Mid Rim
Planet: Naboo
City of Theed
Silre handed the shop owner a fist full of credits with a smile and carried two brightly colored drinks out to where Luke waited. He sat in quiet reflection, legs crossed beneath him, his sightless gaze on the Sollue River. As Silre neared, she could tell his thoughts remained back at his mother's tomb despite leaving it behind. Whatever happened in there had taken a toll on him.
Settling onto the grass, she offered Luke one of the bottles. "I thought this might help."
Luke glanced over, the far-off look in his eyes disappearing. He eyed the bottle with a smile. "What is it?"
"Blossom wine."
He took the bottle gladly, draining almost half of the pale yellow liquid in one go. When he looked at Silre again, his smile grew larger. "Hits the spot. Thank you."
Silre nodded, feeling suddenly self-conscious. The way Luke looked at her...she should be used to it by now. Instead, the fire inside her grew stronger. In hopes of dowsing the flames, she took a drink of her own wine and turned her gaze to the water's edge. The liquid went down easy; aromatic and sweet, much like the scenery around them.
Beyond the Sollue, Theed's constant bustle was winding down in the late hours of the day. She and Luke had chosen a spot not far outside the city center, enjoying the shade of a large, leafy-green tree whose boughs drooped around them like protective arms. Despite the amount of people, their chosen spot was far enough out of the way that it felt somewhat private. For the time they were alone. Alone, save for their own thoughts.
Silre took another drink and allowed her eyes to wander back to the man sitting beside her, lingering on the strong arms that had hugged her in a way she hadn't been expecting back in the tomb. Something had come over her when she entered and saw Luke there, appearing drawn and defeated for the first time since meeting him. It sent her nurturing side into overdrive, and her desire to sooth Luke's pain in any way she could blocked out any apprehension she had to embrace him as she did. All she knew in that moment was that she wanted to give him comfort, and to rescue him from whatever had happened in there to stir such visible emotions.
Now that they put some distance between themselves and the tomb, Luke was much more relaxed. The weight he shouldered had all but disappeared, yet the vibrant blue of his eyes remained dulled. Silre thought he looked just as handsome, but her heart yearned to comfort him even more. She didn't know the details of what happened in the tomb, but something had happened. She wanted to ask him about it, if only to help him iron out whatever he was feeling. But she was also curious; curious of the strange sensation she felt right before she went inside the tomb. Silently, she tried to think of a way to breach the subject.
Not so silently, Luke beat her to it.
"You deserve to know what happened earlier." His voice was unusually quiet, despite the amount of privacy their spot beneath the tree afforded them.
"You don't have to share any of it if you don't want to" Silre told him.
"But I do want to." His expression lifted as his eyes found hers. "If you only knew how much I really want to tell you."
Silre waited, wondering if he would continue. Instead, Luke lay back until he was flat against the grass with his gaze directed at the evening sky. He let out a sigh, his brain clearly still racing despite the more carefree position. Silre took a chance and settled onto her back next to him, feeling how nice it was to lay next to him, even in this manner. "I want you to feel comfortable around me" she said. "But I understand if you don't trust me yet."
Luke turned his head to reveal a shocked expression. "You think I don't trust you?" Of all things, he let out a light hearted laugh. "I guess I'm worse at this than I thought."
With this, he shifted onto his side to face her. Silre felt his aura shift with him; radiating outward through some invisible link between them. As he propped himself up on one arm, Silre was relieved to see some of the light come back to his eyes. Still, there was a hint of something bashful in the way he looked at her then.
"Can I admit something?"
She rolled over onto her side so they were facing one another. "Of course."
Luke waved casually at the city beyond the river. "I don't usually do this. Travel to various planets. Visit my mother's tomb. Try and talk to Force ghosts." He peered down at the grass, as if he was ashamed of his own words. "I don't usually travel with anyone except my squadron or my sister. And most of all, I don't tell anyone anything that's going on with me because for so long, I didn't have anyone who really cared to listen." His eyes lifted. "But I find myself here on Naboo, visiting my mother's tomb and speaking to my father's Force ghost, and doing it all with a woman who I'm starting to care for more and more with every passing day."
Silre heard his words and her breathing halted. She could feel her heart hammering against her ribs, even as Luke reached out and took her hand in his.
