Prompt: Zoo, Cleena.

oxoxo

Claudia Donovan couldn't date. At least that's what she'd always told herself. But here she was, on a sunny, surprisingly warm April afternoon, walking slowly through Bramble Park zoo on a date. A pretty successful date at that. She turned to her left where Leena was having a hard time keeping up, snapping her camera at every single animal she saw. "You do know we have woodpeckers in our back yard?" Claudia smirked, then yelped at the swat to her side.

"I'm making a scrapbook," Leena bubbled, then resumed her walking, wide eyes looking around at their surroundings with glee.

"You're really having that much fun, huh…" Claudia shook her head in wonder.

"Wh…" Leena's bottom lip protruded and she pulled to a stop. "Aren't you?"

"N-No, that's not what I'm saying… What, what I'm saying is I just…" She sighed, not quite having the guts to say how she felt. "It's just… it's cute." she said finally, shaking her head at herself. Such a doofus.

Leena smiled slowly and took the camera from around her neck. "You wanna have a go?"

"Wh… no! That thing probably costs more than my car." Leena went quiet again and nodded, her feet shuffling slowly across the grit path as they approached the camel compound. Finding herself too hot, she took off her cardigan and wrapped it around her waist, conscious of Claudia's eyes on her the whole time. They'd already seen the black bears, the wolves, the bison, the kangaroos and though they got slightly lost in the dark reptile hut, they'd made it out alive.

Leena jumped up onto a bench in front of the wooden fencing and began to snap away, grinning when the closest camel to her stomped his feet and turned his head towards the camera. He spat suddenly and Leena chortled in startlement, hopping off the bench with ease and clipping the lens cap back onto her camera. "Okay…" she said with a nod. "I'll stop ignoring you now."

Claudia was stumped to say the least. "Ignoring me? You're not… Leena you're having fun."

"Aren't you?" the innkeeper enquired again softly.

"Absolutely." Claudia smiled and took the camera off of the innkeeper with careful hands. "Here… stand by Mr. Larry Johnson over there and lemme take a picture."

"Bu… what if he eats my hair?" Leena asked, but got herself ready anyway, letting out a wide grin as Claudia aimed the camera towards her face.

God that face. Claudia looked through the lens. She shook her head and took a few pictures, smiling instinctively as Leena let out a giggle when the camel huffed and groaned near her ear.

"Okay, okay… he's gonna eat me," the innkeeper said suddenly and dashed out of the way.

"He's not gonna eat you," Claudia rolled her eyes, fixing the camera strap back around the woman's neck.

Leena watched her slowly, judging and observing Claudia's colors… the strange light red she'd never seen before. She smiled at the change… it felt kinda good. Not threatening at all… Just—

"I love you." Claudia blurted suddenly. Finally. After her heart had threatened her that it would stop if she didn't admit how she felt, the younger woman decided to come clean.

"You… you what?" Leena blinked. It was their second date. It was warm. It was in a public space and there were people everywhere. Yet here they were. "What did you say?"

"I love you." Claudia shrugged bashfully. "I'm sorry… that's a totally sucky thing to say to someone on their second date but I lo—" She was cut off when Leena's lips touched hers, one hand reaching up to cup her cheek and pull her closer. The boldness of the act caused both women to freeze and after a few seconds, Leena pulled back, flustered.

"Me too." Leena nodded. She looked down and linked their hands together, then looked up hastily. "We're in a zoo." she whispered, eyes wide.

"We are… and all the animals are looking at us." Claudia hushed back, half joking. When she turned, though, she was shocked to find the camel, the muntjac and the reindeer all peering at them strangely, along with around 20 curious zoo-goers. "Yeah okay so I think ice-cream sounds pretty good right now?" she squeaked.

"Agreed." Leena's high voice beat her date's and she took a stronger grip of Claudia's hand before foggily guiding her through crowds to find refuge in the small gelato kiosk, hidden by some black alder trees.

"Where do we go from here?" Claudia asked in a uncharacteristically small voice as they sat on a park bench, taking in the scenery and watching the people go by.

Leena merely shrugged. "We eat ice-cream and we just… we just be." Claudia processed that for a minute. "That okay with you?" the innkeeper asked, nudging her gently with her shoulder.

"Hmm?" Claudia snapped out of her daydream. "Yeah… yes." She swallowed and nodded. "Absolutely."

"Good," Leena said, smiling as she took another lick of her raspberry and chocolate scoop. She nodded and felt Claudia's head drop to her shoulder somewhat timidly. "Good." She said again, and they both fell silent, thinking about what this day would mean.