"Amy?"

Amy jumped. "Wha-? Huh?"

Tikal sat opposite her desk, staring at her. The echidna didn't say anything for a moment, her blue eyes searching before replacing them with worry and concern. "I was talking about what we need to order this week for food stock," Tikal said and paused, casting her with another unsure look, "We're running low on a few things."

Amy blinked and slumped back in her chair. "O-Oh. Right, right…!" She cleared her throat and began jotting everything down, "I've already placed an order for more flour and eggs so we should be good on those." She quickly scanned her gaze over the documents in front of her, ticking off some boxes, "That reminds me, I still need to find a good deal for sugar. And butter. Actually, maybe-"

"Did something happen between you and Sonic?" Tikal cut in.

Her brain screeched to a halt, her pen dropping, and half of her body frozen. She suddenly straightened up in her seat, albeit a little more rigid than normal, and looked towards her friend, face being a cool mask of neutrality and ease. "No, nothing happened."

Lie.

"Are you sure?"

"…Yes."

Another lie.

Tikal raised her eye, silently telling her that she didn't buy it.

Amy knew that there was no way out of this. Tikal was way too good of a friend, and she knew when she was lying and when she wasn't. Maybe Amy needed to stop being so obvious with her feelings, but that was quite frankly impossible for her in certain situations.

"Amy," Tikal said, her face becoming softer but still stern, "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"I-I know, it's just-" Amy took a deep breath and sighed, "He's just sending me mixed signals, I guess."

"What do you mean?"

She shook her head. "The way he's been acting around me lately. It's like he wants us to get back together," Amy let out a dry laugh, "Which is ridiculous because there's no way that's possible!" She blushed when she realised she was starting to go off on a tangent again but didn't care. "I'm confident he's trying to get a rise out of me. Yeah, that's it! That's exactly what he's doing!"

Silence.

"You don't sound too sure of that yourself," Tikal smiled lightly, letting out a small laugh to diffuse the tension.

Amy turned redder before quietly groaning into her hands. "He's still so… so-"

"So handsome that you're probably still in love with him?"

"Tikal! I meant infuriating! He's so infuriating!"

Tikal was barely able to withhold a smile as she leaned her chin underneath her hand. "Why don't your eyes tell me that then?"

She became flustered then, blinking at Tikal as she was trying to find a reason. "Well. It's… it's not important, that's for sure!"

Amy crossed her arms and let out a huff. She knew Sonic wouldn't do anything without proper reason. However, she just found it hard to believe he kissed her hand and called her beautiful because he still liked her. No. That was impossible. Sonic hasn't felt that way in the last five years and she sure as hell didn't feel the same way anymore either!

It was all a fluke! A fluke!

She wasn't interested in rekindling their relationship! He was sending her signs that meant nothing, giving her compliments and kisses that meant nothing.

"Would it really be bad if Sonic still has feelings for you, Amy?" Tikal asked her quietly.

Amy's thoughts stopped before they could dive down any deeper. She couldn't think of something she wanted more than Sonic admitting he still felt the same about her-

Still felt the same?

Amy gritted her teeth and scoffed. She was not in love with him anymore. Gone were those days. Gone.

Then why wasn't she flat-out saying yes to Tikal's question? That it would be bad if Sonic still had feelings for her. Why was she thinking about it? There wasn't meant to be any sort of contemplation. She was meant to tackle that question with ease!

Glancing down, she noticed that her hand was shaking underneath the desk. Amy quickly forced it to stop by placing her other hand on top of it.

"Yeah," Amy forced out, swallowing a nervous gulp as she looked at Tikal, "It would be."

Tikal nodded, seeming to understand what she was implying. Even though she wasn't convinced in the least, Amy was glad she sensed her discomfort and changed the topic back to work. The two of them worked in relative silence and started having a comfortable conversation about Tikal's pregnancy.

Once Amy dropped Tikal off, she made the drive back home and kept her eyes monitored on the road, taking a few glances at Dash's sleeping figure at the back through the rearview mirror. He'd been playing all day and even though she told him to rest up on the bed she had in her office, the little hedgehog was insistent to help around the diner. Saying the cast around his arm wasn't enough to deter him. As long as he had been careful, Amy wasn't one to complain. Being the son of Sonic the Hedgehog after all, Dash easily attracted the customer. The locals would gush all over him, complimenting and wishing him well.

