[Next noon] [Fanning House]
Dakota was already ready.
She sat on the couch with her legs tucked under her, phone face down beside her, eyes flicking up to the wall clock for what felt like the hundredth time. It was only 3:42. She huffed quietly and leaned back, pretending that the TV was even remotely interesting.
It wasn't.
Her mind kept drifting somewhere else entirely.
She was wearing a soft pink dress that fell just above her knees, light and simple, with thin straps and a slightly flared skirt that moved when she did. Nothing fancy. She had paired it with white sneakers instead of anything cute and impractical, her hair brushed out and left down, the ends curling just a little on their own.
Ice cream didn't require heels. Or nerves. Or at least, it wasn't supposed to.
She glanced at the clock again.
3:23.
Dakota pressed her lips together, smiling without meaning to, and reached for the remote just to look busy.
Jack.
She wondered if he was already getting ready. Or if he was the type to leave everything until the last second. She pictured him showing up calm and casual, like always, and felt her stomach flip in a way that made her shift her position on the couch.
She was definitely not overthinking this.
From the kitchen, footsteps approached.
Heather walked in carrying a bowl of popcorn, paused for half a second, and gave her daughter a look that only a mother could give. The kind that noticed everything without saying a word. Her eyes flicked from the dress and the sneakers near the door to the way her daughter was smiling at absolutely nothing.
Heather sat down beside her and placed the bowl on the coffee table.
"Well," she said casually, reaching for a piece of popcorn. "You look suspiciously happy."
Dakota blinked and straightened a little. "Do I?"
"Mmhmm," Heather replied. "You're dressed up. You've checked the clock about ten times. And you're smiling at a wall."
Dakota opened her mouth, then closed it again.
Heather smiled, gentle but sharp in that mom way that suggested she already knew the answer. "So," she said lightly. "Who's the lucky guy?"
Dakota froze.
Completely.
Her eyes widened just a fraction, and for a second her brain did absolutely nothing helpful. She let out a small, awkward laugh that came out half a beat too late.
"What?" she said, too fast. "What are you talking about?"
Heather leaned back, unconvinced but patient. "Dakota."
"I'm just going out with a friend," Dakota said quickly, words tumbling over each other. "Near Fairfax. There's this new ice cream place and we're just catching up. That's it. Totally normal."
Heather hummed softly, clearly enjoying this more than she should have.
Dakota grabbed her phone and waved it a little, as if that proved something. "So anyway, can you pick me up around six?"
Heather didn't answer right away. She watched Dakota for a moment, the smile still there but warmer now, softer.
"A friend," she repeated.
Dakota nodded, a little too enthusiastically. "Yes. A friend."
Heather reached for the popcorn again. "Alright," she said easily. "Six o'clock. Fairfax. Ice cream with a friend."
Dakota relaxed just a bit, shoulders lowering as she leaned back into the couch.
Heather glanced at the TV, then back at her daughter. "You look nice," she added. "Pink suits you."
Dakota felt her cheeks warm. "Thanks."
"And as I always say..." Heather began, but Dakota finished it for her...
"...Be careful and don't do anything stupid, I know, Mom," Dakota said.
Heather smiled to herself and turned her attention to the screen, letting the moment pass without pushing it further.
Dakota picked up her phone again, heart beating a little faster now, and checked the time.
3:30.
---
[Preston House]
Jack stood in front of the long mirror in his room, hands resting on the edge of his dresser as he looked himself over one last time. He was wearing black jeans and a sky blue t-shirt. Casual enough to mean something, relaxed enough to mean nothing.
He nodded at his reflection, then immediately frowned.
"Alright," he muttered to himself, lowering his voice like he was giving a locker room speech. "Remember, J, this is just a friendly catch-up. Nothing more. Just two friends from work going out for some ice cream."
He shifted his weight, running a hand through his hair.
"Even if she flirts with you," he continued, pointing at his own reflection for emphasis, "you always remember you have Haley. So be a good guy and always be loyal to your girlfriend unless she's up for a harem."
