holding on to the table for stability. Sean watched the woman before him, his eyes watering at the sight. Her cheeks flushed pink in amusement and smile spread joyously across her face, she looked stunning.

   "Woah now, let's not go spreading any false information." Sean joked sitting upright in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. "They weren't pink tights, they were salmon running leggings."

      "Oh I'm sorry." Kelsey collected herself looking back up at Sean, a smile still on her face and a devilish glint in her eyes. "Am I offending your fragile masculinity?"

       "My masculinity is not fragile." Sean retorted, his teeth grazing his lower lip as he stared back at Kelsey. "Not every male could pull of the role of Mr. Scoops."
       "Please stop. You're going to kill me."
       "And my legs looked good."
       "Sean! Seriously."
       "Just be thankful that the cone part of the costume covered from the thigh up. Because those leggings left little to the imagination."
       "Oh my days. Sean!"

      "What?" Sean answered innocently, his gaze taking in every little detail in front of him. Kelsey stared up at him behind the slender fingers of her hands. Her lips parted naturally into a smile. His heart thudded rhythmically against his chest.
     "It was an honest job."

     "I can imagine it was sweltering in that costume." Kelsey said, finally able to get her laughter under control. Sean sat back in his seat eyes wide and nodding.

     "Ridiculously so. Visibility wasn't the best either. Definitely knocked ice creams out of peoples hands more than is deemed to be considered an accident."
Kelsey looked at him in awe, her chin now resting gently in her palm as she hung on to every word.

"I just can't believe it." She said. "We must've crossed paths there at some point."

   Sean felt a lump forming in the back of his throat, an unspoken truth that he hasn't told anyone about. Well, anyone but Jake.