In Love, Against All Odds

Shared Scoops and Sweet Moments

After the game, we streamed out of the stadium, buzzing with energy and still hyped from the win. "Yo, what's the move? Ice cream, anyone?" Dalia asked, practically bouncing on her toes like a kid who just saw Disneyland.

"Ice cream is always a vibe," Adri agreed, still riding the high of cheering her lungs out. Her smile was so wide, it could've powered the stadium lights.

"I'm down," Patrick said, giving my hand a quick squeeze. "Katherine, you in?"

"Obviously," I replied, smiling back at him.

"Guess I'll tag along," Olivia said, shrugging in that fake chill way that always made my eye twitch. She was too polished, too calculated, and it gave me the ick, but I shoved the thought aside. No time for drama today.

The squad started heading toward the ice cream shop, the post-game chatter as lively as ever. Nash was in full-blown storytelling mode about his so-called legendary catch. "Y'all saw that, right? One-handed grab like a pro," he bragged, puffing out his chest.

Vinita snorted. "Pro? Bro, you almost fumbled it into someone's nachos. Chill."

"She's not wrong," George chimed in, smirking. "You're lucky you didn't leave with a black eye."

Nash waved them off like the king of clutch. "Haters gonna hate, but that ball was destiny. It chose me."

Brailey rolled her eyes, poking him in the ribs. "You're insufferable. But low-key, that was kind of iconic."

When we rolled up to the ice cream shop, the line wasn't too bad, which felt like a mini miracle. While we waited, Patrick and Nash got into a ridiculous argument about who could inhale the most scoops. "Triple scoop in sixty seconds? Easy," Nash declared, flexing his nonexistent biceps.

Patrick smirked. "Sure, if you want a brain freeze so bad it fries your last two brain cells."

"Let's see you try then!" Nash shot back, already hyping himself up.

When it was our turn to order, everyone went wild with their choices. Patrick and I went for dark chocolate—it was basically our thing at this point. Adri picked mint chocolate chip, and, of course, Justin had to roast her for it. "So you're the type that eats toothpaste for fun, huh?" he teased.

Adri shot him a look but couldn't hide her grin. "Toothpaste? Please. Jade Kason eats this flavor, and he's an icon."

"Oh, so it's about Jade again," Brailey quipped, nudging her. "You're never gonna live this down, y'know?"

Adri laughed but didn't back down. "It's not about him. Well... okay, maybe a little. His music hit different when I needed it the most, alright? He debuted his first solo album during a really rough patch for me. It wasn't just music—it was healing. And yeah, maybe he felt weirdly familiar to me at first, but that's besides the point."

The table exploded into laughter, but Adri just rolled her eyes, unfazed. She was unapologetically herself, and I loved that about her.

Once we all had our ice creams, we grabbed a table outside under a giant shady tree. The mood was chef's kiss—chill but alive. We swapped jokes, roasted each other, and dissected the game play-by-play. Brailey was mid-story about a fashion class disaster when Olivia's laugh cut through the group. It was too loud, too extra. I glanced over to see her leaning toward Patrick, and my stomach did a little flip. Not the fun kind.

"Hey, Patrick," Olivia purred, holding out her cone. "Wanna try some of my fudge brownie? It's delish."

"Nah, I'm good," he said casually, flashing me a quick grin. "I've got all I need right here." He held up his own cone and gave my hand another squeeze, instantly making me feel ten feet tall.

"Besides," he added with a smirk, "I prefer my dessert without  the side of drama."

The whole table lost it. Justin practically fell off his chair. "Bruh, you just killed her with that one."

Adri snorted into her cone. "That was savage. Respect."

Olivia's smile faltered for a split second before she forced out a laugh. "Guess I'll just enjoy it on my own, then."

As the group bantered on, Patrick slid his hand closer to mine on the table. The second our fingers touched, a rush of warmth spread through me, and I intertwined them, holding on like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Y'all are disgustingly cute," Brailey teased, pointing her spoon at us. "When's the wedding?"

"Stop," I groaned, hiding my face in my free hand, but Patrick wasn't about to let it go.

"Five-layer cake minimum," he declared with zero hesitation. "Oh, and a chocolate fountain."

"A fountain? Really?" I laughed, shaking my head. "Do you just want a chocolate disaster at this hypothetical wedding?"

"Disaster? No. Fun? Absolutely," he said, his grin so contagious I couldn't help but laugh with him.

As the sun started dipping lower, casting the street in warm golden light, I couldn't help but feel content. This was my squad, my people, and right now, everything felt right. Well, almost everything. I caught Olivia side-eyeing us, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. Yeah, she wasn't over whatever weird competition she'd cooked up in her head. But honestly? That wasn't my problem.

By the time we finished our cones, the group started to wind down. "Alright, squad," Nash said, standing up and stretching dramatically. "Same time, same place next game, yeah?"

"Only if you promise not to make the game about you again," George quipped, earning a round of laughs.

As we strolled back toward campus, Patrick fell into step beside me, our hands still locked together. The walk was quiet, but it wasn't awkward. It was the kind of silence that felt easy, like we didn't need words to fill the space.

"Thanks for today," Patrick said finally, his voice low and genuine. "This was... everything."

I glanced up at him, my heart doing a little flip. "Right back at you. It was perfect."

He smiled, and I swear, it felt like the world tilted in just the right way. "Let's do it again soon."

"Deal," I said, squeezing his hand.

As we reached the university entrance, the glow of the streetlights casting a soft light around us, Patrick pulled me a little closer. "You know," he said, his voice teasing, "we absolutely crushed that ice cream hangout. Gold star effort."

I laughed, shaking my head. "You're impossible."

"Impossible to resist," he shot back with a wink.

And just like that, I knew this was just the beginning.

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