A Fox’s Tale
By Joshua Fox
Susan Felin, Debbye Squirrel, Cindy Lapine, Clarence Skunk, Chris Foxx, Rodney Lapine and Wanda the Vixen are copyright Chris Yost. Zig Zag and Max the Black Rabbit are copyright Max Black Rabbit. Sabrina Mustelidae, Tammy Vixen, Sheila Vixen, Tor the Dog and Amy Squirrel are copyright Eric W. Schwartz. Lilian Bartholomew, James Sheppard, Rhonda Badger and Tamara Rabbit are copyright James Bruner. Marvin Badger is copyright James Bruner after a description by Chris Yost. Robert Fale, John Anderson, Veronica Salese, Melanie Turres, Joshua Fox, Jim Leard, Ralph Dix, Shawna Coon, Kris Coon, Wilde Cat, Aaron Cole and Tara Nadine are copyright Joshua Fox. Blue Wolfe, Kyrin Cat and Kittiara Seng are copyright themselves. Tyler Leone is copyright Michael Mullig. Thomas Woolfe is copyright Mike Higgs.
Legal Notice: This story is copyright 2000, 2001 by Joshua Fox. This story may not be sold or used for commercial profit in any form or fashion. This story may not be modified in any way. This story may not be posted on a mirror site or any internet site without the written permission of the author. This story may not be distributed on print, magnetic, electrical or optical mediums.
Permission to use characters that are copyright other individuals was obtained prior to the appearance of said characters.
This an independent work of fiction with no connection whatsoever to any other stories or works by anyone else and does not imply any connection to the before-said sources. As far as these sources are concerned, this story doesn’t exist. They disavow any knowledge and do not officially sanction the events in the story.
Chapter 9 – Aftermath
Blue and Rob sat silently on the couch, looking over in Josh’s direction. Rob tapped his foot uneasily against the carpet while Blue fidgeted, sitting on the couch side-by-side with their paws folded in their laps. Both looking something similar to school cubs sent to the principal’s office, as they stared forward at Josh, whose back was turned toward them. Their nervous motions continued as they waited for him to close the refrigerator door and turn back, and both nearly jumped as he yelled out to them.
"Hey!" Josh called out as he lifted his head up from inside the fridge, looking back over his shoulder at the pair. "You guys thirsty? There’s no beer left, but I still got a couple of sodas in here."
Blue and Rob exchanged an unsure glance before nodding in response.
"Alright then," Josh said as he ducked his head back inside and grabbed two more cans. "At least they’re nice and cold," He strolled out of the kitchen and tossed each of his buddies a soda.
Rob and Blue held the cans for a few moments silently, still not taking their eyes off Josh as he opened his own soda.
"I've really got to go shopping," Josh moaned as he flopped down into the chair adjacent to the coffee table, putting him at an angle to his two buddies. He took a sip of his soda as he looked across to them. "Hey, guys, anything wrong?"
"NO! Ah, I mean no, not at all. Why?" Rob replied with more than a hint of nervousness in his voice.
"Well," Josh stated, looking directly at Rob. "For starters, you guys haven’t taken your eyes off me since we got back here. I mean, I’m used to that kind of thing from Blue, but getting the same treatment from you is a bit unsettling," Josh joked, causing Blue to crack a grin.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no… and lemme think…. no," Rob responded, noticeably cringing. "It’s just that… well," Rob hesitated as he exchanged another nervous glance with Blue.
Josh looked back and forth between the two curiously. "Well… what?"
"It’s about tonight," Rob began to explain, more than slightly uncomfortable.
Josh just smiled and nodded. "Yeah, what about it?"
Rob leaned forward a bit, a look of more than slight confusion showing through in his expression. "You aren’t pissed about us following you?"
Josh gave a big, hearty laugh at that. "No way, buddy."
Rob and Blue were still staring at Josh, however both their expressions had changed almost instantaneously from nervousness to near-shock. "You’re not mad at all?" Blue asked after a few moments had passed.
"Course’ not," Josh continued smiling, placing his soda down on the coffee table. "What? You guys thought I would be?"
