Chapter Nine

"WHERE ARE WE GOING?" I ask, pulling my dress over my knees. I didn't know what to wear, so I opted for something plain and simple, a black dress that was bought ages ago, probably while I was still in college.

"Did you have supper?" Blade asks, pulls away from the curb backing up, and then pulls up and puts his code into the gate to open it to leave our gated neighborhood. 

"I ate lunch,"  He grins as if lunch is enough and I probably don't want to eat dinner. Do people eat before they go on dates? Is this a British thing?

"Good. I thought we'd grab a couple of ice cream sundaes and go to the park. Not much of a date, but I'd like to learn more about you. I can't do that if we're sitting in a restaurant that is crowded. With ice cream, we can walk and have more privacy." I have never thought about it like that. When he talks I learn something new.

"Serious question, Marvel or DC?" he asks as one eyebrow goes upon his face as he turns to look at me.

"Marvel, Sebastian Stan has a special place in my heart, oh and don't forget about Chris Evans he is a dog boy. Honestly, as soon as he has a family I could picture him having a few more dogs other than Dodger. My favorite Marvel movie so far is Ant-Man. Luis's storytelling is so entertaining. Also, Paul doesn't age." I explain because Paul Rudd is my Marvel crush. He was also in one of my favorite movies, Clueless, but my absolute favorite movie is Love, Rosie. That movie makes me cry, it's a romance movie that makes you want to force soulmates together.

"Oh, a superhero girl. Marvel is my favorite too. I like the X-Men movies the best. Even though they are owned by a different studio, I love Hugh Jackman and if I were to ever leave a woman for a man it would be for Ryan Reynolds," he says as I fix my seatbelt from strangling me.  I smile at the Ryan Reynolds part, so many people that I know have a crush on him. I agree though, but don't think it's the looks I think it's his personality everyone loves. He just doesn't do it for me as other people do.

"Do you like any DC films?" I ask because Robert Pattinson is about to play Batman and I love that man.

"I grew up watching all the original Batman movies but the New DC is absolute garbage. The only thing they have that is good is their soundtracks." He answers keeping his eyes on the road. To be fair, I agree. DC decided to throw a bunch of superheroes that don't have their movie into a movie. There was no character build-up.

"The suicide squad and Aquaman had the best soundtracks. We do not discuss whatever the hell the Justice League movie is in my house." I explain folding my arms together and pouting because DC knows how to write good shows, but horror movies. What was the second wonder woman movie even about?

"What is your favorite book?" I ask.

"I love the lord of the rings trilogy and I am a huge fan of Steven King I love this book called The Preacher by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillion. Irish vampires, it's the male version of twilight." He explains and I laugh.

"If Stephanie Myer wasn't a Mormon they probably would have done it like dogs," I explain, cracking up at my comment because Jacob is the dog.

"What's yours?" He asks.

"I know you are going to probably hate me for being so basic but The Great Gatsby is my favorite book of all time. I read it every year. Other than that I love mystery novels. I can't stand most of the erotic novels written by middle-aged women and men. The way men describe putting a tampon in as pleasurable is when I slam the book down to never read it again."

"That would be like a woman writing a man got aroused by getting kicked in the nuts." I can't stop myself from laughing when he says that.

"Any ex-boyfriends I should be worried about coming back into your life?" My throat closes up as I recall my last good relationship. Cameron and I had been going out for about three years and six months, and we enjoyed each other's company, finding that we shared many interests. Like he was single and I was single, that's about it. He was abusive when I broke up with him. He leaked my nudes and all of my high school friends saw it. They didn't know it was me, but still. It got to the point the dean of students and even the principal saw it. Well, they found out where the picture originally came from, and that I did not take it. He stood out my bathroom window and took photos and videos. To this day I have a kind of glass in my bathroom windows you can not see through when closed. He was the better one out of the two men I dated.

"No, all my exes are in the past," shrugging my shoulders as I say this. 

"Oh, my exes are in Manchester. So I am not seeing them anytime soon." He laughs and I am uncomfortable talking about my ex. They are a tough spot in my past. I always end up trusting the wrong men.

We pull up to an ice cream parlor and grab our cones because, with an ice cream sundae, it would be harder to walk.

"The brownie, one looks good," I swear I might be drooling looking at all the options. The number of flavors with almond milk and or other vegan options shock me. Normally ice cream shops have nothing for vegans. 

"Yeah, I am going to get the one with Reese's peanut butter cups in it." Oh, that one does sound good. They have so many I want to try. So quickly picking one out is not an option, racking up a list of pros and cons of each flavor I want to have. By the end of the list, I have figured out which one suits me, which is the brownie batter one.

"I'll pay for us today, my treat you bought drinks the last time." He doesn't argue, he lets me pay. Honestly, good for him, men shouldn't always have to pay for everything.

