A/N: So, I think I deserve some sort of award or something, because I finished this chapter quicker than I expected! YAY ME! *pats self on back*. Anyway, back to the story. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Padme and Anakin kinda take a back seat in this one, but sometimes it's nice to sit back and focus on other characters for a change. At least, that's how I feel anyway.
I don't know when I'll next update this, but I promise it will be within the next two months? (Is that a terrible thing to promise?) Just know that I love and cherish all of you and your wonderful support for me and this story! MUCH LOVE :D
"Is this alright to wear to a hockey game?" Dorme asked, a twinge of nervousness in her voice. Padme, in the middle of straightening her hair, looked up to see her roommate standing in the doorway to the bathroom. She was in a pair of high-waisted, white-washed boyfriend jeans, cinched at the waist by a black leather belt, and a maroon crop top with a halter-choker neckline that gave her incredible cleavage. A pair of black, lace-up flats and her black leather jacket completed the outfit, and she wore her thick, brown hair in a high ponytail, her bangs framing her face prettily, showing off the six piercings adorning her ears.
Unable to help herself, Padme issued a low wolf-whistle, voicing her appreciation. "Damn, girlfriend, you look fine," she smirked and shot her friend a wink.
Rolling her eyes, Dorme fiddled with the hem of her jacket idly. "Is it too fancy? Too casual? I really don't know what the goal is here."
Padme waved her hand, dismissing her comment. "It's fine. You look amazing. I wish I had legs like yours."
Dorme just rolled her eyes, but Padme noticed the pink tinge decorating her cheeks and grinned to herself. Underneath her bravado and sarcasm, Dorme could be just as insecure and anxious as Padme. She'd known her for years…They'd gone to school together for so long, and Padme was closer to her than anyone else, apart from her family and Anakin, of course. They knew each other inside out, and even though Dorme had turned up her nose at the idea of being set up, Padme knew she was secretly a little bit nervous about it. And, that only made her plan so much sweeter. Honestly, she had no doubt sparks would fly between Tyler and her roommate. She was sure of it.
When they were both ready, they caught a cab down to BU, to Agganis Arena where the game was being played. When Tyler had texted that he had two tickets for her, he'd told her they were playing Providence at 7 p.m and it left Padme practically buzzing with excitement. Next to tennis, hockey was by far her favourite sport, and she loved watching the Bruins play on T.V. But, she hadn't seen a live hockey game in so long, probably since her freshman year at Harvard, and the prospect was an exciting one.
And, of course, there was the added bonus of catching up with Tyler again. She liked him; he was intelligent, had a great sense of humour, and he was charming and a genuinely nice guy – at least, from what she had gathered over the past week. And, she wasn't blind...He was certainly very attractive, and the more she'd gotten to know him, the more she believed he was perfect for Dorme. They'd kept in contact since they'd met each other at the Celtics game, and when Padme had told him she was holding up her promise and bringing along one of her single girlfriends to watch him play, he'd been overtly...enthusiastic.
Tyler had said his roommate, Mike, was to meet them out the front at the Main Entrance of the arena with their tickets, and once they arrived, they had to search him out in the rather boisterous gathered crowd. According to the description from Tyler, Mike was a skinny, lanky guy with light brown hair and blue eyes, but as Padme scanned the area, she realized that that could literally be any one of the multitude of males currently milling around in the crowd. She sighed irritably, rolling her eyes at Tyler's lack of description and wishing he'd actually texted her a picture, when suddenly, she heard someone calling out her name.
Turning around, she saw a skinny, lanky young man with light brown hair and blue eyes approaching her with a smile, and she realized that this must be Mike, because her name definitely wasn't a common one, so he couldn't have been talking to anyone else.
Padme smiled at him unsurely as he ran up to her. "Mike?"
"Yeah. Padme, right?"
Padme nodded her head, smiling, and held out her hand. "Yes. And, this is my friend, Dorme."
He shook her hand, giving her a quick once over, before flicking his eyes over to Dorme, doing the same. "Nice to meet you both. I'm Ty's roommate. Here's your tickets. We better head inside. The game starts in about twenty-five minutes." Handing them their tickets, he lead the pair of them through the crowd and inside the arena to their seats. It was packed, and cold, because of the ice rink, and Padme was suddenly glad she'd opted for her thick, woollen pea coat, as well as her Harvard sweatshirt, white turtleneck, and black jeans tucked inside her favourite tan knee high boots. Dorme, on the other hand, was visibly shaking in her leather jacket, her teeth chattering, and she muttered under her breath about regretting her outfit choice. Padme just shook her head with a smile, and assured her friend that at least she still looked fabulous...chilly maybe, but fabulous, which caused Dorme to smirk and roll her eyes.