"We thought you’d be SERIOUSLY pissed," Rob explained bluntly before turning to Blue, who then nodded in agreement.
Josh chuckled at their response. "Don’t worry about it, guys. I know you were just following along to make sure I didn’t do anything too stupid."
"Well, actually we-, OOW!" Blue was interrupted by a sharp kick to the shin from Rob.
"Well, no sense in hiding anything from you, buddy. You got us," Rob grinned as he opened his soda. "So, man, you said you’d give us a full report. How’d everything go?"
###
Mmmmm, that really was wonderful. Susan thought as she slipped her nightshirt over her head. She brought her paws up over her neck and gently fluffed out her headfur, padding over to her vanity. It had been such a wonderful evening. The dinner, the company, even driving to and from the restaurant had been so much better than she could have expected.
Susan smiled as she picked up a brush, running it slowly through her headfur as she began to replay the night in her head. She sighed dreamily as her mind drifted back to when she had first opened the door and found Josh standing there, single flower in paw.
He looked so cute. Susan couldn’t help but giggle at the thought. You’d think it was the first time he’d ever picked someone up. She thought happily about when he had first spoken up. She loved the way his voice sounded, and what’s more it sounded even more pleasing in person than it had over the phone. It was so delightfully deep and smooth that she just couldn't help but smile when she heard it.
None of my other dates have ever had that. Susan paused as a thought occurred to her. Wait a minute… date?
When had it become a date? Wasn’t this supposed to be just a trial dinner? Susan pondered it for a long moment, continuing to run her brush through her headfur with careful, measured strokes. It didn’t matter, she decided. I had a good time, that’s what’s important. Susan purred contently, her eyes half closed as the events of the evening continued to scroll through her mind.
###
"Do you have those notes from Monday?" Cindy asked as she rummaged through the numerous sheets of paper she had spread out on her bed.
"I think so, let me see," Debbye opened her bookbag, removing a neat and obviously quite well organized notebook.
"Wow, looks like you got everything together there," Cindy observed, looking over the side of her bed to where Debbye lay tummy-down on the floor.
Debbye just shrugged as she handed the notebook over to Cindy. "I just like to know where everything is. I used to drive myself absolutely NUTS trying to find what I needed for class."
Cindy laughed as she took the notebook and opened up the sky-blue cover. "Funny how that works, isn’t it?"
"How what works?" Debbye replied as she rolled over onto her back and sat up.
"It always seems like I can find anything," Cindy paused for a moment as she turned to face Debbye. "Except what I need to find."
Debbye laughed and nodded in agreement. "Oh, trust me, I know about that."
"Oh? Anything interesting?" Cindy slid across the bed and propped herself up on her elbows.
"Well, not really," Debbye giggled as she thought about it. "Just something from when I was back in high school."
"That’s ok, I love high school stories," Cindy assured her.
"Well, I don’t know," Debbye stated as she looked at her watch. "It’s starting to get late and we haven’t even really begun studying yet."
"Come on, Deb," Cindy persisted. "Every time we try studying I keep thinking about Sabby leaving. I really need something to take my mind off of it"
"I know what you mean," Debbye sighed before beginning. "Ok, then. It was back when I was sixteen. I had just started by junior year when I met a this REALLY hunky raccoon."
"Oooh, hunky," Teased Cindy. "I think I’m going to like this story."
Debbye giggled before continuing. "He was the really suave, cool type. A lot more laid-back then I was used to guys being around me… plus he had a REALLY cute butt."
Almost instantaneously the two Clique pals found themselves in a fit of giggling, not stopping until a good minute or so later.
Cindy was the first to get control of herself, her giggles subsiding as her muzzle now bore a fascinated grin. "Well, he sounds like quite a catch. What was he? Junior? Senior?"
"Well, actually he was a sophomore… in college," Debbye admitted, the tiniest hint of blush in her cheeks.
Cindy grinned widely. "Oh, really now? And was this before or after you had that HUGE crush on your Geometry teacher?"
"First of all, it was my Biology teacher," Debbye corrected, grinning back. "And I was SO over him by then."
"Seems to me like you have a thing for older furs, Deb," Cindy observed, her grin still wide as ever..
