elira had been doing an instagram livestream for her fans, as she tried to do often, in order to keep them updated on her life and the status of sainted intentions. today, however, she found herself running out of things to talk about, so she started an impromptu game. to put it simply, her viewers would give her a dare to do, and she’d either ignore it and read the next one, or she’d do it. boring to explain, but the numbers in the livestream seemed to keep growing, so she knew she was doing something right.
she had been sitting outside on a pier, even though it was far too cold to be by the water. that never seemed to stop her, nor the tourists that flocked to the beach every winter. so, as she sat on a bench, wind blowing through her hair, her viewers seemed to notice someone standing behind her holding an ice cream cone. she leaned closer to the screen, noticing a comment that said, ‘lick that person’s ice cream cone lol’. she turned her head to eye the person up, seeing if they looked like the kind of person to punch her in the face or not. but, as the adrenaline inside her took over, she simply held a finger up to the camera before standing up and making her way slowly over to the person, trying to act as nonchalant as possible. as she noticed them look away, she leaned forward, taking a long lick of the ice cream that slid right off the cone and onto the boardwalk. she gasped, trying her best to hold back her laughter as she placed a hand over her mouth, but to no avail. “i’m so sorry,” she spoke through laughs, leaning over a bit as she tried to collect herself.
despite winter looming, the weather was still hospitable and somewhat warm. a few people who’d lived in florida their whole lives could be seen bundled in more clothes than strictly necessary, but having grown up in one of the coldest states in the country, benjamin had no complaints with the weather in the slightest. at his mother’s request and zadie’s insistence, benjamin had to ‘chaperone’ the fourteen year old and her friends as they hung out on the beach. benjamin knew how to keep his distance of course, but he knew he’d rather be at home painting than sitting on this boardwalk and watching the tide roll in. but if it made his mother feel better and gave his sister a chance to hang out with friends, he didn’t hesitate in accommodating the request.
with a sketchbook in one hand and an ice cream in the other, benjamin watched the cacophony of people enjoy themselves that afternoon. holding his sister’s ice cream whilst she quickly went to the bathroom, benjamin simply sat there in absolute boredom until he saw a figure loom to his side. his heartbeat quickened, as he feared the worst ; socialisation. gulping hard and avoiding eye contact, benjamin almost didn’t realise what happened. one minute, he was sitting there, everything was fine. the next... some woman licked his sister’s ice cream and left it on the ground. the stranger just began laughing, but benjamin was simply confused. “it’s, um, okay... do we know each other ? did i accidentally steal your ice cream or something ?” benjamin asked genuinely, still sincerely confused as to what had just happened.