"So when I hear you say that I might not trust you even after dancing with you, traveling with you, and asking you to join me here when you know so little about why I'm on this journey..." He shrugged, but his fingers tightened around hers. "I feel like maybe I need to change what I'm doing to prove to you that I do."
Silre swallowed thickly, fighting against a mix of nerves and the strong urge she had to kiss him just to prove he didn't need to do a thing. "I think you're on the right track" she told him, then gave his hand a squeeze. Luke was clearly pleased, but his eyes maintained their intense focus.
"So if I tell you that I trust you, do you believe me?" he asked.
Silre felt a pulse in the current between them as she nodded. "Yes."
"Then know that I trust you enough to tell you what happened in the tomb." Luke's voice was deep with sincerity. He brushed his thumb over her skin, his touch amplifying his words. "But only if you want to listen."
"I would lay here all day if you wanted," Silre admitted gladly. "I already made up my mind back on Florrum that I would never tired of listening to you talk or tell stories."
Luke's full, handsome grin lit up his face. "Really?!"
She nodded. It appeared that her admission came as a surprise, but Luke looked more relieved now than anything.
"Maybe I'm not as bad at this as I thought" he mentioned.
"What? Flirting?"
He looked at her shyly. "Yes."
"You're better at it than you realize," Silre confided with a smirk. "...for a Jedi, anyway."
This garnered a laugh. "I've heard that practice makes perfect." His grin grew bolder. "Maybe that's all I need."
"Then I'll hold you to that" Silre said, giving him a nudge in the bicep.
In that moment they shared a smile; one that held both an unspoken knowledge and a sense of relief. Relief that somewhere, in the words left unsaid, the feelings they were developing for one another was mutual. It was now clear that the way Silre felt for Luke was reciprocated in more ways than one. And yet, it was hard for her to fathom. She felt as though a part of her was undeserving of the attention of a Jedi. This Jedi. But if there was some rulebook the Jedi followed, Luke either never read it - or decided to throw the entire thing out completely. Either way, Silre was thankful.
The emotional barrier they crossed allowed Luke to retell the events as they unfolded inside the tomb. As he spoke, Silre learned that he did, in fact, connect with his father through the Force. He did not say how it happened, but Silre found it fascinating that anyone, be it a Jedi or otherwise, could communicate with the dead. The knowledge that Luke could do this did not scare her as it may have scared others. She listened intently as he described his father's appearance and the various emotions he felt while speaking with him, and it left her wondering what it would be like to see a Force ghost. And though Luke did not disclose to her what he and father talked about, he mentioned that his father had given him guidance.
When he finished his tale, Silre could see there was still a sliver of apprehension in his expression. As though he, himself, couldn't believe some of the things he just told her. "Do you feel satisfied with how the visit went?" she asked him.
"I do" Luke replied. "It was wonderful to be there with him. I just...never thought it would actually happen."
"Do you think you two will speak again?"
"It's one of many questions I still have." He facially shrugged, though when he looked at her, a sense of wonderment arose within his voice. "How did you know to come into the tomb when you did?"
Silre was caught a little off guard by the question. "I don't know...It just felt like you needed someone." She knew it sounded sloppy but she didn't know how else to say it without saying it. In truth, it had been her intuition that had nudged her to go to him. Standing outside the tomb, she'd felt an electric current in the air when her intuition spoke to her. Even Luke's droid had revived at the precise moment Silre had felt the change take place. At the time she hadn't known something had happened within the tomb, but after feeling it, she knew she had to go to him.
To her relief, Luke's dimples reappeared. "I did need you, and you were there for me. Thank you for that."
"I'm glad I was," Silre answered. What she didn't tell him was how she wanted to be there for him all the time, but perhaps not everything needed to be admitted in one day.
Across the river, a chorus of chiming bells could be heard drifting from all corners the city. It was Theed's signal to its people that the dinner hour had now come, and those who were working were now free to escape to their lives beyond the walls of their trade.
When Luke heard the bells, his attention focused at a point beyond the riverbank. A subtle smile played at his mouth and his eyes took on that far-away look. "I've never visited Theed long enough to hear the evening bells."
Silre studied him, concerned that they had lingered too long. "Do you want to head back into the city center to see-"
"-No, no" Luke said, cutting her off gently. "Let's stay here like this, if only for a bit longer."
