Nick's head was leaning against the chair. With his eyes closed, he tried to calm a racing heart at all costs. Judy was very close. In fact, if he turned his muzzle, his lips could be touched without any effort. The temptation was enormous, but he simply restrained it. Apart from that, Judy's attention was focused on the buttons, or so she appeared. Her heart was beating at an uncontrolled pace. Although she was careful not to touch a muscled chest in front of her, her body reacted differently, making her inhale the urge to touch him. Silence accompanied the actions of both. The first button and the second button were stitched without problem. In the third, Judy had to cut the line. She crouched down before the box and grabbed the line, unwrapping it and tearing it apart. After the knot, the tip of the needle was threaded into the holes of the button, beginning to fix it.

"Carrots?" Nick interfered with the silence but kept the eye contact on the white ceiling.

Judy winced at his voice.

"Yes, Nick?" She answered quietly, concentrating on what she was doing.

"What if she does not have the same feelings for me?"

"Why the doubt?"

"I don't know!" A shrug. "Insecurity?" Nick sighed. He knew perfectly well what he felt, but if Judy only saw him as a partner and nothing more? He knew she could read expressions very well and lately it seemed that even minds she could read. Instead, he could differentiate many of his partner's attitudes, but what he really wanted was not easy to 'see'.

"Nick ..." she finished putting the button on the right place. After cutting the line and putting the needle in the box, closing it, she left the chair to her desk. "I ask again. What makes you doubt it?" She said, keeping her back to the fox as she reopened the drawer and put the box away. Then she picked up the bottle of water on her desk and went back to her knees on the seat, but before, she set the chair in front of him. She opened the bottle, poured some water over the handkerchief, and closed the bottle again, resting it at her knees.

"Fear." He was sincere.

"We're all afraid of rejection," she said. Straightening her body, she lifted a paw to the face of the fox, beginning to wipe the lipstick, first of his cheeks. Meanwhile, his eyes stayed elsewhere. "We are free to love whoever we want, but we do not know if this love will be repaid. It's the reality." The marks on his cheeks disappeared, now she passed to his ear.

"I really do love her."

Oh no! Please, Nick, not those words! Judy's mind struggled hard against the tears that wanted to start forming. Struggling to keep up a conversation without a shaky voice, she focused even more attention on what she was doing and helped immensely keep those emerald green eyes out of her eyes.

"Well ..." The knot in her throat was swallowed hardly. "Do not suffer in anticipation."

"Yes, but ..." Now it was that Judy wanted to run away from the office and did not care that bad weather was out there, but the rain would help her.

Their muzzles were inches apart. If someone was there and accidentally pushed the chair, the kiss would be powerful and magnificent, just like an initial shock and a quick detour. Since that was not the case, Judy clumsy and felt herself blush, turned her head lower, grabbing the bottle again and opening it to pour some more water to wipe the lipstick from his chest. In a sudden reaction, Nick arched a confused eyebrow. What was that? He had seen a slight change in the color of her partner's ears. Suddenly, the atmosphere became tense and strange.

"Huh ... Fluff?" He began.

"Mmm ..." she murmured, closing the bottle again.

"Can I ask you a personal question?"

Judy nodded positively and began to wipe Nick's chest. When her paw, over her handkerchief, touched her partner's hard, strong muscles, she swallowed and began to feel warm again.

"Do you like anyone?" Oh, by the gods. Tell me what I did so wrong to be in a situation like these. She rolled her eyes warily. She decided to be honest.

"Yes, why?" She shuddered.

"Mmm ... out of curiosity." He propped an elbow on the arm of the chair and closed his paw, resting his chin on it. His eyes went against the door. He made an effort to be serene, but his interior was boiled over. Who was he? Oh, no, no! No way that another mammal would take his Judy from him. Not in a million years would he let such a thing happen.

"And why this sudden curiosity?" She smiled at him in a crooked smile. However, she had just finished cleaning all the lipstick marks.

"I noticed the magazines on the table. Then I asked."

"Oh, are you jealous?"

"No!" Okay, the 'no' came out with clenched teeth.

