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The awkward silence threatens to choke me to death once we reach the elevator. The stuffy heat of the elevator almost pushes me over the edge as eerie music fills my ears. My eyes flicker over to Cody, desperately trying to search for something I can use to break the thick silence. The ironed khakis and matching polo shirt do little to spark my imagination, and his short, perfectly gelled blonde hair is certainly not helping either.
"So, how long have you lived here?" Is all I can manage to ask, my enthusiasm clearly lacking. I stare helplessly at the floor numbers as they light up, one by one, the closer we get to being out of this damn elevator.
"In this building or Vancouver?" he asks. The overwhelming urge to roll my eyes at his response takes over, and I give in.
"Both?" Thankfully, the long-awaited bell dings and the metal doors are pulled apart soon after, setting us free.
"I've lived in Vancouver my whole life, but I've only been living in this building for a year. You?"
The snob behind the desk sends us off with a half hearted wave as we step out of the open doors. The fresh air welcomes me with open arms. "Both for only a few months."
"Where are you from then, if you don't mind me asking?" We fall in step with each other down the sidewalk.
"Penticton."
"Ah, a country girl. I never would have guessed." he teases, clearly missing the unimpressed expression on my features. Country girl? Maybe it was better when he was too afraid to speak to me.
"Not exactly. It's not that small," I say with a laugh so I don't say something that would most likely hurt his feelings.
"Compared to Vancouver it is," he states matter-of-factly, turning to raise an eyebrow at me.
"Every city here is small compared to Vancouver," I shoot back before letting out a thankful sigh when we reach the small ice cream shop.
"After you." He smiles widely, holding the heavy glass door open for me. I breathe in the sweet smell happily as we move to the cashier, the different flavours displayed in the open coolers make my mouth water. Oddly enough, we are the only ones here.
The young girl standing behind the counter forces a smile—obviously not wanting to be here—before asking for our orders.
"I'll get two scoops o—" I begin.
"Two vanilla cones please," Cody says pointedly, cutting me off, ordering not only for himself but for me as well.
Oh, I don't think so.
"Just one vanilla cone, actually. I'll have two scoops of bubblegum." I smile at the girl, ignoring Cody and stand off to the side. Mister Pushy can pick up the bill.
I fold my arms over my chest as I watch him pull out his wallet and hand the employee a twenty-dollar bill. He makes his way over to me sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I did that," he says apologetically
The doorbell rings, signalling another customer. When no one walks past us, I turn around only to see that we're still the only people here. Sighing, I drop my arms and turn back around, nodding my head.
"It's okay."
"I just wanted to get to know you finally, and I've already screwed it up," he grumbles, his jaw clenched. He is clearly frustrated with himself.
"You didn't screw it up. It's okay, really." I insist, wearing a small smile. The quiet lyrics of whatever song is playing through the speakers help ease the tension as he simply nods his head in response. I try to hide my annoyance for the remainder of the date. I can't help but wonder if staying in bed would have been a better decision after all.
