The next morning after sleeping in this terrible bed, or rather on this terrible cot, was not a bit better than the first. Everything hurt.
"Good morning, Dr. Naberrie-Palpatine."
"If you can call it good... How do you survive without complaining?"
"I was a Marine."
"Oh yes, after the hard drill you become desensitized... I suppose."
"Physically, yes."
"And emotionally?"
"Difficult."
"How is that to be understood?"
"Well, some guys sign up for the money, some guys want to prove something to themselves or to others, and there are some who run away from their feelings."
"And what category do you fall into?"
"I wanted to forget something, to forget someone."
"Did you succeed?"
"No, now it's gotten worse."
"One day you'll definitely meet a woman who will make you forget all of that."
"Never say never, but I doubt it."
"I wish you success, you deserve it... but now I'm making coffee, eggs and bacon, we need energy. Meanwhile, you should pack our equipment in the trailer and cover it."
"Yes, boss." He grinned and threw his legs over the edge of the bed.
Around 10:00 a.m. it had just gotten light, but it didn't seem that light because there was a snowfall. Icy -9,4F they could feel clearly. However, they had to stick with the plan despite everything.
They returned to the same place as the day before at around 10:45 a.m. and made the effort to complete the assembly and get the station up and running.
"I hope it will not snow tomorrow."
"The forecast is: pure sunshine, but much colder."
"Is it even possible that it would be colder? Damn, my poor fingers. I cannot wait to get in the warm cabin and enjoy our tea time."
After two hours, she gave him an energy bar, which he devoured practically immediately. She took one too, although she didn't eat much; she wanted to stay slim, but the cold took its toll.
She put the station into operation at around 2:00 p.m. and were on the way to the trapper's cabin.
The fire had gone out this time, probably shortly before they returned because it wasn't cold inside. Lighting the fire again was no problem. It quickly became cozy and warm again, so they could sit in their hoodies.
Anakin made tea, and Padmé put the plates on the table, including some small sandwiches and cookies.
He observed how she lovingly arranged everything and couldn't resist saying: "When we are back in D.C. , I'll miss our tea time."
"You probably have tea time in your office."
"Yes, every day, but on Fridays I go to the Marriott Marquis and enjoy my tea in the hotel's beautiful lounge."
"...and meet there..."
He laughed. "Rarely. I'm not a student anymore."
"That doesn't mean you're living like a monk now."
"True." and laughed.
He thought he should not have said where he had his Friday tea, not that it sounded like an invitation, and she thought perhaps she could show up there on a Friday. She enjoyed tea time with him, she enjoyed spending time with him. They had a lot in common, many common interests. To discover this, as they do now, they were not that close back then, even though they studied together.
And then she compared Anakin with her husband. What did she have in common with Sheev?
They both loved classical music, OK. , she liked going to concerts, he didn't. She liked going to the theater, he didn't. They both loved art, but in different ways. She also liked going to vernissages or museums to admire, he didn't. He loved the art as an investment. She liked traveling, he didn't. She played tennis, he played golf. She loved football and ice hockey, he loved basketball and baseball. She liked sweets, he didn't. The list could go on and on, and they would find almost nothing in common. He liked spending time with his friends and business partners in clubs rather than being at home. He liked parties, she didn't, but that was part of her job, representing him.
Anakin, on the other hand, liked everything she liked; tea time, sweets, going to concerts, literature, art, tennis, football and much more. Aside from that, their jobs also connected them.
Why had she waited so long? She could have given him the sign that she loved him when she was a student… Flashback: …I love you, I love you, Anakin… he replies: I love you, Padmé …a split of second…and gone…or at the latest, when they were doctoral students…what happened then? Distance…because of Sheev? Now it is too late. He is still single, but she is stuck in a loveless marriage, like in a dungeon, with no chance of escape. What was that saying again? ...until death do us part…oh, God, no ! No, she is not like that. She would not wish him to die, you don't even wish that on your enemy, but Sheev was not her enemy, he was only the beneficiary. All the worse.
After a brief discussion about tomorrow's work, she called Aayla Secura and Plo Koon again to ask how the assembly was going, and then they ate yesterday's vegetable stew. A reading session followed, and then the lights were turned off, even though they had plenty of batteries.
"Good night and sleep well."
"Although the bed is hard, try to sleep well. Imagine you are lying comfortably in your husband's arms. Good night."
"I thought you didn't believe a word I said."
The next day, Padmé made a delicious breakfast and the coffee was really good, just like every morning. He tidied up and waited for her on his bed. She took some clothes out of her bag and wanted to change. She turned her back to him and first removed all her shirts, staying in only her bra.
"It will be even colder today than yesterday. I need to add a few more sheets." She said without turning around.
"Why are you doing this?"
