Diamond Has It Rough

“Don’t say it again.”

“I’m sorry, but… it makes a lotta sense if ya think about it.”

Diamond swiped up her drink from the table, biting down on the straw with intense force. She glared out of the window to her immediate left, no doubt confusing and frightening passersby that happened to look inside the cafe. She wasn’t in the mood to think about the feelings of the strangers on the street. She was in a real crisis.

“Di, I’m sayin’ this for your own good.” The voice that continued to test her patience despite her mood came from the woman across from her. A trusted friend with a signature bow that she’d rather start a war with than concede to at the moment. She looked at Diamond with a worried stare. “If it turns out that he is, ya gotta let him go. You’ll only hurt yourself if ya don’t.”

“I’m gonna hurt you if you don’t quit it, Bloom.” She turned to meet her friend’s eyes. Applebloom, the sickly sweetest, kindest, humblest girl anyone could know. Currently Diamond’s best friend and most trusted confidant. Also her biggest pain in the ass. “What would you know? You’ve never even met the guy.”

“Well, let me see,” she hummed. “He ain’t even say nothin’ after you threw yourself at him. Either he’s dumber than a bag of hay…” she shrugged. “Or that’s a homosexual man.” Diamond ground her teeth on her straw but said nothing. “And if he is, ya gotta give 'em up.”

“But… what about what he told me?” Diamond sipped her drink as she recalled their mall outing. It had been over a week since then, and she could still feel a sting in her chest when she thought about it. “He called me an amazing woman.”

“I think plenty of guys are amazing,” said Applebloom, shaking her head. “Don’t mean I want ‘em in my pants.” Diamond opened her mouth to rebuttal but found nothing. Instead, she growled and returned to glaring out of the window. “What do ya even see in him, anyway?”

“He’s hot.”

“That it?” asked Applebloom with a frown. Diamond’s face slowly became more gentle.

“He’s also… kinda cute,” she answered. “He’s a big guy, but he’s more soft-spoken than anyone I know.” She sighed. “But it doesn’t matter ‘cause he always seems to know what to say and when to say it. He’s eager to please, always thinking about ways to make me feel better before himself.” Her angry scowl slowly morphed into a blank slate, almost like she was daydreaming. “And whenever he smiles, it’s absolutely amazing. He… is…”

Diamond looked upward, her focus returning to her. She’d been looking aimlessly out of the window for a while now, but a figure had paused right in front of her vision. It was someone tall enough to make her pull her head back until she could see their face.

“He’s here?” Though she mumbled, Applebloom heard her clearly. She followed her gaze, meeting eyes with Anon as he glanced through the window. “Oh no.”

“Oh yes!” exclaimed Applebloom. She was grinning from ear to ear. “We can settle it right now.” Though she was a reliable friend that Diamond could lean on to listen to her stories, she had a stubbornness the size of a bull’s. Once she set her mind to something she wouldn’t rest until it happened.

She tapped on the glass, bringing his attention to her. She beckoned for him to come inside with a grin. Diamond’s eyes flickered between them both. Eventually, after a few moments of waiting, he nodded, then started walking to the door.

“Alright, I’m gonna pop the question,” she explained. Her eyes were full of fire, which did nothing but annoy Diamond. “And you’ve gotta accept the outcome, no matter what.” Diamond scowled at her, her face flushed

“The hell you are!” grumbled Diamond, getting up from her chair. “I’m leaving.”

“Should I have stayed outside?” Diamond whipped around, meeting eyes with him from a few feet away. He’d gotten inside much quicker than she thought. “Maybe I misinterpreted?”

“Naw, Di was just playin, right?” Applebloom pointed to one of the empty chairs adjacent to their table. “You can take a seat there if ya like.” Diamond could see him hesitate, then look at her. Without even a word, she could tell he was wondering what he should do. She sighed, then slowly returned to her seat.

“I’m not leaving,” she said, defeated. “At least, not right now. You can sit.”

“See? Told ya she was messin’ around.” Before long, he took a seat next to Diamond. He was carrying a small bag she hadn’t noticed until he placed it on the floor once he got comfortable. “Nice to meet ya. Name’s Applebloom. Been a friend of Diamond’s since we were kids.”

“You’re a pain in my ass right now, though,” she grumbled. Applebloom ignored her.

“Anon,” he responded blandly. He stared back at Applebloom, a hint of caution in his eyes. “Nice to meet you.”

“It’s a funny little coincidence that we ran into ya here,” she continued. “Diamond was just talkin’ to me about her roommate and the next thing ya know, here ya are.” He nodded.

“I was coming home from the gym.” He glanced at the gym bag he carried in with him. “I pass by this place often. It’s close to the house.”

“Looks like that’s my bad, then,” said Applebloom apologetically. “Didn’t mean to cut into your off time. Just had a quick question for you, is all.” Diamond gripped her cup, then turned away. Looking away would hopefully soften a potential blow.

“Of course,” he said with a nod. “Ask.”

“I’m terrible at beatin’ around the bush, so I’ll just ask ya.” She met his eyes, her smile from before slowly fading away into a serious look. “Which team are ya battin’ for?”

Anon didn’t respond. Diamond clenched her cup even tighter. She wanted to separate herself from the situation as much as possible, but also wanted to turn around and engage in it just as much. She took a deep breath, then another. Finally, she worked up the courage to turn back. What she found was a face of complete confusion.

“I’m straight.” His brow was raised. “I would think so, at least. Diamond and I have been dating for a while now.”

