Chartreuse by T. E. Ridener Page A

bigger part of Alabama. 
It was a long drive for many, but Rowan knew it would be worth it.
        
“Do you have to work tonight?”  Rowan asked curiously.
        
“Uh, no. Not really,” Kasen shrugged.  “Dougie normally does the weekends.”
        
Rowan smirked, lifting a brow, “Good,” He continued driving, while Kasen
remained as quiet as a mouse.
        
He honestly had no idea where they were going.  All he knew was that he was
once again leaving Chartreuse far behind.  That wasn’t something that he was
going to complain about.  As they passed by various city limits, Kasen was
beginning to become curious.
        
“Where are we going?”  He finally asked after thirty minutes or so of driving.
        
“Montgomery,” Rowan replied.
        
“Montgomery?”  Kasen’s eyebrows shot up on his forehead.  That was nearly two
hours away!  “What’s there?”
        
“Lots of interesting things,” Rowan said, trying not to smile.  This was
things that friends did together, right?  Going to towns a couple of hours away,
and exploring things together?   Well, if it wasn’t before, it was now, because
Rowan had already made up his mind that they were going to have a good time. 
No matter what the outcome.
        
Kasen bit his bottom lip again, smiling a little as he relaxed in his seat.
        
It wasn’t long before they had arrived in Montgomery.  Kasen had only ever seen
pictures before.  He had no idea it was actually this neat.  There were
buildings that were nearly as tall as those in New York.  Or at least, in his
mind that’s what he was thinking. 
        
“Wow,” He whispered, tilting his head back slightly, cheek pressed to the glass
as he took in everything.  He’d never seen anything so incredible before. 
Chartreuse couldn’t compare to this place.
        
Rowan was watching him from the corner of his eye, grinning a little.  It was
like taking a child to the candy store for the first time.  Kasen seemed so
damn innocent.  But what if he is that innocent? Rowan tried to push the
thoughts from his mind as he turned left and as they neared their first
destination, he glanced back over at Kasen.
        
“So what do you think about this?”  He asked.
        
Kasen finally faced forward, and those blue eyes of his nearly bulged right out
of his head.  The zoo.  They were at the zoo.
        
“Really?”  Kasen asked, excitedly.  He turned to look at Rowan, “I’ve never
been to a zoo before.”
        
It warmed Rowan’s heart, the way Kasen was reacting.  And he was glad that he
could give Kasen this experience.  He parked the car and then he got out,
shutting his door before moving over to Kasen’s side to open his door.  Sure,
it was probably a weird move, but Rowan had always been respectful.
        
“Thanks,” Kasen laughed, getting out and then turning to look towards the
entrance.  “Wow,” He repeated.   
        
Rowan shut the door, making sure the car was locked up before tucking his keys
away.  He stood beside of Kasen, watching him for a moment.  He wasn’t sure
he’d ever seen someone look so appreciative of a place before.  Finally, he
nudged him gently with his elbow.  The electricity that shot through his arm
was undeniable.  “So, you wanna go in?”  He asked.
    ---------------------
        
It was really fun to watch how Kasen reacted to everything once they were
inside.  They first strolled through the insects before making their way to the
birds.  Kasen was delighted with being able to see so many varieties, asking
all sorts of questions that Rowan could confidently answer.
        
The monkeys came next, followed shortly by a koala bear.  Though when they made
it to the elephants, Kasen was absolutely transfixed.
        
Rowan stood beside of him, watching curiously as Kasen leaned a bit over the
rail, getting a better view.  “Do you like elephants?”  He asked him