"I guess I do," Debbye admitted, laughing as she thought about it. "I look for a little more maturity and chivalry in a guy."
Cindy nodded slowly. "Nothing wrong with that. Did this coon have what you were looking for?"
Debbye nodded as she tried to keep her giggling under control. "I sure thought so at the time. It was great when we first started going out. He was sweet, attentive, and very funny. He had the best sense of humor."
"Ooh, those are hard to come by," Cindy stopped as something occurred to her. "But, what does that have to do with you not being able to find things?"
"Oh," Debbye collected her thoughts quickly. "Back then I wasn’t too organized. I occasionally lost books, notes, and just about anything else, but what I couldn’t seem to stop losing was my keys. I swear, I must have lost them just about every other week. Thankfully, each time they disappeared on me, they were turned into lost and found, but it was still really annoying."
"I can imagine," Cindy nodded as Debbye went on.
Debbye stifled a giggle as she continued. "Well, he ended up getting me an earring with a keychain on it, so I wouldn’t keep losing them."
"An earring… with a keychain on it…" Cindy looked a bit confused. "Well, I guess that makes sense… sorta."
Debbye just laughed. "He was a very odd guy. I think the only thing that was constant about him was his unpredictability."
Cindy nodded as she listened. "Well, some furs like that kind of thing. What ever happened with you two?"
"Oh, we broke up during the summer," Debbye went on, folding her elbows across her knees. "He started trying to pressure me into a more ‘intimate’ relationship, and I just wasn’t ready for that."
"Hmmph. Creep," Cindy commented as she thought over what Debbye had told her. "Did he keep bugging you or did he just let go?"
Debbye couldn’t help but laugh. "Oh, he let go, alright. Soon after he found out who my dad was and believe me, he wasn’t about to mess with him."
Cindy’s ear perked up. "He didn’t know your dad was a cop?"
Debbye grinned smugly. "Nope, and believe me, he was quite surprised."
Cindy laughed at the thought. "Talk about a rude awakening."
"You could say that," Debbye put her paw to her lips as she giggled.
Cindy held silent for a moment as a stray thought floated through her head. "I hope Susan’s date isn’t like that."
"You mean Josh?" Debbye asked, looking up towards the tawny rabbit.
"Yah," Cindy replied as she stared up at the ceiling. "Susan seemed like she was really looking forward to their date tonight."
Debbye nodded, following it closely with a small giggle. "Well, I can’t say I’m all that surprised. If you'd met him last Friday night, you’d know why."
"Oh?" Cindy’s curiosity was roused. "Is he good-looking?"
"I think so," Debbye responded honestly. "But he is absolutely HUGE for a fox. I think he has to be a mixed breed."
"You mean like Zig Zag’s boyfriend?" Cindy inquired, moving her head slightly in Debbye’s direction.
"Yah, kind of," Debbye began as she tried to explain. "Except Josh definitely looks like a fox. He’s just physically really big."
"Okay, I think I know what you mean," Cindy grinned as another thought entered her head. "You think other parts of him might be ‘really big,’ too?"
Debbye almost fell backwards laughing. "I really don’t know. But, actually I have heard that guys that work out that much are usually… compensating for something."
"Really? I thought that was sports cars," Cindy held herself in thought for a moment.
Debbye shrugged. "Well, admittedly they say that about a lot of things. But you never know, right?"
"I guess," Cindy shrugged, too, not really sure about the topic. "Do you know where he works?"
"No," Debbye responded after a thoughtful moment. "Why?"
"Well, the guy whose job I took over at Callahan’s was named Josh, so I was just curious if it was the same guy," Cindy explained, sitting up on the side of the bed.
Debbye shook her head and chuckled. "I doubt it. Colombus may not be a metropolis, but it isn’t that small of a town."
"I suppose you’re right," Cindy agreed as the phone caught her eye. "Think we should call Susan and ask how the date went?"
Debbye looked at her watch. "Nah, it’s still too early. She never gets back before midnight."
"Oh, yeah," Cindy sighed and nodded. "Well, might as well study until then," She admitted grudgingly, opening the notebook in front of her.
