EPILOGUE 3
"Ah! Hello, Ryan. Come to join your friends, no?" said the clouded leopard who stood behind the counter.
"Good Evening, Mr. Briesie," replied Ryan, walking towards him. "Yes, I come to join my friends, and I would like my usual, sir."
"All right," said Vars Briesie, jotting down the order on a notepad, "your Paradise's Sandwich and Lemonade will be served in a minute."
"Thanks." Ryan nodded his head in appreciation and hurried off to the table where his three furry friends occupied.
As he reached, all three of his friends seemed to be busy talking and bantering with each other. They were completely oblivious of his presence until he made an 'Ahem' noise, causing both Nick and Judy jump in their seat and stare at him in fright. However, Star seemed not sharing as much surprised as them and gave Ryan a bright smile.
"Hiya, partner," she said. "What took you so long? We already finished our foods about five minutes ago."
"Sorry, I was already halfway to my apartment when I decided to join you guys," said Ryan as he slipped into the seat next to her and looked at his friends opposite him. "And by the reaction of you two," he said to Nick and Judy, "I guess you were talking about me, weren't you?"
"Wait," interjected Star, with a frown on her face. "Are you walking back to your place?"
"Yep."
"That could take you an hour to reach there," said Nick as he finally collected himself. "Are you nut?"
"Well, maybe." Ryan shrugged with a chuckle. "I've done so much paperwork I can go nut in any second. Thankful that tomorrow is the last day Chief Bogo can bench me."
"Oh don't forget, only if your doctor clears you for active duty," Star reminded him, imitating Chief Bogo's voice. "If she suggests postponing that, you'll have to be a desk jockey for more."
"Hey, don't jinx it."
Once a plate of bagel sandwich was placed in front of him, Ryan immediately picked up his knife and fork and dug into it. The four of them continued their work-related and casual conversation for some time until Nick and Judy called it a night and excused themselves to go back home. But without forgetting that Ryan was their neighbor, they told him that if he wanted to come along with them, they could wait for him to finish his meal and go back together. However, Ryan shook his head no and let them head back without him.
When Nick and Judy were surely out of sight and earshot, Ryan stood up from his seat, walked around the table and sat down again opposite Star. As he looked at her direction, he could notice his partner's usual cheerful face gradually turned tense and worrisome. He could not blame her for being like that because he was to blame for making the short, serious phone call to her without telling what the matter was about. But, much to his surprise, while Nick and Judy were still around, she played calm and did not show any sign of anxiety or fear.
But right now, the silence between them began to sit not well with either of them, and it made Ryan feel more uncomfortable to see his partner uneasy. He quickly finished his sandwich, gulped down his lemonade, and wiped his mouth with a napkin.
And then out of the blue, he asked, "How was your day, Star?"
The black panther opposite him almost jumped out of her seat. "N-n-nothing's significant," she stuttered and laughed nervously. "It could've been better if you can come with us."
"Whoa whoa, calm down, girl," said Ryan, a bit surprised at her. "What happened to you? You've never been so tense like this since the final exam. Are you worried about what I'm going to talk to you?"
"Well yes, of course. I'm very edgy and nervous about what you're gonna tell. You didn't tell me anything on the phone."
"Aw, sorry, my bad." Ryan laughed softly, leaned over the table and touched her paw. "I'm sorry for making you feel uncomfortable," he said. "Don't worry. The matters we're gonna talk about are not too serious, but they are certainly about us."
"Is the thing happened in the morning one of them too?"
"Oh yes, it is," answered Ryan, and he could see fear creeping into her face. "You shouldn't have done that to Chief Bogo. You're his subordinate, and yet you yelled at him. I know you were looking forward to coming with me this morning, but don't forget that you also have a duty to serve and protect mammals too. Lucky that today he was in a good mood and told me to warn you about it, or else he would already have kicked your fluffy butt out of the precinct."
"But he shouldn't have let you go alone too," Star protested. "We still don't know when those Cerberus agents are going to attack you again."
"Chief was also worried about that too, Star. But who else would protect the city while most of the force had gone after Chuckles?"
Star opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She closed it, looked away and remained silent.
Ryan sighed and squeezed her paw gently, making her look up at him. "You know, Chief Bogo is a good guy. A very very good guy," he said. "He may look like he doesn't care anyone, but he does care…secretly. I know him, not for a long time, but sure longer than you. I know he knows what he is doing. So, trust him, all right?"
"All right."
"And don't forget to apologize him tomorrow too."
Star groaned, rolling her eyes at him. "I will do, dad," she said sarcastically, and Ryan laughed.
"Okay, one finished and two to go. Let's talk about them while we walk to the station, shall we?"
"We shall. Let's go then."
