"It's Kea"
For the first time in forever, Ice actually answered my question. Like, just answered it. No annoyed sighs. No judging silence. Just words. From him.
"Why are you beaming like that?"
Then, of course, he had to ruin the moment.
His face looked like my happiness personally offended him.
I wiped the corner of my eyes dramatically. "Kea… your little sister?"
Ice started walking again,the paper bag of our lunch swinging in his right hand.
Oh.
Lunch.
Made by Ice.
Yay! We're on our way to eat—alone—wait.
…ALONE?!
My heart stopped, then restarted at double speed.
"Why did you stop walking?" His voice came from ahead, calm and deep.
Because my brain is short-circuiting, that's why!
"N-Nothing!" I blurted, walking faster—actually running now—to beat him to the greenhouse.
Speeding like my life depends on it. Maybe?
INT – GREENHOUSE
The lunch was too quiet. Like, creepily quiet.
Except for the war going on inside me.
On one side of the field sat Ice, calmly eating, like the definition of peace.
On the other side sat me, gripping my chopstick like a life weapon, sitting on grass that felt like judgment itself.
Why did I agree to this?
No. Why did I beg him for this?!
Fire, calm down! He doesn't care! This person doesn't have a single romantic bone in his body!
Just… act normal. Eat normal.
Breathe normal.
Eyes closed. Inhale… exhale…
Don't panic, Fire. You're just having lunch. With Ice. Alone. In a greenhouse. With sunlight and fresh air and—okay, stop thinking. Just breathe.
I was concentrating so hard—like, spiritually-level focus—when something soft brushed the corner of my lips.
Skin. Warm. Real.
For one millisecond, everything froze. My heart, my brain, my entire existence.
Did—did he just—?!
Again! My brain short-circuited so fast it probably sent smoke signals into space.
"Too clumsy," Ice muttered, shaking his head like a disappointed parent. His hand returned to his side, completely unfazed—after removing a single grain of rice from my lips.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH - Internally screaming
Dead.
Emotionally deceased.
Externally, I was frozen.
Five minutes. That's how long I sat there pretending to be grass.
When my soul finally came back, Ice was already talking—something he doesn't usually do.
"I told her to take the defense lessons. Never listens."
Huh?
Wait. Who are we talking about?
He turned to me suddenly, eyes narrowing like I was guilty.
"Just like you. Never listen."
Excuse me?! I didn't even do anything this time!
"Always too friendly, too naïve."
He sighed, glaring again while packing up the boxes.
Okay, now I am being framed!
I gave him a nervous laugh, handing over an empty container. "H-here—"
"Hugging guys. You should be more conscious." He snatched the box from my hands, as if I'd offended him.
I blinked, offended right back. Excuse me, sir, I am conscious! You literally just touched my lips! Take responsibility!
Haaaaa I hate you Iceeee!
The air around us grew awkwardly thick. I tried to lighten it. "Relax… maybe they're just good friends?"
He looked up—and I immediately regretted existing.
The death glare could've shattered glass.
Okay. So, Kea's probably being courted. And Mr. Overprotective here is radiating pure evil about it. Got it.
I sighed, eyes falling on the grass dancing in the wind. Then my brain betrayed me with the dumbest thought in history.
"Hey, Ice."
He didn't answer, but I went on anyway.
"Do you… see me the same way you see Kea?"
As soon as it left my mouth, I wanted to bury myself alive.
It was a question with no winning side.
If he said no, it wouldn't mean anything—he'd probably just remind me that his sister is more precious than anyone else.
And if he said yes… then I'd know exactly where I stand in his ecosystem.
Somewhere between "stray cat he tolerates" and "occasional nuisance he feeds out of pity."
I gripped my fists tighter, trying to brace myself.
Why did I even ask that?
Do I want emotional damage? Is that my hobby now?
For a moment, all I could hear was the wind. Or maybe time was just moving painfully slow for me.
The breeze blew stronger, brushing my hair across my face. I tucked it behind my ear and forced myself to look up—
And there he was.
Ice. Looking at me with… a smile.
Not the usual "you're stupid" smirk. It was small. Soft. Warm.
I think my heart forgot its job for a second.
Then, just to make sure I'd never recover, he chuckled and rested his hand on my head.
"Both. Stubborn and never listen," he said, shaking his head lightly.
My brain? Gone.
My heart? Confused.
My body? Frozen.
The sun hit him just right—like the universe was showing off his smile—and I couldn't stop staring.
So unfair.
So unfair!
Next Chapter: Fire's bright world melts faster than her ice cream when her heart gets its first real crack.
But in a quiet ice cream parlor, with Dhylan's gentle voice and coffee-scented patience, heartbreak tastes a little less bitter.
Between spoons of strawberry and smiles too forced to last, Fire learns that even small crushes can leave big aches —
and Dhylan learns that sometimes, the strongest thing you can do for someone…
is simply stay.