Secrets // a.i.

Eighteen

After stopping for a lunch at a small pizza shack on the corner of Broadway and 25th, we headed to the zoo. Ashton laughed at how excited I was to go to the zoo, he didn't understand why i had to go to the one in New York because I could literally go to one in any other state. New York was just a magical place, and even something like the zoo made me excited. He was a boy, so of course he wouldn't understand.

"That was the best pizza I've ever had" he groaned, rubbing his stomach.

"I second that" I giggled. "Are we almost there?"

"Just about ten more minutes" our taxi driver told us. He had a weird foreign accent that I could hardly understand. Ashton had to translate everything he said.

-

We arrived at the zoo shortly after, quickly buying our tickets and heading toward the exhibits. I couldn't wait to see all the animals, I loved them all. Literally, I wanted a house full of pets one day. My favorite was dogs, especially when they were puppies. I pulled on Ashtons hand as I ran to the first exhibit I saw. The lions.

"Babe slow down" he chuckled.

"I wonder if they have white leopards.." I thought out loud.

"White leopards?" Ashton asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Yes" I laughed at his question. "Oh look! It's a baby lion, oh my goodness!"

"Ew" he groaned. "They look like naked mole rats."

"Ashton!" I shouted, swatting his arm.

"Ow! What? It's true!" He shouted, gesturing to the baby lions in front of us.

"We better go before they eat your head off for saying that."

"Lions don't eat heads" he huffed.

"Suit yourself" I smirked, walking away and leaving him with the lions.

"Wait...do they really?" He asked, turning to look at the lions again before running after me.

"Scared?"

"Me? No. I just wanna make sure no bad animals get you" he shrugged.

"Right" I nodded, rolling my eyes as we headed to the next exhibit.

-

"Now, if you hold some crackers in your hand he'll fly over to you" she instructed me.

We'd made our way to the bird exhibit, a few parrots were lined around us in a small cage. I put a few crackers in my hand as she said, and sure enough one of the parrots flew to my hand. He wrapped his claws around one of my fingers as he pecked town on my hand, tickling the skin.

"That feels weird" I giggled, as he continued to eat the crackers.

"They're very sweet birds, they wouldn't harm you unless you harm them. He'll also kiss you."

"What?" I laugh rather loudly, causing Ashton to chuckle from behind me.

"They will" the lady laughed, clearing her throat. "Watch." She brought herself over to the bird in my head, her face close to his. "Kiss" she said simply and the bird pecked his beak to her lips. I laughed again, this time out of cuteness. 

"That is so adorable" I snorted.

"Would you like to try?" She asks, gesturing to me.

"I don't know" I scrunch my nose, really not sure if I wanna kiss a bird.

"Didn't you ever wanna say you got to kiss a bird?" Ashton asked.

"Shut up" I yelled over my shoulder, sending him into a fit of giggles.