Amy put on her apron and tied her hair into a bun. It was a Friday, so that meant it was going to be a busy evening at the diner. And as much as she was looking forward to cracking down on today's work, she had been short-staffed because of the flu that's been going around. It would've been unwise to stay open today, but Amy knew she could manage. She did it before and she'll do it again, despite knowing her feet will absolutely kill her after all of it. However, she was determined to make the best of it.

It was business as usual.

While Tikal was taking orders from customers, Amy vigorously worked at getting the desserts and coffee ready with one of her younger members of the team, Cream.

"Miss Amy, another customer wants an iced tea," Cream said next to her as she was placing the other drinks onto a tray ready for them to be served.

"On it," She quickly got a cup out and started brewing the tea, "Thanks Cream!"

They were getting steady with the orders without delay, but the diner was getting busier by each minute. Even though Amy felt like she was going to pass out any second, she took a deep breath and kept her focus.

When the dinner rush was finally calming down, it'd only be a matter of moments till it started back up again. Amy excused herself into her office and took a long sip of water from her bottle.

Her ears twitched when she heard the back door open and she turned around to see Dash, followed by Sonic behind him.

"Hi, Mom!" Dash greeted her with a bright grin as he stepped inside.

"Hey!" Amy knelt down as he rushed up to give her a hug, "How was your appointment? Sorry I couldn't be there with you this time."

"It's okay! The lady said I can start doing a lot more things again," He flexed his arm in circles, "Look!"

"Really?" She looked over to Sonic for more confirmation.

Sonic smiled at her and nodded. "As long as he keeps the cast on for another week, he should be good to go."

Despite how tired she was, Amy was practically beaming and left a kiss against Dash's head, relieved to hear the good news. "That's great!"

Once Dash asked if it was okay to help out with the diner tonight, she approved only if he was careful and to carry anything light to the customers. He nodded and literally dashed out of the office to greet Tikal and Cream.

Coming into terms that she was alone with Sonic now, Amy stood up and looked at him. "Hey. Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"What? You're not happy to see me?" Sonic teased with a lighthearted smile, clearly enjoying her visible discomfort.

Happy… wouldn't be the right term to determine what she was thinking of him at the moment. There wasn't any anger either. Perhaps some slight annoyance, but nothing that would've sent her over to the edge.

She ignored every single news outlet that was in her face about the merger deal. Even Tikal tried to bring it up with her, but Amy wanted to make it seem like it didn't bother her or that she was completely oblivious and uncaring about it. She didn't want it to affect her work or Dash since he already mumbled to her about a scary lady being at the conference. It didn't take a second for Amy to know who he was talking about.

Amy pressed her lips together before putting her hand on her hip. "What do you want?"

"Huh?"

"You never come here unless it's super important. So what's the deal?" She scoffed lightly and ignored his confusion as she walked past him out of her office to go to her workstation. There was another line picking up in front of the counter.

She saw Sonic look ahead at the diner, his eyes moving across it. She never noticed before, but she couldn't help but gaze down at his outfit. It was casual at best. A plain blue shirt with cargo shorts and red and white sneakers. He blended in with everyone else so effortlessly.

When she found his eyes again, she flinched a little, seeing that he was looking at her. Trying not to focus that she was starting to feel warm, Amy glanced away and knelt down to get more cups.

"Here, I got it," Sonic said as he came next to her and picked up the cups and straws, "Hey, Tikal! You said you needed another latté, right?"

"Three more!" Tikal called out, holding three fingers up as her other hand worked the register.

"On it!"

Amy stood there, dumbfounded and in awe. "What are you doing?"

"Helping out," Sonic began rolling up his sleeves before grabbing an apron from the hook. "C'mon. Don't act like I haven't done this before with you."

The last time you did this for me was when we were still together. And we were on the brink of breaking up.

The diner was getting busy again and while she normally wouldn't be in such a predicament with getting sudden help from the hedgehog, she was just too exhausted to argue about it.