Tyler had gotten them great seats in section 112, diagonally to the right behind BU's team bench. Mike sat next to Padme, with Dorme on her other side, as they waited for the game to start and the three of them began chatting away. Studying a business major at BU, he was the same age as Tyler, at 23. Padme liked him, too. He was cute, in a bit of a dorky kind of way, and he had a great sense of humour, which soon had both girls laughing. He was one of those guys that was just so easy to talk to, someone that Padme thought would be able to talk to absolutely anyone, anywhere and hold a legitimate conversation on just about anything. And, boy, did he like to talk, which Padme found highly amusing. It was convenient that Mike was a huge hockey fan, too, since he was Tyler's roommate, and gave them both a quick history of the BU hockey program, including their 5 National Championships, and that the program had produced 157 NHL draftees to date, which he recited like it was common knowledge.
As the two teams were coming out on the ice to take their warmup shots, Dorme excused herself to go to the restroom. Mike pointed Tyler out to Padme. He wore #6 this season, and they watched as he skated and stretched during the pregame warmup with his teammates. Padme couldn't help but notice how gracefully, yet powerfully, he moved over the ice. Mike explained Tyler played forward and was usually on the second line rotation this roster.
Right at that moment, as Tyler and his teammate, Jordan Greenway, another forward, skated past their section, he looked up into the stands, spotted Mike with Padme and suddenly grinned widely and motioned for them to head down to the ice. Skating over to the edge of the rink, he waited for them as they made their way down to him. Seeing his beaming smile, Padme couldn't help but return it, and silently cursed Dorme's poor restroom timing.
"Hey, Padme! Glad you made it! Thanks for coming!"
"Hey, Ty! No worries," Padme grinned back at him. "I'm actually really excited!"
Tyler nodded his head. "Yeah, it should be a good game. Where's your friend?" he added, glancing around the stands.
Amused at his eagerness, she was again strongly reminded of Anakin, and laughingly replied, "Don't worry! She's here. Dorme just went to the restroom. She'll be right back." Despite her reassurance, he still looked a little crestfallen at not getting to meet Dorme before the game, but nodded his head, saying he needed to get to the bench but would see them all after the game.
Moving back up to their seats, they noticed Dorme was back, and they settled in for the game, as the announcer came on over the loudspeakers. Standing for the national anthem, they clapped loudly as the starting line-up for each team was announced, and then, sitting back down, Padme leaned forward with anticipation as the opposing players lined up for the opening face-off.
Glad she'd thought to bring her earphones for the game's radio broadcast, Padme watched and listened intently to the play-by-play. It was thrillingly fast paced, the teams evenly matched as the players raced up and down the ice, and the three of them found themselves caught up in the intensity of it, alternatively booing at bad calls and cheering wildly with the rest of the crowd when BU scored first, just as the first twenty-minute period of regulation play came to an end.
The three of them chatted easily about the game during the break between periods, and when the second period started, Padme quickly noticed Dorme's eyes were eagerly trained on Tyler's every move on the ice. Grinning inwardly to herself, she was delighted to see this spark of interest in her best friend, and her feeling that this would work out beautifully grew even more.
With five minutes left in the second period, after Providence scored, tying the game at 1 - 1, an altercation between several players broke out on the ice, including Tyler, and Padme watched and listened with growing amusement at the string of curses Dorme muttered under her breath in Tyler's defence when he was sent to the penalty box, as she nervously bounced her knees and rubbed her hands on her thighs. This is getting better and better, she thought to herself, smugly.
As the third and final period of regulation play began, Padme's phone vibrated in her pocket. Quickly reaching for it, she saw a text from Anakin and beamed as she read it.
Hey babe. How's the game so far?
Grinning, Padme quickly took a selfie of her and Dorme making funny faces and sent it to Anakin with her response: Hi baby. Going great! Game's tied. I think she likes him!
Anakin's response was immediate. LOL you cheeky matchmaker. Have fun. Call me later. Love you :)
Laughing, she quickly wrote back that she'd call when she got home, sending him a kissy emoji, before putting her phone away and turning her attention back to the game.
As the closing minutes of the third period ticked down, the play on the ice heated up. Three minutes before the closing buzzer, Tyler and Jordan suddenly sprinted up the ice, the puck flying back and forth between them with well-practiced ease, headed for the Providence goal, and Padme had to admit she was impressed at Tyler's skill on the ice.
