Here is the third section of this short story. I think when I'm done it will have five parts, but I'm not completely certain yet.

Confessions

It was less than two hours later when Mara and I left. I think she could tell that something was wrong but she was insightful enough not to say anything. Taking my bag from me, she slung it over her shoulder and led me back to the cabin that would be mine for the next several weeks. "Here it is," she said as she tossed my things onto the small passenger bunk.

"Thanks," I mumbled while I walked in, trying to avoid her eyes.

But Mara was smarter than that. She followed me in and motioned for me to take a seat on the bed. "Jaina, I can't help getting the feeling that something's wrong. Is there anything that you would like to talk about?"

The bed groaned under my weight as I sat down. What was I supposed to say? That I slept with my boyfriend because I thought it was what I wanted? I thought it would bring us closer together, not rip me further apart. No, I couldn't say these things to her. She wouldn't understand. Mara had Uncle Luke and they both loved each other more than anything. "Nope. Everything's great."

I could tell by the look in her eyes that she didn't believe me one bit, but she was going to allow me to keep my secret. I could have hugged her for that. Instead I stood back up and forced a smile on my face. "So what are we waiting for? Let's blast out of here!"

Mara gave me one more skeptical look before she stood up as well and led the way to the cockpit. "You're going to be my co-pilot, right?"

"Of course." This time I gave her a real smile. I had been looking forward to this trip with my aunt for months and I wasn't going to let my incident with Zekk mess things up. I would be fine.

That night at dinner we ate ration bars because neither Mara nor I could cook without catching the entire ship on fire. I didn't mind though because I didn't really want her to try and bond with me while we made a mess- that was my mom's thing. Every once and a while she would set up a cooking date for the two of us and we would slave in the kitchen for hours and come out with nothing more to show for it than a lot of dirty dishes. It was her way of showing me that she "cared" enough to actually pay me some attention. But right now I didn't want anyone's attention. I would have been perfectly happy sinking straight into the ground.

Tonight Mara had other plans though. "As excited as I am to be going off with you right now Jaina, I have to admit that leaving your uncle again is killing me."

I had to give her credit- it was a good starter but I knew where she was going with it. Deciding I would be a good little apprentice and would play along, I said, "Really? I'm sure he is feeling the same way right now. I think it's been really hard on him not having you around at the academy lately."

"I know," she said and I could have sworn I saw a guilty look on her face. "Teaching a bunch of kids on a humid jungle moon just isn't really my thing though. He understood, but I know it made him sad to not have me there with him. But it was part of the deal when we got married. That's what love is though- compromise. If you truly love someone you will do anything to make them happy."

I listened silently as Mara talked. She really was an intelligent woman. I could see why my uncle married her.

"What about you Jaina? From what I hear you and Zekk have become pretty close over the last few years. How is that coming?"

I knew that she was getting around to this, and I was pretty sure that she knew that I knew that this was what she wanted to talk about. "It's good. We are close in a lot of ways. I'm really going to miss him." It was true. One of the few things that I did know for sure was that my heart was already aching for him. But I wanted the old Zekk. The one who would give me a bit of a shy look before he kissed me, and who would hold my hand under the table in the mess hall because he wanted to be close to me.

"I bet. First love must be hard."

Curious, I looked up from my ration bar long enough to catch her eye. "What was your first love like?"

Mara gave a laugh of mirth before she answered, "Well, he was a dashingly handsome farmboy who heroically saved the galaxy. But it wasn't love at first sight, of course. In fact, my first instinct was to kill him. I have to say I am very glad now that I didn't end up following through on all of my threats. Still, it took me years to realize that love was right there in front of me. My only regret is that we didn't admit our feelings sooner."

"Are you serious?" I asked, genuinely shocked by her answer. "Uncle Luke was your first love?"

"Yes, Jaina, he was. Now don't get me wrong, over the years I have had flings and what not, but I had never felt for any man the way I feel for your uncle."

A sinking feeling began to fill me from the pit of my stomach, but I knew that I had to ask. "Aunt Mara, if you don't mind can I ask you something really personal?"

"Of course Jaina."

"Was Uncle Luke…your first?"

She was quiet for a few moments. I think I had actually surprised her with this one. "Jaina, I wish I could say he was. I've made some…mistakes in my past. There are things that I have done that I'm not proud of."

"What do you mean?"

I could tell that it was hard for her to tell me this, but she seemed determined to get it out. "Back when I served the Emperor I used all of my tools for my advantage. That included my body. I was younger than you the first time I slept with a man to get information from him. At the time I thought it would be no big deal, but I regretted that first time for years. By the time the Emperor died I had nothing left- not even my dignity. I was so lost and confused that the idea of having sex with a man because I loved him was a completely foreign concept. I remember being completely terrified on our wedding night because in many ways I was still like a virgin."

I was stunned by her words. "Does Uncle Luke know about all of that?"

She smiled at me a bit for reassurance. "Yes. I came clean to him not long after we got engaged. And you know what? He completely accepted it. Your uncle is a great man. He never judges people, no matter what their past. In fact, I think that night after I told him I fell even more in love." Mara reached over and grasped my hand. "We don't live in a fairytale world of romance, Jaina. Sometimes first experiences aren't perfect like everyone expects. That's not real life."

I flinched at her words. Did she know?

"And it's okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from them."

"Aunt Mara," I said, tears welling in my eyes. "I think I've made a mistake."

She stood up from her side of the table and walked over to sit next to me. Enveloping me in a warm hug, she asked, "Are you ready to talk about it now?"

I nodded my head as the tears began to stream down my face. "It happened. Last night after the party I went to Zekk's room. We had been planning on doing it for a long time and I thought I was ready."

"Oh, sweetheart," she said as she brushed the tears from my cheeks.

Sniffling loudly, I continued. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I guess it just wasn't what I expected. I love him so much, but now I feel like last night was more about the sex to him than it was about me."

"Jaina, you are so young and I just don't think that you were emotionally ready for something like that. Zekk is eighteen. He's an adult and he has adult feelings towards you. But you both need to realize that in many ways you are still a kid, and there is no reason for you to be rushing into an intimate relationship. Believe me Jaina, I know what it's like to have your childhood stolen from you. You deserve better."

"But it's too late now. We've already done it."

"No Jaina, it's never to late to start over. You need to talk to Zekk and tell him how you feel. If he loves you then he will understand. And one day when you are older you will be ready. And when that day comes it will be the happiest moment of your life, I guarantee it."

"Thanks Aunt Mara," I said with one final sniffle.

"I think you just needed a shoulder to cry on. And just so you know, I'll always be here for you. Growing up is hard and I don't want you to have to go through it all alone like I did."

I went to bed that night feeling like a giant weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I had spilled my heart out to Mara and she had understood. The knowledge that I was not the only one who had ever felt like this was such a great relief. As I drifted off to sleep, I noted that my only problem now was trying to find a way to tell Zekk how I felt.

So…did you like? Drop me a review and tell me what you thought. I'll try to have the next part up soon.