Chapter Two

Table for Two

Within five minutes of being seated they had ordered drinks, looked over the menu and were now waiting for their food to arrive. Judy scrutinized about the interior of the restaurant. It wasn't the largest of cafés, but it was warm and cosy and instilled a sense of comfort. The furniture was old but made of sturdy, good quality wood of a deep brown color, smooth with age. Soft instrumental music was being piped in through a number of speakers concealed about the room. Their table was next to the window and they could look down the length of the street. The red tablecloth was white-checked, with a lit candle in the middle of it.

Judy finished looking about their surroundings and turned to Nick, who was warmly watching her from his place on the other side of the small round table. She smiled back in response, "What?"

"I was just remembering your face when you realized what day it was."

"Oh, that. Yea, I'm sorry again, Nick. I meant to do something but we've just been so busy with the recent spree in drug crime."

"Don't worry, Carrots, I'm just glad one of us remembered. I, for one, would've hated it if we missed today."

"Me too." Judy settled back a little in her chair. "So, how long've you been planning this?"

Clearing his throat, Nick looked off to the side, "Oh, I actually forgot about it myself until I looked at the calendar this morning."

"Uh-huh..." she tilted her head to the side, a brow raising, "and the flowers?"

"Bought them on the way over."

"The table?"

"Booked it half an hour ago."

"The serenade?"

He shrugged selflessly, "Been practicing if for a couple of weeks, just thought it might come in handy some time, knowing how emotional you bunnies are."

Another thought suddenly struck her, one that was obvious, yet she hadn't considered it until a moment ago. "Nick, why aren't you at work?"

At this, he did pause. "Bogo, ehr, told me he couldn't bear to see my face today, and so I should take it someplace else." He looked down, embarrassed at this, but his face brightened again as he found the loophole in Bogo's insult and turned it into a compliment, "Guess I'm just too damn handsome for him."

Judy looked thoughtfully at the table. The answers were all completely believable, but there was something not quite right about the way he had said them. Judy had spent the best part of a year with Nick and knew a lot about how he expressed himself. Being the kind of mammal who hid his every emotion from the world had forced Judy to learn the meaning behind the slightest twitch, the smallest change in his tone of voice. She didn't do it for any 'unfair advantage' over him but it was the only way of knowing how he was truly feeling. Therefor, something was off. Resolving to find the truth for herself, she stood briskly to which he stared at her in startle, as she rose from her chair, and he asked in confusion, "Where're you off to?"

"The little bunny's room," she called back. Nick sat back in his chair and watched Judy's retreating fluffy white tail as it swished delightfully from side to side as she walked, then he realized just what he was gawking at and quickly looked anywhere else. He looked to his right and saw the ageing waiter, a billy goat with their food, who shortly after set down their plates, in between Nick's thanks, before walking away. Nick looked from his plate to Judy's, then back to his again. This was too good an opportunity to miss. He had been curious for a while, but Judy would never even try it... not knowingly at any rate.

When Judy returned to her table a minute later she found her food waiting and Nick a third through his. He sent her a sheepish grin as she sat, "Sorry, Carrots, I meant to wait for you but I just found myself eating and couldn't stop."

Judy smiled witheringly at him as she sat, "Just so long as you wait for me."

"Hopps, I wouldn't dream of leaving you behind."

Her paw stopped as she reached for the fork. Wow, he put a lot of sincerity into that comment, he really meant it… I wonder... A grin set upon her face as her mind went back to her recent 'discovery'. She pondered when to bring it up. "What're you hiding, Hopps?"

She looked up, startled, "What?"

"I know that grin," his eyes narrowed playfully, "you're planning something, aren't ya?"

No, now was not the time. Thinking quickly Judy found another believable answer. "I was just wondering what you were singing when you serenaded me."

It was subtle, but Nick did choke a little on his mouthful. "You know what? I can't really remember." Judy squinted her eyes, to which he quickly resumed into eating, apparently really enjoying every mouthful and giving each bite his full attention. Judy looked at her food. It would be cold by the time she finished if she pursued that line of inquiry now, so she reached out a paw to pick up her gravy boat of spiced carrot that had an identical gravy boat but of chicken, and brought it over to her food.

"Can't wait to try this spiced carrot gravy you recommended." She was about to pour it on her food when Nick's paw shot out.

"Ehrr, Carrots, it's possible you won't like it." As much as he wanted to find out, he didn't want to risk ruining Judy's meal for the miniscule tradeoff of the expansion of his curiosity. Nodding, she picked up a piece of broccoli and dipped it in, raising it to her mouth, while Nick watched with interest as she put it in. Her eyes shot wide, chewing as a grin broke upon her face.

"Mmm! This carrot gravy is really nice, I've never tasted anything like it!"

"Really... glad to hear it," Nick grinned through a straight-face as she poured copious amounts over her food. So, Judy Hopps likes meat.

"Sweet Cheese and Crackers, I didn't know you could make carrots taste like this!" He chuckled inwardly. Oh, the meal I'm gonna prepare for you, how could she hope to resist me after opening up 'that' revenue of taste sensations?

