Vanilla had been the one to suggest Amy find a job. It wasn't like Amy needed one. She was seventeen, and a full-time student to boot. She still lived at home with Vanilla and Cream, and quite frankly, wasn't expected to move out until she finished college. And she wasn't even in college yet.
But, Amy had free time on her hands. There wasn't much to do after she completed her homework except to lounge around the house, and that quickly lost its appeal. So, after a bit of looking around, she landed a job at Starbats.
...she fell in love the first day on the job.
Okay, but was anyone honestly surprised? He walked in with his perfect quills, his beautiful emerald eyes, his red shoes, and… well, she was a goner. His voice was smooth, gentle, and Amy almost forgot how to take his order… in fact, the manager, Rouge, had to have him repeat the order as she jotted it down instead. Rouge kept trying to show Amy what she was doing, but Amy could only stare at the hedgehog's gorgeous eyes.
That was a month ago.
Now, as four pm rolled around, Amy found herself eagerly watching the door for the hedgehog to appear. He showed up every day, earnestly requesting the same drink no matter the weather outdoors. Amy herself was stumped by the sheer amount of sugar pumped into the drink, but her disgust was nothing compared to her love for him.
Or… physical attraction. She doubted it could actually be defined as "love".
In all honesty, she really knew nothing about him other than he was sometimes accompanied by a fox. She knew the hedgehog's name, and also his latte order. But other than that, she had barely held a conversation with him. At least he was nice, and not a jerk. That was a plus.
The hedgehog stepped into the shop at the usual time, and Amy finished off the drink she was making, shoving it off to the waiting customer, and brushing back both her coworkers to meet him at the register.
"H-hi!" She greeted, slightly flustered, but eager to see him again. "Hello! I-I mean, oh, chaos, um, how's your day been?"
His smile might have made her nose begin bleeding. It was so gentle and sweet, and the day felt that much better. Well… his smile always brightened up her day every time he showed up. Which was every day.
"It's been a good day, thank you." He beamed, putting his hands neatly behind his back, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. "How have you been?"
"I've been doing amazing!" Amy giggled, finding herself blushing from his attention. Even though he asked her about her day every time they saw each other, she was still bursting from joy. "What can I get started for you?"
He told her all in one breath, as he always did. As Amy picked up his cup to jot down his order on its side, a surge of inspiration hit her. She had his order memorized, and checking off the tabs was more of a formality, anway, since it was always her making his drink.
What if…?
Amy scribbled her phone number on the cup instead of marking the tallies, and did her best to remain neutral as she looked back up at her customer. "And may I get a name?"
"Nikki." The hedgehog smiled bashfully, seemingly unaware that she only asked because it was her job, and not that she actually needed to be reminded of it.
"Perfect!" Amy chimed, because it indeed was a perfect name. Already done writing, she swiftly accepted his money, and inserted it into the system. "Do you want your receipt?" She was already handing it over, knowing full well that he always did want it. He smiled cheerfully and accepted his receipt, pocketing it into his sweater's folds. "I'll whip it right up for you!" She finished, dancing away to make his drink with newfound gusto and excitement.
Who knew, by tonight she might have a date!
Each movement that she made was precise, each step had a purpose. The drink was the best she had ever made, she was sure, even counting all the ones she had ever made for him. This drink was perfect, and sure to win his affection.
"Order for Nikki?" Amy called into the shop, watching him dash over from the table he had laid claim to, his eyes sparkling.
"Thank you!" He beamed, eagerly accepting his drink. "You have a nice, uh, no, great day, miss!"
"You, too!" Amy chimed, watching him go back to his seat before she pivoted to help the next customer. Even as she went about her other tasks, she kept one eye on him so she would see when he spotted her number. Every second that ticked by that Amy didn't feel her phone vibrate with a new text felt like an eternity.
An eternity that was interrupted by a deep rumble underneath her feet, startling her back to reality. An earthquake. Something was attacking nearby. Something big. Something dangerous. Amy felt herself rolling her eyes, leaning against the counter as she waited for the shaking to die down. This was a bi-weekly occurrence. Amy was usually at work when it happened, but it was still annoying. The first few times, people dived underneath tables, screaming, but now people just stopped sipping their drinks and allowed the shaking to stop before they resumed.
After a minute of shaking, Nikki stood up with his drink, and strolled out with a few other of the patrons, throwing out his cup as he walked out the door.
Noooo, not yet! Amy lowered her head, upset, as he strolled away, vanishing from the shop. She'd have to wait another 24 hours to see him again, and what if he didn't even come back?! What if he did see her number and was horrified that she'd have the gall to ask?! Wow, she really messed up, didn't she?! The attack was just a convenient excuse for him to leave, to get away from her! Ugh, why was she so awkward?
"He didn't see your number."
Amy startled, straightening up at the new voice behind her, whipping around to face her best friend, Blaze.
"It was on the opposite side of his cup the whole time. He never even turned the cup enough to notice it. Next time you give him his cup, maybe face the number towards him rather than towards you?" Blaze suggested, flicking Amy on the forehead. "And yes, I saw."
"I saw, too." Silver perked up from over Blaze's shoulder, patting Amy on the shoulder. "Don't worry, he definitely didn't see it, so you can try again tomorrow."
"But I had the courage to do it todaaay…" Amy whined, facepalming her face into the table.
"Chin up, kiddos." Rouge, their manager, announced as she strolled past, patting Amy on the back half-heartedly as she went by. "We still have customers in the building, who still need to be served. If you all can't learn how to operate during an attack of all things… I might have to cut your pay."
Despite Rouge never going through with such threats, it spurred them into resuming work anyway. Amy shook off her thoughts of Nikki, and forced herself to focus on the next task.
Tomorrow would be another day. It had to be.
