sugar & shelves.

Chapter 7: Unspoken Things

The world around them felt a little different now, like the air had thickened with unspoken things, with questions neither of them was brave enough to ask. Sophie's mind replayed Ethan's words as they sat in the quiet park, the fading light casting soft, golden tones over everything. The distant murmur of the city felt far away here, but the tension between them—quiet, heavy—felt much closer.

Ethan shifted beside her, his leg brushing against hers, and it sent a strange flutter through Sophie's chest. His presence was steady, grounding, but there was a flicker in his eyes that told her he was just as unsure of this as she was.

He cleared his throat, looking out at the pond, his hands folded in his lap. "Sophie," he said, his voice low, like he was carefully choosing his words, "I didn't mean to put pressure on you before. About... more." He turned his head to meet her gaze, his brown eyes soft, almost apologetic. "I just—"

"No," Sophie interrupted, shaking her head as she turned to face him fully, her heart pounding in her chest. "I don't think you did. I just... I'm not sure what to do with it." Her voice came out quieter than she intended, but it felt good to say it out loud, to let the weight of that question hang between them.

Ethan smiled, but it wasn't that teasing, confident grin he often wore. This one was soft, almost a little sad. "Yeah. I get that. I guess I'm not really sure what to do with it either." He ran a hand through his messy hair, a nervous habit she was beginning to notice more and more. "I just... I don't want things to be weird between us, you know?"

Sophie nodded slowly, her fingers tightening around the strap of her bag. "I don't either. It's just... I think I'm afraid of what comes next."

The words were out before she could stop them, and Sophie almost immediately regretted them. But there they were, hanging in the air between them, raw and unfiltered.

Ethan didn't speak at first. Instead, he leaned back against the bench, his eyes never leaving hers. The silence stretched, and Sophie felt the weight of it, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was the kind of silence that made you think, that made you realize how much could be said without actually saying anything at all.

Finally, Ethan broke the quiet with a soft chuckle, shaking his head. "I think we're both a little scared, huh?"

Sophie's lips curved into a small, tentative smile. "Yeah. I guess so."

For a moment, there was a shift in the air—a quiet understanding between them, like they didn't need to have all the answers right now. Like it was okay to just sit here, in the quiet, with nothing more than the soft rustling of leaves around them. Sophie glanced at him, her heart skipping at the way his eyes still held hers, the way he didn't look away, like he was waiting for her to speak next.

"So," Ethan said after a beat, his voice light, as if he was trying to lighten the mood. "What do you think? Should we get some ice cream? I mean, if we're going to avoid the awkwardness, we might as well do it with sugar, right?"

Sophie laughed, the tension that had been knotting in her chest beginning to unwind. "Ice cream?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "You think that's going to fix the emotional turmoil?"

Ethan shrugged, a playful glint returning to his eyes. "Maybe not fix it, but it sure couldn't hurt."

Sophie tilted her head, considering. "I don't know. We might be making a bigger mess of things, mixing emotions with sugar. Not the best idea."

Ethan leaned in just a little, his voice dropping to a quieter, more serious tone. "Maybe it's the perfect idea. Maybe the sweet stuff is exactly what we need right now."

Sophie felt her heart skip at the sincerity in his eyes, the way he was looking at her like she was the only person in the world. She didn't know what to make of it—of him, of them, of all of this—but something in her said she didn't need to figure it all out just yet. Not tonight. Tonight, they could just be. And that was enough.

"Okay," Sophie said, her voice softer now, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Ice cream it is."

Ethan's face lit up, and for a moment, Sophie forgot about the weight of everything else. His smile was contagious, and despite the uncertainty between them, despite the fear of what might come next, there was something comforting about the way he made her feel.

They stood up together, side by side, and walked away from the pond, leaving behind the quiet tension of the park. The city felt warmer now, with the sun sinking lower in the sky, the streets lit by the soft glow of street lamps. Sophie wasn't sure where they were headed, but as Ethan led the way toward a small ice cream shop a few blocks down, she realized that maybe it didn't matter.

They walked in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. The kind that felt like it could stretch for hours without anyone needing to say anything.

When they reached the ice cream shop, the smell of fresh waffle cones and sweet cream hit Sophie's senses, making her stomach growl despite the butterflies still fluttering in her chest. Ethan held the door open for her, and as she stepped inside, she noticed how easy it felt to be around him. How natural it had become.

"What's your go-to flavor?" Ethan asked, looking at her expectantly as they approached the counter.

Sophie raised an eyebrow, her gaze flickering over the array of flavors. "That depends. Are you a vanilla kind of guy, or do you have more adventurous taste buds?"

Ethan grinned, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "I'm all about the adventure. You?"

Sophie's smile widened. "Same. I'm thinking something wild. Maybe pistachio with a little bit of chocolate."

Ethan leaned closer, pretending to think. "Pistachio and chocolate? That's a bold combo, Sophie. I like it."

She laughed, and for a moment, the world felt lighter, like it was okay to not have everything figured out. They were just two people, standing in an ice cream shop, talking about flavors, and Sophie realized that was exactly where she needed to be. With him. Just here. Just now.

They ordered their ice cream, and as they sat down on a bench outside the shop, spooning their cones with exaggerated care, Sophie realized how easy it was to be with Ethan. Even with all the unspoken things hanging between them, even with the uncertainty of what came next, it felt right.

Ethan took a bite of his ice cream and grinned. "See? I told you it's the perfect idea."

Sophie smiled, meeting his gaze with a little more confidence this time. "I think you were right," she said quietly. "Maybe a little sugar is exactly what we need."

They ate their ice cream in companionable silence, their earlier conversation hanging in the air between them like a delicate thread. There was still so much unknown between them, but for now, that was okay.

For now, they could just be.