"It counts!" came the indignant voice of Judy Hopps. "You should've seen me, I couldn't have been more obvious."
Judy had been telling the events of the previous night to Fru Fru. It was the bunny's day off and the two friends and baby Judy were having brunch at a pretty nice restaurant since the rabbit wanted to compensate for not visiting them during the week.
Judy was holding her tiny goddaughter on one paw while using the other one to eat. The almost one year old had already finished eating her smashed food and was just playing with a little plushy that was given to her by Judy and was totally unaware of the conversation the two adults were having.
"You might think you were obvious," returned Fru Fru. "But for all we know he probably thinks you were just teasing him."
She considered this for a moment.
"I hate to admit it but you're right," Judy admitted in defeat putting the baby shrew in her baby seat. "I should've been more direct."
"No worries, Judes," said the shrew. "You are already on the right track. You changed your behavior, you're being flirtatious and challenging. You," continued Fru Fru pointing a fork at the bunny. "Got him to look at you in a different way. Let's wait to find out if anything got into that thick skull of his."
"Yeah," said Judy. "Now can we please talk about something else?"
"Judes, I'm married and I'm a mom. Let me live through you." joked her friend after sipping at her mimosa. "You know what would be fantastic?"
Judy saw an impish spark in her friends eyes.
"What?" she went along.
"If you could hurry up and date your dumb fox, then get married and have kits right away so the age difference with my little Judy would not be so big and they could be friends and hang out together!"
Judy almost spit out her mimosa trying hard not to laugh at her friend's comment.
"Scratch out the getting married part," continued joking Fru Fru. "That takes time to plan. Just focus on the baby making part."
"You're crazy," said Judy after composing herself a little.
"You know it's possible, right?" said the shrew and then after seeing the confused face of her friend continued. "Having a baby with a different species. My lawyer is a squirrel and her husband a raccoon and they had a baby that was the perfect blend of them both. Of course they had to go to a doctor and go through a special treatment of something like that. But it happened and it can happen to you too."
"I'm just going to focus on getting me a date. Thank you very much." said the rabbit between chuckles.
They continued eating and joking until a massive polar bear, who Judy recognized as one of the bodyguards working for Mr. Big, took the two shrews inside a big limo and took off. Judy had accompanied them outside the restaurant and was now standing on the sidewalk thinking about what to do.
When she got her cellphone out, she noticed she had a message from Nick from a few minutes ago.
Hey, can I drop by your place today? Let me know if or when you're free.
It was a very simple text and not so unusual. Judy and Nick had the same schedule and more than often they spent their free time together. Still, this text seemed different. It didn't convey the casualness of others like "Wanna watch a movie?" or "I'm hungry. You're up for some breakfast?", it was definitely odd and Judy had an idea why.
She gulped and replied quickly. Nick was already aware that she had plans with Fru Fru so she didn't have to explain that much. She told him where she was and they decided to meet at a nearby park.
Judy got there first and sat on a bench near a big tree which was providing a welcoming shade. The park was very small so she was sure that Nick wouldn't have problems finding her. The bunny was beginning to feel nervous, she re-read Nick's messages and couldn't keep the idea out of her head that they seemed serious, besides he hadn't suggested any plans so probably he wanted to talk about something.
To distract herself, she decided to text Fru Fru.
The shrew sent words of encouragement and comfort to the bunny which made Judy smile and calm down a little. Besides Nick, Fru Fru was her only true friend who she could really trust with personal problems. She loved spending time with her and she loved baby Judy, she only wished she could babysit more but unfortunately her schedule at work was a little hectic sometimes and there was always the issue that she was the daughter of Mr. Big.
Judy was very fond of her friend's father, but there was this unspoken agreement in which they knew they couldn't really hang out in public. Judy preferred not to know about his businesses (unless it was one of the legal ones) and Mr. Big didn't interfere with her work. They only really see each other at private parties but they always sent their love through Fru Fru.
The bunny was so lost in thought that she almost didn't hear steps approaching her from her right side. When she turned her head she saw Nick walking towards her. He looked like he normally did. He wasn't obsessed with vanity but he always took care of his fur and general appearance. The only difference is that he was carrying a bouquet of flowers in his paw.
He sat next to Judy so that they would be facing each other and cleared his throat.
"This are for you," he said extending his arm to offer the flowers to her.
"Thank you. They're lovely," Judy said sincerely but cautiously. She didn't want to jump into conclusions.
"I did a lot of thinking last night and most of this morning," the fox began looking at the ground. "I don't know if what you said last night was for real or not…"
"Figures," thought Judy amused.
"Anyway, whether you meant it or not, it got me thinking and I'm just going to say what's in my mind before my nerves get the best of me," he then looked at her in the eye and continued. "I think you're unlike any other mammal I've met before.
"You're smart, brave, kind," he then looked bashful and Judy noticed a blush in his ears. "Beautiful, sexy and just awesome. I can't explain what it is but there is just something that I find extremely irresistible about you and I know we're friends, we've told each other that, but I'd like to explore other possibilities. I was lying because I didn't think you would agree but I don't think it would be ridiculous. I don't think us would be ridiculous."
Judy had a big smile on her face, she didn't realized she had been holding her breath the whole time Nick spoke. She let out a big sigh that came with a little humming sound of content. She was lost of words so she took Nick's paw in hers and rubbed her thumb on his big knuckles. It was a small gesture but it encouraged the fox to continue.
"So, do you want to go out on a date?" he asked more confidently.
"I would love that very much." was her reply.
To the occasional bystander they looked like two idiots smiling at each other. Their faces comically happy.