The mirror did not argue, which he took as agreement.
"Haaa... What the hell am I even talking about?"
Jack glanced down at his watch.
4:00 PM.
They planned to meet near the park at 4:15, which meant he had just enough time to get there without rushing, something he refused to do today. Rushing led to mistakes, and mistakes led to awkward explanations he did not want to have later.
He grabbed his keys from the dresser, then picked up his phone and checked it out of habit. No new messages. That was fine. Normal. Completely fine.
Jack exhaled slowly, steadying himself.
"It's just ice cream," he said quietly, more for his own benefit than anything else.
He slung his jacket over his shoulder, flicked off the bedroom light, and headed down the stairs.
...
[Park] [4:12 PM]
Jack reached the park. Kids were scattered around the playground, a couple of parents sat on benches, and someone was walking a dog that absolutely did not want to walk.
He checked his wristwatch.
4:12.
Three minutes early.
Jack nodded to himself, satisfied.
But...
Dakota was already there.
She was sitting on one of the swings near the middle of the park, pushing herself gently back and forth with the tips of her sneakers brushing the sand.
"…Huh," he murmured.
He stared a second longer than he meant to, then caught himself and cleared his throat quietly.
Girls are always supposed to be thirty minutes late or more. And here she is, early.
Dakota hadn't noticed him yet. She was looking down at her phone, thumbs moving as she typed something, then paused and smiled at the screen like she had just read a good line in a book. She put the phone in her jacket's pocket, leaned back a little, and let the swing slow on its own.
Jack walked toward her.
The swing creaked as Dakota dragged her shoes through the sand and brought herself to a stop. She looked around the park, the way people often did, without any particular reason.
That was when she saw him.
Her face brightened immediately. She smiled and got up.
"Hey," she said, a little brighter than she probably intended, as he came closer.
Jack smiled back without thinking. "Hey. You're early."
She laughed softly. "So are you."
"Being early is kind of my thing," he said. "It is part of my personality."
Dakota tilted her head. "I do not remember that being on your résumé."
"It is in the fine print," Jack said. "Very fine. Almost unreadable."
She smiled and glanced at the swing behind her. "I got here a few minutes ago and decided to take a little swing."
"I'd have done the same," He replied.
There was a brief pause, not awkward exactly, but noticeable. The kind that happened when two people were adjusting to a new version of something familiar.
Dakota broke it first.
"So," she said, rocking slightly on her heels. "Ice cream?"
Jack nodded. "Ice cream."
They started walking toward the path that led out of the park, falling into step easily. The Baskin-Robbins was only a short walk away, just past a row of shops and a crosswalk that always took too long to change.
As they walked...
Dakota glanced over at him. "Thanks for coming, by the way."
"Yeah," he replied. "Of course. You didn't exactly give me a hard sell. Ice cream does most of the work."
She laughed. "Good. I was worried I'd have to bribe you."
"With what?" he asked.
She pretended to think about it. "Sprinkles. Maybe an extra waffle cone."
Jack considered that seriously. "That would've worked."
They reached the edge of the park and stopped at the crosswalk. The light was red, the little walking figure stubbornly still.
Dakota leaned back slightly on her heels and looked up at the sky. "It's nice out."
"It is," Jack agreed. "Perfect weather for not overthinking anything."
She looked at him sideways. "Do you overthink things a lot?"
He hesitated just long enough to be honest without saying too much. "Sometimes... I'm trying to be better about it."
Dakota nodded like that made complete sense. "Same."
...
[Baskin-Robbins]
The shop smelled like sugar and waffle cones the second they pushed through the door. A bell jingled above them. The air was cool and sweet, and the long glass case glowed with every color imaginable.
Dakota stopped in front of the counter and scanned the rows of tubs like she was studying a menu at a five-star restaurant.
"Okay," she said, turning to Jack with a decisive nod. "New plan. We're not just picking two. We're tasting everything."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Everything?"
"Everything," she repeated. "Sample spoons exist for a reason."
The teenage girl behind the counter looked up from her phone, clearly thrilled to have something to do. "How many flavors?"
