“It’s not necessary,” Roman agreed. “Neither is saying ‘please’ or holding a door open for another person. It’s just courtesy, doll.” It amused him how unfamiliar chivalry seemed to be to Abigail. Any time he did anything remotely kind to her, she pushed back. It was almost as if… He paused, his green eyes sweeping over her curiously. [i]Has she never been on a date before?[/i] He couldn’t believe it. A girl as pretty as her had to have been in a relationship at least once in her life, right? If not, he was going to have a much harder time trying to get her into bed with him. [i]Damn my rotten luck.[/i]

Roman laughed when Abigail stretched her arms in obvious bliss. He stepped up beside her, resting his hand on the small of her back, “You know it, cutie.” He pushed her forward gently in the direction of one of the paths in the park. “I promise you won’t be disappointed. Jose sells the best ice cream in all of New York City.”

As they walked through Central Park, Roman took the time to look around at the other people that were there. Children ran around tossing Frisbees back and forth, college-age women laid around in sunny spots trying to tan, older men sat on benches reading newspapers, and joggers ran by training their bodies while the day was still warm. It was a peaceful scene—one that Roman wasn’t very fond of. He preferred the wildness of busy clubs and the bustle of city streets. Chaos was something that entertained him; something he thrived in. He knew it was strange, but he had always been that way, and he had come to accept it.

After a while, they came to a food cart labelled: “Ice Cream.” It was run by a short Hispanic man with a goatee. His face was overcome by a large, beaming smile when he saw Roman and Abigail approaching.

“Señor Sousa!” he greeted cheerfully. His words were thick with a Mexican accent. “Long time, eh?”

“Good to see you, Jose,” Roman replied. “Yeah, it has been a while, hasn’t it?” He hadn’t visited Jose’s cart since he ‘dated’ Cindy. In fact, he took every girl he ‘dated’ to get ice cream here. It was one of his trademark spots that just seemed to work. He flashed the man a smile and threw an arm around Abbigail’s shoulders, “My lady friend here would like some of your famous ice cream.”

“Ah,” Jose said with a knowing twinkle in his eye. He had known Roman long enough to understand what he was up to. “Of course. Anything for such a lovely señorita.”

Roman looked down at Abigail, leaving his arm draped over her shoulders, “You heard the man. You can have whatever you want, darling. So, what’ll it be?”