|| Uninvited || An Anakin Skywalker Story

Chapter Twenty Three

I was sitting on the bed, carefully lacing up my boots as Anakin perched on the chaise, scrolling through his holopad and muttering to who I assumed was Obi-Wan on his comlink. I had given up on trying to eavesdrop as Anakin would shoot me a pointed look whenever he noticed I was listening.

I didn't like being left out of the entire plan. All I could do was focus on my part.

Standing up with a sigh I made my way over to the bathroom mirror to do a final check. I smoothed the fabric at my waist and turned to the side to see how the ensemble looked from the back. I had pulled my hair into a half up-half down style using a golden hair pin Ahsoka had left in my bag. Smiling, I admired how the pin caught the light as my hair fell down my back. I have always been a sucker for a fun accessory. Payto and I used to collect metal scraps and use them to adorn clips and pins, just to add a little sparkle to our lives.

The bittersweet memory had me sighing and I absentmindedly fumbled with the necklace around my neck. The polished spheres felt smooth in my fingers, and the sensation brought comfort.

"Ready, Astrid?" I heard Anakin say from behind me, pulling me from my thoughts. I made eye contact with him in the mirror. He was leaning against the doorframe, wearing a pair of deep maroon trousers tucked into black boots, and a dark dress shirt with silver threading. He certainly looked the part of gauche spice trader visiting from a far-off planet. A small smile tugged at his lips when he noticed me fidgeting with the necklace.

"I think so." I replied, trying to calm my nerves and turning to face him.

I was anxious about seeing Rayme again. I was anxious about not being able to back up my supposed fathier expertise. I was anxious about this entire damn mission.

"Hey," he said in a soft voice as he reached out to gently grip my arms. "I need you to trust that I won't let any harm come to you."

I sighed deeply, knowing he was referring to my comment last night, when I accused him of breaking his promise to protect me. And although there was a small part of me that was still angry he left me alone with Rayme, I couldn't deny the fact that he did swoop in just in time to prevent anything really bad from happening.

"I know," I whispered, again bringing my hand up to roll my necklace between my thumb and forefinger as I flicked my eyes to the floor. "I'm just new to all this. I might make dumb decisions." I admitted.

"Any dumb decision you make," Anakin began, angling his head down to catch my gaze, "I'll be right there making it with you, okay?"

I felt my nerves ease up as I looked into his deep blue eyes, they bore into mine with intent and promise. I trust him. Of course, I do.

"Okay." I confirmed in a small voice, shooting him a soft smile. He nodded and gently squeezed my arms before dropping his hands back to his side.

"The first race is in a few hours. Let's head downstairs, grab some food, and keep an ear and eye out for anything interesting." He said, immediately shifting into business mode. I nodded and watched as he pushed his sleeves up to his elbows.

"Let's do this." I said quietly before we left our room and headed into a world of duplicity.

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"A fourth? Really??" I asked Anakin with a giggle. I had just watched him down his third meiloorun fruit tart. He had seen them written on a chalk board menu outside a quiet café and practically dragged me inside. He was now dusting pastry flakes off his shirt and flagging down a waiter to order another one.

"Do you know how hard it is to find meiloorun fruit back home?" He asked me, making a point to say "home" instead of Coruscant in case there were any prying ears.