SWEET NOTHINGS - S. LILLIS

"take a picture, it'll last longer"

the day i first met sophia lillis was the day that my life turned upside down: and i hadn't even realized it in the moment. but looking back now, the day i looked into those blue eyes for the first time, life had ceased to be the same. it all started in the little ice cream parlor on the corner of maine and third. it was my first week working there, and to put it lightly, i was still getting the hang of things. never in my life could i possibly even begin to imagine the amount of pure love and unbridled heartache that place would bring me. i hold it near and dear to my heart even if it hurts to think about sometimes. the day was wednesday. wednesdays were (and still are) slow days. not even in the sense of work, but in the way things seem to just take their time, you know? wednesdays aren't rushed, they're leisurely and light hearted, like the way sophia speaks. anyway. it was nearing the end of my shift when the pretty red head girl walked in, bringing the midday sunshine in with her. as soon as she saw me, she smiled. but she didn't come up to me as i had hoped, no. she stood back to look at the display case of ice cream, occasionally glancing up to where my eager gaze still stood, locked on her. the smile never left her face.
"take a picture, it'll last longer," she spoke. i could feel my cheeks flush scarlet at her words. she had the power to do that-make me blush by uttering the simplest of sentences. but i never minded. she came up to the counter, entirely made up of bright blue eyes and sultry smiles.
"i'll take a scoop of vanilla in a cup, please."

"all that and you went for vanilla?" i asked, slightly surprised. she shrugged.

"i'm a simple girl, with simple taste," i saw her look at my name tag, and in the moment i couldn't help but feel that she was seeing a lot more in me than just my name.

"oakley." i nodded, admiring the way my name sounded coming from her mouth. she stood there with a small smile on her face, and i busied myself by getting her ice cream and trying not to stare. when i held the cup out to her, she handed me a napkin in return, a phone number printed on it in messy, loopy handwriting. along with her name, sophia.

"we're going to be friends, oakley. and i'll show you the beauty of things like vanilla ice cream."

and she did.

- oakley