Friendship and Flirtation

The days following Anakin's dream about Jordana turned weeks, and the weeks turned to months. Dax had been no help at all in interpreting the dream.
"What do you think it means, Anakin?"
He had no idea, so for the first time, he ignored his dreams. There was no need to panic, since they didn't involve death or suffering, so he'd put them out of his mind completely when he awoke the next morning.

Padme hadn't crossed his mind in a while either. Occasionally he'd see a news special about her, but even those had decreased in recent weeks. She was a fading memory, her face quickly evaporating from his mind. Ten years of obsession and adoration, plus three as clandestinely wed lovers, it all seemed so trivial now. Perhaps Jordana had been right, perhaps she hadn't really loved him. The thought almost seemed comforting, because in hindsight he wasn't sure he had really loved her either, or if it had just been and infatuation he carried for years.

Sinking into his bed, he reveled in the fact that now, for the first time, his life actually belonged to him. He had a job, an apartment, a speeder, money, clothes, possessions that weren't rationed out to him, and no inescapable commitments. He was his own person, free to do whatever he wanted.
Suddenly, a lock knock on his door brought him out of his thoughts.
"Ani, hurry up! We gotta go!"
He hated it when she called him that, and he was about to say something until he opened the door.
Leaning against the door frame was Jordana, her lean muscular body dressed in tight red pants that rested low on her hips and low-cut black tank top. Her long mahogany hair fell just past her shoulders, and small layers defined her face. She may have been staring up at him innocently, but her eyes held a sliver of mischief, if only for a moment. After allowing him to gaze upon her for only a few seconds, she straightened up from her position against the door.

"You ready to go?" she asked casually. He quickly said some form of compliance and followed her out of the their two bedroom apartment. She could feel his eyes occasionally scan over her body and she couldn't help but grin. Anakin had never really seen her in anything but Jedi robes, nor had he seen her ever make a serious attempt at dressing nicely. She was determined to impress him, and it seemed that she was succeeding. With the two of them free of the Jedi and him free of Padme, she could take her time in flirting with him. She was walking the fine line between friendship and flirtation, carefully planning each move so as not to seem too obvious.
Gods, she felt like a teenager, primping herself to attract the man she loved. But, she guessed, that since she and Anakin never really had normal teenage lives, now would be an ideal time to do things like that. This time, she was determined to show him how much she really loved him.

Dax's club was busier than usual that night. It had to do with the new wing of the club that Dax had just finished renovating into a casino, and he was throwing a pretty wild party to celebrate its commencement. Not that it really bothered Anakin or Jordana. They just stood against the railing that overlooked the rest of the club. He was trying to talk her out of switching out of the garage that he worked in to working in Dax's new casino.
"I hate the smell of diesel fuel, Anakin. I hate the grime, the dirt , the cat calls. At this new job, all I'll have to do is serve drinks or run betting tables."
"But do you really want to be dealing with a bunch of drunk assholes who'll get violent if they lose a bet?"
"You don't think I could handle myself in that situation? I was once a Jedi too, you know. I think I can handle myself."
"Yeah but," he paused, "I kind of liked having you working with me." he said quietly.
Just hearing him say that almost made her reconsider, "I'll think about, ok?"
They smiled at each other, and Anakin was beginning to understand what Dax had meant a couple months ago, about having feelings for her.

A few minutes later, Dax came rushing up to Anakin.
"Do you have any idea what crawled up your ex-wife's ass and died by any chance?"
"A bantha, some Tuskens, some Jawas, plus some sand in a few unmentionable areas, why?"
Dax flipped on the nearest holoscreen to a news program where she was speaking.
"She's on some committee that wants to place a higher tax on casinos and alcohol, and they've chosen her as their poster girl. All day, she's been going on and on about the evils of casinos and the effects they have on their environment. She could do some serious damage to business." he ranted.
Anakin looked up at the screen. The lack of emotion in her face reflected the lack of emotion he felt for her anymore. However, her comments did feel like a slap in the face, like she was personally trying to destroy him and everything around him.
"Fuck her." he sipped his drink, "Their proposal will be shot down faster than a lightsaber can ignite."
"That bitch needs a new hobby." Jordana interjected.
"She is a politician." Dax replied.
"Well all politicians need new hobbies, rather than trying to control the lives of their constituents to fit their vision of society."
Dax and Anakin stared at her in shock.
"I've never heard you speak of politics like that before." Anakin remarked.
"What can I say, I hate politicians."

As the night wore on, the crowd, with the assistance of alcohol, became more rowdy. Jordana was pressed against the railing, amused by the sight of several drunken men slurring their expletives and throwing clumsy punches at one another. Suddenly, she felt two strong arms come around her and their hands gripped the railing. She turned her head and saw that it was Anakin who had encompassed her in his arms.
"Anakin, what are you doing?"
"I'm making sure none of those animals down there think you're available."
"Really? And why is that?"
"I don't trust them."
"I think you're jealous." she teased.
"Maybe." He whispered into her ear, "Maybe I just don't want anything happening to you."
She could feel his hot breath against her neck, and the chills it gave her traveled down her spine, causing the tiny hairs on her arms to stand at attention.
Anakin looked up and when he saw the faint blush in her cheeks he couldn't help but smile. He had never realized how soft her skin was until he glided his hand up her arm and brushed her hair over one shoulder so he could rest his head on her other one. He heard her gasp slightly when he placed a light kiss on her neck.
"Don't you think you're taking this 'making them think I'm not available' plan a little too seriously?" she murmured, her voice fluttering.
He didn't respond, he was lost in her sweet perfume. Everything was beginning to make sense now: the dreams, his sudden lack of interest or concern for Padme. Dax, it seemed, was right all along. He did have feelings for her, this beautiful goddess who had remained by his side even when the rest of his world was falling apart. He moved his arms down to wrap around her waist. He loved the way her body melted into his, the way they fit perfectly together. He nuzzled her neck one more time before he decided to take advantage of where his hands were and began tickling her sides. She squealed and giggled and writhed in his arms before he spun her around so he could gaze into her emerald eyes.
"You know Jordie, I don't think I was ever as happy being with Padme as I am with you right now." And he meant every word of it too.

At the bar, Dax sat with his cronies, watching the sparks fly between Anakin and Jordana. A few of them had even begun taking bets on when they would finally hook up.
"It's about damn time those two started flirting with each other." he declared.
What Dax didn't know was that while Anakin was talking and laughing with Jordana, Anakin was falling in love with her.