"It's always ice cream o'clock somewhere." – Unknown

P.S. Whoop whoop, thank you guys so much for 10k reads and #19 in Short Story! That's unbelievable <3

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"Hey."

Emily gasped as the familiar voice spoke behind her, the words no longer transmitting from the speaker, but straight from its source. Her fingers froze on the fragile glass of the phone as her heart pounded against her chest, magnetized towards the man of her dreams. Fletcher was a statue once his eyes fell upon Emily, the person who occupied his thoughts, the only person who could short-circuit his brain, an angel in disguise. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

Once Emily's surprise had evaporated, a prickly flush crept up her neck. It was just her luck that she looked like death had walloped her over the head with a giant mallet. Her face was mostly bare, freckles highlighted by the summer sun. Her hair was down in natural waves, though some strands stuck out at odd angles, since she forgot to brush them.

"Oh my god," Emily breathed, her astonished smile growing wider by the second.

Fletcher could only gape, eyes rounder than galleons as he drank in her features. Even though he'd heard her voice over the phone for months, her beauty was the cherry on top of the icing. It stole the air from his lungs, frayed his nerves, consumed his heart. She was carved out of the most beautiful jewels on earth, molded from precious metal. Her gorgeousness radiated both outside and in.

He was referring to her soul, by the way. Not her actual insides. Her blood and guts was a sight Fletcher did not want to see.

The bodice of a blue top clung to her torso, its thin sleeves fluttering in the breeze. Prismatic shapes in every color of the rainbow were reflected in her sunglasses, perched on the crown of her head. Her wrists were adorned with silver bracelets which glinted when they caught the sun. White shorts accentuated her long legs, Converse shoes stained with a soft beige. Fletcher could compliment Emily a thousand times over, but none would be worthy of her casual beauty. He turned from marble to jelly as his knees went weak.

Emily shifted uncomfortably at the attention. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"May I just say that for the record," Fletcher remarked, a mischievous grin breaking through his wonder, "you are the most gorgeous Sushi goddess my eyes have had the pleasure to see."

The tension between them broke as Emily drove her fist into his shoulder. Fletcher leaped back with an indignant cry, but Emily was unfazed by the glare he shot her. "You're an idiot, as far as I can tell," she retorted.

Less true words had never been spoken. Emily spent the time Fletcher complained about his shoulder to run her eyes down his body, captivated by his handsome features. Pools of melted chocolate and flecks of dried sun formed his eyes, crinkled at the edges with lines of laughter. She was seized with an urge to run her hand through his dark hair.

Her eyes traveled lower to notice that Fletcher was just as attractive from the neck down. Subtle bands of muscle wrapped around his arms, defined by caramel skin which had been kissed by the sun. Emily wondered where the muscle came from, since Fletcher didn't seem to care about fitness. Maybe they were toned from scooping so much ice cream. She tore her eyes away from his arms to note that Fletcher had a few inches of height on her, so if they hug, her forehead would be near his lips. The perfect position for forehead kisses. Not that she was thinking about that, of course.

"You know, most couples who've had conversations over the phone for three months without meeting would run towards each other and dramatically kiss," Fletcher broke her thoughts with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.

Emily fought back a grin. "Most couples don't call their other half for three months without seeing each other in the first place."

"Well, we're not like most couples."

"Are we a couple?" Emily blurted out.

It was a question she had pondered on for weeks on end, often haunting her thoughts and rendering her unable to concentrate. The butterflies in her stomach did an intense workout every time she had a conversation with Fletcher. Jumping jacks, pushups, the whole nine yards of exercise. Emily hoped Fletcher reciprocated her crush on him. He held her heart between two fingers and could crush it as easily as a grape. If he broke her heart, she may never recover.

"I don't know, are we?" Fletcher switched the spotlight back to Emily as his gaze bore into hers. He couldn't read her expression, so he had no idea what to expect.

"Do you want to be?" Emily countered his question with a question. It was a dangerous move, but she needed to hear his opinion first. If she wanted to go on a romantic dinner for two, but he wanted to bond over Mario Kart as non-biological siblings, she would rather rip the bandage off than humiliate herself by admitting her unrequited love.

"I don't know."

"Hold up!" Emily protested as a confession rang in her mind, caused her world to crash down, broke her heart so the pieces were only held together by a thread. "Don't you have a crush on someone else? An angel in disguise? The yin to your yang? Your soulmate?"

Fletcher wore a puzzled expression as he sifted through his brain, but once he replayed the memory, he almost threw his head back and laughed. "Yeah, I do have a crush on someone." Fletcher stepped forward, close enough that the heat of her body radiated against his. He tucked a curl behind her ear, a grin perched upon his lips. "And she's standing right in front of me."

