he followed the call of her hand, bending down and moving as close as he could get with the divider between them. “i could always get a new hat, they have like an infinite stock of them back there.” he pointed to the back room mindlessly, knowing they would have to order another for him if he gave it away. he didn’t mind, he could always just pay it off. “no, that isn’t true at all. you came in without the hat and i thought you were pretty then too.” it was odd, usually when he flirted with a girl it was with one thing in mind, and he made that known from the beginning. this was the most innocent it had been, and he really couldn’t imagine taking his comments any further with the blonde in front of him. her clapping at his little gun show left him cheesing, unable to deny the ego boost it sent to his stupid little boy brain. “i don’t mind michael but it’s too serious. most people call me mickey.” most would hate how childish the nickname sounded, but he never grew into that stuffy i’m a serious actor now, call me michael phase most expected him to fall into. “jeans, t-shirt. i hate to admit it, but i’m very basic.”
as the tall boy leaned down, she carefully put the hat back on his head, fingers brushing back some of his soft hair behind his ears. “i think the rest of your pretty customers would be sorry they didn’t get to see the full look,” she tilted her head, grinning brightly. there were some who might think she wasn’t serious, that she was finding some way to insult the poor boy. but alice was never like that. far too often she had been on the receiving end of such comments, and she never wanted to make people feel like that. not to mention, michael really was handsome in the hat. “do you just call people pretty to get them to buy more ice cream? because that is a very effective strategy. you’re a very smart business man.” she was never used to taking complements. not very many came her way, unless it was her father, but she suspected all fathers said such things of their daughters. but as he cheesed so brightly, alice too matched his smile. it made her feel so light, to be able to brighten someone’s day like that. “okay, mickey it is. i always think alice is far too formal, but i’ve never had any friends to give me another name.” it wasn’t that alice meant to overshare, but she didn’t really think it was all that sad. it was just how she had always been. as clear by the smile she held, it didn’t affect her all that much. “if it makes you comfortable, then it’s good style.”