After Anakin parked the yellow speeder, Sol went to open her door to step out onto the roof of the building. But before she could push the door open, Anakin's gloved hand took hold of the top and pulled it the rest of the way for her. Sol stopped in her maneuver to stare up at the man who waited for her to step out of the passenger seat of her own speeder. Her lips were parted in surprise and was about make a comment about the change from his normal ungentlemanly attitude, but she resisted when she realised something.

Anakin stood with no hint of a smirk on his face, and he was yet to insult her by calling her a 'princess' like he would in a similar situation. Sol was used to him playing the arrogant character, where he would do everything to ensure that everyone viewed him as their superior, and that it would be fatal if they were to assume anything different. Especially when it came to Sol, where Anakin would insist that there is only one Chosen one, and that Sol couldn't possibly be it if Anakin was in the room. But as Anakin stood with the speeder door open and a genuine smile on his tanned face, Sol knew that it was all an act, and that he would be his true self while they were alone.

'Thank you...' Sol said, stepping out of the speeder and watching Anakin close the door gently. She was anxious for his next move, but when Anakin stepped forward and took her hand into his, she melted inside.

'What's gotten into you, Ani?' she couldn't help but say as she found her hand being pulled by Anakin as he walked towards the elevator. While she waited for Anakin's reply, she looked at the man that led her across the roof.

In his black leather and dark brown under robes, Anakin had grown in the year Sol had known him. But he was still as handsome as ever with his unruly blonde hair. The curls had grown past his ears and his fringe was swept to the side of his forehead. The wind that rolled off the city blew at his robes and its chill reminded Sol that she was wearing Anakin's over robe. Its brown sleeves hung over Sol's hands, and in doing so, pooled over Anakin's wrist as he squeezed her fingers in his palm. But he didn't take notice and instead looked down at Sol as they made it to the elevator.

'Nothing has gotten into me. I just wanted to...'

Sol noticed how Anakin paused. She was patient and when the elevator door disappeared into the wall, Anakin continued with a gentle and quiet voice.

'Spend some time with you.'

She resisted the urge to coo in adoration. Sol liked standing so close to Anakin without worrying about being seen. She couldn't remember the last time they had held hands in this way and was addicted to the feeling of Anakin's large fingers encasing her small ones. Although his hands were rough from the constant gripping of a lightsaber handle, Sol never wanted to let go. 

Her limbs felt like goo as the elevator took them on the short journey to the penthouse, and when the door slid open, Sol felt a sense of familiarity as the apartment's dim lighting greeted them.

'Where's Padme?' Sol asked as they stepped into the lobby. The senator was known for greeting her guests with a smile and without a second left for them to wait for her appearance. But even after Sol and Anakin had stepped into the living space of the apartment, Padme was nowhere to be seen in one of her many luxurious gowns.

'She's went to Naboo this morning. She's lending us the place until she gets back next week,' Anakin let go of Sol's hand as he stepped into the sunken living space, while Sol stopped at what she had just heard.

'What? Why would she do that?'

'Because I asked her,' Anakin said, turning to look up at Sol with a proud smile on his face. 'I heard from Chancellor Palpatine that there was a meeting of the Senate on Naboo, and that they could be there for some time. I called Padme, asked if she wanted a house sitter, and she said that she was fearful of a break-in while being away for so long. She also said we could use the kitchen downstairs for whatever we needed.'

Sol knew why Padme had agreed to Anakin's 'house-sitting' suggestion. When they returned from their Ahch-To mission, Sol was on the transmitter to Padme within the hour. The two squealed like kowakian monkey-lizards at Sol's recollection of Anakin's confessions in the ancient Jedi Temple. Padme was all ears as Sol talkd about the golden-haired man with azure eyes, and it was evident that Padme had latched onto the segment about their plan. Sol mentioned that the two Jedi had agreed to keep their relationship a secret from the Jedi Order. Padme asked how they would do this when they worked, ate and lived at the Jedi Temple. Their sleeping quarters were the only private areas in the temple, and if they were seen leaving the same quarters, suspicions could arise. Sol didn't have an answer for this, so the senator didn't push, but one thing was now made clear to Sol.

Padme had allowed Anakin and Sol to house-sit in her penthouse, because she wanted them to have a space away from the temple together.

'Should I call for drinks?' Anakin asked, pulling Sol out of her thoughts. Anakin had lowered himself onto the sofa, where he waited for Sol's descent into the living space with an arm stretched along the cushions. With his ankle leant on his knee, Anakin lounged with heavy-lidded eyes and an inviting smile aimed in Sol's direction.

'If you must.' 

Sol's reply was sarcastic, but she wanted to indulge at least a little. As she stepped down to the sofas, she settled herself in the space next to Anakin. She was hesitant to lean back at first, but when the man leant forward to call the kitchen on the coffee table's transmitter, Sol caught the smell of cucumber and honey. Anakin always carried a beautiful smell, and Sol couldn't resist the urge to lean back to catch another wiff. She felt the thick leather of Anakin's gloved hand against her back, and his chest had never looked so inviting. His face was inches from hers and she tried to keep her gaze on the sofa opposite theirs to not fall into a babbling mess at the sight of his perfect features. 

