Fractured

Chapter 32

Being woken before dawn was definitely not what I would have chosen for my date with Axel, or any date, ever. He had insisted on being the one to stay with me last night after my photo shoot yesterday. I was finally booked into the studio to have the advertising pictures taken for the Academy Talent Show yesterday and all of the guys decided to come with me. It was after eleven by the time we made it home, and after showering, I crawled into bed ready to sleep the day away. Rose had told them all of my favourite hand balancing tricks that I had learnt to combine with my contortion so I wasn't too surprised to find the props required already on hand there.

The hours of bending, stretching, contorting and balancing definitely took a toll on my body and slept so deeply that I didn't even hear Axel's alarm, or feel him getting out of bed. He was kind enough to bring me a pastry with my morning coffee which was the only thing that kept me awake at that point, since I still felt weary from the previous days activities. I hadn't realised just how hungry I was until the ham and cheese croissant appeared under my nose. It was also the only thing that stopped me from causing a scene about being woken up so early when I didn't know we had anything planned.

Axel made sure to tell me how much he thought I would enjoy our activities for the day and even followed up by telling me that if I didn't enjoy myself, he would make it up to me in any way I wanted. That was definitely useful to know. He was either incredibly confident that I would enjoy what we were off to do, or he was that dedicated to making this thing between us all work. Either way, I was happy. He waited for me to be halfway through my coffee before telling me to dress comfortably, in clothes and shoes that I wouldn't mind getting dirty, and to wear my hair up, securing it so that it won't get in the way while we were out enjoying our date.

I sifted through my wardrobe, looking for suitable clothing and shoes, while finishing my first coffee of the day. I was loathed to get any of it too dirty, since it was all so new. I knew it was silly to feel that way, but so much of my wardrobe was still new and unworn that I always thought twice about wearing any of it. I opted for comfort over anything else and settled on a pair of black jeans and an olive coloured, v-neck sweater, paired with some black runners. Once my coffee was finished, I braided my hair around my head, showered and dressed, meeting Axel in the entryway of our home, ready to leave.

Axel guided me to the jeep that was waiting for us just outside the front door and helped me inside. Once I was seated, he closed the door and made his way around to the driver's seat and climbed in, handing me the paper bag that was sitting on the console and telling me that one of the travel mugs had been filled with coffee just the way I liked it. The other had tea in it for him to enjoy on the way. I was surprised, but grateful for the additional caffeine hit, and even more surprised to find a blueberry muffin in the bag. He assured me that he wouldn't be offended if I didn't actually eat it, but he didn't want to risk me being hungry. I decided to save it for later and just sip on my coffee instead.

The coffee kept me awake during the drive and watching the sun rise through the trees and over the houses as we drove was beautiful. I made a mental note to get up early every so often just so I could enjoy watching the different colours dance across the sky. Sure, the same thing happened with a sunset, but at the same time, it felt completely different, bringing hope and excitement for the day. I was so distracted by the sunrise that I didn't realise we were almost at our destination until Axel pulled into the car park.

"Oh my gosh! We're going to the zoo?" I exclaimed. "I can't wait to see all of the beautiful animals."

Axel laughed at my sudden enthusiasm. "Me either. I know I work with sea life all the time, but I have always wanted to spend some time working with land animals as well and thought we could work as zoo keepers for the morning. I was owed a favor and they were more than happy for me to use it this way. It actually works out more in their favor than anything else, but I wouldn't have it any other way."