11 | Shocking News... and Melon?!

Once I locked the door to the triplets' apartment, I tucked the key into my back pocket then walked off to the elevator. Luckily for me, I had the elevator all by myself until I reached the main floor of the building. I stepped into the lobby and smiled at the receptionist. The moment I stepped outside, I took a deep breath and exhaled.

I never felt so free in my life. Since that dreadful day I married Jace, my life took a quick detour to the path of hell instead of to the path of freedom. And boy oh boy, today feels like I can do anything I want without even caring what others might say.

Anyway, I decided today that I would go to an ice cream shop first before heading straight to the amusement park I saw on television once. I know it seems childish, but come on! I would rather have fun than drink my problems away with alcohol then suffer with a horrible hangover after. So with that thought, I crossed the street and towards the quaint-looking ice cream shop with the sign Creme D-Lite. I opened the glass door and heard the sound of chimes. I walked to the counter and almost drooled at the sight of so many different flavors of ice cream. Wait, is that avocado?

A girl behind the counter greeted me. "Hello, sir! Welcome to Creme D-Lite! What flavor do you like? For today, I recommend the banana-carrot ice cream! Also, we have the all-time favorite chocolate ice cream! But it's not normal chocolate, mind you! This one is mixed with Oreos and Kit-Kat powder! If you don't like chocolate though, I recommend..."

I tuned her out and just stared at her mouth moving at light speed. Seriously? What is wrong with her? Is she high or something?

"... and we also have yam-flavored ice cream. It comes with sprinkles!" She finished, with a wide grin on her face.

I must have looked like an idiot, just standing there and doing nothing except staring at her. She cleared her throat then glanced behind me. "Uh, sir. If you don't order soon, I'll have to call the next costumer."

I snapped back to reality then dumbly pointed to a random flavor.

"Ah, melon-flavored ice cream! Coming right up!" The girl exclaimed.

I blinked. Melon?!

"Excuse me..." Someone said to me from behind.

I turned around, only to see Ryan again. Without thinking, I jumped up to him and hugged him. Ryan laughed and patted my back.

"What a coincidence to see you here!" I said.

He chuckled. "Same goes to you. What are you doing here?"

"Getting ice cream. Duh."

Then, the girl called my attention and handed me my ice cream. I grimaced when I realized it's actually melon-flavored. I hate melon.

Ryan frowned. "I thought you don't like melon."

I sighed, contemplating whether to throw the ice cream or just eat it. Why was there even a melon flavored ice cream in the first place? It doesn't even taste good at all.

"How about you, sir? What would you like?" The girl asked Ryan.

Ryan tilted his head and thought for a bit. I rolled my eyes. Every time ice cream is involved, he gets all serious and doesn't just choose a random flavor. Unlike me.

"Hm, I think I'll go for vanilla. Make that two, please."

I looked at him in confusion. "Two ice creams?"

He shrugged. "One for you, and one for me."

I smiled at him in full gratitude. Aw, he's such a good friend. Makes me wonder sometimes why he even bared with my presence. I'm not a bestfriend material at all.

After Ryan got his two ice creams and gave me the other one, I threw the melon one on the nearest trash can. Ryan led me to a two-seater table, then we sat across to each other. I was about to start licking my ice cream when Ryan said something.

"So, how have you been? We haven't seen each other for what, four years?"

I shook my head. "Three, actually."

"Close enough."

I grinned. Ryan Roberts is as funny as ever. He didn't change at all... well, except his body. Back in high school, he was this lanky emo guy who always got A's and B's in Algebra and Calculus. Now, however, his body took a drastic change. His shoulders are broader and his chest looked firm, too. He's got a slight tan on his skin and his face is more prominent. His long bangs are now gone, replaced with a small fringe just above his right eyebrow. The emo guy had been long gone, I assume.

His whole feature is now more... manlier. Kind of reminds me of someone I know and avoided. If you know who I mean. Hint, hint.

"My life's been kinda... difficult. I can't say I'm content with it right now." I muttered, staring hard at my now melting ice cream.

"Yeah, I kinda expected that. Being married to a wealthy guy must have been hard for you."

I looked up. "What?"

He smiled. "I saw you with Mr. Langlois at McDonald's, remember? He was jealous of me, right?"

"What?" Okay, I think the only word left in my vocabulary is the word 'what'.

Ryan frowned. "He was jealous of me, right? I mean, no one glares daggers at someone then announce their marriage to everyone just like that."

No one except Jace. I thought.

"What's wrong?" He asked with concern.

Without thinking, I spewed out all my pent-up issues to him. From the day Jace got a fever to the day I ran away and temporarily living with the triplets.

Ryan was about to say something when his phone suddenly rang, signalling a call. And by the sound of it, it's probably urgent. He looked at me apologetically, to which I nodded. He smiled then picked up the phone and pressed it to his ear.

"Hello?... Yes, this is Ryan speaking... what? Really?... oh, thank you so much!... Yes, I'll be there!... Okay, bye." Then he hung up, wearing an excited expression on his face.

I raised in eyebrow. "You look so happy."

Ryan, much to my surprise, fist-pumped in the air. Okay, I'm even more curious what was happening and what that call was about.

"Ryan, who was on the phone?" I asked curiously.

Ryan looked at me with a wide grin, that I swear it almost looked like Joker's legendary grin.

"Kei, I got accepted!"

I frowned even more. What was he talking about?

"Accepted to what, exactly?"

He rolled his eyes, as if it's very wrong not to guess right. "I sent an internship request a few weeks back, and I thought I would never be picked but guess what?"

"What?" Third time is always a charm, they said.

"I got accepted! They called me for an interview tomorrow! Isn't that cool?" He exclaimed loudly, earning him a few curious looks from the other costumers in the shop.

I smiled at him. "That's awesome. What company did you apply? I could go with you tomorrow, if you like."

His eyes twinkled. "Promise? That would be great, thanks!"

I nodded, then remembered something. "Wait, you didn't answer my first question. What's the name of the company?"

"Langlois, Incorporated..." Then he trailed off, remembering something very important. Something very related to me. "... Oh."

I groaned. Maybe I should carefully pick out my words first before blurting something which I would totally regret after saying it.

Ryan flailed his hands in terror. "I swear, man! I didn't know! I sent my request long before I met you and him at Mcdonald's!"

I ignored him. I was busy panicking to myself. What should I do? I already promised to go with Ryan tomorrow for his interview. And knowing Ryan, he doesn't do well with broken promises. However, I also don't want to see Jace again! What if we bump into each other there? That would be crazy! And awkward.

"It's fine if you don't go with me. Really, it is." Ryan assured me, but I didn't believe him. I know him. He really will be crestfallen if I turn my back to him for one second.

"Hey, don't worry. A promise is a promise. I'll go with you."

He didn't look convinced. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."