Chapter 3: Getting It Together

Shadow hung up the phone with a look of ultimate surprise. He didn't think Knux would have the guts to do something so bold. After a few minutes, he got himself together and ran back upstairs. He could hear Sonic's slow breathing from a few steps away. Knowing what that meant, he slipped in slowly and quietly. Before he could go any further, two hands grabbed his middle and pulled him into a corner. When he saw blue in the corner of his eye, he gave a slick smile to his lover. "No fair." he complained.

"What? A few tricks won't kill you." Sonic rasped as his lips trailed his partner's neck.

Shadow's smile began to fade as he felt the heat coursing through him. He had to halt his natural reaction to Sonic's advances by removing his hands from his waist in order to give him Sky's message. He firmly held his hands as he spoke. "Not now, we have an engagement party to go to."

Sonic ignored him and put his face closer to Shadow's. "Aw, come on. All that time you were on the phone… I couldn't stop thinking about you. "

"Yeah, I know," Shad started as Sonic's lips were closer to his, "but we don't want to miss Knux's proposal." As Sonic's eyes widened, Shad put a finger to his lips, silencing him. "Now we've got to call everyone, including Rouge, and tell them about it."

Sonic nodded as Shad removed his finger. "Well, you can go shower while I go and make the phone calls."

"Well, actually..." Shad started as he put his arms around Sonic's shoulders. "I was thinking about you too, so if you make the calls quick, you could join me." He placed his tongue as close to Sonic's cheek without touching it before he closed his mouth. "I'll be waiting." he concluded as he released Sonic from his grasp. He could see just a hint of lust in Sonic's eyes before he sped off downstairs. He sighed slowly as he looked at the spot where Sonic was just hitting on him. "The things you do for love..."

Rouge was sprawled on the floor with her legs wide open, resting on her side when she finally woke up. It had been a few hours since the romantic encounter. She looked around and saw that her mysterious lover was nowhere in sight, which wasn't a surprise to her. As she slowly steadied herself on her feet, her cell phone rang nearby. It took a few rings before she finally found the gem-encrusted object and picked it up. She recognized Sonic's calm voice on the other end.

"Hi Sonic!"

"Hey, where are you?"

"Oh, nowhere special." she answered quickly and truthfully.

"Well, if you want to be somewhere special, you should meet Knux at your house at around 7:00. He's a little busy, so he wanted me to tell you."

"How nice. I never thought of him as the romantic type."

"You never know when it comes to him. Well, I better let you go. I'll see ya soon."

"Thanks, bye." She quickly put away the phone and made a dash for the door. The clean air outside cleared her mind of what happened a few hours ago. She went from a brisk walk to running as fast as her strong legs could carry her. Rouge was at the front door in a little less than fifteen minutes, out of breath as she opened it. She breathed a sigh of relief when she discovered that Knux was nowhere to be found. She was too tired to think up of another excuse. After making her way upstairs, she went in the bathroom and prepared a warm, relaxing shower.

As soon as she stepped in, she could feel the start of her guilt trip. She didn't like lying to him, but she couldn't bear to tell him the truth, at least not on their anniversary. After silently promising to tell him soon, her thoughts went back to the possible surprises in store for her.

---

Sky walked into the restaurant at 6:58 pm, with an off-white suit on, which brought out the star around his eye. He spotted Sonic and Shadow in a heartbeat and joined them at their table. As soon as he saw the lustful looks in their faces, he rolled his eyes jokingly. "Let me guess: you both had some last-minute business to take care of before you got here."

"Yeah." Sonic replied after a long glance at his love.

"He made me do it." Shadow added.

"Well, you were the one who insisted that we--"

Sky cleared his throat to cut their rising argument off. "Yeah, I get it." he cut in. "I'm happy for you guys. At least you have each other." he said sadly as his eyes wandered across the restaurant.

Shadow could catch a hint of lost hope in his voice. "Are you going to be alright?" he asked with concern.

Sky concentrated on a window behind them. "I honestly don't know." he sighed.

"Not all is lost, you know." Sonic assured him.

Sky shook his head as he faced them again. "I won't be able to find anyone else like him, if that's what you're saying."

"Yeah, I know how you feel." Shadow agreed. "If he really means that much to you, then you should tell him how you feel."

Sky shook his head again. "He'll never understand. I already have to hold my tongue when I'm around him."

"You've been a great friend by doing all this for him. He should at least be able to listen to what you have to say." Sonic advised.

"I hope so." Sky sighed again.

"Don't worry. If you need us, we're here for you." Sonic said while putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks guys. I can see why so many people like you two." Sky complimented with a smile.

---

Knux arrived at the door, fully dressed in his new suit. He could sense Rouge's presence inside, almost smelling her Sweet Kisses perfume and imagining her arms around him. He couldn't remember the last time he caught himself thinking about anything else. He wiped a few drops of sweat from his forehead before he casually walked in.

He felt his jaw fall as soon as he saw her. She was wearing the same dress that he pictured in his dreams. The only difference he could see was the material hugging her curves just enough to picture the beautiful frame he saw each and every night. He took everything about her in as a smile spread across his face. "Are you ready, love?"

"Always." she replied as she took in his amazing outfit. "Where are we going anyway?" she asked as she took his hand.

"Can't tell. You'll just have to see." he replied as he led her out the door.