###
"C’mon, we saw that at the restaurant! We wanna know what happened when you got back to her place, man," Rob insisted, leaning forward on the couch.
"Oh, really?" Josh chuckled, setting his feet up on the ottoman. "And here I thought you two had a good view from where you where."
"Oh, we did," Blue chimed in, tilting his head in Rob’s direction. "Until klutz here leaned on the horn."
Rob furrowed his eyebrows. "Hey, if you had just kept quiet, I wouldn’t have pressed it like that, ok?"
"Now, why do I have the feeling you’ve used that excuse before?" Blue replied as his mischievious grin returned.
"Hey," Rob pointed his finger squarely at Blue. "Don’t doubt the skills, man."
"Yo, guys," Josh broke in, smiling amusedly. "Play nice, now."
Rob exchanged a glare with Blue, but lightened up somewhat as the subject changed. "Ok, then. Come on and tell us what happened!"
"Okay, okay," Josh’s expression still sported an amused smile as he began. "Well, after she got out of the car, I walked her up to her door-."
"We already know that!" Rob insisted, interrupting Josh. "C’mon now, we wanna hear about what we didn’t get to see!"
"Ok, ok. Well, after we were so rudely interrupted," Josh glared kiddingly over to Rob before continuing. "We talked a little bit-,"
"I DON’T CARE ABOUT THAT! JUST GET TO THE PART WHERE YOU SAID ‘GOODNIGHT’, OK?!?" Rob blurted out before catching himself and smoothing the fur on the back of his neck, suddenly sporting a pleasant smile. "Um, I mean, would you mind skipping ahead to where you two said goodnight?"
Josh and Blue were both staring right at him, their eyes wide open. "Oooookay," Josh leaned forward and picked up the now-empty can that Rob had set on the table. "I think maybe that soda had a little bit too much caffeine for you there. Should I get you something else? Tea? Coffee? Tranquilizer?"
"No thanks, just tell us what happened and I’ll be fine," Rob replied through what was obviously a forced smile.
"Alright then," Josh slowly eased back into his chair, secretly quite amused at Rob’s reaction, but for the moment, keeping it to himself. "I said ‘goodnight', walked back to my car, and then I drove around the corner so she wouldn’t see me go over to say hi to you guys."
Rob now looked visibly annoyed, and his clenched teeth were more than obvious as he spoke. "Then, what happened just before you said ‘goodnight’ to her?"
Josh was struggling to keep himself from a fit of laughter, having figured out exactly what Rob was angling for. "Well, as I was about to turn and walk back to my car, she stopped me."
"Uh-huh, yeah," Rob quickly nodded, both paws on his knees as he leaned forward.
"And after she had gotten my attention, she asked if I had forgotten something," Josh slowly kept on, purposefully pausing to gauge Rob’s reaction.
"Yeah…," Rob nodded again, his paws now clasping together as he listened intently. Blue only chuckled as he watched Rob eagerly awaiting Josh’s next words.
"I thought for a brief moment about what she meant; admittedly I feel a little silly about that, but at least I figured it out," Josh went on, crushing the can he held in his paw and setting it down again. "So, I padded back up to where she was standing…"
"Yeah…," Rob was grinning now; obviously anticipating what Josh was going to say.
"Stepped close to her and leaned down…," Josh continued slowly, smiling.
"Yeah…," Rob’s eyes were wide open, leaning so far forward that his rear was barely on the couch.
"And then I-, hold on a sec, I need another drink," Josh declared as he quickly got up and padded into the kitchen.
"WHAT THE-?!?" Rob suddenly fell forward and right off the couch, landing hard on the floor. "OWW!"
Blue laughed hysterically and held his sides as Rob scrambled to get up, a look of extreme frustration adorning his expression.
"And then WHAT?!?" Rob almost snarled, his body tensing as he stood and stared at Josh.
"Just a second here," Josh called out as he took another can from the fridge and moved back towards his chair. He opened the top and took a long sip as he sat down again, then looked over to the seemingly irate ferret. "What?"
Rob clenched his teeth again and furrowed his brow, trying to keep himself under control. "You were… saying?"
