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"Ahsoka where are you taking me?" Anakin asked following Ahsoka's trail and looking around still bored out of his mind. Today was not a hard day, but it was monotone. Not even visiting Obi or pranking Palpatine was as exciting as it could be, and Anakin found himself really bored. He was looking for something to lift his mood up. Ice cream was a good distraction as any.
"It's this new sort of ice cream that I never even heard of before. It sounds interesting, so go a bit faster. I am not going to wait on you forever, so try to keep up with me!" Ahsoka shouted mockingly, and Anakin tried not to frown, so she couldn't see his disdain for her teasing. He quickened his pace, and both of them, soon came to where they set off to. A crowd and a line was already formed and it was quite long, so Anakin sighed in acceptance and stood behind Ahsoka, hoping the line would move soon.
"It is pretty obvious that it is a newly opened shop. Pretty popular too. Apparently the word of mouth is that the flavors they have are radical! And unique! And you can choose your own mix you want!" Ahsoka mentioned and the young man smiled at her excitement, feeling the bar of expectation rise a bit higher. You better not disappoint me now, ice cream.
It wasn't their turn for some time, and Anakin was for once glad he had company when he needed it. He is a loner sometimes, and he never shied away from going somewhere alone, but some events are just too awkward and unnatural for letting you go by yourself and having fun. Eating cakes, sweets and other sugary stuff was one of them. It doesn't necessarily request a company, but it fulfills it's role better if the food in question is consumed by at least two people.
Anakin was just explaining to Ahsoka what he planned to do for this weekend, when something caught his attention. The girl before him was raising her voice, and it looked like she was really angry. "Sabe come on! Just pick something and let's go!" She said to the girl before her, apparently an indecisive friend. When her friend finally decided on a flavor, the girl sighed in relief and got out of the queue, in search for a place they could sit.
That is when Anakin looked at her properly. She was a short girl, with long brown hair, and light brown eyes, who walked like she had a purpose and goal in life, a commanding presence that was rare to see. Anakin tried to follow her with his gaze unnoticed, however when it was his turn to order, he caught sight of Ahsoka's face and for some reason she looked amused. "What you looking at Skyguy?" Ahsoka asked teasingly and Anakin gave her a glare, his face turning into a frown. "I wasn't looking at anything, Snips. Just order something already," Anakin admonished his younger friend, who just snorted in response and didn't mention anything further.
+++
The next time they visited the shop, the same girl was there too. With the same friend, sitting in a far corner of the shop, chatting quietly. Anakin sometimes stole glances of her and he noticed that her hair was now styled in a braid and that she wore her school logo. The young man was mildly surprised to find out that she went to the same school as him. How had he not noticed her before? That girl is totally his type.
"Helloo! Earth to Skyguy! Are you ogling that girl again?" Ahsoka asked, waving her hands around to catch his attention. "Sorry Ahsoka I was just thinking. And no I wasn't 'ogling' that girl as you put it. I don't know which girl are you even implying," Anakin said stubbornly and Ahsoka smiled at that, which made Anakin uneasy just a bit.
"If you were really thinking should I be worried? You know how good you are with your thinking ideas Skyguy. And you know exactly which girl I mean. That one over there. The girl in the student council." Anakin perked up at that information and like a moth to the light he was instantly caught. "She is on the student council?"
"Yeah, her name is Padme by the way. Padme Amidala. Heard she is a rather good politician," Ahsoka said feigning uninterest, though her smile was a reveal. "Really?" Anakin asked and his gaze fixed on Padme, and when he returned his attention to Ahsoka, he blushed feeling embarrassed by his unintended confirmation. "You should go talk to her," The younger girl advised, but Anakin only shook his head and said:" Not yet."
Ahsoka snorted at that and gave him the look. "If you don't make a move soon, I am telling Obi-wan you have a crush on a girl." Anakin freezes at that and growls, threatening Ahsoka he will stop hanging out with her if she does. "So what? You think you are my only friend? You are the one who would be in trouble, not me. And I mean even if I do tell him, nothing that bad would happen. He would just maybe tease you, like I do now. And I mean he is older, maybe he has some sound advice?" Ahsoka asks and quirks her eyebrow.
The young man really doesn't want to admit it, but maybe she does have a point. He casts his gaze at Padme's table again, and thinks about it for a bit. "It's fine. I can do it, I don't need help. Just not right now." Ahsoka does not look convinced but she concedes the point and adds:" Whatever you say, Skyguy."
