As his family's lake lodge came into view across the water, Padraig caught a soft gasp from his companion. He turned in his seat in the narrow water speeder to see Anneke staring in wonder at the building nestled in the trees. The two levels of the house, both topped with greenish, weathered domed roofs, peeked through the thick, lush greenery. He smiled, remembering holidays here as a child—how he had loved this place!
When the water speeder pulled up to the stone dock, Anneke leapt lightly from the small craft and strode the length of the pier, her dark cloak swirling around her. How could she stand to wear that in this weather? Already, loose curls that had escaped her bun were sticking to the nape of her neck.
Padraig alighted and thanked the speeder pilot, then followed Anneke up the moss-covered stone staircase, watching the way her head kept turning back and forth, her eyes flickering over the lake, the distant mountains, and the Andelko family lodge ahead. Was she admiring the view or looking for danger? He found himself hoping for the former, though it was probably the latter.
When he had suggested they come here, the remoteness of this location had appealed to their need for safety. If he was being honest, though, the thought of being alone here with Anneke also appealed to him on a different level. For the first time, there would be no family, friends, or duties to interrupt them, and he found he was looking forward to it and dreading it in equal parts.
Anneke paced the circumference of the terrace at the top of the stairs, then stopped at the balustrade, gazing out over the sparkling waters of the lake. A gentle breeze played with her hair and billowed her cloak around her legs. Padraig couldn't tear his eyes from her.
"My family used to come here on holidays," he said to break the silence. He leaned against the railing next to her. "See that island? We used to swim out there every day."
"There's so much water here." Anneke's voice was soft, nearly awed. Of course, being from a desert planet, this much water would seem unreal to her.
He watched as a lock of hair behind her ear curled in the humid air. "We would lie on the sand to let the sun dry us, and try to guess the names of the birds we heard singing."
She shook her head just a bit. "I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough, and it gets everywhere."
"There was a very old man who lived on the island." Padraig lifted his hand, then dropped it at his side and took a deep breath. "He used to make glass out of sand—and vases and necklaces out of the glass. They were magical."
Anneke turned her head and smiled at him, a brilliant smile that took his breath away. "Everything here is magical."
He was caught in her gaze, hardly able to breathe. His voice was little more than a whisper. "You could look into the glass and see the water, the way it ripples and moves. It looked so real… but it wasn't."
"Sometimes," Anneke said softly, "if you believe something is real, it can become real."
"I used to think that if you looked too deeply into the glass, you would lose yourself." He was going to lose himself in her eyes. A strand of hair slipped over her forehead and he reached out without thinking to tuck it back behind her ear. Shocked at his own forwardness, he pulled his hand away as if burned. "I'm sorry," he muttered.
Turning on his heel, he strode into the house, blood rushing into his cheeks. What would she think of him now? He was acting like a lovestruck boy!
Anneke watched Padraig leave, her heart racing. There was no way to misinterpret the look in his eyes, or what she had felt through the Force. He was falling in love with her—or already in love with her—but he fought it. Of course he fought it. Neither of them were free to fall in love. No matter that he loved her; no matter that she loved him—she loved him. The realization stopped her dead.
She loved him. It was not a crush or infatuation. Searching her feelings, she knew it to be true. Could something so beautiful, so wondrous, be wrong?
There is no emotion; there is peace. Attachment was forbidden, yet compassion was central to the life of a Jedi. And wasn't compassion truly unconditional love? How could love be wrong?