The crowd collectively pushed to their feet, cheering and chanting the BU fight song, as the BU players worked feverishly for an opening to the net. Tyler, working the puck against the boards behind the Providence net, broke free of the opposing defenceman, skated to his left, pulled back quickly with his stick and shot the puck toward Jordan, who had raced to the front of the net. He received the puck from Tyler, whirled and slapped it hard toward the upper left side of the goal. The Providence goalie lunged to grab it, but wasn't fast enough, and the puck flew past him, landing in the net. Suddenly, a tremendous roar erupted from the ecstatically cheering fans, and Dorme, bouncing up and down with excitement like everyone else, reached out and crushed Padme in a hug, causing her to wince momentarily at the hard squeeze, but pleased just the same by her friend's sudden enthusiasm.
They happily watched as Tyler and Jordan were congratulated by their teammates, and Padme was pleased to see Tyler quickly glance up at them from the ice, shooting them a wink before heading to the bench. The final buzzer rang out moments later, signalling the end of the game, and the fans applauded and cheered their home team's 2 -1 victory over Providence.
Much to Padme's disappointment, they didn't get to see Tyler immediately after the game, as he and his teammates skated off the ice towards the locker room for a post-game analysis with their coach. However, as they were sitting there waiting, her phone vibrated again, this time with a message from Tyler himself.
Hey! So we're having a victory party. Mike knows where to go. I'd love it if you and your friend came!
Padme immediately discussed the idea with Dorme, who agreed instantly, before shooting back a reply. It had been months since she'd last been to a party – the last one being when she'd visited Anakin and met his friends for the first time – and while she was determined not to disgrace herself like she had then, she was most definitely going to enjoy herself. Partying with Dorme was always a fun experience. The girl could hold her liquor quite impressively and had some of the best dance moves Padme had ever witnessed.
They waited until the arena was almost empty before Mike took them to the frat house where the party was being held. It was only a couple of blocks from the Agganis Arena, so they decided to walk. The streets were packed with cheering fans whooping and celebrating loudly, and at one point, a car full of guys drove past with the windows down, and they wolf- whistled and hollered suggestively out at Padme and Dorme. Padme just rolled her eyes at them – they were probably drunk already. Dorme just laughed and blew them kisses, while Mike was less than impressed, taking a defensive stance and stepping between the girls and the road as an adorable attempt to protect them that Padme found highly amusing.
It was chaotic when they came within a few yards of the party, which had migrated out onto the front lawn and the sidewalk and the street. Padme had an uncomfortable feeling of déjà vu and quickly sent a photo to Anakin with the comment: Look where I ended up :/
His response dripped with mockery as he replied: Try not to throw up all over yourself this time babe ;)
Grinning to herself, she fired back a rapid response: Smartass.
His reply was instantaneous: LOL just saying
Shaking her head in amusement, she tucked her phone away in her coat pocket and followed as Mike lead them through the dense throng of people at the party in search of Tyler. They found him over in the lounge room, talking with a bunch of his teammates, and when he noticed them, he beamed widely and hurried over to greet them. He'd obviously showered after the game, because he was now dressed in a pair of black jeans and a tight fitting, dark green cashmere sweater, which made the green in his eyes pop.
"Hey!" he greeted them excitedly, pulling Padme into a rough bear hug, which she happily returned, before slapping Mike on the back in masculine affection. Once he turned and saw Dorme, however, Padme smirked at the way he swallowed thickly and trailed his eyes up and down her body before resting on her face. He looked really…nervous, which confused Padme just a little. When he'd flirted with her at the game last Friday, he'd been nothing but suave and oozing with confidence, but here, it was like he was a totally different person all of a sudden. It only filled Padme with much more hope that this was going to work out.
Coughing, he summoned his courage and held out his hand to her. "Hi, I'm Tyler. You must be Dorme."
Dorme shook his hand and nodded her head, giving him her brightest smile. "Yes. It's nice to meet you, Tyler."
Tyler laughed nervously and let go of her hand, rubbing the back of his neck in that way that reminded Padme so much of Anakin. "Yeah. You, too." They stood there for a while, just staring at each other. The air between them was thick with electricity, and so Padme decided to break up the moment before it got too uncomfortable.
"Great game, Ty!" Padme congratulated him with a smile, using the nickname he'd said she could call him. "You played really well! Wonderful assist you had on that last goal. I was really impressed!"
His chest puffed out just a little at the praise, and he grinned. "Thanks. It's always good to get a win." Then, as his gaze drifted back to Dorme, he added, "Do you ladies want a drink?"
Both girls nodded in affirmation, and so Tyler and Mike headed for the hallway bathroom, where the tub had been filled with ice for the storage of drinks. Padme watched Dorme as they left, noting how her best friend's eyes followed Tyler with this...strange expression on her face, as though she'd recently been hit over the head with a large textbook. It made Padme laugh.
