A/N: So, I've finally finished this chapter! It took me forever. I had a terrible case of food poisoning so I spent a few days recovering from that and wasn't in the mood to write. Plus, classes started back this week so I've been busy with that. But, here it is. The newest update! It's a long chapter, so hopefully that makes up for it? Thank you for all of your reviews and support for this story. It means so much to me!
So, obviously, I've never been to an NBA game before *cries* but I do watch a lot of it on ESPN (being a basketball player myself), and I'm a pretty avid fan. But I'd like to thank my beta for helping me out with this one. Sporting games are different over here in Australia than they are in the US and I wanted to make it as realistic as possible. Honestly, it's so hard writing a story when you live in a different country and have a different culture (don't get me started on the spelling!). So thank you!
Enjoy xx
"Are you almost ready?"
Anakin's voice, holding just a tinge of exasperation, interrupted her concentration, as Padme lined her eyes in the bathroom, and caused her to jolt on a gasp, smudging her eyeliner in the process. She turned around abruptly, a deep scowl on her face, to see him standing in the doorway, watching her with a raised brow and smirk.
"Anakin!" she shrilled, clicking her tongue. "You scared me!" Pouting at him, she turned back to face the mirror, assessing the damage to her eyeliner job. A messy, black line ran out from the edge of her left eyelid almost to the width of her eyebrow. "Warn me before you do that next time. Now my eyeliner is ruined."
He chuckled softly and shook his head, before stepping up behind her and planting a quick kiss on her cheek, his good arm snaking around her waist. "Sorry, Babe," he grinned, not really sorry at all. "You're just taking forever in here."
Her eyebrows knitted together in a petulant frown at his teasing words. "Not all of us are blessed with natural good looks, Anakin. Some of us actually need to put effort into our appearance." He grinned wolfishly and winked at her implied compliment. She just shook her head at his ego.
"Oh, please, Angel" he laughed on an exhale, and his lips easily found that one sensitive spot on her neck just below her earlobe that he knew caused her to shudder, suckling and caressing it gently with his tongue and lips, and her eyes fluttered closed at the pleasurable sensations. "You're beautiful."
Though incredibly sweet, his own compliment made Padme roll her eyes, a small smirk pulling at the corners of her lips. He was hopeless. The way he saw her, through rose-coloured glasses – as though she could do no wrong in his eyes…it was a little ridiculous at times, but she adored it all the same.
"And, now you're just sucking up to me because you saw what I'm wearing underneath this," she gestured to her casual dark blue skinny jeans, burgundy knit sweater and knee-high tan boots. It looked plain on the outside, but both she – and Anakin, when he'd walked in on her getting dressed – knew what lay beneath it… her new red lingerie set. His eyes had almost popped out of his head, and his jaw had dropped when he'd walked into her bedroom without knocking, and he'd caught her in just her new bra and half-way between pulling her jeans up her legs, and she knew that if he wasn't still injured in that moment, she probably wouldn't have succeeded in getting dressed at all. A smirk danced across her lips at the memory.
A knowing glint flashed in his blue eyes, and he winked down at her, all cheeky and smug. "You know me too well, Angel." He pecked her cheek again, lips brushing softly against the corner of her lips, and inhaled her scent deeply, before he released her waist and turned and walked back out. "I'll leave you to finish getting ready," he said over his shoulder, as he paused in the doorway. "But, your dad's waiting in his car out front for us, so don't be too long, will ya?"
Padme sighed as she fixed up her eyeliner. "He's early," she grumbled under her breath. It shouldn't have been such a surprise. Her father was always early, as though he couldn't physically bear arriving at a destination unless it was half an hour before the scheduled time. Such habits had irritated her mother to no end – who saw no problem with being precisely on time or even being fashionably late. Whilst Padme never liked being late, she also disliked being too early... always striving for a happy medium, something her father clearly didn't understand.
Correcting her eyeliner and adding a hint of mascara, a dusting of blush to her cheekbones, and a light pink lip gloss to her powdered face, she donned a pair of small gold hoop earrings and let her chestnut curls fall loose over her shoulders in a shimmering curtain, covering the fuzzy, short ringlets that outlined her forehead and temples with her favourite cream beanie. Anakin was waiting for her in the kitchen, dressed in a pair of navy blue jeans, a white and maroon University of Chicago t-shirt, his black Converses, and his black leather jacket slung awkwardly around his shoulders, sitting on the barstool beside the counter. One leg was bent at the knee with his foot on the rest, the other reaching straight to the ground, tapping idly against the floor. He smiled as she approached him, amusement dancing in his gaze, the corners of his eyes crinkled and pinched.
"What?" she tipped her head to the side as she wrapped her grey scarf around her neck and went to retrieve her short, dark grey, wool peacoat from the wall-mounted hanger by the front door.
Grinning, he stood up and tucked his wallet into the back pocket of his jeans, and his cell phone in the inner pocket of his jacket. "Oh, nothing. You're just finally ready, that's all."
"Oh, shush, Ani!" she exclaimed with a roll of her eyes and picked up her black leather wallet purse off the kitchen counter, slinging it over her head and across her chest to rest on her hip. "I didn't take that long."
"I beg to differ, Padme," he countered with a snort. "You took twenty minutes to do your makeup, and thirty minutes to pick out what you were going to wear." He rolled his eyes, as if that was an unbearably long time for her to make him wait.
