"Are you coming to the flea market with us this morning, Zoe?"
My grandfather put his newspaper down and looked at me. He was still in his robe, his short grey hair a little mussed from bed. He gave me an affectionate smile.
"No, not this week." I tried to sound casual, but my heart jumped a little. "I'm going to the zoo with Nico and Lena."
"Oh, that sounds fun," my grandfather said. "We haven't been to the zoo in years. Not since you were little."
"Yeah, I know. It's been a long time. I know they built that new polar bear exhibit a few years ago, I'm looking forward to seeing that." I ran my eyes over the crossword clues, not really reading any of them.
My grandmother put down her section of the paper and said, "Just the three of you? The boys aren't coming?"
My grandmother was too smart. I didn't even have to look, I could hear it in her voice; she knew.
"They're at a birthday party, so, yeah, just us." I was still going for casual. I was pretty sure I was failing. I looked up to find her watching me, one of her eyebrows arched just a little. She knew me too well.
All she said was, "That sounds nice," but her eyebrow and the length of time she watched me said she knew there was more to the story.
I felt like I was lying, although I hadn't made anything up. Nico and I really were taking Lena to the zoo, and Rose really was taking Jack and Will to a birthday party. The facts were correct, I just hadn't mentioned how excited I was about spending the whole day with just Nico and Lena. I hadn't mentioned my nervous excitement or my hope that he'd kiss me once or twice before the day was through.
I hated feeling sneaky, but this thing with Nico had just happened, I didn't even really know what the thing was. Less than 48 hours ago he'd kissed me for the first time. Things had escalated pretty quickly after that kiss, and I came home at midnight, disheveled and blissful, having just had the most incredible sex of my life. Granted, my life had only spanned 22 years so far, and only 4 of those years had contained sex of any kind, but what had happened with Nico was in a completely different emotional league from anything that had happened in college.
"We're going to get an early start," my grandfather said, picking up the thread of our conversation. He obviously hadn't noticed anything noteworthy in my reply to his question like my grandmother had. "Try to beat the crowds. In fact, I should go get a shower."
I tried not to show my relief, but I realized they wouldn't be at the house when Nico came to pick me up. I'd been kind of dreading that, and especially after seeing my grandmother's shrewd expression, I was relieved I wouldn't have to deal with the guilt in the moment.
My grandparents knew Nico, and they had great respect for him as an artist, a craftsman, and as a person. He'd done a beautiful job with the design and installation of their patio, and he'd impressed them with his polite manner and modesty. They really liked him, but he was probably not their first pick for a boyfriend for me. The gap of 14 years between our ages would no doubt be a concern to them both.
If Nico and I started dating for real, I would have to tell them, of course, and face whatever disapproval they might have. But for now, I was glad for the reprieve; I was really looking forward to enjoying the day.
//
It took me a whole hour to get dressed. It was going to be a hot August day, and the majority of the zoo visit would be spent in the sun walking around, so I needed something cool that wouldn't look awful once I got sweaty and tired. I knew Nico had already seen me sweaty and tired—it was pretty much how I always looked when I saw him thanks to an unusually hot summer and the lack of air conditioning in Rose's house—so he probably wouldn't care, but I cared. I wanted to look good for our first date.
I settled on a simple floral sundress in white, blue and green. It had thin straps, a fitted bodice, and a flared skirt that stopped a few inches above my knees. It was cute, but still practical for a whole day of walking, looked fine with my white keds, and still showed off quite a bit of skin. I put my red hair up in a loose ponytail, pleased with the strands that hung loose at the nape of my neck—just a little sexy, but not overdone.
I heard the rumble of Nico's truck when he pulled up and my heart raced a little. From the kitchen window, I saw Lena dart across the yard, and then Nico followed behind. I greeted the enthusiastic five year old first, letting her into the house and leaning down to give her a hug. Her excitement was unrestrained and she babbled excitedly for a few minutes about the animals she wanted to see.
"We checked the website before we came," Nico explained once she'd stopped. "For the zoo's hours, but then we looked at the exhibits, too. So, we're a little excited."
"Good," I said. "Me, too. I can't wait."
I locked the door behind me and followed Nico across the patio he'd installed. He turned once he'd reached the path to wait for me, and the sun lit up every silver hair on his curly brown head. He smiled and it almost took my breath away, that smile.