"So…?" Padme waggled her eyebrows, unable to keep the smirk off her face. "Am I the best friend ever or am I the best friend ever, huh?!"
Dorme fixed her with a blank look, feigning nonchalance about the entire thing. As always. Dorme had the art of the poker face down pat, and rarely showed her emotions unless she specifically wanted to. "He seems…nice," she concluded after a mild pause, as though searching her vocabulary for the least descriptive word she could find. "I mean…I don't know him, so I can't really form an opinion, or anything...but I would say, from a first glance - "
Padme rolled her eyes at her best friend and nudged her in the ribs with her elbow. "It's okay to admit he's hot, y'know. I'm not gonna judge!"
Somehow, her reassurance seemed to be all Dorme needed, for her act dropped immediately, and her cheeks flushed bright red. "Alright, yeah. I admit it...He's really fucking hot." Then, groaning in embarrassment, her eyes widening in horror, she slapped her hand over her mouth as though she's just said something horrible. "Oh god, does that make me shallow?"
Unable to contain her laughter, Padme just places her hand on Dorme's arm in an attempt to placate her. "No, honey. It just means you have a pair of eyes."
"Seriously, though," Dorme muttered under her breath. "Wherethe hell do you find all these amazingly good looking men?! I mean...Damn, woman! First Anakin, now him," Dorme thumbed toward the hallway where the guys had gone, "I mean, Trey's not bad looking, but he's sure as hell not a fucking Abercrombie & Finch model...like that one!" Her eyes drifted back to the hallway for a moment before growing wide, almost accusatory, and it only made Padme laugh harder.
"I met him last Friday at the Celts game with Ani and Dad. He works at the bistro there part time, and he served me coffee when I went to get food."
Dorme just shook her head and heaved a sigh. "Okay. That's it. I need to start going places with you more. And, I gotta know...How do you just randomly become close friends with a super hot guy who serves you coffee?"
"Well, Ty did ask me out, but – "
" – Oh, great! That's just fucking perfect," Dorme muttered darkly under her breath, her expression turning sour. The change in her friend took Padme completely by surprise.
"What?"
"Of course, he asked you out," she drawled sarcastically on a huff.
Frowning, Padme crossed her arms and fixed her friend with a slight scowl. "What are you talking about?" she demanded firmly.
"Oh, nothing," Dorme dismissed her, her expression snarky. "By now, let's just say I'm used to being second best to the oh so perfect Padme Naberrie. It's not like it's anything new." Dorme snorted and rolled her eyes.
This sudden angry outburst from her best friend was unexpected and a little shocking. Is that what Dorme really thought? That she was perfect? Padme scoffed at such a ridiculous idea. She was far from perfect. "I'm not perfect, Dorme. Nowhere near it," she retorted immediately with a firm nod. "And, secondly, you're second best to no one. Where the hell is all this coming from anyway?"
Dorme just rolled her eyes again. "Oh, please. Spareme, will you?I'm always comingin second to you. You've always been the prettier one, the smarter one, the more popular one. It's been like this ever since high-school, Padme. You just haven't noticed because you're too absorbed in your own damn problems to worry about anyone else's."
Her words sliced through the air like a knife, cutting Padme deep. She'd never heard Dorme say anything remotely like that before. "That's – that's not true. Dorme, you're not…second to me! I've never thought that at all. Ever." Padme returned hotly, upset to hear her best friend talking like this.
"Cut me the pity, Padme," Dorme sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Do you think I enjoy being someone's second choice? I'm already competing for Trey, but that's with girls I haven't met before. I never thought I'd have to compete against my own fucking best friend for a guy."
"Dorme…" Padme reached out and put her hand on her shoulder, but her friend shrugged her off, hurt and betrayal written all over her face. "There's no competition here. Tyler and I are just friends. That's all. I love Anakin, remember? And, Tyler knows about Anakin – he even met him at the game…it was just one time, before he knew I had a boyfriend…"
But Dorme, it seemed, was intent on keeping her views. "I can't believe you, of all people, would do this to me! Setting me up with a guy who is totally into you? Does that make you feel better about yourself?"
"No!" Padme insisted, horrified at Dorme's perspective, and trying desperately to keep her voice from getting too loud, but it was proving difficult to do. She couldn't believe they were fighting about this. This! They hadn't had a fight in years. "Dorme, that's not why I - you've got this all wrong. I just thought it would be good for you…"
"Then what? What?! You feel sorry for me, or something? Because I'mnot in some soap opera relationship like you, that's means I'm not happy?" She didn't even give Padme a chance to respond, before continuing on her verbal rampage, a deep scowl on her face. "How am I supposed to even stand a chance with a guy who's into you? Answer me that, huh? Seriously, Padme. You can be a complete idiot sometimes."
