It had been a long few weeks. No, it had been a long year. Between the boys, work, and settling the incident with Steve, Jen and Judy hadn't had much time to relax outside of an hour every other night where they drank by the pool. The last time they really had time to themselves was over a year ago when they went to the grief retreat, which Jen would not count as a complete vacation.
Tonight was one of those nights that they could take a brief moment out of their crazy lives to drink and talk, relishing in each other's support and understanding.
Jen took a seat on the outdoor couch, throwing her feet on the coffee table and sighing deeply.
"God I'm so fucking tired. I could use a break that lasts longer than sixty minutes. I could also use a lot more wine."
Judy threw a blanket over Jen, refilled her glass, and plopped down at the other end of the couch, pulling her legs under her and taking some of the blanket for herself.
Jen lazily turned her head to smile and wink at Judy, a silent 'thank you' for the wine and warmth.
Judy brought her own glass to her lips, trying to hide the blush that was creeping up her neck and threatening to show Jen just how much of an effect she had on her.
These were Judy's favorite times. The moments when she and Jen were so vulnerable with each other. The brunette couldn't help but stare at the other woman. Bare faced with rosy cheeks from the wine, she was beautiful and it made Judy say something she had only meant to think.
"So let's take a trip."
Jen was too tired and drunk to argue with the brunette, so she smirked and entertained the idea.
"And where do you suppose we head off to?"
Judy shrugged, "I dunno, somewhere we could go for just a weekend getaway."
Jen sat even further back and closed her eyes, nursing her wine. "Mmmm, Santa Barbara," she responded.
"Then let's go," Judy excitedly responded.
Jen leaned her head back and chuckled, probably too loud from all of the alcohol in her system. "Sure Judy, the boys locked in the car for a few hours and then all four of us, what, sharing a tiny hotel room together?"
Judy set her wine glass down and inched forward on the couch. She looked down at her hands, nervous to say what she wanted to. She squeezed her eyes shut and spit it out.
"No, just you and me."
Jen's head shot up quickly and her eyes narrowed at Judy. The brunette peaked up at the other woman through her bangs to watch her reaction.
"We can barely get more than a few hours without one of the kids needing us for something. When the fuck do you think we're going to get a whole weekend to take a trip without them?"
Judy was shocked that this was the way the conversation was going. She was fully prepared for Jen to shoot down the idea and move on, or worse, be completely freaked out at the idea of the two of them spending a weekend together just themselves. Sure they went to the grief retreat together, but really, they went with their grief group and they didn't even spend much time together. That was different than what Judy was suggesting now. Apparently though, the thought of them together didn't bother Jen at all. Judy was afraid to push this idea too far, but she wanted to see how Jen truly felt about it so she cocked her head to the side and gave Jen a sly smile. "This weekend," she said.
Before Jen could shoot out a smart remark, Judy continued, getting more excited with every word.
"Think about it, Lorna has been dying to see the boys more, this is the perfect way! It's Thursday night, Lorna can pick them up tomorrow from school and we can head out late in the morning and come back on Sunday!"
Jen's head was spinning both from the wine and from Judy's sudden overabundance of enthusiasm. And while the idea was completely absurd, there was a piece of Jen that loved the idea of spending the weekend in beautiful Santa Barbara with Judy, just the two of them.
Jen had always been the type of person who couldn't stand being around people for too long. She always got irritated and wanted to stab someone in the fucking eye. But then Judy came into her life and everything changed. The person who thought being around people was a chore, couldn't get enough of the other woman. Judy's presence made Jen feel more comfortable in life. After a long and stressful day, she knew she could always go home to Judy's beautiful smile, and wine of course.
She's not quite sure when she started to fall for the other woman but Jen's hard exterior was getting a run for its money with her soft feelings for Judy.
Maybe the trip wasn't such a bad idea.
Judy continued to watch Jen's reaction and the blonde couldn't help but smile at how hopeful the brunette looked.
Jen rubbed a hand over her face trying to figure out what to say. She obviously couldn't go. Right? She couldn't leave the boys or work on such short notice. But looking at Judy with her brown puppy dog eyes and cute smile, it was hard to say no. Plus, the two of them had been through so much together, they could really use a chance to just forget everything, even if just for a weekend.
"Alright, let's do it."
Judy's face lit up in a way Jen had never seen and she made a silent promise to herself that she would do everything she could to keep that look on the brunette's face. "Really?" Judy squeaked out both from shock and excitement.
The childish excitement that lit up Judy's features made Jen's heart melt and in that moment, she knew for sure that spending the weekend alone with the other woman was exactly what she needed.
"I mean I have to call the witch to make sure she can take the boys for the weekend, but yeah, I think a relaxing getaway is exactly what we both need."
Judy stood, letting the blanket fall from her legs and drape onto the ground. Downing the rest of her wine, she extended her hand to Jen.
"Well then, should we get to packing."
The blonde laughed and shook her head, grabbing onto the fingers in front of her. "You're something else, Judy Hale. You certainly make my life more exciting."
The two drunkenly parted ways as they made for their respective living quarters. Before she could go into the house, Jen paused in the doorway and turned around to look at the other woman. Watching her companion's staggered steps, she snorted to herself before calling after her.
"Thank you, by the way."
Judy turned around with a confused expression on her face, which frankly only made Jen's heart grow in her chest.
"For what?"
Jen shrugged, suddenly embarrassed. "For being there for me. For always knowing what I need."
"I'll always be here for you, Jen."
"Back at you."
They shared a caring smile and Judy wanted nothing more than to walk up to the older woman, grab her face, and kiss her deeply. But instead she bit her lip and broke the intense eye contact before she did something she might regret.
"Good night, Jen."
Jen slightly cocked her head to the side, almost realizing that Judy was trying to a refrain from something and a ghost of a smile graced her lips. Jen didn't respond so Judy stole a glance her way.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Judy's brown eyes were wide with wonder. Jen shook herself out of her trance and turned to go inside, calling over her shoulder, "Good night, Jude."
Judy watched the blonde close the door to the house before turning towards her own space, smiling to herself.