"All of them," Dakota said without hesitation.
Jack laughed under his breath. "She's serious."
The girl shrugged and started pulling out tiny pink spoons. "You got it."
They ended up with a small army of sample cups lined up along the counter. Thirty-one flavors. No rules except "try it all and be honest."
Dakota went first.
"Let's go with the worst one first." She scooped a tiny bit of mint chocolate chip, brought it to her mouth, and immediately made a face as if she had bitten into a lemon.
"Oh no," she said, shaking her head fast. "Nope. Absolutely not."
Jack watched her reaction with pure amusement. "Come on. It's just mint."
"It's toothpaste in ice cream form," she shot back. "Why would anyone want that?"
He took the same spoon, dug into the same tub, and ate it without even blinking.
Dakota stared at him. "You're actually eating that. Right now. With a straight face."
Jack swallowed and gave a small shrug. "It's refreshing."
"Refreshing?" She leaned closer, eyes wide in mock horror. "You're a monster."
He grinned and took another bite just to mess with her. "You're missing out." He scooped some more and held it before her. "Want another bite?"
"Oh, hell no!" she said with a disgusted expression, already reaching for the next spoon. "Next."
She moved down the line quickly. A few polite nods. A couple of "meh" faces. Then she hit World Class Chocolate.
One small taste.
Her eyes closed for half a second.
"Oh my god," she whispered.
Jack glanced over. "Good?"
She nodded slowly, like she was still processing. "This is really good. I don't think I've ever had this one before."
He tasted it and gave an approving nod. "Yeah. That's solid."
"Solid?" Dakota said. "This is elite. This is championship chocolate. I'm getting a pint of this before we leave."
"Noted," Jack said.
He kept working through his own samples, steady and quiet, until he reached Golden Medal Ribbon.
He took a bite. Paused. Took another.
Dakota watched him. "That one?"
Jack looked at the tub as if it had personally spoken to him. "This is it. This is the winner."
She stole a spoonful from his cup and tried it. Vanilla swirled with caramel and chocolate ribbons. She chewed thoughtfully, then nodded.
"Okay," she admitted. "That's really good. Like… unfairly good."
"Right?" he said. "It's smooth but not boring. It's got layers."
Dakota smiled at him over the rim of her sample cup. "You sound like a wine guy describing a vintage."
"I could be," he said. "If wine came in pints and cost four dollars."
She laughed and moved on to the next flavor. They kept going like that, trading bites, making faces, rating things on a completely made-up scale of one to "never again."
By the time they reached the end of the line, both of them had sugar highs creeping in and a small graveyard of empty sample cups in front of them.
Dakota leaned against the counter, arms folded, looking satisfied. "Final verdict?"
Jack tapped the Golden Medal Ribbon tub. "This one. No contest."
Dakota pointed to the World Class Chocolate. "This one. Also no contest."
He smirked. "We're splitting the difference then?"
"Two pints," she said. "One of each. We share... Like adults."
"Deal."
They ordered the pints to go. The girl behind the counter packed them carefully, added two spoons, and handed over the bag.
Dakota paid before Jack could reach for his wallet.
"Hey! Why did you do that?" He asked.
He was actually surprised to see a girl paying for food while on a date... an ice-cream date. Well, this never happened to him, not in his past life, nor in his present life so far. Majority expects the man to pay, some split the bill and like 5% of the girls pay. So, he was really surprised and kinda happy to see that Dakota falls into 5%.
"My idea, my treat," Dakota replied with a smile.
He started to argue, then stopped. "Fine. But next time it's on me."
She glanced at him as they stepped back outside into the warm afternoon light. "Next time?"
Jack met her eyes for a second. "Yeah. Next time."
Dakota smiled with a little blush and adjusted the bag in her hands.
"Cool," she said softly. "I'll be waiting for the call."
They started walking back toward the park, the pints already starting to sweat through the paper bag.
--[Note: Yeah, yeah. Don't rush to a conclusion. > SPOILER[1]
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[1] He'll tell Haley.]