"Hey, your girlfriend isn't showing up, huh?" Not that idiot, Louis thought as he turned and recognized one of the school's hooligans from the past. He didn't know that they let such animals in here. To his bad luck, the guy then came also over to him.

"So when the show starts and your companion still hasn't appeared, you can sit down at our table." This said while patting his shoulder. The molehog sighed and he shouldn't have relied on Ryvera, his sister-in-law. Why did he even get involved in the whole thing? Only to get free food and music, he had come here. But he couldn't show up alone, so he asked a twenty-eight-year-old to accompany him. Which, when it matters, wasn't on time.

"You know, to chat about old times." To tell your girlfriend that you put my head in the toilet a couple of times because I didn't want that you copy the homework, Louis thought, and he really couldn't do that. He looked at his cell phone while the guy was still babbling beside him. They would start playing the music in five minutes and he wondered if he should leave again.

"Hey, I didn't know that you have such a good taste as in women." The guy suddenly said and looked past him. Louis sighed in relief, because that probably meant that his escort came here.

"You can see it how you want. You should keep your friend company again." But he was ignored as the bigger one just passed him. The guy was a rhinoceros and actually wanted to hook up a hedgehog? Annoyed, he turned to his table as the big light died down and small decorative lights lit up. Romantic mood. I needed that now, he thought sarcastically

"We should finally sit down." Without looking at what the other two did, he did as well. He wanted to think about what he could offer Ryvera to eat without much discussion.

"Really now? You're not exactly a gentleman." The guy tossed in his face that just didn't want to leave his side. The molehog was sure that his girlfriend was already flirting with the waiter, because she sat there alone at the table.

"That's alright. He really has every reason to be angry. Finally, I knew when it starts and yet I came too late." Surprised he looked away from the lonely woman and to the voice that belonged to his company. It wasn't Ryvera standing in front of the table and opening her jacket.

"P..P... Peaches?" He wondered what she was doing here, and at the same time, he almost knocked over as he moved back up.

"I hope the stuttering didn't mean you didn't want me here?"

"Of course not. He wouldn't just ignore such a beautiful lady..."

"Leave us now, Hector." Louis explained to the bigger one and he did that oddly enough. That was also alright for him, because he had one less problem. Granted, what was in front of him couldn't really be called that.

His friend wasn't otherwise for such places. Because here was a certain dressing code. That meant women had to wear a dress or something similar that looked like a fine evening outfit. Peaches just didn't like to do that, so he wanted to spare her that. Ryvera, on the other hand, said she liked glamorous events so she had to show up here. Nevertheless, the mammoth was here and looked really beautiful. Her hair was very different and she even had make-up on a little bit.

"Are we just standing around here now? The staff is already staring at us and wondering if we have a problem." He shook his head, smiling slightly, and sat back down. She sat down opposite of him.

Peaches was embarrassed by how her friend viewed her. Inwardly she got a bit panicky. Was the dress maybe the wrong one? Did she exaggerate with the make-up? Maybe he didn't want her to come here at all, and now he didn't want to admit it.

"You can say what you don't like. We should have told you before, but your sister-in-law didn't feel well and she didn't want to leave you alone. So tada, I'm the replacement." She jokingly explained, trying to give him an apologetic smile. However, the smaller one could imagine that the female hedgehog was doing fine and that this was just another plan for getting them together. So his brother came home earlier and had to get back into his business. At first he thinks that it is no problem for him to execute his wife today, but now it's probably one.

Maybe he interpreted too much and Ryvera really doesn't feel well. But why did they have to alert Peaches right away? He also had a cell phone. Right here, in his suit jacket. If he looks now, he certainly will not find any warning messages.

"Please say something. I don't want you to be angry the whole evening." Only then did he wake up from his trance.

"No. I'm not angry. It's just that...well .."