Padme just shook her head, amused more than annoyed at his impatience. "I can't believe you were counting!" She eyed him curiously, and caught the way he was practically bouncing in his shoes, like an impatient child on Christmas morning.
He was excited, and she really couldn't blame him. He'd never been to a basketball game before, not a professional one anyway, and he was fully entitled to be excited, as much as he apparently loved the sport itself, and she found she wanted him to enjoy every moment of this experience. Not caring (or knowing) anything about basketball herself, she acknowledged that this night was for Anakin, and she was going tonight to share this with him, to support him in one of his favourite interests. After all, he had cheerfully gone with her on Wednesday to visit the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, which he had admitted on the drive over wasn't one of his favourite activities, but he'd done it for her, to share in something she enjoyed. Now it was time to return the favour.
And, his excitement was cute, she had to admit, and she decided to inform him of that fact, making him frown at her in confusion. "God, that's so cute."
"Cute? What's cute?"
Stepping closer to him, she stretched up on her toes and kissed him quickly on his soft lips, a wide smile breaking out on her face. "You are, Ani."
Then, reaching out to take hold of his hand, the two of them headed out into the hallway, Padme bolting the door behind her and putting her house key in her purse, and they took the rickety old elevator down to the foyer. Though her and Dorme's apartment was relatively modern, due to the renovation her father had authorised before they had moved in, the rest of her building was fairly old-fashioned and a little run down, and as such, Padme hardly ever used the elevator if she could help it, preferring to stick with the stairs. But, with Anakin being injured, it was the easier option – for him anyway. That didn't mean it was the most comfortable experience, though.
It was a slow creaking journey, and at one point, Anakin fixed her with a sly grin and joked, "Hey, Babe, wouldn't it be funny if we got stuck in here all night, and we had to be rescued by the fire department?"
She fixed him with a stern glare, unimpressed by his taunt. "Don't say things like that, Anakin. You'll jinx it." When he merely smirked and shrugged, she added, "And, then you'll miss the game." She shot him a pointed look with a roll of her head.
His expression faltered just a little, but then a teasing grin replaced his frown, and he waggled his eyebrows at her suggestively. "Oh, well. I think being stuck in an elevator with you could be just as fun, don't you think?"
"You're ridiculous," she huffed, shook her head, and crossed her arms over her chest, though she couldn't help the small smile that graced her face at his remark. The humour, the banter, the playfulness that had always defined their relationship from the start had returned over this week they'd had together, and Padme knew they'd both grown closer. Things were good, she felt, and she sincerely hoped they would stay that way for a long, long time. It was so easy being with Anakin like this – without the drama, and the tension, and the jealousy. Just them, and their love, and their friendship.
It had suddenly occurred to Padme during this week that their friendship was the most important part of their relationship, more so than any of the physical attraction they felt for each other. Their relationship was built on a solid foundation of friendship. They'd been friends first and foremost, before they'd become lovers, and their deep bond of true love had been erected on that firm foundation. It was why they cared so deeply about each other. It was what made them strong together, what would keep them going for years and years, after the physical beauty and lust of their youth faded away. As time marched on, their integral bond would only strengthen more because of that lifetime of friendship they had shared.
Padme was sure of it.
Her father's black Mercedes was parked out front of her apartment building, and he was leaning up against the passenger side door, dressed in black suit pants, a white dress shirt sans tie, and a tweed jacket. As they approached, he stood back up and hugged Padme warmly, kissing her cheek as they embraced. "Hello, Sweetheart. How are you?"
She returned his embrace with equal warmth and pecked his own cheek softly, before stepping out of his arms and smiling up at him. "Great thanks, Dad. How are you?"
Ruwee readjusted his glasses and beamed down at his daughter. He looked happy, happier than she'd seen her father in a while, and Padme realised it must have been because of his renewed relationship with her mother. It made her grin, full of hope and optimism for her family. "Wonderful, thank you, Padme." His attention then turned towards Anakin, and he inclined his head. "Good to see you again, Anakin, m'boy."
Anakin shook Ruwee's outstretched hand politely and nodded his head. "You too, Sir."
"How are you feeling? Ready for the game?"
Anakin couldn't keep the wide smile off his face as he remarked, "I was born ready, Sir," a teasing lilt to his voice, which made Ruwee laugh. Padme eyed the exchange fondly, glad that her two favourite men were being civil, even nice to each other. It was a welcome change. She'd have to remember to thank her mother for opening her father's mind up about Anakin.
"Good, good," Ruwee exclaimed, jovially, before walking around to the driver's seat. "Well, we'd better head off, then. It's going to be crowded, and traffic will be heavy. Don't want to be late for the tipoff."
Opening the rear door for her, Anakin kept his hand on the small of Padme's back as she slid into her seat, then shut the door and joined Ruwee in the front passenger seat. She listened to their enthusiastic conversation about the game with only mild interest, having no idea who they were talking about or what they were even discussing half of the time. Instead, she just smiled to herself and stared out of the window, occasionally giving a vague, 'oh yes, of course,' response when either Anakin or her father asked her a question. Most of the time, though, it was like she wasn't even there.
