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"The reason why I keep my feelings to myself is because I can't explain them."

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Anakin and I walked side by side into the small grocery store, and I made sure to do a quick look-around to make sure there was no one I knew. This place was small enough for me to do a decent scan and out of the people I saw, they were all strangers — as I expected being this far from home.

"Here let me do it," Anakin took the basket from me and pushed it down the first aisle so I wouldn't have to. He then paused and pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, "Okay so I made a list of what I need, I just don't know exactly where to find everything." He mumbled as he glanced around the aisle as if to see if anything on the list was there.

I smiled as I watched his face scrunch in confusion, "Is this your first time in a grocery store?" I teased.

His gaze met mine with a soft smile, "No, just maybe my first time in a long time." He admitted as he shrugged his shoulder, before pushing the basket further down the aisle.

I picked up my pace to follow his long strides until I was by his side, "Well this is the baking aisle, so unless you plan to make me cupcakes for dinner, we should go to the next one."

He paused and reached for an item on one of the shelves and dropped it into the basket. I glanced inside to see what it was and sure enough, it was a box cupcake mix, "Maybe not for dinner, but definitely for dessert." He winked and leaned on the basket so his face was closer to mine as he began walking again.

I grabbed an item of my own from the shelf and set it next to his choice, causing the smile he held for me to widen, "Well we can't have cupcakes without frosting." I said as I gestured to the chocolate sugary mix.

He stopped his steps before we exited the aisle and kept his eyes on me, eyes that were glazed over with adoration, "Come here," He leaned in my direction and I did as he asked and leaned in as well, pressing my lips to his like an instinct.

"Not that I don't enjoy the luxury of your kisses, but what was that for?" I asked with a smile as we parted.

"You have such a beautiful smile," His eyes flickered to my lips before he met my gaze again, "Every-time I see it, I just want to kiss you."

The temperature in my body rose as my cheeks blushed red, and the exuberant fluttering in my stomach clouded all else. No one has ever made my body react the way he does, it was almost unbearable given the amount of times my heart has felt like it was going to burst, "Have I ever you told you you're the sweetest man I've ever met?" I asked as I caressed his cheek before running my fingers through his hair — for once, I wasn't lying.

Now he blushed and quickly looked away - I made him shy, "We should continue our shopping before we give the people in this store a show they'll never forget." He turned left and walked us next to the dairy.

I grabbed a coffee creamer since I knew I was running low, and put it in the basket. My heart was still pounding over his sweet words, but I wasn't trying to have a make-out session on top of the produce. So I took a few deep breaths to calm my hormones down and followed him around the store as he did his shopping.

"So, how was your homework last night?" He asked softly while grabbing what looked to be chicken and throwing it in the basket.

"Long," I sighed, "I was up almost the whole night."

He placed his hand on my back and stroked it, his act giving me goosebumps, "That explains why you look so tired. You can sleep while I make everything, I won't mind it."

I leaned into him and the arm stroking my back wrapped around my shoulder instead, he even slowed down to match my pace. Usually Connor would just zip through and leave me behind everywhere, occasionally running over my toes too.

Connor...

I was not trying to think about him today.

"No it's okay," I pulled myself out of his hold to grab eggs, another thing I was running out of. I was making sure to keep the stuff I was picking out separate from his. I had no intentions of allowing him to buy my groceries, "I wouldn't want to be a terrible hostess by sleeping as you slave away in a hot kitchen. Besides, I like your company more than sleep." I flirted, just a little.

He responded by grabbing my hand so our fingers would interlock, "I can say the same gorgeous, but I promise if you decide to fall asleep at any point, I'll let you use me as your official pillow." He quickly kissed my cheek before he turned us down the pasta aisle.

My eyes lit up and not over the kiss either, although that did make my heart skip an entire beat, "Are you making pasta?" I asked as I looked at the many different sizes and shapes — my personal favorite are the large shells.

He chuckled as he reached forward and grabbed the large shells, my heart skipped another beat, "My sister always says that I would have made a great chef in a different lifetime. I can cook well and I can always tell what someone will or will not like." He placed the box in the basket and I was in awe at just how accurate that seems so far. And maybe cooking is something he would have gotten into if he didn't choose the darker path. Imagine that, him and I, a cook and a cop...wait, would we have even met?

"You have my hopes high boss," I gently squeezed his hand.

He chuckled again as he went to push the cart, but he paused when his eyes landed on another individual in the aisle. This man looked at the sauces and seemed completely normal, so I didn't get why Anakin paused the way he did, "Actually I need to get cheese before we go down this way," He turned the cart around while letting go of my hand and headed back to the dairy section.