She bit the corner of her lip to swallow down whatever she wanted to say in regard to that. "Okay."

He looked up at her after tying up his apron. "Okay?"

Amy breathed down the tension against her shoulders, giving him a small smile. She patted him against his stomach. "Try not to slow me down."

His green eyes gleamed in a challenge before he shot her that toothy grin she has refused to ever hate. "Yes, ma'am."

Things were getting steady again. Dash, being the most adorable little boy ever, was helping Cream out by handing out everyone's orders to their tables. Her regulars always adored him and would make fun conversations. Her son was polite as ever, giving them compliments and thank yous as an infectious grin would cover his face.

As Amy was plating the food, her eyes curiously went over to where Sonic was. He was holding a pen and notepad in hand as he was taking orders from the tables, more noticeably from the tables that had younger women. She didn't recognise any of them, immediately making her believe that they were just here for him.

The thought of it sent a wave of memories in her head. To think the last time he helped out around the diner for her was when she was pregnant with Dash, and she was not amused with the number of girls that tried nagging at him, clinging onto his arm like he was some rag doll and not caring that he was taken. Her pregnancy hormones were not having it on that day.

That spike of irritation was trying to make its way back up again but she huffed it down lightly, focusing on handing the plates full of food to Tikal and Cream. She cleaned her hands and wiped them before waiting for the next orders to come through.

"Those ladies want iced teas to go, Ames!" Sonic came over and handed her the ticket.

Amy took it, glaring at the list as she couldn't help but begrudgingly say, "Of course they do."

"Hm?" He stood next to her as he helped set the cups, "What was that?"

Her ears quickly flattened down to hide how red they were getting. "Nothing," she said and loaded the ice into each cup, avoiding his gaze. Pouring the tea, she put the caps on and put them on a serving tray, and held it out to him. "Here."

The blue hedgehog blinked owlishly as he took it, keeping his eyes locked on her.

Amy looked up at him after she wiped off the counter. "What?"

Sonic's confusion slowly turned into a knowing smirk that said 'I know why you're annoyed' and he looked like he was holding back a laugh. "Nothing."

He walked off with the drinks and she stared after him. The women were happily waiting for him as he set their orders down. However, he didn't stay for too long and politely waved them off before turning around to face her with a wink.

She felt her jaw drop.

That… That sneaky hedgehog!

Amy felt her cheeks heating up whilst she gritted her teeth inside in frustration. The nerve!

Pretending not to see how annoyed she was, Sonic turned around with a low whistle and went to take another table's order.

Amy couldn't help but shake her head in disbelief at Sonic's playful antics. It seemed like he knew exactly how to push her buttons and take pleasure in doing so. She took a deep breath, reminding herself to stay composed and focused on her work. She couldn't let Sonic's teasing distract her from her responsibilities at the diner.

"Uh… Amy?"

"Huh?" Amy shot her head at Tikal, who had been watching her the whole time.

Tikal shook her head, nudging her gently with a laugh. "Stop looking at Sonic so much. You're gonna start making it obvious!"

"I'm not making anything obvious!" She hastily whispered back but didn't notice that her grip was crushing a paper cup that she was idly holding. Tikal raised her eye, unimpressed, and Amy glanced away, embarrassed as she threw the cup in the trash. "Okay, fine."

"At least he's making a lot more customers come in, no?"

"Yeah, customers who only want to see him and barely order any food," Amy muttered under her breath whilst harshly wiping off a glass.

"Amy," Tikal slowly took the glass away from her, "Have you not spoken to him yet?"

"No, not yet. I've just been…slow."

Tikal nodded, not pushing the subject but remaining supportive by putting a hand on her shoulder. "Go at your own pace, okay?"

Amy sighed and rolled her shoulders back to relieve some of the stress. "Yeah, I will. Thanks, Tikal."