Emily swallowed this confession with a numb throat, before joy began pulsing through her bones. She wanted to shout praises at the sky. Cupid had not fucked up. Fletcher loved her. Emily ducked her head to conceal her flush. "So, you do want us to be a couple?"

"I want to be a sushi chef."

"What the actual fuck?"

"What? It's my dream job."

"I– you just– you're so– argh!"

"You know, irritating you over the phone was already fun, but it's way more entertaining to do it in person."

"You're such an asshole!"

"I love hearing you insult me. It sounds so crisp without a speaker between us, like a recording of your voice was sharpened to high definition."

"That's not possible, you idiot. Even if it is, there's no way you'll get a high definition recording of me saying anything."

"I just recorded you saying that."

"You what? Give me that phone, Fletcher! I would say your last name to sound more threatening, but I don't know what it is."

"Never! Also, my surname's Parker."

"Fletcher Parker? That sounds lame."

"Your face is lame."

"That's my line!"

"Too bad, I stole it!"

"Then I'm going to steal your phone for revenge, you jerk!" Emily seethed as she made a grab for the phone. Fletcher nimbly darted away from each of her swipes. Did his agility come from his ninja waiter job? If so, Emily was totally switching career paths. "It'll be the first of many items I'll steal from you!"

"Oh, you've stolen something of mine before," Fletcher said casually, raising his arm so the phone dangled out of her reach. The fury of her expression burned brighter than a thousand suns as her grabs grew steadily wilder. He thanked his genetics for blessing him with long arms. This was as fun as watching a cat pounce on a laser.

Emily momentarily held fire on her attacks. "Have I stolen something from you?"

"Yep," Fletcher said brightly. He quickly slid his phone back in the pocket of his jeans while Emily was distracted. The sight of her in deep thought stirred up his affection. Fletcher wanted to wrap his arms around her, melt away their surroundings so no one else existed except the two of them, a duo forever in orbit, held together by the law of attraction.

"What is it? Can you give me a clue?" Emily interrupted his fantasy with a defeated slump of her shoulders.

"Nah, that's no fun. Any guesses?"

"None," she huffed indignantly after another minute of thought. "Since this is bugging me so much, I'll stop calling you an asshole for the rest of the day if you tell me what I stole."

"Pinky promise?"

"I cross my heart and hope to die."

"Wow, what a serious promise. I suppose I have to reveal the secret now," Fletcher heaved a deep sigh, caving in at her unimpressed glare. "You stole–" he paused for dramatic effect, before breaking out into a boyish grin. "My heart!"

Emily sucked in a sharp breath to restrain herself from pouncing on Fletcher. "Are you kidding me? You built up that suspense for a cheesy pickup line? You ass–" She caught herself as she remembered her promise. "–wipe! You're an asswipe!"

"Not much improvement from before, but I can work with that." Fletcher flicked her hair with a playful smirk.

His remaining laughs trickled into a peaceful silence. Fletcher rubbed his neck awkwardly and glanced around the room in an attempt to look casual, but his gaze soon found its way back to Emily. He studied her eyes, round and wide with the innocence of a child. Fletcher wondered whether she sprinkled her irises with fairy dust to achieve their sparkle. Meanwhile, Emily busied herself by sneaking glances at Fletcher's mouth. The thought of his soft lips pressed against hers sent a giddy warmth flooding through her chest.

The world blurred around them like a camera lens out of focus. People hustled and bustled as they went about their daily business. A man hurried past them as he mumbled about being late to work, glasses fogged up from running. A group of girls to their left were gossiping about the latest episode of Teen Wolf. Women built up mountains of rejected clothing while young boys stuffed burgers in their mouths. Emily and Fletcher were frozen in the center of the motion, lost for words but having too much to say.

Emily eventually caved in and broke the silence. "Why aren't we speaking?"

"We're having a moment of silence for our brother in the friend zone." Fletcher bit back a grin at her blank expression.

"Who's the brother?"

"Me."

"You're your own brother? I don't think that's possible, if not illegal."

"Nonetheless, I seem to be well and truly in the friend zone."

"Well, I hereby take back my friend zones."

"Wait, does this mean–"

"I'll be your romantic pal? Rather than a platonic pal?"

"I suppose so."

"Well, that depends on what you do next."

"You've put so much pressure on me, Sushi." Fletcher jutted out his lip, though his sarcasm was transparent. When he first met Emily, his hands were quivering, the kind of tremor that foreshadows an earthquake. The tightness in his forehead was dissolving now, but nervousness still beat in his heart. Emily was the first person he ever had feelings for, so he didn't have a clue what he was doing.

