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“Shadow… You’re staring.” Rouge told him with a smirk as she brought her cup of coffee to her lips. They were seated outside of a small breakfast nook. One they visited pretty often these last few months. However, it wasn’t this restaurant that brought them here almost every day. In fact, Rouge thought the place didn’t suit Shadow’s taste at all. He had never been big on breakfast. No… this was all so he could keep an eye on a small diner across the plaza.
Rouge had done her research long ago. The diner belonged to a female rabbit named Vanilla. She had one daughter from a partner that had since died leaving her a young widow. The diner had actually belonged to the deceased husband, but Vanilla kept it running to keep his memory. It was a pretty famous spot for its home-made baked goods and amazing comfort foods. Super sweet and simple. Honestly it wasn’t anything too special… but the atmosphere made everyone feel warm and comfortable. Many traveled from far away to support the young mother.
She ran it along with her now grown daughter and her daughter’s best friend who Vanilla took guardianship over after her parents died. It was the daughter’s friend who Shadow gained interest for. A miss Amy Rose. A female hedgehog who was currently suffering from a large amount of debt from college loans.
When Rouge found out about Shadow’s infatuation, Rouge took it upon herself to do an extensive check on everything she could. When she found the debt, Rouge felt angry. She assumed that the girl had seduced him for his money. She wasn’t sure how, but it didn’t matter. Rouge would be damned if her childhood friend would be extorted.
“She doesn’t even know who I am.” Shadow had told her. It had been the first time she’d ever seen him upset for doing a background check. “We’ve met twice officially. The first time was drunken experience; one that she hardly remembered and the other was by accidently walking into the diner she works at while I was meeting with Vector. Apparently, he’s sweet on the owner and the owner is her adoptive parent.” He grumbled. “Now quit getting into her business. It’s rude. Make sure Espio has all he needs for the job tonight. I don’t have time for any mistakes.”
That was the end of that conversation. Her mouth had fallen open at his order to stop snooping. It was literally her job to so for him.
Now here they were, spying on the poor girl from afar because he didn’t know how to handle a crush.
“Typically, when someone likes another, they introduce themselves and start a conversation.” She told him.
“Shut up, Bat.” He grumbled.
Rouge almost felt bad for him. They had been friends since coming from their mothers’ wombs. Their dad’s going way back as toddlers themselves. She had never once seen him like this before. He was very all work and no play. Through the years, she tried to set him up on dates or make him go out, but always flat out refused. She started to think he was asexual. Which of course was fine by her. She just stopped trying to set him up. Who knew all she had to do was find a certain pink hedgehog female to get his gears going?
She watched as he perked up all of a sudden. A box truck pulled up to the diner. Rouge recognized the logo on the side as a pretty popular floral shop. The sound of slight thumping caused her to look t the seat of his chair. She had to stop herself from laughing when she confirmed his tail was wagging. Holy shit…. He didn’t.
“Flowers for an Amy Rose.” A beaver called out as he walked to the entrance of the diner. Amy came out, her expression filled with a pleasant form of shock. She reached out and grabbed the beautiful bouquet of red tulips from the male’s hands. He had her sign and then made his way back to the driver’s seat. When he pulled away, Amy brought the flowers to her nose and smelled. Her face had a dreamy expression.
Cream had been helping customers from their outside seating. When she saw her friend with the flowers, she excitedly joined her. Rouge and Shadow watched as the squealed together. It was cute a scene. One filled with innocent love and childlike wonder.
“Hmm.” Rouge hummed. His tail stopped in an instant. He turned to her with a sour expression. His eyes glaring, almost in slits. She was proud that she didn’t start laughing. “What beautiful flowers.” She complimented taking another drink. His face softened slightly. Now he was looking at her with skepticism.
“You think she liked them?” He asked. Rouge almost spit out her drink of coffee. She swallowed the drink with a hard gulp.
“Shadow. You’re not fucking blind. Look at her. She’s practically dancing.” She gestured over to the girls still squealing. Shadoe reached over and knocked her hand down.
“Stop. You’re gonna make her look over here.” He scolded.
