It was the middle of the night when Sarah tossed and turned restlessly in her bed. The hunger stirring in her stomach could no longer be ignored. Reluctantly, she pushed the covers aside, slipped into her slippers and put on a jacket before quietly leaving the room and making her way to the kitchen.
The dark corridors of the dorm were silent, and before Sarah reached her destination, she heard muffled giggles coming from the kitchen. Sarah paused briefly before continuing her steps. She opened the door – and the sight that met her eyes made her throat tighten.
Amber sat on the sideboard, her face flushed and her hair dishevelled. Jareth stood in front of her, covering her neck with kisses. Next to them was a bowl of strawberries and one of chocolate sauce, which made Sarah's decision to make herself a midnight snack seem almost ironic. The two had apparently had the same thought as Sarah.
'Well. Maybe not quite the same,' Sarah thought bitterly.
The opening door made Jareth pause. His head snapped around and his mismatched eyes met Sarah's. She stood frozen in the doorway, her face pale, her green eyes wide open. A feeling spread through Jareth that he had long repressed – a mixture of shock, despair and pain, like tiny pinpricks in his heart.
He no longer understood the world. He was over Sarah and had a lot of fun with the others here, especially with Amber.
But when he saw Sarah standing in the doorway with her white face and her big, green, wide eyes, he felt completely different. He wanted to run to her, take her in his arms and never let go again.
"Oh, I'm disturbing you," Sarah finally managed, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Yes, obviously you are," Amber replied sharply, glaring at her angrily.
She had noticed the exchange of glances between the two and pulled Jareth slightly by the shoulder.
But he couldn't take his eyes off Sarah. His heart was pounding in his throat. Why did he feel that way? It was long over – or so he thought.
'Damn it. I don't want this,' he scolded himself. But it was no use.
He desperately searched for an answer while Sarah finally broke out of her paralysis. Without another word, she turned around, let the door slam shut behind her and ran down the hallway.
Amber, noticing Jareth's sudden absence, took his head in her hands and tried to regain his attention. She pulled him into a kiss, which he returned mechanically. But his thoughts were not with Amber. He was with Sarah, with her hurt look, which had hurt him more than he wanted to admit.
Amber pushed her hands to the buttons of his shirt, but Jareth suddenly held her back.
"What's going on now?!" she asked, disappointed and annoyed. "You're usually always excited about it." She gave him a seductive smile, but it didn't have the effect she had hoped for.
Jareth shook his head. "Not today, Amber. I'm sorry." His voice sounded cool and distant as he pulled away from her. Without another word, he left the kitchen, leaving Amber confused and alone on the counter.
Jareth walked down the silent hallway, his thoughts a complete mess. He knew he could no longer hide from these feelings. But what should he do? How could he approach her after he had let her catch him in such a hurtful situation? Questions to which he could not find answers accompanied him through the night.
