Getting used to dating was surprisingly easy, given that both of their schedules were... in a word... difficult.
The times they did spend together opened her eyes to a lot of things.
Things that she'd seen as common place and basically boring were different now.
Having someone with her who hadn't been to the same place over and over gave her a new perspective.
When they had a day off together, they caught a Lyft out to Dunne Gardens across the Beaver River.
As they pulled up to the entrance of Dunne Gardens, Kaleo turned and smiled at her. "I think taking a Lyft was a great idea. I liked hearing about the buildings we passed and what they mean to you. The murals you pointed out. Even the bridge we just crossed over. It's like a sightseeing tour of the places where you grew up."
"You'll see more of it in the gardens. I think the section I'm taking you to is one you're going to enjoy."
"Thanks for this," he reached for the seatbelt clasp as the driver put the car in park. "It's nice to be here where it's mostly trees and hardly a building to be seen."
Lexie freed her seatbelt. "Except for the visitors center and the bathrooms." She gave him a wink. "And out here, those bathrooms are everything."
They got out of the car and Kaleo thanked the driver and sent him an extra tip through the app before they walked up to the reception desk.
When Lexie reached for her wallet, Kaleo reached across the counter and gave them his card to scan.
"Kaleo!"
He looked at her, smiling. "You snooze..."
The cashier giggled. "You lose."
Kaleo nodded and gestured to the girl. "See?"
She gave him back his card and his receipt. "Date?"
He nodded and folded the receipt to fit in his wallet. "Yeah. We finally have a day off together so I'm making the most of it."
The cashier looked at his T-shirt and smiled. "CCFD?"
He nodded. "Firehouse Twenty-Nine."
The cashier frowned a little. "I should have noticed it before. We have discount ticket prices for Military and First Responders."
Lexie felt his arm wrap around her shoulders.
"Do E.R. nurses count?"
The cashier nodded and shrank a little more behind the counter. "Oh man... I feel horrible now."
She held up her hands, her eyes pleading.
"If you can wait a few minutes, I'll have my supervisor come up and help me give you a refund for the discount."
Before she could turn around and disappear, Kaleo leaned in and softly tapped the countertop. "It's fine. Leave it the way it is."
The cashier hesitated.
"Really," Kaleo beamed a smile at her and Lexie watched the girl bask in the sunlight of that look, "consider it a donation to the gardens. Next time we come back we'll remember to show you our work IDs for the discount."
Lexie followed his gaze and the gesture of his free hand.
There was a sign on the wall detailing the different ticket prices and discounts, including the instructions to show their ID cards for the discount.
