“Okay, I think I’m stocked up for a year. Where to next?” Isaiah’s words carried over the sound of cars and people in the bustling little city.
Sofia led him back to her car, where they deposited the two full bags of clothes, most of which had come from Sofia’s favorite thrift stores downtown. Sofia had insisted on treating him to clothes in exchange for his promising to help her with order fulfillment. Her orders for her new WanderLost line still hadn’t slowed down.
After closing the hatch, she glanced out at the sky. The sun was beginning to set, but they’d already agreed they weren’t ready for dinner. “An afternoon snack, then I’ll show you the park.”
Isaiah raised an eyebrow. “Does it rival the one I’ve been walking the shelter dogs in?”
Sofia just smiled coyly and led him down the street to her favorite frozen yogurt shop. When they stepped inside and Isaiah looked around, he gave her an odd expression.
“Mystery Yogurt?” he asked, reading the name that was displayed in neon on the wall behind the counter.
“Just go with it,” Sofia replied as they watched a trio of teenagers order at the shiny white counter. Directly behind it were rows of colorful yogurt dispensers. They reminded Sofia of the slushie dispensers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.
“None of them have labels,” Isaiah observed.
“That’s the fun of it. It’s a mystery. You pick what you want based on the color and go from there.
Isaiah eyed her skeptically but stepped up to the counter beside her. They hadn’t stood that close all day, Sofia carefully keeping her distance as she critiqued the clothes he tried on. She was reminded just how tall he was, and his athletic physique was even more apparent, since he was wearing clothes that fit him.
Sofia cleared her throat and focused on the teenage boy behind the counter.
“One purple mystery please,” she said with confidence.
“You sound like you’ve ordered that before,” Isaiah said.
“I always order purple, but they swap out the flavors all the time, so it’s still a mystery. Purple has never steered me wrong.”
Isaiah gave her one last odd look then turned to the server. “I’ll go with pink,” he said, and the server turned around and started to prepare their orders.
Sofia cocked her head at him, surprised at the choice. “From all the neutral tones you picked out while shopping today, you didn’t strike me as the pink type.”
“Ah. So you brought me here as a personality test?”
“No, but that’s not a bad idea.” She leaned her hip against the low counter. “What would choosing pink say about you?”
“That I’m hoping for strawberry or watermelon.”
Sofia laughed. “Good luck with that. That’s not how it works, though. Usually, the colors don’t match up with the flavors. It’s all a fun way to trick your brain out of normal expectations.”
Isaiah put on a faux-nervous expression, but a smile played at the corner of his lips. “What’s wrong with normal expectations?”
“Oh, you know. They can just get a little bit boring,” Sofia said.
The server returned with two cups of frozen yogurt swirled high in their small paper bowls, which were emblazoned with colorful question marks. He handed the purple to Sofia and the pink to Isaiah.
They grabbed their respective cups, and Sofia followed Isaiah to a booth. “Moment of truth,” she said, holding up her frozen yogurt to cheers with his.
Together, they each took a first scoop of their frozen yogurt with a small spoon.
Isaiah made a face, and Sofia couldn’t tell at first if he hated it or was simply surprised.
“What flavor did you get?” she asked.
“I can’t tell. I swear that pink is throwing me off. My brain thinks strawberry, but instead, it’s something sweet but not fruity. Caramel, maybe?”
“I could tell mine right away. Strawberry.”
Isaiah’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”
