The "Date"

>Ya blew it.
>You had one fakking job and ya blew it.
>All you had to do was go in there and sit next to her.
>But the moment you were about to walk in through the entrance, you froze up.
>You couldn't do this.
>Up until now, you had done little more than talked with her, sometimes went on little strolls through the castle gardens with her.
>But when she had invited you eat dinner with her in some upscale restaurant, you wondered whether your relationship was bound to become something more.
>The idea both excited you and terrified you at once.
>While you had occasionally entertained fantasies of relationships with these magical, colorful, and wonderful little horses, you hesitated at the prospect of doing it in real life.
>The hangups of your old world still stubbornly clung to the fringes of your mind, preventing you from taking that plunge.
>And what of it?
>Even if those old social taboos were no problem, you had never before been in that sort of relationship.
>You had dreamed of having someone to call your own, to love and cherish, but doubt still lingered.
>What if it goes all wrong?
>What if you fuck up and she storms off, never to talk to you again?
>What if it all heads south at some later point, and your current friendship with the princess is forever ruined?
>You couldn't stomach the thought.
>...Maybe, maybe you can skip this little dinner date?
>You can say that something more important came up that required your immediate attention?
>She wouldn't be too upset about that, would she?
>Heh, maybe this wasn't even really a date date, maybe she just wanted to show you one of her favorite local restaurants?
>With that, you think that perhaps skipping out on dinner tonight wouldn't be too much of a faux pas.
>Really, what's the worst that could happen?
>Without a word, you slip back into the shadowed streets, your date none the wiser.