The small bell that hung above the door rang out as the pair walked out the shop. Ryan and Star began to walk down the sidewalk, heading off to their next stop, the Zootopia Central Station. Since Star did not live in Savanna Central or anywhere near the precinct, she had to come to work every day by train from Rainforest District, from Moss Street to be precise. It was not that she could not effort or find a place in Savanna Central, but it was her father, Edgar, who did not want his daughter to live alone despite the fact that she wanted to try. However, she did not mind at all to travel all the way from her home to the first precinct, and moreover, her subway line, the Inner Loop, was the same line Ryan and their friends used, except only that they did not go the same direction.
For the past two months, the pair — and most of the time, with Nick and Judy — had taken a short trip together to the station almost every evening and stayed there until one of them had to catch the train back to their places. That was agreeably enough for them, not too long, not too short, not too sweet or not too bitter. It was just perfect, light and breezy as they wanted, and enough that they could think of one another when they parted.
And today was just like every other passing day. After having dinner, they would walk along under the moon to the station. It was two blocks away from Peponi Café now as they were strolling arm in arm. They did not speak anything from then. Ryan had not yet begun any word, and Star did not want their moment to be ruined by things he was going to say, even though she did not know yet what they were about.
The silence between them now was a moment of peace and content that they hoped it would last forever. And it would be perfect if Ryan did not break the silence by asking: "Do you have anything to do afterward?"
"No, I don't," answered Star, trying her best not to sound disappointed. The moment of peace and content was gone now.
"Good. Let's find some places quiet and private and get down to business. Do you have any place in mind?"
"I have no idea, but the watering hole in front of the station was quiet and has no one by this time. Is that okay?"
"That's okay," said Ryan with a nod, "as long as the night shift doesn't bother us." He took his phone out and looked at the time on it. It was past 9 pm, and he assumed that all night shift officers had finished their roll call and already begun their duty. "I hope."
Thankful that the watering hole was deserted as they hoped and there was no sign of any night shift around here to bother them.
The pair walked towards the tree — the particular tree was known as the tree of fate. They sat there leaning their backs against its trunk and staring up into the sky. The night was clear and full of stars. A warm breeze greeted and wafted over them, carrying the scent of dirt and grass. The tree made a soothing rustling sound with its leaves and branches as the wind blew.
Ryan turned to look at his partner, to continue their talking, but his breath caught in his throat at the view before him. It was not the first time he was speechless, but this time sure set a new record for him.
He could not help staring at Star and admiring her beauty in the night. The glossy jet-black fur of hers gleamed in the moonlight, enticing him to caress. Her blue eyes glowed like orbs of aquamarine from her face, reflecting each and every star in the sky above. How beautiful she was, he asked himself.
He did not know why he found her more attractive lately and thought of her in the way of more than a friend or partner. Why he felt he could be at ease and let his guard down while with her. Why he began to feel like he wanted to learn more about her even though he already knew quite a lot. He knew she liked Salmon, especially Honey-Mustard-Glazed Salmon Steaks which she ordered every time when she went to Peponi Café.
Her favorite color was orange, which he thought it suited her somehow. It would compliment her blue eyes if she wore anything orange. Her favorite genre of music was Jazz-Hop, which he still did not understand the beat, but weirdly do like it.
Her type of book was thriller and suspension. She once handed him one of her favorite series, which was about the epic tale of a young protagonist who tried to find out the secret past of his family, but his destiny seemed to be one of mystery, and he had to fight for the truth. This series consisted of six books, and although Ryan was not a fan of reading, he had already completed three and a half of them. The story was indeed enjoyable and enthralling that he did not wonder why it became the best-selling series.
And about her type of movie, she had told him she could watch any kind of movies as long as the story was good. But when it came to a horror film, not matter how good the story it was, she would say no without a second thought. She absolutely hated this genre.
She was scared of height, she would never go near the window or the edge if she was on the third floor or higher. She always tossed and turned in her sleep, and he had learned that in a hard way. But at least, she could do massage to atone for her cause. And in this morning, he just learned from her father that her favorite place was the beach.
Ryan knew a lot about her, and he knew there was much more. But why he could not stay calm. Why he was so eager, so thirsty to learn more of her.
Oh no… It makes sense now, he thought as he realized his pulse was racing fast. He could hear his heart thumping in his chest with such force he wondered if she could hear it. He gulped and put his hand on his chest, pressing it down to slow down his wild heart and hoping she did not notice something wrong with him.
But it seemed his partner had noticed.
"What's wrong, Ryan? You look a bit…off," she asked as she turned to look at him with a quizzical expression on her face.
"Oh no, nothing. Nothing at all," said Ryan, with a nervous laugh.
Her right eyebrow arched, her quizzical look still no leaving her face yet. "Really?" asked Star, and Ryan nodded his head dubiously. However, as much as suspicious he was, she was going to let it slide for now. "All right," she said. "So, what you want to talk to me more?"
"Well… erm… I don't know how to put this." Ryan cleared his throat and looked at her. "Are you happy with our current relationship?"
