"You can't pick the same flavor as me," Ava tapped her foot against the shiny store floor, lips puckered between a scowl and a pout. Sam liked to call it 'a scout,' which too easily riled her up and furthered the look stretched across her face. He didn't mind it really; anything she did with her lips was pretty damn cute, "It's redundant."

"Didn't we establish that mint chocolate chip is both our favorite flavor?" Sam smirked, leaning against the clear freezer doors, "Why don't we just get two of them? It'd set us up for at least a week. Maybe even ten days."

"But don't you want to try something else?" she countered, drifting just close enough so he could catch a whiff of her pomegranate perfume. Since they'd started dating, it had grown to be of his favorite scents, rich and sultry just like her. It almost made him realize how trivial their arguing over ice cream flavors seemed. How, maybe, he should comply and score some brownie points that could eventually transact into midnight kisses in the park or lazy morning cuddles during the weekend.

Almost.

"I don't see why I have to be the one who picks the new flavor," Sam shrugged, taking a step back to avoid further distraction from her vibrant aroma, "You scared of a little change, kitty cat?"

She was about to protest, mouth opening and finger ready to fly into his face, when instead she promptly clamped her lips shut, fists curling at her hips.

"I...I get a little indecisive about this kind of stuff," Ave explained, eyes darting towards the shelves of chips and pretzels on the other side of the aisle, "I know it's really stupid, but I've been this way since I was little. I'm really...neurotic about trying new foods, I guess. I have no idea how it's going to taste if I don't like it, I've wasted two or three bucks I could have saved for something else, like food I actually like. I don't know...like I said, it's stupid."

For a moment, Sam contemplated her form, arms crossed and back turned. Was she...was she afraid of what he might think of her because of this little quirk?

Despite himself, he smiled and walked towards her, wrapping an arm around her lithe waist, "It's not stupid. I understand, babe, it's okay. Trying new things can get be a little frustrating sometimes. Like once, I tried this burrito at a Mexican restaurant and it had this funky green sauce that I'd never tried before and it totally ruined the carne asada inside."

"I know, Sam," Ava sighed, but a chuckle soon escaped after, "I was there."

"Oh," Sam returned her smile, "Right. Must of forgot, seeing as the rest of that night was so much more enticing."

"Ugh, perv," she said, pushing his face away as he attempted to pull her forward for a kiss, "Not in the ice cream aisle. A kid could come strolling by any moment now and be traumatized for life."

"They'll be okay. It'll just expand their mind a little," he replied. However, he didn't put up much more of a fight and opted to kiss the back of her hand instead, giving her a quick wink before swirling them around towards the hundreds of ice cream varieties, "Alright, back to business. Since you're so keen on us picking something different, but have a hard time trying new things, how about we decide together? I'll pay for it and everything, just in case you don't like it. Sound fair?"

"Definitely," Ava nodded, kissing him on the cheek for further encouragement, "Thank you for understanding."

"No problem," Sam tightened his hold on her waist, reveling in the feel of her taut muscles underneath the thin, cotton shirt, "Believe me, tigre, there were plenty of warning signs beforehand. I knew what I was getting into."

Ava's lips immediately drew up into another 'scout' and the desire to forget the ice cream excursion and make out with her behind the market swelled, "Ha, ha. Very funny. I could say the same thing about you, you know."

"I know," Sam chuckled, "You have. Now, let's get to picking! I don't think I can stand being this close to you without hot make-outs much longer."

Ava hummed in response, though her dark skin seemed to tinge just a shade pinker. Even a girl as tough and disciplined as the White Tiger had her moments of abashed femininity. And they were moments he always welcomed and cherished; it went to show how far they had come in letting the other in, breaking down the walls systematically built over their tough childhoods, "...what do you think about Turtle Sundae?"

"I've had that one before," he didn't miss a beat, thinking it best to let the moment pass rather than tease her and get off track once again, "Pretty good, but a lot of caramel. Can get stuck on the roof of your tongue if you're not careful."

"Hmmm, caramel is pretty tasty, but I like it better in small doses," she shook her head, stare turning towards the top shelves, "Oh! That one looks good - half-baked!"

At her excited outburst, Sam opened the freezer door and wrapped his hand around one of the containers, "Says here it's a mix of chocolate chip cookie dough and brownie fudge. Sounds pretty good in my book. You want this one or do you wanna keep searching?"

"No," Ava shook her head, already leading them towards the registers, "We can always look over different flavors next time. I decided that's the one I want to try tonight."

He grinned, "Whatever you say, kitty cat."

"You're never going to stop calling me that, are you?" she questioned, grabbing their usual mint chocolate chip selection and a can of whip cream.

"Nope," he replied "It's cute, I like it, I know you like it and just won't admit it, so I'm keeping it."

The rest of their time at the store was spent bickering back and forth about said nickname, though it ended up taking a flirtatious turn when Sam suggested what she could do with such feline attributes. Their walk home was swift and before long, they were huddled close on Ava's bed, watching the new episodes of her favorite webseries and finding the taste of half-baked ice cream "fucking divine."

And the taste, he soon discovered, was ten times more delectable when applied against his girlfriend's tongue.