We leave the shop and start walking in the downtown area. The streets are nearly empty and it is peaceful. Crickets and cicadas play a symphony while lightning bugs flicker like stars. I eat a bite of my ice cream and look over at him. His eyes sparkle like diamonds.

"How is yours?" I ask, sticking my tongue to the roof of my mouth hoping to get rid of how cold it is. The ice cream drips on my hands and I lick it off and swirl my tongue around the cone to ensure it will not drip like it just did.

"Good, it's been a while since I have had ice cream. I like to stay in really good shape. I never really treat myself." He says this by taking a bite like a barbarian. My teeth could never. I have pretty sensitive teeth so I don't want to bite ice cream like that.

"Yeah, I treat myself to a bowl of ice cream or a brownie whenever that time of the month comes. I can't live without chocolate or something sweet." I take another lick of my ice cream, this time getting a piece of brownie in it. 

"The brownie is really good." I moan out as I eat the tiny little piece that is in ice cream.

We have made several loops of the block, how many I can not recall. We are almost becoming familiar with each other, but it is like we take one step forward and then another step back. 

"Tell me about your family," he says and I am ready to reply. I love my family so much so talking about them is very easy.

"Well my mama owns a few salons, she is gorgeous. My dad left when I was young. So I don't know who is, and what he was like. My stepdad adopted me when I was three and they had a hard time conceiving until my brothers showed up. One is ten and the other one turned thirteen on Tuesday. They are amazing, little gamers, and I will protect them forever. Also, I will always hug them and hold them like they are babies," I laugh and he smiles genuinely at me as I talk about my family. 

"What about yours?" I ask as I look at his little car decorations. A baby's hospital bracelet hangs from his center mirror. 

"Well my parents are loaded, they own a bunch of shipping stock and warehouses. My mom is the most loving, adoring person you will ever meet. But she smothers us kids, when they adopted me the only request my parents had when they gave me away was that I keep their last name. My younger brother was promised to another family and didn't tell anyone this. He is the reason I moved to America. I want to know my blood. I love my parents and my over-the-top big sister. But knowing he is out there, I need to know him. It's an undying urge that I need to fulfill." He explains and I wipe away a tear.

"I know a girl who might be able to track him down. Her name is Ava, she still owes me a few favors thanks to the things that got her out of trouble. I will give her a call. She can unseal the unreadable, she can find lines that were never written."  I explain, excited to help.

"She sounds like someone I could use right now." He says, a look of relief on his face. I want to make sure he is okay with me calling her. Ava is a very good PI, which means a private investigator. She is the best in the country meaning she gets all the top-paid people. So her schedule is always busy.

"Do you want me to call her?" I ask as I grab out my phone and dial her number.

He nods his head, so I dial her number.

"Ava Willows, the billionaire's golden girl. I saw the headlines in the papers. I need a favor, can you open sealed files of Blade Waya's adoption? Pretty please? I promise to come and visit you when you do. It's been ages, sorry about the divorce but, I told you that ex gave the worst vibes." 

Ava was one of my only girlfriends in the gang and she was married to the awful leader.

"Fine, fine, give me a moment. I have another client I am currently working with at the moment." She says this and I can tell by her tone she is stressed.

"Ava, who?"I ask.

"My god-awful mother, she heard about the news and now is trying to play mom again." I roll my eyes. I hate that woman. She is there for the money and publicity.

"Also congratulations on the news, I know it is something you have wanted for a while." She starts to tear up, I can hear her almost sobbing on the phone.

"Girl, I am going to figure out how to get you to move here. My assistant quit months ago and I can't find a replacement. You were the one who helped me start this, you need to come back. You are a computer genius, you studied for years wiping the Internet from the mishap that happened with your ex." I cringe as she says this.

"Thank you so much, talk to you later bye. I will think about it." I quickly hung up because I don't need her to expose me more.

"Scrubbed the Internet of what?" he asks standing up from the bench he just sat down on.

"Nudes a stalker ex took. I was a minor so anywhere I found it I traced it and sent them documents, giving them jail time for the possession of those photos and posting them. They eventually all got taken down and I still do some work getting that stuff taken off the internet. I love to hack and take it down, that way other girls and boys who are like me can be saved. Then I send proof to detectives of people viewing and posting minor porn. I do it all anonymously because I like my job and I could never do that all day." I explain this because the internet is graphic enough, the dark web is horrendous, and thousands of child porn and other images are shared and posted daily. 

"That is pretty badass. I donate plasma whenever I can. Doctors need it more than I do. I know it's not putting away pedophiles but it still helps people out." He says as we stare into each other's eyes.

After another few more steps we sit on a bench that has a trash can next to it and we now know more about one another than many members of their own family, our fingers entwine in a loose grip. He pulls me into a kiss that stops all my anxious thoughts dead in their tracks. 

I know in that instant that I had found my other half and that fate had dealt them a dangerous hand…