The Black & White ~ A Harringrove Story

41 - Blissfully Unaware

It's just the usual slog of getting through customers. It isn't until an hour later that something of note happens again ... when Billy Hargrove walks into Scoops Ahoy.

'Hey, how's things?' Billy asks in a nonchalant manner.

'Just working.' Steve inspects his surroundings to see if Robin is around. She isn't. 'What are you doing here?'

'Just came to check things out.' Billy scans the place, every nook and cranny of it, as if it's changed since he last visited it.

'Care for an ice-cream?'

Billy steps forward to the till. 'You got pineapple?'

'Pineapple? That's an odd flavour. Don't think we ever had it.'

'Yo, Steve.' Robin pulls the shutters apart. 'Where did you ...' She narrows her eyes at Billy, scoping him out. 'Do you need help?'

Steve switches his attention to her. 'No, no, I'm fine.'

Steve can tell that she thinks Billy just came over to mock and waste Steve's time. She's well aware of the friction between them-like everyone else.

'I wanted to ask where you put the wet-floor sign,' she tells Steve while regarding Billy sceptically.

'Erm ...' He scratches his head. 'I can't really remember.'

'Be mindful then when you come out back. I mopped the floor and it's a little slippery.'

'Are you heading out already?' he asks. She always mops before she leaves.

'It's closing time soon. My shift's practically done, and I want to get home quickly. You don't mind closing on your own, do you?'

'When do I ever?' Steve rolls his eyes.

It's not much longer until Robin hops out from the back of the shop, moves around the counter, and then exits the shop. Left alone, Steve fiddles with his thumbs, and Billy clears his throat, glancing over his shoulder. No other customer is close by. No sign of someone wanting ice-cream before the mall closes down.

'So, you got any extra flavours in the back?' Billy asks.

Steve's brows hike up. 'I can go check, if you want.'

'Mind if I come with you?'

'Not at all.' Steve smiles, leading the way.

He pushes the door open, and in an instant, Steve falls on the wet floor. He's a bit too quick on his feet, and he nearly goes down again, laughing.

Billy reaches for him, latching onto his tie, steadying him. 'Wanna crack your skull and die on me?'

Steven opens his mouth to say something, still amused with his clumsiness, but Billy swiftly claims his mouth and fuses their bodies together. They go from one eager kiss to the next, quickening Steve's pulse. Billy reaches lower and lower with his hands to squeeze Steve's arse, igniting a rush of desire in his veins and making his flesh tingle with an ardent need for more.

Steve rubs his palms through Billy's shirt. Steve can feel Billy's heart pumping against his chest and his crotch bulging out. A tender twinge crosses Steve's groin, and he unleashes an aching whimper, grasping Billy's shirt and drawing him to him. Steve moans into his mouth, feeling Billy's fingers teasing him over the fabric of his clothing.

The back of the shop fills with groans of passion. Each and every single one muffled by a pair of lips or a tongue lashing out and cutting through them. Steve forgets all about closing, the chores he has to finish up, and the fact that Scoops Ahoy is still open for several more minutes before it has to close. A customer may walk in at any moment. All that matters is Billy, and the delicious sensations sweeping over Steve.

***

The last remnants of shoppers walk towards the exit. Starcourt Mall is closing, after all, and there's no more need to be around, not for the average person. Yet, Nancy can't let Steve close up the shop before she talks to him.

Lights flicker inside, and the window shutters at the back of the shop are a little bit ajar. Two shadows behind it make her pause. Those shadows are very close to one another. Their hands are moving all over one another, their mouths meshed.

Nancy's pulse rachets. Steve is with another girl. I knew it.

Nancy storms into the shop, ready to wreak havoc. She peers through the slight crack in the window shutters, so she can find out first who is this girl that Steve is kissing.

A wave of shock engulfs her, and her stomach melts. It's a guy, she discovers, and not just any guy. It's ... Billy Hargrove. She freezes on the spot and just stares. She stays there in total silence, empty of mind, until she comes out of her trance.

She reaches for the camera in her bag, and she lifts it to her face. She puts her eye to look through, and her finger locks on the shoot button, but she's not pressing it yet. Now, with the camera in between her and the rest of the world, with this filter put before her, she assesses the situation.

Nancy Wheeler's heart begins to break, little by little, the more she watches Steve kissing and touching Billy Hargrove. There's a growing passion under Steve's shorts, and excitement in his kisses, in a way she never experienced with him.

Something ties around her heart, starting to drag it down. A sob rises up in her throat, but she halts it, just in time. Her heartbreak changes to anger. She can feel it in the tip of her finger and ... she snaps the photo. Click. Then, she whirls back and runs.