Chapter 5: 04- It Looks Like An Albino Chocolate

04

“Ice cream!” Liam and Allie giggled, begging Blake and I to take them out to the local ice cream parlor to get them ice cream. It seemed like they were having a date and making us pay.

“You are going to overdose on sugar.” I messed up Liam’s hair. “You are still going to have cake.”

“Please?”

“What do you think Blake?” I sighed and turned to look at Blake searching for signs if he approved at it seemed like he did. He gave me a nod. “Alright, alright but let me pay for my groceries first.”

Liam held Allie’s hand and smiled. Damn, this kid got more skills than normal teenage boys.

After ringing up my groceries, I looked around, still waiting for Mrs. Greene to appear.

“Are you looking for someone?” Blake asked me and took my paper bag from the counter. “Liam is here already.”

“You don’t have to carry my stuff.” I muttered and took the bag from him which he let go. “What about your wife, Mrs. Greene?  Are you only here with Allie?”

Blake looked surprised but quickly recuperated it. “My wife died giving birth to Allie.”

With that, he grasped Allie’s hand and leaded us out.

Clearly I that wasn’t good topic and that I had offended him. I didn’t know! I thought his wife was just around the store with a different cart that was already full and had coupons with her and Blake and Allie just roamed around with a trolley of what they want, not her dead. Jesus.

We left to the ice cream shop after stopping by my car to dump everything in. Blake didn’t talk to me and avoided eye contact. I wanted to apologize to him but couldn’t make up the words in my head.

Liam started jumping as I held his hand. We were walking towards the cashier and when we entered the store, he immediately let go of my hand and ran up to Allie who also let go of her father’s hand.

After order chocolate chip for Liam and cookie dough or me, we sat at one of their tables with Blake and Allie following us suit carrying a cup of chocolate ice cream and another that looked like a pale version of mocha. Allie sat in front of me and beside her was Blake.

I suddenly felt a tug on my blouse. It was Liam.

“Can we switch places?” he whispered to me. “I want to be with Al-ee.”

This kid I swear.

I agreed and we switched places so Blake and I ended up facing each other. This was my time to apologize.

“Hey Blake.” I smiled at him apologetically. “About earlier, I shouldn’t have asked that. I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t apologize.” He sighed and leaned back on his chair. “It was my fault. I should not have just walked out like that. That was so immature of me. You were concerned about my wife and asked, and you didn’t know that she has passed. That was my entire fault. I should be the one saying sorry so I am. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to.” I muttered and slipped the spoonful of cookie dough ice cream in my mouth.

“What flavor is that?” Blake suddenly leans forward, gazing at my ice cream.

“Oh this. “I swallowed my melted ice cream. “It’s cookie dough. Do you want to taste?”

I gently pushed my cup towards him and raised my spoon that was full of ice cream.

Then it dawned on me.  I was being so inappropriate. I blushed, “I’m sorry. I should get like another spoon or something.”

“I don’t mind though.” Blake smiled at me. Oh Christ, butterflies started exploding in my stomach.

He grabbed my spoon, tilted his head to the back and gave a strong whack on the spoon so that the ice cream would fall in his mouth but not letting the spoon touch his lips.

Oh my. I felt my cheeks blush. My spoon almost touched his lips! Almost an indirect kiss.

“It’s good.” Blake nods with approval. “However it looks kind of weird.”

“It’s not weird. Look at yours! It looks like an albino chocolate.”

Blake started chuckling. “Albino chocolate? This is salted caramel.”

“Really?” I jumped on my seat. “I love salted caramel.”

“Want to taste?” he offered me his spoon. “Just do what I did.”

“Like you did? Tilting and all that?”

Blake nodded and stood up from his seat and went to my side. “Just tilt your head back like you were looking at the clouds but keep your mouth open.”

“I can do it.” I said and tried to take his spoon from his fingers but he just wouldn’t let me. I sighed in defeat.

I was tempted to just dig my spoon in his ice cream cup but then I would come off gross, so I decided not to do that. I needed to be civilized, well at least around him anyways.

I did as what he told me to do so and with a hit, the ice cream drop down just on top of my tongue.

“You nearly missed!” I exclaimed as a tiny part of the ice cream landed on my lips and I quickly wiped it off.

He chuckled again. “But it’s good, right?”

“Delightful.”

He sat back down to his own chair across mine, his smile never leaving his gorgeous face.

“Daddy is Beth going to be my mommy?” Allie’s voice suddenly disrupts us.

I quickly flush scarlet at her question and apparently so did Blake.

“Such wild imaginations.” Blake muttered and ran his fingers through her brown locks. Allie just looked confused before playing with Liam. They were sharing ice cream, taking spoonful’s of each other’s. “Sorry about that. She’s been pestering me to get her a mom. Couldn’t blame her though.”

“It’s fine.” I dismissed it but I felt like my stomach dropped fifty feet below.

I looked up and our gazes meet, his exquisite gray eyes pierced mine and I feel like he could see right through me.

“Are you single?” Blake questioned me, his eyes still digging into mine as if he was trying to look for something.

“Excuse me?” I was surprised at his sudden question and I feel the butterflies back in my stomach.

“Do you have a boyfriend or a fiancé?” his eyes still didn’t leave mine. “I mean, I don’t want him walking in on us and think you’re cheating on him.”

I swallowed what was in my mouth. Us! He said ‘us’! “Uh, no, I don’t have one.”

He blinked and leaned back. “Really?” He asked me in amusement.

I gave a shy nod. Was I supposed to have one at twenty four? Okay so twenty four years old and apparently boyfriend-less does kind of seem off.

“Honestly though Bethany,” he was still amused.

