Trouble ▸▸ Kellic

28.

The first day was spent at a substantially large zoo and aquarium. It had been years since I last visited the zoo; I was about the age of seven the last time. I remember driving with my mom to the local zoo and how excited I had been feeling in that moment. We spent not only the entire afternoon at the zoo, but the entire day, which was strange because the zoo wasn't very large.

I remember eating lunch at the cafe and how good the food tasted even though it was mediocre. I think it just tasted fine to me because my mind was on different objectives at the time, like going to see the penguins and getting to bottle feed a baby lion (which I did do, and I'm still not embarrassed to admit that it was really cool).

The whole trip to the zoo made me feel oddly nostalgic, though I knew it shouldn't. Those days of my life were far behind me now; my life had been relatively normal through my childhood, but everything in my life changed soon after. My mother and I weren't close anymore, how could we be after she remarried to a man I always disliked? My importance was no longer a factor in my mom's life, and I guess you could say that's why I am who I am today.

I told Vic this entire story on the bus ride to the zoo whilst dropping my head comfortably onto his shoulder, keeping my voice low so none of the other passengers could eavesdrop. I could feel Vic's body react with every word I said: body shaking lightly at the funny moments, neck tensing when he smiled. To me, it felt like one of the most raw and intimate moments we had ever shared, though that was probably because I had never opened up to anyone about it prior.

Vic and I bought tickets once we arrived, entering the zoo with ease. The trip was fairly routine and nothing spectacular occurred, though everything was somewhat spectacular considering I had Vic with me. We walked around the park for most of the afternoon before heading to the aquarium on the opposite end of the zoo.

The aquarium was massive; the biggest one I had ever visited. We walked through the tube, fish swimming by us on all sides. It was fascinating, reading about the species and their history. Vic and I spent most of our time reading the informative signs if I'm being completely honest.

After the aquarium, we left the zoo, heading out for dinner at a small diner only a few minutes away. Our conversations never died out, endless subjects rolling off our tongues with ease. I laughed a lot as did Vic, a lighthearted feeling settling in my stomach. For the first day, it was agreeable, and that night I felt like falling asleep was easier than usual.

The second day was a little more relaxed. We decided to go to the movies to see whatever was screening (we weren't picky) and to hang around. The previous day contained tons of walking, so sitting around was really all Vic and I wanted to do.

There was barely any decent movie screening, to our disappointment. Regardless of that, though, we still purchased tickets to a comedy show, which wasn't remotely funny, but that didn't matter as Vic and I were hardly paying attention to the movie anyway. After the movie we decided to browse through some of the downtown shops. Neither of us bought anything, but skimming was just as fun as buying to me.

The third day was a free day. Vic and I spent the day separated for the most part, texting every now and then. Where Vic had disappeared to, I had no idea, but I did know that downtown was calling my name again, and that's where I was all day. I browsed the mall along with little shops (much like the prior day) and actually purchased some clothing, though I did feel a little guilty as it wasn't my money.

I texted Vic around seven asking if he wanted to meet me somewhere to eat dinner, and after a fifteen minute time gap, he declined, stating that he was too busy and that he would be back at the hotel by nine.

It was awkward eating alone when everybody around you was absorbed in their own conversations, laughing and smiling at random moments. And as much as I say I'm not a people person, I did find myself yearning for somebody, anybody to keep me occupied. But, unfortunately, that didn't happen, so I was quick to eat my dinner before shuffling out of the restaurant's front doors and into the crowded streets.

The last bus of the evening arrived early, forcing me to run to the bus stop in order to board on time. There were very few people sitting in vacant seats on the leery lighted bus. I plugged in some headphones and listened to my music for the entire trip back to the hotel. Vic had yet to text me assuring me he had returned to our room, which was nerve racking because it was nearing nine (in ten minutes to be exact).

If I thought it was surprising not hearing from Vic even when he guaranteed we would be in touch, it was even more surprising when I slid the key card through the slot on our hotel room's door, pushing it open slowly to be met with a dim light and Vic sitting on the bed, TV on as his eyes stared intently at the screen.

The aroma of the room was different. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to say, and I found it unusual that Vic wasn't speaking as well, merely glancing over to acknowledge my existence before turning towards the TV screen again.

I kicked off my shoes hastily, shuffling across the floor to the bed and stopping at the end of it. I wasn't sure where to go, or as a matter of fact, what to do, so I did what I would usually do: crawl onto the bed, pulling the sheets over me before falling into a sitting position besides Vic. My head rested on his shoulder, but I could detect the tenseness radiating off of his body.

"Is anything wrong?" I decided to ask, voice hushed to prevent from startling him. Vic shook his head after a few moments, but barely. I huffed, head dropping farther onto Vic's shoulder even though I knew how awkward the atmosphere was. My eyes fluttered somewhere between open and closed before I was awoken completely, Vic shifting in his spot to brush a few stray hairs off of my face. I hummed at his touch, smiling sweetly.

"Goodnight," I mumbled after Vic had leaned down and pecked my lips very carefully.

"Wait-" Vic spoke abruptly. I quirked my eyebrows, eyes opening again to look at him. His face was right before mine, and I could tell how unsure Vic was feeling, worry etched in his eyes as he fiddled with his fingers. I groaned a little, whispering a 'yeah?' in compliance. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course," was all I could say. "You can ask me anything," I added kindly. It must have been the drowsiness putting me into such a good mood.

"How would you feel i-if I..." Vic trailed off, gaze lowering from my eyes. "How would you feel if I kissed you right now?" Vic continued after a few moments. The question made me laugh a little, waking me up as well.

"You always kiss me, so I'm not going to protest," I responded with honesty, still laughing very lightly. Vic murmured a 'you're right' in response before laughing a little himself. He never did kiss me, though. At least, not in that moment.

"Can I ask you another question?" He tried again, not waiting for a response before speaking again. "What would you do if I told you that- How would you feel if I told you I wanted to kiss you, but, like, more than usual. Like, be... with you?" Vic spoke, face flushed. Never in my life had I ever dreamt of seeing Vic in such a state, but there we were.

"A-Are you implying you want to...?"

"Y-Yeah, if you want, I just-" Vic stops, facing turning brighter than it already was. He looked like a god damned tomato, but it was somewhat endearing to see him like that, so I didn't laugh or mention it. "We've been together now for a while, and I've been thinking about it, but it's... different. I've never done anything like that before, so I'm a little unsure as to what I- we need to do." I nodded in agreement.

"Well... I really only know one thing for certain," I commented, body spreading with an unfamiliar heat as I could feel my face flushing as well.

"What's that?" Vic asks, eager, like he was practically hanging off of every word I said; like anything I could say would be music to his ears.

"It took you long enough," I whispered, not giving Vic a second to think before crashing my lips onto his, letting his soft hands caress my face gently before his fingers trailed to my chest, pushing my body further into the foam mattress softly.