It felt like ten years had passed before it was finally 7pm Saturday night. Well, it was closer to 6:30. I was so excited to see Beatrice again that I ended up arriving to the Central Park zoo a half an hour early. It was embarrassing how right Paul had been. I really did have it bad.
"Come on Simmons," I said, running a hand through my hair in an attempt to look a little tidier. "She's just a broad with nice legs. You can see a million of those starting next month, there's no point losing your head over her."
But all the same, I could feel the inside of my mouth growing dry as I finally spotted her walking toward me. She was once again dressed perfectly, with a simple blue t-shirt tucked into the waistband of her patent leather skirt that fell just about mid-thigh. The skirt was paired with a matching jacket perfect for the chill that was starting to fill the air as the sun began to dip below the horizon. The boots she had stopped below the knee, showing off a good section of her legs, the entire outfit topped with a beret that matched the jacket and skirt, allowing her hair to fall in such a way that it framed her face perfectly.
The entire outfit was simple and yet perfectly fashionable and culminated in making me feel like I had picked up a handful of sand and stuffed it in my mouth. A smile tugged at her lips, which today were covered in a pale pink lipstick that I wanted nothing more than to kiss right off of her.
"Good evening," she said, drawing to a halt in front of me, resting her hands on her hips, ever so slightly leaning forward in such a way that it pulled the fabric of her shirt even tighter across her chest.
I cleared my throat, swallowing the sensation of sand, and returned her smile. "Good evening? It's a perfect evening now that you're here," I said, and she laughed.
"You flatter me. Shall we?" she asked, extending her elbow, and I very gratefully hooked my arm through hers, tugging her a little closer to my side.
"We shall. What did you have in mind for tonight?" I asked, starting to walk off with her.
"Oh, I thought about actually going to the zoo, but I figured I'd see enough big dumb apes tonight anyway," she teased, eyes sparkling with laughter, and I smiled despite the hot blush creeping across my cheeks.
"That sounds like something Paul would say. He tell you to say that?" I asked, letting her lead us down one of the many paths in the park, and she smiled, leaning a little closer against me.
"Mm, he might've," she said with a shrug, and I rolled my eyes.
"Maybe this big dumb ape is better off joining the other monkeys in the zoo," I said, voice filled with mock hurt, and as she laughed I felt a swarm of butterflies attack my stomach, fluttering so intensely I was surprised I wasn't lifted off my feet.
"But then I wouldn't have any fun," she said, pushing her perfect lips into a pout, making her eyes big and round as she teasingly pleaded with me.
"Well we couldn't have that, now could we?" I asked, hugging her arm a little closer to my side so she had no choice but to press her body a little closer against mine.
We fell into a warm silence as we walked along the edge of the main lake in Central Park, our footsteps crunching in the gravel path. The air was full of the noise of crickets and bullfrogs and every so often a bird would burst into a brief song overhead. I kept trying to think of something or anything to say, but the sand had apparently moved from my mouth to my brain. Beatrice ended up breaking the silence first, turning to look up at me as we walked.
"So you're leaving for a tour soon, aren't you?" she asked, and I nodded.
"Mhm. We leave first of July, I think. It's a pretty short tour, just two and a half months, only in the US. So I won't have to be apart from you for too long," I said without thinking, and the corners of her mouth twitched as she gave me a coy smile.
"Apart from me? Why would that matter?" she asked, and I shrugged, heart hammering against my ribs loud enough I was certain she could hear it too.
"Well y-you know, I mean I suppose I just--what-what I meant was--I guess I--" I stammered, fumbling for a coherent sentence, grateful we had only hooked arms instead of holding hands so she couldn't feel how sweaty my palms now were.
Beatrice drew to a halt, turning me so we were facing each other. A smile was still playing at her lips and I felt my knees weaken at just how inviting they looked. Clicking her tongue reproachfully, she shook her head.
"And you said I was the one distracted by you," she said, before taking a step closer, reaching up to put a hand on my cheek.
Her pinky hooked under my chin, palm soft and smooth as silk against my skin as she tilted my face down, grasp surprisingly firm. I swallowed, unable to think, caught like a deer in headlights. She leaned forward, face growing closer to mine, and I started to shift my lips on instinct, desperate for a taste of hers, before, to my surprise and dismay, she pulled her hand off my cheek, putting a finger on my lips.
"I like it when you're distracted," she said in a throaty whisper, smirking. "I like knowing I make you feel that way."
There was a pause before she pulled her hand away with a laugh, slipping her arm back through mine, and I snapped out of the daze she had put me in so effortlessly.
"Only America? That's no fun to tag along then. You'll have to let me know when you're going to Europe next, I'll see if I can stow away in your suitcase," she said, starting to walk again, and I smiled, going back to holding her close against my side.
"I'll make a note of that," I said. "We should see how good you are at bending in different positions first though, to make sure that...everything fits."
She snorted with laugher, rolling her eyes, but I noted with pleasure the blush that crept across her cheeks, making her few pale freckles stand out in contrast to the red. I hadn't noticed she had freckles before.
"Maybe we will. But not yet," she said, and I smiled, content to just be walking beside the lake with her for now.
