Chapter 6

"So when I was a kid, I used to get this same ice cream combination every time and it drove my mom crazy, she always wanted me to try something new," Gavin said, a smile on his face as he recounted his experience to Elena, who just watched him gleefully.

"Same. My sister is the adventurous type, any time we went out for ice cream it was a new flavour and a new combo, she was always so ready to experiment but—"

"You just wanted to stick to a safer option, huh?" Gavin asked. Elena smiled and nodded. It was as if he could read her mind.

"I know what that feels like. Maybe one day we should try something different," Elena cleared what was left of her ice cream and stared at Gavin.

"Maybe, I'm willing if you are," Gavin smirked. He reached for a napkin and reached over to clean a smudge off Elena's cheeks to her utmost surprise. She blushed in return.

"Sorry, sorry. You just looked too cute with ice cream on your cheeks," Elena laughed. "Are you always this flirty?"

"No, I'm kind of shy actually but there is something about you that makes me want to tell you everything about myself and how beautiful you are."

It was words like these that made her think back to Marcus for a brief second. Marcus had never complimented her, not even when she put effort into looking good for their dates. He would show up in a different designer suit, open the door for her and then drive off to their destination. He would not say a word to her except it was necessary.

"I'm sorry I did not mean to come off too strong or anything—" Gavin backtracked once he noticed Elena had been quiet for too long.

"It's okay, thank you. I don't mind compliments, it has just been too long since I received one."

"Well you deserve to hear it every day," that made Elena blush even harder. What was this man doing to her?

"So tell me, what made you like ice cream so much?" Gavin asked, his eyes intently staring at Elena as he changed the subject.

"I don't know, it feels like home. I remember when my parents used to take I and my sister out for ice cream on Sundays, in a parlour just like this. It's one of my favourite memories from my childhood," Elena did not want to put a damper on the fun mood but she could not help but frown at the thought, she was so used to pushing them away.

"You look sad, Did I intrude? I'm sorry,"

"No. It's not you. It's just hard to enjoy this ice cream when half of my family is gone and one-fourth of it is fighting for her life." Elena's eyes widened, she did not mean to let that slip and by the look of horror on Gavin's face she had destroyed one of the best nights of her life.

"I— I did not mean to say that." She hurriedly picked up her back and stood up. "I have to go, thanks for the ice cream—" She was about to leave when Gavin stood up too and held her hand, preventing her from taking another step.

"Hey, it's okay. It's okay." Elena took deep breaths, trying to focus on his smooth and soothing voice. "I just— I did not want to put a damper on your mood, I'm sorry. I think it's best if I leave."

"If you want to leave fine, but I will walk you home." Gavin's tone was much like Marcus, it did not give her a choice, it was commanding and it sent chills down her spine.

"Okay."

They walked out of the ice cream parlour in silence. The night was a bit cold. It made Elena regret wearing a sundress. She wrapped her arms around herself trying to keep warm, but she was failing.

Gavin noticed this, he shrugged off his coat and wrapped it around her in a second. "You need this more than I do." He told her, gesturing to the long-sleeved shirt he wore underneath his jacket.

"Thank you."

Elena did not know what was worse, the fact that she had a boyfriend but she was leading this man on, or the fact that she did not care about her so-called boyfriend. He had not even bothered to check up on her the entire night. But there she was, wearing a stranger's jacket and loving every minute of it.

"Elena," Gavin said after a moment of silence. "About what happened at the ice cream parlour. You did not ruin anything. I know what it feels like to lose your parents. I lost my mom when I was nine, my dad died long before I was born. My mom got married to a rich and grumpy soul, but he treated her like garbage just because he was paying her medical bills at the time. He did not like me too, he liked his other son and so did the rest of my family members. When my mom died, it got worse for me. Those people were never my family, and now I was just a poor orphan they had to keep. Forever in the shadow of their trophy son." Elena could not help but stare at Gavin, he looked miserable talking about it.

"I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. Losing a parent is hard, and I'm sorry about your other family member in the hospital." Elena reached for Gavin's hand and squeezed it. And they continued their walk to her apartment in silence.

"This is my stop," Elena announced once they arrived at her apartment building.

Unlike Marcus, Gavin did not have a disgusted look on his face as they walked down the street and past the worn-out apartments.

"It was nice meeting you, Elena. I don't think I have met anyone like you," Elena grinned at him. "Same. It's really hard to meet someone with such good taste," Gavin laughed.

"I guess I will see you whenever. Can I have your number?" Elena quickly gave him her number and he did the same.

"Today was great, I'm glad I met you."

"I'm glad too, one in a million."

Elena could have sworn Gavin took a step further, she did not know if he was reaching out for a hug or a kiss but it suddenly made her snap back into reality— she had possibly gone on a date with this charming man she had just met even if she had a boyfriend and he was making a move on her but she was not moving away, what was she thinking?