Chapter 40 Life is a Picnic
“Where are we going exactly?” Andrea asked from the passenger side of the hotrod Case had rented to use while he was in town. It was not quite as nice as the sportscar he kept at his mother’s house, but the BMW would do. The weather was nice enough that he’d put the top down, and Andrea wasn’t even bothered by the wind blowing her hair. She felt free and more relaxed than she had in years.
“I told you. I packed a picnic lunch.”
“Yes, I can see that from the picnic basket in the back seat. But where are we going?” When he’d said they were having a picnic, she’d expected to be heading to a park or maybe out of town. He was driving down one of the busy parts of town. So far, no one had noticed them, since they both had sunglasses on, but it was likely a matter of time. It was hard to miss Andrea’s hair.
“Fine. If you must know, we’re going to the zoo.”
“The zoo? I thought you said you wanted to take me to lesser known places while you were in town. Everyone’s been to the zoo.”
A crooked grin spread across his face. We’ll see about that, Ms. Sparks.”
Andrea settled back into her seat, content to see what he had planned. It didn’t seem like he was talking about an ordinary day at the zoo.
They were on Griffith Park Drive, so she knew the zoo was close by, but when Case turned a different way, she got confused. “Isn’t the zoo that way?”
“Do you wanna drive?” he teased.
Andrea gave him a look and folded her arms. Case laughed and squeezed her knee. A few minutes later, he turned into what looked like an old parking lot. She had no idea what they were doing, but when Case came around and opened her door, she got out.
He grabbed the picnic basket, and her hand, and she followed along as he led her into the park. Eventually, she saw what looked like some old enclosures, and then she realized where they were. “The old zoo?” she asked.
“Yeah. Have you ever been back here before?” Case asked.
“No. I didn’t know any of it was still around.”
He smiled. “Yeah, it’s pretty cool from what I’ve seen online. Come on.”
She continued to walk with him, glad to have his hand in hers.
Old buildings and cages took shape as they neared, springing out of the overgrowth, many of them tagged with graffiti but still captivating. Several picnic tables were set up in one of the enclosures, but no one else was around. Case set the picnic basket down, and they walked over to the nearest enclosure. “This used to be the lion’s den, I think.”
It was a bit eerie walking through what would’ve been the enclosed part of the cage, but the architecture was beautiful, and Andrea couldn’t help but admire it. “When was this built?”
“The 1930s, mostly. The zoo opened in 1912, but a lot of these enclosures were built later. Pretty cool, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.” Andrea stepped through one of the narrow walkways she imagined big cats used to roam. Case didn’t follow her, but he also didn’t let go of her hand, which jarred her a bit. She sprang back and saw him standing on the other side of the pillar that separated two openings. He smiled at her and then reached for her other arm. Andrea let go of his hand and found his lips.
It had been a few days since he’d kissed her, and her lips had missed his. He moved around the obstruction, pulling her close, brushing her hair back from her neck, the tip of his tongue teasing her to open, which she did. He tasted sweet, like strawberries, and when he wrapped his arms around her, she pressed her palms to his chest, sliding them up to encircle his neck.
She could’ve continued to kiss him forever, but Case pulled back. They’d discussed taking things slow, not pushing it, and while she was slightly disappointed, she knew it was for the best. She still had some information to get out of him before she could fully trust him with her heart—or her body. They were a package deal, as far as Andrea was concerned.
“Hungry?” Case asked.
“Starving.” Andrea wasn’t necessarily talking about food.
He chuckled and took her back to the picnic table.
The picnic was impressive. Thick turkey sandwiches with cheese and all of Andrea’s favorite toppings, potato salad, chips, and even chocolate chip cookies for dessert. He’d also brought her favorite bottle of bubbly. They had an amazing time sitting amid the ruins talking about life and what they wanted from it.
When they were done eating, they did some more exploring. It really was amazing to see how nature reclaimed that which was once hers. Andrea loved looking at the old architectural details as well.
As the sun was about to set, they headed back to the car. It had gotten a little colder, so Case put the top up. His hand was warm comforting in hers. Andrea wanted the night to never end, but she knew they both had early mornings the next day. Case had to talk to his crew chief about some changes for the upcoming season, and she had an interview to do for her current film, the one she’d been in New York promoting. It was doing really well, and the producers wanted to keep the momentum going.
Case walked her to her apartment door. “Thanks for such an amazing day,” he said, his breath warm against her cheek.
“Thank you. You’re right. There is a side to LA I haven’t seen. It was nice exploring it with you.”
Case smiled and leaned in, and Andrea reached up on her tiptoes to find his lips. The kiss was soft and sweet, and when he pulled away, she wanted more. But he was determined to give their relationship time, so he said goodnight and left.
Andrea entered her apartment but stayed on the other side of the door for a moment, thinking about Case. She wanted to badly to trust him. He’d never given her any reason not to. So why couldn’t she just take that leap of faith?
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
