Mango Flavored Ice Cream

Cute Fluff

Part 2

“So I take it the date went well?” Amber asked as she twirled the basketball in her hand.

“You bet! We’re going out to dinner tomorrow.” Key nodded excitedly. “Thanks for agreeing to the double date, Amber.”

Amber nodded and went back to dribbling the basketball near her feet.

“What about you and Suzy?” Key suddenly asked.

“What about us? I only went as a favor for you. I’m not interested in her.”

“Oh,” Key nodded. “I just thought since she really seemed to like you and you’re not dating anyone right now—”

“Actually, there’s someone I like,” Amber interrupted.

Key immediately straightened up. “Who?”

Amber glanced down at her feet. She wasn’t ready to tell Key just yet. “Just...someone.”

Key noticed the look and knew better than to pry. “Well, whoever it is, you like her a lot, don’t you.” It was more of a statement than a question.

Amber bit her lip and sighed. Was she that obvious? It has already been two weeks since she last spoke to Krystal and she missed her terribly. After their brief meeting at the ice cream shop, Amber decided to follow Yuri’s advice and give the girl some alone time. Now, she only sees glimpses of Krystal in class. She doesn’t even get to hear the girl’s lovely voice anymore.

“Don’t worry. You’ll figure something out.” Key patted the tomboy’s back encouragingly.

