𝗙𝗔𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗦 | anakin skywalker

✰ 30: trust me, i know.

"Padmé contacted me," said Anakin, walking back into the dining room after rushing out on a call.  They'd been eating what was lunch for them, though in Naboo time, was a very late dinner when his comm began beeping and he rushed out, making sure that their travels together stayed a secret.

"Padmé?" Akya said.  "What did she say?"

"She wants to come and see me.  Treat me and my friend to lunch."

Akya sighed, putting her utensils down.  "Well, what did you tell her?"

"I told her yes!" he said, panic laced in his tone.

"Anakin!" 

"I couldn't think.  I shouldn't have said yes.   You'll have to color your hair and wear a mask or something. I don't know what to do."

Akya looked down in thought, staring down at her unfinished plate of food, then back up at Anakin, who had taken his seat across from her once again.  "I think we have to tell her, Anakin."

"What? Akya, no.  There has to be some other way."

"She's a friend, Anakin.  She won't tell anyone.  Remember when you were nineteen, here, protecting her?  She talks to me about that all the time.  She says all you did was talk about me."

"That's—"

"She didn't tell anyone about that, did she?" Akya said.  "If we tell her, then we'll have someone on our side.  Someone who can hide us away just in case.  She knows what love is like, Anakin.  Trust me on this one, okay?"

Anakin took a deep breath.  "Okay."

"Thank you," she said.  Finally, the stress was (mostly) gone and her appetite was back. She took another bite, then thought of another question. "Oh, what time did Padmé say she wanted to see you?"

"Uh..." Anakin looked up in though. "Oh. Hour 12."

"Okay," Akya shrugged. It was around hour 1 now, still dark outside. "That should give us enough time to decide on an eatery."

"She wants to come here."

"She wants what?" Akya put her fork and knife down again.

Anakin looked down at his half-empty plate. "She wants to come here for lunch."

"Anakin, I'm not a cook. How are we going to do that?"

"You did this!" he said, gesturing to their plate of flatbreads and soup, which Akya had learned to make while on her own in the desert lands of Tatooine. It used simple ingredients and didn't take long to make, especially with the self-rising grains they had here on Naboo.

"This is Tatooine food, Ani. You can't give a senator Tatooine food."

"I think she'll be fine with it either way."

Akya put her hand to her forehead and sighed.

"Akya, she's going to love whatever you make. You're a great cook, alright? You want to know what the senator and I ate for dinner when we were here?"

"What?"

"Fruit salad.  That's it."

Akya smiled.

"Really! All she had was a plate of fruit, and she was perfectly fine.  I was hungry for the rest of the night."

"You didn't say anything?" laughed Akya.

"No!" he said. "I thought it would be rude, so I just slept hungry." Anakin shook his head.  "But back to the point. It's not like she's coming over to have the most delicious meal of her life.  She's coming to see us."