Dang, Emerald Coast Steakhouse was fancy! Even as I pulled into the parking lot I could just feel how fancy it was. I parked the car (mine looked like crap compared to all of the others), got out, and helped the fair lady out of the vehicle.
"Wow, this place is nice! Nobody has ever taken me to a place like this before… you're very sweet, Knuckles!"
I could feel myself starting to blush, I hope she didn't notice.
"Really? I would have thought the opposite, you are a very classy woman. You seem to have high standards"
When I said that, she burst out laughing.
"Haha, me? No way… I haven't been out with a decent guy since my dad took me to the fair when I was eight!"
I didn't understand why that was funny, it sounded very sad to me. She must have no self-esteem, which didn't make sense because of her beauty and charm.
I opened the giant stain-glass door for her, she giggled and walked in. I followed her into the restaurant, and my jaw dropped. It was like being in a palace! There were expensive paintings on every wall, glimmering chandeliers on the ceiling, and classical music playing in the background.
I guess I was so fixated on the scenery, that I completely ignored the manager of the restaurant, who was apparently working the front desk. Rouge elbowed me in the side to get my attention.
"Huh?"
"The waiter is talking to you, get your head out of the clouds, silly!"
"Do you have a reservation?" asked the manager.
"No, I don't think so…"
"Then the wait will be 6 hours, give or take"
"That is ridiculous! How do you expect us to wait that long?"
"I don't, I figured you would just leave and go someplace else!"
"Why you little!"
I was about to punch the waiter in the face, but Rouge stopped me.
"Knuckles, wait! We can go someplace else, it's okay!"
"Wait, you're Knuckles?" asked the manager, hiding behind the front desk.
"Yeah, what's it to you?"
"A Mr. Sonic made reservations for you this morning; he said that you would have forgotten to!"
"Thanks for the life saver, Sonic… I owe you big time!" I thought to myself.
"Please follow me" the manager said, grabbing two menus.
We followed him through the restaurant. It was even more extravagant than it looked from the foyer. There was a domed ceiling with a giant stain glass window of an Angel flying in a moon-lit sky. I was so distracted by it that I ran into a table. The people sitting at the table stared at me in disgust. I apologized and walked on. He walked us to the back door.
"Hey, what's the big deal? I want to eat inside!"
"Mr. Sonic gave you reservations for the garden dining area, please follow me"
I was a little disappointed, until I got outside. It was even more beautiful than the inside! Flowers of all sorts were in the garden, there was a large fountain with two Sirens spitting water out of their mouths, there were Greek-style statues standing in the midst of the garden.
We followed the waiter to our table, it was right near the beach! You could see the ocean perfectly, the moon seemed to hover right above it, and the stars looked like they were dancing in the slow waves gently touching the shore.

