“Here we go.” He pulled into the ice-cream shop, and it wasn’t long before she was red in the face, laughing at his jokes. They sat outside at a small table, the air sweet and cool, like their dessert. People mingled about, talking and carrying on. Cars drove past, and life was good.
“Mmm!” She licked at her cone, tracing a dark purple drizzle of the delicious stuff.
His gaze was transfixed on the action. Focused on her tongue.
“You’re coming over tonight,” he said matter-of-factly as he gobbled up his ice-cream, the same flavor as hers. He seemed in a big hurry to finish.
“No I’m not.” She took another satisfying lick.
“We’ll see about that. You want some water?”
“I’m fine. Thanks.” He offered her a few extra napkins to wrap around her cone. “Thank you.” As she took them from his grasp, their gazes hooked, making her freeze. Swallowing, she waited as he leaned in to press his soft lips against hers. The warmth of his breath blended with the nip in the air, his arm wrapped around her waist, drawing her closer. She stiffened, then relaxed at the taste of his tongue entering her mouth. Slow and easy, he intensified the kiss, yet at a measured, controlled pace. When he pulled away, she was breathless.
And he went back to licking his ice cream, real slow…
Stay strong, English. Don’t go home with this bastard tonight! I know your pussy wants him, but you must resist. Fight the power!
They resumed their lighthearted conversation, discussing everything from their favorite drink to the worst 90s TV show. She noticed quite a few people staring at them. One man, however, stood out. He’d just come out of the eatery, holding a three-scoop bowl of chocolate ice cream. It was the oddest thing. He just kept ogling them as if they were characters on a television screen.
“What are you looking at?” Axel glared back at the man who was shifting his gaze between the two of them like one would at a tennis match.
I should’ve known he’d noticed him, too.
“You. That’s who. Disgusting. This is a good Christian neighborhood.”
“Go on somewhere, man. Leave us the hell alone.” Axel shooed the guy away, then flashed her a gorgeous smile. Perhaps the guy was drunk, but one rarely needed liquid courage to be a full-blown racist. An inflated sense of self-importance, paranoia, and hateful mantras were usually enough to fuel that fire.
“You should be ashamed of yourself!” the man yelled so loud, he garnered more attention. This was the second time in one night that things had gone from zero to ten.
“We’re minding our business. I suggest you do the same,” English stated as she shook her head in aversion.
“Couldn’t you find a Black man? Couldn’t you find a White woman? What’s wrong with you two?!”
“Sir, please don’t do that. Just leave ’em alone. They ain’t hurtin’ nobody,” someone spoke up, clearly irritated with the situation as well.
She looked down at her lap, her stomach sinking. She’d had to face such reactions before, but she felt cheated in the worst way. She was having a good time with Axel, and now, it was being ruined again, by yet another person who wanted something he wasn’t supposed to have. First, it was a phone; now, their peace of mind. Anger and sadness boiled within her. I can’t ever have shit go right lately…
“Your mama sure must be proud!”
Axel calmly placed his ice cream down in the paper bowl, scoop first, and slowly got to his feet.
“Motherfucker, you wanna go? Let’s go.”
“Axel, no! No!”
“I ain’t scared of you, boy! Somebody needs to tell you the truth. If you don’t like what I’m saying, you can leave.”
“I’m not going any damn where, and neither is she.”
“Axel…”
“I told you to come on over here. If you’re feelin’ froggy, jump,” Axel continued, ignoring her pleas to disengage with this chump. “You wanna fuck around? You’re about to find out!”
“I’m not about to fight with you. I’m just telling you we don’t like that sort of thing, ’round here. I don’t have no issue with colored people.” He waved his hand around as if that somehow made everything okay. Cleared him from being a bigot. “But we ain’t supposed to be race mixing. It’s in the Bible. That’s what’s wrong with this country. Nobody has the courage to stand up for the Word of God, and what’s right anymore! Gay marriage, and all this nonsense! In today’s society, men want to be women. Get their manhood cut off and smear makeup all over their faces. Like that makes ’em a lady all of the sudden. Women want to be men. Walk around in work boots, grow beards, and cut their hair short as the fuzz on a fly’s rear-end. Folks wanna freeload off my tax dollars instead of getting a job to earn an honest living, or smart-off at the police, run off, and be surprised when they’re shot dead for breakin’ the law. Do the crime, do the time.”