The Opposite Of Negation | Editing Slowly

12.1 | ≠ oppose

Aliana's laughter is ringing echoing through the deserted street. After asking her to get some ice cream with me, I decided to take her to my favourite ice cream shop just at the end of the road. On the way, we had ended up sharing childhood stories, and for some reason, she seems to like my last one. No clue why.

"So you're telling me," she stops to take a breath, evidently breathless after her laughing spree, "...that your imaginary friend Bo always told you to leave your house in the middle of the night and climb on trees?"

"Yep," I answer simply.

"And you're sure Bo wasn't Annabell's long lost brother?" she asks. Her face is flushed and there are small droplets of tears in her eyes as she tries to control her laughter.

She's enjoying this way too much. And weirdly, I don't seem to mind.

I decide to tease her a bit, leaning in close to whisper to her, "You shouldn't laugh. Bo is feeling bad."

Her lips turn up in a small smirk and I feel myself falter.

"Where is he? Is he walking beside me?" she cocks her eyebrow at me.

I quickly change my game plan and smirk at her. "Behind you actually."

Her smirk widens, and she leans in even closer, hovering her mouth next to my ear, "You wanted to get to know me, Wright? Well, guess what, my favourite genre is horror. Bo doesn't scare me," And with that, she moves back and winks.

Luckily, I don't have to say anything after that- I don't wanna prove it to her that she can transform me in a stuttering fool- as I push the door of the shop and gesture her to step in. She steps in and I follow, instantly being greeted by the cold air of the air conditioner and the telltale fragrance of ice cream.

"Well, care to tell me what your favourite flavour of ice cream is then?"

She looks at the assorted options and gestures to the plain dark ice cream one and orders two scoops and a cone for herself.

"I quite simply fall in the simple dark chocolate loving category," she says. "What about you?"

Mimicking her, I look at the assorted options myself and order two scoops of mint chocolate and a cone for myself. I notice her taking her wallet out of her purse which compels me to act fast, getting my wallet out, removing my card at a lightning speed and handing it over to the cashier even before she has the chance to argue.

She looks at me exasperatedly and glares once she realises what I've done. Slapping my arm, she says, "I was going to pay!"

I shrug, "I know."

She narrows her eyes at me when the guy working at the counter calls out for us to collect our ice creams. Finding my escape for her deadly glare, I quickly walk towards him and grab both our cones in my hands when I feel something sliding in my back pocket. Turning around I see Aliana giving me a smug and victorious smile and grabs her cone from my hand. I put my hand in my back pocket and retrieve a note which paid for her ice cream. Shaking my head I walk over to the booth Ali had chosen and sat down opposite her. I hold the note in front of her and stare at her accusingly.