I pulled the seat out for Rouge (my mother told me to treat women right).
"Thank you, kind sir!" she curtsied and sat down.
"You're very welcome, my lady!" I said very dorkishly and sat down across from her.
"Your waiter will be here shortly" said the manager.
"Thank you" said Rouge.
The manager took a bow and walked off.
I looked at the menu, they had anything you could think of! About 30 different assortments of steak, 18 different salads, about 80 different wines, and 11 deserts. Of course, nothing was under $40.
"So, what are you getting?" I asked.
"I don't really know, everything sounds good; I'll probably get one of their salads, what are you getting?"
"I want a big, juicy sirloin steak with garlic mashed and a giant, cold glass of coke!"
"Wow, no wonder you keep those big muscles in shape…" she said, winking at me.
My whole body shivered.
"Haha, yeah! I have to eat a lot of protein to keep my body from shutting down when I work out!"
I felt like I was bragging, but I wanted to impress Rouge.
"Well, you can definitely tell" she said, flirtatiously.
"Good evening, and welcome to the Emerald Coast Steakhouse, where you're treated like royalty! May I take your order?"
The waiter startled me, it seemed like he just popped out of nowhere.
"I'll have the Cesar salad, extra tomatoes please, and some pomegranate green tea"
"Alright… and you, sir?"
"I'll have a sirloin steak, garlic mashed potatoes, and a glass of coke please"
"How do you want your steak cooked?"
"Medium rare"
"Alright, your dinner will be out soon"
"Thank you!" Rouge and I said in unison.
The waiter bowed and walked away.
"So, tell me about yourself" asked Rouge, looking at me attentively.
"Well… I'm 24 years old, I've got a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice, and I work for the Station Square Detective Agency"
"Really? That sounds interesting, tell me more about your work"
"Well, my two partners and I have the best record in the agency, we're the best of the best!"
"I'm impressed! You and your two partners must be invincible!"
"I wouldn't go that far, we have our weaknesses…"
"Such as?"
"Well, Sonic can't go three minutes without pissing someone off, Tails can be the most socially awkward thing in History, and I can have a short temper. But we always seem to catch our man!"
"I see, well I guess you guys are almost perfect!"
"Enough about me, let's talk about you. If you're comfortable about it, tell me why you seem to have no self-confidence; even though you're obviously a very attractive and intelligent woman"
"Well, I've just been hanging around with the wrong crowd for most of my life…"
She started to get sad, I could see her Winter's morning blue eyes starting to water.
"Hey, don't worry about it. You don't need to hang out with people like that, you are a talented lady. Just ditch 'em!"
"I really wish I could, but I have a huge debt to pay to them"
I saw a tear run down her face, this wasn't working out. Sorry Tails, but I can't get you the information you need by making a lady cry.
"We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, we can talk about how beautiful it is out here! The flowers dancing in the breeze, the moon hovering just above the ocean, and the stars illuminating the night sky. It's all just so amazing, but not as amazing as you look tonight!"
"I can't believe I just said that! She's gonna thing I'm some kind of Zeeb!" I though to myself.
She didn't react the way I thought, though.
"That is so sweet… you really are a perfect guy"
She seemed to have some guilt on her face, I couldn't tell why.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing…"
"You sure? Your face seems to tell me otherwise"
"No, I was just thinking about how I wouldn't deserve a guy like you. I've done too many regrettable things"
"What's past is past, you can't change what's already happened. What you can change is your future, just do your best and try your hardest. You'll be alright, trust me!"
"Thank you, Knuckles!"
"…Anytime! Now, enough about that. Let's engage in a more cheery conversation"
"Such as?"
"Well, what are your interests?"
"Hmm, let's see… I love jewels. I could spend hours upon hours staring at them, I guess that would make me somewhat greedy"
"No, I like looking at beautiful things, too!"
It was true, I was looking at a beautiful thing at that very moment.
"I also daydream a lot. I think about going up to Chaos Ridge and looking at the sea during sunset. Although, I don't think that will ever happen"
"Why can't it?" I asked.
"Well, it's just impractical. It's the most romantic spot in this whole city. It would be lonely going up there by myself"
That gave me an idea…

After we ate dinner (which was delicious, by the way), we walked around the shops and galleries that went all up Emerald Coast. I noticed I was much happier than normal when I was with her. It seemed that time stood still, and the whole world was made just for us. Is it normal to feel like that on the first date?
We walked into an art gallery that just had paintings of landmarks, monuments, and buildings that were found in Station Square. There was one painting that caught Rouge's eye. It was a painting of Chaos Ridge during sunset. It was a sight to behold, and the real place must be awe-inspiring.
"Rouge?"
"Huh?" She said, barely paying attention because she was so fixated on the painting.
"Do you want to go out with me again tomorrow?"
She quickly took her eyes off of the painting and looked at me.
"Really? You want to go on another date?"
"Yeah, but this time a bit earlier. I'll pick you up at about 6:00, that okay?"
"That would be perfect!"
"Cool, it's a date!"
"Yup, it's a da-" she was interrupted by her watch.
"Darn! I hate to ask, but can we go now? I have to go home…"
"Sure we can, let's go"

We walked back to my car, and I drove her back to her house.
"Sorry I had to be home so soon. My Grandma's sick and I have to take care of her. She's on the other side of town"
"Do you want me to take you there?"
"No, it's okay. I don't want to trouble you! I have to go inside to get dressed anyway… good night, Knuckles!"
She got out of the car and started to walk to her house.
"See you tomorrow!" I yelled happily out the window.
"See you tomorrow!" she yelled back.
I watched her to make sure she got in safely, then headed home. I had a lot of planning to do for tomorrow's date. She's going to love it!