You& me, and our mate

ch 10; I have made up my mind

The truth was a lot to swallow for Knuckles... How could someone be two persons at the same time?!
All this time-... When he tried keeping feelings away from Mephiles... It was only Shadow but in a different way... Or something...
The part if they are the same person, or two different kind of persons, is still kinda confusing.
And despite he has been thinking hard on that for days-... He couldn't find any answer. Making any sense.
But one thing he knew-... He loves Shadow, and he really misses them both. Even Mephiles, whom he starts slowly accepting he is actually liking in a romantic way.

Knuckles whom isn't the brightest guy when it comes to using the brain, has been staring thoughtfully at the glass bottle in his hand. A beer he opened about ten minutes ago, but hadn't taken the slightest sip from.
The whole thing about the twins, takes over every thoughts from him. Distracting him from other things...
He hasn't been in contact with any of them since that day... Which has been around a week now.
And his heart is aching after them.

Knuckles starts bouncing a little with the right leg, while looking around from the couch.
Should he maybe drop by at their place, and just talk?
The last past days, he made up his mind; he wouldn't dump them... Even though the situation is very odd, he couldn't get himself to let them go.
So-... Why is he still staying away from them?... Because he wants finding any logical answers?... Or getting himself to give up on the thought of only dating one at the time?
Or maybe-... Maybe he is only a coward... Afraid they wouldn't be the same hedgehogs he knew... And they don't want him anymore...

The echidna clicks the tongue, and starts moving the bottle closer to the mouth.
He was about to put the lips on the opening, when he stopped himself.
Wait-... What's the point of staying home with a beer, and not getting any answers!?
Knuckles lowers the bottle, and places it down on the coffee table.
Then he slowly stands up as he had made up his mind, even though he hadn't yet.
The echidna walks out from the living room and toward the hallway.
In last minute before walking out from the house, he turns back in to the living room.
He yanks the beer, and walks back out to the hallway where he takes a black jacket on.
While walking he starts swallowing beer. Luckily it's only a light beer with a little alcohol.

On the way to the car, he is passing a metal bucket where he throws the now empty bottle.
The bottle thuds clinking into the bucket. Weirdly it didn't smashed.
Knuckles gets into the Impala, and starts driving toward the small town.
Maybe he should had texted whoever is 'awake' today... In charge of the body.
But he forgot that detail, when he impulsive drove away. Heading over to their house in a perfect spring day.

A while later he parked the car outside their house, by the side of the road.
Knuckles gets out from the car, and walks kinda confident to the door where he walked through the low gate. Whose fence and gate only reach around hips height.
But when he was in front the door where he could look through its window, he starts losing confidence.
He swallows hardly, and pushes himself to knock the door.
Then he lowered the fist, and starts inhaling deeply few times to calm himself down.

At first he was unsure if it only felt as minutes due he was impatient.
Then he looks confused at the clock on the phone. Making sure how long he is standing there.
The echidna tries knocking again. A slightly harder in case the other didn't heard the first knocking.
Few more minutes, and he was about to give up since he thought the other was out.
But right before he turns away, he could see someone hurrying toward the door.
The door clicks when it gets unlocked, and Mephiles swings the door up.
"Knuckles!?-..." he exhales surprised while panting a bit.
The echidna blinks confused, and starts eyeing the other who smell kinda warm, and freshly with a scent of soap. The quills looks a slightly damp.
His heart starts pounding faster.

Mephiles looks a bit apologising at him.
"Sorry-... I was in the shower... Therfore I couldn't open right away..." he starts explaining.
Then he rolls the eyes, and looks to the side.
"...But-... The situation wouldn't had happened in first place, if you had called first..." he mutters silently.