“From Wes, the musician we saw at the lounge last night.”
“No way!” she squeals. “Javier arranged a lesson?”
“He did. And Brynn, it was amazing.” The rush of euphoria comes flooding back, and I can’t help a giddy smile. “Easily one of the best days of my life.”
Ethan makes a sound that’s halfway between a snort and a harrumph as he unhooks Wilson’s leash.
“What?” Brynn casts him an inquisitive glance. “What’d I miss?” Whiskers wiggles in her arms, and she sets her down to scamper off and play with Wilson.
“Nothing,” I say hastily, shooting Ethan a silencing look.
But he has his back toward me as he hangs the leash on the hook by the door.
“Okay, now Ineedto know.” Brynn leans forward, both forearms propped on the counter, her curious gaze darting between us. “Spill it.”
“It’s not a big deal,” I insist, although heat creeps up my neck. “I think Ethan’s insinuating that there’s another reason I had the best day. But for the record, he couldn’t be more wrong,” I add with emphasis. Maybe a little more than strictly necessary.
“And what’s the other reason?” Brynn asks. My blush must have deepened a darker shade of pink because she suddenly bolts upright and gasps. “It’s about Javier, isn’t it? Did something happen between you two?”
“Not exactly. He, uh, may have kinda sorta kissed me when he dropped me off just now.” I can’t say the words without cringing a little.
Brynn shrieks and bounces on her toes in excitement as if I’d announced our engagement.
“Easy there.” I hold up both hands and give her the universal “calm down” signal. “Don’t get too excited. The kiss was completely unexpected and, honestly, unwelcomed. Although I’m grateful he arranged a lesson with Wes, I don’t plan on seeing him again.”
“Why not? What’s wrong with this one?” The way she saysthis one—in a labored breath—is thick with implications.
I can feel Ethan’s eyes on me, and for some reason, the conversation is making me flustered and defensive. “Nothing is wrong with him. But I don’t have to date every guy who crosses my path or does me a favor.”
“No,” Brynn retorts. “But maybe you could try datingoneof them. Ever since Chad, it’s like you’ve sworn off relationships. I’m starting to think you want to be single forever.” Her tone is soft, threaded with concern, and I know she only wants the best for me, but her words still sting, and I can’t help the tiny prick of indignation rising in my chest.
“And what’s wrong with that? Being single isn’t some disease that desperately needs a cure. Some of us are happier on our own.”
Based on her dubious expression, she doesn’t believe a word I said, and I can tell she’s biting her tongue to avoid arguing further.
Ethan makes a big show of banging pots and pans behind us, loudly broadcasting that he’s about to start dinner. When Brynn and I would argue as kids, he’d often step in with some silly distraction, and we’d eventually forget all about our quarrel. Not for the first time, I long for those simpler days, before the afflictions of adulthood calcified the once-soft edges around my heart.
“Speaking of being happy, I have some good news,” Brynn offers, bridging the emotional divide.
“Let’s hear it.” I smile, grateful to put the disagreement behind us. I never could stay upset with her. Not even when she insisted my Barbie couldn’t afford her dream house on a babysitter’s salary and needed to downsize or sell her hot-pink convertible.
“Oliver felt bad when I told him I’d postponed our art class to help him at the office. So, to repay the favor, he offered to take us to the coolest art class in the city next weekend.” Her eyes sparkle with a hint of mischief.
“I’m intrigued….” I trail off, waiting for her to elaborate.
Instead, she quips, “Great! But you’ll have to live with the suspense. The only thing I’ll say about it is to dress warm because we’ll be outside.”
I groan, not a fan of surprises. Although, I am grateful for the distraction. Trying to guess her mysterious outing will keep me from dwelling on the confusing mixed signals between me and Ethan—signals I’m too afraid to decipher.
The following week, I pepper her with questions, but she staunchly guards her secret. By the time we’re standing in the Congo Forest Exhibit with Oliver and his zookeeper sister, Amy, I still have no clue what’s going on.
But I have learned a few important things: one, Oliver and Amy Kim are half Korean born-and-bred New Yorkers, and two, Oliver and Brynn are hopelessly, undeniably head over heels in love with each other. They just don’t know it yet.
The entire time Amy gives us a behind-the-scenes tour, Oliver sticks close to Brynn. He rarely takes his eyes off her for a second, and each time she smiles, his face lights up with delight. He hardly seems to notice the incredible, otherworldly setting around us.
Stepping into the immersive exhibit—inhaling the earthy scent of the verdant foliage, bracing against the cool mist of the waterfall, and even absorbing the strange, unfamiliar sounds—feels like we left the metal metropolis behind and have ventured into the wild, unfettered African jungle.
Amy guides us to a private cordoned-off area where three easels, each equipped with blank canvases and paint supplies, are waiting for us. But what stops me in my tracks is on the other side of the plexiglass viewing window separating us from the habitat. A massive gorilla, striking and grandiose in stature, gazes at us with dark, beady eyes that are at once warm and watchful, as if he’s not quite sure what to make of us yet. I notice that he, too, has a blank canvas and easel, which I find baffling, to say the least.