Daniel, refused when I offered to settle the bill. Which according to him, was too shameful to let a woman pay when the opposite gender first initiated the d... eat out. Exactly, that's how he had said it. And it made me squirm with excitement on my seat. Made it clear that he was holding back from spilling every ounce of his emotion.

After he paid, with me staring at him with disapproval all through to let him know how uncomfortable I was to watch him do so, alone. We marched out side-by-side, our body barely touching. As much as I wanted to tangle myself to him, I tried to keep my distance no matter the little space that was. As much as I wanted to feel the heat of him, I didn't consider risking having something I wouldn't be specific about, sizzling through my body. Not when I already had a handful to tackle.

"I know about an amazing, cool, ice cream joint a stone throw away." He pointed ahead. I didn't know how, but I felt him smiling. And when I looked up, indeed he had a beautiful smile on his handsome face. Before I would ask why he was excusing the expression on his face, he glanced down at me silencing me. "How ironic to compare the distance using a stone..."

He didn't need to finish it, for the remainder of his sentence, and the main thing behind it, clicked in my head. I beautified my face with my own version of smile. "Indeed."

"Did that memorable episode repeat itself?"

"If they ever hurl stones at me again, and I lay my hands on them, I will make sure to stuff their pebbles into their tiny mouths and kick them to the street."

"I trust you can do that."

Having no reply for that, we continued down the busy road. Enjoying the cruise of the serenity atmosphere that seems to surround me, in the midst of the noisy busy road. The more we walked, the more distance covered. Then, I realized he hadn't been truthful when describing how far the place we were heading to was.

"I know what you are thinking."

"Are you a psychic? You always know what's going through my pretty mind."

He shrugged. " Or you are simply so transparent that it's easy to read you." He licked slightly his lower lip, and that did an entirely different thing to me. My palms became so sweaty and slippery in a matter of milli-second in reaction to his unknowingly unleashed sensual gesture. I pinned onto the fact that all too soon, the torture would be over. And I can finally get to demonstrate every one of my fantasies to him.

"I just feel like walking the distance. Spend more time with you. Get to..."

I gazed at him, with a thunderstorm of a heart in my chest willing him to go on. Say what I had been so dying to hear. Tell me those three magical words that never fail to weaken even the knees of a powerful gladiator in combat with his opponent.
My restlessness didn't seem to register to him for he maintained a very strong silence. After what summed up to be three minutes, and me battling with anxiousness, he finally opened his mouth. I waited, looking wonderingly at him from the corner of my eyes.

"Here we are."

Looking up ahead, my face stung partly from unsourced humiliation as I took sight of a portable building with the words: CH ice cream house, inscribed in large letters at the top of the front door. Is he intentionally being ruthless, or ignorantly experimenting on my patient, I pondered seriously. Still dealing with the thought, I settled on a seat under a huge tree giving shade to the shop and customers hanging around.

"A minute." Daniel strutted into the building. I assessed the surrounding with faint interest. Time and gain hoping to erase the rampant thought of the man that had failed woefully to understand that I lack the strength to put up with his delay. Soon I heard footsteps closing up behind. Daniel, slide a white covered plastic can containing ice cream on the table, while laying the second in front of him. A knowing smile worked to my face, quickly I suppressed it. "You wish to talk over a bucket of this stuff?" I said, gesturing vaguely at my cup of ice cream. With the intention of giving him back some portion of tough time.

"That's no where close to a bucket, Bella." He opened the cover of his, dug a tiny white spoon in it.

"Is that strawberry flavour?" I asked scrutinizingly as if it wasn't that obvious and right in my view.

"I got you vanilla. Was thinking you'd prefer that?"

"Of course, I do," I responded, burying my earlier aim of making him return mine in exchange for another just to punish him. I uncovered the can scooping a spoonful to my mouth. The too familiar taste hit my taste bud, my eyes lidded in concentration. A loud chuckle had me snapping it open. Daniel stared at me over his spoon-filled ice cream. "What?" Was all I could think to utter in my confused state.

"You were moaning like a__"

"Don't..." I interrupted, "...complete whatever it is you wanted to say."

"And what do you think I was about saying?" He smirked.

"Does any word devoid of sexual meaning come after moaning?"

"Oh, my! You are too sensitive. Well, I wasn't about saying anything disturbing to you. You need to filter your thoughts; maybe you've been thinking dirty all these while."

My face heats up at his words. "Why'd I think stuff that doesn't fit my..."

"It's okay. I get it. Now shall we continue with our ice cream?"

"The next time you say something like that..." I glared at him.

"There might not be a next time, sweetie." He winked.

"B-but..."

"You bother way too much, Isabella."

I glared at him some more. "Hello, mister. I have had enough__"

"All right, all right. Shall we?"

"Daniel!"

"The last time I checked, that's my name." He grinned.

I rolled my eyes giving up on the exchange. "You win, alright." I stabbed my spoon into the cup.

"I always win, though."

I huffed suppressing the urge to make a snappy comeback. That way, we sank into bottomless silence. That upset me in a way I didn't bargain for. Did I not hear him clearly when he'd said he wanted to disclose something to me, and not in the eatery. What's stopping him from saying it here? I pushed my ice cream away. Giving up on it, too.

"You don't like it here?" As I made to give a reply, that was when I found out that the content of his was gone, down in his stomach. "Well, I'm done. We may leave." As he said so, he pulled to his feet. Stared down at me.

What the hell is wrong with you... you this... this... ugh!

I stood up, concealing my disappointment. Pinched back the words of protest levelled on my tongue. I reached for my phone in my bag to check what time it was, and widened my eyes when I saw the time had leaped from 2:O'clock to 6:55 pm. How did that happen? Flew so fast without me having a notice of it. I glanced around, then realised why; the glowing white bulb all around providing light could pass off for the day. It was so bright like sunshine. My area was not a place to stroll at night. So many bad crimes are being committed on a daily basis in the dark alleys. As much as I wanted to spend more time with him, I wouldn't have hoodlums trailing behind me to harm me. I sucked a sigh of disappointment.

Suddenly, so suddenly, Daniel, wheezed out an alien gruff bending over to the table. my hands shot forward, I grabbed his shoulder before he made a face fall. My eyes, this time, wide in both curiosity and fright. "What's happening, Daniel?" I cried holding him in place. "Are you..." my eyebrows slanted together in confusion, "...okay." what I saw when he raised his head left me dumbfounded for half a second. A smile. Strange for someone who recently screamed out of what I assumed to be pain. "Is this some kind of..."

"Thanks to know you care a lot about me." He straightened, his smile getting bigger.

My hands fell to my sides. My face inched to a frown. "You don't joke with things like that!" I left the spot, marching ahead, each step communicating my annoyance.

"Hey, wait. I'm sorry, alright? I was trying to get a reaction from you. To know if you__"

"Oh, shut your gob." I whirled, collided abruptly into him. Caged a sharp breath. "There are many ways to find out if someone gives a damn about you. The one you chose is uncalled for," I said ignoring the rapt pounding of my heart against his.

"I said I'm sorry."

"Um, how cute." I twisted my face, forced myself away from his warmth and down the road. Counted to ten and all over again to pry my mind away from the distracting feelings his being close gave to me.

TO BE CONTINUED