Title:Blind Date
Genre: Modern AU, Romance
Rating: T
Characters: Padme Amidala, Anakin Skywalker
Synopsis:Stood up by their respective blind dates, what will happen when Anakin and Padme end up sitting together for dinner at the crowded Italian restaurant?
Author's Note: (1)Another modern AU romantic one shot! Pure fluff!
(2) Don't own, never will. I just play here.
(3) Any reference or inference to/of real individuals or specific circumstances or places or other storylines is entirely unintentional.
(4) Characters may be OC. No flaming, please.
*~o0o~*
"I'm sorry, Miss, but Mr. Dybar has not arrived yet. If you wish, you may have a seat over there while you wait," the seating hostess smiled and politely pointed to a carved wooden bench with padded cushions to her left by the front door. Turning her head, Padme glanced over where several people were already sitting and waiting for a table. She sighed, and then smiled politely at the hostess and nodded her head.
"Thank you."
Moving over to the bench, Padme smiled at an elderly couple who scooched over to make room for her to sit. Thanking them, she sat down, looking around at the very distinctly European decor of La Bella Cascata, a lovely upscale Italian restaurant. Nice place. It smells wonderful in here. I hope the food is as good as I've heard it is. Glancing at her watch, she noted that her date was already twenty minutes late. Frowning slightly, she took her phone out of her purse and decided to text her best friend, Dorme. She was the one who set her up on this blind date, after all. Maybe she'd know where her date was.
Hey, I'm here. But, he's not. Are you sure he's coming? :/
Her friend's response was rapid fire: Don't worry. He'll be there
Rolling her eyes, she responded: Hope he's not another no show, D :(
Yeah, Yeah. Have I ever steered you wrong?, Padme could practically see the almost pained look on her best friend's face, but before she could reply, Dorme wrote: Don't answer that :/
Padme snorted and shook her head and opened up Pinterest and started thumbing through the current photos. At that moment, the front entrance opened, and Padme quickly glanced up and felt her jaw go slack and her eyes widen as a blush swept across her cheekbones. Walking in the door was the most gorgeous hunk of a man she had ever seen in her life. Tall (he had to be over 6 foot) with dark blonde curls that just brushed the collar of his white dress shirt, he was ruggedly handsome...even with the noticeable scar that slashed across his right eye.
Sliding her gaze slowly down his body, she noticed he had a trim yet muscular physique - so deliciously masculine! - which was showcased to perfection in the black dress slacks with matching black blazer he was wearing. He had forgone a tie and had left the top button of his long-sleeved shirt open. He was wearing a nice pair of polished black oxfords on his feet to complete the outfit. Padme felt her heart suddenly start hammering wildly in her breast while butterflies dive bombed in her stomach. Oh, I could eat him with a spoon!
Quickly, so as not to attract attention to herself and what she was about to do, she thumbed open her camera, aimed it at Mr. Gorgeous and quietly took a couple of pictures of him. Not GQ print quality, maybe, but enough for her to swoon over anyway. She opened up her contacts again to text Dorme: Please tell me THIS is him! I beg you!
Then she sent her the better shot of the two pictures she'd taken. She was disappointed when Dorme immediately wrote back: Sorry, no. But, OMG! He's a hottie! :D
Smirking, Padme texted her back: Damn! So not fair. Wish he was mine
Dorme's response dripped with mirth: Go for it, P! ;)
Rolling her eyes again, she shook her head: Yeah, right! Big not. Guys like that are always taken
She could practically hear her friend's sly response: You never know...Maybe he's The One! ;)
Honestly, Dorme was either incorrigible or insatiable. Probably both, she decided. Sighing, Padme shook her head. Yeah. Dream on, Sister! She glanced back over at the hostess' station, trying to listen in (without looking like she was listening in) to the hunky man's conversation with the hostess. She watched as he smiled at her somewhat nervously and said, "Good Evening. I have a reservation for 7:45. The name's Skywalker. Anakin Skywalker. I'm meeting my date here. I wonder if she's arrived yet? A Miss Oxenford."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Skywalker, but no one by that name has checked in with us yet. If you'd like to wait, you may sit over there, and we'll call you when your table is ready," once again the hostess smilingly pointed toward the now somewhat crowded bench where Padme was sitting, and she watched as he thanked the hostess and stepped toward the waiting area.
Turning, he stopped mid-step, his eyes locking with hers, and she watched as his incredible blue eyes widened and his nostrils flared. He swallowed hard, and she noticed his pulse quickened at the base of his throat. Transfixed by his brilliant cerulean gaze, her breath hitched in her chest, and she felt a shudder race through her system as he blinked and then slowly smiled at her before making his way over to the bench.
