For once, the two young adults don't have the kids. It was nothing to do with their child watching skills or anything, but Caroline and Liam had decided that they wanted a day with the girls and Keegan, leaving Cody and Reyna to their own defenses after dropping Reese off for his flight. Since they had spent so much time with the kids since they had arrived in Australia, they hadn't had time to actually go on any dates or do much sightseeing [other than the beaches and parks the kids wanted to visit]. So Cody had asked her out on a date and decided to surprise her with the destination, even though she was the one driving. He'd just spout off the directions while looking at his phone.
"You know," she says as she pulls into the parking lot of the zoo, "I figured out where we were going like half an hour ago, right?"
"What?" he whines, pouting as she turns the car off and smiles lovingly at him.
"This is one of the girls' favorite places to go. I'm surprised they haven't begged for a trip here yet."
He sighs, lacing their fingers together and squeezing her hand, "You could have told me that so I didn't have to keep following the dumb GPS."
"Yeah, but you were so damn cute, I wanted to cherish that for a bit," she grins, leaning over and giving him a quick kiss. "Now come on! I wanna go see some animals."
And so the two of them slide out of the car and make their way to the entrance of the zoo. Cody pays for their entrance and they get their hands stamped, then into the zoo they go. Being out and about in Australia is such a different experience for them than in America. None of the people in the zoo ambush them, just smile and nod. A few girls grin widely and wave to them from across the penguin exhibit and Reyna easily waves back, not caring that that could cause an uproar [but it doesn't]. Then she pulls him away, towards the giraffes, so that she can feed them by hand. He grins, watching her as a wide and genuine smile spreads across her face when the giraffe she was feeding licks up her whole arm. She doesn't even notice when he snaps a few photos of the exchange.
Once she's done there, he pulls her to a food booth and buys them both lunch. She convinces him that they should eat it by an exhibit and in her own sense of irony, she pulls them to the wolf exhibit. He laughs, but they sit down on the benches and balance their food on their laps as they look out over the small pack of wolves enclosed in the exhibit. Her left hand finds a resting spot on his thigh as she shoves fries into her mouth.
"We have to go home soon," she notes, almost sadly.
"We have the whole day to stay out?" Cody replies, quirking an eyebrow as he turns to face her.
"I meant California," she says, letting out one muffled snort as she looks to him. "We can't stay in Australia forever."
"We can stay as long as we need to, squirt," he says, smiling softly at her.
This time, the snort isn't as muffled as she says, "You know, now that we're having sex, that nickname is a little weird."
"That ain't gonna stop me, perv," he laughs, but then sobers up. "But really, princess. We're staying here for as long as we need to. You need to be here with Averi and I need to be here with you. So we're here until that changes, okay?"
She sighs, becoming serious once again, "Cody, you don't have to stay with me. I'm sure your agent wants you to get back to work and you'll have stuff to do with the end of Teen Wolf."
"I don't care about any of that," he responds, shaking his head at her.
"But-" she starts, but he cuts her off before she can finish her sentence.
"No, listen, I'm so goddamn in love with you," he tells her, gently grasping her face in his hands so that she has no choice but to look into his eyes. "When my mom was diagnosed with cancer, you were there for me every step of the way. I want to be here for you the way you were for me. If I went back to work right now, I'd spend all my time FaceTiming you or Liam or Caroline just to stay updated. I wouldn't be focused. So I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."
She smiles at him, tears gathering in her eyes, as she says, "I'm kinda deeply, madly, fiercely in love with you, too. Please never go anywhere."
"I won't," he tells her just seconds before connecting their lips in a kiss.
It's been awhile since they've had an honest-to-goodness moment of alone time, of privacy. Sure, the zoo still isn't as private or secluded as they'd like, but it's good enough for a kiss that lasts longer than the pecks that they share in the kitchen or on the beach or at the park. This is them and they're here, together, and it feels like enough. When they part, she snuggles closer to him as he wraps an arm around her shoulders and they both keep eating, her head resting on his chest as they watch the wolves wander around their grassy area.
Once they've finished there and moved on to the lion exhibit, their fingers laced together, they're approached by a couple of fans. The girls are in their late teens and obviously a bit nervous about disturbing the couple, but Reyna grins at them and welcomes them with ease.
"Hi, guys!" she says, genuine kindness in her voice as she greets the three girls.
"Hi, Reyna," the one with dark hair and a thick Australian accent says in return, smiling widely. "And Cody."
"Cody comes first," the tall, blonde says, the American accent rolling off her lips. "Cody always comes first. Love you too, though, Reyna."
"Hey," the actress says, smiling jovially and throwing up her hands. "I definitely agree with you on that one."
"No, you definitely come first," Cody whispers into her ear, making her let out a laugh and gently smack him.
"Ignore him," she tells the girls. "What are your names?"
"I'm Sam," the shorter blonde says, grinning.
"And I'm Danielle," the Australian girls says.
"Which would make me Alice," the American says.
"And obviously you guys know we're Cody and Reyna," he says, squeezing her hand and grinning at the fans.
Sam laughs and nods, "Obviously."
"How is Averi doing?" Alice asks, pouting her lips a bit and nervously fidgeting with her hair. "I know how scary this is and I'm sure you're all just getting in as much as you can now."