Star looked at him in surprise. "Wait, what?" she said in a disbelieving tone. She thought her partner was just kidding her, but his face seemed not to show any hint of it. "Ryan, I know you know that we're not dating—"
"Please, Stasia, answer me this," interrupted Ryan, sounding somewhat serious and desperate. "Are you happy with what we are now?"
This time, she looked at him in more surprise and slight fear; her eyes were wide open, and her ears were standing straight up. "Well, of course, I am," she answered finally, after taking a moment to collect herself. "I'm happy being with you, whatsoever our current relationship is. And I'll be happier if it happens to grow more," she said with a warm smile.
Ryan chuckled, feeling slightly relieved. "I knew you'd say that," he said with a slight shake of his head and a smile. "And I'm also happy to be with you too." He paused for a moment and looked up at the sky before continuing. "Ah, well. Chief Bogo also added that we should lower our physical contact a bit if we don't want to have a problem with MR about 'romance in the workplace.'"
Star frowned and tried to say something, but Ryan raised his finger up to interrupt her.
"We're not dating, I know," said Ryan, and continued, "However, he doesn't mind — or actually, he doesn't care about dating in the workplace as long as they remain professional and don't show their affection inappropriately. Or, they aren't wearing uniforms and aren't on duty."
"But, we didn't do anything inappropriately," protested Star, giving him a serious look. However, she had to clamp her mouth shut after seeing her partner shooting back with a skeptical look. "Did we?"
"Well, I'm not gonna say it was inappropriate, but others might say otherwise." Ryan shrugged and remained silent for a moment as he was thinking something and then said, "However, I kinda feel something fishy about this."
"Fishy?"
Ryan nodded. "Since the morning, most of the mammals I talked with — not including Nick, Judy and you — had to or tried to bring up the subject about our relationship."
"Like who?"
"Grizzoli, didn't you remember what he teased us before the briefing?"
"But, everyone in the precinct always teases us like that."
"They teased us like that only in the first week," Ryan corrected her. "But now, they seem to come back at it again with a gambling over us. You heard that too."
"Ryan, I'm sure you're just paranoid," said Star. "There isn't any gambling."
"But there used to have a gambling over Nick and Judy some time ago, and I'm sure there is if he said so."
"Okay…" Star remained quiet for a short moment and then sighed and said, "And who else?"
"Your dad, he tried to hook us up again, indirectly."
"He always tries to find a way, though."
"And lastly, our boss."
Star looked at him confusingly. "Didn't you just say that he'd warned us to lessen our physical contact?"
"Yes, he warned us, and at the same time, he tried to imply something too," said Ryan. "He said he loved love. He pointed out that we should be discreet and professional to avoid the problem with MR. Why he had to do this. What he tried to imply." Ryan went silent, thinking hard. "He simply could ignore this matter or just assign new partners for both of us, and yet he chose not," he mumbled and then a smile broke over his face as an idea came to his mind. "Oh, I see it now."
"See what?" asked Star.
"The truth," said Ryan with a chuckle, getting to his feet and dusting his pants off. "I figure out his plot now," he added, extending his hand to Star.
"What plot?" she asked as she took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. "What he's trying to do?"
"I will let you figure it out by yourself first, and when it's time, I will tell you," he said with a smug smile, and before Star could protest anything, he took out his phone and said, "Oh, look at the time. We should go back to our places already." He jerked his head towards the train station and offered her his arm. "Shall we?"
Star gave him a mock sullen pout. "We shall," she said and took his arm. Without another word, they made their way to the station entrance and went inside, standing on the Inner Loop platform on the side which would go to Rainforest District.
A few moments later, the express train pulled to a halt before them. The doors along it slid open and released a small group of passengers. As it was time for her to go, Star turned to Ryan, wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down. Like every time she had a chance, she would suddenly give him a goodbye peck on his cheek before she jumped on the train. But this time, Ryan put his hand up blocking her incoming lips.
"Not this time, partner," he said. "You've given me too much affection already." He leaned forward, his hand cupping her chin, his thumb brushing over her bottom lip. "It's time for me to pay you back with interest," he whispered and then pressed a tender kiss on her cheek.
Star was stunned, absolutely stunned. For the first time to have a kiss from someone other than her family, from the man she had been waiting for, it was not what she had been expecting to feel. It was a whole lot different from that. She could feel the heat rising in her face and knew she must be turning red but thanked to her black fur that covered her blush.
Before she could begin to do or say anything, Ryan grabbed her shoulders and pushed her into the train. "Off you go now," he said. "See you tomorrow, sweetie."
Right on cue, the doors slid closed between them, and the train began to pull out. Star could take her eyes off him, her gaze still followed him until the train left the platform and he was out of her sight. It took her a while to collect herself again and move away from the doorway. As she found an available seat and sat down, she could not help noticing that other passengers were also stunned by what had happened too.
It'd be on the internet soon, she thought.
And a few minutes passed without any word, two questions popped into her head: would she be able to sleep tonight, and what was the third thing he wanted to talk to her?
'Moonlit Talk'