Her lips would curve fondly at the sight of it, clearly smitten with him.

Amy pulled over and parked in front of her house before getting out of the car to go to the back.

"Dash?" She gently shook him, "C'mon, baby. We're home now."

Dash stirred and let out a yawn. "Mom?"

She smiled and helped him out of the car before locking it. "Hope you're not too tired for dinner. I'm making your favourite!"

Dash's face suddenly lit up and he was now beaming at her. "You mean chili dogs?!"

Amy laughed as he began pulling her along so they could get inside the house quicker. If there was one thing she absolutely adored that Dash inherited from his dad, it was his love for chili dogs. Those two practically fed off each other when it came to them. She wouldn't be surprised if that was all Sonic gave Dash whenever he was with him. Though, if that was the case, she was definitely going to have to have a conversation with Sonic about building Dash's dietary habits.

She placed Dash's dinner on the table with her own plate in front. "If you need help, let me know. Okay?"

Dash nodded. "S'okay, Mom. I think I can manage!" He took a bite out of his chili dog and set his eyes on the TV screen in front of them. "Look! Dad's on there!"

"Hm?" Amy stopped eating and looked over to see that Sonic was indeed on TV.

He was shaking hands with people and was up on an exhibition stand. Amy wasn't really paying attention to what was being said about him, but she had a good idea that it was about the merger deal he had told her about a few days ago.

She found herself tuning in, her dinner suddenly forgotten as he began speaking into the microphone. Sonic looked as lively as ever, just as he did when she last saw him. He was smiling, even grinning at the camera to greet anyone who was watching. Amy noticed the way he would adjust his tie from time to time and run his hand down over his quills whenever he answered a question.

Amy pressed her lips together and tore her eyes away from the screen. She did not need to be like this right now. Her conversation with Tikal was still fresh in her mind and her apparent state of denial being said about her lingered through her brain.

She was so invested in her thoughts that she didn't realise the single drop of tear that fell from her. Eyes widening, Amy quickly wiped it away so that Dash wouldn't see.

Stop being so hung up, Amy.

"Mom? Are you okay?"

So much for that.

Amy gave Dash a reassuring smile and nodded. "I'm okay, baby. Sorry. Mommy's mind was somewhere else."

Dash gulped down a bite from his chili dog, keeping his look on her. It started to make Amy a little more apprehensive than she would've liked to have been.

"But you looked sad when Dad came on TV," He pointed out with a small frown, "Did he…" Dash's eyes were searching for hers, and Amy could see them shaking ever so slightly, "Did Dad do something that made you sad, Mom?"

The question made Amy inwardly flinch.

"No, no," She said quickly, shaking her head. Her chest was in pain from the way Dash was looking at her right now. "He didn't do anything! I'm sorry for making you worry, Dash. I promise I'm okay."

She needed to stop sulking. There was no time for that. She didn't need Dash to see her the way he just did right now. Her blood and flesh shouldn't be seeing her so vulnerable, over something so trivial nonetheless.

But it scared her to know how accurate his question was.

Was she that obvious?

Amy swallowed down a nervous gulp before masking it with a smile. Leaving a kiss on Dash's forehead, she ushered him to finish up his food. "Thank you for worrying about me. You're my little knight and shining armor, aren't you?" She gave him a few tickles which successfully eased the tension between them as her son laughed.

"I like seeing you happy!" Dash exclaimed cheerfully, his eyes lighting up with such innocence that Amy almost wanted to cry all over again. "It makes me happy!"

She laughed along with him, spoiling him with another set of kisses on the cheek.

Dash was truly her saving grace.

.

.

Amy was sitting with Dash on her lap at the medical centre as they waited to be called up so he could get his arm checked.

Dash had already been so tired at school that Amy considered rebooking the appointment and having him stay at home for the rest of the week. However, Dash insisted saying that he really wanted to go to school to see his friends before the Easter break. Being the worrisome mother she was, she asked one of the teacher's support to keep an eye on him for the time being.

As they sat, Amy turned her head just in time to see Sonic walking into the waiting room, looking a little breathless as if he just ran all the way here.

Several women's heads turned to him and their eyes stayed for obvious reasons. He looked like he had just burst out of a fashion magazine, wearing his usual business attire consisting of a black blazer, a black tie with a white button-down shirt tucked into his black tailored pants with matching dress shoes.

