Shadow carried himself with a confidence that had Amy's head swimming. The way Sonic carried himself was with arrogance and conceit, but Shadow's cool demeanor was enough to make any girl faint. As such, when he walked in, he turned quite a few heads. Amy suddenly felt very insignificant, despite the fact that hers was the hand he held so tightly. It was hard to not feel insecure. When she dressed up to go out, she often felt like a child who had gotten into her mother's closet. It was almost as if Shadow could sense her self-doubt, for just as these thoughts raced through her mind, he squeezed her hand and gave her a very reassuring smile.

The hedgehog led his companion to an empty booth and sat her down, promising to return from the crowded bar with drinks. She asked him for "something fruity with vodka," which made him chuckle, but he retrieved the drink and set it down before her anyways.

"What do you have?" She asked, cocking a brow at the brown liquid in his glass. It looked… a little boring, next to her rather colorful concoction.

"Whiskey neat." He said, settling himself into the seat across from her.

"Easy guy to please, I guess."

"No." He said, a little harsher than he meant to. "I'm not, at all."

She met his gaze for a few seconds before she had to drop it. Those crimson eyes were so intense. They made her skin crawl. "Well, I didn't mean anything by it."

"Sorry. Fuck." He cursed himself, bringing one hand up to absently scratch his nose. "I don't mean to come across so, ah, aggressive all the time. I speak before I think a lot."

"That's kind of surprising." She replied, toying with the straw in her drink. "You've always seemed like the kind of guy who does everything very… deliberately."

"I try to be. I'm happy to see I'm succeeding on at least putting out a front." Shadow put back his drink in one go and gingerly set his empty class in front of him. When he looked back up at her, she was still avoiding his gaze. He had never been insecure, but she seemed very uncomfortable. What am I doing wrong?

"You're so strange, Shadow." She mused, almost too quiet for him to hear.

You're floundering. He cursed himself. "Is that bad?"

"No." She smiled and looked back at him. She looked so soft, so gentle. It moved something in him greatly. "I guess I meant it as sort of a compliment."

"Sort of?" He chuckled. "Thank you, I guess."

"Don't thank me." She insisted, taking a long sip of her drink. "I'm being such a weirdo. I'm sorry."

"Don't say that." Shadow said, leaning back in his chair and letting his arms fall to his sides. "Why are you so nervous, Amy? I hope I'm not making you uncomfortable."

"Well…" Amy shifted in her seat. "You're not doing anything wrong. After last weekend, I just… have been thinking about you a lot. So now that I'm here with you, it feels kind of like a dream."

Shadow couldn't help but hang on every word her honey voice spoke. His heart started racing as the gravity of her words sank in. "I think a lot about you too, actually." He could barely hear himself speak from the sound of his pulse in his ears, but he was still able to appreciate the smile his response earned him. "I have for quite some time." He added.

This made Amy tilt her head. "Really?"

"Does that surprise you?"

"Kind of." She answered honestly. "I mean, you never even talked to me."

Shadow shrugged. "You didn't seem to have room in your world for anyone other than..." He made a loose gesture with his hand, unwilling to even mention his rival's name. "I thought I'd wait it out, see if I ever got a chance to try my luck."

Amy only seemed to be more confused. "I guess I don't really get it."

Shadow hesitated for a moment before he spoke. "Some things are better when they happen naturally, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes." She said quietly. She brought her glass to her lips to finish her drink, and by the time she set it down Shadow had already gotten up to go over to the bar again, leaving her to absorb his words.

Had Shadow really admired her from afar? It wouldn't be hard to lie about, but if he was being honest… Amy's pulse was unsteady. Why would he even like her? She was an annoying, self-centered, obsessive fangirl.

When he walked back, he smiled at her, setting another drink down in front of her.

"Will you sit on this side of the booth?" She asked as he was about to sit down. "It's a little hard to hear you, is all."

Shadow smiled. "Sure." He replied. Amy moved so that he could sit beside her, trying desperately to keep her breathing steady. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then he put an arm around her shoulders, drawing her even closer.

"You're not very shy, are you?" Amy sputtered in surprise, leaning into his touch.

"You've always been rather affectionate towards those around you whether they like it or not." Shadow pointed out. "I just want my fair share, is all. Is it alright?"

Amy locked eyes with him for a long moment before she broke and smiled. "Yes, it's very alright."