“Oh no! Then -Then you would have to talk to her!” She acted horrified. “And tell her you’re the one who sent the flowers! How awful!” She then started to laugh loudly. This was all too much. “Oh Jeez, Shadow. What is going on with you?” She asked after he snarled at her. “You’ve literally been in life and death situations and been the one to confront physical danger and yet that sweet face is making you choke up. You’re acting like a preteen boy who’s never even talked to a girl before.”
“You wouldn’t understand.” His voice rumbled lowly.
“Because you’re not explaining shit to me.” She allowed her exasperation to show. “We sit here almost everyday in the morning so you can stare at her but you won’t go talk to her. You said it yourself. You’ve only met twice. What we’re doing is considered stalking. You realize that, right? You have become a creeper.”
There was silence between them. Rouge started to feel small from the aura he was putting off. Like he was about to start screaming at her. Rouge would never be scared of her oldest friend; she knew he would never hurt her, but damn could he be intimidating. Especially, when he gave her the silent treatment.
“Look Shad-“
“I don’t want to scare her away.” He finally said. She looked at him shock. He started to fidget with a napkin. “People look at me and then start to cower. I don’t look nice. I look like a mean bastard and I don’t want her to think of me like that. At least from over here, I can watch her smile and laugh. I can watch her be happy from my gifts. I don’t have to wonder if she’s only accepting because of who I am and what I can do. I don’t want her to be like everyone else.”
Rouge smiled at him gently. This was reminding her of when they were kids. This same soft expression was how he looked when they snuck into his kitchen and made a giant mess trying to make their moms a cake for Mother’s Day. It made her want to squeeze him in a hug… but knowing that would lead to him pinching her quickly caused the feeling to die down.
“You will never know until you take a risk.” She told him.
“Yeah…” He said absentmindedly. His gaze fell back over to where Amy and Cream were going back into the diner. That large window on the building still allowed him a full view on inside for a good amount. “I know.”
“So…” Rouge prodded with a sneaky smile. “Tulips. That’s pretty romantic. Especially red ones. True love. That’s what it means right? Surprised you didn’t pick roses though. Considering her last name.”
“I thought about it.” He admitted honestly. “But roses seemed to easy. I wanted something… different. Something a bit more special. That had bigger bouquet options, but I’ve learned she has simple tastes.” He explained. His eyes looked far away in lala land. Rouge shook her head and chuckled.
“What did you write on the card?”
“What card?” He asked her.
“The card, Shadow. The one that you put a message on so when they get the flowers they know who sent them or why they got them. You know, like a cute little note or something?” Rouge’s smile fell. “Don’t tell me you didn’t give instructions for a message.”
“I didn’t know what to say!” He yelled, his ears and muzzle turning red.
“Anything! You say anything! Chaos! I’d never thought I’d ever get to call you an idiot, but here we are!”
“Rouge,” He growled between clenched teeth. “Watch your tone or I’ll forget our history.”
“You are so ridiculous.” She muttered. Suddenly his phone started to ring. The name Croc pooped on the caller ID. Shadow sighed deep, knowing that his peaceful morning was coming to an end. Rouge rolled her eyes, still very irritated at him. She then peered over to see Amy bring a couple their plates in the outside seating. Her eyes lit up as she thought of a good idea. Shadow was busy on the phone, his brain hyper focused on whatever Vector had to tell him… from his expression, it wasn’t good. So, Rouge got up from her spot and started to walk across the plaza.
“Wai- Rouge! Where are you going?” Shadow called out to her. She was giddy to hear the panic undertone in his bark. Instead of answering him she simply flipped him. She didn’t have to turn around to tell that steam was coming out of his ears. Years of friendship told her that. She’d deal with his tantrum later. Maybe.
She swiftly moved through a group of people and sat down at the only empty table there. She looked over smiling sweetly at Shadow. He didn’t dare shout or make scene, but she could see that he was absolutely livid with her. The thought turned her insides into mush. Goodness, she should have found this girl a long time ago.
“Hi! Thank you for choosing Floppy’s Diner! What Can I get for you to start off with?” As luck would have it, Rouge sat in Amy’s section. She smiled warmly back at the pink hedgehog. She intwined her fingers and rested her chin on the back of them.
“Your number.”
“Oh! I’m sorry?” Amy asked, her eyes widening and her mouth falling open.
“I’d like to have your number. Oh, and a sweet tea.”