The fairy lights strung around the ice-cream truck glowed like warm little fireflies, their soft yellow light bouncing off the pastel paint of the truck and making the whole scene feel like something out of an old movie. The air smelled like melted chocolate and fresh grass, mixed with the faint cool scent of the lake behind us. Crickets kept up their steady song, and every now and then a tiny ripple from the water would catch the lamplight and sparkle for a second before disappearing.
Aeri was still perched on the metal counter of the serving window, legs swinging gently, the little paper ice-cream hat tilted crookedly on her head. Chocolate had melted down the side of her cone and was making slow brown rivers over her fingers. She didn't seem to care. She just kept looking at me with those dark, gentle eyes that always made my chest feel too small for my heart.
