"Hey! T-Rex chick!" A familiar voice called out.
Aubrey turned around to see Owen Grady, hands on his hips and a smug look on his face.
"T-Rex chick?" She scoffed, squatting back down to finish cleaning the glass of the Tyrannosaurus Rex exhibit.
He sighed. "Okay, Aubrey. I need your help with something."
"And why would I help you, Mr. Grady?" She asked nonchalantly, tossing her caramel-coloured hair over her shoulder.
"Owen. And I like to think we're friends, and friends help each other, right?" He questioned in reply.
She rolled her eyes and stood to face him, crossing her arms over her chest. Sure, he could be a bit cocky at times, but dang, that jawline got her every time.
"Alright, raptor boy. But what could you possibly need that only I could help you with?"
"Claire thinks the park needs a new asset to increase attendance. She planned on opening the raptor exhibit in June, but apparently that's not good enough anymore. She wants me to teach them to do tricks with their food or something. Apparently it'll up the "wow!" factor. And I figured since you work with uh, what's her name, here on a daily basis and aren't scared one bit you'd be brave enough to help me." Owen said, taking a few steps closer towards her.
"First of all, her name is Rexy. And second of all, they're dinosaurs, "wow!" enough." Aubrey replied.
"That's what I said!" Owen remarked. "I mean, damn, that woman is pretty, but sometimes I wonder if there's a single brain cell in her head."
Hearing Owen say Claire was pretty made something flare up in her chest. She didn't know why, though. She couldn't be jealous, could she? No, there was no way. She didn't even like Owen. But hearing him say that last bit about Claire not having a brain cell in her head made her smile. She liked Claire and all, but Aubrey had to admit Owen was right.
"Aubrey?" Owen asked, snapping her out of her trance. "You okay?"
"Yeah, um, I'm fine!" She said. "Just, uh, tired. Yeah, tired. That's all!"
"Alright. And by the way, what kind of a name is Rexy?"
"For your information, Rexy is a very nice name for a dinosaur, Mr. Grady." She scolded, mocking his tone. "She's been on this island longer than any of us."
"Owen. And are you in or not?" He asked.
"Am I in?" She raised an eyebrow.
"To help me. With the raptors."
Aubrey had always wanted to work with a velociraptor, but Claire, for some unknown reason, insisted that she stay strictly in T-Rex Kingdom and occasionally work the Gentle Giants Petting Zoo.
"Oh, yeah, duh. Of course I am!" She said, maybe a little too enthusiastically.
"Great!" He said with a smile, holding his hand up for a high-five.
Aubrey laughed, then high-fived him. "When do we start?"
"Soon as you're ready."
"So, uh, on Monday then?" She asked.
"Why not?" Owen questioned in reply. "How about noon?"
"First T-Rex feeding's at noon. How about nine?" She offered.
"AM?" Owen, asked, seemingly stunned.
Aubrey snickered. "What? Is poor little Owen not used to waking up before lunch?"
"As a matter of fact, no, he is not. Make it ten and you've got yourself a deal."
"A deal?" She scoffed. "I'm helping you."
"Okay, er, not a deal. Or, I don't know. Whatever. I'll see you on Monday at ten then?" He replied.
She smiled at his loss for words. "Yeah. See you at ten."
"Unless you wanna get a drink or something?" Owen offered, talking so fast she barely had time to process what he said.
"Oh, no." His expression saddened at her reply. "No, I mean, I'd love too, but I have to finish cleaning up here, and get back before the last ferry leaves."
"Alright." He said, heading for the door that led downstairs and to the exit, stopping and turning back around when Rexy roared loudly and stomped over towards the glass.
For a moment, they both stood there, watching the great creature.
"Hey, how about that drink? Tomorrow, say seven?" Aubrey asked, breaking the silence.
"Yeah, I think that could be arranged." He said, his trademark smirk back again.
"Sounds good to me." She answered, a smile creeping on to her face.
He winked, which only made her smile grow, and headed downstairs. Aubrey leaned back against the glass. Had she just? Did she really... She was going on a date with Owen Grady! A date! A date... Oh, god. Would Claire be mad? Would it be awkward at every meeting now? Somehow, she didn't care, because she was going on a date with Owen freakin' Grady!
But on the other hand, she was unsure. God, what had she gotten herself into? A date with Owen Grady! He was a jerk, and he was too cocky, and Claire had said all these bad things about him but... Were they even true? Sure, he was cocky, and a bit rude at times, but was he really a jerk? Maybe not. Maybe he and Claire just weren't a good match. After all, he did wear board shorts on their first (and only) date, and Claire hated board shorts. She snickered at the thought of their disastrous date.
Before she left, Aubrey made sure to thank Rexy for keeping Owen from leaving.