Then, she abruptly turned on her heel and began to walk away.
Padme stared after her for a moment, confused and upset, before calling out to her. "Dorme! Where are you going?"
"To the bathroom," she snapped back, then turned a corner and disappeared from sight.
Speechless. That was the only way Padme could possible describe how she was feeling. The night had turned from fun one moment, to terse and angry the next, and she hadn't seen it coming for the life of her. She should have been angry at Dorme for saying such things, but all she felt was deep regret. Dorme had been speaking the truth from her heart, and though the truth hurt, but it was the truth nonetheless. She really did feel overshadowed by Padme, something she'd never picked up on the entire time they'd been friends, and it made her grow concerned. Was she a bad friend for not noticing this? Did it make her self-centred and selfish?
Perhaps she talked about Anakin and their relationship too much and didn't give Dorme enough attention for her own problems. Maybe it was because she'd (for all intents and purposes) kicked Dorme out of their apartment when Anakin was staying with them last week – even though it was her idea and she'd left voluntarily, there'd still been a slight push from Padme, she couldn't deny that.
Had Dorme been right about this too? Yes, Padme could admit she'd been flattered when Tyler had asked her out, mainly because it was nice to be appreciated as a woman. Had that mild flattery subconsciously influenced her decision to organize this set up, to make herself feel better than her friend? Padme immediately disregarded that thought. That was totally insane. All she wanted was for her best friend to be as happy as she was. Still, they needed to work this out. Padme didn't like conflict, especially with those she cared about. She had to make it right.
Tyler and Mike returned a few moments later with beers in hand and gave Padme hers. Tyler's brows furrowed when he noticed Dorme wasn't with her.
"Where's your friend?" he asked, eagerly.
With a weak smile, Padme took her beer and gestured toward the bathroom, not wanting to let on that they'd had a fight. "She's just in the john."
"Oh, okay," Tyler nodded his head casually, even though his eyes kept darting towards the direction of the bathroom every few seconds. "Y'know, Padme, when you said you were bringing one of your girlfriends along, I didn't expect you to bring a supermodel."
Padme laughed and shook her head at him. Oh, how she wished Dorme could have heard that. It would have definitely increased her confidence.
"She's…gorgeous…" His eyes glazed over a little as he thought about Dorme, which Padme found incredibly sweet.
"Yeah, that she is," Padme agreed with a small smile.
"Do you reckon she's into me?" he blurted out suddenly, and Mike burst out laughing beside him, almost spewing out his mouthful of beer.
Padme grinned at him. "I dunno, Ty. You've only just met her."
That brought him back down to earth, and he nodded his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. Course. Fuck, look at me. I'm acting so... desperate right now, it's fucking embarrassing."
"It's cute," Padme assured him, her eyes twinkling with mirth. Honestly, he sounded so much like Anakin. It was almost scary.
"It's pathetic. I just…I haven't been on a date in so long – even though this isn't really a date, but…I mean, still - I don't wanna screw this up, y'know?"
She understood completely and reached out to grip his forearm in support. "You won't. Just be yourself, Ty. You're a sweet, charming guy. If you talk to her like you did to me last Friday, you'll have her swooning in no time," she added with a grin, which he returned, impishly.
"Speaking of Friday, how's the boyfriend? What's his name again?" he asked, casually.
Padme sighed a little miserably. "Anakin. He went back to Chicago on Sunday. He says 'hi', by the way."
Tyler nodded his head and gave her a kind, supportive smile. "Cool. Nice guy. I kinda like him. But, that sucks. The long distance thing. I'm sorry."
"It's alright," Padme assured him. "I'll see him again soon. It's his step brother's wedding in a month, and we're both going back to Minnesota for that, so that'll be nice." Tyler nodded in understanding and went back to watching the doorway for Dorme, which left Padme suddenly feeling a bit bereft without Anakin.
When Anakin had told her that he wanted them both to attend Owen's wedding together, they'd agreed not to see each other until then, to save money on both of their parts. It had been a tough thing for Anakin to agree to at first, seeing as he hated being apart from her at the best of times, but he'd eventually realized it was for the best. The thought of going back to Minnesota for five days and catching up with her mother, as well as Shmi, was enough of an incentive for Padme. It was only a month. They'd been apart for longer than that before.
