Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Our walk along the shore of the lake was especially lovely as we enjoyed the view of the broad expanse of waters spread out before our eyes, an unfailing source of delight to anyone capable of appreciating the beauties of nature. For the lake, in all its changeful moods, never ceased to be beautiful, and I believe it would be fantastic at the hour of sunset.

“Have you ever been here before, Anakin? To Aurora, I mean. You seemed pretty familiar with the town,” I asked as we were strolling on the shore.

“Yeah, I’ve been here a couple of times. Had some business dealings, and thank God I managed to settle it today.”

“Was that where you were from before you walked into the cinema? The office opposite?” I added inquisitively.

Kin nodded in response. He stopped at that, so I took the hint that he might not want to divulge his private life to me. I understood him as I, too, would like to keep my life confidential from curious outsiders.

“Where are you from, Amidala?” Kin asked in his deep sexy voice.

“Portland,” I replied. “You?”

“New York City,” he smiled. “I’ve been to other places, but in the end, it’s back to the Big Apple.”

“The city must be of great significance to you,” I uttered softly, thinking he might have someone special that compelled him to stick to New York City and nowhere else.

“In truth, my parents insisted I visit them every other weekend or at least once a month, so I decided I should stay closer for lesser time and expenses in travelling.”

“Aww…that’s very sweet of you,” I smiled at Kin tenderly.

“I am everything, Ami, but sweet? Hardly,” he smirked.

“Oh, and he’s humble too,” I went on to tease Kin, cooing.

“Do you know what I usually do to teasers?” he glared at me.

“I dare not even think about it,” I grimaced.

“You see that lake?” Kin asked, head inclined towards the expanse of water.

“Yeah…” I replied in awareness that he might just pick me up and throw me into the water. I giggled as I ran off before he could even think of doing anything of that sort. Kin started jogging after me, but I was too far for him to catch up, so he began to run on those long legs of his.

There was something about Aurora that made a person feel uninhibited. In my twenty-two years of living, I have always prided myself being in control of my actions, but with Anakin, I wanted to throw caution to the wind.

I was the first to reach the end of the shore, grinning to see Kin was left behind a good few metres away.

“You are not Elaine Thompson-Herah in disguise, are you?” Kin huffed, catching his breath. “I could’ve sworn you were flying and not running.”

“No way you can throw me in the water now,” I took a quick breath as we neared the rocks bordering the edge of the shoreline.

“Was that what you thought I wanted to do to you?” he glared at me with his arms akimbo, frowning at first, then his face broke into a smile.

“See, I knew that was what you were going to do!” I squealed. Kin wiggled his brows and dashed to catch me, but I quickly stepped on one of the big rocks.

“Be careful now. Don’t fall,” Kin said suddenly in a sober tone. His expression clearly showed that he was worried about me. He cared deeply, and it struck a chord in my heart. It caused me to remember something familiar and triggered a strong emotional response to what my father had said to me before.

“Then you have to climb up with me if you don’t want me to fall,” I challenged him. In one leap, Kin stood on the same big rock, facing me, almost nose to nose. We stared at each other, and my face heated up instantly. Then he grabbed my hand and led me to another rock of a much flatter surface so that we could sit on it. I was never willing to let any guys in school or college touch me, but somehow I felt safe when Kin held my hand.

As we leaned our hands back on the rock, marvelling at nature’s beauty, Kin’s deep resounding voice reverberated. “This is a refreshing change, being able to escape from the noisy bustle of my daily work. I get to listen to the ceaseless music of the water lapping and to breathe the fresh breezes instead of the vitiated atmosphere of the office.”

“Very poetic, Anakin. That’s a very appealing trait for the Sith Lord.” I smiled ruefully.

“You do know I could still throw you into the water from here, right?” Kin glared playfully at me.

“I can’t swim,” I told Kin flatly.

“What?” he peered at me, unsure if he heard me correctly.

“I am thalassophobic. You know, an intense fear of vast, dark, deep and dangerous bodies of water. If you throw me in, I will sink right away and die.”