Cold and Charisma (BoyxBoy)

Chapter Eleven

He walked besides me like a defiant child, arms crossed, and eyes squinted in annoyance. Even as we continued to walk down the boardwalk, his expression remained the same– cold, and disinterested. A part of me, deep down, knew that he enjoyed it, but if I said that, I'd just get him worked up again.

".. And over there is an ice cream store. It's one of the best here in my opinion," I led him to the small little shop located on the boardwalk. It was tucked away, a bit isolated, but that's what made it so charming.

From my peripheral vision, I could see him rolling his eyes, followed by a loud scoff. "An ice cream store? What are we, five?" Who says you need to be a kid to enjoy a nice cold treat once in a while? I couldn't help but shake my head and chuckle. He'd regret saying that once he tried it.

"No, but it's hot out, and I thought you might like something cold." I said this with a friendly smile, looking down at him as we inched closer to the store. He shoved his hands into the pocket of his slacks, and looked up at me with a raised eyebrow, "You don't know what I like."

Well– I didn't, but it wouldn't hurt to try and introduce him to a Californian delicacy. After all, wasn't he used to the cold? Ice cream wasn't any different. "Well," I started, chuckling, "I might not, but what I can do is show you something I think you'll like."

Riley rolled his eyes, looking bored. "You really think some overpriced ice cream is going to impress me? Try harder." A small laugh accidentally escaped my lips at his snarky comment. He truly was hard to impress, but that didn't mean I couldn't at least try.

For some reason, I never found myself getting mad at him. I don't think I've ever felt a tinge of irritance at anything he's said. Of course, he can be rude, snarky, arrogant, all squished into a little 5'6 body, but that's what made him stand out.

"I'm not trying to impress you Riley," I laughed, "Just wanted to give you something to make the heat a bit more bearable." By now, we'd reached the counter of the ice cream store, and I began to scan the menu. "What flavor do you want, Riley?" I turned back around, and looked at him as I waited for his response.

His eyes were focused on the menu, and it took him a few seconds before his eyes finally landed on mine. "Just get me whatever." I almost forgot that he probably didn't eat a lot of sweets, so I couldn't have asked him to pick a flavor. With that noted, I decided to go with a safe option.

"Two vanillas please." I said, putting the bills on the countertop. I wasn't paying attention to the person behind the register, instead, it was Riley who I was paying attention to. I studied him with a slight smile as I saw the way his eyes slightly widened at the sight of the ocean.

It was quite obvious that he's probably never been to the beach before, and that a part of him was fascinated. It was so cute, the way his cold expression dropped whenever he thought I wasn't looking. He looked better like this, more carefree.

"Wait.. Yo, Archer, is that you?" My head snapped back to the window, and behind it, I could make out the slightly blurred figure of one of my classmates. He was a guy on the soccer team, and I've seen him around from time to time.

He was a senior too, and he was in a few of my classes. He had sandy blonde hair that looked almost brunette in the dim-lighting of the store. His name was Austin, and he was one of the best players I knew. My face lit up once I realized who it was.

"Hey man! How's it going?" I said, voice cheerful. He wasn't a close friend, but he was someone who I liked talking to. He was a good guy, with a bit more manners than some of the people in my group. "Eh, it's going. It's been so hot today and I'm all cooped up in here." He sighed.

Austin peered his head to the side, looking behind me with curiosity, "Hey, dude, who's that little kid next to you?" Immediately, Riley's head turned to face Austin. His grimace returned, and he looked up at him with irritation.