a is for aquarium
It was He Xuan’s turn to pick out where he and Shi Qingxuan would go on their date. Usually, Shi Qingxuan picked, teasing the other on how he doesn’t know how to have fun. And, well, he never argued against it. He decided to choose the most calm, serene place he could think of, a place he hadn’t visited since his little sister passed. The aquarium.
They stood at the counter, He Xuan pulling out his card to pay for their visit as Shi Qingxuan practically bounced with excitement looking at the gift shop around them. “We can check the shop out after,” he assured her, putting his card back into his wallet and lightly tugging on her hand. Shi Qingxuan let herself be guided, stepping into the main hall of the aquarium.
As they walked the lighting dimmed, the soft blue of the tanks rippling patterns onto the wall and onto their skin. He Xuan couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she looked under the light, her features softened by the cool glow of the water. Her eyes sparkled, her smile full of warmth and joy, and the way the light danced across her auburn hair made her look effortlessly graceful.
Her eyes sparkled as she looked around, her mouth gaping. Her eyes then laid on the jellyfish exhibit. Pulling He Xuan’s hand, she glided over there and put her hand on the glass. The jellyfish pulsed with soft movement, their translucent bodies drifting gracefully through the water. “Oh my gosh, they’re beautiful!” she whispered, mesmerized.
“Those are midwater jellyfish. They have 32 tentacles that they can drop off of themselves to confuse predators,” he remarked, looking at Shi Qingxuan rather than the jellyfish.
She tilted her head, studying him for a moment with a warm smile. “How do you even know that? Are you some secret marine biologist?”
“I just took a few classes, nothing too special,” he shrugged, his tone casual.
“Then it settled! You’re going to be my tour guide for the rest of this date!” She exclaimed, grabbing his hand once again.
“I don’t think I’m educated enough to do that,” he sighed, letting himself be led to the next section. They stopped at an enclosure with a group of different kinds of eels. She pointed at the biggest one, and honestly the hardest one to look at.
“That’s a wolf-eel. They eat crabs and sea urchins by crunching through their shells with their molars,” he said, stifling a laugh from seeing her disgusted face.
“Why are they so ugly? Poor thing has a face only a mother could love,” she blustered. Not wanting to spend any more time near it, she pulled him away from it and down the hall.
Time went by as she forced He Xuan to give facts about the creatures, ogling at her boyfriend's knowledge. As he walked he made eye contact with a food cart not too far from them.
Noticing his mind being occupied with the food cart she began to speak, “Lets go get some food!”
He Xuan sighed with relief and she took them over there. They decided to get a basket of fried dough twists, warm and golden. Sitting down on a nearby bench, He Xuan couldn’t help himself from beginning to stuff his mouth as if he were starving.
Shi Qingxuan on the other hand, pecked at it like a bird, barely even touching it. “You know, for someone so composed, you’re really intense when it comes to food,”
He paused mid bite, glancing at her with a raised eyebrow. “I’m hungry,” he said simply, as if that explained everything.
She sighed, used to her boyfriend’s tendencies with food. After a while of them eating they finished the basket, dumping it into the nearest trash can.
“Do you think they have penguins?” she asked as they were walking towards the next exhibit, her eyes sparkling.
He Xuan glanced at her, amused by her excitement. “I don’t know, but I wouldn’t be surprised. Aquariums usually have them.”
Her face lit up with the thought, “Oh, I hope so! They’re so cute and they waddle! Imagine if we got to see them swim! Penguins are like little underwater rockets.”
“We’ll just have to see,” he replied, clasping his hand with hers, letting her well manicured fingers tickle his skin. She giggles, swinging their arms back and forth as they continue down the hall.
After finally finding the penguins, who were, as expected, waddling around their enclosure. They'd spent a while watching them but eventually, they decided it was time to wrap it up for the day. They had explored as much as they could and were satisfied with their visit. Of course, they returned to the gift shop, Shi Qingxuan gravitating at the display of plushies.
“I have an idea,” she said, her voice playful. “How about I pick one for you and you pick one for me?”
He Xuan raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. “You’re just trying to get me to buy you a plushie, aren’t you?”
She winked, looking too pleased with herself. “Maybe, maybe not. But think of it as a challenge! You’ll have to pick out something that suits my unique personality.”
He rolled his eyes but couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped him. “We’ll see about that.”
As they began browsing the shelves, the playful banter between them continued. Shi Qingxuan picked up a fluffy unicorn, holding it up to him like it was some kind of artifact. “This one’s perfect for you,” she said teasingly. “It’s elegant, mystical, and a little bit… out there.”
He Xuan just shook his head. “I’m not getting that. But nice try.”
“Fine, I’ll find something even better then,” she skipped ahead, her eyes scanning the shelves with determination. After a while she let out a triumphant gasp. “I found it!” She spun around, holding a black stuffed animal with white embroidered fish bones.
He took the plush from her hands and turned it over into his palms. It was soft and oddly comforting. “Not bad,” he admitted.
“I knew you’d love it! Now show me what you picked out for me!” she beamed.
He smirked slightly, holding up his selection of a round, chubby penguin plushie with tiny wings and an adorably cute face. “Fits you perfectly,” he said.
She gasped, clutching the penguin to her chest. “Are you saying I waddle?”
He tilted his head. “You said it not me.”
She pouted before breaking into a laugh, hugging the plushie tighter. “Okay, fine, I love it. It’s perfect.” She grinned up at him, her voice turning softer. “Thank you.”
He just nodded, but the warmth in his gaze said enough.
They headed to the counter to pay, Shi Qingxuan swinging their joined hands lightly. “See? Wasn’t this fun?”
He Xuan exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. “If I say yes, you’ll just use it against me later.”
She giggled. “Smart man.”
With their new companions in hand, they stepped out of the aquarium and into the cool evening air. And as they walked together, their fingers intertwined, He Xuan couldn’t deny it. This had been more than good. It had been something fun.
“Now I’m in the mood for sushi,” he jested.
“That’s horrible!” she gasped in response, clutching her chest.