"What?" She asked curiously. Somehow she found his reaction really cute. It couldn't be, that was blushing because of her. Or was he?
Louis, on the other paw, tried to spur himself on to finally compliment her. It wasn't that difficult. He just felt like back then, when he was a teenager and sometimes had trouble talking to Peaches normally because of his hormones.

"You look really good."

"It's nice that you like it." Then she turned to the card and her counterpart did the same. He still didn't know if he should thank or beat Ryvera for this. He practically had a date with his dream wife. If he doesn't get nervous now and stutter again, everything can go well.

There was also a waiter to take their order. Only now did Peaches read what was on the card and she absolutely didn't know what to do. Simply ordering fries wasn't in here. Of course, she also knew other dishes, but what was in front of her, everything was so strange. Suddenly she felt so uncultured. That was probably why Louis preferred to come with someone else. Every now and then she had the feeling that they didn't get along as well as they used to. They both aren't arguing or something like that. But right here, in this suit her best friend seemed almost strange to her. What does she actually know about him? Does he like to go to such things?

"We take something to drink first. I'll take an apple spritzer." His voice ripped her out of her thoughts. She first tried to forget this confused stuff.

"Yes me too." So she agreed and was glad that she must drink no wine or something else like this. Because her counterpart doesn't tolerate much and she doesn't want to find out today, if she will be as silly as Steffie like on this summer party.

When the waiter was gone and Louis looked over to the stage, she sighed softly. Maybe that's why her friend really didn't ask her because he knew she was out of place. Now she had to go through the whole thing. She couldn't just go and leave him alone. As she looked at him over the map, she also noticed that he somehow looked older. So grown up, but that was probably only in the light and just this suit.

"Do I have to eat lobster now?" She asked jokingly to her counterpart to ease the mood.

"Of course not." Then he gave her a small smile before he remembered that she probably didn't know what to take from the carte. He would be like this as well because he doesn't do that every day. But he know some things here and there. Well, the place had a nice look, but otherwise he found the prices of the meals too overpriced.

"What would you like to eat? They also have noodles in cheese sauce."

"What are you taking? I can also eat pasta at home. Can't you recommend something new to me, but I'll still enjoy it?"

"You know that I am here for the first time too."

"Yes, yes. But you just know better about things like that." He pointed to a number on the card and Peaches leaned slightly over the table so she could read what he meant. He was as understanding as ever, and she hoped he wasn't just doing it because he couldn't throw things to her head in this store.

"So complex naming means it's classy." She added at the end when he finished his speech. Only now, as she moved away from him, he realized that a sweet smell hung on her. She had also applied perfume. He wondered if she was being blackmailed by Ryvera and his brother with something bad, that she did all this.

When the two decided to have a meal and this was also brought, the atmosphere between them relaxed more. They chatted a little more about this and that. Because for the first time in a long time, they were really only among themselves. They both also forgot to be nervous because this was a date.

Louis friend, who handed out the invitation to this evening, unfortunately had too much to do, to come once to their table. But the molehog found that better anyway. Otherwise the cook would only have embarrassed him. He knew that it looked like a date, but in fact they were just friends who sometimes go out in pairs. In a restaurant that was mostly visited by couples. There was also romantic music throughout the evening.

"I must say it was very nice." Explained his companion as they both went out into the darkness. It wasn't that dark after all. The street lamps were still burning. Unfortunately, neither moon nor stars could be seen today.

"Do you think so?" He inquired, trotting after her. The smaller one felt really good about spending time with his best friend this evening. Actually, he would like to be alone with her more often, but he knew that then his heart could misunderstand it.

"You would have preferred to see someone else here." Suddenly she sounded so depressed. So he made quick steps to stand in front of her and she stopped. After all, they were not allowed to part badly after such an evening.

"No! That's certainly not it."

"Then why didn't you ask me first?"

"Well, because you're not really in that kind of thing."

"I understand. A mammoth like me, just doesn't fit in such a shed."

"Peaches, that's not true. I just thought you were bored there. That's why I didn't want to do that to you."

"How often do I drag you somewhere and you don't really feel like it?"

