Betrayal
Rouge sat on the plush white living room couch, fiddling with a communication device while a random dramedy played on the television. Knuckles came down the stairs, doing up a navy blue tie, and hesitated when he saw her. He'd hoped to slip out while she was washing dishes, but reluctantly approached the back of the couch to tell her goodbye. He leaned over the bat's shoulder and planted a sweet kiss on her cheek before straightening his posture.
"Bye, babe," he said nonchalantly, Rouge smiling as she turned to look at him. "I'm going to work."
"Work?" the confused woman repeated, watching him walk to the front door. "It's almost sundown!"
The echidna stopped at the mahogany entrance, one mitted hand on the doorknob. He replied over his shoulder, "Yeah... my boss is on a kick of working away from the office; he held a whole meeting about doing performance reviews on a more personal level."
He hesitated again, wanting to leave the excuse there as he squeezed the doorknob. But Rouge was staring at him, perplexed and expecting further clarification. "It's stupid, um... but he's the boss, you know? Kind of a weirdo, so I didn't want him coming here – I offered to let him do my performance review at the apartment."
"Oh," his fiancée replied, mulling over the explanation for a second. Then she smiled, allowing the echidna to let out the breath he'd been holding. "I guess there's nothing wrong with a little change. Strange, but I can't say it's the weirdest thing I've ever heard."
Knuckles chuckled, turning the doorknob. "Gotta go. Love ya."
She returned the sentiment and waved goodbye, her man quickly stepping out and closing the door behind him. Placing the communication device on the glass coffee table, Rouge stood from the couch, then turned off the TV and went into the kitchen. She picked up her cell phone, thinking about calling Blaze for an evening chat. Before she could open the contact, a stack of papers sitting on the kitchen table caught her eye. Looking them over, it seemed to be a business contract, stapled and stamped, with Knuckles' signature at the bottom.
Figuring he would need it for work, Rouge picked up the stack and placed her cell phone back on the kitchen counter. Walking over to the front window, she could see that Knuckles' red BMW was already gone from the driveway, so she grabbed her keys and went out to her own car. Stepping into her cherry-scented white Corvette, the bat predicted that she would be able to get the contract to him before his boss arrived – intending to wish him luck before she returned home. She admired the way her engagement ring twinkled as the sky darkened.
When she got to Knuckles' apartment, she parked next to his car, noticing a gray convertible sitting in the space on the other side of the BMW. It made Rouge raise an eyebrow as she exited her car, knowing that the convertible belonged to Julie-Su, one of Knuckles' coworkers. The bat had only met her briefly when she'd picked up her fiancé after an office party, so seeing the vehicle next to his struck her as suspicious.
'Maybe she lives in the complex somewhere,' Rouge thought, trying to justify it as she approached the stairs that led to the echidna's door.
Though she attempted to quiet the nagging voice telling her that something wasn't right, she also took each step cautiously, placing her weight on the balls of her feet to avoid clicking her heels against the metal. The worried woman was tense, her fingers unconsciously bending the stack of business papers when she spotted a 'Do Not Disturb' sign hanging from Knuckles' doorknob. She almost immediately grabbed the knob, but stopped and leaned forward to extend one large ear near the door.
She heard his voice, low and muffled. Then a chuckle – a womanly chuckle. The bat's heart raced, her face flushing hot as jealousy rushed through her in an instant. She gripped the doorknob, pushing before it was even fully turned; the door opened loudly, and she caught the two echidnas pulling away from each other as Knuckles gasped. Julie-Su's hand was resting on his knee, and there was a light smudge of pink lipstick on the redhead's lips.
Rouge's grip on the stapled papers tightened again, crumpling them in her palm as her eyes angrily darted between the pair. Julie-Su's eyes were large, staring at the bat in confusion while she removed her hand; Knuckles' face twisted into an expression of horror and guilt. The betrayed woman couldn't find her voice for a moment, her gaze finally sticking to Knuckles and causing him to speak up.
"R-Rouge," he stammered. "Uh, w-what are you doing here? I-"
Her growing rage pushed her mouth to speak before she even knew what she wanted to say, interrupting the echidna with a raised tone. "How dare you! We're engaged!"
She thrust her left hand forward, flashing the ring – Julie-Su stared at it, her mouth agape as Rouge continued. "And you're having an affair?!"
While Knuckles nervously stuttered to conjure a response, the pink echidna blinked and her expression instantly turned to anger. She whipped her head in the cheater's direction, her long locks flicking around her body before settling. Pushing herself from the couch, she slammed her gloved fists against her hips and raised her voice, as well.
"Hold up, you're engaged? You said she wasn't your girl!"
Knuckles blushed in embarrassment, his tongue still too tied to reply. Julie-Su grabbed her purse from the floor and headed for the door, almost bumping into Rouge as she stopped and turned to him again.
"Lose my number," she ordered angrily, avoiding eye contact with Rouge as she walked out and stomped down the stairs.
