𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙠𝙮𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨

• looking back •

Anakin chuckles at the old nickname, hiding the way his heart speeds up a little. "Remember our wedding?"

"What a riot," You laugh. "Obi-Wan almost landed right in the cake, he got so drunk."

"I thought Satine would have kept a tight leash on him, but she was worse than him," Anakin recalls with a beam. "Everyone had so much fun that day. I don't think I've ever seen them that happy since."

"My mother was still telling me it was okay to back out, seconds before I walked down the aisle." Your smile drops and you turn to Anakin with a pout. "I hated you for proving her right."

Taking your hand, Anakin strokes the back of it with his thumb. "I hate me for it, too."

You turn around to look at the dancefloor, where Elara is slow dancing with Dallo. A smile grows on your lips. "Remember the day she was born?"

"Best day of my life," He replies instantly. "Flying to Batuu for two weeks without telling anyone was the greatest decision ever."

"I just knew my mother would be so overbearing," You say with a laugh. "I couldn't handle that pressure. And everyone would be touching our newborn baby. Our baby." Anakin promised you a stress-free pregnancy, birth, and post-birth, and he delivered on that promise.

"Our baby," He echoes, a soft smile on his lips. "Those two weeks after 'Lara was born were the best of my life."

"Coming back with a baby when nobody even knew I went into labor was intense. You were like my bodyguard; refusing to let Mom yell at me," You reminisced. "We were so young and careless. Didn't care about anyone besides each other."

"Cared too much," Anakin comments. "Maybe that's why things got so bad."

"I don't still hate you, by the way," You assure him. "I was pretty terrible, too."

Anakin smiles sweetly, almost stopping your heart. "I don't regret it, you know. Not a single second."

"Really?" You question with disbelief. "Not even the fights? The screaming matches? The nights you spent on the couch, even though I went to stay in a motel?"

"Because I hated that bed when you weren't in it," He admits with a mumble, glancing down before meeting your eyes again. "And yes. Even the bad times were electric. Made me feel alive."

You snort, shaking your head. "Always the optimist, Ani."

Both of you order some more whiskeys, drinking in silence. This is the longest you've been in each other's presence without arguing for a while, and it's surprisingly pleasant.

"You know, bunny," Anakin begins just as the bartender slides over your third whiskey. "You really made me look like an ass today, showing up without a date."

Laughing at his words, you rest your face in your hands. "It's my daughter's wedding; I hardly had time to look for a plus-one. Where is your gorgeous girlfriend, anyway?"

While Anakin has had multiple different partners and lovers over the years, you've been on a handful of dates at most. It's always too difficult to be with someone in the way you thought was reserved for Anakin. You envy the fact that he was able to move on so quickly.

Anakin waves his hand dismissively, "Ah, Krissi went home an hour ago. She has work tomorrow. And she's just a friend." He looks over at you with knitted brows. "What happened to that guy you were seeing? The chef, was it?"

"Farbie," You say with a nod. "We broke up."

"What?" He drags out with surprise. "That- he was the longest relationship you had since us. What happened?"