"That's different. No matter how monotonous it sounds, you can make it always fun. You have good ideas in such things. That's why I never mind being with you. Even if I sometimes feel a little bad-tempered, that's mostly because of other things. Never because of you." She stared at him for a moment. Probably because he expressed a sentence too much.

"Do you think that's not the case with me? I also like to spend time with you. But in the last few months we hardly had the opportunity to meet like that. When I found out today that you would rather ask your sister-in-law for a date, I got already a little angry." She now openly admitted.

"I didn't ask her for a date. She owes me something. And because she supposedly likes such events." With this words, he ran on, so he didn't have to face her further. He couldn't keep looking at her in the restaurant because her looks were so unfamiliar. If he stares at her for a long time it will only be embarrassing for him, so he tries to refrain from doing so. His best friend was still the same. She was wearing only a new outfit. Not really more.

"Please be honest. Do I look weird in the dress?"

"How do you come to this?"

"I also wanted to wear it at the wedding of Uncle Diego and Shira. But you come with me and I thought, you help me choose a outfit." That surprised the little one already a bit. Because the event is still a further afar and he thought that the woman next to him would have a new boyfriend until then.

"I am to serve as your companion at your uncle's wedding?"

"Well, I thought because you're always there at every family party."

"Yes, because your parents invite me. In fact, your mother. But that is something completely different. Besides, I know you'll find someone else by then." The mammoth was a little disappointed with that answer.

"So this is a no?" She didn't know what had gone into him. Just now he confessed to her that he liked to spend time with her and now he didn't want to go to the wedding with her.

"Peaches, don't get me wrong, but I don't want anyone to get weird views about us." Slowly they arrived at the car of the bigger one. He didn't really feel like to do the following conversation because he guessed it would be unpleasant.

"What could that be?" She had to grin slightly when she saw him staring at his paws and starting to search for plausible explanations.

"You already know when we often do things that actually only make couples. Then they might assume that we... well ... go out together."

"We just went out together."

"No. So yes, but as friends and I don't mind eating pizza and watching DVD's on a free night or something. But going to a wedding together or going to one of those restaurants is not for us." Somehow, she was sorry for him, he tried to explain it as well as possible, without seeming embarrassed, while Peaches knew what he wanted to say out.

"So you didn't want me to come here after all."

"No. I even preferred that you showed up. Nevertheless, as friends, we should stay away from the romantic stuff."

"Did I actually tell you that you look very good in that suit? So if he's not borrowed, you should take him to the wedding." Louis was just not sure if he should be pleased with the compliment or whether he should agree with the anger, because she completely ignored what he just said. He sighed a little annoyed and wondered how he should explain it to her more clearly.

Thus, there was silence, because the mammoth tried to drive. Of course he didn't want to just leave it that way. His friend was sometimes really stubborn. But he also found this attribute sweet. But he shouldn't let himself be distracted by these thoughts and insist on his point of view.

"What I was just trying to tell you is that we should leave these things behind where anyone could think we're a couple." So now he had brought that across clearly enough and she'll finally understand what he meant. Maybe she also says that such things were ridiculous. Because no one would consider them both as a couple. Louis blinked briefly, because somehow he wasn't so ready for a rejection of this kind. But then he finally had the certainty he needed to look forward.

"And I tried to make you realize that I don't care. Let everyone else think what they want. What you really do all evening is to get around that we both had a date. To be honest, for me it has been the most beautiful date in a long time. Even if I had not chosen the place or this outfit. I still had a good time with you. Didn't you like it?"

"Of course. But.."

"No but. We both had a nice evening. Maybe you want to sleep over it first, but I can tell you right now that I'm willing to repeat it." With that she leaned down to give him a small kiss on the head.

"Don't worry so much about everything." She ruffled his hair, wished him a good night, and then got back in her car to drive home. Left behind was a very surprised molehog who didn't know what to do next. Maybe the best thing was to go to his apartment first, because it started to rain.