Amy did her best to try and hide the fluster on her face. After the little TV "incident" with Dash a few days ago and her inner battles with herself, there was seriously no point fawning over her ex just because he was… handsomely dressed for business. She already saw that on the news outlets on the internet. It was nothing special.

Sonic was walking towards them and she found herself eyeing the button that was loose against his shirt.

She bit the bottom of her lip.

Okay. Maybe it was something along the lines of being… fascinating.

"Sorry I'm late," Sonic said, oblivious to the attention he was gaining as he bent to lift Dash from her lap, "Hey buddy."

Dash giggled, matching his father's grin. "Hi, Dad!"

"Hey Ames, how've you been?" Sonic asked as he settled on the seat beside her. He smiled at her, his expression nonetheless being innocently open and curious.

"G-Good," Amy stammered with a small cough, feeling slightly mortified at her previous thoughts, "I'm all right."

"How's the diner running? Last I checked, it was packed."

"Yeah, it's been busy lately but nothing out of the ordinary."

"That's good, right?" His smile widened at her and Amy felt like the wind was knocked out of her lungs.

"…I guess."

He held his gaze on her, looking like he was going to say something else until an old lady that was sitting next to them leaned over.

"You both have such an adorable son," the lady said with a pleasant smile.

"Gets his looks from his dad, right?" Sonic said easily, winking at the lady.

The woman waved him off with a laugh before she went on to say, "Your wife is very lucky."

Amy stilled.

"Oh," Sonic swept a glance at her, before keeping his infectious grin at the old lady, "We're not together."

All the young women in the room who had been discreetly eyeing him were now openly gaping with heavy interest.

They all looked like they wanted a piece of him.

She was sure she even heard one of them squeal in excitement.

Amy pressed her lips into a forceful smile at the elderly lady as she nodded stiffly. Inside, she had never felt so humiliated before. But she had no right to be upset about it since it was the truth after all.

She and Sonic were not together. Not married. Not anything.

They were nothing.

Just exes.

"Dash the Hedgehog?" A nurse called out.

"C'mon buddy, that's us," Sonic said in the same pleasant and calming tone, lifting Dash to his hip. He went ahead and Amy trailed behind him. She didn't miss the looks that everyone was giving her. The glares, the jealousy, the eventual small whispers of gossip. She ignored them. Like she always did.

It wasn't anything new, after all.

"Hello, Dash! My name's Doctor Barnes."

The female brunette, Doctor Barnes, knelt down to Dash's height and offered her hand to him.

"Hi," Dash said shyly as he shook her hand.

She stood before looking over at Amy. "And you must be Dash's mom."

"I'm Amy, nice to meet you," Amy said politely with a smile, shaking the doctor's hand as well. The doctor was quite beautiful, she had to admit.

However, that polite smile and compliment were immediately washed down the drain when the pretty brunette doctor practically purred when she saw Sonic. "Hello, Sonic."

Sonic shot her his usual charming grin. "Hey, Diana."

Amy wanted to choke. He knew this woman?!

The doctor's smile was easily flirtatious, the glint in her eyes all so obvious. The suggestive touches she was giving him on his shoulders and hands…

That was when Amy felt a sudden rush of steam coming from her ears. She pressed her lips tightly, clenching her jaw in.

She was not jealous. She was not going to make a scene.

Breathe, Amy.

She was an adult. She could handle this.

It just… ticked her off that Sonic was letting this happen in front of her. In front of their own son, no less!

Amy calmed down when Doctor Barnes started actually doing her job and examined Dash's arm. She came to realise that the brunette had a calm bedside manner, already making her son feel comfortable when she performed an x-ray on his arm and dabbed some lotion on it. The x-ray had confirmed that the bones had settled nicely and it was time to take the cast off, but Doctor Barnes told them that he'd need to wear a sling for a week or two and take it easy for the next few days. She even bottled up some medicine in case Dash still felt any sort of pain.

By the time everything was done, Dash happily thanked Doctor Barnes and gave her a hug. When Amy saw that her son was walking back to her, she smiled and picked him up, being careful of his sling as she rested him on her hip.

She would have thanked Doctor Barnes as well... but the brunette had already decided to dive into a conversation with her ex. Amy clenched her teeth inside her mouth and walked off out of the clinic without a word, Dash resting his head against her shoulder as she softly kissed his temple.

