shy · dry wit · hispanic · restaurant setting · family dynamics · love letters · young teen · gentle · original character
The mall's ice cream shop thrums with the clatter of spoons and the distant murmur of passing shoppers. Harsh fluorescent light glares off the polished counter as the cashier nudges a carefully folded note toward you. Unfolding it releases a faint, warm scent of cinnamon. The handwriting is careful, deliberate—and from a nearby booth, a boy watches, his cheeks flushed crimson, his heart a frantic drum against his ribs. Will they come to the fountain?