Not that Padme was complaining, amusing as it was. Anakin and her father were actually getting along, and she wasn't about to spoil any of that. She decided to let them bond over this. They needed this to move forward. It was such a great development, and she certainly hoped that it would continue long after this weekend. As she sat in the back seat, she couldn't help but notice how happy Anakin looked. His eyes were so bright and alive, sparkling really, and he was conversing with Ruwee with such animation that he was practically glowing. She hadn't seen him like that in a very long time – possibly since Christmas, when he was talking with his uncle about his international travels. It brought a proud smile to her face.
Ruwee had been right. Traffic was heavy, and it took a good twenty minutes to make their way through the congested lanes of cars immediately around the finally parked at North Station Garage, underneath TD Garden, and caught an elevator up to the main concourse. It was absolutely packed. Padme had never seen so many people gathered together in one place in her entire life – as she'd never been to a professional sports game before. Thankfully, Anakin gripped her hand tightly in his, twining their fingers together, as they navigated their way behind her father through the throng of spectators, and she held on to him for dear life, desperately trying not to get trodden on or knocked over. Glancing up at him, she saw his face alight with pure awe as he gazed around at the venue, completely besotted, eyes darting in every direction as he tried to take in everything at once, and when he looked down at her, he grinned like a child.
"This is amazing, Padme!" he exclaimed, excitedly, over the loud hum of the crowd pressed in around them. All Padme could do was nod her head in agreement and return his enthusiastic smile, happy just to see him this excited.
"Here's your tickets, you two," Ruwee stopped and handed their tickets to Padme to hold. "We go up the escalator over there to get to our section. Come on."
Padme gaped at the sheer amount of people in the line for the escalator and clutched Anakin's hand tighter. She definitely didn't want to get lost in this huge crowd. Getting in line, they slowly made their way forward up toward the escalator, while Anakin and Ruwee continued their talk about the various player stats for the season. Once at the escalator, Anakin set Padme between Ruwee and himself on the way up, and she rolled her eyes at his over protectiveness, but was grateful for it all the same.
When they reached the top, they stopped to speak with an usher, who checked their tickets and pointed them toward the area of their seating a little further ahead. Already they could hear the pounding thrum of veryloud rock music rumbling through the arena, accompanied by the voice of the announcer over the loudspeakers and the cheers, squeals, whistles, and yells of the mass of spectators already inside the stadium.
Following along behind her father, Padme glanced down at their tickets - they were in Section 6, LOGE 13, Row A, Seat 2 and Seat 3. Anakin's eyes were wide as he scanned the view around them, and Padme assimilated his astonishment. A veritable sea of shamrock green engulfed them immediately, as they entered the stadium itself, fanning out in every conceivable direction, as fans were wearing hats, jackets, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and jerseys all emblazoned with the Boston Celtics logo, mascot, a shamrock, or player names and numbers. Many people were waving green and white hand towels wildly in the air, and Padme felt a little conspicuous in her non-green attire.
Down on the court, scantily clad cheerleaders were gyrating acrobatically across the floor to the beat of the music, while some of the opposing team players from the Los Angeles Clippers were out taking practice warmup shots. The huge Jumbotron scoreboard was mounted above the Center Court team logo, covered with flashing lights and running continuous flashy advertisements, random cam footage from inside the stadium, team and player stats and other videos.
Anakin bent down and whispered in her ear, "Look over there! See that?!" Following where he was pointing, Padme could see a large number of NBA Championship team flags hanging from the rafters. Anakin gave her a huge grin, his excitement growing tenfold now that they were actually here, and she grinned back at his childlike enthusiasm.
The game was being nationally televised on ESPN, and the camera crews were milling about the court. Suddenly, Anakin pulled her to a jolting stop and pointed toward the sidelines excitedly. "Babe, look! It's Holly Rowe from ESPN!," he exclaimed. The female reporter was already live on camera interviewing some of the coaching staff and talking to some of the players for the pregame show.
Arriving at their section at last, Ruwee motioned them into their row, himself taking the aisle seat. "Sir!" Anakin cried out in shock as they took their seats. "You got courtside seats?!" They were fantastic seats, court level, right behind the visitor's bench of the Los Angeles Clippers, and they were so close to the floor you could actually hear the players talking out on the court while doing their warmup. Padme couldn't believe her father managed to buy such great seats. It must have cost him a small fortune, and even though he could afford it, it was still incredibly generous of him. She felt a swell of affection for him in that moment, for doing something so wonderful for her and Anakin.
Laughing at his reaction, Ruwee smiled and nodded his head. "Yes, Anakin. I thought you would enjoy this."
Nodding his head vigorously, Anakin stammered, "Y-yes! I…I do. It's…Wow – thank you, Sir!"
"Really, Dad," Padme added with a warm smile. "Thank you so much. This is so generous of you."
Shrugging, Ruwee merely beamed down at her through his glasses. "Oh, it was nothing, Sweetheart. A father's allowed to spoil his daughter and her boyfriend every now and then, isn't he?"
In response, Padme released Anakin's hand to kiss her father's cheek, expressing her gratitude in that tender action. Then, she took her seat between him and Anakin, her eyes drawn to the pre-game entertainment. Her hand snuck over to caress Anakin's thigh gently, and he grinned down at her.
"Holy shit, this is incredible!" he told her, voice trembling with excitement. "I can't believe we're this close!"
Giggling at him, she patted his knee softly, and smirked. "Now, you're glad that elevator didn't break, aren't you?"
