by Sam Elswit
Eventually, we reached the ice cream parlor. Phil held the door for me. Even though he did it habitually at this point, it still made me blush every time. It was the small things that made Phil really wonderful. He just had a way of making someone feel loved and cared for.
Part of me wondered what I had done to deserve such a man in my life.
“What are you getting?” He asked, looking over the menu. “They have a new cotton candy flavor. Do you think it’s any good?”
“It’s probably just super sweet and pink.”
“You know what else is super sweet and pink?” A dirty smirk flashed across his face.
I punched his arm. “Not here. There are kids around.”
“Oh, they don’t know what we are talking about.”
“Just, can it, or you won’t get any of my lollipop later.” I winked.
He gasped dramatically. “But… but…” His bottom lip quivered like he was about to burst into sobs. “I like your lollipop.”
“Oh, I know you do…” I laughed, leaning into his chest. It was moments like this that made me really cherish my time with Phil. I loved that he was such a goofball and that we could play around with each other without the fear of being judged.
“Do you know what you’d like to order?” The girl at the cash register waited patiently for us to respond.
“Uh… what would you recommend?” Phil asked.
“Hmm…”
“Do you have a favorite?”
The girl nodded. “I like salted caramel. It’s sweet but not too overwhelming.”
“Ah. Perfect, I’ll have a scoop of that.” He then turned to look at me. “What would you like?”
“Oh, you don’t have to pay for me.”
“You already know I’m going to insist so let’s just make this quick and skip all the bickering so I can get my ice cream sooner rather than later.”
“Fine. I’ll have the soft serve twist.”
Phil looked at me like I had two heads and a third eye sticking out of my forehead. “Out of all the flavors on this whiteboard… all…”
“34.” The cashier chimed in.
“Out of all 34 flavors… you go with the soft serve? And not even their hazelnut flavor or their pistachio, but just plain old chocolate and vanilla.”
I shrugged. “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with sticking to the classics.”
“Well, luckily, not everyone is like you or we’d never have a fan base because they would all still be listening to My Chemical Romance.”
I rolled my eyes before I reached for my wallet, pulled out a ten, and handed it to the girl.
“Hey, I was supposed to pay.”
“Too late,” I said, sticking out my tongue at him.
She counted out my change, handing it back to me. “Your ice cream will be out shortly.” She said automatically before she served the next customer.
We waited patiently for our ice cream when Phil’s phone buzzed. I furrowed my brow together in question, knowing that he rarely used his phone. “Who’s that?”
“I’m not sure.” He took out his phone. “It’s just an email.”
“Well, aren’t you going to open it?’
“No, not really. I was going to enjoy my ice cream first. Besides, it’s probably just spam mail or something.”
“I guess you’re right.”
Just then, another teenage girl approached the counter with our ice cream. I smiled happily, licking my cone. “Mmm, this really hits the spot. Good call.”
“Ice cream is always a good call, especially on a hot day.” He smiled before taking my hand and pulling me outside.
We walked around the city’s main park for a while before we settled under the shade of a large oak tree.
As I leaned forward to take another lick of my ice cream, my nose accidentally bumped into it. I saw everything in slow motion as my ice cream tumbled to the ground, splatting in a depressing puddle. “Awwwww….” I frowned.
“Aww, babe.” Phil pulled me close. “We can share mine. I promise it's really good.” He offered me his ice cream.
I smiled brightly licking one side of it as he licked the other. I felt a little silly but that was half the fun. Soon, our faces were sticky with the treat but neither one of us seemed to care. We just kissed each other, enjoying the sweet, sweet moment.
I was just about to roll on top of him when Phil’s phone buzzed.
“Seems like whatever is in that email, it’s pretty important.”
“My phone just notifies me twice for everything. I don’t even know why it does it.”
“You can probably fix it in the settings if you wanted to.”
“I don’t go down that rabbit hole.”
“You just change the notification preferences…”
“Seriously. I’m like a 90-year-old grandma when it comes to technology. It’s best if I just don’t mess with it.”
“Well, you managed to sync up your email account somehow.”
“Yeah, it’s a miracle, really.” He leaned in and whispered into my ear. “To be honest, I had my cousin set it up for me when he was in town, but don’t tell Phil.”
I chuckled. “I won’t. Scout’s honor.” I then looked at him expectantly, wondering if he would ever read his email. “Well…”
“Oh… you want me to read it, don’t you?”
“Now you’re getting with the program.”