...

Half an hour later, Nick and Judy had finished their main meal. Judy had asked for some extra crusty bread to dab up the last of the carrot gravy, and their dessert: a large ice cream sundae which they had shared until Nick got a brain freeze. Now, they were still sitting in the warm café, comfortable and cosy after their tasty and delightful meal. Neither wanted to leave just yet, so they sat and talked, exchanging pleasant conversation with one another.

A full hour passed, but both were having such a wonderful time just by being in each other's presence, while time just flew unchecked by anything but the satisfaction of the two close prey and predator, time heavenly, time that felt as if it were just not enough.

Judy lay her head on the table, resting her chin on her paw and looking up at Nick, giggling occasionally. She felt warm right after she had eaten the lovely meal, in a lovely place, with a very lovely mammal. The whole evening, in fact, had been bliss for Judy. She was so comfortable and relaxed by this late stage she didn't even question her feelings as they radiated freely towards Nick in a manner deemed instinctive and natural. Therefore she felt safety, her tongue had loosened as the feelings had now overpowered, "You know, I really like you. You're a really great guy."

"You're not so bad yourself. In fact, I'd say you're a real articulate bunny." She beamed up at him as he quoted her from their very first conversation from the very first time they had met. She couldn't remember him ever doing it before but it seemed somehow fitting for him to do so on this special occasion.

"I love it when you smile like that." He lowered his own head onto the table in level with hers. "Makes you look so—"

"Don't call me cute," she interjected automatically because of the times he had said exactly that and she wanted to keep this… cosy and intimate atmosphere burning and not smouldered.

"Beautiful," he clarified with warmness which got her to smile and to lean back in her chair, and as she stretched her paws out, she clasped them on the table in front of her and nodded off slightly from sleepiness created by the tasty meal, cosy atmosphere and intimacy warm.

"Thanks, Nick. You're not bad looking either." Nick grinned wider. This dinner of his had worked. She was completely at ease with him, it was going better, even so than the best he prospected it to be, to the point where he felt as though, if he took it steady, he could tell her how he felt about her before the evening was out. He knew his next move was risky, but he decided it was worth it.

Judy's paw was resting in front of her on the table. Nick reached over, Judy watched his paw as it crossed the table and took hers. Her first reaction was to pull back, but she stopped herself and allowed Nick to hold her. "You have such warms paws." Judy's eyes returned to Nick at his comment. "So soft and gentle." She watched him, smiling lightly as he leaned forwards, planting a soft kiss atop where he held her.

"Nick," Judy whispered a little reproachfully, but smiling. And then, Nick started moving his muzzle towards hers. Giggling, she pushed his approaching head away with her free paw,"Oh, Nick," she teased, "I never knew you were such a romantic."

After her gentle push, Nick's muzzle immediately returned from hence it came, though slightly closer. "I'm not normally, but there's somebunny who I just can't help myself with." His grin turned to a warm smile. He squeezed her paw tighter, and the gesture sent a buzz to Judy's head and a prickle down her spine. Judy's voice failed her at his words and the closeness gave her a hot flush. She wondered why he was so close, and realized with sudden dawning that if she would only lean forwards slightly her lips would connect with his... and it would be sweetful bliss.

Her smile faded as she took in the whole evening's activities. The serenade, the flowers, that sparkle in his eyes she could not quite place. Her ears slowly fell as she connected the dots which led to how intimately close Nick now was to her. A much hotter flush took her as she realized that she, herself, was moving closer, her lips towards Nick's, his handsome red face, his enchanting and alluring jades...

Suddenly, a bright flash. A deafening rumble. The two close friends all but leapt from their chairs as their heightened emotions made them react with much more vigour than normal, while the instinct of the dangers of their profession aided with lightning reflexes that got their panicked eyes to wonder and take in every single detail, every single spot and crevice that could mean danger.

Then... all the lights in the café went dark, the music stopped and the ovens began regressing to coldness.

At another crash the partners looked out of the window, just as a bolt of lightning struck the radio tower of a tall apartment building. Neither of them had ever spotted the approaching black clouds, they were all too focused on their own thoughts and their own intimate moment. The shock of the suddenness with which the storm had hit, had knocked all intimacy from the prior moments and out of Judy's mind, and Nick saw this with just a glance at her lavenders. Rising, Nick grunted heavily as droplets started speckling the window. "Come on, Carrots, we'd best get you home before it starts pouring."

Four minutes later, after Judy had reluctantly let Nick pay for the meal, but only because she had left her money in her apartment and she was going to pay Nick her half later, despite how many times he had refused. Nick and Judy were staring out into the storm from under the protection of the café's porch, bracing themselves for the trip to come, a trip that appeared trickier and trickier with every split in the sky which then brought echoes of doom in the form of nature's retribution and cleansing of the land.

A magnificent, yet terrifying sight, everso.

…

Author's notes:

Hesitance jumps around your mind,

Grooms decision thus chosen blind.

Your thoughts most succulent of snack,

All delivered by luscious feedback.

So don't hide like a tiny shrew,

Thus share that belovable review!

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