A lot of discussion about feelings. This can only turn out one way.


It was what felt like a few hours before I felt another surge of soft Force energy. I opened my eyes and saw Xach mirroring position in front of me.

I scowled and jumped on top of him, pinning his shoulders down.

His eyes were wide.

"You ruined everything! Everything was perfect!"

He rolled over so that he was on top, restraining me. I turned my face the other way with a scowl.

"Look at me, Padmé."

I huffed and faced him.

"He betrayed you. He. Betrayed. You. Don't punish me because your boyfriend is an ass."

I pouted but he was right.

My expression softened. I felt like crying. Ky was using me to benefit himself. He never cared. How many women did it take for him again?

For once my head wasn't screaming in darkness and pain.

Xach rubbed his thumbs on my wrists as he looked at a flower next to him, memorizing the details.

"I knew you cared but I didn't know how much."

He rolled off me. My shoulder pressed against his. His breathing was even and a dark Jedi braid peaked under his ear.

I bit back a smile, remembering our good times, though there were few. Maybe Ky was right. Maybe if I wasn't so selfish I could see things differently. We sat there in silence for a bit.

"I felt nothing."I was just acting on useless Dark Side impulse.Except I would never tell him that.

I picked a flower and twirled it in my fingers.

"Then it wasn't meant to be."

I sat up and looked at him. He had his eyes closed. "Guess not. Maybe the Force is telling me something. I guess I won't get married."

He shot up with wild eyes. "What?"

I giggled. "Well, maybe."

I stared at the little flower. Tears burned my eyes. "I'm sorry it's just been so much to take in."

He gave me a look of...concern.

"I'm sorry Padmé. I was shocked when I found out too. He thought if he didn't tell you, it would keep you from the Dark side. You already had...tendencies."

I shook my head. "It's not just that." I mean, it was. My parents had a secret that may or may not have led to, this, now chaos.

I felt like this is the first conversation I've ever held with Xach without one of us walking away angry.

Damn me and my selfish ways. "Xach, you deserve happiness."

"You act like you don't."

My eyes were on the flower in my hands.

My fingers gripped the flower before I darted my eyes up at him.

"Don't you dare think I'm a good person. I was born to make others suffer."

Xach sighed before standing and taking off his robe. I thought he was going to leave. Surprisingly, he wrapped it around my shoulders.

"You looked cold," he mumbled.

I was watching him in disbelief.

Why is he-

He took the flower out of my fingers and tucked it in my hair above my ear.

I felt the temperature of my ears rise above normal from his gentle touch.

"You're a total pain in the ass. Except whoever loves you enough will marry you and you will be happy.

Even though you're a pain in the ass."

My smile dropped and I rolled my eyes. "Thanks," I said sarcastically.

"Padmé."

I looked over at Xach.

His features were drawn out from the moonlight.

My heart was racing just looking at him. He was gorgeous.

He said something but I didn't hear. My lips were tempted to touch his. I was trembling. No wonder he thought I was cold. My eyes returned to his and they were so dark and deep.

He had... "Beautiful eyes."

"What?"

I shook my head and looked away. "Nothing, you just have...nice eyes."

He swallowed and stood up. "I should go."

Why am I so awkward? He'd never feel the same.

"Wait. Can you just stay a little while longer?"

He sighed but sat back down.

After a while he broke the silence. "You know how terrified I was when you left? I thought-well I thought a lot of things actually."

"You were worried about me?"

He looked away from me. "Of course I was. With how reckless you are, anyone would be."

I laughed.

We spoke through the night as if we've never spoken before.

"Xach?"

"Do you think you know who you'll marry yet?" He goes out on the daily, I'm sure he's met someone. I remember one day when we waited for my dad to get out of a meeting a few years back, a girl in the lobby wouldn't stop flirting with him. I only remember
/because it made me so mad.

I spoke with my eyes closed. Xach let me use his Jedi robe as a pillow.

"Yes."

My eyes shot open. "Really? What is she like?"

He chuckled. "She's very stubborn, beautiful, but passionate. I've known her for so long."

I was gone. His voice was fading me away.

"Lucky her..."

Something soft brushed into my mind like never before.

The garden let us rest easy.