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The girl behind the counter went to work at making our orders, and she passed Natasha’s off first. She licked the birthday cake ice cream while looking at Harry. “This was such a good idea.”
He smiled at her as she walked off toward the booth, and as soon as she passed, his smile fell away. “So, I know what you’re probably thinking,” Harry said suddenly, voice cautious. “Natasha overheard us talking about ice cream and wanted to come.”
“It’s totally okay,” I said as nonchalantly as I could, trying to will my words into reality. “The more the merrier.”
“Trust me, I wish it was just us.”
“And Addy and Vincent,” I added.
But Harry’s gaze softened as his shoulder brushed mine. “Just us.”
A thread of pleasant heat unfurled in my stomach, fanning out everywhere. In all honesty, I wanted that too. I wanted to talk with him and laugh with him, to hear more about his past and aspirations. Harry was someone I could be comfortable around, and I wanted more.
Also, his shoulder brushing mine? I wanted more of that, too.
“Blue goo in a cup,” the girl said as she sat it on the counter, then went to work on Harry’s order. She’d cut into the moment effectively, but the electricity still clung to the air.
Addy and Vincent had picked out a U-shaped booth so we’d all fit. Natasha slid in first beside Vincent, and Harry sat down next to her, leaving me to climb in at the end. I fluffed my coat over my lap, meeting Addy’s gaze. “So, what do you think?” she asked, jutting her chin at my cup.
I loaded my plastic spoon with ice cream and took a bite. Vincent looked at me expectantly, waiting for my decision. It was all right—the sugary goodness of the vanilla tasted delicious, but the blue was a little sour. “Not as gross as Harry said,” I finally decided, mixing my spoon around until the blue blended in.
“Told you,” Vincent said to his friend, eyes dancing as he popped another spoonful into his mouth. “You should try it sometime, Harry. You might like it.”
“You can try a bite of mine,” I said, offering the cup out to Harry, but when I looked over, I locked eyes with Natasha.
Sitting with Harry’s ex was awkward, and I wished I knew the circumstances of their breakup because when she looked at me like that—her expression so hard—it felt as if I overstepped boundaries.
Harry, though, didn’t notice the tension. Instead, he picked my spoon up out of the cup, scooping the tiniest bite possible. Without preamble, he stuck the spoon in his mouth, then slid it out past his lips.
His extremely soft-looking lips. Touching the spoon that’d been in my mouth seconds ago.
Harry shuddered, making a face. “Ew, whatisthat?”
“Blue raspberry,” Vincent answered.
“Why would you like something so sour?” He stuck the spoon back into the ice cream and passed it back to me, fingertips brushing mine as he did so. “I’ll stick with my chocolate.”
From where I sat, I had a better view of Harry’s tattoo from the side, the fingers more visible. The way his hair curled over his ear, the way his tattoo kissed his throat. He was so unique, and Ilikedit. I liked him.
Harry looked over at me then, the moment between us simmering.
“So, Stella,” Natasha cut in, drawing my attention to her. “You’ve been coming to the gigs for a while, right? Are you a fan?”
I had to clear my throat. “Yeah, I am. Your music is really good.”
For the first time, she smiled a little, and it looked genuine. “Thanks. It’s been a long time coming—at least for Harry and me. Right, Harry?”
Harry stuffed another spoonful of his ice cream into his mouth, saving him from answering.
“He’s always been super musical,” Natasha told the table, gaze bouncing around to everyone before landing back at him. “Even in high school, you were into music. I’m gladthatdidn’t fade over the past year.”
“You and Harry made music on your own before Vincent joined, right?” Addy asked, leaning back against her seat. Vincent’s arm draped over it, and she seemed to press closer to him unconsciously. “Vincent mentioned you were looking for a drummer when he joined.”
“Yeah, we played songs before that,” Harry replied, drumming his fingers quickly on the tabletop. “Nothing serious. Never had a place to perform before Crushed Beanz.”
Natasha chuckled at that, laying her hand on his arm. “Plus, we hadn’t really been doing anything for long before Vincent. Harry didn’t want to sing again for months after he—”
“Moved out,” Harry finished for her quickly, staring down at his cup. “Moving out and getting on my feet on my own was…difficult.”