The air in the room turned glacial. Diamond felt all the color drain from her face, and with just a glance, she could tell that Applebloom felt the same. They shared a glance, then both looked at him. His face was still just as puzzled as before. Applebloom took the initiative and cleared her throat.

“I, erm… huh?” Diamond guessed that her brain was still stunned. “D-Datin’? Since when?” His eyes widened, then he looked over to Diamond.

“I’m sorry. Did you not want her to know?” he asked. “I just thought… since you were friends for so long, it would be okay.”

“No, it’s more like…I didn’t know…” His confused look returned.

“What do you mean? It’s been a couple of months, at this point, though.” Diamond’s jaw dropped even more than it did with the first revelation. She shook her head.

“B-But you never asked me,” she said, trying to wrap her head around it. After looking between the two for a few moments, the realization set in on his face. In place of surprise of bewilderment, Diamond saw a face she never thought she’d ever see on someone like him.

His face had turned a slight shade of red.

“I… thought it was like a silent agreement between us.” He shook his head. “You’re the first girl I’ve ever been with. I didn’t know anything about the procedure.”

“Wait, wait, I still don’t understand.” Applebloom cut in, her hand on her forehead. “That night when Di got drunk and asked for a kiss. Why didn’t ya give her one?” The confusion returned. “If ya thought she was your girlfriend, why not give her what she wanted?”

“I did,” he answered. “I thought she might have been feeling unwell, and a kiss on the forehead always made me feel better as a kid.” Diamond looked at Applebloom, and could almost see the gears as they turned in her head.

“Then what about when I made you breakfast while… exposed?” asked Diamond. “I… even sat in your lap. I thought you might try something then, but you didn’t.”

“I wanted to,” he admitted, turning his face away from the two. His blush intensified. “But if I went too far, I might have been late for work.” He looked at Diamond, whose face turned a similar color. “When you sat there, I almost lost my control. But my watch rang out and distracted me.”

The world seemed to spin around her. All of her schemes and tricks, all of her plans, everything. It was all unnecessary. It could have all been avoided if he had made his move just a second earlier. The thought made her upset, enough to make her frown and grit her teeth. Heat rose from her stomach and flocked to her face.

Still, she couldn’t help but feel something else underneath it all. A large, cool wave of relief.

“But, Diamond…” he looked up to her. “If we weren’t going out… Why didn’t you ask me out sooner?” Diamond put on an exaggerated frown and crossed her arms.

“I wouldn’t be caught dead asking someone out,” she said, shaking her head. “Mom told me that the boy is always supposed to chase me, not the other way around.” Anon’s shock was clear on his face.

“So ya liked each other for this long without sayin’ it.” Applebloom sighed, then took a swig of her now-cold drink. “Sounds crazy, but I guess if it’s you, Diamond, anythin’s possible.”

“It’s my fault,” Anon cut in with a shake of his head. “I can’t count the number of times I wanted to tell Diamond that she’s beautiful, but the words get stuck in my head.” Diamond’s heart skipped a beat and she pursed her lips. “I could only tell her when she asked.”

“W-Well…” Diamond cleared her throat, then continued. “Each time you have said it, it makes me incredibly happy, so it’s okay.” Her gaze met his, and her face started to burn up. “But… I do want to hear you say it once.”

“Of course,” he responded. Diamond’s heart started beating faster. If just looking at him made her burn up, his smile was enough to turn her to ash. “I love you, Diamond.” He reached out to her, grabbing her hands in his. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. The effort you put into everything, whether it be cooking or your makeup, is inspiring to me. You—”

“Wait, wait, stop,” Diamond said, looking away. Her face was surely red as an apple’s skin. “I can’t deal with all that at once.”

“Ya seemed to like gushin’ about him to me earlier, though,” said Applebloom with a chuckle. Though Diamond glared at her with enough force to kill an elephant all she got back was a wide smile.

“Anyway,” Diamond said, clearing her throat. She forced herself to look at him, then took a slow, shaky breath. “I… love you too.”

“So this is what I should have done all that time ago,” he said with a small laugh. “Seems kinda silly, now that I—”

Diamond didn’t wait for even a moment. She almost leaped from her seat until she was right in front of him. With a brief pause, she looked into his eyes. The next moment, her eyes were closed and she brought their lips together.

His lips were big but soft. She leaned into him, letting her hair fall to the sides of his face. Her fingers ran through his rough features and hair, gently caressing his face. She pulled away for air, just to return with another kiss. With one hand, he grabbed hers, grabbing it tight as they indulged in each other. Once she’d had her fill, she pulled away completely. Despite herself, with that kiss, she felt the weight of a world leave her body. Relief washed over her, allowing her to take her first deep breath in what felt like forever.

“Sorry,” she said with a low voice. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.” She looked into his dazed eyes, contemplating going in for another kiss. Her attention was taken after she heard a clear of the throat from across the table.

“I get that ya wanna get at each other an’ all,” mumbled Applebloom. “But ya might wanna mind your surroundings.” After a pause, Diamond pulled away, taking her seat again.

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” She sighed, then picked up her drink. Even as she drank, she didn’t take her eyes off of Anon, almost like she was afraid he’d disappear. He put a hand over his mouth and averted his gaze. “You should enjoy yourself now, Anon.”

“Huh?” He turned his face back to her. It was red with blush. “What do you mean?” Diamond smirked as she sipped from her drink.

“You won’t have a break once we get home,” she said. Her smirk turned devious, and her eyes narrowed. “There’s plenty of other things I’ve been waiting for a long time to do.” His eyes widened, and his blush intensified.

“O-Oh…” he mumbled. "I see..."