"What?"
"You are standing in front of me, taking off your clothing."
"That's no more than any woman on any beach would offer you."
"But you are not just any woman, and we are not on any beach. We are here alone, and my self-control... has its limit."
"Yes, yes, men... only think about how to get lay a woman."
He jumped up and turned her around so that she had to look at his face. His hands held her upper arms tightly. They were so close, their eyes were holding each other's gaze, frozen in the desire to merge their colors. She had expected the kiss, but he resisted.
"I am not a monster." And let her go.
"Sorry, that's not what I meant."
He sat back down and buried the face in his hands, trying to calm himself down. She dressed slowly, layer by layer.
"Well, Dr. Skywalker, since you've already seen me half naked, you can call me Padmé." She turned around and smiled.
For him, it was long overdue. What was the point of this monkey business?
"Then I'll be Anakin for you again...Padmé...but how will our colleagues judge this? Will they think we've gotten closer?"
"All colleagues refer to each other by their names, except you and me. Besides, we have gotten closer, right?"
"But not close enough." He had that cheeky grin on his face again.
"Oh yes, you haven't flirted in for a long time. I feel like I'm in high school."
"If we were in high school, we'd be free..."
"...but we're not, and we're in the middle of the serious business of life. So, now we have to go."
As usual, they dressed warmly and put a lot of wood into the stove in the hope of finding embers when they returned. They sat on the snowmobile and Anakin attached his Remington 700 before pressing the start button. On this cold day, their job was to set up the second station, or half of it. These foundations were also easily located thanks to GPS.
Anakin was amazed to discover that just a few degrees lower on the Scala made everything feel noticeably cooler. Fortunately, both of them had thermal gloves and thermal inserts for their boots, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to last four hours outside in the cold.
"Why don't they allow us to set up stations in July instead of November?"
"That is very funny, Anakin."
"Yeah, I know...because the ground isn't frozen, we have no way of calculating these spots, and they poured the foundations in July. They brought everything in by helicopter, people, materials and equipment, to complete it all at once, and it's all expensive, and it's all worth it, and we get to put it up in November ...blah, blah, blah."
"You're angry, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I'm cold."
"Here's a bar, you put up the barometer and anemometer, and then can go."
"Anemometer as well? Wasn't that planned for tomorrow?"
"We have time enough. If you put that one up too, then we'll have less to do tomorrow, and we will have more time for tea."
"For tea time, I do everything."
The work was done quicker that day, they had already developed a routine.
It was only 2:00 p.m. when they were in the trapper's cabin.
"First put the wood into the stove and then tea time, mmm, I'm dying for it." She laughed.
"Please don't die. Who will I enjoy tea time with?"
"You'll definitely find suitable company in the hotel."
"Your company is irreplaceable, Padmé."
"Is that flirting again?"
"Actually, not. Men and women don't have to talk about sex to feel comfortable in each other's company. Actually, not at all. There are so many topics and when we talk, for example, we can both touch on so many topics and always discover common likes or dislikes. It's always good to talk to people like that, especially when it's on a certain intellectual level, and you always want to have such people around you. These chance encounters in the hotel that you mentioned are of no interest to me. You just have to listen to how crude this approach is, there is no real conversation."
"What do these women do there? How are they not driven away?"
"Because it is not illegal, prostitution is not illegal. Most of the time they are professional women, or very rarely they are women who are on the hunt for a suitable man. The lounges, clubs and bars are full of them."
"You know your stuff."
"Yes, and above all, women like that are exactly what I don't want."
"Do you also know what you want?"
"I can't have what I really want. I regret that I did not take action when everything was still possible.
"I understand."
"Do you think so?"
"Sometimes you just have to accept it, put it behind you and look forward. I'm going to get the beef out for dinner now, it needs to defrost..."
"What's for dinner?"
"Beef cooked with lots of onions, mashed potatoes and tomato salad."
"I'm already hungry."
"Why am I not surprised, Anakin?"
"Because you know me?"
They spent the time until dinner talking about student days, work, even colleagues, something called gossip.
Padmé called Aayla Secura and Plo Koon as usual, she had to be up-to-date, she was the boss.
She had eaten late, it was already eight.
"It tasted so good, I just don't know how I'm going to sleep with such a full stomach."
"I think your Marine training will help you with that."
"Well, we didn't train for that. You don't get as much food there, you have to stay slim and fit."
"When we get back, you'll have to go to the gym every day."
"Exactly, but read a little more and try to sleep. Tomorrow, we'll finish it and the day after tomorrow we'll have the shorter route and just check and calibrate."
..
Best regards from Germany
A/N: I know this chapter wasn't full of action, but I wanted to capture the whole stay of the two. I promise the next chapter will be exciting. ;-)