The Ugly Friend

Chapter 3

I push my way out of the house and walk into the humid summer air, with my heels in one hand, and my phone in the other. My mind is on one thing: ice-cream.

I need to find a grocery store, a cafe, anything. I just need to to relax my mind and enjoy the only good in my life. I can already taste the cool, sweet tang of vanilla ice-cream, my favorite.

My bare feet sting as I make contact with the concrete floor, the tiny pebbles stick onto my toes and a numbing sensation quickly overpowers my body. Music and howls of the party fade away in the distance and are replaced by gentle birds cooing and leaves rustling in the wind.

Somehow, I stumble upon a drug store a few blocks away from the party and I am more determined than ever to find my sweet relief.

A small bell on the door chimes as I open them, signaling my arrival. I stroll around the store once, failing to locate the freezer. Suddenly, my head feels dizzy and I lean on one of the shelves. Maybe I drank more than I thought.

"Hi, you don't know me, but my ex-girlfriend is here. Can you please hold my hand and pretend to be with me?" My head is pounding but I manage to slowly look up at the voice. My brown eyes meet light blue ones as I suck in a breath.

The man in front of me is beautiful. His dark brown hair is slightly ruffled, in a cute way. Strong, structured brows frame his deep blue eyes and his long eyelashes wave up and down anticipating my answer.

"Sure, I guess," I reply slowly and cautiously, looking around, trying to find his ex-girlfriend. When I don't see anyone else in the store, I crinkle my eyebrows in confusion. Before I can say anything about it, the blue-eyed man quickly grabs my hand and asks me what I wanted to find.

His hands are surprisingly soft and as we walk I notice how long his legs are and struggle to keep up. He smells of freshly washed laundry and light, breezy cologne, somehow reminding me of the ocean.

"I want Vanilla ice-cream," I whisper, as I try to ignore the nice sensation of his hands on mine.

Nodding understandingly, he leads me to the back of the store, where the freezers are located. I pick out a big, fat carton of vanilla ice-cream and proceed to find spoons. When all the items are found and secured, I pull the stranger to the register, place the cartoon and pack of spoons onto the counter, while trying to fish my phone out of my pocket. The chocolate-haired man lets go of my hand, letting the warmth slip away into the cool, air-conditioned store. Surprisingly, I find myself craving his touch again.

I pull open my phone case and take out some money, until I realize that I only have two dollars. The ice cream and spoons were seven.

I look up, batting my eyelashes, hoping the man would take the hint and pay for me. He chuckles, while pulling out his wallet, and grabs five dollars. He hands the money to the cashier and places the items into a bag.

"What's your name?" I ask as I snatch the bag, trailing him out the door.

"Sam."

Sam. It's short and sweet.

"Well, Sam, thanks for covering for me. I'll pay you back, one day."

Sam laughs, his deep dimples showing. "You don't have to. Just let me have some of your ice-cream. I mean, you did buy a million spoons."

Should I share? Usually, I don't like to share, especially with ice-cream, but he did pay for me.

I sigh, "Okay." I walk over to a grassy spot under an oak tree and sit down. After Sam plops down next to me, I tear off the cover on the ice-cream carton while he rips open the package of spoons.