Chapter 22: Waking Up Together at the Zoo
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
Poppy awakens in bed beside Alex, tangled together in the sweltering Palm Springs Airbnb. She replays the charged moment from the night before–his flirtatious “I would” about her dating profile–but worries he will regret it when he remembers. After a clumsy morning full of repressed desire, Poppy decides to fill the day with uncomplicated activities to prevent another rift between them. They visit the Living Desert Zoo, making jokes, petting goats, and sharing milkshakes. Alex struggles with the heat, and his dizziness forces them to miss the giraffe-feeding surprise. Poppy hides her disappointment, realizing that Alex does not remember a shared memory from New Orleans. She becomes even more determined to ensure this trip proves their friendship can survive.
Key Events
- Poppy and Alex wake up in the same bed after a night of muffled tension.
- The thermostat reads 85 degrees; the air conditioner is broken.
- Poppy plans a full day of surprises to avoid another confusing, close encounter.
- At the zoo they watch animal shows, brush goats in the petting zoo, and share vanilla and strawberry milkshakes.
- Poppy tries to direct them to giraffe feeding, but Alex becomes dizzy from heat exhaustion.
- They miss the feeding window; Poppy receives a text from Nikolai about the broken AC.
- Alex does not remember the New Orleans cemetery tour guide, deepening Poppy’s resolve to create new memories.
Character Development
Poppy is hyper-aware of every gesture and word from Alex, carefully monitoring her own behavior to keep things “normal.” Her desire to preserve their friendship overrides her physical attraction, showing a maturing prioritization of connection over impulse. She also reveals a vulnerable need to be remembered and valued.
Alex remains playful and dry-humored despite the heat and his back injury. His memory lapse regarding New Orleans hints that the past may not hold the same weight for him as it does for Poppy, creating an emotional disparity that Poppy feels keenly.
Nikolai (offstage) is the unresponsive landlord; his delayed reply signals the ongoing annoyance of the broken AC, but also serves as a reminder that external factors keep disrupting Poppy’s plans.
Themes, Symbols, and Motifs
Heat as emotional and physical tension. The unbearable temperature mirrors the simmering attraction between Poppy and Alex. The broken air conditioner becomes a symbol of their inability to cool down or return to a comfortable friendship baseline.
Memory and meaning. Poppy longs for every shared experience to be equally significant to Alex. His failure to recall the New Orleans tour guide underscores a gap in how they value their history, motivating Poppy to manufacture new, impactful moments.
Planned fun vs. spontaneous disappointment. Poppy’s carefully curated itinerary (giraffe feeding) is derailed by Alex’s heat exhaustion, introducing the motif that even the best-laid plans cannot control the messy reality of human relationships.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter marks a turning point in the Palm Springs trip: the morning-after awkwardness forces Poppy to consciously choose “uncomplicated, unconfusing fun” over exploring the romantic possibility. The missed giraffe feeding becomes a small but telling defeat, and Alex’s memory lapse plants a seed of doubt about whether he values their past as much as she does. The chapter deepens Poppy’s internal conflict between wanting more and protecting their friendship, setting up the emotional stakes for the wedding weekend ahead.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Poppy decide to avoid lounging around the apartment and instead plan a full day of surprises?
Poppy wants to prevent any further intimate moments that could lead to confusion or regret. She fears another two-year break from Alex if they cannot return to easy, fun companionship.
2. What causes Poppy’s disappointment at the zoo, and how does she react?
Alex’s heat exhaustion makes them miss the giraffe-feeding window. Poppy hides her disappointment, telling herself she cares more about proving their friendship works than about feeding giraffes. Internally, she sees it as “the first strike of the day.”
3. How does Alex’s failure to remember the New Orleans cemetery tour guide affect Poppy?
It stings because she wants every past moment to matter as much to him as it does to her. She resolves to make this trip so memorable that it can stand for both of them, even if the older memories fade.