Walking over to stand before her, he bowed his head slightly, and waved his hand to the seat beside her, asking, "May I?," in a deep husky baritone that sent shudders of pure pleasure down her spine. Tilting her head back to stare up into his handsome face, all she could do was blink at him. Amused at her apparent momentary paralysis, his smile turned mischievous, and he arched his eyebrows and asked, "Miss?"
Coming out of her reverie with a jolt, she blushed furiously, averted her eyes, and slid over to allow him to sit down, "Oh, yes. Sorry. Please. Sit."
This seemed to amuse him further, and he continued to smile as he sat down, "Thank you."
All she could do was nod her head silently in response. She hoped he didn't notice that her hands were now trembling. She put her phone back in her purse and then rubbed her palms across her thighs, exhaling softly. She caught a whiff of his cologne, and she felt her mouth go dry. He smells divine! Is that by Calvin Klein? Without even realizing it, she began lightly tapping her right foot on the floor and biting her bottom lip. Both were old habits which she only resorted to when she was really nervous. And, man, was she nervous...sitting thigh-to-thigh next to the most breathtaking blonde Adonis she'd ever laid eyes on.
"You're waiting, too, I take it?"
Whipping her head around, she stared at him for a moment, realizing he'd spoken to her. "Excuse me?" I could get lost in his eyes.
Those eyes twinkled with amusement. "You're waiting for your party to arrive, too. Right?"
For a moment, all she could do was nod her head. Her tongue suddenly felt glued to the roof of her mouth, rendering her speechless. Which was weird. Working in the mayor's office handling PR, she was normally a very eloquent speaker. For this man's proximity to affect her like this spoke volumes.
"A date?"
Turning back to look at him, she found him watching her with an interested expression. She gave him a small smile and a half shrug. "Supposed to be, yeah, but," she glanced at her watch, "I think he stood me up. He was supposed to be here twenty-five minutes ago."
He seemed to tense up and then frowned, "Boyfriend?"
She shook her head and smirked, "Hardly. Blind date."
For some reason, his tension seemed to ease and he smiled. "Ahhh...Me, too." He nodded slowly and leaned back against the bench, tilting his head against the wall. His response piqued her curiosity.
"You, too, what?"
He rolled his head to look at her, a half smirk on his face and shrugged, "Blind date...But, she's not here yet. Sooo...Guess you and I are in the same boat."
She could certainly empathize. This was the last time she'd let Dome set her up on another blind date! "Sorry to hear that. She's certainly an idiot to pass you up…" She instantly turned ten shades of red realizing what she'd blurted out and began to sputter, all tongue tied, trying to salvage a modicum of dignity. "Oh, gosh...I-I'm sorry...That is...Well, what I-I meant to say is…" She stopped speaking and went back to biting her bottom lip. He must think I'm a total idiot!
His smile turned positively wolfish, and merriment danced in his eyes, as he leaned toward her slightly and softly said, "Thank you. I appreciate the implied compliment, Miss…?"
Glancing down for a moment at her hands twisting nervously in her lap, she looked back at him and gave him a shy smile, "Uhm...Padme. Padme Amidala." By habit, she automatically reached out, offering her hand to shake, and she had to stifle a gasp when he gently clasped her small hand in his own much larger one, sending tendrils of fire racing up her arm.
"A lovely name for an equally lovely woman. Very pleased to meet you, Miss Amidala. I'm Anakin Skywalker."
Before she could respond, the hostess walked over holding two menus, "Sir, your table is ready. If you'd please follow me."
Anakin released Padme's hand and stood up then glanced curiously back at her with a slight frown on his face, "What about you, Miss Amidala?"
Padme glanced at her watch again and grimaced. Thirty minutes late. Yeah, her date was obviously a no show. Looking back up at him, she arched her eyebrows and shrugged, "I dunno. Since he apparently blew me off, guess I'll just stop and grab a sub or a salad somewhere on the way home. No biggie. Enjoy your dinner, Mr. Skywalker."
"Unacceptable."
"Excuse me?" She had been in the process of gathering her sweater and purse to leave when he spoke. She cast him a bewildered look only to see him frowning, pursing his lips, and shaking his head.
"That's unacceptable. A woman as stunning as you are should not be left alone to just grab a sub on a Friday night. Since our respective dates failed to show, would you do me the honor of joining me for dinner, Miss Amidala?"
