The Improbable Clause of Missing You

Chapter Twenty One

Chapter Twenty One

21: Ice cream wielding kind of crazy

"Was it worth it?" Sebastian asked, trying to pretend that ice cream was not melting over his fingers.

Smiling at the sight, I let out a contented sigh. "Definitely."

A really fun game of paintball – which I totally dominated, mind you ­– and ice cream afterwards with great company.

It was fun and all, but it did leave me wondering where that left us. Did it still count as a date? Did he want it to be a date? More importantly, did I want it to be a date?

My thoughts flickered back to the only kinds of dates I'd known, with Owen. The pizza parlour. Hanging out at a party together. Perhaps I'd always been his date, but was that really dating? And sure, we were no longer together, but...

The guilt. I felt guilty to be going out with someone, especially how soon it had been since Owen and I broke up. Then again, it wasn't a real date. No matter what my mind was making it out to be.

This is just a bet, this is just a bet, this is just a bet.

Or was it?

Sebastian had been surprisingly sweet, and had paid for the paintball game. Not just with the bet money. In fact, even with the bet money we would've been far short. So he'd spotted it himself. I knew he had.

He didn't mention it, though. And I didn't point it out, because pointing it out may have brought us to a confrontation that we were not ready for.

I do like Sebastian. I just don't know if it's worth it.

Absently, I sucked at the ice cream that coated my finger. Mm, strawberry... I moaned contentedly. This ice cream was amazing.

Sebastian cleared his throat, and my eyes lifted to meet his.

"What?" I asked.

"You're making the sweetest of sounds, and I'm not the one causing them," he groaned. "Tease."

"Geez, Sebastian," I rolled my eyes. "Calm your hormones. Or should I say, whoremones."

I laughed to myself, all while he was watching me with a mischievous glint in his eye. When I got no response from him, I swiped his ice cream instead.

Crap, cinnamon apple is good.

Sebastian's head snapped to mine. "You've got to stop that."

"I'm not doing anything," I replied, disgruntled, taking another lick off his ice cream.

Abruptly, both ice cream cones were pulled away from me.

"Hey!" I started angrily. "Why'd you take mine, too?"

"You're driving me insane, Sanders." He growled, eyes boring into mine.

There was a ferocity behind his eyes that made me shiver involuntarily. There was an indisputable pull, and I found myself leaning forward to the challenge, but then–

"Sebby!" A girly voice called out. "I've been looking for you! Haven't seen you since last week."

A flurry of hair and scarves came by, pushing to sit next to Sebastian in the booth. My eyes widened as I recognized the girl. Alice.

"Hi, Sebby," said girl sang, leaning into his side.

Well, that was rude of her. I mean, for all she knew, she could be interrupting a date. Which she kind of was, since this was a kind of date. Frowning, I pretended to feign interest in the table top since she'd, well, ignored me.