It doesn't take a genius to put the pieces together to figure out that Alice's life had been touched by the cancer as well. The shine in her eyes, the way she just knows, the look on Sam's face as she checks on her friend, and the way Danielle reaches out to lace their fingers together in a show of support. So Reyna surprises them all when she drops Cody's hand and steps forward, wrapping the younger blonde up in a hug. Cody watches as the two girls, obviously deeply affected by this, lean on each other for support. And when they pull apart, he steps forward and - after squeezing his girlfriend's shoulder- pulls the tall blonde into a hug. She gasps in surprise at the embrace from him, but melted into his hold, and grinned into his shirt as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Once they pulled apart, Reyna wrapped a hand around his bicep and looked up at him lovingly before turning back to answer the girl.
"Aves is doing alright. She's pretty upset that Reese had to go home today, actually. But she and the other girls and Keegan are having a fun time with their mom and dad today, so we're here on a small date. They're not sure how much time we have left with her, but we are gonna fulfill her wish from Make a Wish, she's just making a decision right now."
"Are you okay?" he asks the blonde, watching the tears well up in her eyes.
"A little boy I met when he was in diapers, that I've known for a majority of his life, was diagnosed in January. He's like a little brother to me and now they're making trips to Mexico, trying so damn hard to find an answer, a cure. His sisters are so young, but they've had to mature so quickly because of this, that I honestly just want to wrap them up in blankets and protect them for the rest of their lives. Watching you go through the same thing, but worse, since no one will help her, is so difficult. But the Millers were one of the families that your cast has donated to, has helped out. So thank them for me, okay?"
"Oh, my God," Reyna sighs, reaching out and grasping the girl's hand. "I am so sorry for what you're going through, too. When you get home, make sure you give him a big hug and a kiss from us, okay?"
"Do the same for Aves, then," she says, smiling faintly as she wipes away a tear. "Seriously, the fact that you and the whole cast are trying to raise awareness for DIPG is one of the most simultaneously heartbreaking and warming things."
"Of course," Reyna says, smiling despite the tears that have appeared in her eyes. "Let's not hurt our hearts anymore, okay?"
"Yeah, let's talk about happy things," Cody says, his heart hurting from the way that the two girls could relate so easily. "Like lions."
"You're such an idiot," Danielle laughs, glancing out at the animals in the enclosure. "Those poor lions aren't happy, they're locked up in captivity. But let's not get into that rant."
"Good idea, someone please distract her," Sam laughs, wrapping an arm around her best friend.
"You guys are so weird," Alice snorts, grinning widely at the two girls she had met online and formed a close friendship with and finally met in person just days prior to this zoo trip. "You're lucky I kind of tolerate you or whatever."
"Wow, you and Reese would get along so well," Cody laughs.
"So, you guys used your free day to come to a zoo? Something you could do with the girls and Keegan?" Sam asks, quirking an eyebrow at them. "You guys are so smol."
"It's where Cody wanted to go," Reyna laughs. "I had no idea, honestly. Plus, seeing the monkeys makes me feel a bit less nostalgic for Reese."
Cody snorts and the three girls chuckle. Conversation flows between the five of them for a bit longer, all of them sharing small jokes and laughing and bonding. Before they split ways, Reyna and Alice exchange numbers so that they can keep each other updated on Averi and Buddy [the little boy Alice knows]. When Reyna promises not to share her number with Reese, her fingers are crossed behind her back, and Cody has a faint smile on his face. Then the girls are off on their own and Cody and Reyna are heading to the next exhibit, fingers clasped together. But a comment that Danielle had made during their conversation is still running through Reyna's mind, causing her to bite her lip in thought.
"We should do it," she blurts out, making him stop walking and look at her weirdly.
"What the hell are you talking about now?" he asks, making her let out a little breath that sounds like a mix between a laugh and a sigh.
"Move in together," she clarifies, looking up at him with wide eyes. "Danielle made some comment about being attached at the hip and it just kinda hit me. I'm in love with you, you're in love with me, we've waited long enough. Hell, we even talked about being roommates before I landed my role in Teen Wolf, before we graduated and were thrown into the business. So why not? Let's move in together. What do you say?"
"I guess the question is your place or mine?" he says, grinning at her lovingly.
"How about we find one together, once we get back to California?" she says, stepping closer to him and wrapping her arms around him. "Our own little slice of paradise that isn't tainted by any of the guys I've had over or Rory. A place for us."
"My God, I am so incredibly in love with you," he mumbles, brushing a piece of hair behind her ear before kissing her.
So once again, they lose themselves in a kiss in the zoo. It doesn't matter how many people are around them, the sounds the animals are making, or even that this is entirely the wrong place for a passionate kiss. They don't care at, more immersed in their embrace and kiss and future they're building than what people think about them.
•••
so yeah, that happened. so, since i never held one, this is the official beginning of the cover contest! the cover should be for this book, have whatever you want for the picture, and include the title + my name. each person gets 4 entries and they must be submitted by saturday at 6 p.m. est. that gives you about 47 hours.
countdown | six chapters left
[ 12.7.17 ]