Josh nodded and appeared to think. "Oh, yes… um, what was I talking about?"
Rob growled audibly now, standing fully upright on the opposite side of the coffee table from Josh. "We were talking about what happened just before you said ‘goodnight’ to Susan, remember?"
"Oh, yeah!" Josh smiled and set his soda down. "Well, as I was about to turn and walk back to my car-,"
"YOU ALREADY SAID THAT!" Rob exclaimed, his right eye starting to twitch.
"Oh, ok," Josh put his paw to his chin, pretending to think. "Where was I?"
"You stepped close to her and leaned down…," Rob attempted to help, torn between fascination and complete frustration.
"Oh, yeah. Then she closed her eyes and I took her paw…," Josh held back a chuckle, though just barely, as he was about to wrap up his teasing.
"Yeah, yeah?!?" Rob egged on, nearly being driven insane with curiosity.
"And then I kissed it and bid her a pleasant sleep," Josh finished, picking up his soda to take another sip.
Rob stood there for a long moment, almost completely motionless before he spoke. "What?"
"I kissed her paw and then bid her a pleasant sleep," Josh rejoined, looking over to the tense ferret.
"That’s ALL?!?" Rob replied, his eye twitching again.
"Yeah… why?" Josh asked, now a bit concerned that his friend might blow something.
"You putz! She was asking you for a kiss!" Rob’s voice sounded torn somewhere in between exasperation and fury.
Josh nodded slowly. "Yeah, I gave her a kiss on the back of her paw."
"She wanted a REAL kiss!" Rob’s body was now obviously strained, his fists clenched firmly at his sides. "She wanted you to kiss her and you give her a peck on the back of her paw?!? Dude, I should take that can of soda you’re holding and beat you with it!"
"Whoa, down there," Josh said, waving his paw down. "I don’t really see what the problem is."
Rob quickly padded over and sat on the arm of Josh’s chair. "Let me spell it out for you; Susan Felin – let me repeat that, Susan Felin wanted you to kiss her, and instead you kiss her paw? Are you friggin’ nuts?!?"
Josh just sat still and looked back at Rob. "Well, I mean, it was our first date and all. I didn’t want to seem too forward or anything like that."
"That doesn’t matter, man!" Rob responded, getting up and walking a few feet away. "Okay, maybe I’m wrong about this. Exactly what was it she said? Blue, you listen to this, too, I need your opinion on it."
Blue crossed his legs and folded his arms across his chest. "Oh, really? And here I thought you boys had forgotten I was here," He retorted, visibly a bit put off by his absence in the conversation.
Josh finally allowed himself a chuckle. "Sorry, Blue, I was a bit distracted by our buddy’s ‘performance’ over here," He explained before turning back to Rob. "Well, she was leaning back against the door… with her shoulders back a little bit… and she touched her cheek… dang, I can’t describe it."
Blue had been listening intently the whole time and now jumped up from his seat on the couch, bouncing excitedly and clapping his paws together. "I know! I know! I’ve done that before!" He exclaimed and bounced over to the door, spinning around. He pressed the seat of his pants against the door and then his shoulders, arching his back slightly and crossing his feet in front of him.
"Like this, right?" Blue inquired as he playfully moved his paw back over his cheek to his ear, ever so slightly ruffling his headfur.
Josh immediately nodded and pointed to Blue. "Yup, that’s it."
Rob just stood there for a moment with his muzzle hanging open, then turning to Josh. "Let me get this straight; Susan did that," Rob gestured over to the door, indicating the stance that Blue still held. "To you."
"Exactly," Josh confirmed, nodding his head. "So, what do yo-, OW! The heck?" Josh rubbed his arm where Rob had just given him a shot with his knuckle.
Rob looked nearly indignant. "Are you crazy, man? She was practically BEGGING for you to kiss her!"
"Yo, man, calm down," Josh turned to Rob and took his arm away. "Even if I did miss a signal, so what? Susan already said she wants to go out with me again. I obviously did something right if she isn’t repulsed by the very thought of seeing me again, right?"
