Chapter 2
Nick was in shock on the drive home, he didn't know what to think. One the one hand Judy was drunk and the kiss could just be a product of her weakened inhibitions', on the other him and Judy did spend a lot of time together. Nick had though she had dropped hints but Judy had a naturally flirty and happy personality so it was difficult to tell. During the kiss he could have sworn Judy had tried to slur the words "I love you" before she passed out in the seat. Nick had driven her home and carefully laid her in bed. He was now back in his own car headed for his own apartment.
After arriving home nick sat in his car a while, his thoughts knotted and tangled. He had just started a relationship with Karissa and though they haven't had the "is it official" talk things seemed to be going well, but on the other hand Judy was his best friend. They worked together and spent time on the weekends together, but never seemed too tire of one another's company. Him and Karissa and actually met when Nick had taken Judy to the emergency room to get some stitches in her leg.
Karissa had actually thought the two were a couple and had made a joke about things getting a little too rough in the bedroom. Judy had turned fire engine red and stammered to explain they were friends and work partners. Nick had nearly fallen on the floor from laughing so hard which did not help Judy's embarrassment only making her redder and stammer harder Nick continued analyzing his and Judy's relationship, a couple days after the hospital Judy had invited him to a concert. It was a gazelle concert and though he wasn't her biggest fan he tried to make the best of it. Thinking back it seemed as though Judy had tried to be extra flirty, prompting him to dance with her several times. It was as though she sensed the relationship between him and Karissa, and was trying to stifle it was she still had a chance.
Hindsight being twenty/twenty Nick had never really put this much thought into noticing Judy's cute little queues. Her teasingly admitting she loved him in the cruiser after slamming on the brakes, wanting him as a work partner and most of all her apology under the bridge. He sank deeper into thought as he continued home, one thing was for sure he had a lot to think about.
Judy awoke the light stinging her sore eyes, she rose slowly to a sitting position. Her memory of the night before had blanks, she didn't remember finishing her second drink or if she had taken a cab home or if a friend had driven her. She was still wearing her uniform from the day before, though her armor vest and utility belt was on the nightstand. She stood, pulling her phone from it charger on the nightstand. For being black out drunk she had really done a good job putting herself to bed she smirked. She saw she had a text from Nick she unlocked the screen and read "Hey Carrots, wanted to check on ya. You got pretty hammered. Ha-ha." Judy smiled typing a response "I'm ok, a little hung-over but nothing I can't handle." She hit send and headed for the bathroom.
The water felt good running down over her head, helping relive some of the effects of the hangover. Was leaning on the wall, letting the water rush over her. She heard her phone Bing, it was sitting on the toilet lid next to the shower playing some soft music. She reached for it, she had purchased a Lifeproof case so she could listen to music and browse the internet while showering. It was an added bonus she could answer texts as well. A familiar e picture of Nick was on the notification screen along with his text. It was her favorite picture of him, she had taken it without him noticing. He was seated at his desk tie loosened and brow furrowed, bent over his paper work. She had thought it looked particularly cute and snapped a picture quietly. She slid the screen back to read the full text "Ha-ha ok good, you were pretty out when I dropped you off. Had to carry you to bed." She felt a little burn in her cheeks get a little warm at the idea of Nick bringing her home and putting her to bed. She tapped out a quirky response "I thought I did a really good job putting myself to bed, I guess I needed a little help" she added a smiley emoticon and hit send.
