"I'm worried about you."
Those words had left your lips as quickly as the regret that piled up over the rest of your emotions.
You felt yourself grow dizzy with uncertainty and how your palms began to shed a cold sweat.
"And. . . I know we're not exactly even friends yet, but I just want you to know that I'm here for you."
Your weak attempt at salvaging your previous choice of words caused for her to raise an eyebrow, quickly followed by a smile tugging on her lips and an honest laugh leaving her vocal chords.
"Whaddya mean we're 'not friends yet'?" She laughed again. "We've hung out for months now, but you still think we're strangers?"
"Well, something like that. . . Maybe not strangers, but acquaintances." You confessed, a chuckle of your own adding to the quiet and tranquility of the night.
You looked down at your feet, unable to face with her after this slightly awkward and slightly dorky scenario you'd managed to create.
"That's the thing I was going to ask you last week."
Silence fell between you again, until you felt her hand grab your wrist, in an attempt at making you face with her.
"You're a real dork, _________." She spoke, a teasing though well-intentioned smile crossing her face as she gently let go of your arm. "Of course I wanna be your friend! What kinda question's that?"
Now facing her, you couldn't help smiling, happy to see her do the same – It was a huge contrast compared to the look she carried on her purple complexion before she'd noticed your presence.
"I just didn't think you saw me that way."
She hummed at your words, placing a hand over her chin as she glanced over towards the sound of the waves crashing in the distance, the ocean almost invisible to your eyes due to the dim lighting of the area.
"Wanna go to the beach?" She offered. "We can make it official there, if that'll make you stop fussing over it."
"I'm not fuzzing!" You defended, clenching your fists as you stood your ground, glaring at her with as much annoyance as you could muster – a plan which immediately plummeted when seeing her smile again. "I was just. . . anxious, is all."
"Well, lets go clear out your mind, then!" She replied. "I'm sure you could use a break from working at that place all day."
Sighing, you hesitated for a long moment, aware that you didn't have to work tomorrow but still remembering the state Amethyst been in just a few minutes ago. You feared she could be hiding something, and that she was using this invitation as a distraction to make you forget about her sudden and unexplained disappearance.
Even so, you couldn't bring yourself to reject her offer, the thought of going back home to vex over the matter and lose sleep being a weak competition to the thought of spending some time with her and — quite possibly, getting her to open up to you.
Having cleared out your indecisive mind, you ended up accepting her invitation. You followed her to the beach at her own pace, taking in your surroundings composed of scarce lighting, night creatures passing by, and the faint sound and scent of the ocean you were progressively getting closer to with each step.