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“Do you know what ‘Zaddy’ means?” Tim asked Angela as they sat down for lunch at the usual spot. Lucy usually sat with them, but Tamara needed help with a college app and had met them at the food trucks to figure it out, so they were at a different table for the time being. They were partners now; Tim being a sergeant on patrol he got the pick of the P2s, he obviously chose Lucy citing the fact that they worked well together and he didn't want to break in one of the other P2s.
“Uh… trying to catch up on teen slang or something?” Angela raised an eyebrow, “Please don’t tell me you’re dating a 20 year old.”
“I’m not.” Tim shook his head, eyeing Lucy and Tamara briefly, “Tamara just referred to me as ‘Officer Zaddy’ when she didn’t know I was standing there and then Chen wouldn’t tell me what it meant… she just got all flustered and changed the subject.” He looked confused. Lucy was never flustered.
Angela smirked, before pulling her phone out. She didn’t know what it meant either, but she had an idea, and knew where to get the answer. Pulling up Urban Dictionary, she searched the term and read the definition. Unable to stop herself, she burst out laughing.
“What?” Tim tried to grab her phone.
“Nothing, I just wish I knew which one of them came up with the nickname.” Angela continued to laugh. “My money’s on Tamara, but the fact that Lucy’s going along with it is amazing.”
“What does it mean, Lopez?” Tim tried to act annoyed, but his usual tactics of intimidation never worked on Angela…or Lucy for that matter.
“I’ll read it to you. Hold on.” Angela smirked and she scrolled back up to the top of the search page, “A ‘Zaddy’ is a fine, handsome, and sexy ass intelligent man that makes you smile and …I’m not reading that ew. He knows how to handle business in and out the…not reading that either… You low key want to have his baby. HA!” She snorted, “He smells good, looks good, and is good!” She broke into a fit of giggles again. “I gotta say, you do smell pretty good.”
Tim just stared at her chewing on his burger, “Give me the phone. You skipped half of it.”
She handed it to him, waiting for his reaction to the more inappropriate parts of the definition as he took a sip of his lemonade, subsequently choking on it in shock.
“You okay there, Officer Zaddy?” Angela smirked, one-hundred percent completely amused with the situation.
He didn’t say anything for a minute, handing her phone back. “Okay, you’re like my sister please don’t call me that.” Tim cringed now that he had read the whole thing, "And Tamara is a child."
“And Lucy’s not?” Angela raised an eyebrow, knowing damn well his feelings regarding Lucy were far from sisterly, even if he tried to tell himself they were.
“I - “ he looked down at his french fries.
“Well well well.” Angela laughed, “The truth comes out.”
He looked back up at Angela, in no way having a come back for that comment. Now that he knew what that meant, Lopez calling him that grossed him out, but Lucy? He felt a very obvious rush of manly amusement. “No. Well. I… shut up.” He said as she waited for a denial.
“Don’t get all Bradford-y; I already knew.”
“Knew what? There’s nothing to know.” Tim stared her down.
She looked at him like he was an idiot, “That you have a thing for Chen. We all know.”
“I do not have —“ Tim started, but stopped due to Angela’s challenging glare, “Wow you got that Mom stare down already… fine…. But nothing is going to come of it so let’s just move on.”
“Why not? I think she’d go for it.”
“Angela, she just finished her rookie year. Can you imagine what people would say?”
“They’re already saying it.”
“WHAT?”
“Okay calm down.” She brushed him off, “No one cares. Most people think it’s cute actually, they call the two of you ‘Chenford’.”
“Nothing is going on.”
“I know that.” Angela shrugged, “I’m just telling you if both of you want something to be going on, no one cares. At least not at Mid-Wilshire. They know how good Lucy is and that you'd never do something with a rookie, but she's not your rookie anymore.”
Right as Tim was about to respond, Tamara and Lucy showed up at their table, “College apps are in!” They said enthusiastically.
Angela and Tim just stared at them, not sure if they heard anything.
“What’s up with you two?” Lucy looked between them.
Tim crumpled up his napkin, his nerves skyrocketing as Angela opened her mouth, “Tim wanted to know the definition of his new nickname…. We looked it up.” She smirked.
“Oh god.” Lucy bit her lip, “Tim…” she started, looking for a way to talk herself out of incriminating herself.
“No need to get flustered again, Luce. Apparently it’s quite the compliment.” He deadpanned, taking another bite of his burger.
She just looked at him, a flush of red appearing on her cheeks not sure what to say.
Angela huffed a laugh, watching the whole thing go down as their radios came to life, requesting Tim and Lucy to a store that had just been robbed. “Have a nice afternoon you two!” She smiled at the pair as Tim smirked, following behind Lucy who was basically scurrying away from him. Too bad she’d be stuck in a shop with him the rest of the afternoon, and best believe he’d bring it up.
As they walked off, Angela turned to Tamara who was watching them with a small smile, “That was amazing.”
“They’re like a pair of middle schoolers too nervous to ask the other out. It's exhausting to watch.” Tamara rolled her eyes sitting down across from Lopez. They didn’t know each other as well, but Tamara knew from Lucy that Angela was someone she could trust.
“Preach, Kid.” Angela laughed, sharing a knowing smile with the teenager. “Eat. Then we'll chat, I think together we could make it happen.” She pushed Bradford’s fries over to her, their conversation flowing, Tamara laughing as Angela told her all about the Mid-Wilshire betting pool and though she wouldn't flat out spill the beans on her best friend, she shared her assumptions regarding Tim's feelings as Tamara did the same about Lucy.