"All right, then." Silre rolled onto her back and settled deeper into the grass, and Luke did the same. In doing so, her hand never left Luke's. She felt the strength in his grip and a wonderful sense of comfort and security overcame her. Here on the grass, under the giant tree next to the river, Silre felt safe. She didn't have to worry about her future, her past, or any of her plans - failed or otherwise. Only the present moment mattered, and it was a moment better than any she could imagine.
As the last of the day's light dipped beyond the domed buildings of Theed, and then beyond the horizon line itself, Luke and Silre remained talking together beneath the tree. Sometimes they looked at one another as they lay there, gazing into one another eyes. Other times, they stared up at the sky as they talked. They watched as the infinite galaxy above them made itself known in through the sparkle of distant stars. One by one they appeared, dazzling and dotting the darkened canvas above. Not even the lights of Theed could block out their abundance.
After almost two hours had passed, Luke and Silre finally decided to head back into the city to find lodging for the night. They took their time walking back towards Theed's plaza, emerging into the nightlife that had arisen in their absence. The streets were alive with a different kind of bustle than what the daytime hours had provided. Dozens of brightly dressed citizens packed the streets to enjoy the culture their city boasted, visiting shops and vendors or watching street performers.
Luke and Silre wound their way through the activity, making their way to the lodging quarters not far from Theed's royal Palace. As they emerged onto the main Plaza, the royal Palace came into view, and was the first time Silre had ever laid eyes on it. It overtook the scenery with its magnificence, lit up by some unknown source so that it dazzled any that looked upon it. Its stacked pillars and domed roofs left her speechless. It was if a beautiful, sparkling, sleeping giant overlooked the Plaza and its people, and she couldn't take her eyes off of it.
Luke watched Silre with a growing smile. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"
"Yes" she said quietly, her eyes still gazing at the massive structure. Unlike Kuat, the people of Naboo and those that ruled their lands lived harmoniously among one another. At least, now they did. It was so foreign to her. The concept of mixed classes living together impressed her almost as much as the architecture did. If Kuat's surface had anything like Theed's Palace upon its surface, Silre had no idea. "The people of Theed don't know how lucky they are," she added.
This admission struck Luke in his heart. "One of them does."
Silre pulled her eyes away from the Palace to find affection in Luke's gaze. He gave her a nod as if to say yes, I mean me. It was only a tiny admission, but it was sweet. Silre acknowledged him by letting her hand find his once again. She gave it a squeeze when their fingers entwined; a silent thank you spoken through her touch.
They left the Palace and the plaza behind, and not long after they arrived at the street that housed much of Theed's lodging quarters for off-planets guests. Neither Luke nor Silre were all that choosy as to where they spent their resting hours, so they decided on one of the smaller hotels. Because of its modest size, it had fewer rooms available, but was no less lovely than the other larger, more conventional lodging choices. The style of the lobby area was open and breezy, with separate wings splitting off on each side where the guest rooms were located. Giant potted plants hung from all spaces around them, and a fountain of clear water dribbled over river stone near the center of the lobby.
After the pair paid for their stay, Luke walked Silre to her room located down the wing opposite to his own. They lingered for a moment in front of her door, unsure of how to leave one another after everything that had happened that day.
Full of nervous energy, Silre took the moment to try her keycard. She lined the small square up to the sensor panel on the wall and the door slid open, revealing a small but comfortable studio room. City lights streamed in through a double glass door near the rear of the room that led to a private balcony. Simple white linens adorned a large bed, while a small kitchenette occupied the wall closest to the entrance.
Silre gave Luke a subdued smile. "Should be good enough for the night."
He motioned with his eyes to the opposite wing of the hotel. "I'm just down the hall, so let me know if you need anything."
"Same goes for you" Silre offered.
Luke didn't want to leave. He tried to think of an excuse to linger there longer, but the seconds that ticked away made it increasingly difficult to do without a valid reason. Still, something inside him tugged at him, encouraging him to stay.
