zoo boy ~ robert irwin

three

i woke up to my alarm going off, i rolled out of bed and walked into my adjoining bathroom.

i washed my face, you would think that with the attention i gave my skin routine, i wouldn't have any pimples.

but trust me, like most teenagers, i definitely got the occasional spot.

i then threw my hair into a ponytail.

i just put on some sunscreen and took extra care with my makeup routine to disguise a fresh pimple on my chin.

i walked into my closet and got my new australia zoo branded shirt out, i was inexplicably excited for my first day being a school tour guide at the zoo.

i walked through the front gates, first stopping off at the office building to sign in.

i checked the employee list that was pinned on a notice board and saw who i was partners with for this whole year, robert irwin.

since i first met robert a couple of weeks ago, i had been intrigued by him.

he seemed to have such a warm soul and i really wanted to get to know him better.

i walked to the tour guide meeting point, seeing as it was school holidays i would be taking school holiday care groups on tours.

then i saw robert at the meeting point, talking to a gorgeous redhead.

they were both laughing.

an unfamiliar emotion erupted in me.

was this jealousy?

i know i shouldn't be jealous because robert is allowed to talk to who he wants.

it's not like i own him or anything.

i walked over to the duo and said a friendly "hi" whilst giving them a quick smile and they stopped talking and both smiled back at me.

"oh hey katie, this is evelyn" robert introduced me to the girl.

"nice to meet you evelyn, i hope we can get to know each other" she said, woah she seemed really nice and not at all like the typical mean girl i had envisioned.

"i would love to" i replied, nervously chuckling.

"anyway, your first tour group is arriving in a couple of minutes so i will leave you two to it" katie said, giving a wave and walking off.

robert and i then went over our tour script outline, that included specific locations, and the basic facts to include at each part of the zoo.

"okay, here they come, get ready evie" robert said, then he looked into my eyes for a second with a mischievous expression on his face, glancing away.

"evie? that's new" i said, wondering why he had given me a nickname.

"well since i'm going to be seeing you around, it makes sense" he said.

"i guess so" i laughed in response.

the tour ended up going really well for everyone, the kids all loved it, robert seemed to love sharing his knowledge, and i enjoyed seeing robert in his natural habitat (haha, get it?).

soon our shift was over and robert and i walked back to the staff room, talking along the way.

"hey evelyn i know i just met you, and this may seem really abrupt, but i think i would really like to get to know you better" robert said, with his cheeks turning a very faint shade of pink..

how cute.

did i really just think that?

i let out a slight cough as a response to my alarming thoughts and robert looked at me confused.

"uh... me too" i said, and he appeared to be relieved.

"well see you tomorrow then... rob" i said while waving to him.

i watched him smile and shake his head in amusement, and then i walked away.