“Thanks,” Amber muttered.

~~~

It has now been three full weeks since Amber last spoke to Krystal and she was seriously suffering from withdrawal. Because she had to completely back off, she would often times find herself following the younger girl from a distance around campus and just staring at her like a total creep. If Krystal had known, Amber was sure she would be dealing with a restraining order of some kind.

Eventually, the withdrawal got so unbearable Amber decided it was time she did something. She could no longer keep herself away anymore. It was torture. She needed to talk to the girl and soon. Maybe even tell her how she feels?

Having prepared herself the whole day, Amber spotted Krystal standing outside on campus all by herself after classes had ended for the day.

“Ok,” Amber took a deep breath to calm herself. “Just go up to her and say hi. It’s easy.”

After a few more breaths, Amber confidently strolled up to the girl and greeted her.

“Hi.”

Krystal spun around at the sound of her voice and stared at the girl in surprise. “O-oh, h-hi, Amber.”

Amber’s heart fluttered. She couldn’t believe Krystal knew her name and was aware of the fact that she existed.

“How are you?” Amber managed to ask despite her giddiness.

“Good.” Krystal gave a small nod as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ears.

Amber had to fight the urge to reach over and touch Krystal’s silky hair. Don’t be creepy, Amber. You’ll scare her away and that’s not what you want to do.

“You?” Krystal asked softly.

Ugh, why is she so beautiful? Just look at those pretty eyes, that fair complexion, that cute nose, the faint blush on her cheeks...and those lips... Amber found herself staring at those pink lips, wanting to kiss them.

“A-are you okay?” Krystal’s voice pulled the tomboy out from her trance.

Amber blinked a few times and rubbed her neck awkwardly, hoping that the younger girl didn’t realize what she was thinking about just now. “Sorry,” she smiled cutely. “I’m good.” Especially now that I’m able to speak with you again.

Krystal only tilted her head curiously without saying anything.

“Wait. A-are you going somewhere?” Amber asked anxiously when she saw Krystal turn away from her. She can’t let her leave yet, not until she tells her what she was doing here. She wanted to confess but would Krystal run away from her if she did? Would Krystal be repulsed by the mere sight of her if she did?

Krystal looked back and pouted slightly. “Actually, I have something to do. There’s someone I need to see.”

“Who?”

“Hyukjae...”

“Lee Hyukjae?” Amber couldn’t believe what she was hearing.  This guy was the biggest jerk in class. Scratch that, he was the biggest jerk on campus. “But why? He’s such a jerk.”

Krystal bit her bottom lip nervously. “There’s something I need to give him.”

Amber stared at the girl and suddenly blurted out what was on her mind. “Do you like him?” It wasn’t really her business but she had to know. Even if Krystal’s answer would crush her heart to pieces, she had to hear it from the girl.

Krystal looked up in surprise. “What? No...”

A wave of relief immediately washed over the tomboy and she relaxed considerably. “Then why...?”

“Jieun asked me for a favour,” Krystal muttered, not looking excited about it one bit.

“Oh. Then can I come with?” Amber asked but instantly regretted it. . Was that a weird question? Is she gonna think I’m a creepy weirdo now? Well, she probably already does so it shouldn’t make that much of a difference...

“Um...” Krystal looked a bit perplexed by the question. “S-sure, I guess?”

“Great!” Amber was too excited by the permission given that she took a step forward and grabbed the girl’s hand. It was a pretty bold move and she flinched inwardly when she realized what she had done. What if she hits me? But despite the worry building up inside her, Amber couldn’t help but revel in the fact that she was actually holding the girl’s hand in hers. The hand felt so soft and warm that just thinking about having to let go sometime later made Amber sad. Ugh, stop being such a creep.

“W-what are you doing?” Krystal stared at the tomboy with wide eyes, clearly surprised by the sudden body contact.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Amber grinned at the girl, playing it cool. She was silently grateful no violence was unleashed on her. “I’m coming with you to see that Douchebag Hyukjae.”

“O-oh, okay...” Krystal stuttered and started walking. She didn’t remove her hand from Amber’s grasp which made the tomboy elated.

Together, they walked side by side across campus. It had to be one of the best moments of Amber’s life. Not only does she get to hold Krystal’s hand but they look like a campus couple heading to their next class.

After making their way around one of the engineering buildings, Amber spotted Hyukjae standing with his friends underneath a tree. Krystal removed her hand from Amber’s hold and the older girl swore her heart dropped a little.

Krystal suddenly became very tense as they neared. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a red notebook. Amber watched the younger girl take a few deep breaths before stopping in front of Hyukjae.

“Hi, Jieun asked me to give you this.” Krystal held out the notebook for the guy in the middle.

“What was that?” Hyukjae laughed smugly, pretending not to have heard her.

Amber clenched her hands and narrowed her eyes at the guy. He’s always like that. It makes her want to punch him and his jerkface friends in the gut.

“Jieun asked me to give you this,” Krystal repeated herself and gestured the notebook forward.