"I exist to torment you," Emily responded.

She quirked an eyebrow at Fletcher, who suddenly looked deep in thought, but before she could ask why, he reached over and laced his fingers through hers. The action sent sparks sizzling in her body and zapped her stomach butterflies into action, which began to ricochet in her torso. Fletcher had slender fingers which enveloped hers, his tight grip coaxing a shiver from Emily. Their hands molded together like they were created to do exactly that, to hold each other and never let go.

Fletcher led Emily through the gossiping girls and emerged on the other side to see the bake sale bustling with activity. Customers swarmed the tables, which bore huge tubs of ice cream in strawberry and vanilla and mint chocolate chip. Alex wrapped a waffle around a cone roller as Erin served a young girl, whose beam nearly melted the ice cream she was given. The couple cheerfully waved at Emily and Fletcher, before the former winked and jerked her head towards her left. Emily glanced over and gasped at the sight of Waffle Cones, the shop she had fantasized about but never worked up the courage to visit.

Emily didn't get any more than a glimpse of its exterior, however, before Fletcher tugged her inside the store. Mint green walls engulfed her from every side, while plush white booths and pristine tables were scattered throughout the shop, which was deserted, of course, since the customers were drawn towards the bake sale like moths to light. Nevertheless, the place was unfazed and radiated a homely warmth.

Emily glanced around, wishing she had more eyes to see every part of the store. "Holy shiitake mushrooms, this place is amazing."

"Holy shiitake mushrooms is right." Fletcher shook his head in frustration. "I don't understand why anyone would want to tear this place down. Money buys, but passion can't be bought. Those entrepreneurs don't know how much this shop means to me."

"To us," Emily corrected. "You didn't think your most faithful customer would be okay with tearing this place down, did you?"

"Totes not. Sorry for doubting you." Fletcher managed a weak laugh.

His steady voice didn't match the clammy sweat building up on his palms, nor the uncomfortable churn of his stomach. Since his nails were already bitten down to the quick from stressing over Waffle Cones, he opted for gnawing the inside of his cheek. Metallic blood leaked into his mouth, but he ignored it, for what he was about to do was way more important than soothing his cheek.

Fletcher exhaled heavily before leading Emily towards the back room, which proved difficult, since she kept stopping to stare at various decorations. Once they reached the room, the ice cream phone fell in her line of sight. Fletcher swore it was humming with anticipation. Emily gaped. "Is that–?"

"It is," he confirmed.

Fletcher transferred sweat to the phone handle as he punched in a familiar number. His heartbeat was on fast forward as he tapped the last digit. The result was instantaneous. Emily drew her eyebrows together and glanced into her bag. She plunged an arm into its depths and tugged out her phone, which spasmed in her hand. "What the–"

"Answer it," Fletcher urged.

"Hello?" Emily asked hesitantly. Fletcher pressed the ice cream phone to his ear as the familiar conversation rang in his mind.

"Um, hey?" he replied, a laugh blossoming from his lips at her stupefied expression. He had predicted her confusion during the planning stages, so he explained, "this is the part where you say, 'wait, you don't sound like my Aunt Kathy.'"

Realization struck Emily as she caught onto what Fletcher was recreating. She broke into a grin as she remembered their first phone call. A knot within her stomach unwounded and released an explosion of nostalgia, but she was surprised nonetheless. Emily had no idea why he was doing this, but she was touched that he could even remember what they said.

After all, their calls were the catalyst for their friendship as they talked about nothing and everything. The first call set off a domino effect, shaping their lives for the next three months, the same way a water current smooths rocks over thousands of years. The first call introduced her to Fletcher, who haunted her thoughts so often that she forgot to call her Aunt Kathy, and only did two weeks later with an apology. The first call made her fall head over heels for a boy she'd never met.

"All right, I'll play along," Emily teased. "Wait, you don't sound like my Aunt Kathy."

"Unless I was miraculously– um– I don't remember exactly what I said, so I'll just insert some words here– but I'm not your Aunt Kathy." Fletcher stumbled over the words, cursing his past self for being a confusing bastard and his current self for not having a photographic memory.

Emily nearly dissolved into giggles at his awkward mumbling, but caught herself at the last second. "Wait, so who are you?"

"Who are you?"

"I asked first."

"I work at an ice cream store."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"It has to do with everything," Fletcher finished as his expression grew serious.

