Dormé sat in the common room of her and Padmé's apartment. She knew she probably shouldn't be waiting up, but she was dying to find out what happened on Padmé's date.
As the door to the apartment slid open, she smiled in anticipation of good news, but twitched her eyebrow up in concern as the young woman entering the room began throwing objects down toward the floor, one after another, in obvious aggravation. First, her cloak went flying, then the book she held in her hand. Next came the expensive dangling earrings and hair brooch, the latter of which the young handmaiden actually caught in mid air.
"Mi'Lady? What's the matter?"
"Kenobi. That's what." Padmé responded bluntly, before peering across the room at her friend, her features softening as she glanced down to the mess she had made. "I'm sorry. It hasn't been a good night." She said as the bent down to pick up the items she had thrown about the room.
"Why? What happened?" Dormé picked up the senator's cloak and placed it on the back of a chair.
"He never showed." Padmé sat heavily down onto the nearby couch, the various jewelry items now lying in her lap, her hand playing with the delicate silver hair adornment.
"He stood you up? That doesn't sound like him at all."
The young senator let out a heavy sigh. "Maybe not, but he did."
"What were you saying about Master Kenobi?"
The young senator's hand came up to massage her temple. "Of all the people to run into tonight." She murmured as her eyes closed.
"What did he say?"
"Something rude and of course I had to say something rude back." The young woman dismissed the subject with a wave her hand. "He's not important. What happened to my date is what I'm worried about."
"Maybe something prevented him from coming." Dormé quickly attempted to console her friend. "Maybe he got called away on business or his com system went down. You know how unreliable the Holonet can be sometimes. Maybe he just couldn't get in touch with you."
"Maybe." Padmé responded quietly. "Or maybe he saw me and changed his mind." Padmé got up and went over to her desk and logged in. There were a half dozen messages, but none were from stars-of-shimona.
"I'm sure there's an explanation." Dormé spoke quietly, placing a comforting hand on Padmé's shoulder.
"I guess we'll find out in the next few days, won't we?" Padmé answered back with half of grin before switching off the datacom. "Good night, Dormé."
Obi-Wan walked took his time walking back to the Temple. He wasn't in a hurry to getthere as he discovered he wasn't really in the mood to be around a group of padawans eager to show off their laserball skills. He had the feeling that Anakin hadn't really wanted him there anyway, so, he made his way back to their quarters instead.
It was the first time he had seen Padmé since departing Naboo all those years ago. Other than images of her on the Holonet News and distant glimpses of her at the Senate Building, he actually hadn't seen her up close, and the revelation was disturbing to say the least.
She had grown up. And she had done so beautifully. He had thought he had forgotten about those large dark eyes, and now they threatened once more to interrupt his thoughts and maneuver their way back into his dreams.
"If only." He spoke aloud, his words drowned out by the roar of the overhead traffic.
If only what? If only she hadn't been so utterly rude? If only she had kept her mouth shut? If only she had told him the truth in the first place?
Then what? What would be different? He would have had to leave Naboo anyway. They would have been separated sooner or later.
Things were better off this way. They obviously couldn't communicate without aggravating one another. What kind of relationship would that have been? Constantly bickering and fighting?
But then there was the way the curls of her hair fell across her bare shoulder, and the provocative way her mouth moved when she said his name.
Obi-Wan forcefully palmed open the door to his quarters and flung his cloak across the room in the general direction of his leather chair, his eyes immediately focusing on the datacom in the corner.
No matter what had transpired, he owed her an explanation. She had expected someone else, and even if that someone else happened to be him, she wasn't aware of it. She might possibly even be worried.
He would write and explain what had happened. Give her some type of an excuse of why he couldn't meet her. And then he would slowly taper off their communication until they quit talking to one another entirely. It was the easiest and the wisest thing to do.
Obi-Wan moved across the room to the datacom when a noise from the bedroom behind him caught his attention. Anakin suddenly came striding out, hefting a large pack.
"I thought I heard you. Good. If you weren't home in a few minutes, I was going to have to come by the restaurant and pick you up. We've got orders, Master. There's been an attempt on Queen Milana's life. We leave for Sardis IV in fifteen minutes."
"Fifteen minutes?" Obi-Wan hurried over to retrieve his cloak.
"I've already readied your pack and it's at the ship, Master. I've uploaded the mission specs into the ship's comm so we can review them on the way."
A small smile appeared on the Jedi Master's face. It seemed that his apprentice was growing up.
"Then let's head that way, padawan."
"Yes, Master."
The two Jedi moved out of their apartment in a hurry, securing the door behind them, once more leaving their quarters dark and empty; the datacom in the corner of the common room completely forgotten.
For the moment.