Rob stood dumb there for a few moments, then looked down at his feet and grumbled. "Yeah, I guess that’s right," He was silent for another moment or so before looking right up at Josh again. "But you miss one more signal like that, and I will hurt you, man! Got it?"
Josh couldn’t help but laugh at that. "Rob, don’t you think you’re going a little overboard about all this?"
"Are we talking about Susan Felin?" Rob asked back as he stared directly up to his fox-friend.
"Um, yeah," Josh scratched the back of his ear as he tried figuring out why he would ask that.
"Then hell no!" Rob finally answered, folding his arms and looking unusually serious.
Josh of course, would never mirror such an expression and gave a hearty chuckle. "Well, I doubt I’ll miss any more ‘signals,’ but if I do, feel free to try and hurt me," Josh chuckled as he rubbed his arm. "You know, I haven’t had that done to me since I was babysitting Tabitha. That doesn’t say too much for you, pal."
"Ahem!" Blue repeated the same motion as before with his paw, moving it over his cheek and back after he had caught Josh’s attention once more. "Aren’t you forgetting something, Josh?"
Josh raised an eyebrow as he turned to look at Blue, finding him holding the same position that he had demonstrated before. "Blue, what are you doing?"
Blue repeated the motion playfully, a sultry grin apparent on his muzzle. "Susan got a kiss for this, remember? I think I should, too."
Josh rolled his eyes as he flopped down into his chair again, chortling at the sight. "Well, I’d love to oblige, buddy, but there’re problems with that."
Blue still kept his whole stance, though both his paws were now linked behind him. "What?"
Josh began, holding up one finger. "First off, you are Blue; not Susan. Also, you are male. Susan is female."
"Oh, sure," Blue pouted and opened his arms. "But do you have any good reasons?"
Josh just shook his head and smiled. "Blue, you used that same line on me while we were back in High School. It didn’t work then, and it’s sure as heck not going to work now."
Blue thought for a moment and laughed as he recalled. "Well, can’t blame me for trying."
"No, I suppose I can’t," Josh admitted kiddingly as he lay back in the chair. "Hey, where’d you guys get that car, anyway?"
"A guy I know loaned it to me. He owed me a favor, so he was happy to oblige when I asked," Rob explained as he sat down on the arm of the couch.
"He owed you a favor?" Josh said in feigned surprise. "What kinda scrape was he in to make a deal with the devil?"
"Yeah, yeah, real funny," Rob furrowed his eyebrows and stretched out his back, yawning. "It’s a little too long of a story to tell right now, but I’ll fill you about it some other time."
"You turning down a chance to tell a story? Geez, how late is it?" Josh looked down at the digital watch that still adorned his wrist. "C’mon, it’s only eleven. Since when are you the type to turn in early?"
Rob almost snorted. "Hey, buddy, you were on a date; Blue and I were sneaking around all night trying to make sure you didn’t notice we were followin’ ya."
"And a great job you did, by the way," Josh kidded, raising his empty soda can.
"Bite me," Rob retorted, swinging his legs to the side and sliding off the couch.
"Nah, I’m not into that kind of thing. Blue?" Josh grinned, turning to his wolf buddy.
Blue grinned evilly and licked his chops. "Don’t mind if I do."
"Hey, hey, hey," Rob raised his paw. "Don’t forget, now, I’m your ride home. You try anything and you’re walking back."
Blue pouted and stood upright, folding his arms. "You’re no fun."
"Considering your idea of ‘fun’, I’ll take that as a compliment," Rob chuckled; now standing up. "But, I’m bushed. Mind if we call it a night, buddy?"
"Yah," Blue nodded in agreement. "Trying to be inconspicuous really tuckers you out. Especially if you’re as incredibly adorable as I am."
Rob and Josh both rolled their eyes almost simultaneously. "Oh, Lord. Not another ego trip," Josh thought aloud, pressing his paw to his forehead.
"Hey, you’re not the one driving him home, alright?" Rob pointed out. Josh snickered at the inadvertent choice of words as Blue grinned. Shaking his head slowly and chuckling, Rob strolled over to where Blue stood by the door. "So, you wanna meet up at Furry’s tomorrow?"