When she got to her car, Sonic's footsteps came from behind.

"Geez Ames. You couldn't wait?"

Amy bit her cheek, placing Dash at the back of the car as he'd fallen asleep. She fastened his seatbelt on and then attempted to close the door. Sonic stopped her before she could though. He leaned down to place a kiss on Dash's forehead before he gently closed the car door. "You wanna tell me what's going on?"

She finally looked at him, her tone clipped. "Nothing's going on. I just left because you looked busy."

He rolled his eyes. "Don't give me that. You were pissed for the entire appointment and left without saying goodbye to Doctor Barnes."

"…She was talking to you so I didn't want to interrupt the conversation," Amy countered back at him, feeling a headache seeping in, "Whatever she was saying seemed really important to you."

Now wasn't the time to have an argument. Amy was tired. She felt humiliated back in the waiting room when all those angry eyes were on her, and that feeling of irritation when she saw the doctor touching her ex like that, sent her through another wave of unwanted emotions she didn't know was there.

Whatever these feelings were, Amy wanted to get rid of them. And fast.

"Were you jealous?"

Amy was startled by his accusation as she spun back at him with a vicious glare. "Wh-What?! Of course not!"

Sonic held his gaze on her, careful and calculating as he pressed his lips together. "You were acting differently after I told that lady that we weren't together," he said, his eyes staring down before flickering them back up at her, "I know it bothered you, Ames."

He read her like a book.

Since when?

She gaped at him for a moment, at a loss for words. What was she supposed to say? That yes, it did bother her how relaxed he seemed to be that they weren't together anymore. That yes, it bothered the hell out of her how easily he let that woman touch him. What game was he playing? A game that would make her feel miserable for the rest of her life?

Sonic stepped closer to her. "Did you want me to say that we were married?"

Amy could practically feel her heart trying to come out of her chest. "Sonic…" She breathed, bringing a jittery hand over his chest to push him away, "Don't."

"Just tell me what's wrong, Amy," He grabbed her hand and squeezed it, indicating that he wasn't going to let go, "I wanna know what's making you upset. Is it because of Diana? Is it because of what I said before we went in?"

"No-"

"Then what-"

"I don't know!" Amy finally yelled, the pent-up frustration and anger coming out all at once. She was breathing, seething- heavily, that she didn't realise the water threatening to come out of her eyes. Again. "What do you want me to say, Sonic?"

However, Sonic was undeterred. His green eyes were growing intensely as if he was trying to figure everything out. Searching for answers. It was a look that she hadn't seen from him for a long time.

And it made her nervous.

"You're not giving me any clear answers," he said and she saw his lips growing into a fine line, "I'm just confused, Ames."

Amy squeezed her eyes shut before opening them back up again. "I'm just as confused as you are, Sonic."

She felt his hand resting underneath her chin, making her hold in a surprised gasp. Looking up at him, she tried her best to suppress the emotions she was feeling right now as their eyes locked.

Biting her bottom lip, Amy forced herself to rip her gaze away from him and gently got her hand out of his hold. "I don't wanna talk about it."

Realisation had hit him, his eyes widening. "Amy-"

No. Shut it down, Amy.

"Please," she pleaded, lips starting to quiver as her eyes started brimming with tears she couldn't stop, "Not now."

She noticed a muscle forming against Sonic's jaw before it loosened. He had gotten wistful, casting a glance at Dash behind her before he ran a hand down his quills, an action he'd do whenever he was unsure of the situation. He looked back at her, letting out a sigh as he stepped back to keep his distance.

"I'll pick up Dash on Friday," Sonic said, his tone low and uncertain, "Just let me know when he's ready."

Amy felt the deep pits form in her stomach. She nodded warily, wiping off the tears from her cheeks with her palm.

Sonic stood there for another pending moment before he nodded as well, turning away from her as he walked off. She stayed put until he disappeared out of frame.

Leaning against her car, Amy struggled to catch her breath. She clenched her hands into fists, the droplets of her tears making contact with the window as she saw her reflection and cried quietly.

She was a fool.

"Would it really be bad if Sonic still has feelings for you, Amy?" Tikal's question was playing in her head again and again.

Yes. Yes, it would be.

Because…

She was still utterly and helplessly in love with him.