Hyukjae grinned lazily and crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you sure it’s not you who wants to give me this notebook? You look pretty enough to date.” He then looked Krystal up and down, checking her body out.

Amber’s eyes twitched as her insides boiled. It was official; Hyukjae is the biggest jerk of the century. Krystal didn’t look happy one bit and Amber gently placed her hand against her back. She then flashed the girl a soft smile when their eyes met. After nodding lightly, Amber took the notebook from Krystal’s hand and slapped it against Hyukjae’s chest.

“Here Lee, take it,” Amber bit out before grabbing Krystal by the wrist and pulling her away.

When they were a considerable distance away from the group, Amber finally released Krystal’s wrist.

“Thanks,” Krystal spoke first and Amber smiled.

“Anytime. Hyukjae’s a total so ignore his remarks.”

Krystal observed her with those gorgeous brown eyes and Amber’s heart melted into goo. She didn’t know how long she could stand there under that sweet gaze before her legs give out when her phone started vibrating in her pocket.

Amber pulled her phone out and answered. “Hello?”

“Amber, you’re late.” It was Yuri.

“Oh crap,” Amber cursed under her breath. “I’ll be right there,” Amber said before ending the call. She turned to Krystal and smiled apologetically. “Sorry, but I have to go. I was supposed to be at work fifteen minutes ago.”

A look of guilt passed Krystal’s face. “I’m sorry. I made you late for work.”

“No!” Amber exclaimed. “It’s not your fault. I was the one who wanted to come with you. Don’t worry about it, my boss is pretty lenient.” A white lie. “He probably won’t even notice. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

Krystal looked uncertain but nodded. “Okay. Sure. That would be nice.”

That would be nice? Amber almost let her inner school girl’s giggles escape. She quickly masked it with a wide grin. “Great! I’ll see you in class then.” She then sprinted off. She turned her head around to see Krystal giving her a small wave and was so excited she almost tripped on the sidewalk. She was always a total er for anything Krystal did.

When Amber got to work, her boss chewed her out mercilessly, but it was all worth it. Krystal was worth it.

“I see you’re grinning stupidly,” Yuri commented as she threw the dirty rag into the sink.

“I talked to Krystal today,” Amber told the girl. “She knew my name.”

Yuri snorted. “I’m pretty sure she’d know your name by now.”

Amber furrowed her brows in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“You’re kidding, right? I thought you said you guys went to the same high school?”

“Yeah, we did. But what does that have to do with anything? She didn’t even know that I existed back then.”

“Oh wow, you really are dense.” Yuri shook her head.

“What are you talking about?” asked Amber.

“Do you remember that year you received that gold necklace for Secret Santa at school?”

Amber frowned and pulled out the necklace from underneath her shirt. “Yeah, it has been my favorite necklace ever since.”

“Give it here.” Yuri held out her palm.

“What? Why?” Amber asked as she reached behind her neck to unclasp the chain. She then placed it in Yuri’s open hand.

Yuri picked the necklace up and dangled the pendant in front of Amber’s face. “What does the back say?”

Amber squinted at the small lettering. “Jung’s Jewelry,” she murmured. Wait... What?! Amber glanced back at Yuri, not really grasping what she was seeing.

“Do you really think that just anyone’s going to gift you a two hundred dollar necklace for Secret Santa?”

Amber almost choked on her spit. Two hundred dollars? She stared at Yuri in disbelief. “W-what are you saying?”

Yuri rolled her eyes, “Do I really have to spell it out for you? Fine. Krystal Jung likes you. She has to like you because why else would she gift you something so precious?”

“B-but...How do you know she’s not handing out necklaces every year since her family’s the one making them?” Amber was afraid to get her hopes up.

“Well, her sister mentioned that the following year, she gave her recipient a box of candy. I think that says something about how she feels about you.”

Amber blinked. It seemed so unreal to her. Krystal knew her all along? And might’ve even liked her? Oh my god, Krystal Jung might have feelings for me...?!

As Amber was lost in the hundreds of different emotions swirling through her, Yuri suddenly cleared and jerked her head to the side.

Amber turned her head slowly. Her eyes met Krystal’s and her heart almost stopped from shock. She didn’t hear us talking just now, right...?

Amber glanced at Yuri who shook her head. Apparently not.

“Hi.” Amber croaked out dryly.

“Hi.” Krystal smiled softly. “One tub of mango flavored ice cream, please.”

Amber noticed the faint flush of Krystal’s cheeks and her insides warmed. “Sure,” she nodded and started preparing the ice cream.

“You...You didn’t get in much trouble, right?” Krystal asked.

Amber silently grinned to herself at Krystal being worried about her. “No, my boss didn’t mind,” she lied.

Krystal nodded, her cheeks turning an adorable shade of pink.

Yuri who was standing next to Amber giggled and nudged the tomboy with her foot.

“Here you go,” Amber smiled and handed the ice cream to Krystal.

Krystal took the tub of ice cream and paid for them before thanking the girl.

“Have a nice day,” Amber finished off lamely as Krystal disappeared out the door.

“You are so head over heels for her it’s ridiculous,” Yuri burst out laughing and poked Amber’s cheek. “And so adorable!”

Amber rolled her eyes and swatted the hand away. “Stop it.”

