"You know," I start, tilting my head to Blade. "You're the first person I've met who can rival my stubbornness." As usual she doesn't respond, at least not obviously. Her eyes flicker for a second and would be unnoticeable if you aren't paying attention, but I'm always paying attention.

More than what people give me credit for.

Most people would have been fed up with Blade by now. They would have given up on her, unimpressed by her heartbreak passed off as impassiveness.

But for some reason I can't.

I feel drawn to her. All her defenxe mechanisms- silence, brooding, glares- do nothing but inreigue mw fhebrrt

She's stubborn.

But so am I.

I smile to myself, continuing on, not sure where I'm going with this. "My mom used to call me Little Bull since I apparently was as stubborn as one. I would sit at the table for hours in refusal to go to sleep. Insisting I wasn't tired even though I yawned every second. A lot of people saw a spoiled child but my mom saw a broken boy who was afraid of the dark." I turn my gaze to her. "I think you're the same way."

She is looking at me with a quizzical expression.

"I want to be your friend, Blade. But I understand why you'd be skeptical of that. It's obvious you've been through a lot so trusting isn't easy. I've been there, but I want you to know you can trust me."

Her expression turns soft, and for the first time she lets me see it. She doesn't hide it.

The moment doesn't last long and she quickly schools her face into an expression of indifference. Her signature look.

I don't feel discouraged.

I stand up from the ground, dusting myself off. "Are you free later?" She doesn't respond as I expect. "I'll pick you up after your shift." I salute her comically before leaving the bookstore.

My parents had given me a list of errands to do so I select a song before driving off to do the first thing on the list.

****

As promised, I'm waiting for Blade outside the bookstore. She comes out, her eyes widening when she sees me. A lady with short cropped hair comes from upstairs with Faith and passes the chubby baby to Blade.

They sign to each other what I assume is goodbye and Blade trudges over to me, gazing at me through the window.

"Hi," I say with a goofy grin, leaning over to open the door. "Ready for an adventure?"

Blade looks skeptical. I don't blame her.

I'm a wildcard.

"You coming? Cause I'm going on this adventure with or without you."

She sighs, getting into the car.

Faith is an energetic bundle of joy, trying to grab Blade's phone while she types up something.

Blade shows me the screen, and my smile falters at the text that is written.

The words 'Please don't hurt me' make me want to go back on this whole plan. I don't want her to feel uncomfortable, but I think she'd enjoy where I plan to take her.

"Okay," I start, not driving yet. "I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable so if you don't want to go with me that's fine. I was planning on taking you for ice cream like I had invited you for earlier this week."

She raises her eyebrow at me before typing into her phone and showing me the screen.

Ice cream is your big adventure?

I laugh. "Hey. I have to start off small to warm you up to the adventures with Dustin."

She nods, looking more at ease now.

I start up the engine and drive off, ready to take her to best ice cream in town. The ice cream place actually isn't in town. It's more on the outskirts, located on a farm.

"Music?" I ask, already reaching over to turn on the car speakers. My phone connects and I unlock it, passing it to Blade. "You're the DJ."

She looks confused, shaking her head rapidly making me laugh. "You're in the front seat. You're the designated DJ. Rules are rules."

She looks down at my phone, holding it out of Faith's reach so she can scroll.

I smile, vibing with her choice. "You like this song?" Cabin Fever by Jaden is flowing through the speakers.

She shrugs, gazing out the window. I had my most frequently played song list open so she probably selected the first song she saw.

The ride continues on with just the music, and about fifteen minutes later we're parked at the ice cream place.

"Ready to have your mind blown?" I ask, stepping out of the car.

Blade rolls her eyes, following me into the building.

The air conditioning blasts us in our face when we step in. The ice cream parlor is full which is expected since it's a Saturday. I see a couple people I recognize from school much to my annoyance. I just want Blade to have a good time.

I order a scoop of raspberry and a scoop of yogurt cheesecake which earns me a judgemental look from Blade. She settles for a single scoop of vanilla.

Boring if I'm being honest.

I look at Blade, seeing if she has a preference for where she'd like to sit. "Window seat?" I ask.

She nods, looking nervous since a few people are staring at us.

I lean closer to her and whisper. "Ignore them. They're just hating cause you're with the hottest guy in school."

Blade rolls her eyes, a small amused smile on her face as she sits down.

"Can she eat ice cream?" I ask, gesturing to Faith.

Blade thinks for a moment before shrugging.

I nod. "Better not risk it."

Even though there are several people from our school, Blade seems surprisingly at ease. Faith is bubbly as usual, constantly reaching for Blade's ice cream that's just out of her reach.

"You're just tormenting her by eating that in front of her face."

Blade shrugs, continuing to eat her ice cream.

I pull out my phone, googling what age a baby can eat ice cream. "Dr. Google says babies can have small tastes of ice cream beginning at 6 months. How old is Faith again?"

Blade puts up seven fingers.

"Okay. Give the poor baby a lick. She's going crazy."

Blade laughs at my concern, waving her now empty cone of ice cream in my face.

"Guess we have to get you another one."

Blade shakes her head in protest, but I ignore it, and when she realizes I'm not backing down, she follows me to the counter. "You have to order a cool flavour. Cooler than vanilla." I tell her.

She gives me a look before pointing at the chocolate flavor. Still boring but not as boring as vanilla.

"Are you deaf?" The server asks when Blade signs Thank you to her.

See, I'm learning.

Blade shakes her head, signing again.

The server smiles, signing. "I see. My boyfriend is deaf so I learned to sign."

Blade smiles.

"What are your names?" The girl asks.

Blade answers and the girl tells us her name is Kia.

"I'm Dustin and the baby is Faith," I say.

Kia smiles. "Nice meeting you."

We wave at her, going back to sit at our table.

Blade gives Faith a small bite of her ice cream which makes Faith scrunch her face before she breaks into a grin. I swear, nothing upsets that baby.

Blade shares a couple more bites with Faith who looks more than happy to finally be included in our ice cream party.

"She's so cute," I can't help but say. Babies usually intimidate me but Faith's big brown eyes and smiling face are impossible to be scared of. She's probably the happiest baby I've met.

The rest of our ice cream adventure progresses with me talking, Blade nodding and Faith smiling. Might not sound fun to other people but it was great for me. Seeing Blade be so relaxed for the first time gives me hope that she's finally starting to open up to me.

And man I couldn't be happier.