Josh thought for a moment as he got up from his chair. "Sure, I don’t have any plans."
"Alright, same time, then. And Blue," Rob turned after he had taken his keys off the small keyrack adjacent to the door. "This time, start out earlier. Just in case you gotta push that clunker of yours the last mile, ok?"
Blue laughed, nodding. "Ok, but if you guys don’t stop to help me, I’m gonna be pissed."
"Hey, you two are the ones who work out, not me. If worse comes to worse, you can always get Josh to carry the car there" Rob kidded, giving Josh a nudge in the ribs.
"Sure, if you don’t mind paying the hospital bills," Josh kidded back, opening the door for them.
"Well, we’ll be seeing you then," Rob stated as he began to step out the door, then pausing for a moment as he turned back. "Hey, Josh. Honestly, you’re not pissed about us following you tonight?"
Josh laughed and placed a strong paw on both Rob and Blue’s shoulder. "Not at all. I appreciate that you guys were trying to look out for me."
Rob chuckled as he allowed his relief to show. "Well, that’s good. I just wanted to make sure."
Josh laughed. "Yeah," Suddenly his grip grew a bit tighter, his paws pressing lightly but firmly into both of their shoulders as he looked back and forth between the two of them. "But do it again, and I’ll tear your arms off. Ok?" Josh propositioned, never losing his smile for an instant.
Rob laughed nervously as Blue quickly nodded. "Okay, okay, you win."
Josh smiled a bit more as he loosened his grip and let go. "Okay, then we square. See you guys tomorrow."
"Later," Blue waved as he and Rob walked out the door and down the stairs, walking out of sight as they turned a corner in the stairwell.
Josh waved back and closed the door, turning and flopping back into his chair as he let out a loud yawn.
###
"Well, all in all, I say we did pretty good tonight," Blue commented as they reached the bottom of the stairs.
"I’d say so," Rob agreed, opening the door that led out to the street. "If I hadn’t hit the horn, he never would have known we were tailing him."
"Yah," Blue thought as they moved to where Rob had parked.
Both were silent for a moment as Rob unlocked the doors and they got in. They sat for a moment, Rob with both paws on the wheel and Blue leaning back into his seat.
"You really think Josh and Susan will go out again?" Blue asked, resting his paws behind his head.
Rob nodded thoughtfully. "I think so. Heck, you saw the way they were acting."
"Yeah," Blue mused, staring off into space. "Think it’ll go anywhere?"
"Beats me," Rob said as he turned to Blue. "But there’s only one way to find out."
Blue leaned his head back, staring up for a short while. "Well, Josh said he didn’t want us following him like that anymore."
"Yup," Rob nodded, paws still holding the wheel.
"And he may very well try and carry out that threat he made," Blue continued, turning to see Rob looking back at him.
"Yup," Rob nodded again, lips pursed.
Blue took his paws from behind his head so he could fasten his seatbelt. "So, same plan for the next time?"
"Yup," Rob grinned, turning the key in the ignition and starting them on their way.
###
Josh sunk back in his chair, eyes half closed with a big smile on his face. He had begun to think over his date with Susan and had he tried with everything in him, he could not stop smiling. Not that he would have tried, mind you.
He picked up his soda can and went to take a sip, only to find it empty. He got up, his body more than slightly reluctant to move from his comfy position, and gathered up the empty cans. Josh cricked his neck as he entered the kitchen and crushed each one in his paw before tossing it into the recycling bin.
Geez, these things are starting to irritate me. Josh grimaced slightly as he tugged at the leg of his pants. He wasn’t at all used to ‘dress clothes’ of any kind, and the pants he was wearing seemed to be growing more uncomfortable as the night went on.
This is the reason I stopped wearing jeans. Josh thought, moving into the bedroom as he began to unbutton his shirt. As he entered, he padded over to his dresser and undid his belt, letting out a sigh of relief as his pants and then his shorts dropped to his ankles. His shirt followed, stepping out of his pants before slipping on a fresh pair of shorts he had taken from the drawer. Josh scooped the bundle of garments up into his arms and carried them into the bathroom, stuffing them in the hamper as he grumbled.