Tyler hummed in agreement and took another sip of his beer, as he looked back at Padme. "Yeah, I suppose. Still, it's gotta be hard on him, seeing how crazy he is about you. I mean, I've never had a long distance relationship myself, but Mikey here knows a thing or two about long distance, don'tcha?" he tipped his head towards his roommate, who shrugged nonchalantly.
"Yeah, my girlfriend's been over in England for six months now," he supplied with a small smile. "She's doing an exchange program at the University of Birmingham."
"Oh, wow!" Padme exclaimed. "That's amazing!" She'd been wanting to do an exchange program the entire time she'd been at Harvard, but they were difficult to arrange, and she didn't feel comfortable asking her father for the money. It was bad enough he was paying for her education and her living expenses. She didn't want him to pay for her exchange trip, too.
Mike's face lit up with pride, and he nodded. "Yeah. It is. She was a little worried about taking it, because we'd only been together for about four months, but I told her she was crazy not to go. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity, y'know?"
"Absolutely," Padme replied with a nod. Just like when she'd heard about Teckla's relationship with Tommy, Padme suddenly felt lucky to be in her situation. She and Anakin didn't have it that bad – there were worse situations to be in.
They continued standing there for a while, chatting amiably amongst themselves, until Padme realized that Dorme still hadn't returned from the bathroom. Growing worried for her friend, she excused herself from the conversation, dismissing Tyler's sweet offer of going with her to find Dorme, and headed off in search for her. It was something she needed to do on her own.
She found her sitting outside on the steps of the back patio, knees bent up with her chin resting on them, looking glum. Padme felt a pang of pity as she saw her; this side of her best friend was one she rarely ever saw. Normally, Dorme was snarky, sarcastic, quick-witted and sassy…she was rarely ever miserable like this. It made Padme feel like an awful friend.
Plopping down beside her, Padme handed her the beer Tyler had gotten for her. Dorme jolted a little at the unexpected company, before her eyes softened and she took the beer, instantly taking a large swig, in an attempt to drown out her sorrows.
"Hey," Padme began in a soft voice, placing her hand on her friend's knee.
Dorme sighed. "Hey."
"Look, Dorme… I just wanna – "
"Don't, Padme…" Dorme interrupted her. "You don't have to apologize. I was a massive bitch back there," she muttered quietly, looking out towards the distance. "I'm sorry." When she twisted her head to meet her gaze, her eyes were sad and sincere.
Giving her knee a squeeze, Padme just shook her head. "It's okay. I understand. It's not fair, the way Trey's been treating you. And, I'm sorry if I talk about Anakin too much. That must be hard for you to hear…given what you're going through. I didn't think about that, and I'm sorry."
Nodding her head, Dorme just sighed. "I just…you found love so easily, and I …I don't think that'll ever happen for me, y'know? What you and Anakin have…it's special. And, I want something that special, too.I'm…I'm just jealous, I suppose…"
"Hey, don't say that," Padme told her firmly. "Just because some asshole is treating you like shit, doesn't mean you're not worthy of real love. And, believe me," she chuckled under her breath, "my relationship with Anakin is not easy. It's really trying sometimes. Look what happened with Clovis, remember? But, at the end of the day, it's worth it. And, one day, you'll have that, too. I know you will."
Dorme beamed at her prettily, and Padme suddenly threw her arms around her in a tight hug. They remained in that embrace for a few precious moments, and Padme knew that everything was alright between them. When they pulled away, they grinned at each other, before Dorme smirked.
"Right…well, let's go get drunk then, shall we?"
Padme laughed. "Sounds good to me. Oh," she added as they helped each other to their feet. "Ty's really into you, by the way. He thinks you're gorgeous."
Scoffing, Dorme fixed her with a suspicious look, eyebrows shooting up. "Oh please. He does not."
"It's true," Padme insisted with a sly grin. "When you were in the bathroom, he told me, "Y'know, Padme, when you said you were bringing one of your girlfriends, I didn't expect you to bring a supermodel," she repeated his words in a terrible imitation of his deep, Boston accent, which made Dorme snort with laughter. Still, she noticed how Dorme held herself a little higher after that as they headed back to find the guys, and she felt a small sense of satisfaction. There was nothing better than a hot guy thinking you're attractive to raise your confidence.
Tyler immediately brightened when Dorme returned, and Padme left the two of them to talk, while she hung out with Mike. He could talk the legs off a horse, but Padme didn't mind, because it meant she could tune out and eavesdrop on her best friend's conversation without Mike even noticing. They were far enough away that she could eavesdrop without being suspicious. She watched them intently, noticing how Dorme twirled her hair and cocked her hip in that way that meant she was flirting, which brought a proud smirk to Padme's lips. You go, girlfriend, she inwardly cheered.