She finished her shower and wrapped herself in a towel, stepping out of the shower. When she had solved the missing mammal case with Nicks help she had received a raise and moved into a better place in the rainforest district. She had always loved the rain, so it seemed the obvious place to get a new place. The house was a tree house and featured several skylights allowing views of the falling rain, surrounding greenery and allowing natural light to flood in. it also featured wrap around balconies with awnings allowing one to sit out during the nearly nonstop rain. Judy walked down the hallway to her bedroom, she dropped the towel and reached for the healing lotion she kept in the dresser, her scar on her leg was still very noticeable. The fur had just started to grow back and the pink scar was still visible. She hoped the lotion use would help reduce the scaring, but so far she hadn't had any luck. She returned the lotion to the dresser and rooted around in her laundry basket for some underwear, yoga pants and a tank top. She had barely had much time to do laundry let alone fold it. Although she loved her job it was very demanding at times, and then there was the time she spent doing random thing with Nick. 'That was before she came into the picture' Judy thought as she looked at the small photos tacked above her dresser. It had been a hot day as the two were patrolling the beaches on the edges of Sahara square. It was a lazy assignment that chief Bogo would pass off to officers that needed a break from the typical route, he also didn't like to keep anyone on the assignment to long to keep them from getting accustom to the lazy assignment. So the assignment rotated often, and she and Nick had lucked out. The job mostly consisted of taken reports for stolen odds and ends and breaking up the occasional fight between two drunken idiots. The day had been slow even for a beach assignment day and the two had opted to get snow cones, Nick had gotten blueberry banana and Judy green melon strawberry. Nick had his sleeve rolled up, shirt button open halfway and shades on, she had teased him saying he belonged on the old show Zootopia Vice. Nick puffed out his chest in response and assumed a macho man persona for the next few moments that had Judy in stitches. They had walked the boardwalk several times munching the snow cones when after passing a photo booth for the 3 time Judy suggested it might be fun. The two took funny photo sticking out their oddly colored tongues dies from the snow cones, Judy gave Nick a set of rabbit ears and in the last photo he kissed her cheek turning her red giving him a good laugh. She had never thought much of the kiss, he probably did it for shock value. Something she wouldn't put past him.
Judy sighed feeling a bit young to be reminiscing the good days, since he started dating Karissa he had been less charismatic at work. He would participate in the fun random ideas she often had to pass the time, but he seemed far away and occupied. She and Nick had seemed so close she was sure that the relationship could have become something more if it hadn't have been interrupted. Again her thought began to depress her so she grabbed her phone and a blanket and headed for the sliding glass door that headed to the balcony. She stopped in the kitchen grabbing a glass of ice tea as she passed through.
She laid down in a hammock stung between a couple braches and set her drink and phone on a small table she slid up near enough she could reach it. She got nice and cozy, wrapped in her blanket, with the sound of rain in the background. She pulled out her phone and opened it to the text app and started typing again. "So how's your day going?" she hit send and laid back in the hammock.
Nick was laying on the couch when Judy's text came in. Karissa had been called into work another nurse was out sick, so he was just lounging on the couch. Nick lived in the rainforest district as well though he lived a little closer to downtown. He lived in the house his mother had left to him after she had passed and years of disposable income left him the ability to extensively remodel it. It had a modern twist with large open areas, glass walls, and square asymmetrical designs. The house sat along one of the districts many rivers, Nick had built several gazeboes in the back yard as well as a dock all connect with brick paths. His backyard had become a popular venue for office parties and Nick enjoyed the company.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket, and saw that it was Judy. "So how is your day going?" he lazily typed a response, "Good Karissa is working so I am thinking about working on the project car." He had a classic Mustang he has been working on for months now. The car now has a modern Wipple supercharged Ford 302, a Kilgore racing transmission and all new Megan Racing suspension. The body has been the thing eating up his time. He had been fixing rust and patching body holes for at least two months and now the car was primed and ready to be wet sanded and spayed with a second coat of primer. Nick had started the morning slow, sleeping late and veg'ing on the couch for a few hours. Again her heard his phone ping, "Fun I can keep ya company" Nick smirked. Ever since he had started dating Karissa Judy had been a little attention starved, he originally attributed it to the fact they were best friends and had done everything together before. There seemed to be more to the story now though, he had wished he had known her feeling earlier would have made his life simpler. Judy didn't seem to remember the kiss considering she didn't even remember Nick driving her home, Nick sat and thought a moment. He wanted to clear the air find out Judy's feelings but he couldn't she her opening up to him now that she viewed him as someone else's property. He was a little frustrated with the circumstance, he had assumed that the species difference would have been a problem for Judy, it had crushed any ideas of a relationship and with the introduction of Karissa into his life he started dating her. Although he wasn't about to tell Judy about her drunken kiss, he thought having her nearby for the day might calm the storm in his thoughts. He typed out a reply to Judy's last text "company would be better in person." The response took only a second or two "ok, I'm on my way."