Boyd
He rolled up to Queenie’s apartment complex, finding her exactly where she said she’d be. Before he could think a single chivalrous thought, she had the passenger’s door open and dropped into the seat.
“Good morning,” she cheerfully greeted, tucking her backpack behind her seat.
“At least you remembered the most important thing—yourself.” Queenie punctuated her thought with a wink.
“Well, thank you.” Once she was safely buckled in, he drove off. “Do you have a favourite place for breakfast?”
“I usually opt for Chick-Fil-A.”
“Damn Sundays,” he joked.
“Do you have any suggestions?”
“There’s a taco place not too far away that does really good breakfast.”
“Perfect.”
From the corner of his eye, Boyd watched Queenie scroll her phone with a smile. “I downloaded a map of the zoo. Do you want to see anything in particular?”
“You,” he answered without hesitation. A deep, rosy red coloured her cheeks, and her grin widened. “I’ve never been, so anything we see is fine with me.”
“Do you have to be anywhere else today?”
“No.”
“Then maybe we can fit in a little of everything.” She studied the map, seeming to plan their entire visit. “Why have you never been?”
“By the time I could afford it, Luka wasn’t interested anymore.”
“When did you feel like you were at a point you were...” Queenie trailed off, searching for words. “Comfortable? Is that the right word?”
“Luka’s last year of middle school.” Shit , why did he keep bringing up Luka? “Why do you ask?”
Queenie shrugged. “Curiosity. I mean, doesn’t everyone want a downtown condo and drive a big fancy car?”
“Does your job fulfil you?”
“It does.”
“Are your bills paid?”
“They are.”
“Then you’re in a good place, Queenie.”
Their eyes briefly met before he returned his attention to the road. “I know I am,” she said. “I mean, I’ve never been in a bad place. Tough ones, but probably nothing too serious.” Then she sighed, rather annoyed. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“Sounding like a jealous teenager?”
He pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, putting the car in park and pinning Queenie with a serious look. “We all have a jealous trait, that’s natural.” He lightened his tone. “I’m not upset with you, but I might drive a different car next time.”
“Oh don’t! This is rather comfy.”
They ordered their food, and it wasn’t long before Queenie secured the bag in her lap. She waited until they were parked outside of the zoo before she handed him his breakfast, freezing with her burrito halfway to her mouth.
“You do allow food in here, right?”
“Most of my meals are on the go unless it’s a business meeting. I know a great guy who works magic with all kinds of spills.” Boyd focused on his meal, bashfully adding, “Especially coffee and BBQ sauce.”
“Oh, good. I don’t want to be the first one to ruin these seats.”
He blamed the heat in his cheeks on the hot sauce. Why did that sound so fucking dirty? “You won’t.”
A few moments later, Queenie’s burrito had disappeared into thin air. “This was really good.”
“Clearly. I should’ve bought more.”
“Now we know for next time.”
“I’ll remember that for our future breakfast dates.”
Queenie patiently waited for him to finish his own food before reaching for the door.
“Don’t.”
Queenie whipped her head around, fingers on the handle. “What?”
“Don’t move.” He rushed out of the truck, walked around the hood, and opened her door. Silently, he offered her a hand.
“Such a gentleman.”
“This is a date after all.” He closed the front door, then retrieved her backpack for her.
“So, if this wasn’t a date you wouldn’t hold my door and make me feel super special?”
“I always hold the door for a woman, but I don’t help all of them in and out of the car. Then again, I don’t have many female friends.”
“But you do have friends? I mean, do you even have time for them, being such a workaholic?”
“Good friends pick up where they left off no matter how much time has passed.”
“That’s very true.”
“The two that were with you Friday night, are those your close friends?”
“Yes. We don’t get to go out for girls’ night often, but when we do, it always feels like nothing’s changed.”
At the entrance, he didn’t hesitate to pull out his credit card. Though as with breakfast, he could feel that it bothered Queenie. Inside, she pulled out the map and pointed out the elephants. He followed her directions, her arm hooked into his.
“Why does it bother you when I pay for things?” he asked.
“I don’t want you to think I’m using you for money.”
“Rest assured, I don’t. I haven’t had someone to spoil in a long time. I enjoy it.”
“You haven’t?”
“Been with a woman? No, not like this.”
“Like going on dates, you mean?”
“I’m a workaholic, remember?”
Queenie opened her mouth to answer, but something else commanded her attention: the baby elephant. “There,” she whispered in awe. “She’s so cute!”