The air was suddenly electric. The tension was sky high as Fletcher knelt down on one knee, drawing a black box from his pocket. Emily was rooted to the floor, shock piercing her lungs and deflating every quip she planned to say. She never thought she'd fall in love with someone she'd never met, but Fletcher was a wild card. He was different. He was unique.

"What the...?" She trailed off.

"Sushi without a surname," Fletcher began.

"Jenner," Emily supplied with a smirk.

"Yeah, Sushi Jenner," Fletcher shrugged, before doing a double take. "Wait, your last name is Jenner? Like, Kendall and Kylie Jenner? Are you guys related?"

"No, you idiot. Carry on with your monologue."

"Sushi Jenner, being the recipient of your accidental phone call was the best thing that ever happened to me. You are the most unique and amazing girl I have had the pleasure to argue with, disregarding your mood swings and general bitchiness."

"Jerk," she retorted, shooting him a nasty glare. "What are you trying to say?"

"Emily Jenner, will you be the ice cream to my waffle cone?"

Emily gasped as the box opened to reveal a beautiful promise ring. The thin circle was adorned with a golden waffle cone and a scoop of ice cream, welded together to form a charm the size of her smallest fingernail. Her hands flew to her mouth. A lump caught in her throat as Fletcher stole her voice with his fearful eyes, searching for an answer from her. He had no reason to worry, however, because she'd long since chosen the path of her heart.

"Is Pi an irrational number?" Emily whispered through her fingers.

Fletcher broke into a smile with just the right touch of shyness, warmth enveloping his heart as it thumped against his chest. Emily tugged the ring from the box, trying not to disturb the foam which cushioned it. Fletcher rose to his feet and helped her slide it onto her finger. He tentatively asked, "is that a yes?"

"It's not just a yes," Emily stared up at him, wondering how she managed to score a boy so perfect for her. "It's a hell to the yeah."

Time stopped as she tilted her face upwards, closing the distance between them. The world fell away as Emily pressed her lips against his, every kiss a dose of addiction. A vanilla scent enveloped them both, warmth radiating from each spot their skin touched. Fletcher brushed her ear with his thumb, his other hand against the small of her back. Emily ran her fingers down his spine, drawing herself closer so their hearts beat as one. Every inch of their bodies was saturated with passion as their lips captured each other.

Emily was the first to pull away. "I love you, Fletcher Parker."

"I love you too, Emily Jenner."

"I think today marks the first time I've ever heard you say my name."

"It was bound to crop up. Also, you do know that I'm not proposing to you, right? That bling on your finger is just a promise ring."

"Of course, you dweeb. If you were proposing, I would've said no in an instant."

"Wow, thanks for that self-esteem boost."

"..."

"..."

"You know, that phone call was the best thing that ever happened to me."

"That was so sickeningly sweet."

"So is the store you work at."

"Can I say something?"

"You mean, may you–"

"Shush, Sushi."

"Sure, go ahead."

"I think ice cream and waffle cones may represent soulmates."

"How so?"

"They each come separately and taste fine apart, similar to how humans are able to function independently. When they come together, however, a flavor explosion occurs. They belong together. The two are destined to be with each other. Just like us, Sushi."

"Just like us," Emily echoed as she melted back into his embrace.

It may have taken them seventeen years, but they'd finally found their soulmates. Two halves of a whole, manufactured to be molded as one. They were pieces of a jigsaw puzzle which fit together to form a panorama of their love. Even though they couldn't guarantee that their romance would last forever, Emily and Fletcher chose to focus on the present, to capture their happiest moments together and print out the memories for safekeeping.

It's amazing how the misdial of a number can spark a romance between two polar opposites. Neither of them had known what was in store, but they each let fate guide them to their soulmate. They found love over a phone call, exchanged secrets only the stars knew, poured their souls out to a stranger. They were supported by passion, hearts tacked together with a scoop of sticky ice cream.

Ice cream... and a waffle cone.

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Whoo, that's the end! Holy Hephaestus, this chapter took forever to write. I never would've thought this story would be over so soon, but I'm ecstatic about marking it complete. #Flemily got their happily ever after, I completed a short story, and you read the finished product. Speaking of which, let me know what you thought! I'm proud of this story myself, but I want to hear whether you think it's awesome or garbage.

Make sure to head onto the author's note #2 to read the Q&A, where I answer some of your burning questions about Waffle Cones. Character Hogwarts houses, the writing process, and both spinoffs are discussed there, so check it out! I hope you enjoyed this emotional rollercoaster. This was such a fun story to write, but alas, stories must come to an end. I'd love to see you checking out my other works and joining the Spy Fam by following my account, evethespy. Thanks for reading Waffle Cones! The ninja waiter and bald Asian monk communities send their love.