“How much you want to bet that it’s an email for this week’s sale at PJs?”
“It’s likely, but it could also be something else…”
“Something else is right…” Phil’s eyes widened to the size of the moon as he read over the email. “Oh my god… I can’t believe it…”
“What?” I said, trying to look over his shoulder but his screen’s brightness was dimmed to the point that it was impossible to see what was on it. “Phil. Seriously. You know I don’t like suspense.”
“You remember when I signed us up for Hillshire’s Got Talent?”
“You mean that talent show that looked like a gimmick?”
“It’s not a gimmick.” He shot back, glaring at me. “I did my research and it’s a legitimate show. It comes on every Tuesday night at ten. It has quite the following.”
“How come I’ve never heard of it?”
“When’s the last time you’ve watched cable television?”
I thought for a minute, my finger on my chin. “Okay, you have a point. But, did we seriously get a spot on the show?”
“That’s what this email says. We were chosen for the last round of contestants.”
“And this is a broadcasted event?”
“Live and everything. The audience gets to choose who goes forward to the main competition.”
My eyes widened. “Are you being serious? So, this is like X Factor?”
“Sort of but without the judges and the swiveling chairs. More like… a nationwide talent show.”
“Is there a grand prize?”
“Hmm…” Phil scrolled through the email before clicking on a link. “Actually… there is. The winners get a $100,000 cash prize.”
“Oh damn. We got to win that show now. Do you know what $100,000 could do for us? We could finally get some new equipment and –”
“And, advertise properly. Get some high paying gigs.” Phil interjected, finishing my thought for me. Lately, he had been doing that a lot. It was like we had been a couple for years even though it hadn’t been more than three months.
“Well, what are you waiting for? Sign us up already or whatever you have to do to get us on that show.”
“Okay! Okay! No need to scream into my ear.” Phil attempted to fill out the online form that would guarantee our spot in the lineup but he kept accidentally pressing other things with his meaty fingers.
“Give me that. I swear you’re helpless when it comes to technology.”
“Oh yeah, is that what you say when you get some late-night pictures from me?”
“Y
ou accidentally sent one to Emily the other day,” I answered, glancing up at him with a serious expression on my face.
“What? Why didn’t you tell me? God, that’s so embarrassing. What did she say? How has she let me live this down?”
“She took a good look at it and then deleted it. Apparently, William’s is better.”
“Are you serious right now… your sister actually saw my…?”
Seeing the look of horror on his face, I burst out laughing. “No. She hasn’t seen it. I was just pulling your leg.”
Relief washed over him before he punched me in the shoulder. “Don’t ever do that to me again. Those pictures are for your eyes and your eyes only.”
“I know that, babe.” I kissed his forehead. I then handed him back his phone. “There. I filled out the form… now we just wait for Tuesday.”
***
Waiting is always the hardest part. It gives me time to overthink things to the brink of insanity.
On Monday night, I was home alone, looking over our music. We had decided to use our two minutes to perform Phil’s love song since it was such a hit at the Speak Easy. A part of me wanted to tweak it and try and make it better but the more I looked at it, the more perfect it became.
This was truly a song from the heart and I think that’s what made it so special.
I was just about to call it a night when someone rang the doorbell. I hesitated for a moment because I hadn’t heard a car outside.
A jittery feeling of fear crept under my skin, making my muscles tense and my heart accelerate. Who could it be?
I grabbed an umbrella from the mudroom and approached the door, my fingers wrapping around the knob just as the bell rang again. The loud, sudden noise caused me to jump out of my skin, knocking over the dying plant Emily insisted she could bring back to life with some TLC.
“Fuck…” I mumbled under my breath. Even if I didn’t want to answer the door, now, whoever was waiting on the other side, knew I was home.
Taking a deep, calming breath, I unlocked the latch.
To my surprise, Andy was standing there, his hood over his head, his shoulders hunched over.
“Andy?”
“Do you mind if I come in? It’s raining cats and dogs out here.”
It was like my body had turned to stone. Seeing Andy standing on my front porch was like seeing a ghost. What was I supposed to do? A part of me just wanted to slam the door in his face, to teach him a lesson after he abandoned me, but at the same time, I couldn’t possibly be that mean. It just wasn’t in my character.
Sighing, I stepped aside.
He immediately walked to the living room as if we were still in a relationship and he was just coming back from grabbing a carton of milk from the store.
“What are you doing here?” I finally asked, unable to handle the suffocating silence that surrounded us.
