Having a sweet tooth, it was no surprise that Yoona applied as a server in the neighbourhood ice cream parlour when she heard that it was hiring. It didn’t hurt to earn extra cash on days when she had no classes at the university. Plus, she was entitled to try the latest flavours of handmade ice cream.
The usual flavours such as chocolate, vanilla and mint sold well but very few people were willing to try unique flavours such as sweet corn, basil or avocado. Yoona tried all of them and was amazed at the owner’s creativity.
One afternoon, time seemed to be crawling slower than a snail. There were only two customers at lunch time and no one else entered the shop since then. Yoona kept herself busy by wiping the ice cream freezer or washing the scoops so that she wouldn’t fall asleep. About mid-afternoon, the bell rang as a customer opened the door.
Yoona quickly turned off the tap and hurried to the counter. The first thing Yoona noticed was the customer’s hair colour. It was platinum blonde, a rather uncommon colour. Next, she was in awe of the smooth milky complexion the customer had.
“Do you stare at your customers much or is it only me?” the customer said with a lopsided grin.
Embarrassed, Yoona pointed to the freezer and asked what the customer wanted. She named the popular flavours, as well as, introduced the unique ones. There were ten different flavours today. Yoona leaned against the counter and watched the petite customer scrutinise each flavour closely. Usually, most people made up their minds within minutes or they would randomly pick one of the flavours Yoona recommended. However, it was not the case for this customer.
After a few minutes, the customer looked up and shrugged her shoulders.
“You sound like an ice cream connoisseur and a really pretty one too. How about surprising me with a flavour?”
Yoona blushed briefly upon hearing compliment about her looks but she dismissed it quickly. The customer’s pick-up line sounded really lame and she wasn’t intending to let the customer off so easily. Picking up the scoop, she eagerly dug up a huge scoop of balsamic strawberry ice cream onto a cone. When she handed it to the customer, she had to hold her laughter because she saw the customer’s brows knitting upon learning the flavour Yoona had selected.
Keeping her cool, the customer handed over some notes as she gamely took a big lick of her ice cream. The sourness of vinegar hit her immediately and she shuddered for a moment.
Recovering from the sourness, the customer merely thanked Yoona for introducing such a unique flavour and proceeded to finish the whole cone without much difficulty. Yoona was disappointed that her attempt to get back at the customer failed. She couldn’t understand how the customer managed to keep her cool despite tasting such an odd flavour. Once the customer left the parlour, Yoona burst into giggles. She was sure the customer wouldn’t come again after having such a bad experience.
Two days later, the same customer with platinum blonde hair appeared. The customer wore the same lopsided grin on her face and told Yoona to surprise her with a new flavour. Looking through the freezer, Yoona decided on kimchi and rice. The customer handed her debit card for payment and Yoona took note of the name on the card.
Kim Tae Yeon.
With a watchful eye, Yoona waited for the customer to eat the ice cream as she tapped on the cash register. Taeyeon squirmed for a moment before she continued to finish the ice cream.
Wiping her mouth with a napkin, Taeyeon thanked Yoona for introducing another new flavour to her. She never knew kimchi could be made into an ice cream.
Over the next few weeks, Taeyeon kept going to the ice cream parlour and without fail, asked Yoona to surprise her with a new flavour. Her frequency increased as time went on. Each time, Yoona would pick the most horrible or odd flavours for Taeyeon. Yoona become more and more curious about this petite customer who never complained about Yoona’s choice of ice cream flavour. At times, she wanted to ask if Taeyeon was really enjoying the flavours she chose or simply acting cool in front of her. In the end, she never dared to open her mouth whenever she came face to face with Taeyeon. There was just an odd sense of attraction in Taeyeon’s brown eyes that made Yoona’s heart flutter if the latter stared at the customer for a moment longer.
Finally one day, Yoona ran out of unique flavours to offer.
“Surprise me,” Taeyeon said with a smirk. “Or have you run out of ideas?”
Not wanting to admit defeat, Yoona grabbed a large waffle cone and begin piling several huge scoops of ice cream onto it. Soon, there was a mountain of flavours stacked precariously on one another. She assumed Taeyeon would be put off by it but was instead greeted with a twinkle in Taeyeon’s eyes.
“You’re the best! I love ice cream, any kind, especially if it is served by such a beautiful lady.”
Yoona felt her cheeks turn red immediately. She shoved the cone into Taeyeon’s hand and turned away, avoiding eye contact with Taeyeon.
“Ah, this raspberry ice cream resembles the colour of your cheeks!” Taeyeon teased. “I like it.”
Yoona wasn’t sure what Taeyeon was referring to in her last remark but she knew her heart was beating a little faster than normal. Maybe it was because Taeyeon had the upper hand again and she was feeling defeated. Or was it due to other reasons?
Two days later, Taeyeon returned to the ice cream parlour. Scanning the freezer, the smile on Taeyeon’s face grew wider as if she won the first prize in the lottery. Tapping her fingers on the counter, she said her usual phrase cooly. “Surprise me.”
Yoona was at her wits’ end. The owner from the ice cream parlour was out of town hence there wasn’t any new flavours. She didn’t want to repeat the same trick of piling many scoops of ice cream onto a single cone. Yet she didn’t want to admit defeat, at least not to Taeyeon.
Taking a deep breath and ignoring the insane speed at which her heart was beating, Yoona decided to do something out of her usual comfort zone. She leaned over the counter, placed her hands on either side of Taeyeon’s face and kissed her.
It was a quick peck but nonetheless Yoona felt how soft Taeyeon’s lips were. She wished she dared to linger on Taeyeon’s lips a little longer. After she pulled back, Yoona saw how surprised and flustered Taeyeon look. The petite girl was staring back at Yoona with her eyes as round as dinner plates and a reddening blush slowly creeping across her face. Taeyeon’s arms were limp and hanging by her side.
“How’s that for a surprise?” Yoona said smugly, pretending to be calm despite her erratic heartbeats.
Taeyeon grinned cheekily as placed her palms on the counter and leaned closer to Yoona.
“I would like to have second helpings.”
= The End =
A/N : Inspired by an otp prompt about flirting at an ice cream parlour.
A Time Traveller's Tales 