The smile on her face as she was working made it worth the wait as she flipped it around to show him:

A confident image of her riding a sea lion accelerating through the sky alongside him...except his face was on the animal. She couldn't help but laugh at his face struggling to determine an emotion.

"Rude!" His eyes lifted to his brain. "Then again, maybe it's saying when we're together, no creature could stop our roar."

Those words took her by surprise, and he inched closer.

"It's cute."

"Me or my art?"

"Well, two things can be true at the same time," looking at both. "Glad I could be your muse."

"Glad you let me be your artist."

She lowered her arms and sketchpad and the two leaned in for a quick peck, about to continue.

"So my cousin's acting big and bold in public now that he found a girl?"

Startled, Silas spun back to see his cousin.

"Radeem, don't scare me like that!"

A taller, more suave male in more comfortable jeans and cartoon shirt approached with a plus sized beauty Camila compared to a model, wearing a white dress and jeans jacket.

"Oh sorry to meet you. I'm Donna, but my friends call me Donnie," offering her hand to the two of them. Silas looked up and down at her light tan skin and positive aura before shaking it.

"Thank you for taking care of my foolish cousin, even if he doesn't deserve it at times," lightly bowing to her before turning to him. "Don't mess this up!"

"I was going to say the same thing to you," stretching his arms in benediction for Silas to fall into.

"What took you so long?"

"Told you I show up when it matters."

"Sorry we interrupted," Donna admitted."We should've taken a picture of them!"

Redeem sucked his teeth. "My bad, my bad."

"I teased him for too long," Silas said. "I owe you both."

"Hey, this is your day, we'll be in the background. Hey, we could feed the sea lions."

They turned back to the exhibition, watching the workers hand a glove and kids to volunteer throwing their food. Silas rose his hand to let Camila go, but he saw a kid holding out a gummy bear trying to climb up the fence, about to fall over.

"No!" He climbed over it to catch him, struggling to lift the kid up, but starting to slip.

"Mama!"

"Guys help, I'm too unconventionally attractive to die!"

Camila, Donna, and Radeem grabbed his hands to lift him up, still holding the child until they were behind the fence, blowing a sigh of relief.

"That was embarrassing."

"Hey, you saved a kid, and they fed you their gummy bear instead," heading to the Barn and Garden exhibit, watching him cheer up when they saw a goat.

"See I told you there'd be horns!"

"That's what cheered you up?'

They let most of the kids feed the animals until they were told the line closed, hearing a girl whine she couldn't go. Somehow he tripped on Camila's sneaker, falling next to the girl.

"Owh, my leg," tying her shoe. "You wanna feed the sheep instead?"

The girl said yes, and he tied her shoes while letting him take her spot, waiting for Camila.

"Sorry you didn't get your chance."

"The goats are the lucky ones, they got to meet you," going to hold her hand, but she brushed it off.

"They didn't wash it off."

Redeem and Donna grew worried.

"Here's some hand sanitizer," taking out one before they could get to the Hall of Animals.

Phew, smooth cuz.

Going inside, they got wowed by the fennec fox's ears, disturbed and intrigued by the poison dart frog, and caught each other's bodies when a fruit bat looked like it was heading towards them.

Shaking off that fear into the Animal Lifestyle section, many were staring at the Hamadryas Baboon. Camila didn't even notice they were holding hands, mesmerized by the creature, giving him an idea.

He turned over to the exhibit, telling her to take a picture or do a quick sketch while he replicated the bamboo's movements in a pose, struggling to hold crouching and squatting.

She did a quick outline of the drawing, taking a picture and picking him up.

"I think you're getting more attention then the animals," laughing and taking him to the Discovery Trail: spotting the dingo, red panda, crane, and deer, seeing her smile, and he got a little nervous.

"Camila, could we-"

Donna looked over. "What's he trying to say?"

"Maybe a picture. He's always told me he felt left out."

"-take one together?"

"Oh yeah, sure."

They watched him try to take one, but struggle with the angle, letting her do it instead, spotting an emu in the glass below their legs.

"Don't be so nervous," giving pause from her stomach growling. "Let's eat."

They paid for their own meals, equally annoyed at the high cost for food and sitting at one of the courts, eating pizza. Sauce was about to drop off her face.

His hand snatched a napkin and thrusted forward to catch it, wiping her mouth.

"Mine is much more stable," feeding her a piece with one hand while swapping it with the other.

She blushed, but opened her mouth and accepted it.

"Ahh, bird poop!"

Several people started complaining or moving from bird droppings flying either on their food, belongings, or themselves.

"Not today!"

He burst out an umbrella wide enough to cover their heads in the nick of time.

She looked up to see white marks above them, relieved.

"You really came prepared."

"They won't shit on our day."

Donna and Radeem hi-fived while trying to evade more.

With afternoon coming, she pulled out her phone and he calmed down to take a more genuine smile, but she lowered down to kiss his cheek as she clicked.

"That was fun," hugging him before leaving. "See you Monday."