His mind raced with calcutions—how much was ice cream? Did he bring Leon followed Stel as she confidently led the way to the ice cream shop. enough? Could he subtly suggest the cheapest option?

  "Please, God, let this be within my budget."

  Stel gnced at him, catching his worried expression. She grinned, tilting her head. "You look stressed, Leon. It’s just ice cream, not a five-star dinner."

  Leon scoffed. "Easy for you to say. You’re not the one paying."

  She gasped, pcing a hand over her chest in mock offense. "Are you implying my taste is expensive?"

  Leon opened his mouth, then shut it. Careful, Leon. This is a trap.

  They reached the shop, a cozy pce with warm lighting and the smell of fresh waffle cones in the air. Stel walked straight to the counter, scanning the options, while Leon lingered slightly behind, still preoccupied with his financial situation.

  "Hmm," she mused, tapping her chin. "I could go for a triple-scoop sundae with extra toppings..."

  Leon tensed. Triple scoop? Extra toppings? His fingers instinctively pressed against his wallet, as if shielding it from financial ruin.

  Then she grinned, shifting her weight to one side. "Or maybe just a single scoop of vanil."

  Leon sighed in relief. "Vanil sounds great."

  Stel turned to him, her eyes glinting with mischief. "I didn’t say I was getting vanil. I was just listing my options."

  Leon groaned, rubbing his temple. "You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?"

  She gave a light shrug. "A little."

  When it was finally time to order, Stel put on an exaggerated thoughtful expression. "You know what? I think I will go for something fancy—maybe the deluxe sundae with caramel drizzle and extra whipped cream. What do you think, Leon?"

  Leon nearly choked on air. "I—uh—well, that’s..." His fingers instinctively tightened around his wallet. He forced a casual ugh, trying to hide his panic. "That’s... a choice."

  Stel held his gaze for a moment, then burst out ughing. "Rex, I’m just messing with you. I’ll take a red velvet and vanil with raspberry sauce on top."

  Leon blinked. "Wait. That’s it?"

  She nodded, grinning. "Disappointed?"

  Leon exhaled heavily, loosening his grip on his wallet as if he had just escaped financial ruin. "I nearly had a heart attack."

  Stel ughed and stepped aside, waiting for Leon to pay for her order as promised, and Leon stepped up to get his. As they found a booth by the window, Leon shook his head. "You love doing that, don’t you?"

  Stel settled into her seat, resting an elbow on the table as she slowly stirred her ice cream with her spoon. "Oh, absolutely. It’s the highlight of my day."

  "Hmm… doesn’t this feel like a nice, rexing date?" she mused, watching him carefully.

  Leon, mid-bite, nearly choked on his ice cream. He coughed, gripping the

  edge of the table. "Sorry, wait—what?"

  His mind went into overdrive. A date? This is a date? No, no, no. She’s just messing with me. Right?

  Stel’s lips curled upward, amusement dancing in her eyes. "Teasing you never gets old. You’re in college, Leon. I’m surprised you still get flustered over conversations like this."

  Leon cleared his throat, straightening his posture. "No, I don’t."

  She raised an eyebrow. "Yes, you do. I bet you were the type in high school who had a crush—wait, did you even have a crush in high school?"

  Leon hesitated, tapping his spoon against the rim of his cup. "...."

  Before he could respond, Stel pointed at him with her spoon. "Your silence proves that you did. So even Leon is capable of having a crush."

  Leon sighed, shaking his head. "Well, of course. Everyone has a crush at some point. Even you had one in high school, right?"

  "I did, or I didn’t—that’s a topic for another time."

  Leon let out a dramatic groan. "Oh, come on, that’s not fair."

  She leaned forward slightly, resting her chin on her hand. "Seems fair to me. You were the one who let yourself be vulnerable."

  Leon exhaled, dragging a hand through his hair. "Is that so?"

  She simply hummed in response and took another bite of her ice cream, her expression unreadable.

  A comfortable silence settled between them. The clinking of spoons against cups, the soft chatter of other customers, and the hum of the shop’s background music created a rexing atmosphere. Then Stel broke the silence.

  "You know, you surprised me today."

  Leon gnced at her, raising an eyebrow. "How so?"

  She twirled her spoon between her fingers. "I didn’t actually think you’d come back for me after rejecting me."

  Leon exhaled, resting his elbows on the table. "I almost didn’t."

  Stel tilted her head. "Then why did you?"

  Leon hesitated. He wasn’t sure how to put it into words—the feeling that had gnawed at him, the voice in his head that wouldn’t shut up about regret. He shifted in his seat, staring at the st remnants of his ice cream before finally speaking.

  "...Because I knew I’d hate myself if I didn’t."

  Stel’s pyful demeanor softened. She studied him for a moment before nodding. "Well, I’m gd you did."

  Leon blinked, surprised. "You are?"

  "Yeah. You may be frustrating, but you’re not so bad, Leon."

  For some reason, that made his heart skip a beat.

  He quickly looked away, focusing on his melting ice cream. "You say that now. Give it time."

  She let out a small chuckle. "We’ll see."

  After finishing their ice cream and paying the bill, they headed for the exit. Just as they reached the door, a stranger was about to enter.

  'Oh, sorry—after you,' he said politely.

  'Well, thank you,' Stel replied, stepping through the doorway."

  Leon followed her out, shoving his hands into his pockets as the cool evening air wrapped around them.

  "What a nice guy," Stel mused. "I bet you couldn’t be as nice as him."

  Leon scoffed. "Of course I couldn’t be as nice as him—because I’d be nicer than him."

  "Ha! Impossible," Stel challenged, nudging him lightly with her elbow.

  Leon shook his head with a smirk but didn’t reply, letting his ego settle in the moment.

  Stretching her arms above her head, Stel sighed. "This was fun."

  Leon nodded. "Yeah… it was."

  She smiled. "Look at you, admitting it. Progress."

  Leon rolled his eyes. "Don’t make me regret it."

  Stel took a step back, then paused, her expression turning thoughtful. "Hey, Leon?"

  "Yeah?

  She hesitated for a second before giving him a small smile. "Thanks for coming back."

  Leon opened his mouth, but before he could reply, she turned toward the ice cream shop’s glowing entrance, her reflection faint in the gss door.

  "Ready to head out?" she asked casually.

  Leon blinked, snapping out of his thoughts. "Yeah," he muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets.

  They stepped outside together, the cool night air greeting them as the streets stretched ahead, quieter now under the dim glow of streetlights.

  Leon tucked his hands into his pockets, letting the air settle around him. Yet, despite the chill, there was an unexpected warmth lingering inside him—subtle, but impossible to ignore.

  It wasn’t just the leftover heat from the ice cream shop or the ughter they had shared. It was something deeper, something that stirred in the quiet spaces of his mind.

  He could try to name it if he wanted to, dissect it the way he did everything else. But for once, he didn’t feel the need to.

  And for the first time in a long time…

  That was okay.