'So, the Chancellor told you about the Senate's meeting on Naboo?' Sol tried to retain her posture and professional front. 'You two seem to still be close. I still haven't met him-'

'I don't want to talk about politics.'

Sol was forced to turn to face Anakin at his interruption. His tone was stern and definitive, but when Sol met his gaze, Anakin looked as relaxed as Sol had ever seen him. His smile was loose on his face and his eyes were absent of the iciness that they held when on missions and in the Jedi Temple. When he looked at Sol, his pupils diluted at the sight of her round face and plump lips. They admired each other in the silence of the apartment, and Sol entered her final stage of unwinding by shuffling down to lean against Anakin's chest.

'I want us to relax and forget about the Order for the night. That means forgetting about politics as well,' Anakin said, his chest vibrating underneath Sol's hand as he spoke. 'What do you think? About my romantic attempts, I mean?' 

'Hmmm, I'm swooning over you, Master Skywalker-'

'Don't start with that, now, Solaris.' 

A chuckle threaded through Anakin's words and Sol let out a laugh at his reply. Sol had never felt so relaxed as she leaned against Anakin's chest, feeling the black leather of his robes underneath her cheek. She felt safe with his arm behind her along the back of the sofa, and when she caught sight of a droid entering the apartment with a tray of drinks in its hands, Sol remembered the history of Anakin's hand.

'I hope you don't mind me asking-'

'I do, actually.'

Sol turned to glare at the Skywalker but broke out into a smile when she saw the white teeth that forced his lips to part as he snickered. The droid lowered the tray of drinks onto the coffee table and Sol thanked them, before the droid left towards the kitchen in the elevator. They reached for their drinks and clinked the edges together in cheers, before sipping at the first taste of alcohol since their most recent mission. It felt good to relax, but Sol was still longing for an answer. 

'Your arm,' she started. 'Do you notice it?'

'What do you mean?'

'Does it bother you? I know you said you don't feel anything, but the nerve endings still attach to the end, right?' 

Much to Sol's dismay, Anakin pulled his arm from around her and placed his drink on the coffee table. Sol straightened her back to sit up and watched as Anakin placed his gloved arm facing upwards on his thigh. From Sol's angle, the hand appeared unassuming. His fingers bent and straightened like normal, and the glove covered any sign of metal or silver that would show its uniqueness. Sol had never seen the metal joints nor the robotic fingers that gave Anakin his dominant saber wielding wrist, but she knew that it had improved his swordsmanship. His wrist was able to rotate at speed unnatural to hummanoids and only few knew that it was because of his mechincal inhancements.

'I try not to think about it. I take this off when I sleep and shower, and that's it,' Anakin said while staring at the black leather. Sol sensed his dislike for his mechanical hand, and she saw how his brow sat over his eyes with a sharp downturn. She knew that he regretted his brash actions on Geonosis against Count Dooku, hence why he always covered it with the black glove he never took off around others.

'Can I see it?' Sol bit her lip, hoping her request wasn't too intrusive. And when Anakin turned to her and opened his mouth with no words making it out, she knew that it had been. 

'It's okay. I'm sorry if I overstepped,' Sol said and placed her free hand in his gloved one. As she slid her fingers into the gaps of his, she felt the solid metal that was concealed beneath the leather. But she held his hand nonetheless, and even though he hesitated at first, Anakin's fingers soon enclosed around hers in a tight hold.

'Thank you... for not pushing,' Anakin was sincere in his words. Sol wasn't hurt that he had rejected her request, but was happy to know that Anakin was showing his vulnerability again. The last time he allowed anyone to see this side of him was on Tatooine when he had lost his mother. 

'I know that it's hard being a Jedi. We're still human, after all,' Sol shrugged and took a sip of her drink.

'To feel down is to be human.'

Sol smiled and eyed Anakin with a glint in her eye. 

'You remembered my consolidation,' Sol was touched, and was about to ask about how Anakin had been about losing his mother.

Their time on Tatooine had been short, but Sol had learnt a lot about Anakin, and had seen some different sides to him; some good, some that Sol didn't like to think about. And because of that, Sol thought better of asking about Anakin's mother. They wanted to have a quiet night together, and she would hate to upset Anakin when he had obviously planned this form of staycation. Even though she sensed in the Force that Anakin was often troubled by the thought of his mother's passing, she was unsure about how he would react to her asking about it. 

'Thank you for this, Ani. It's amazing,' Sol said, deciding to sink back into Anakin's warmth while wrapped in his over robe. He raised his gloved arm to snuggle her into his side, and he hummed when he smelt Sol's hair that was conveniently under his nose. The woman curled up into a ball against him and he let his hand grip her shoulder, keeping them interlocked on the sofa. 

As they looked over the city through the windows that made up the walls of the living space, the two Jedi were at peace. Their Force signatures intertwined, and the galaxy was quiet for one night.