"Yep! There's no way I would miss this!" He covered her hand with his left one, lacing their fingers together and he gave hers a quick squeeze before focussing his attention on the court.
Soon, the lights dimmed, and camera flashes could be seen going off all around in the vast crowd, and the music went quiet all of a sudden. Padme's eyes widened in anticipation. Beside her, Anakin was bouncing his knee, watching with fierce eagerness as, suddenly, the music returned, even louder than before, echoing, thumping of drums, and the scoreboard above them flashed brightly with fluorescent lights. A montage of the Celtics season so far was displayed across the screen, along with a loud voiceover of their progress, welcoming everyone. Then, the lights came back on, almost blinding her, and then the opposing team players were announced first, followed by a rousing introduction of the Celtics' starting line-up, and the Boston players ran out onto the court as the cheerleaders shimmied and waved their green and white pom-poms in the air. A loud roar erupted from the crowd, and they all stood up and cheered on their home team, Ruwee, Padme, and Anakin rising along with them.
Anakin's breath hitched beside her, and his grip on her hand was even tighter. The two teams began their pre-game warm up, over loud music, and even though Padme wasn't the biggest basketball fan, she was still overwhelmed by the atmosphere. It was like nothing she'd ever seen; the only sports she'd ever watched live was when she used to watch Rush play Lacrosse at Harvard, but it was nothing compared to this. The thrum of the music and the cheers from the crowds reverberated all the way down to her bones, so that she was almost shaking with it. It didn't matter if she didn't know anything about basketball, she couldn't deny that she was excited.
"Oh my god, oh my god," Anakin kept muttering under his breath, and Padme shook her head at him, endearingly, before leaning across and pecking his cheek.
"I'm glad you're having a good time, Baby," she whispered, and he beamed down at her.
"It's awesome! Are you?" His blue eyes scanned her face carefully, as though trying to judge her reaction.
"Yeah, Ani, it's amazing," she reassured him, which earned her another heart-stopping grin.
Once the game started, however, Padme was a little less excited. She had no idea what was going on the entire time, except when each team scored. Other than that, she was lost, well and truly stumped. Any time the whistle blowed, she had to ask Anakin what was happening, which quickly got on his nerves quite obviously – he was never one for hiding his emotions. He and Ruwee were discussing the game over her head – literally, as she was between them – swearing at the referee decisions, and discussing the state of the match almost continuously. All Padme could do was sit between them, confused and trying to understand what was going on.
There was suddenly a huge uproar midway the first quarter after something happened in the game, and Padme had to tap Anakin on the shoulder. "What was that? What happened?"
Groaning at her lack of knowledge, he shook his head in exasperation. "It was an offensive foul, Padme," he grumbled in annoyance, running his left hand through his hair, straining to see what was happening with the play. "Stop asking questions, will ya? I'm trying to watch the game here!"
"Sorry," she apologized, frowning, and sank back into her seat to watch the rest of the game in silence. After another five minutes of the game went by, she decided she'd had enough of sitting down and being ignored – because she refused to ask either Anakin or her father anything else about the game, out of spite – and she decided she wanted to grab a coffee. She got out of her seat and told Anakin and her father where she was going, not that they really seemed to pay any attention to her, and left to seek out a coffee cart.
Padme climbed back up the stairs leading down to their section and went to the restroom first, then stopped an usher to ask where she could buy souvenirs. The usher directed her to the East Side, Level 2, where the Boston ProShop was, to buy team merchandise. Meandering around through the crowded corridors, she got lost twice before she finally found the shop, went in and browsed, then decided to buy Anakin both a Celtics jersey and a Celtics sweatshirt, as well as a large, green, foam finger for herself, and she asked the obviously bored girl behind the store register for directions to the nearest coffee cart.
The employee gave a flat, monotone answer that there weren't any coffee carts, and that, if she wanted something to eat or drink, she'd need to go back up to Level 5, to the Premium Club Bistro. Despite the girl's attitude, Padme thanked her cheerfully and lugged her purchases back up the escalator, heading towards the bistro and her much needed caffeinated haven.
After fighting against the increasing swell of the large crowd, Padme reached Level 5, and made her way over to the recommended Bistro. Walking in, she surveyed her surroundings – it looked nice and clean, and thankfully, it wasn't too crowded. Suddenly hungry, she perused the menu options, deciding on a couple of slices of pepperoni pizza. Grabbing a Coke with her pizza, she made her way over to a quiet table, and plopped down with her bags, tired from all the walking up and down what felt like a thousand flights of stairs. She was oblivious to just how long she'd been walking around as she quietly ate her meal, because it wasn't half time yet, and she knew Anakin and her father were too wrapped up in the game to even miss her. Yet, despite how she was initially disgruntled, she felt she couldn't be mad at them, not really. They were having a good time, and more importantly, they were bonding over a shared interest, and that was all that mattered to her.
"Excuse me, Miss? Are you finished here?"
An unfamiliar male voice interrupted her thoughts, and she glanced up to see a young – but very handsome – waiter smiling down at her. He was about Anakin's height, had pretty light hazel-green eyes, a dazzling smile with white, even teeth, and smooth, nut brown skin. His fuzzy black hair was closely shaven, and the tight jeans and the employee shirt he was wearing showcased a beautifully sculpted male physique. Unable to help herself, because she wasn't blind and he really was very attractive, Padme returned his smile and nodded her head politely. "Yes, thank you."
