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I was pretty sure this was the most scandalous thing I’d ever done. “We’re going to get in so much trouble,” I whispered. “Seriously, what are we doing here?”

“Looking at the red pandas, of course.”

I laughed. “Aren’t they sleeping?”

“No. Red pandas are more active at night.” Axel slipped his hand into mine and led me toward my favorite exhibit.

“How do you know that?”

“They’re your favorite animal. I learned everything there is to know about them when I was like five.”

I was pretty sure Axel was going to keep surprising me with little pieces of information like this for the rest of my life.

“You really didn’t know they were nocturnal?” he asked.

I shrugged. “I mean, yeah, I guess I did. But I never thought I’d get to see them at night so I didn’t really think much about it.”

“They’re technically crepuscular.”

“And what does that mean?”

“That they love twilight.”

“Huh.” I smiled up at Axel. I seriously couldn’t believe he’d memorized all that for me. It was way past twilight. And the empty zoo felt way more romantic in the dark like this. And maybe a tiny bit creepy. My heart was pounding like crazy, but I didn’t think it was because I was scared. Just like when Axel climbed into my bed after I watched that scary movie, I felt safe. I think it was just the thrill of breaking in. “I really hope we don’t get caught.”

“We won’t,” he said. He sounded so sure of himself. We stopped in front of the sea lions. Who were very much awake.

“I feel like the zoo should always be open in the middle of the night,” I said. “The animals seem much more lively.”

“Some of them, yeah.” Axel pulled me past the exhibit. We wound past the snow monkeys to the very back of the zoo. It was funny how well Axel knew his way. But I guess we’d spent a lot of our childhood here together. Probably more than he’d wanted.

I smiled as we stopped in front of the red pandas. Just like Axel had said, they were awake and running around more than usual. They were seriously the cutest animals in the whole world. I was very set in my opinions when I was a kid. I knew that red pandas were the best. And I knew that one day I’d marry Axel Stevens.

“I love how big your smile is when you see red pandas,” Axel said.

I nodded. “I was also smiling because of you though.” I turned to him. I loved red pandas, but he was the best view in this zoo. “What else do you know about these little guys?”

“Well...” He stared at the one running down a branch. “You sleep with a stuffed red panda every night.”

I laughed. “That is not a fact about them. And more recently I’ve been sleeping with you. Hit me with all your facts.”

He smiled. “They like to sunbathe during the day. They’re more active in cooler weather.”

That’s probably why they seemed extra hyper tonight. One was munching on some bamboo like there was no tomorrow.

“They’re territorial. Kind of like how you are with me.”

I laughed. “I think you’re the one that’s territorial with me.”

Axel smiled. “I’m not going to deny that. Red pandas also sleep a whole freaking lot. And they’re solitary creatures.”

I stared at two of them that were curled up together on a branch. “Those two don’t seem very solitary to me.”

“It’s almost mating season, I think.”

“Or maybe there are exceptions to every rule. Those two kind of remind me of us. Maybe they were friends first. And nervous about telling the other red panda that it was more.”

“Are you nervous now?” Axel asked.