The rest of the evening went pretty well. Dash had already been knocked out and was sleeping soundly on her office couch by the time they were near closing. Despite serving people who she would never usually see, Amy had to admit that Sonic's appearance did a good job in banking in the extra profits. She rolled her eyes at the thought of it though. The last thing she needed is for her restaurant to turn into some celebrity hot spot for desperate women to catch a glimpse of her handsome ex-boyfriend. She wanted it to remain a safe space where people could come to enjoy good food and company without any distractions or ulterior motives.

As the last customer left and the diner quieted down, Amy and Sonic began cleaning up the tables and tidying the place. They worked in comfortable silence, occasionally exchanging glances but Amy would tear her gaze away quickly when that happened, ignoring the quiet snickers that came from Tikal who was watching them from afar.

Tikal offered to drive Cream home and they left soon after, leaving her alone with Sonic again.

Once everything was in order, Amy leaned against the counter, exhausted but content. She looked over at Sonic, who was wiping down the last table and couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia. They had shared so many memories in this diner, both good and bad. It was a place that held a special meaning for both of them.

Sonic finished cleaning and joined Amy at the counter. He leaned against it, mirroring her posture. They sat in silence for a moment, catching their breath and enjoying the calmness that had finally settled in.

"You know," Sonic broke the silence, his voice soft, "I miss this."

Amy's eyes were filled with a mix of emotions. "What do you miss, exactly?"

He sighed, his gaze fixed on the empty tables. "Just this, y'know? I'm happy that your diner is getting a lot more popular, Ames. A lot of people deserve good food."

She stared at him, in contemplation and silently gave herself a small prayer.

She can do this.

Taking off the cloth on her shoulder, Amy turned to face Sonic. Already, he noticed the mood shifting and could tell that she was ready to say something as he leaned off of the counter.

"Ames?"

"I saw the news," she said, straight to the point and nervously bit her lip once seeing his eyes widen, "About your merger deal was with Niyaga Enterprises."

His expression turned serious. She that he knew that this conversation was inevitable, but he must've been worried how she would react. Not that she blamed him. Amy felt betrayed somewhat, not that she'd tell him that though.

"Yeah, it's true," Sonic admitted. "Niyaga Enterprises approached me with a partnership offer… and well," he sighed and scratched the back of his head, "Listen, the company was declining after their shares went down and she-"

He stopped, acting like he said a mistake. Amy flinched just as he did.

The blue hedgehog cleared his throat, closing his eyes before he opened them back up again. "She hasn't been too involved with it. The press just likes taking photos of her for clicks."

"With you?"

It came out quicker and more bitter than expected.

Sonic looked at her, his expression pained. "Amy, it's not what you think. I get why you're upset, but you gotta believe me when I say that there's nothing between me and her."

Amy studied his face, searching for any signs of deception. Deep down, she wanted to trust him, but the doubt still lingered.

Did he even know why she cared right now?

The look in his eyes told her that he probably did, but she didn't want to confirm it with him right now. Not yet. It was too soon.

And he wasn't going to push her either.

So she nodded, anxiously pressing her lips together. She was already feeling bad. He came in earlier looking all cheery with smiles and she just diminished it in seconds with her nosey curiosity and bluntness.

"Okay," Amy said, shooting him a small but reassuring smile before she picked up the last of the dirty plates and leaned down to put them into the dishwasher, "By the way, you didn't tell me why you decided to come today."

"I need a date for the Gala."

Amy almost tripped over her own two feet when she tried to stand up. She was startled, her finger pausing on the button to turn the dishwasher on as her whole entire being froze.

Did she hear that right?

Once she found the strength to stand up again, her head slowly turned to Sonic- who was eyeing her head-on.

Oh, Chaos.

She did hear that right.

"Th-The Gala?" Amy repeated, inwardly cursing at her stutter, "You mean the one the company hosts every year?"