~~~

It was past ten o’clock when Amber finished her shift at the ice cream shop. As soon as she bid goodnight to Yuri, she immediately drove over to Krystal’s apartment. Yuri had given her the address.

Amber parked the car in front of the building and took a deep breath. Her heart was beating heavily against her chest. She gathered all her courage and stepped out of the car. She bravely strolled into the building and took the elevator up to the fifth floor.

After taking a couple of deep breaths, Amber knocked on the door in front of her.

A few seconds later, the door opened and Amber couldn’t help but be surprised by the younger girl’s appearance. Krystal’s hair had been pulled back into a loose ponytail and she was wearing her pajamas which were covered in little white llamas. She looked undeniably attractive.

The spoon that was hanging from Krystal’s mouth fell to the floor when she saw Amber. Her jaw dropped. “A-amber,” she said incredulously.

Amber smiled nervously. “Hi. You’re probably wondering what I’m doing here, right?”

Krystal nodded slowly, confusion visible in her eyes.

“Can I...Can I come in?” Amber raked a hand through her hair.

Krystal stepped aside to give the girl access.

“Thanks.” Amber took a few steps forward, her heart beating crazily against her chest. Hopefully coming here doesn’t turn out to be a big mistake.

“Sit down.” Krystal said softly as she gestured to the couch. The TV was on but the sound muted.

Amber sat down on the couch after moving the pillows out of the way and noticed a half empty tub of ice cream on the coffee table. It was the same tub Krystal had bought earlier that day. Amber had to bite down on her tongue to keep herself from smiling.

Krystal came to sit beside the girl. She cleared and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear before looking at the older girl. “...S-so, um, what brings you here?”

Amber turned her body slightly so she could look into the younger girl’s eyes. Okay, Amber. This is it. You can do it. Just like how you practiced.

“What do people wear on their feet when they go out?” Amber asked.

“What?” Krystal furrowed her brows in confusion but answered nonetheless. “Shoes,” she said, drawing the word out, her lips naturally puckering due to the nature of the word.

Amber took this opportunity to lean in and brush her lips softly against Krystal’s. She felt Krystal freeze in shock. She slowly pulled back, afraid she was going to get punched in the face.

Krystal stared at the girl in surprise.

Amber took a deep breath. “I like you, Krystal,” she told her sincerely. She could feel her cheeks turning warm as the words finally left her lips. She felt much lighter after confessing but the lightness disappeared when Krystal still sat there frozen.

Amber became worried. Dread began washing over her as she continued to watch her. It was too late to turn back now. “I...I uh...I’ve liked you for over four years now from the moment you said ‘move’ to me because I was blocking the doorway to class like a total idiot. I thought that you’d never notice me. You have no idea how happy I was when I found out that we were going to the same college and even ended up in some of the same classes. You are the most beautiful person to ever exist on this world. Like seriously, how do you look so beautiful all the time?”

Krystal blushed.

“It might sound crazy, but I like you so much that I suffer from withdrawal when I don’t speak to you at least once a day. I could stare at you forever and I’d still feel like I haven’t had enough of you. A simple greeting or smile from you and my heart melts into goo. Krystal, I like you so much that I’ve... fallen in love with you.” Amber confessed, baring herself to the younger girl.

After a moment of silence, Krystal finally started to move again. She blinked several times, her eyes still holding Amber’s gaze. She looked hesitant, as if she didn’t believe all that Amber had said.

Amber felt a little hurt by that. She didn’t want Krystal to think she was just saying random things. She really meant every word, with all of her heart.

Krystal eyes searched hers for a while before she closed them. She then let out a deep breath. “...Amber.”

Amber reached out and took the younger girl’s hands in hers, fearing her rejection.

But Krystal broke out into a smile. It was the most beautiful smile Amber had ever seen and her heart fluttered.

“I’ve...I’ve always noticed you, Amber.” Krystal spoke as her cheeks flushed red. “You’re always so kind and friendly to everyone. Even though I’m shy and seem cold and distant, you always listen to what I have to say. It really means a lot to me. Honestly, I fell for you pretty quickly and it always scared me – knowing how my body seems to react whenever you’re around me. My heart does crazy things when you get near and I don’t know how to deal with that... that’s why I’ve always kept my distance from you.”

Krystal’s words sunk in. She likes me. Amber was trying her best to wrap her mind around it. Krystal Jung has always liked me... even though I was an idiot, she likes me...

“Amber?”

Amber snapped out of her daze and grinned widely. “Yes?”

Krystal decided she should return the favor. “What color is the couch?”

Amber blinked, and from the corner of her eyes saw the color. “Blu—” she replied but was cut off before she could finish. Krystal had pressed her lips softly against hers.

It was crazy what was happening and Amber had to wrap her arms around Krystal to make sure she was really kissing her. She could faintly taste the sweet mango flavored ice cream on Krystal’s lips and knew for a fact that it would be her favorite flavor from now on till forever.

fin.