She could feel the bass through her entire body, and the feeling propelled her to continue dancing in her hazy state. Strong hands roamed over her body and she felt more intoxicated by their touch than the alcohol. He pulled her tightly against his body and growled into her ear. "I want you." His voice was low and desperate. Yes, was all she could think.

Amy opened her eyes, blinking in the harsh sunlight. Another day. She sat up in bed, resting her hand on her chest. Her heart ached, but she couldn't figure out why. Her dream... it was the same one that had plagued her every night since her evening with Shadow. She'd tried to put him out of her mind but over the past few days he kept forcing his way into the forefront of her thoughts. She hadn't seen him around town… though she would never admit it, she'd been secretly hoping to run into him again.

Sonic had been lurking around the past couple of days, but she'd successfully avoided him so far. It pained her to even think about him. She hadn't taken any of his calls or replied to any of his texts, and she was proud of herself for staying true to her word. His messages had gotten more insistent as they days went on, and it was hard to pretend she didn't see what they said, but she didn't care that they 'needed to talk now.' He only cared about himself. Why should she be available to him now just because he realized he'd screwed up?

She got dressed, pulled on her boots, and took a long look at herself in the mirror, smoothing out her dress. She didn't feel much like herself, but she had class… and lunch with Rouge. Get on with it. She commanded herself. So she did.

One nice thing about living in the city was her ability to walk anywhere she needed to go. Being in the car made her nervous, whether she was driving or not. Walking gave her time to think, or not think if she so chose. The view was gorgeous as well. She smiled to herself as she thought of Sonic. He always said he liked going for runs to 'see the views,' but he never slows down enough to catch more than a glimpse. She rather liked her way of soaking it all in.

Her writing class was barely enough to keep her attention that morning, and seemed to be over as soon as it started. As she made her way out of the building she had a pit of anxiety in her stomach. She kept her eyes focused on the floor, hoping that her feeling of dread was only paranoia, but when she stepped outside and heard a familiar voice call her name, her stomach dropped.

"Sonic." She said, forcing a smile. He'd been standing outside her building waiting for her. No way to escape. "What can I do for you?"

"Can we talk?" He asked, a little more edge in his voice than usual. He looked tired, but still had a smile plastered across his face.

"I guess so." She replied weakly.

"I want you to give me another chance." He said, taking a few steps closer. "I'm sorry for what I've done, but I'm ready to change, and I want you to—"

"Sonic, I—"

"No, Amy, listen to me." He insisted, continuing to corner her further against the building. "You and I are meant for each other. You've always known that."

"Sonic…" Amy shrunk back a little bit, suddenly aware of all the people passing by. "This isn't the time, or the place. I don't want this."

He'd now wandered so close that she was pressed up against the wall. "I know, I'm sorry, I make a lot of mistakes—"

"Sonic." She pushed him, sending him stumbling a few steps backwards, then began to walk down the street. "Leave me alone!" She called over her shoulder.

"Amy, please don't walk away from me!"

His words spurred her to run. She didn't know why she felt the urge to flee, especially knowing he could catch her so easily… but this didn't worry her. Sonic wouldn't chase her now. He probably felt bad that he made her run, but she did it anyways. All she could think was to get to the stupid café to meet Rouge. Her pace didn't slow until she'd burst through the door of the shop, coming to an abrupt halt and clutching her chest as she tried desperately to catch her breath.

"Err… Amy? Are you alright?"

Her head snapped up and her jaw nearly dropped. "Shadow?" She said breathlessly. The man himself stood a few feet in front of her with a to-go coffee in his his hand and a surprised look on his face, clearly on his way out of the shop. "Uh, y-yeah, I'm okay." She sputtered. Did the universe hate her? She couldn't deal with all this, it was too much for her today…

His stomach turned. She looked absolutely miserable. He couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible, but by the way she barreled into the café, he assumed something other than him had to be bothering her. "Why did you sprint in here?" He asked, closing the distance between them and furrowing his brow.

The girl barely knew what to say. His voice was just as low and mesmerizing as it had always been, and it wasn't helping to clear her head. "I… was late. I'm supposed meet someone."

She could see his eyes darken just a bit. "Well, don't let me keep you." He said quietly, beginning to walk around her.

"No!" She said, holding her hands up to stop him. "No, I didn't mean it like that, I'm sorry."

The panic in her eyes at his leaving intrigued him. "Who are you meeting?" He asked, cocking a brow.

"Rouge. I'm., uh," The girl looked down at her phone. "Early, actually. Running sure paid off." She laughed, obviously a bit nervous. "Are you on your way out?"

"Yes." He replied, mouth set into a slight frown. He couldn't tell if she was happy to see him or wishing she was somewhere else, but he supposed there was only one sure way to find out. He cleared his throat before speaking up again. "I could keep you company until she arrives, if you'd like."

Her eyes lit up for just a moment. A moment that allowed him the hope he'd been denying himself for years. Easy now, Shadow. He warned himself.

"That would be really nice." She answered honestly, looking around and gesturing to an empty table. "Would you like to sit down?"

He nodded in response and followed her girl, taking a seat and looking around with dull eyes. He hadn't planned on spending much time here. He liked the coffee, sure, but there was always the chance of running into Amy… not to mention the sickeningly cutesy décor. Still, seeing Amy smile at him would be worth any embarrassment he might feel being caught here.

"It's nice to see you." She began, a small smile on her face and hands folded under the table so he wouldn't see her fidget. "I usually see you around every couple of days, I feel like it's been a while."

"Oh." He said softly. "I've been pretty busy lately." Busy locking himself in his bedroom.

"What is it you do these days?" Amy asked brightly, seeming more and more herself by the minute. "Do you still work with G.U.N.?"

"No, I retired." He answered honestly. "Government work is tedious. I do a lot of work with Rouge. I run numbers for her nightclub." This time he spoke a half truth.

"Wow, that's a little surprising." Amy said, leaning back in her seat.

Shadow gave a slight shrug. "It keeps me busy, that's all I can ask for."

Amy laughed nervously, and then there was a silence between them that seemed to last for an eternity until Shadow spoke again.

"You're, uh," He cleared his throat again. "I hear you're in university."

"I am," She replied slowly. "I'm studying biology at the moment, but I'm in pre-med."

"A doctor?" His tone was clearly surprised. "I'm certainly impressed, Rose."

She could feel her heart skip a beat as words she'd wanted to hear from Sonic spilled from his mouth. "Thank you. I'm studying hard, med school isn't all that easy to get in to."

"You've always been rather determined. I'm sure you'll make it happen one way or another." He offered her, for the first time in their conversation, a soft and genuine smile. She could feel her breath hitch in the back of her throat.

There was an elephant in the room with them, and Amy wanted so desperately to point it out, but before she worked up the nerve, Shadow turned his head to look behind her.

"I think our time together is up." He said, almost warmly. "I'll see you around."

Before Amy could even think to reply, Shadow stood and made a beeline for the door. Just as he reached it, the white bat walked in, and Amy could see them greet each other before Shadow left.

"Amy!" Rouge seemed quite happy to see her, and Amy feigned the same, but her mind was still stuck on the ebony hedgehog, who had disappeared as quickly as he came.