He nodded his head, shooting her another grin, and picked up her tray with her plate and empty cup, walking over to the trash receptacle to dispose of it before walking back to her table.
"So, what's a pretty thing like you doing eating all alone at a Celtics game, huh?"
Laughing, she played with the end of her hair, a small blush colouring her cheeks. The guy was actually flirting with her, and even though she was extremely happy in her relationship with Anakin and wouldn't ever dream of leaving him, she was quite flattered at the attention, and decided to , there was no harm in some casual flirting with a super cute guy. It had been a while since anyone else but Anakin had found her attractive, after all. "Oh, I just thought I'd beat the crowd, y'know," she responded, coyly, a smile gracing her lips.
"Not a basketball fan then, I take it?" He cast her an amused glance with a mischievous smirk, his eyes twinkling with suppressed laughter.
She made a face and rolled her eyes, making him laugh. "Is it that obvious?"
Smirking, the waiter shrugged and stuffed his hands into the front pockets of his faded, black jeans. "Well, for starters, you're not watching the game, so…"
Giggling, Padme smirked at him and flicked her hair back over her shoulder. "Alright, you caught me."
The waiter laughed again, a strong, hearty laughter, and Padme watched him with a smile. He truly was a very nice guy and would no doubt make some girl very, very happy. Only, just not her. Still, there was nothing wrong with playing along just a little bit longer.
"What's your name?" he asked with another smile, seeming to forget that there were other people in the Bistro who needed serving.
"Padme," she supplied, seeing no point in lying, but also didn't want to give herself away entirely.
"Tyler," he introduced himself then rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, shifting his weight on the spot, and the gesture reminded her so strongly of Anakin, she couldn't help but smile. "Hey…uh, I know this is kinda…weird, but, would you maybe wanna get coffee with me sometime?"
It took all of Padme's willpower not to burst out laughing at his offer, because it probably would have humiliated the poor guy, and he did seem rather sweet. Instead, she tried to keep her face as straight as possible as she smiled warmly up at him. "Oh, wow! That's…that's so nice of you, Tyler, but I've got a boyfriend already. Sorry."
His expression faltered just a little, but he brushed it off with an easy smile. "Oh, alright then. No worries. He's a really lucky guy."
Padme blushed again and smiled at his compliment. "Thank you."
Tyler nodded his head and asked, "Hey, would you like a coffee? On the house. I'm about to go on break anyway, and I could join you, if you'd like? Seeing as we're both by ourselves and all."
His offer was extremely generous and sweet, and Padme couldn't think of a single reason to refuse him, so she nodded her head and asked for a vanilla latte. Flashing her another one of those charming smiles, Tyler went back to the kitchen to place her coffee order, and Padme watched him leave with a small, mischievous smile, her dark eyes twinkling with a wicked gleam. Really, he was exceptionally charming and sweet and very good-looking, and whilst Padme wasn't interested, she knew someone who might be.
Dorme.
Of course, her best friend was hung up on Trey at the moment, but Padme didn't trust or like the guy. Anyone who treated her stunning, hilarious, brilliant best friend as just a sex object didn't deserve her, and she had a feeling that one day, he would let Dorme down, big time and break her heart. Tear her into tiny little pieces. And, maybe...just maybe, when that day came, Tyler would come in with his dazzling smile and easy going personality and pick her back up again. That was the plan Padme had concocted in her head, anyway. Whether it came to fruition would have to be seen; yet, she was determined, one way or another, for her plan to succeed, because he really seemed like he'd get along really well with Dorme, and Padme wanted her best friend to be as happy in a relationship as she was with Anakin. She deserved it.
Tyler returned five minutes or so later with her vanilla latte and his own coffee, and sat down opposite her, leaning back in his chair with one leg bent up over his knee. "So, humour me," he began with a smirk. "If you don't like basketball, why the hell are you here?!"
Padme couldn't help it. She laughed, her eyes crinkling at the corners with mirth, and sipped her latte. "Well-l-l, long story short, my father bought tickets for himself, me, and my boyfriend," she explained casually. "They're both avid basketball fans, and, frankly, I'm just along for the ride, I suppose. But, I didn't really understand what was going on in the game, so I decided to wander around the arena for a bit, and ended up here."
"So, you were bored." He looked amused.
"Something like that, yeah."
"Well, Padme, I'm glad you did," he flashed her a genuine smile, which reached his eyes. "It's not every day I get to talk to such a pretty girl when I'm on shift here."
"Yeah, right. I'm so sure that's not true," Padme remarked with a smirk and a roll of her eyes. "A charming guy like you, Tyler? I bet you get tons of pretty girls in here flirting with you all the time."
He ignored her comment, choosing instead to stare into his coffee, then take a sip, somewhat bashfully, which Padme found pretty sweet. Oh, yeah...He'd be perfect for Dorme, Padme thought to herself.
"So, what do you do with yourself, Padme?"
"I'm at Harvard. Political science major."
Her admission made him raise his eyebrows. "Wow. Pretty and smart. Man, it's a real shame you've got a boyfriend." He said with a shake of his head.
"For such a smooth talker, I'm surprised you don't have a girlfriend," Padme countered with a smirk. "What's the catch?"
Grinning at her tease, Tyler shrugged his shoulders, his eyes sparkling. "Is too awesome a good enough answer?"