Indeed, she was adorable, clinging to her mother as they walked out of the elephant enclosure and into the warm, morning sun.
Queenie snatched her phone, taking what seemed like a hundred pictures.
He, on the other hand, stepped back and took his own.
He snapped his time, capturing Queenie in her element with the baby in the background.
“Turn around, Queenie,” he commanded, enamoured. “Don’t lose that beautiful smile of yours.”
She did as told, and he snapped a few pictures of her with the elephants. “Thank you.”
He made sure to send her the photos, then approached her, taking her chin between his fingers. “So beautiful. Do you always wear dresses?”
“Often, yes. I don’t have to think about matching anything when I do.”
“Clever woman.”
“I always thought of it as lazy.”
“Work smarter not harder. Everything in my closet matches so I don’t waste my morning thinking of what to wear. Time is too precious for that.”
“Stop being such a smartypants,” she scolded playfully.
He fell into step next to Queenie. Being with her required no effort.
At least, not the kind that made his head hurt.
Though he hadn’t dated much, he had always felt like women were hard work.
With Queenie, it was different. Conversation felt like a breeze, but the silence that fell between wasn’t awkward either.
“Would you let me spoil you too?” she asked, walking out of the gorilla house.
“You want to spoil me?”
“I’d like to, yes.”
“I’ll take it.”
Queenie smiled so brightly it lit up her entire face, and he got the idea that he wasn’t the only pleaser in this relationship. She took a look down at her map, then guided him to one of the shops.
“I thought maybe we could have some ice cream. It’s getting hotter by the minute, but the restaurant is farther away.”
“You don’t have to justify yourself. Ice cream sounds great.”
This time, he stood back and let Queenie pay.
It felt odd, but he wanted to respect her wishes.
She clearly wouldn’t offer to spoil him if she wasn’t interested.
Enjoying their cool treat, they took their time strolling around the enclosures.
They walked from the giraffes to the cheetahs, then stopped by the lions, who were lazily basking in the sun.
“You keep taking pictures of me,” she commented.
“Does it make you feel uncomfortable? If it does, I’ll stop.”
“No, but now you have so many of me and we don’t have one together.”
He scanned their surroundings, landing on a man guarding the strollers while his family peered at the animals. Boyd took Queenie’s hand, marching over to the young man and asking if he minded taking their picture.
He happily agreed, and Boyd laid his arm around her waist and kissed her hair before smiling at the camera. Thanking the man, he handed his phone over to her and let her inspect the pictures.
“Oh, I like them.” Boyd looked down, watching as Queenie texted the pictures to herself. “Thank you.”
“That was a very easy demand to please.” He hooked a finger under her chin, tipping her head back. “I enjoy seeing you happy. You make it rather pleasing for myself too.”
Queenie worried her lower lip, and he didn’t hesitate to tug it free. Leaning down, he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, suppressing the urge to groan. Her hand clutched his shirt, as if she needed his support to stay standing.
“I told you I would want to spoil you,” he murmured against her mouth. “That doesn’t just include money.”
“Can you stop being so sweet?”
“Can you stop being adorable and so unbelievably grateful?” Boyd countered.
Queenie chuckled lightly and took his hand in hers. “I’ll try to be uglier about the things you do that make me happy.”
“Perfect. I’ll be less pleasant to be around.”
They grinned at each other, her eyes sparkling in the sunlight. Slowly, the couple ambled towards the restaurant, ready for lunch and a break from the heat.
As they waited for their food, he asked, “So what other activities are on your to-do list?”
“I still have not been back to NASA.”
“But you have been?”
“I have, but they have two tours you can take and I’ve only done one of them. Are you asking so you can join me there as well?”
“I am. Would you like that?”
Queenie blushed and took a sip of her lemonade. “I would.”
“How about next weekend?”
“What works better for you? Saturday or Sunday?”
“Sunday.”
She immediately jumped on her phone to begin planning. This date hadn’t even come close to an end, and he was already looking forward to the next. “I’ve never had anyone who wanted to do these things with me.”
“I’m here now so you’d better keep adding to your list.”
Queenie looked up from her phone, melting his heart with a single look. “I’m sure you have a few things you want to do too.”
“Kemah,” Boyd answered without hesitation.
“Oh, that’s on my list too!” she cheered. “I hope you love rollercoasters.”
“I think I’ll be fine as long as you hold my hand through it.”