The Archer

Chapter Fourteen: Interlude

The next morning I was woken by a humming noise. It took a moment for me to figure out where I was - and then another one to figure out how I got there. Little by little, memories from last night came flooding back.

Anakin making me leave the event with him in the most teenager-esque way possible. His deep confessions on a moonlit balcony. Him falling asleep next to me after we ended up in the Archives somehow. Me touching him.

As I looked up, part of me was afraid he might not be there anymore. But there he was, still clearly asleep. The sunlight came in from a small window, hitting part of his hair and face, making it light up in a way that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Strands of his tousled hair were falling onto his mechanical arm that was exposed of his sleeve. Of all the times I'd seen him, he perhaps looked the most beautiful at that moment.

Bzz, bzz. There it was again. I realized it was his Comlink ringing, for the second time now, but Anakin showed no signs of waking up.

"Anakin?," I whispered, and when he didn't react, very gently touched his arm. That's when he slowly started to move, letting out a soft groan that made me feel considerably unwell.

"(Y/n)?," Anakin asked with a low, raspy voice, his head still resting on the desk as he turned to me. He blinked at me with tired eyes, but there were no signs of surprise on his face - compared to me he apparently hadn't forgotten where he fell asleep. "What time is it?"

"Still very early. Around 7." I gave him a crooked smile. "But your Comlink rang. And we should probably get out of here soon if we don't want someone to find us."

I had the late shift today and was relatively sure no one would go to the Archives early today after the party last night, but you never knew with Master Nu.

Anakin checked his Comlink, slowly becoming more awake.

"There's an urgent Council meeting in about an hour." Anakin rubbed his eyes and ruffled through his hair, and I could watch his facial expression turning into alert mode. He might be a little reckless, a natural rule-breaker, but he still took his responsibilities highly serious.

"I'll go to my room, try to get some more sleep before my shift." Although I couldn't really imagine going back to sleep now.

"I'll take you," Anakin stated without hesitation.

"Absolutely not." I pushed the chair I'd been sleeping on back under the table. "Because first, we would risk being seen - and I'm not really looking forward to those kind of rumours, not to mention the conversation I'm going to have with the Council... and second," I turned to him and gave him a light smile. "Because it's just not necessary."

"If you say so," he answered, not fully convinced, while we started making our way out of the Archives.

"I'll see you later." I gave him a soft smile and was already turning to walk away, having the strong urge to process the events of last night - but then felt Anakin taking my hand. I noticed it twitching as I looked at him in surprise, as if considering to pull it away again when he saw my wide eyes. But he didn't, and I very gently squeezed his hand in mine to show him it was alright.

Because it was. Because there was no going back after last night even if I wanted to.

"I might be sen-"

"Just send me a message, okay? We can keep in touch this way. That's how these things work, you know. Because whenever I try to message you, you never seem to reply," I said with a short chuckle.

"I will." His eyes were fixed on mine, and his words had a sense of sincerity that made it sound not just like a promise, but a vow.

Walking back to my room I realized where the expression of walking on clouds originated from. The singular butterfly in my stomach had evolved into a whole swarm, fluttering around my insides like crazy. I tried to force myself to think straight as I sneaked down the empty corridor. The hallways were completely deserted as everyone was probably still asleep after the event, and there was an almost eerie silence except for my footsteps. I'd never seen the Temple so empty before.

I needed a plan. Because clearly, staying away from Anakin was just mere impossible for me for some reason. I knew I could never manage it, no matter how desperately I tried to be reasonable, or responsible.

The realization made me feel both anxious and relieved at the same time.

What I really needed right now was to talk to someone. I remembered the message I'd sent Becca the night before, althought the chances she'd already replied were low.

As I reached for my Comlink I heard something - or someone - moving behind me.

My first thought was that it was him following me, not willing to take my no for an answer. But something told me it wasn't him. It didn't feel like him. "Anakin?"

The second I wanted to turn around I suddenly felt a tight grip around my waist.

Not just tight, but violent.

I didn't even have the time to see who it was, or scream, or show any reaction whatsoever. The air I breathed in was filled with a substance that felt ice cold in my throat.

Then everything faded to back.