Padme shook her head, unable to contain her laughter. Honestly, this guy's ego was almost as big as Anakin's. They continued to chat for a little while longer, and Padme grew to like him more and more. He was twenty-three, a Boston native, studying Physical Therapy at Boston University, and was a college hockey player, which piqued her interest – for she enjoyed hockey way more than basketball. Just as they were getting into an animated discussion about the current NHL season, Padme's phone began to ring.
It was Anakin.
"Just a sec, Tyler...it's my boyfriend," she said and then answered the phone. "Hey, Baby," she spoke into the phone cheerfully.
"Where are you at, Angel? You've been gone for quite a while," Anakin asked, his voice slightly muffled from the background noise as a cheer suddenly erupted through the phone. "It's almost half-time."
"I got lost, but I'm in the Bistro on Level 5 now."
"Alright. I'll come find you. Stay there. See you soon, Babe."
He hung up before she could say anything else, and Padme tucked her phone back into her purse and looked up to see Tyler watching her with amusement. "Your boyfriend finally missing you, huh?"
"Something like that," Padme mused with a wry smirk. "He's probably hungry. Can I buy food to go?"
"Sure. What would he like?" Tyler asked with a half shrug.
She paused and chewed on the inside of her cheek in thought. "A couple of slices of pepperoni pizza and a large Coke."
"Coming right up. Stay put, and I'll bring it out to you. Would you like another latte, too?"
"Sure. That'd be great. Thanks, Tyler."
With a smiling nod, Tyler rose from the table and went to place her To Go order, while Padme leaned back in her chair and sipped at her coffee, even more certain now that her plan had merit. Now, she just had to get him and Dorme to meet… arrange a date somehow. Of course, her friend would most likely hate being set up like that, but Padme was sure she could convince her. And, if it didn't work out, at least she'd have made a new friend out of it. She liked Tyler, and was certain Anakin would as well. They were so similar, they were bound to get along.
"So, you're a hockey fan then?" He asked as he plopped back down opposite her, handing over her To Go order and giving her another latte.
Padme took it from him with a grateful smile and gave him the money. "Yes. I am. It's what happens when you grow up in Minnesota, I suppose."
Tyler laughed good-naturedly and tilted his head as he looked at her. "Ah, so you're from Minnesota. Funny, I never would've guessed that. You don't have the accent, y'know. I was thinking you're an East Coast kinda girl."
"Nope," Padme shook her head and smiled. "Minneapolis, born and raised."
Rubbing his chin, Tyler leaned back further in his chair, striking an easy pose. The way he held himself, his mannerisms, it was so much like Anakin. Honestly, the resemblance was uncanny. Padme wondered if this was why she was enjoying his company so much. That, and the fact that he was genuinely a nice guy.
"Nice. I can't believe you're a hockey fan, though," he remarked, seemingly astounded.
Padme quirked an eyebrow in amusement. "Why?"
He paused, as though trying to articulate what he was thinking without offending her, and Padme waited with keen interest, eager to know his opinion of her. "You're just… You don't seem like the type, y'know? I mean… Hockey is rough."
"Oh, I know," she said eagerly, her eyes sparkling with interest. "I love it. I never miss a Bruins game on TV, if I can help it."
"You should come to a college game sometime. I mean, I play, so I might be able to hook you up with cheap tickets, if you want. You could bring your boyfriend…Or, one of your single girl friends…I'd prefer the latter to be honest," he grinned and flashed her a wink, which made her laugh and shake her head. Truly, he was like a brunette version of Anakin.
"Alright, Tyler. I'll take you up on that offer," Padme declared suddenly, feeling more confident than ever that her plan was going to work. "Can I have your number? And, if you want, I'll give you mine." She said as she fished her phone out of her purse.
He seemed a little surprised by her request, but nodded his head and smiled, handing her his phone before taking hers and punching in his phone number and saving it under his name, while Padme did the same on his cell.
"Padme!"
She turned around at the sound of Anakin's voice and beamed at him brightly. He returned her smile enthusiastically, until he noticed who she was sitting with, and that he had her phone and she was handing his back to him, and his expression turned sour almost immediately and he quickly strode over to her side. Not wanting another Clovis episode, Padme stood up from her seat and stretched up on her toes to kiss him quickly, letting her hand skim down his arm to take his and squeeze it firmly.
"Ani, you found me," she muttered into his mouth, before pulling back and flashing him a bright smile.
"I don't know how you got lost," he grumbled, releasing her hand to rest his on her waist, pulling her snugly into his side, instantly taking a possessive stance, his eyes fixed on Tyler. "There were signs everywhere."
She laughed and wrapped her arm around his waist as some sort of reassurance, leaning into his side affectionately. "Tyler, this is Anakin. My boyfriend. Ani, this is Tyler."
"Figured that from the heavy PDA display," Tyler remarked, standing up, his eyes flashing with mirth as he looked Anakin up and down, and held out his hand to him, who eyed it warily. "And, I was wrong. I think you're the lucky one here, Padme," he smirked with a wink.
Anakin seemed to brighten up at that, puffing out his chest smugly and, to Padme's surprise, he shook Tyler's hand. Padme felt an immediate sense of pride – he was actually acting maturely… He'd grown, and it only made her heart fill with affection for him. Of course, he was still a little… suspicious of the fact that Padme had just given her number to a very handsome stranger, but he was handling it well – very well – if she was being honest, and that was all she could ask of him.