The first time I'd seen him in anything but work clothes was two days ago, on the Friday night we'd spent together. He'd looked so sexy in just a clean t-shirt and jeans, but this Nico was even sexier. He wore a short-sleeved cream colored button shirt, untucked over jeans, and pair of black, flat-soled sneakers. The white shirt looked great on his bare olive-brown arms, and was loose enough in the collar I could just see some chest hair peeking out. My body responded with a pleasant flush of arousal. Already.
The drive was more than an hour, but the time went fast. We got the zoo just as it opened and joined the crowd of families at the gate. I got such a thrill knowing anyone who looked at us would just see a couple and their daughter out for the day; that was definitely the fantasy I was entertaining.
It was sunny, hot, and humid, and I should have been exhausted, but while I was hot, the heat I felt wasn't from the weather, it was from the low buzz of arousal I felt throughout my whole body. All it took was being with Nico, catching his eye from time to time, and seeing him with his daughter, to turn me on. I didn't feel the heat at all; I was too busy falling in love.
I wasn't sure how open he wanted to be in front of Lena, so I let him take the lead. He was the one who took my hand, and then he was the one who kissed me. Once, after we'd ducked into a shady spot to get a better view of the kangaroos—just a quick brush of his lips across my cheek—and then again later in the day while we were watching Lena playing in one of the little playgrounds in the park, he moved behind me and slid both hands to my waist, bent and pressed a soft kiss just behind my ear. It lasted all of a second, but I felt pleasure zing from all the points of contact down through my body and right between my legs.
We ate a late lunch at the overpriced snack bar, and then got ice cream and sat on a bench in some shade to eat it. Lena sat on my lap, and I could tell by the way she leaned back against me she was tired.
"We've only got a few more exhibits left," Nico said. He was studying the park map. I was studying his profile, especially the curves of his mouth. He smiled when he turned to look at me and found me staring. "Are you too tired to keep going?"
"No, I think I can make it." I was tired now that we'd sat down, but I was in no hurry to end our day together. I glanced down at Lena who had a glazed expression on her face. "I think someone might need to be carried, though."
After we'd cleaned up, Nico put Lena on his shoulders and took my hand. We walked the rest of the zoo at a leisurely pace, my head swimming a little from the familial picture we presented. I was tired and hot, but happy, so happy. From the way Nico looked at me as we walked the gravel paths, and the smile on his face, I guessed he was feeling something similar.
We lasted another hour. By the end of that hour my feet were starting to hurt and I longed to sit down for real. Lena was so sleepy she didn't even ask for anything from the the gift shop as we walked through, she just sat on her dad's shoulders as we made our way to the park's exit. Nico, who was used to working hard and functioning on not enough sleep seemed unaffected by the heat or miles we'd walked. He also looked a lot less disheveled than he did when he got home from work. No less attractive, I noted, and wondered to myself if I could ever find him even a little unattractive.
Nico got Lena in her car seat and buckled her in. She was old enough to do it herself, and usually insisted on autonomy, but she was far too sleepy to do anything but relax into the seat. I climbed in and turned around in time to see Nico plant a kiss on her cheek.
"You look worn out" I said. "Did you have fun?"
She nodded sleepily, but smiled.
Nico started the truck and I fiddled with the air conditioning, pointing a vent back toward Lena and one toward my face. I sighed when the cold air hit my skin and relaxed into my seat. I glanced and Nico, who met my gaze and reached over to take my hand. We drove for a while in silence like that, and though my face cooled down, I still felt flushed from excitement.
We were about fifteen minutes away from my grandparents when Nico asked, "Will your grandparents be there when I drop you off?"
"I think so. They went to the flea market this morning, they're usually back by noon. Why?"
"I would feel funny dropping you off and not coming in. And, I think...I want them to know about this, about us. You know?"
"I think I know what you mean," I said. I knew Nico cared for my grandparents, and he was a man of integrity, so it stood to reason he would be unhappy if he felt he was being anything less than respectful.
"Maybe they won't care, but I don't want to feel like I'm sneaking around."
"I understand," I said.
I told him about my conversation with them at breakfast, how my grandmother had known something was up.
He laughed. "Of course she knew something was up, that crafty lady. She's so smart. Any idea how she felt about it?"
"I don't know. I don't even know if she knows anything, or just suspects. I haven't exactly been a social butterfly since moving in with them, so any social engagement is a little conspicuous, I guess. Whether that means she knows how I feel or not..." I thought again about that look she'd given me in the morning and sighed. "Who am I kidding? She knows. I'm sure she knows. I'm terrible at hiding my emotions."
