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“Shadow, which one is that?” Rouge asked, tracing a pattern in the air with her index finger.
The two of them had recently returned home after a two-week-long mission. They had finished their dinner of instant noodles and were now relaxing outside on the balcony of Rouge’s apartment. It was a narrow, sparsely furnished balcony—just two chairs, a small glass table, and the bench they currently sat on. But, since it was on the 21st floor of the building, it provided a stunning view above the city skyline—a view of the stars.
Shadow paid close attention to the pattern Rouge traced in the air, as well as which stars she was attempting to link together. He could identify a few constellations off the top of his head. After all, he did spend a lot of time staring at the stars during his time on the Space Colony Ark. Maria even had a book that illustrated each pattern and where they could be found, if he remembered correctly. Specific memories were still a bit fuzzy to him.
Try as he might, however, the hedgehog couldn’t identify whatever it was the bat was tracing with her index finger. Not even after she noticed his struggle and slowed down. He knew it had to be a constellation he could easily recognize. But, no matter how hard he squinted at each star Rouge traced over, the name just wouldn’t come to him.
Noticing the growing frustration on her friend’s face, Rouge quit tracing the pattern. Instead, she moved closer to her friend on the bench and playfully nudged his arm.
“Please don’t tell me you’re still thinking about work!” she teased.
“I’m not!” Shadow muttered, moving away from the bat. Now, he sat less than an inch away from the edge of the bench.
It wasn’t a lie. He wasn’t thinking about work. At the moment, the hedgehog couldn’t quite piece together what he was thinking about. That’s what was so frustrating. For now, he took his eyes off the stars and turned to the woman sitting nearby. She, too, had stopped looking at the stars. Now she was refilling the two stemmed glasses on the table in front of them.
“Rouge, I don’t want anymore,” he said, quietly. The bat paused mid pour and set the bottle down. Shadow wondered if the cheap white wine they’d been drinking was what was scrambling his mind. Usually, he wasn’t such a lightweight after one glass—a positive and negative result of his enhanced metabolism. At the same time, he wasn’t experiencing the headache and slurred speech that usually set in when he was drunk.
Oddly enough, he was beginning to feel warmer, almost to the point of breaking a sweat. Not even the brisk evening breeze could cool him off. The heat only increased the longer he looked at Rouge, who was currently taking a few sips from her glass. She’d showered and changed out of her work clothes as soon as they had returned home. Now, she was wearing a plush, hot pink bathrobe with matching slippers. She reclined back against the bench, the robe slipping slightly to reveal the satin, form-fitting nightgown she wore underneath. Shadow’s heart raced faster. Now he understood why his mind was so frazzled.
There was no doubt that Rouge had always been an attractive woman. It never bothered him much before. But, lately, whenever the two were alone together, the increased temperature and heart rate overwhelmed the hedgehog’s body in a way he couldn’t quite comprehend. He felt a sudden urge to pull her close to him. To remove her robes, her slippers, anything that hid the curves of her body from view. To hold her tight, never letting go.
It was then that Rouge noticed something that her hedgehog companion couldn’t: a slight red blush across his muzzle. “Shadow, is everything okay?”
Before either could say anything else, Shadow ran back inside the apartment, leaving Rouge alone on the balcony. Alone beneath the stars.