Perfect

Chapter Four

During the Unification Celebration, the palace was open to the public, so the only quiet area was actually down the hall leading to the residential suites. I took Obi-Wan to mine and locked the door behind me.

My plan was to question him further to determine his level of sobriety. Before I could speak a word, though, he took me in his arms and began suckling my neck; then moved his lips to my ear to spend some time there before claiming another kiss. I certainly didn't mind all the attention he was giving me. In fact, I had dreamed about this very moment, except that I'd always envisioned him a bit more sober than he was right now.

This kiss was hungrier than the first and I could taste the liquor on his tongue as it swept against mine. My legs were getting weak under his influence and I opened my mouth to invite him in, although I wondered for a moment if this could possibly be a dream. Was Obi-Wan Kenobi actually standing in my bedroom kissing me this way? I had never seriously considered the possibility, but here he was, moving his mouth against mine, with his hands desperately searching for bare skin.

Suddenly, he growled in frustration into my mouth and murmured without breaking the kiss.

"Too much dress..."

I giggled slightly, a garbled sound that didn't manage to escape my throat, just before I felt his hands upon the clasps on the back of my gown. The realization he was about to undress me was enough to knock some sense into my delirious brain and I hastily retreated, which was one of the most difficult things I'd ever done. Obi-Wan's touch, his kiss, and his passionate gaze were a genuine threat to my self-control. I desperately needed to put some distance between us and I positioned myself behind the round occasional table with him safely on the other side.

"Listen," I told him while trying to catch my breath. "There's nothing more I would enjoy than to continue whatever it is we're doing, but you and I need to talk. Really. I mean it."

Obi-Wan continued to toy with me by pretending he was about to run around the table, but he finally stopped, chuckled, and pulled out a chair instead.

"You're right," he said, which gave me some relief. I didn't want him to do anything he may regret later. "What should we talk about?"

Even though the caff had been strong and black, he still wasn't himself. He was usually so serious and calm. Drunken Obi-Wan was carefree and mischievous and I was happy to discover I adored that about him.

"First of all," I replied, trying my best to calm things down just a bit as I slowly took a seat. "I refuse to take advantage of you while you're not in your right state of mind."

"My mind has never been more clear," he argued, leaning toward me, revealing that charming grin of his.

"Regardless," I said, struggling not to grin myself, "this has come as quite a surprise to me. You've never even suggested you had feelings for me before now."

"I know that and I apologize. But that's all in the past. Padme we have a wonderful future ahead of us. I've got it all figured out. In between missions, I'll come to visit you here on Naboo. Anakin would benefit from your company as well. He's quite partial to you, by the way. Sometimes our downtime lasts for a few days, and I can't think of any place else I'd rather be than here with you: To study you as you go about your day, share meals with you, take long walks in the plaza during our evenings together, listen to the sounds of your breathing as you sleep..."

"Wait...wait," I insisted with outstretched hands. "We've only just kissed and you're planning on sleeping with me? Aren't you taking things a little too fast?"

"Being a Jedi, opportunities such as these are seldom had. The Council keeps me busy and Anakin takes up all the rest of my time," he explained while reaching for my hands. I allowed him to hold onto them and was thrilled by the way his thumbs gently caressed my fingers. "I need you to understand that expediency in this matter is vital."

At first, I thought he was joking, but his mood had abruptly become quite somber.

"Just what are you getting at?"

"I know this may sound crazy, but you need to be aware that I've spent many long hours on my knees in meditation on what I should do concerning this situation. With the help of the Force, I've come to the conclusion that I'm in love with you and that we should marry. Right away if at all possible. I have to leave tomorrow."

My mouth had fallen open, which was most likely what he was now grinning about. The fact he had just confessed he was in love with me was enough of a shock, but Obi-Wan wished to marry me? I was speechless.

"That's okay," he said kindly with a toss of his auburn head. "This all must come as quite a shock, but I've thought a lot about it and I strongly believe you and I are meant to be together. I'll give you some time to consider my proposal."

By that time, I had managed to close my mouth, though I was still unable to form an intelligent reply.

Obi-Wan paused as he exited my room to turn around, a bright smile on his face and a gleam in his eye. "I'll need to know your answer by morning."

"Wow," Anakin said, looking far more relaxed than he had earlier.

"Why did you say that?" I was curious what his reaction to the proposal would be. He didn't seem as surprised as I had been, but he knew Obi-Wan better than I did.

"That's so like him to spring it on you like that. That's what he does. He always appears to be so calm and in control when on the inside he's worrying himself sick over something that's bothering him. He spends long nights in meditation and then after a few days, makes a decision that no one can talk him out of. Not even Master Yoda. He can be very stubborn and nobody seems to know that about him."

"I managed to figure that out fairly quickly," I informed Anakin. "The way he proposed to me was as if the matter was already settled and I didn't have much of a choice. In the end, I did choose, and far more quickly than I thought I would."