He ran his hands over his jeans before settling them on his knees. “Things didn’t work out.”
“What do you mean?”
“Jeremy wasn’t liking the songs I was producing so he let me go.”
Even though Andy had betrayed me, I still felt sorry for him. “Oh…” I picked at a loose thread on the couch, refusing to look at him.
Neither one of us said a word for a long, long time.
The wetness of his clothes made his scent even more potent. At one point, I had found it absolutely intoxicating, but now, it made me want to gag.
“Look, I was just wondering if maybe you’d give me a second chance.” He got up and ran his fingers through his hair. He had allowed it to grow out during the months in a style that didn’t suit him at all. “I know I don’t deserve it, but I thought I would try my luck anyway.”
“Andy…” I was lost for words. I couldn’t believe he had the audacity to come here and ask for a second chance after what he did. Bile formed in my mouth as my fingers clenched into fists by my side. Emily was right all along. This guy was a jerk.
He crossed the living room, standing before me, a slight grin on his lips. “You don’t have to lie, I know that you’ve missed me. I’ve missed you.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You know, when I dated you, I didn’t think you’d ever be this fake. You seemed like a fun guy to be with. You were confident. You knew exactly what you wanted. You were one hell of a singer, but God, Andy, when did you become such a crook?”
Andy held up his hands, about to defend himself but I stepped forward, forcing him to clamp his lips together.
“I trusted you. I thought that together we would be able to take the band to new heights but you just used me to get to your own fame and fortune. If you think I’m going to take you back after that, you’ve got another thing coming.”
“What about everything we shared?” He asked, placing his hand on my cheek. “All those moments where we looked into each other’s eyes, or laid in bed, just enjoying each other’s company.” His hand dropped down to my hip as he pushed me against the wall, eyes burning.
“Andy…” I shook my head, trying to get my body to push him away but it was like he had me under a spell.
Our bodies were so close together that I could feel a wave of warmth radiating from his skin. The deep carnal lust I felt whenever I was with him came rushing back into me like a freight train. Andy had always been a sort of sex-God, talking his way into my pants nearly every day of the week.
“This time, I promise things will be different.” He placed his fingers under my chin, tilting it upwards until I was staring into his eyes. Slowly, he leaned forward, his lips pursed together for a kiss.
He got closer… and closer… and closer…
Before he could kiss me, however, I snapped out of it, shoving him off me. “Get away from me.”
Andy stumbled backward, tripping on the edge of the rug. “What?” He spat, turning around.
“You heard me.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Why?’
“You know damn well why.”
“Because I tried to make a better life for myself?”
“A better life for yourself?” I scoffed. “Is that what you call stepping all over people like they are worthless? You used the band for your own selfish motives. You used me. You betrayed me…” My emotions were starting to get the best of me as my voice shook.
“Can’t we just put that all aside and start fresh?”
“No.”
“Come on.”
“I said no.” I raised my voice in irritation. I wasn’t going to let Andy push me around anymore. “I can’t start fresh with you because I found someone else. Someone better. Someone who would never betray me.”
“Who?” Andy’s jaw locked, his left eye twitching slightly.
“It’s none of your business. All that matters is that he’s loyal and you never knew the definition of that word.”
Suddenly, he pushed me against the wall, his body pinning mine in place. “You know that’s not true. I was faithful to you.”
“Until Jeremy Pryce came along.” I tried my best to keep calm but I was starting to get a little worried. There was this wild look in Andy’s eye.
I could scream for help, but who would hear me?
Just then, the doorknob rattled. “Ben, you home? The door is open.” Phil called out, stepping over the threshold. The second he saw us, he dropped the bag in his hand, his teeth grinding together. “Oh, I’m sorry… am I interrupting something?”
“It’s not what it looks like!” I sputtered, trying to get away from Andy’s grasp. “He just barged in here!”
Phil’s eyes darkened. In a few short strides, he had reached us, yanking Andy off me by the collar of his shirt. “Is that true?”
“Let go of me.”
“Answer me.” I had never seen Phil look this angry. Usually, he was so carefree and happy. Now, he looked like a wild animal about to tear his prey limb from limb. A lion about to protect his pride.
“Why should I?”
“Because I’m Ben’s boyfriend and I wan
t to know if you were hitting on him when you weren’t supposed to. Now, you can either leave this house with your dignity or I can kick you out myself. Which one will it be?” Phil practically growled at him.
Andy managed to wiggle away from his grasp. He wound up his punch before letting it fly in Phil’s direction.