Ryan and I shared glances while he drove. We were following Adam's car and after stopping at a red light, the cars coming to stop side by side. Adam and Ryan shared glances this time and none of us realised what was that about. Ryan stepped on the accelerator as soon as the light turned green and this time, out car was ahead of their's.
Adam tried a couple of times to take the lead but he couldn't. We parked the car, and Adam parked right next to our car, his side towards my passengers seat.
We stepped out side the car, where Ryan celebrated his little win, and all of us said in union, "your treat".
Ryan couldn't believe his victory would have to pay for the ice cream, anyways fun for us.

We stepped inside the shop to find Uncle John at the counter.
"Ah, my children are here", he said.
We wished him and sat on the ice cream bar that he had designed himself to make it look like a bar which was way too cool.
Uncle John knew us like his own. When we were children we would come here every Sunday for treats .
He knew who much I and Ryan loved chocolate, and how Olivia only wanted coffee caramel ice cream, how Carter loved his mint flavour and Adam couldn't stay with the blue current flavour.
As we all were seated, he got us our flavours and placed the cone tray in front of us. We picked up our flavours and since the customers weren't beyond the capacity he sat with us to talk.
"It's been so long since I saw you all", he said.
"School stuff", Carter said.
"School, hmm that's important, do you all remember how you would come here after school on Fridays?", he asked and we smiled.
"And little Olivia here once forgot her way to home and started crying?", he said and we laughed this time, while Olivia sat embarrassed.
"And you gave me strawberries till my mom came here", she said looking at him.
" Oh you remember, you were so little", John said.
"Do you remember how Ryan got kicked out of the bar over there", Carter said pointing towards a bar through the the glass window.
"And then came here while we were having chocolate ice cream", Adam finished his sentence.
"So what, I still was able to get in without an ID, I was 16 dude", Ryan said justifying himself to Adam and Carter.
"Always the notorious one", Uncle John said, poking Ryan's nose.
"Lucy you ones forgot where you had parked your car and had to call Adam to pick you up in the rain", he said.
"Ah yes and it rained so heavy that day and you gave me a hot chocolate after seeing me all wet", I remembered.
"You forgot where you parked your car, that was the dumbest thing I've ever heard", Ryan said earning a glare from me.
He raised his one hand in submission looking at the way I threw daggers at him.
Uncle John grand child went missing a few years back. His son and he weren't so close, so he lived alone with his wife now.
People thought he could have been murdered but when Uncle John started receiving the money his grand child sent him, the town was sure he flew to another country.
We wouldn't ask him about his grandson as no one of us wanted to see sadness on his face. He was a darling and we all loved him.
Adam and Carter finished their ice cream and eyed one another which was only noticed by me. They excused themselves and went out of the parlour saying they'll wait for us outside.
We talked to him for a couple more minutes while we finished our treats, and after paying we hugged him wished him Goodnight before leaving. He handed us over some chocolates and blessed us with his blessings.
We moved out of the shop to see that Adam and Carter were already waiting in the car for Olivia. We moved towards the car.
Carter was in the drivers seat while Adam sat in the passengers seat, it looked like there was a sudden change in their mood as their happy faced had formed a frown.
"Heading home?", I asked Adam.
"We were thinking to go see the lights and then go home", Carter said while Adam didn't even look at me. He kept looking at the dash board like suddenly that was the most interesting thing in the world for him.
"That sound amazing, I'm in", Olivia said stepping in the car.
"Well come in my car", Ryan said.
"Cool", Carter said.
"Adam?", I looked at him, but before he could speak, Carter said,"let's see who gets there first ", saying this he backed the car and moved away.
"Did they just challenge us?", Ryan said.
"I guess", I said looking at the car which was moving farther away from us.
"Lucy", Ryan called out from the car waiting for me to sit.
"We will win", he said.
"Seriously?", they are much ahead of us.
" I know the shortcut", he said.

And he did know a shortcut.
We reached there in a matter of 10 minutes.
We talked about movies and how he loved the icecream on the way, but I was thinking of what could be the reason for the sudden change in the two's attitude.

This was our spot since we turned 15. The lights of the whole city seemed majestic and we all would sit here on the benches and talk for hours straight looking at the lights.

Ryan and I stepped outside the car and went to the bench, we sat there waiting for the others to arrive.

"Lucy", Ryan said.
"Hmm", I hummed asking him what he wanted.
He leaned in close and looked into my eyes. No knowing what was going on in his mind, I looked back at him in confusion.
He placed a hand on my check and said,"you are so beautiful".
And slowly leaned in and I felt the touch of his lips against my lips.
He kissed me and I shocked from what was happening couldn't move. I stayed still. Ryan realised my reaction and in a second he breaker from the kiss and guilt spread across on his face.
"I'm.... uhhhh", before he could finish we heard a car stop at a distance.

"How did you reach here before us?", Olivia said coming in our direction.
Ryan shifted himself from the seat to the back of the bench making place for Olivia.
"He followed the shortcut, you cheater", Carter said coming after Olivia and sitting behind her, at the edge of the back of the bench.
"He wouldn't have won otherwise", Adam said and now he seemed fine again, back to the normal, not so damn serious version of himself.
He came in sat on the other edge of the bench behind me.
"No comeback ?", Adam asked Ryan.
"Ryan?", Olivia calked out while Carter elbowed him.
" Where are you lost?", Carter said as Ryan moved out of his thoughts.
He looked at me intensely for a second and looked at the view in front of us.
"This", he said, " is amazing" now looking at me.
I was sure everyone else had noticed this but no one said a word.
No one realises what had happened.
I didn't know what Ryan was thinking. Did he think of me as a girl who would let him play around with her, or did he feel something for me? Was it a mistake? Or was it a beginning of a new story?