Mute Dave

Chapter Three

Jade and I start spending a lot of time together. So much time that Jade's grandfather actually wants to meet me. With my new found voice I have gained enough confidence to say yes. I haven't told bro though. I just get ready to leave like every other time I go to meet up with Jade. If he knows I'm going to meet her grandfather, he'd probably want me to bring Jade over. I'm not quite ready to do that just yet. So I say bye to Bro and start for the park Jade and I always meet up at. After she gives me a hug we start for her house hand in hand.

I'm not exactly sure when or why we started holding hands, I just know that when ever we hang out we just start holding hands. If I'm not thinking about it, it's so natural. However, if I am thinking about it my face turns bright red and I worry if my hands get sweaty. Jade never seems to think about it. She just smiles content and sometimes swings our hands back and forth. When we get to her house she pulls her hand from mine and opens the front gate. I follow her up to the house and wonder what her grandfather is like. That would have been pretty useful to know. "What if your grandfather doesn't like me?"

"Well then it's his loss because I think you're great." Jade smiles and pushes open the door to her house. I follow her in and my breath is taken away. Literally every animal I can think of is stuffed and hung up or against a wall. "My grandfather is a big hunter."

"I can see that."

"Come on." Jade tugs at my hand and I let her lead me through the house. Her grandfather is in the living room with a large white dog at his feet. The dog jumps up when it sees Jade and rushes over to her tail wagging. Her grandfather is pretty tall, even sitting down I can tell he might be taller than Bro. He has dark green eyes and dark brown hair peppered with gray. He's wearing a bow tie and has old square glasses. He smiles and offers me his hand to shake. I shake his hand then step back next to Jade again. "So grandfather this is Dave." He nods his head.

"Jade speaks very highly of you." I glance at Jade and see her cheeks turning red.

"Well that's good." There's an awkward silence that Jade's grandfather seems fine with.

"Ok, well Dave and I are going to go upstairs."

"Take Bec with you, I have to run out soon and I don't want him trying to follow." Jade nods and grabs the dogs collar. Then up the stairs we head.

"He seems nice."

"Yeah, just old." Jade laughs and I smile. She seemed really nervous, but she seems fine now.

"Did you think he wouldn't like me?"

"No, actually I worried you wouldn't like him."

"Huh." That's weird, but come to think of it I worry she won't like Bro. That's why I'm delaying then meeting. "You'll have to meet my brother now."

"The famous Mr. Strider? Gasp." I laugh at her dramatics and we enter what I imagine is her room. "I had to clean it up a bit."

"Really? It looks like everything has a place. My room is completely messy a lot worse than yours so don't worry about it."

"Ok. Oh! I made you something."

"You did?"

"Yeah." Jade goes over to her desk and grabs something before coming back over to me. "Close you eyes and put out your hand." I do what she says, and feel her slide something over my hand and around my wrist. "Ok open your eyes." I inspect the bracelet she made me. It's made out of red and green string.

"Thanks Jade, I love it."

"Good. I made myself one too." She shows me her bracelet.

"Where'd you get the string?"