• September 15, 2017 •

Kara had the perfect idea for an outing that did not include her and Zach spending time at the beach as usual. That once she had decided to surprise him by taking him to an animal shelter.

She had been considering adopting a cat and had been in touch with the authorities at the shelter who had given her a date and time for the visit. But on that visit, she was taking Zach along with her.

With almost two months lapsing after Zach's surgery and with one month of him steadily recovering, he could walk without crutches and the boot by then. He still had a slight limp but had gotten much better than before.

So Kara thought it would be fun for the two of them to visit the animal shelter together. She knew Zach was very fond of animals and lately all of them had been collectively finding ways to cheer him up.

True, he was not as disappointed as earlier but watching the first race of the Olympics take place without him had put a slight dampener on his mood.

"So where are we going today?" Zach must have asked her for the tenth time but Kara refused to tell him.

"It's a surprise. You'll find out soon."

"I am curious and impatient. I want to find out right now," he remarked, turning to look at her as she was driving the car.

She laughed, "oh come on, have some patience. What's the point of a surprise if I'll tell you beforehand?"

"Fine. But it better be something fun."

Her eyes twinkled, knowing how he would react when the surprise would finally be revealed, "oh you bet."

She parked the car a bit away from the main spot where the shelter was located. They had to walk to get to the premises and when Zach saw the board of Ardor Pet Sanctuary, a smile broke out on his face.

"Surprise," Kara smiled as well, pleased with the outcome of the long wait.

"You have no idea how much I have wanted to visit this place," he remarked enthusiastically.

"Well I do have an idea or else why would I have brought you here?"

He chuckled lightly as they stepped in, "fair enough."

The pet sanctuary was located on a plot that used to be reserved for an auditorium space but as construction never got completed, the open areas and the half-constructed building were allotted to the owner of the animal shelter who had made good use of the area.

"So any specific reason we're here?" He asked though he was quite visibly distracted by the animals playing about.

"I thought it would be a unique spot for a date," Kara teased and he reverted his attention to her, raising an eyebrow lightly.

"Very unique. And?"

"And I wanted to adopt a kitty," she told him, her smile widening to see a slight look of surprise flicker in his eyes.

"Really? And you didn't tell me before?"

"Because I am indecisive," she explained, taking him into the place where the felines were kept, "I had to do some research to see whether I will be able to look after a pet properly or not and then I also thought if I told you earlier, it would ruin the surprise of finally bringing you here."

"Oh."

"So yeah, but I'm ready to have a pet cat and brought you along so that we can take her home together."

"Awww, sweet," he entwined his hand through hers and by then, they had reached the feline section.

It didn't take long for Kara to select a cat because very soon, she got absolutely taken by a white and black cat that was prowling about moodily. It had wide green eyes and a plump figure and though it was a bit stiff around Kara and Zach at first, Kara proceeded to get it to become familiar with her.

In the meanwhile, Zach had been talking to a family who had adopted a puppy and they let him hold it as well. The young pup had dark brown fur and wide dark eyes. And Zach being much of a dog lover was happily spending his time there.

After the technical process was complete and Kara was allowed to take the cat home with her, she went to Zach who was waving goodbye to his newly made friend. 

"Looks like Solar has competition," Kara remarked and Zach turned towards her, seeing the fluffy white and black cat bundled up in her arms.

"Solar has no competition," he replied, "but the little puppy was so cute. I was tempted to adopt it had the family not taken it already."

She shook her head, a smile lingering on her face, "by the way, I thought of a name for this cutie softpaws."

"Oh, what is it?"

"Ella. Like Cinderella but minus the cinders." 

"That's a cute name," he replied, but as he was about to pet the cat's head, it had ducked deeper into the basket Kara was holding.

"Looks like your charms are limited to dogs only," Kara remarked, watching him laugh.

"Maybe. Maybe not," his brown eyes were shining cheerfully, "besides dogs are much easier to befriend than cats. I won't be surprised if Ella gives you a hard time too."

"Nope, she won't. Right, Ella?"

The cat meowed and closed its eyes, looking ready to take a nap. They left the animal shelter and walked back to where the car was parked. Kara carefully put Ella's basket in the back seat and by then the cat was sound asleep.

She knew it was going to be a very new experience for her to have a pet cat but she was excited nevertheless.

"Where to now?" Zach asked, knowing Kara couldn't call it a date unless food was involved.

She laughed, seeing the knowing spark in his eyes, "ice cream parlor."

"My treat," he remarked, "it's been long since the last time we went there."

Kara knew the last time they had gone there was when she had beaten Zach in the race at the beach. The soft smile on his face indicated he was thinking the same.

But before his mood could drop thinking about the past when he was able to achieve his dreams, he changed the topic himself, "and I'll plan our next date. So that I'm not the only one who has to receive such surprises."

Her smile widened, "really? Let's see if you can surprise me then."

"You bet."

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