"Nice to meet you, Tyler," he said, somewhat stiffly.
Tyler chuckled good-naturedly, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'd say the same to you, man, but you've just kicked my confidence to the curb. I never stood a chance, did I?" He addressed Padme with a smirk, who giggled and shook her head. Honestly, Tyler was hilarious – he'd get along with Dorme well. Really well. They both had that snappy sarcastic wit and banter. Padme was certain they'd like each other immediately.
"Sorry, Tyler," she replied, teasingly with a shrug.
"Oh, well," he shrugged his shoulders. "Still holding out for one of your single girlfriends, though."
"I think that can be arranged."
"Um…What?" Anakin muttered, flicking his gaze back and forth between Padme and Tyler, completely lost. Padme shook her head at him, endearingly and rubbed her hand up along his side affectionately.
"Tyler's a hockey player for Boston University, and he wants me to bring one of my single girlfriends to watch him play. So, I agreed," she explained, jovially.
Anakin nodded his head slowly, processing the information, then tipped his head to the side in adorable confusion. "Wait…You like hockey?! I didn't know that, Angel."
She gaped at him, unable to believe he didn't know that about her. Surely she'd told him that before. "Of course, Ani. I love hockey, especially the Bruins. I thought you knew that?"
He shook his head. "I would've remembered, Babe. I love hockey, too." Anakin gave her waist a gentle squeeze.
That brought a massive smile to her face at finding out something new about Anakin...and that it was a shared interest at that. Anytime she discovered a new little secret about him, it only made her love him even more – whether it was good or bad.
"Well, I didn't know that, either. Hmm...looks like we have something else in common besides just brains and good looks, Ani," she countered teasingly with a grin, her eyes dancing with both mirth and excitement.
He smiled down at her, a warm, gorgeous smile that made her insides quiver. "I guess I just assumed you knew. I took Ahsoka to a Wild game when she was going through her hockey phase."
"Well… Maybe you should take me one day," she suggested with a smile. "Tyler, when's your next game?" she asked, looking back at her new friend.
Snapping back to attention, for he looked as though he had completely tuned out for a couple of minutes whilst Padme and Anakin were talking, Tyler grinned at her. "Next weekend. This weekend is our bye."
"Oh." Well, that ruined that idea, but, there was still the opportunity for her to take Dorme along and put her plan into action.
Beside her, Anakin chuckled, his entire body rumbling and vibrating against her arm. "It's alright, Babe. We'll go another time, alright?"
Tyler stared at them in confusion. "Do you have something going on next weekend?"
"Ani's at the University of Chicago," Padme explained with pride, tilting her head to beam up at Anakin, who responded to her praise with a sweet kiss to her hair. "He goes home on Sunday."
"Ah, long distance relationship. That's gotta suck. I feel for you, man," he addressed Anakin with a sympathetic grimace, "I don't think I could stand being separated from my girlfriend like that, especially if she was as pretty and sweet as yours is."
Anakin nodded his head in agreement, smiling down at Padme. "Yeah, I hear ya, man. It is rough, but..."
"We make it work," Padme finished his sentence and smiled happily up at him, her look adoring, as she slipped her hand into the back pocket of Anakin's jeans. "Anyway, we should probably get back to the game. But, we'll keep in contact, though, yeah?"
Tyler nodded his head with a smile. "Yeah, of course. It was nice meeting you both. Enjoy the rest of the game."
Padme smiled brightly at him and thanked him for his lovely company, before she and Anakin headed back towards their section, food, drink, and Padme's shopping bags in hand. He kept his arm around her waist as they walked. "So, that's why you were gone for so long," he teased her, though she still heard the twinge of jealousy in his voice. He was hiding it pretty well – as well as Anakin could, though, which made her beam with pride at his efforts.
"Well, you were ignoring me, so I left and found someone fun to talk to," she looked up at him with an impish grin on her face.
He raised his eyebrows at her. "I see. And, so you decided to get his number because…?"
Padme laughed. "So, that I can set him up with Dorme, of course."
"Oh my god, Padme…" Anakin sighed, bemused, shaking his head.
"Well, he did ask me out first, so I thought it was only fair to set him up with her."
It was then that Anakin stopped in his tracks and stared down at her with wide eyes. "What?!"
"Oh, relax, Ani!" Padme laughed and pulled on his hand, closing the distance between them, so that she could wrap her right arm around his neck, her bags on her left arm. "I told him I already had a boyfriend. You don't have to be jealous."
He pouted at her. "I'm not jealous, Angel," he insisted, unconvincingly. "Just, I'm entitled to be less than thrilled when a guy hits on you."
Padme caressed the back of his neck tenderly and stretched up on her toes so their noses were pressed together. "You know, you are kinda cute when you're jealous, Ani." She whispered, her eyes shining up at him.
"I'm not jealous. And, I'm not cute!"
"Yes, you are. And, I love you." Then, to soothe his somewhat bruised ego, she pressed her lips to his softly, kissing him again and again until he softened into her embrace and returned her kiss.
Pulling back, his smile mirroring her own, she suddenly decided to tease him a little further. "Ani, je t'aime...je t'aime tellement, mon amore." Her mouth curved into a soft smile, and she licked her lips, feeling him tense in her arms, his eyes darkening with the stirrings of desire.
