chaied.

                HER PHONE BUZZES & SHE  smiles to herself as she stands up from the vanity & takes the few steps over to her bed – the screen glows brightly in the dim lamp light of her room & it only takes her a moment to read his message. She takes a look at the time  ( 2:50 AM )  & wonders if this isn’t silly. They’re both grown adults. They shouldn’t have to resort to sneaking around like they had over a decade ago. But still, it’s easier for everyone if no one knows he was here tonight. And she wants to see him —- very very much. 

     She walks over to the window & opens it with a wide grin, the fatigue of the long day & the long wait for this moment creasing the corners of her eyes. There he is. She rests her forearms on the sill & leans forward to kiss him softly on the lips.   

     “Hey …”  she greets after breaking away, staring at him for a few seconds before registering the fact that there isn’t much to hold onto out there. Her eyes flash with concern.  “Come on, get inside.” 

               LOOKING AT HER is like a kick in the teeth. The pain hits before the high, spills adrenaline into his veins like sunlight. But the guilt always comes first. 

               He hoists himself through the window, landing not quite as gracefully as he would have the day he left her. Forty blinks back at him like an exit on a lone freeway. The only way out for miles. Not even being special ops can keep age from railing you off the road. 

               Anakin straightens, still a steeple far over her head. He bends down to take her face in his left hand, the prosthetic settled only soft enough to sense over her hip. ❝ I missed you. ❞ His hands slip underneath her thighs, lifting her legs around his waist as he throws them both down on the bed. 

               Forty can kiss his ass.