"Wait, Julie!" Knuckles finally managed to shout, standing.
Rouge's expression twisted to one of disgust. "'Wait, Julie'? You don't give a fuck about me? I can't believe you!"
"Babe, let's just talk-" pleaded Knuckles.
She interrupted him with a scoff, dropping the papers and swiftly shimmying the engagement ring off her finger. "Talk? No, I've had it with you. We're through!"
Throwing the ring to the floor, she glared at him for a brief second before turning to leave. The bat struggled to tune out the excuses flying frantically from his mouth as he began walking around the couch. She slammed the door behind her, hopping off the balcony and gliding down to her car while Julie-Su pulled out of her parking spot. By the time Knuckles reopened the door, Rouge was climbing into the driver's seat; she started the ignition while he leapt down the steps two at a time. Still seething, she refused to look up at him and jerked her car backwards, peeling away from the apartment in the opposite direction that Julie had gone.
'Bastard!' her mind shouted, the furious bat unable to hold back tears as she sped away. The rest of her thoughts were angry, jumbled, a flurry of incoherent emotions that forced rivers from her eyes while she tried to focus on the road.
Shaking, she gripped the steering wheel tightly and drove in silence – besides the screaming in her own head – until she reached a coffee shop where her foot dropped absent-mindedly against the brake. She swung her car into an empty space and sat parked, falling back against the black leather seat and staring angrily up at the sun visor. There were a couple of people sitting outside, so she didn't yell to herself like she wanted. Instead, she quietly cried it out, silently calling herself stupid and cursing Knuckles for his betrayal.
When her heart beat had slowed and the tears couldn't flow anymore, Rouge took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. She gathered the strength to sit up again, then flipped the sun visor down and looked into the attached rectangular mirror. Her eyes were still wet, teal irises shining back at her, and transparent streaks ran down her cheeks. Beginning to collect herself, she reached into the glove compartment for tissues and gently wiped away the moisture. Then, glancing at the coffee shop sign, she sighed and flipped the visor back up. She decided it would be a good idea to go inside for a quick cup of tea, not feeling well enough to go back home just yet.
After ordering, the tired-looking cashier handed her the steaming cup and yawned the moment she turned around; Rouge took the hot drink to a two-person table nearby and sat for a while, ruminating between sips. She was still shaking a bit, mostly staring at her own reflection inside the mug. Soon, a male hedgehog exited the back room of the shop and relieved the other employee, who promptly left while Rouge remained lost in thought.
The black hedgehog looked her way, noticing the bat's glum expression and finding it surprising that she was alone. He wondered what was bothering her, perplexed that a pretty young woman would be sitting in a coffee shop instead of partying at the nearby clubs. The stoic man kept a subtle eye on her, eventually becoming curious enough to approach the lone patron. He quietly cleared his throat before rounding the counter.
"Hi," said the hedgehog in a deep, smooth voice.
Rouge looked up, caught a bit off guard, and was met with the most striking crimson eyes she'd ever seen. They were matched by red highlights along his silky black quills, his expression entirely neutral as he stood in a gray apron, white chest hair escaping the collar. She straightened in her seat, subconsciously perfecting her posture while her gaze remained glued to his. The bat was a little embarrassed that she hadn't noticed him walking up to her; and she wouldn't have been in the mood to speak with him if he weren't shockingly handsome.
"Oh, hi," she responded, her tone shaky from the crying.
"Are you enjoying your tea?" he asked, looking down and pointing at the half-empty cup.
"Oh, yes, I am," Rouge answered, then noticed the nametag stuck to his apron. "Do you work here?"
She immediately felt dumb for asking, but the hedgehog didn't miss a beat in his response. "Yes, I've been here for a while. Truthfully, I only took the job so I could get free coffee. It calms me."
Rouge appreciated the softness in his voice; although not very chipper, his energy matched hers in the moment. All things considered, she found it friendly enough that he was talking to her, the sad bat feeling a bit grateful for the light conversation. Although she was too drained to smile, her eyes brightened a little more.
"Not a bad gig," she said. "Seems pretty quiet in here."
The hedgehog nodded and there was a moment of silence between them. His eyes drifted back down to her mug, and she got the feeling that he didn't know what else to say. Then he looked back up and took a step forward, extending his gloved hand.
"Shadow," he said simply, ignoring that she had already seen his nametag.
She reached out and pressed her palm against his, shaking a couple of times. He had a firm grip, and his hand was warm. "I'm Rouge."
"I'll let you finish your tea," replied Shadow, taking his hand back as she let go. "But maybe you could come by tomorrow."
He shrugged and added, "If you have the time."
Rouge's heart skipped a beat and she managed a faint smile. "I just might do that."
He nodded again, then returned to the counter just before another customer entered the building. The newly-single jewel hunter finished her drink – sneaking glances at Shadow while he worked – then offered a quick wave to him before leaving. She felt a little more energized as she climbed into her car, then made the drive back home and confronted the question of what to do with Knuckles' belongings.