When he could think of nothing, he simply wished Silre goodnight and turned to leave. In doing so, he felt that pull inside him respond so strongly it almost made him double-back. He forced himself to keep walking, but the tug in his chest kept pulling. He didn't turn around to see that Silre waited outside her door, watching him leave and wishing he wouldn't. Had he turned around, he would've known it was her who was tugging at him to stay. She didn't know it, but her intuition was calling to him through the Force. Her need for him, her desire to be with him, reached out silently through their invisible link as their energetic connection struggled to stay taut, even as Luke disappeared down the length of the hallway.
Silre waited until she could no longer see him before she gave up. She stepped inside the room and closed the door, feeling something inside her chest pulling at her.
Go, a voice told her. A voice she couldn't hear, but felt as though it was a part of her. She searched within herself, trying to pinpoint what it was that she felt. Her heartbeat throbbed in her temples as the voice became louder.
Go to him, Silre.
It was the same sensation she had all her life. The same voice she heard when she made the decision to leave the Drive Yards once and for all. A voice that belonged to no one and yet a voice that was solely hers. It was something unearthly. Something far more powerful than her. She'd known it all her life, but it scared her every time she heard it.
It was her intuition...or whatever it was that she called her intuition.
A knock at the door made her jump, but she didn't hesitate in opening it. She already knew who waited on the other side.
When the panel slid open, Luke stood there; eyes dark and full of desire. He said nothing as he stepped inside, took Silre's face in his hands, and pressed his mouth to hers. At first he moved tentatively, but quickly emboldened as he brushed a hand through her hair and deepened the kiss. His other hand remained anchored to the side of her neck, his thumb brushing along her jawline to feel the heat of her skin rising with every second. He pressed himself against her, enveloping her smaller frame in his own and felt her hands grip at his waist, pulling him in until all free space between them was gone. His reward was Silre's barely audible moan, which sent the rest of his body into overdrive. The way her energy ignited with his made it feel as if something was working within the Force at that moment; something he didn't quite understand. To him, it was like a thousand points of light had come alive all at once and wrapped around them, binding them together in a way that only the Force could explain.
As they backed slowly inside the room, Luke flicked two fingers in the direction of the door and it slid to a close behind them. Silre allowed him to guide her, trusting his instinct to take control because she'd just about lost all of hers. She hadn't expected his lips to feel as soft as they did, or to move as skillfully as they were. They spoke in slow, controlled movements, drawing her in with the gentle caress of his tongue. In that moment, she gave herself over to him. When she opened her mouth to him, she also opened herself to everything that would follow that moment. In his kiss was the promise of his protection, as well as a seed of love and devotion. She knew then and there that she would nurture that seed as long as she could. Just as he had leapt into her life unexpectedly, he had stolen her heart just as quickly. As far as she was concerned, her heart was his.
As they came up for air, they stared into one another's eyes for a breathless moment. Both were searching. Trying to see if the other was happy. Satisfied. Scared.
Luke's focus lowered to Silre's mouth, eyeing their rose color with newfound desire. He brushed the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip, still feeling them on his even though they were apart. Unable to help himself, he gave her a lighter, gentler kiss. "Silre..."
"Don't stop" she breathed, her accented voice hoarse from lust. She ran her hands through his hair, as she'd wanted to do since she first met him, and pulled his mouth back to hers. This time, there was no hesitation. There was no question to the depth of their desire. Luke's body was responding, and Silre's body was answering. She was as drunk off the sensation as he was.
She tried to remember a time in her past where a first kiss had left her this powerless. A first kiss was usually timid. Quick. A brief test of the waters. But just as everything else had been different with Luke, so was his kiss. His level of passion was unmatched, and it wasn't just his mouth. It was the way his hands held her face, keeping her still so he could taste her. It was the way his chest and hips lined up with hers, completely enveloping her, leaving her nowhere to go and never wanting anywhere else to be. His mouth was a mixture of soft, strong, and needful. Greedy, yet giving; taking everything he craved from her while quenching her own desires. It was the embrace of a lover who had grown to know her, not the first kiss of someone who'd only been a part of her life for days. How he did it, she would never know.
Eager to feel more of him, she moved her hands to the leather jacket Luke still wore and edged it over his shoulders until it fell to the floor. Their mouths parted as she worked her hands down to the hem of his emerald green shirt. In the moonlight of the dark room, it appeared almost black. Her fingers played over the band of his pants, brushing against the leather of his belt before fluttering over the firm pane of his abdomen.