"… Congratulations on the win. You're really good. I was impressed," Dorme praised him with a coy little smile on her face.
Tyler practically grew taller at her compliment, his expression turning smug, and he grinned at her. "Thanks. Did you enjoy the game?"
"Yeah, it was great! Thanks for letting me come!"
"No problem," Tyler flashed her a bright, genuine smile and stepped closer to her, his voice growing soft and husky. "I'm really glad you came." Even from this distance away, Padme could see the deep blush colouring her best friend's cheeks and giggled to herself. Try as she might to appear cool and collected, Dorme was seriously affected by Tyler, and it amused Padme to know end.
"So, are you a political science major, too?" he asked her, breaking the heated silence that existed between them.
Dorme snorted. "God, no. That is strictly Padme's territory. I'm doing a duel major; communications and business."
Tyler whistled under his breath, arched his eyebrows, and nodded his head. "Wow. That's…intense."
"Tell me about it," she made a face and sighed. "And, the way it's going, I'll probably be studying for the rest of my life, too."
"You'll get there," Tyler assured her through a hearty laugh. "I mean, you got into Harvard, so you're obviously pretty smart. And, to be honest," he added softly, a little half-smirk, one so reminiscent of Anakin, pulling at his lips that even Padme found it sexy, so she could imagine how it made Dorme feel. "You're pretty, too. Really pretty." He was staring down at her, eyes focused solely on her face, and when his tongue snuck out to wet his lips, Padme noticed Dorme's face flush deeper, and she quickly averted her eyes from this obviously private moment.
The whole thing made Padme snigger, as she blatantly eavesdropped on their conversation. Good god, he had it bad. Tyler was just as obvious in his intentions as Anakin, and wasn't even ashamed of them. Honestly, they'd get along really well, Padme was sure of it.
Dorme laughed and shook her head at him. "Clearly you've had too much to drink," she teased him, crossing her arms over her chest and raising her eyebrows.
"Actually, I don't think I've had enough," Tyler countered with a smirk. "You want another one?"
"Sure."
Padme was brought back to her own conversation when Mike started laughing beside her. "How long do you reckon it'll be before they start making out?" he asked, helplessly.
Giggling, Padme shrugged her shoulders. "An hour?" she guessed.
Mike furrowed his eyebrows. "Thirty minutes. I'll put $20 on it."
"Deal!" They touched their beers together as a salute and took a drink, sealing the impromptu bet, just as Dorme looked over to her, her eyes wide, seeking approval. Padme just grinned, gave her a thumbs up, accompanied by a wink.
When Tyler returned, he announced that they should all play a round of pool, which Dorme agreed to quickly, her fiercely competitive instincts flaring up. Padme and Mike reluctantly agreed after a whole lot of probing from the other two, and the four of them sought out the pool table. A group of very drunk males had just finished playing, and handed the table over without much persuasion.
Beside her, Mike grumbled under his breath, "I'm shit at pool."
"Same," Padme muttered back.
Both Tyler and Dorme, however, were quite talented, but it was their competitiveness that was the most entertaining thing to watch. They soon left Padme and Mike behind, and after a few minutes, they stopped playing, leaving the other pair to their own devices. Things quickly grew intense between the two of them, as it came down to the last few balls. Aggressive taunts and teases were exchanged in heated tones as they mocked each other. To anyone else, it would have seemed rather brutal, but Padme knew her best friend well and secretly delighted in the pair's display.
Dorme was super competitive. Her idea of flirting and showing an interest in a guy was by proving she was better than them at pretty much everything. She hated losing – to her, it was a sign of weakness, and she never wanted to look weak. Most guys were intimidated by this kind of approach, but Tyler, it seemed, could handle it. In fact, he actually appeared to like it, for there was this bemused smirk on his face the whole time. Anytime Dorme took a shot, his eyes were glued to her, watching her intently with almost a predatory gaze that Padme didn't miss, knowing that look well as Anakin looked at her like that all the time. She smirked, thrilled as this was going even better than she'd hoped.
The entire game was surrounded by this thick, heady, sexual tension that pulsed and rippled in the air. Padme could practically feel it radiating out of each of them as she watched it unfold before her, quietly sipping her beer, amused and grinning madly.
"Ha! I win!" Dorme cheered in a very unsportsmanlike manner as she sunk the black ball, turning on Tyler with her hip cocked and a fierce expression on her face.
Rolling his eyes, Tyler just huffed at the insult to his male ego. "That's because you cheated."
Dorme took a step closer to him, her brown eyes sparkling with challenge. There was this pink tinge to her cheeks, from the beer, Padme assumed, that made her look even prettier. "Bullshit," she retorted. "I beat you fair and square."
