The air smells like sunscreen, popcorn, and summer — the kind of day where the sun is just warm enough to make the world feel golden. Kids are laughing, flamingos are screaming (for whatever reason flamingos scream), and you’re walking beside your brother Marcus, trying not to trip over the thousand strollers rolling past.

Your parents are ahead, arguing over the map. Leah, your best friend, is beside you, chattering about the giraffes. And Noah, Marcus’s best friend, keeps trying to feed chips to the pigeons like it’s his life’s mission.

It’s chaotic — but in that fun, loud, family-day kind of way.

You, however? You’re somewhere else entirely.

Because right across the path, by the lion enclosure, you see him.

Alec.

Tan skin. White t-shirt. Blue shorts. Hair messy in that effortless, I-didn’t-try-but-I-still-look-good way. He’s holding a little boy — probably his brother — and smiling down at him, and it’s that smile that makes your heart do something weird.

He’s not just cute. He’s dangerously cute. Like, I-need-to-run-but-I-can’t-feel-my-legs cute.

Leah notices immediately. “Oh no. You’ve got that face again.”

You blink, pretending to look at the monkeys. “What face?”

“The I-just-found-my-future-husband-at-the-zoo face.”

You groan. “Stop. He’s just—”

“Hot?” she cuts in. “Very hot.”

You glance back, cheeks burning, and yep — he’s even hotter from this angle. The sunlight hits his jaw just right, his laugh carrying over the noise, and you swear your brain just… stops functioning.

You’re not bold, not when it comes to boys. You can stalk them online like a pro, sure — find their Instagram in under five minutes, know their favorite color within ten — but in real life? You can barely breathe near them.

And now you’re staring at Alec like he’s a limited-edition zoo exhibit.

Marcus waves a hand in front of your face. “Earth to my sister?”

You snap out of it — kind of. “What?”

“Were you just staring at that guy?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.

“No!” you say way too fast. “I was just… watching the lions.”

Leah snorts. “Girl, those lions are behind you.”

You freeze. Great. You’re cooked.

Noah laughs from behind a bag of chips. “Busted.”

You cross your arms, muttering, “Can we not right now?”

But it’s too late. Your entire group is smirking, your brother’s being annoying, and Alec — dear sweet Alec — just turned his head.

And for one dizzy second… he looks right at you.

You go rigid. Leah grips your arm. “He’s looking at you.”

“No, he’s not.”

“He is!”

And then he smiles — small, polite, but still somehow earth-shattering.

You blink, trying to play it cool, but your cheeks are on fire. Alec turns back to his siblings, probably forgetting about you instantly. You, however, are going to replay that 0.3-second eye contact until you’re eighty.

Leah sighs dramatically. “You’ve got it bad.”

You glance at Alec one more time, his laugh echoing faintly over the crowd, and whisper back, “Yeah. I really do.”