I noticed him subtly glance behind him once he stopped us by the cheese, and after a few moments, I did the same when I didn't think he'd notice me. I turned and side-eyed the aside we were just in and the man was now closer to us, looking at a variety of chips on a stand — his eyes occasionally glancing in our direction.

We were being followed, and the criminal notified before the cop — I should just look into a new profession at this point.

"This should work fine, I was hoping for mozzarella but they're out," He said as he tossed the cheese into the basket, his eyes glancing in the direction of the stranger, "Can you do me a favor and get two containers of the vodka pasta sauce while I go to the bathroom?" He asked while running his fingers through my hair and fixing a few loose flyaways.

"Yeah I can do that," I nodded as I took the basket from him.

"Perfect, I'll meet you there or over by the drinks," He ran his hand along my arm as he walked away and disappeared down an aisle I couldn't see in. Then a few seconds later, the man I was suspecting of following us went down the exact aisle Ani did.

So I guess it's not us he's following, but him. And there is no way I wasn't going to follow as well and try to learn what this was about.

I waited a decent amount of time before I added myself to this escapade. I peaked my head around the corner of the aisle and saw the man make a right as he exited the aisle on the other end. So, I rushed down and stopped at the end of it to peak around again. I kept repeating this until I saw Anakin disappear around a corner that looked like it was a restricted area meant for employees only - the man soon followed.

I left the cart near a drinking fountain and tiptoed up to the corner before slowly and cautiously looking around it.

I looked just in time to see Anakin grab the man by his collar and shove him up against the wall — a gun held under his jaw, "Why the hell are you following me Hm?" Anakin sneered in a threatening tkme as he dug the gun deeper into the man's jaw, "Is it Sheev? Is he looking for yet another weak point he can poke at and use against me?"

The one Anakin is threatening didn't look afraid. The smile he held showed he was actually amused, "Put that gun away before someone comes and sees, are you trying to draw attention to yourself?"

Anakin shrugged and did the opposite of what his victim told him to do, and kept the gun out, in fact, he let go of the man's shirt and pulled down the slide to the gun so it was ready to be fired, "No, because I know who you work for and I know why you're here. So listen good or I promise you'll regret ever stepping into this store."

"I don't take orders from you," He spat in Anakin's face.

Anakin let go of his collar and took a step back to wipe the spit from his face, "Do you have a family?" He asked, keeping the gun pointed at the man who didn't give him an answer. So what Anakin did next was go into his stalkers pocket and pulled out his wallet, "How cute, two daughters and a wife," He pulled out a photo as he dropped the wallet onto the floor, "It would be a shame if you never saw them again."

"Hey give that-"

"Ah ah ah," Anakin pulled the picture away from him as the man reached for it and placed his finger on the trigger, "This is mine now." He put it inside of his back pocket, "For insurance purposes."

The man clenched his jaw in anger, "What do you want then?" He spat through his teeth.

"It's simple, that girl I'm out there with, he doesn't need to know about her. Understand?" This was a whole different side of Anakin that I had not seen until now. He was almost frightening, and it sounds like he's going to these lengths because he's trying to protect me, "When you go to him and give him his little update on what his favorite slave is doing, tell him anything and everything you want — just leave her out of it or I promise you things will get ugly for you and your family."

"Consider it done," He told Anakin, probably knowing he had no other choice, "Can I have my picture back now?" He asked when the gun was no longer in his face.

Anakin shook his head, "Like I said, insurance purposes. Have a great day now."

I took those words as my cue to run back to the cart and get to the sauces before Anakin did. But I ultimately failed when he caught me back in the baking aisle and I played it off by pretending to look for something specific.

"Sweetheart, this doesn't look like sauce to me," He gestured at the cookies I was supposedly looking at.

I smiled and grabbed the first bag of cookie mix I saw, and it just happened to be peanut butter — which I love, "I heard a kid asking his mom for peanut butter cookies, and then I somehow ended up here." I tossed it into the basket with my stuff and kept up my innocent act.

I also wasn't sure how I was feeling at the moment. It caught me off guard to see that side of him even though I already knew it existed, but still, seeing it is different than just knowing. And I wouldn't want a family to be hurt, but the question ahead is — was his threat serious? Or was he only trying to scare him?

"I can make those for you too if you'd like." He offered as he placed his hands on my hips and stole my affection once again with a simple act, "I can make you anything you want."

I leaned into his hold, I know I shouldn't be especially after what I witnessed, but I was happy around him, "You spoil me."

But still even my happiness has not stopped my mind from racing with a few new questions I have to add along with the old. Why did he refer to himself as a slave? And why does he feel the need to protect me from Sheev? Which if I remember correctly is his boss and Clovis's father.

I have so many unanswered questions and it was driving me insane. This whole case was a headache that I was not as prepared for as I expected.

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Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!
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