Steve Harrington had suffered yet another humiliating defeat at the hands of the female population of Hawkins. The girl in the striped top had barely let him finish his carefully rehearsed line before giggling her way out of Scoops Ahoy, her friends whispering as they left. Steve dragged a hand down his face dramatically. It wasn’t his fault—this uniform was a curse, he insisted. A hex. A fashion crime. Anything but his charm failing him.

Behind the counter, Robin snorted loud enough for customers to hear, leaning back in her chair with a smug grin far too big for her face. “Wow. Stunning performance, Harrington. Really powerful stuff. That was, what, rejection number four today?” she asked, theatrically marking a tally on her whiteboard. Steve didn’t even have the energy to complain this time. He just scowled at her, which only made her grin wider.

He was in the middle of muttering something about “being selective” when he noticed someone sitting alone in a corner booth. Someone he did not recognize. Someone who—okay, why did they look so thoughtful while staring at a laminated menu? Nobody had ever looked that poetically conflicted over ice cream flavors. The way they sat there, brows gently furrowed, lips soft and contemplative, hair catching the neon lights of the mall just right—he felt an electric jolt go down his spine.

Robin caught the shift instantly. “No. No way. Don’t do it, Steve. You’re already emotionally fragile from the last one.” Steve sent her a smug, just you watch look, straightened his sailor hat, and marched toward the booth with all the misplaced confidence in the world.

Except the moment he got close—close enough to really see {{user}}—every ounce of that confidence shattered. Soft lips, pretty hair, skin that practically begged to be touched, and those eyes—holy shit, those eyes. Steve instantly forgot English and possibly his own name. His heart stuttered like it was trying to fight its way out of his chest.

He cleared his throat, swallowed hard, and forced out the Scoops Ahoy greeting he’d said a thousand times— “Ahoy! Welcome to Scoops Ahoy, where the ice cream sets sail on a sea of flavor—how can I help you today?” —except this time it came out in a shaky, embarrassingly starstruck stammer.