"I love it when you talk French to me," he growled as he rubbed his hand gently on her lower back and leaned down to press his forehead to hers.
Smiling sensuously, she stared into his eyes. "I know you do," she purred, nibbling on his lips once more before releasing him from her embrace. "Come on," she reached down to take his good hand back in hers. "We should probably go back to our seats. Dad will wonder where we've got to."
Anakin nodded in agreement, a wicked grin on his face, and muttered, "Wait, not yet," before hauling her back to him and kissing her fiercely. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she released a little groan of surprise, but quickly succumbed to his kiss. It was clearly what he needed, in order to quell his jealousy, and Padme didn't mind at all. "Alright, now we can go," he said when he pulled away and gripped her hand tightly, as they made their way back towards their seats.
There was only a minute left of the first half by the time they sat back down, which surprised Padme. She hadn't realised she'd been gone so long. She'd missed most of the first half! Once the half time siren went off, echoing shrilly through the entire stadium, almost half of the audience in the arena stood up and left in a large shuffling mass of shamrock green paraphernalia, and Padme just watched it, incredulously. She was grateful that she'd gotten food before the mad rush, or she most definitely would've gotten lost. She was also glad she'd gotten Anakin food in the Bistro beforehand, which he'd eaten as soon as they got back to their seats.
The half time entertainment came out on stage, first with a performance from the cheerleaders, who danced and gyrated acrobatically across the expanse of the court in astonishing complexity. Padme had never been a fan of cheerleaders. The whole concept of scantily dressed girls cheering on the men, purely for the sake of sexualisation, irritated her to no end. But, as she observed the performance, she couldn't deny that they were incredibly skilful. The way they tossed each other around, and back flipped and somersaulted… there was no way she would ever be capable of doing something like that.
Glancing next to her at Anakin, she noticed with a shake of her head that he was just as intrigued by their performance as she was, though for entirely different reasons to be sure. Even her own father was watching intently, and she sighed and rolled her eyes. Men, she thought to herself with a half laugh. They were so predictable.
"Hey, look!" Anakin exclaimed suddenly, nudging Padme in the ribs after a few minutes and pointed at the scoreboard. "It's the Kiss Cam!"
Sure enough, when she followed his gaze, she saw the camera focus in on a couple, only a bit older than them, kissing intensely on screen, as the crowd cheered them on. Padme watched, slightly mortified. She could think of nothing more embarrassing than doing that in front of an entire stadium of people, especially when being cheered on. Of course, small kisses here and there in the streets was alright, but not sucking each other's faces off. There were some things that should be kept private, she felt, and when she raised this opinion to Anakin, he stared at her incredulously.
"What's the problem, Babe?" he asked in confusion, laughing at her disgusted reaction. "It's just a gimmick. People love it."
She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned. "Well, I don't. I can't think of anything worse than kissing someone like that in front of all these people."
Anakin waggled his eyebrows at her. "Even if it was me?"
"Yes. Even you, Ani. I just think that – "
" – oh my god, we're on Kiss Cam!" he cried suddenly, interrupting her, and before Padme even had a chance to process what was happening, he leaned over and crushed his mouth against hers, his hand sliding up the back of her neck, twisting in her curls, to keep her there. She grunted into his mouth in protest, but the feel of his soft, smooth lips moving against her own so deliciously soon made her forget herself, and when he slid his hungry tongue inside her mouth, she accepted him willingly. All around them, the crowd erupted into a loud chorus of cheering and clapping, and as they broke apart, Padme felt her cheeks redden and flush with embarrassment, and she ducked her head to hide her flaming cheeks in the soft fall of her hair.
Anakin was grinning down at her triumphantly, as though he'd just gotten away with something he shouldn't have, and whilst it was an adorable expression, Padme glowered at him, her lips thinning into a line, her eyes narrowed.
"Anakin!" she scolded him, bashfully fiddling with the hem of her jumper. "I can't believe you just did that!"
He chuckled heartily, winking at her. "Oh, relax, Angel, it wasn't that bad. Did you hear it? They loved it!"
She rolled her eyes. He was such a sucker for attention, it was ridiculous. He didn't even hide it well. It was written all over his face, in the way he was smirking, all smug and proud, and puffing up his chest. "I told you I didn't want to do that. I don't like that kind of thing," she huffed, turning away from him, eyes fixed back on the court.
With a sigh, he slung his left arm around her shoulders and pressed a sweet kiss to her temple, all soft and affectionate. "I'm sorry, Padme," he whispered in her ear. "I didn't mean to embarrass you." Slowly, she turned her head to face him, not entirely in the mood to forgive him, not yet anyway, and quirked an eyebrow. "I'll make it up to you when we get home," he promised, his voice low and husky as he nipped her earlobe, causing her body to betray her as a shudder trembled down her spine. "Promise."
Those blue eyes of his were wide and pleading and gorgeous, and she couldn't stay mad at him any longer. Curling her lips into a soft smile, she wet her lips and nodded her head. "Well, since you promised…"
With a grin, clearly happy that she'd forgiven him, he swooped down to peck her lips quickly and then took hold of her hand once more, smothering her in his warm skin. "You know you love me," he quipped as the players came back onto the court for a quick warm up before the second half.
Padme couldn't help but smile at the beautiful boy beside her and laced her fingers with his, intimately. "Yeah. I do."