Luke watched through heavy lidded eyes, trying to steady his breathing as his desire for Silre swiftly overtook him. When she went to remove his shirt, he clasped his hands over hers and held her gaze. "I didn't come back here for...this."
"I know." Silre pressed a featherlight kiss to his lips. "Believe me, I know."
Luke closed his eyes; a prisoner to the gentle caress of her mouth as it trailed down to the cleft of his chin. When she lowered further and nipped at the meat of his neck, the last of his apprehension dwindled to dust. He cupped his hands beneath her bottom and lifted her into his arms, carrying her the rest of the way to the bed. She hugged his neck and kissed him harder, and their mouths found a perfect rhythm together.
The only time she hesitated was when Luke lowered her onto the bed. She searched his expression in a way that made him feel like she was looking into his soul. Delicately, she pushed a piece of his hair away from his brow and smiled. "I haven't told you this yet, but...you're incredibly handsome."
Luke uttered a bashful chuckle. "I don't think I've told you this yet, but..." He reached forward and tucked the longer side of her hair behind her ear. "I love the way you always do this whenever I compliment you."
"Tuck my hair behind my ear?"
The look on Silre's face made the admission worth it. Luke placed a kiss to her temple and smiled against her skin. "Every..." He kissed her ear. "Single..." He ended at her mouth. "Time." Pulling back, he was not one bit surprised to see a new shade of pink coloring her cheeks. "I thought you were beautiful when we first met, but every moment since has been a challenge to count just how many ways you are beautiful."
"Now you're just testing me to see if I do the thing with my hair."
"That's why I already tucked it back for you" Luke teased. He bent to kiss her once more, but was stopped by one of her fingers as it pressed to his lips.
Silre's expression turned more serious. "My decision to join the New Republic isn't just because I believe in it. It's because I believe in you. And in the feeling I've had since I first met you." She ran her fingers through his hair until she was holding both sides of his face, unable to stop looking into the clear blue that stared back at her in a way that told her her life was about to change for good. "I never want that feeling to end."
Luke brought his mouth within a whisper of hers. "It won't. As long as I live, I'll make sure of it."
He punctuated this promise through his kiss and in every moment that followed. In no time, their clothes had been removed one by one, though each layer left them admiring the other in a newfound way. Luke imprinted each line of Silre's body; each curve that smoothly morphed into more defined lines of lean muscle. He kissed and licked his way past her collar bone to the valley nestled between her breasts, then to the pane of silken skin awaiting him at her stomach. She sighed under his touch, moaned under his tongue, and arched her back when he used both. Her body was the perfect blend of athletic and feminine; an infinite landscape for him to memorize and adore. Once wouldn't be enough. A whole lifetime wouldn't be enough.
It came as surprise then, when Silre shifted herself on top of him, to find himself staring up at the chocolate and caramel hues of her eyes that glinted back playfully. Her hands began to deftly explore his body, teasing him as she went, gliding along his skin in a way that aroused more than desire in his blood. She gazed at his body with admiration, but also with a sense of wonder. With the slightest touch of her finger, she traced the line of a faint scar that streaked across the right side of his abdomen.
"Where did you receive this?" Her voice remained heavy with desire despite the curiosity evident in her tone.
"Skirmish" answered Luke, trying to maintain focus. "On Kashyyyk."
Silre traced the raised skin with her lips, watching with a smirk as the muscles of Luke's abs tightened in response. She moved over to a smaller, darker scar near his hip. "And this one?"
Luke's body stiffened further when he felt the warmth of her breath against his skin. "Endor."
Silre hummed pleasantly and shifted once more. This time, she moved her mouth to his left arm and a scar that decorated his forearm. She kissed it lightly. "This one?" She glanced up to see Luke's boyish smile broaden.
"A failed attempt at fixing my X-wing."
A giggle escaped Silre as she moved back up to his mouth. "I have so much to learn" she told him, and then her mouth was devouring his once more.
The truth was, Silre was intimidated. Not by Luke himself, but by the man he was. He wasn't large in stature, but by gods was he ever a tightly packed arrangement of muscle. With every delightful inch of his body bared before her, it became clear how he could manipulate his body the way he had back on Florrum, and the power that lay waiting beneath all those black clothes he wore. Just eyeing the muscles of his acutely chiseled arms and chest left Silre wanting to know what elsehe could do. How elsehe could move. What other powers he kept hidden from the rest of the world.