+++
"Why am I here?" Obi-wan asks looking uncomfortable next to Anakin, who just beams at him. "I needed company to eat some ice cream rolls. You can also order if you want." Obi just shakes his head and scoffs, which makes Anakin smile at him. "Really Anakin, why are you always using me like this. Aren't I your brother?"
"Sure you are. The best brother I could have. Why are you so grumpy? It's actually really good ice cream. You should try it," Anakin says and gives his order to the lady before him. "Oh, alright. You give me no choice. Let's see what they have," Obi-wan accepts and looks up at the menu, stroking his beard in slow motion. When both of them order and move over, Anakin hears a familiar voice, so he turns around and looks at Padme.
"Strawberry, nutella and blackberry," she says and the lady at the counter writes that in the computer, so Padme relaxes and starts to look around. Their eyes meet and Padme blinks in surprise. When Anakin becomes aware he was caught he blushes and walks (runs) away from her and takes the first empty seat.
Her order was similar to mine. I ordered strawberry, nutella and raspberry. What a coincidence.
"What was that all about?" Obi asks, and Anakin remembers that he wasn't alone and feels embarrassed even more. Obi turns around and then looks back at Anakin again, narrowing his eyes in thought. "Is that the girl you like?" He asks casually, and Anakin almost chokes at that. "What? She is not the girl I like! Who told you that?" He hisses, even if the answer was obvious.
"Ahsoka," he admits, and Anakin grits his teeth, cursing Ahsoka and her big mouth. "Do you need help? I could give you some advice. I am older after all, I survived it all," he says sounding pompous, and Anakin rolls his eyes, a small smile appearing on his face. "No, I do not need your help, old man. I have it under control," Anakin says, and Obi-wan only nods, but even he doesn't look convinced. What the hell? Why don't they believe me? I have some experience! I can do it! I will show them.
With his resolve rising, Anakin decides that the next time he sees her, he will talk to her, and with his next move planned, the young man starts to eat the ice cream roll before him, while Obi has an amused smile on his face.
+++
He doesn't return to the shop soon, and he finds himself there alone in the early morning hours on a really bad day. Anakin isn't really feeling too happy, so he decides that eating something sweet will cheer him up. This was the closest shop in that moment, and he decides to enter and eat some ice cream rolls.
Everything goes smoothly and when he sits on a chair and looks up, Padme appears in his line of sight and he finds himself panicking a bit. Even if Anakin promised to talk to her the next time he sees her, that promise he broke broke quickly. He saw her a couple of times in the hallways, but he just didn't have the courage to go up to her and start a conversation.
Both Ahsoka and Obi-wan tried to help him out, but it didn't really work out. And now yet again, she is before him and he still can't find the courage to go up and talk to her. He hates himself for his cowardice, but he still can't do anything about it. So he tries to ignore her and focuses on some books he brought along with him.
And he would probably stay there, if there wasn't for just an accidental moment of his inattention where their eyes met. Was it just his imagination, or did her eyes seem inviting? Did she actually want to talk to him? Or was that just his imagination? But whatever he saw, it helped him come to a decision, to finally try talking with her.
So he got up and went in her direction slowly, bitting his lip in anticipation. "Hey, is this seat taken?" He asked, but Padme only looked up and silently judged him without answering his question. He gulped and plowed forward deciding it was now or never:" My name is Anakin. You and me are both alone here, and I was having a bad day, so I thought maybe talking with someone could cheer me up. You were the only candidate here really."
Anakin was still only met with her suspicious gaze and heavy silence, so he decided to add:" And we do have similar choices in flavors we pick for our ice cream rolls." At that Padme raised her eyebrow and asked:" How do you know that?"
Anakin was now seriously fighting with himself not to bolt then and there, but he didn't want to seem rude so he answered her question:" Well you somehow always end up before me or behind me, so I sometimes unintentionally hear what you order."
Her suspicion didn't disappear, but her face did soften like he just passed some test, and she decided Anakin was not dangerous to her. "If you say so, Anakin. My name is Padme. It is nice to meet you," Anakin beamed at her answer so he extended his hand, and they shook their hands, Anakin still standing:" It is nice to meet you too Padme."
"Oh, and you can sit down now. Sorry I made you stand so long I was just suspicious a bit, you understand of course." "Yes, yes I do. You don't need to apologize. Though maybe you should, but not to me. To my ice cream, because it almost melted," Anakin tried to lighten the mood a bit, and when he saw her smile, he knew he succeeded. "Indeed. I suppose I should prepare to apologize after all."
And it was in that moment, with Padme sitting opposite of him and smiling at him that he knew deep in his bones, that this girl before him is the one.