Sunlight poured through the sheer white fabric that covered the windows in Padmé's quarters. Slowly, the Senator opened her eyes and took in the world around her. Noobian songbirds, green in color with vibrant purple under the wings, serenaded her from just outside the window. It startled her somewhat to feel someone lying with her in the bed.
Obi-Wan and I have changed positions slightly, she noticed. They both lay on their sides, the Jedi's chest tightly pressed against the Senator's back, his arms still around her. Gods, she chuckled, if anyone were to see us like this! I can't imagine what they would think!
Looking behind her quickly, Padmé considered the man lying next to her. He would never know what his presence the night before had meant to her. He was so kind and, despite the power he possessed in his physical and spiritual being, so very gentle. After he avoided me yesterday I had no idea we would be in bed together! She teased herself.
That reminded her! Why had he taken such pains to avoid her? The politician closed her eyes and did what she was trained since childhood to do. It was true that the Jedi possessed great power tied to the Force, but Padmé had skills of her own. She was well known in the Senate, though she had only been recently appointed, for her ability to dissect a problem and come up with a logical answer.
She remembered first seeing him the day before. There had been something in his eyes, apart from the sheer surprise of seeing an old acquaintance. It was just a flicker, short and quick. In any other man, Padmé would have recognized it as desire, a physical lust. And when she asked him to stay with her, she saw it again. But in a Jedi? That's out there even for you
Mad or not, it would go a long way in explaining his behavior. If he were attracted to her on a physical level, he may feel threatened. Lust was dangerous for a Jedi as it could lead away from the Order and to the Dark Side.
Slowly, careful not to wake him, she slid out of the bed.
It had not taken Obi-Wan long to fall asleep after Padmé. And only a heavenly scent in the room was enough to wake him. Opening his eyes he realized quite suddenly that Padmé was no longer lying with him.
"Good morning Obi-Wan," she greeted, a breakfast tray in her hands.
She was a vision, bathed in sunlight, and he couldn't help but stare. Her ivory silk nightgown was covered, though not by much, by a peach silk robe. Tied at the waist, it hugged her every curve as if she had been born in it. Long brown hair with golden, sun-inspired highlights fell in ringlets around her shoulders.
Though she was more dressed than she had been all night, she felt naked, and a flush crept up her chest and to her cheeks. The Jedi looked at her with admiration, like a goddess. And behind the eyes? Again, she felt something else, but shrugged it off quickly as nothing more than her crush coming back to haunt her, insinuating things that just weren't there.
Padmé walked toward the bed gracefully and set the tray down on Obi-Wan's lap. "Here you go Master Kenobi. Your breakfast!" she said with a large smile.
"That's very kind M'Lady, but it wasn't necessary," he offered, returning her smile. Jedi are trained to be able to miss a meal or to if the need should arise, their bodies can handle such stress. But this didn't stop the hunger and, having missed dinner the night before to avoid her, he was grateful for the spread before him.
"I know. I just wanted to thank you for staying with me last night. Your presence was soothing Obi-Wan and . . . just what I needed."
"It was my pleasure." The words were genuine, but his smile began to fade. "Padmé --," he began.
"Is there something amiss with the breakfast Obi-Wan?"
"On no!" he said quickly, "The meal is lovely. I just . . . I wanted to apologize for my behavior yesterday. I don't know why I avoided you the way I did. And, it was wrong."
Had he sensed her earlier confusion? Had he suspected her own suspicions regarding his actions? She was mortified but, to her credit, hid it well.
The Senator laughed; a harsh, false laugh that sounded foreign to her ears. "Please don't concern yourself Master Kenobi. I certainly didn't. I – uh . . . I didn't feel 'avoided.'"
Her words sounded hollow. Though Obi-Wan was grateful for Padmé's attempt to lighten the situation, her lie made him feel even worse. He had hurt her, deeply.
When the Jedi tried again to approach the subject, he was immediately silenced by her delicate voice. "Enjoy, my friend. If you'll excuse me for a moment, I must slip into something less comfortable. I have an audience with Queen Shalla within the hour."
Obi-Wan watched her walk into an adjoining room. As the door slid shut behind her, concealing her small frame, pain and guilt ate at his heart.