“I don’t have one.” I muttered, getting annoyed and rather offended. “Am I supposed to have one? Is it a rule or something?”

“No there isn’t.” He pulled himself from the chair, noticing I was getting a bit irritated with the topic of the conversation. “I just find it hard to believe.”

“And why is that?” I arched a brow. Do people think I need a man beside me? That was what most of my relatives are asking me. And they seem to think I keep on lying to them when I deny having one. People, I do not need a guy!

Blake shrugs. “You’re beautiful, stunning in fact. I just thought you would have.”

I blush again. He called me beautiful! I wanted to shriek, but I can’t. I feel like a teenage girl going through her puberty stage with the school’s quarterback asking me out. I needed to control my hormones.

“Uh, thanks?” I responded awkwardly and lamely.

Now it was his turn to cock a brow. “Are you blushing?” he teased causing my cheeks to burn even more.

“Don’t men tell you you’re beautiful?”

I played with my fingers. How do I answer that?! Do I say a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’? Do they tell me that? So I ended up shrugging. Way to go Beth.

Now he seemed more amused than before and leaned back again to his seat. “I bet they do, or they just keep it to themselves.”

When cheeks finally cooled down, I glanced at the two, Liam and Allie. They were smiling at us and not just any normal happy smile. It was one of those ‘I have an evil plan to dominate the world and everyone will just follow because I’m cute’ kind of smile. I silently groaned. What were they planning this time? I enjoyed being with them, especially with Blake and all that but I don’t think I can take any more teasing and blushing.

I have probably bushed today enough for a lifetime.

“How old are you exactly?”

I gulped. Does he like older women? Or maybe he’s younger than me! “I’m twenty four. And you?”

“I am twenty seven.”

I did my math in my head and my eyes widened when I came to a realization. “You had Allie when you were twenty four?!”

I imagine myself married and having a child at this age. It’s too young! I’m too young!

“You make it sound like I was the one who got pregnant.” He shook his head. “Allie’s turning four so it was when I was twenty three.”

My jaw literally dropped. “Twenty three?! That’s even younger!” I shrieked, earning glances from the other customers. I flushed in embarrassment and sank down my chair. But in all seriousness, twenty three?! Does he have any idea how young that is?! That is like going to college at ten years old, you really have to be a genius. But in his case, he must’ve really loved his wife.

“Please tell me you’re lying.”

“I’m not.” He grins at me. “Why do you sound and look so surprised?”

“You became a dad at twenty three! Liam’s father became one at twenty nine! I’m twenty four and I’m not even on a relationship!”

He shrugs at me. “ I never regretted it and plus, there are boys out there becoming one as young as seventeen so I think twenty three is pretty good.”

Well that was true and I know someone who actually did become a father at seventeen.

“Aunt Beth…” Liam trailed off still grinning like an idiot at me. “Can Al-ee come over while you bake a cake? Pwease? She wants cake too!”

I should have seen it coming. Liam invited Allie over. I bit my lip, contemplating on whether to agree or not. They probably have other places to be. And I have Skittles and Bruce at home.

But you want to spend more time with Blake, don’t you Beth?

So I am talking to myself now. Great.

“It’s fine with me but what about Allie and her dad?” I told Liam and he frowned, realizing I was right. I gave him a soft nudge. “Go ask him.”

Liam breathed out and jumped off his chair. He walked towards Blake, a brave look on his face.

“Blake can Al-ee come over for cake?”

Was this how he’s going to ask for Allie’s hand in marriage in the future? But still, he was bold enough to ask a father’s daughter out- well typically he did invite her over, at four years old? How would he turn out at nineteen?

Blake looked hesitant at first but when he glimpsed at Allie who looked like she was going to cry when he says no, he said, “Well we don’t have anything planned for today so why not?”

His daughter smiled at him and gave him a hug. Liam looked at me with a beam giving me a thumb’s up with both of his hands.

“I have dogs at home. Is Allie allergic?

“As long as they don’t bite.” Blake shook his head. “She’d love to go there even more. She wants her own dog.”

We all finished our ice cream which pretty much was melting, I gave Blake my home address and we exchange phone numbers just in case he got lost or something for the reason that we all won’t fit in one car and we just can’t leave one car in the parking lot.

Blake smiled at me with glee and took Allie’s hand. He opened the door and let us all out before he did.

“”You’re going to bake a cake, eh?”

“Uh yeah.” I rubbed my nape using my hand which wasn’t holding on to Liam’s hand. “Liam loves cake.”

“I love cake too.” He smiled and shifted his gaze in front. “Especially yours. Sugar Rush is my favorite bakeshop. How come I never see you when I go there?”

“Well you see, I’m always at the back area, baking and decorating cakes.” I reasoned out to him.

“Ah, I see.” Nodding, we stopped by my car. Theirs were only a few cars away. “Well next time I go there, I’ll make sure I get to see you before I leave.”

He didn’t give me time to answer back as he left with Allie right away to his own.

Blake still wants to see me! I giggled and slipped in the driver’s seat as Liam slid in the passenger’s. My smile never leaving my lips.

And bit by bit I could feel my walls that took me years to build plummeting down the hard ground and it only took Blake less than twenty four hours to do so. And Liam was playing cupid.

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What do you guys think?

And i am planning to put up a cast but I don't know who to put. Who should it be? And the song choice, don't judge me and all that but I really don't know what kind of songs to put up but I feel like it looks boring without the Youtube box part.

And to anyone willing to make banners I will gladly appreciate it :D

One last note: Sugar Rush made it to the what's hot list in general fiction of 132 and romance in 333! I'm so happy about it!