Below his waist, the part of him that stood at full attention made her want to throw all decorum out the window and immediately find out, but she knew how this dance went. Even though Luke was unlike any other man she'd met before, he was still a man, and she was fully intent on enjoying all he had to offer with her usual painstaking attention. The kind of attention she reserved for her trade, though the body before her was built finer than any she'd seen. She didn't know what the future held for her, but she knew she didn't want to rush this part and sacrifice missing a moment of was right in front of her.
The eternal problem she had, of course, was that every part of Luke's body was red blooded male but the moment she looked up and met his gaze, she saw nothing but boyish good looks and a painfully perfect smile staring back at her.
"See something you like?" he mused.
His confidence was a turn on. "I see a lot of things I really like" she answered. "It's just a matter of where I spend my attention first."
She was about to let her mouth spend some much-deserved attention on his erection, but then Luke swept her up in a rush of motion that had her pinned beneath him all over again.
The growing power struggle between them awakened a more playful side Silre wasn't used to with previous lovers. Intent on playing along, she went to move her hands but found that they, too, were also pinned. There was a fleeting moment of panic before an invisible force gently lifted her arms over her head until her wrists were angled above her on the pillow. She attempted to move them again, but it was if a vice grip had them locked to the surface of the bed.
She stared up at Luke in wonder. "What the-"
His mouth silenced her, his tongue delving inside for one needful taste before he pulled back. "There are other uses of the Force." His smirk turned devilish. "And I intend to use several of them on you." In the most subtle of movements, he angled his head a fraction and Silre's legs nudged apart.
Realizing what he was doing, she eyed him slyly. He countered with a raise of an eyebrow, and the motion resulted in pressure building between her legs at her core. It grew slowly, heating her from the inside out, drawing a moan from her throat at the blissful sensation.
Luke just simply watched as though his ability to turn her inside-out without lifting a finger was no big deal. As if he wasn't just sitting there, touching her without actually touching her. He was clearly pleased with himself, but it was just another moment of talent for him. For Silre, the power Luke had over her left her body begging for more. She squirmed beneath him, legs shifting under the weight of his own, but her arms and wrists never budged. Still the pressure grew, and more moans erupted from her
Luke knew it wasn't wholly fair, but he could have watched Silre writhe like that for hours. Increasing the pressure on her most sensitive areas, then easing off again when it got too intense...it drove him wild. His expression may not have given much away, but his body ached more now than ever. Seeing her completely unravel and he hadn't even touched her yet was divine, but he knew he wouldn't be able to hold out much longer if he kept it up. His goal was only to tease. To see how she responded. To bring her to the brink.
He would use his entire body to bring her the rest of the way.
Easing off the pressure, Luke allowed Silre a moment to come down from the sensations. She caught her breath, her bare chest no longer heaving but relaxing into a slower, more controlled pace. Luke used the time to explore the curve of her breasts, spending time at each peak with his tongue as he settled his hips against hers. He felt the physical proof that what he'd done earlier had worked in the slick warmth between her thighs, and it took every ounce of restraint he had left not to bury himself inside her right then and there.
Silre's hands came to rest behind his neck, her fingers grazing the hair on the back of his head. "Before now, I always thought I was strong," she said passively.
Luke cocked his head. "You are, though?"
"Oh no. Not anymore." She drew his mouth back to hers. "Not with you. And not against whatever that was." Another bashful laugh followed by another boyish grin, both of which proved she would be powerless to each for as long as she knew him.
"If that's the case..." Luke nuzzled his nose against hers. "...let me be all the strength you need tonight."
"Don't make me wait any longer" Silre begged.
The words barely made it out before she inhaled sharply. Luke was inside her, penetrating not just her body but her mind with every ounce of his being. For the rest of the night he delivered her to a place she'd never been before. Not physically. Not mentally. And certainly not with any past lover.
Just as everything else had been so different, Luke's love proved to be the most distinct and glorious of all.
Author's Note:
And just like this father before him, Luke fell in love with a girl on Naboo. :) Thank you again for all the comments, likes, follows, and of course - your reviews! I'm so glad everyone is enjoying the story so far. -Winter