"Yeah," Sonic rolled his eyes, "Not like I stayed there for too long anyway. I leave as soon as I make a speech."

"Don't you host it?"

He grinned at her. "Of course."

She blinked at him. "Oh."

"But because we're celebrating the merger deal in this Gala, I have to stay there to meet with other executives," he explained, his eyes half-lidded with slight annoyance, "I'll put it this way. I don't wanna be set up with a woman I hardly know for the whole night."

The pink hedgehog was surprised she still had a voice when she asked, "You're asking me to go with you?"

He smiled and she felt her knees buckle. "Yeah. I want you to go with me."

Amy's mind was racing, trying to process what Sonic had just said. The idea of accompanying him to the Gala, a high-profile event where they would be seen together as a couple, was both exhilarating and nerve-wracking.

A couple? She held her breath.

"I... I don't know, Sonic," she stammered, her voice betraying her surprise. "I mean, isn't it better to bring someone more... suitable? Like a business partner or something?"

Really, Amy? Are you seriously trying to get rid of this perfect chance? Tikal would definitely say something along those lines.

Sonic shook his head, his gaze unwavering. "I don't want a business partner, Ames. I want someone I can have a good time with."

She couldn't have been more shocked than she was.

Her heart fluttered at his words, but her mind was still grappling with the implications. Going to the Gala with Sonic would undoubtedly invite attention and speculation, not to mention the potential encounters with the press. It would put her in the spotlight, something she had always tried to avoid.

He was used to that. She wasn't.

And she never would be.

Amy cleared her throat, blushing openly in front of him as it would be fruitless to try and hide away after that.

Especially when he was looking at her with such intensity.

"You… wouldn't happen to have a dress ready for me, do you?" Amy joked lightly as she was already rummaging her closet inside her mind, figuring out what she would even wear. Did she even have anything extravagant that would match for a Gala?

"As a matter of fact…" Sonic sent her a slightly sly look, but he was smiling genuinely as he leaned his head to her, "Yes, I do."

Amy felt her face drop. "You're joking."

"I mean, it'd only be fair to buy you a dress since I'm telling you to go with me, right?" He said, as if it were obvious. "I had to get Knux to ask Tikal your dress size to see if you're still the same… Not that I mean anything by that, by the way!" The blue hedgehog quickly added when he noticed her unimpressed growing glare.

She squinted at him for a moment. "Do I even want to know the price?"

Sonic put his finger to his lips, giving her a wink. "Top secret."

Amy sighed, looking away for a bit to try and fight off the giddy smile that was threatening to come onto her lips. Even so, she was still unsure. Would she be ready for such a thing? Ideally, no. Amy was never one hundred percent ready for a lot of things, used to the fact that things in her life were thrown at her randomly.

She was still hesitant to say yes. But she couldn't really say no now, could she?

And… Well, it was a Gala to celebrate a company merger which meant…

Someone was going to be there.

Amy felt her fist clenching ever so slightly against the countertop. "Okay, I'll go with you."

When she looked at him again, she wasn't ready for the brightly lit smile against his face as he grabbed her hands and held them into his own. "Really?"

While Sonic's smile was there, his eyes were telling her a different story. They were filled with uncertainty, tentativeness and boundaries. And she couldn't blame him. This was leaning towards dangerous territory for the both of them, and while she would've prioritise the consequences first… She would deal with those later.

When she wasn't answering, his face nearly fell. "Ames, if you don't wanna-"

Stop giving me that look, I hate it. It hurts. Her mind raced.

"No, no…" Amy bit her lip before letting out a nervous laugh, "It's just…" She pressed her lips together, "You know."

Sonic gently squeezed her hands, his grip light and comforting as his gaze softened in relief. "I know."

Of course he did.

"Thanks," she whispered with a mixture of vulnerability and reassurance.

Then slowly but surely, Amy began squeezing his hands back, suddenly feeling lighter again.