back to you | paul atreides

thirteen

I fiddled with my hands and continued to straighten my blouse. I was still trying to find the words to tell Paul, but I wasn't ready. Could I ever be ready? How do I tell my childhood best friend, my other half, that not only am I leaving him, but I'm leaving him for someone else?

I hadn't seen him since that night... I didn't expect him to suddenly become more available or anything, it was expected for him to be just as occupied as he was before. A thought stuck out from the back of my mind. What if he hasn't spoken to me because he regrets it? What if he let his hormones get the best of him? If that were the case, was it a good thing I was leaving for someone else?

I stared at my door and planned my next moves. I was going to get up and exit my room to make my way to the training wing where I knew Paul was meant to be right now. I inhaled, trying to find the courage to make the first move.

I found myself exiting my room with more ease than I expected. The hardest part would be having to face Paul, but I wasn't there just yet. I began down the corridor.

"Lia!"

I stopped and turned around to see Paul jogging in my direction, making an attempt to wave me down. His hair was wilder than usual and he was dressed in what I could only recognize as the stillsuits he had mentioned about before. He was grinning ear-to-ear.

"Paul?" I looked him up and down in confusion, holding back my blush. "But- why aren't you training right now?"

He shook his head and threw his arms up. "No training for me today! Instead I've got something better for us to do."

He made his way past me and ushered me to follow him, but I remained in place as I processed his message. I hadn't seen him like this before, and I was surprised by his easy-going nature despite not seeing him since our night together. "No training? Why? Did something happen?"

He rolled his eyes at my questions. "I have my ways. I wanted to take you past the wall today."

My eyes widened at this. I felt a rush of mixed emotions - flattered he thought of me, but concerned for his training. I didn't want him to be breaking any rules or jeopardize his schooling just to give me a fun time. My stomach sunk remembering the news I still had to share with him.

"That's..." I breathed in awe before the realized settled with me. "... Wrong." I gave him a pointed look. "I'm grateful for the thought but I don't want to hold you back from your education. I know there's no way your dad would give you this time off."

"Lia," Paul stopped moving and turned to face me, his smile soft and reassuring. "I'm going to be okay, don't worry about me." He shrugged and extended his hand to me. "The desert will be mine to care for one day, so I want to be the one to share it with you."

I smiled, accepting his hand. I laced my fingers with his and I felt the friendly warmth spread from the tips of fingers and up my arm until it reached my chest, numbing me with a relaxing fuzzy feeling I wasn't familiar with.