"Then I say we rematch." Their faces were mere inches from each other, lips twitching, and Padme was slightly concerned that they'd suddenly start tearing each other's clothes off and make out on the pool table.
"You sure you wanna lose again, big guy?" Dorme teased him with a smirk.
"You'll be eating those words when I'm through with you, little missy," he shot back, his voice husky and rough.
Dorme reached up and tightened her ponytail, an action that not only showed she meant business but also pushed her ample cleavage upward, an action Tyler took in immediately with a sweep of his gaze. Dorme shrugged off her leather jacket, chucking it to Padme, who was fighting hard not to burst out laughing. "We'll see," Dorme quipped. "Loser has to buy dinner."
"You're on." Tyler picked up the gauntlet with finesse, his voice smoothly confident. It was blatantly obvious he found Dorme to be an enticing challenge.
"I feel like we need some popcorn or something," Mike whispered to a smirking Padme, as they watched the second game unfold. She chuckled in agreement.
The second game was as heated (and entertaining) a contest as the first, the air thick with their rapid fire, back and forth snarky banter, innuendo, and double entendre. Dorme won the second match easily, and even though Tyler protested that it wasn't fair, Padme could see right through his act. He'd done it on purpose so that he could buy Dorme dinner, and it was one of the cutest things she'd ever seen.
"So, I guess you owe me dinner, then, Hotshot," she told him, raising her eyebrow with a smirk.
Tyler shrugged his shoulders and stepped closer to her, a matching smirk curving his own lips. "I guess I do." They were standing so close they were almost touching, and Padme quickly set down her beer, pulled out her phone, and took a picture of the oblivious couple, sending it to Anakin with the message: Call me Cupid.
Instantly, his reply came back: Proud of yourself, aren't you?. Watch out for that big head of yours babe.
Rolling her eyes, she replied: Bite me.
His next reply made Padme blush: I intend to ;)
Padme smirked and put her phone away, turning back to pick up her beer and watch the unfolding romance before her.
Handing Tyler her beer, Dorme exclaimed that she needed to use the bathroom again and sashayed away, with an extra swing to her hip that made Padme smirk. It did not go unnoticed by Tyler, who watched her walk away with this dazed look on his face, his eyes, now darkened to a deep emerald green, drawn to the sensual sway of her hips.
Approaching him with a knowing sigh, Padme leaned up against the pool table and raised her eyebrows at him, unable to keep the smug grin off of her face. "You alright there, Romeo?"
He blinked suddenly and looked down at her, as though she'd suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "Huh?"
Padme laughed and put her head in her hands. "You can relax, Ty. She likes you."
"She…she does? "
Padme then came to the conclusion that men were absolutely clueless. Unless a girl spelt out exactly how she was feeling, they had no idea. "Yes, Ty. She likes you. Dorme gets competitive when she's flirting."
Tyler rubbed the back of his neck again, looking a little relieved and sighed. "I like it. She's so damn feisty. It's…fucking hot."
"I know you let her win on purpose," Padme waggled her eyebrows with a mischievous grin.
Caught out, Tyler just smirked, all smug and proud of himself. "I want to take her out. Is that such a crime?" When Padme shook her head, he suddenly added, "You won't tell her that though, will you, Padme? She's a bit intimidating, y'know?"
"Your secret's safe with me," Padme promised with a smug nod.
Suddenly, Dorme returned and strode right up to Tyler, took his face between her hands and kissed him hard on the mouth. Padme was just as surprised as Tyler was by this, who stood in shock, eyes wide open, as Dorme pressed her lips against his. Then, as if she realized what she'd just done, she jerked away instantly, her face turning red and bit her lip, darting her eyes to the floor.
"Oh wow…I'm – I'm so sorry," she stuttered in embarrassment, looking anywhere but at him. "That was…that was rude…I don't normally do that. I didn't mean to – "
Tyler stepped up to her so that their chests were pressed together, bent down, took her face gently in his hands, and captured her lips with his own, effectively shutting her up. Padme watched with this happy little smile as they pulled each other closer, wrapping their arms around each other. It was only once things started to get a bit more heated and passionate between the two of them, for Dorme was now seated on top of the pool table and Tyler had stepped in between her legs, that Padme looked away, to give them some privacy.
"Come on. Let's leave them alone," Mike whispered to Padme, as he motioned for her to follow him.
As she and Mike went outside to get some fresh air and left the new love birds to their own devices, he quietly coughed and cleared his throat and held out his hand. "That was less than thirty minutes. I'll have my $20 bucks please."
Padme grinned as she handed over the cash. It was $20 well spent.