"Here."
He extended his arm to hold out a peace offering to the fuming brunette. He knew that rejection in the form of a shrug, a slap, or a cold shoulder was just as likely as acceptance. Drew was hoping for the latter, but he braced himself for anything.
"What is this?" While she was trying to act cool and nonchalant, Drew knew that the sight of the ice cream cone had piqued May's interest and brought a sparkle to her eyes. The moment that she turned her gaze away from the distant trees and onto the cone in his hand, her entire demeanor had transformed. The change was subtle, and she actually was doing a decent job of hiding her delight; however, Drew could read her better than most people could. She didn't give him enough credit for that.
"It's an apology." He stretched his arm out a little further, patiently awaiting her response. Secretly he hoped that she would make up her mind soon, before two scoops of chocolate melted onto his hand.
"An apology?" she echoed. The brunette didn't sound thoroughly convinced. Her earlier words still rang clearly in Drew's mind: Yes, I am upset with you! Don't you think for a second that a simple rose is going to solve your problems, you big showoff!
Now she seemed to be conflicted, wrinkling her nose in indecision. Finally, she sighed and swiped the ice cream cone out of his hand. Drew strove to conceal the burst of pride that was swelling inside him, although the corners of his mouth did twitch upward. He didn't have to think for a long time in order to decide that a sweet treat would be the best remedy to soothe May's rage. Why didn't she realize that he knew her better than she thought he did?
"What's with that look?" she asked suspiciously after her first bite of ice cream.
"Nothing," he responded casually, and then he motioned to the seat beside her on the bench. "May I?"
She didn't give a direct answer, but instead shrugged as if she didn't care what he did either way. When he sat down, though, she did seem to suddenly become a bit warmer, and discomfort began to emanate from her.
"What's that?" she asked, now nodding at Drew's other hand. A single scoop of strawberry ice cream rested atop a waffle cone. She hadn't glanced at the green-haired boy once; ever since this morning, she had managed to avoid making eye contact with him. Well, no matter what her mood may be, he knew that he would always come second to food in her book, anyway.
"I wanted ice cream, too. They didn't have pistachio, so this was my next best option."
"Pistachio?" She almost cracked a smile, but she turned her face away before he could confirm it. "Why? Because it matches your hair?" She tilted her head back to smirk at him.
Drew rolled his eyes and took a lick of his ice cream. "No. I like the flavor. Although the fact that it is my favorite color does help."
May shook her head woefully. "Really? It's too nutty for me." She sighed. "Pistachio and strawberry, huh? Poor Drew will never understand the true glory of good ice cream flavors, like chocolate." Her eyes lit up once more and she happily continued to devour her snack.
"I like that it's a little nutty." Maybe she would refuse to look at him, but that didn't stop Drew from fixing his green gaze on her. Right now he had a wonderful view of her profile, splashed with sunlight in a way that made shadows fall in all the right places—especially on her little nose. The sight of her blue eyes glimmering like sapphires always stirred a flame within him; this was the same sparkle that they held when she battled him, yet currently it seemed softer and more inviting. Maybe she'd never turn this gentler gaze in his direction, but as long as he had opportunities to catch a glimpse of it, when she was in moments of (near) total happiness, then that would suffice.
"It's dripping!"
Drew's attention snapped back to the present as May's voice penetrated his ears. He looked down and saw that his ice cream was, in fact, dripping. Before he even had time to look for a napkin, May had practically lunged forward to capture the pastel pink drip. Her tongue swept upward from halfway down the cone all the way to the top of the strawberry scoop. Drew just stared at her, completely shocked and admittedly a bit flustered.
"Crisis averted!" May finally looked up at him, as if she expected a "thank you" or at least some sort of acknowledgement. Instead, she met Drew's pink face and perplexed green eyes. Now it was her turn to grow embarrassed as her face became as red as her bandana. She leaned backward immediately, barely suppressing a startled squeak. "Y-you should never waste food around me! By the way, you're welcome!" She buried her face in her own ice cream cone, perhaps hoping to hide the blush spreading like Flame Burst on her cheeks.
Drew looked down at his cone, still slightly dazed. "I was a little careless," he uttered at last, and he flicked his bangs out of his eyes in a habitual fashion. "I'd never intentionally waste food around you. My apologies." He watched her curiously as she slowly lifted her head away from her ice cream. Slowly, hesitantly, she lifted her eyes to meet his for the first time in hours. "Now you're the one who's making a mess," he told her with a chuckle. She had emerged from her cone with a small dab of chocolate on the tip of her little nose.
"Really? Where?" May looked down at her cone, examining it for drips. Drew laughed and poked her cheek, causing her to swing her head around to look at him.
"Right here." With a swift, graceful flick of his finger, Drew swept the chocolate off of her face. He then delicately licked the chocolate off of his own hand. "Hmm, maybe you're right. Chocolate is pretty good." Her face was now as red as a Voltorb and she began mumbling something under her breath. "Earlier, you took a lick of my ice cream. Now we're even," he stated simply.
"We aren't even until this contest is over and the ribbon is in my hands," she blurted out, blushing madly. She shoved the rest of the cone in her mouth and jumped to her feet. May took a step as if she were about to walk away without another word, but then she whirled around to face Drew. Slowly, carefully, she leaned in over his ice cream cone until their foreheads were touching. "I'll forgive you this time," she murmured, "but in the future, if you buy a snack to cheer me up, just share one with me." He opened his mouth as if her were about to respond, but instead he just stared at her for a minute, mouth hanging agape. "You haven't even finished half of yours. Do you want it or not?"
Looking for more food. Of course. He probably should have expected that. Drew pulled his head back and lifted his cone for her to take. A smile crept onto his face as he watched her walk away, calling out her Pokémon to finish their appeal training. "She's a strange one." Perhaps he did have a taste for things that were a little nutty.