Her mouth dropped open in shock. He wants me to join him for dinner? Oh my God! Dream come true! "A-Are you sure you don't want to wait for your date, Mr. Skywalker?"
He smiled warmly and shook his head, "Yes, Ma'am. The way I see it I'm still on a blind date...just with someone of my own choosing instead. Which is infinitely better anyway, as my friends' previous attempts to set me up have all been unqualified disasters." He arched an eyebrow as he smirked and gallantly held his hand out to assist her in standing.
Hardly daring to believe her luck, she laughed and beamed up at him, taking his proffered hand and standing, her movements slow and graceful. She noticed his gaze swept her petite figure from head to toe, taking in her elegant appearance with a most pleased expression. "Thank you, kind sir. I would be delighted to join you for dinner."
Smiling broadly, his blue eyes sparkling, he made a sweeping motion after the hostess while placing his other hand lightly on the small of her back to guide her. "After you, and please, call me Anakin, Miss."
"Thank you, Anakin. And, please feel free to call me Padme."
"Well, Padme...I think this could be our lucky night, wouldn't you say?"
Walking ahead of him as they followed the hostess through the crowded restaurant to a quiet candlelit table for two in the back, she looked over her shoulder at him and arched a brow, "Luck or fate, Anakin?"
Grinning in response, he voice dropped in timbre as they reached their table, and he stared deeply into her eyes, "I'd like to think it's both, Padme."
Gazing into those intense blue orbs, she couldn't help but return his smile when she softly replied, "Me, too."
"Welcome to La Bella Cascata. Do you have a reservation, Sir?"
"Yes, I do. For 7:45. For Skywalker, party of two," Anakin smiled politely at the seating hostess and then turned to give Padme a loving look, as he gently squeezed their entwined fingers.
"Very good, Sir. If you'll kindly wait over there," the smiling hostess flicked her wrist toward the carved wooden bench to the left of the front door, "We'll have your table ready in just a few minutes."
"Thank you." Anakin guided Padme to the waiting area, and they both sat down. "I'm glad I made a reservation. It looks packed."
"Well, it usually is. I'm just glad my parents were free tonight to watch Luke and Leia for us, so we could have a night out for our anniversary."
"Yeah. Two-year-old twins are quite the handful, as we well know, but your folks adore Luke and Leia." He squeezed her hand again.
"True. Y'know...This is still my favorite restaurant, Ani. I think it always will be. After all, this is the exact spot where we first met. Remember?" Padme smiled and leaned over and gently kissed her husband of five years, her eyes shining with affection.
Anakin grinned against her lips, "I remember. I walked in that door, expecting to have the worst possible night of my life, only to come face to face with my very own Angel." Even after all this time, he still could make her blush. I hope that never changes.
Suddenly, his grin turned mischievous, "Did I ever tell you that I almost bailed on coming here that night?" He glanced at her, and chuckled at her shocked expression.
"No! Really?!"
He nodded, "Really. I mean...No lie...Every date Ben or Ahsoka or Rex ever set up for me turned into a huge disaster. And, I wasn't that keen to meet Miss what's-her-name that night."
Padme giggled and leaned against his shoulder and whispered, "Yeah, well, you're not the only one. I was seriously regretting agreeing to meet Dorme's version of 'Mr. Right' when you walked in the door that night and swept me right off my feet."
Anakin's grin was feral. "I did, huh?"
"Oh, yeah, Honey…You walked in looking drop dead gorgeous in that black suit, and all I could think was how I wanted to eat you with a spoon."
Anakin couldn't hold back a bark of laughter at his beloved wife's words. "Really? You?!"
She grinned and lightly smacked him on the thigh, "I did! Look...I can prove it. I saved the texts I sent to Dorme...and the pictures I took of you...from that night."
"You took pictures of me?!" His look was incredulous.
She nodded, fished her phone out of her purse, and thumbed through the saved files to find the exchange with Dorme from that fateful night. Handing the phone to him, she watched a devilish smirk bloom on his face as he read the texts and looked at the pictures.
"Damn, I sure did look hot in that suit, huh?"
Padme laughed, "You still look hot in it, y'know." She grinned when his eyes darkened with desire.
"And you, my Angel, are even more beautiful today than you were that night. Thank God for blind dates."
"Thank God for no shows, Ani."
Leaning in, Anakin softly kissed her, love shining in his eyes.
"Yeah, Angel. Thank God for no shows."
*~o0o~*
So, I had this delicious idea about a blind date fiasco between Ani and Padme and how that might play out. I tried several different angles before I was satisfied, and this was the final result. I thought this turned out super cute and hope you do, too! Enjoy!