"Gotta do the laundry, too. Looks like I’ve fallen behind around here," Josh observed as he walked out into the living room. He yawned, covering his mouth with his paw as he went to turn off the lights. Just before he did, however, a thought occurred to him.
Susan asked me to call her… tomorrow? Or was it tonight? Josh stood there, his forefinger on the light switch as he tried to remember. He scratched the small tuft of fur just below his throat, his eyes fighting to keep open.
Well, I suppose it’s better to be safe than sorry. He concluded, turning to check the time. But no way is she going to be up now. I’ll just leave a message on her machine and call her tomorrow.
Josh grabbed the cordless phone and padded over to the couch, jumping over the back and flopping down into the cushions. He quickly dialed Susan’s number, leaning his shoulders back against one of the pillows as he waited for the machine to pick up.
###
Susan’s eyes snapped open at the sound of the phone ringing, startling her so much that she almost fell backwards. She quickly recovered her balance and blinked, taking a moment to look around before she remembered what had happened. She had been sitting at her vanity, gazing into the mirror and thinking about how the date had gone when she had drifted off to sleep. Susan yawned a bit wearily; looking over to the side of her bed as the phone rang again.
This better not be a wrong number. Susan thought as she got up and padded over to her bed, tugging her nightshirt down over her knees as she sat down. She blinked a few times and looked at the phone, wondering if she should just let the machine get it.
Well, I’m up anyway. Susan reasoned with a sigh, stretching out in that uniquely feline way as she picked up the receiver.
"Hello?" Susan yawned out tiredly, not making any effort to hide the fact that she had just been woken up.
Josh was so startled he dropped the phone, causing Susan to wince as the sound of the receiver hitting the floor came through. Josh scrambled to get the phone and picked it back up, quickly bringing it back to his ear. "Susan?"
Susan’s eyes instantly opened, the sleepiness vanishing. "Josh?"
"Uh, yeah, it’s me," Josh was a bit shaken, Susan’s voice catching him completely off guard. "I didn’t know you were still up. I was just going to leave a message."
Susan placed her free paw down on the bed and sat up straight. "Oh? Didn’t want to talk to me, huh?" She coyly questioned, her eyes which had been filled with sleep just a moment ago softening as she listened to his voice.
"No! No, no, not at all. I just didn’t think you’d still be up," Josh attempted to explain, still slightly taken aback.
Susan smiled as she began twisting the phone cord around her paw. "Well, if you want to know the truth, I wasn’t."
"I woke you?" Josh smacked himself in the forehead. "I am so sorry. I’ll let you get back to sleep."
"It’s okay, Josh," Susan assured him as she turned to the side, leaning back against the pillows. "You’re worth getting up for."
Josh was silent for a moment as a smile came across his muzzle. "Really?"
"Of course, Sweety," Susan purred, her tail flicking slowly from side to side. "You know how much I like hearing that sexy voice of yours."
Josh smiled broadly now, a slight hint of blush underneath his fur as he rested one paw behind his head, lying back against one of the fluffy cushions on his couch.
"So, did you want to talk about something, or did you just call to keep me on my toes?" Susan teased, continuing when she didn’t hear a response.
"Oh, well… um," Josh now blushed considerably more, fidgeting slightly. "I couldn’t remember whether you wanted me to call tonight or tomorrow," Josh paused a moment to chuckle. "Yes, I know I’m an idiot."
Susan giggled, twirling the phone cord around her forefinger. "No, you’re not, you silly Fox. I know for a fact that you’re not an idiot."
The pleasant tone in Susan’s voice was enough to bring that broad smile back to Josh’s face. "Oh? How can you be so sure?"
"It just isn’t possible; you’re too cute," Susan replied, purring as she heard his voice take on that soothing tone once more.
Josh laughed as he scooched himself up against the cushion. "By ‘cute’, do you mean ‘butt-ugly’?"
Susan laughed along with him, snuggling back against another pillow. "Of course not," She giggled for a moment before returning to purrs. "You’re silly."
Josh smiled softly and leaned back, his head resting comfortably against the cushion as he lifted his feet to rest on the arm of the couch. "Hey, I gotta be me."