SPECTRUM ━━━ o.kenobi ⁴

00

PROLOGUE
❝I'm willing to wait for it.❞

            She's never felt like this before. She feels ambitious and free and so much more than she ever has before in her entire life. His lips are pressed softly against the nape of her neck and the warmth of his touch exhilarates her. Ellona barely knows his name yet she feels as if this whole moment is a lifetime. Her mind is clouded from the alcohol she had consumed a few moments before hand, and she is no longer worrying about her closest friend and Senator. In fact, Padmé is the last thing on her mind as the stranger pushes a loose strand of hair away from her face, his lips now finding their way onto her jaw.

            "We're already this far, and I can't even remember your name," he murmurs against her skin, causing a laugh to consume her. Ellona's cheeks burn furiously from her overwhelmed state. He pulls away from her, meeting her gaze evenly, yet his eyes remain intoxicating as they gleam in the dimming light.

            She finds a smirk tugging its way onto her cheeks as she holds his gaze teasingly. "Because I haven't told you yet."

            He laughs and Ellona doesn't think his eyes could have gotten any brighter as they flash with genuine warmth and light. He's almost intoxicating to Ellona as he holds her gaze. Something is curious about him, Ellona realizes, as his intoxicating eyes search her face with such intensity it nearly makes her head reel. She can barely remember where she had met him — a nearby cantina of sorts? Or perhaps it was before then, on the streets, or maybe on a different planet, where she may have passed him by on the rugged streets, just another strange face amongst the crowd — but whatever it was it does not matter. She doesn't think it will ever matter and now she realizes he's been staring at her for longer than just a few moments. She holds his gaze once more and a shadow seems to cross over his stare before he blinks, as if realizing where he has been all along. He hovers over Ellona for a few more seconds before pulling away. Confusion sparks in the girl as she watches him curiously as he stares away from her, lost in thought.

            Ellona opens her mouth, as if to question what was wrong, but is interrupted as he suddenly rises to his feet. He bends over to pick up a dark robe lying on a heap on the floor before pulling it over his shoulders and other clothes. Ellona can barely make out his figure in the dim light, but she knows his back is facing her, as he continues to remain silent. If the two hadn't been as blurry-minded as they were in that moment, it would have been awkward.

            "You're leaving?" Ellona tries to hold her head high. She isn't as intoxicated as she had been earlier that evening, but now as the liquor is wearing thin she's beginning to grasp a greater sense of her surroundings and her own thoughts. She presumes the same thing is happening with the stranger as he turns. He holds her gaze once more but this time the look of concern has dropped and is now replaced with a look of honesty, nearly crossing the line of suppressed guilt.

            "I...I shouldn't even be here," he finally says. Ellona stays quiet. She's unsure of how to react as she diverts her gaze, staring anywhere but into the intense eyes of the stranger. He's beside her again, suddenly, and Ellona turns her head. She can see his face better now, illuminated from the dim light of dusk and his features are soft yet resigned. He opens his mouth to say something, as if regretting his first words, but his mind blanks.

            "I shouldn't be here, either," Ellona admits, noticing his hesitation, as her senses start to come back at her in flashes. Her gaze flickers back to the stranger and in the dim light she notices that resting on his right shoulder is a thin braid and suddenly the dark robe and look of concern suddenly makes sense to Ellona. She knows that in her clouded state — or even his, no doubt — she never would have stayed so late with him. He seems to notice the look of regret that flashes in her eyes as he leans forward quickly and sincerely, pressing his lips against hers. They're already swollen from the previous kisses but Ellona is nearly comforted by his warm and honest touch — she barely knows him at all, yet everything about him is so hopeful and understanding, she can't help but feel as if she knows him.

            It barely lasts a moment before he pulls away again. He meets Ellona's gaze once more and gives a small nod of his head, as if to show their communication had been understood, as if he knew what she had been thinking. He rises to his feet once again and almost disappears from Ellona, like another stranger.

            "Ellie," she says suddenly, stopping that from happening, preventing him from walking away as the Jedi she had run into in a nearby cantina, both minds intoxicated and actions left hidden amongst clouded memories and swollen, fervent kisses. He turns around once more, meeting her gaze.

            "What?"

            A small smile breaks across her pretty face. "My name."

            The same look of understanding he had carried before replaces his previously confused look as he nods. "Oh, um..." he hesitates, as if he hadn't expected her to tell him her name. "Well, goodbye, Ellie."

            He turns again, threatening to disappear forever, but Ellona stops him a second time.

            "And you are?"

            He pauses for a moment. Ellona feels her heart racing for reasons unknown — perhaps she isn't fully in her state of mind yet, or perhaps a part of her was worried he wouldn't tell her his name at all — before he turns once more. His intense, nearly intoxicating, eyes meet hers once again and a small smile tugs at the ends of his lips.

            "Ben."

            He disappears, ducking out of the room, but now he is no longer a stranger.