"Yeah, Nick, whatever you want." Judy shrugged and got off the chair. Clutching the bottle, she went back to her desk.

Finally, the day long awaited by all females, and even by some males, had finally arrived. The remaining days until Friday, the 14th, were quiet. Nick and Judy continued their routine rounds without any problem. These days, Nick took the opportunity to write on the postcard he had bought along with the necklace. Every written word expressed all the feeling he had for her. Besides the feeling of passion, the appreciation for making him a better mammal was predominant.

Judy had awakened a little better that day. The day before, she had put her pastry skills up to date, and the cake she wanted to make came out perfect. The decor became a little more difficult than it initially seemed, but there she managed to write and wish what she had in mind. Aside from the little cake she would give Nick when they were alone in the office, next to it was a postcard she wrote and another small gift. It was not good that he had feelings for another female, but it was about time he knew what she really felt about him, even if Nick did not match her feelings. Besides Nick, Judy also had a small gift for Clawhauser. After all, he was a great friend of hers and she adored him.

The sound of her cell phone shook her. She turned away from the bed and went to her desk where the small device was resting. On the screen, the photograph she'd taken from Nick made her smile.

"Good morning, Nick."

"Good morning, Carrots. I need a favor from you."

"What's up?"

"Can you tell the chief I'm sick or something?"

"Huh ... why?" The smile on her lips, faded. "You have the notion that you will be punished, don't you?"

"I know. I'll deal with the consequences later. But I really need today."

"Was you wish!" She was irritated. Thinking she could at least stay with him half a day before releasing him to the other female, a glass of cold water fell on her.

"Do not be upset with me, Fluff. You will be well compensated."

"Do you need all day to tell her, Nick?" Her voice was altered. She knew it, and she knew he would catch it.

"Forgive me, Fluff."

"Whatever!" And hung up on his face. The cell phone was thrown against the mattress on the bed, and the tears, which had been pouring out so many days before, poured out. "Stupid fox."

Nick stared at the cell phone screen. He anticipated that she would be upset. It was unpardonable for him to miss work, unless he was really sick, and since she knew that this was not really the case, it was understandable that she had reacted that way. With a sigh, he put the phone in his pocket. Everything was well planned, and he prayed that an annoyed Judy would not ignore his message when he sent her to ask her to meet him at the end of the day. After that, he would have to deal with a very angry buffalo for missing, without any medical justification, to work. He thanked Bogo for giving him and his partner the Saturday day off.

Clawhauser was extremely excited. His tail bobbed happily from side to side. His paws tightened on his cheeks, and a smile hung from ear to ear resting on his lips. Contrary to his condition, Judy's was clearly annoying. She arrived to ZPD. In her paw, a bag of things rested. Although she had calmed down a bit before she did her morning tasks before leaving the house and going to work, the red was visible in her eyes.

"Good morning, Judy." The excitement died as the cheetah studied the rabbit's expression. "What happened?"

"Bad night," she lied and forced a smile. "Good morning." He did not question the 'why,' leaving the poor bunny alone. Then he noticed someone was missing.

"Where's Nick?"

"Sick." The words came out in anger.

"Oh, soon on this special day?"

"Well ..." she shifted her attention to the bag she had with her. She opened it and from there, removed a small white box with a red bow. "Here, Benjamin. Happy Valentine's Day." She stretched out her arm with the box on her paws.

"Oh, for me?" He squeezed his cheeks again with joy.

"Yes. After all, you also deserve a gift."

He leaned across the table and grabbed the present. He removed the tie carefully and opened the box.

"So beautiful, Judy! I didn't know you were good at these things!"

"It's natural with several siblings." She smiled at him. "Enjoy the cake and then tell me if it was good. See you later, Clawhauser." She turned away, leaving a cheetah happy to look at the little chocolate-covered cake and a small heart and strawberries for a special friend *.

End of the third part.

• I do not know if it is common, but at least in Portugal it is (and I think it is also anywhere in the world). On Valentine's Day, in addition to offering a gift to our dear-half, we can also offer to people who are dear to us in another sense. In this case, the gift to Clawhauser is because he is a very dear friend and always ready to help. Judy decided to thank him for it in this day.