Convalescence

Ice Cream

There's a scoop of strawberry ice cream on a chocolate and sprinkle dipped waffle cone in her hand to match the sun dress, the one that is white with flowers so pale pink, he almost can't see them. The one with the lace hem that just flutters around her knees and the pearly pink ballet flats that match her peaches and cream complexion. There's sunglasses on her face, hiding her big pretty blue eyes from him and the wind blows her red curls across her face, marring his view of her mouth, stained with chocolate and ice cream and smiling so brightly, she could almost burn out the summer sun.

His heart thuds against his chest, tattooing a rhythm that deafens him to the county fair happening around them. The ferris wheel is a spinning blur and the shrieking delight of children and adults is little more than background noise that's out of sync with his world.

"Jake!" she's in front of him, now, ice cream in one hand, the other eagerly pointing at some game. "You've got good aim, right?"

It takes him a full minute to register her words before he can finally muster up the vocal ability to answer her. "I get by, I s'pose."

Her answering shriek is all he needs to know that he's about to be sucker punched in the wallet by a game for a prize he could probably order her online. She drags him over to the game and points at her desired stuffed animal. It's a soft cream colored teddy bear in a plaid shirt, jeans, chaps, and a black cowboy hat on his head.

"How much?" he asks wearily - he hates these games, but this had been her idea, and he's never been able to tell her.

"Two for three tries."

He hands the attendant two dollars and grabs the baseball. It's a simple enough setup. Throw the ball, knock the bottles down. Easy enough. He winds up and throws the ball, knocking the pyramid of milk bottles down with one blow. The attendant re-stacks them and, once again, Jake knocks them down. When they fall for a third time, Cassie picks her prize, and hugs the cowboy bear close.

"What's his name, Cass?" Jake laughs, watching her attempt to hug the bear with both arms and keep the ice cream cone at a safe distance.

She pauses in her eager show of affection, holding the bear out, and tipping her head in contemplation before grinning up at him and bringing it to her chest, again. "Jacob."

His chest tightens and heat curls through his veins, not just from the sun, but from the sight of her staring up at him through her sunglasses, red curls wild about her head, hugging a teddy bear she'd named Jacob with such affection, he almost feels as though it is actually him, she's hugging.

He wonders if they have time to hit up the ice cream stand, again, before they leave. At the rate this date was going, he'd need it. She tucks the bear into the crook of her elbow and grabs his hand, dragging him to the next game. He wins, again, and when she offers him another brilliant smile - Jake feels as though he might overheat, and it would have nothing to do with Portland's blazing July sun.

And, it'd take a hell of a lot more than ice cream to cool him down.