The Delusions of Dreamers

Eighteen

"What?" Satine rasped, taking a step back.  She had no idea what Obi-Wan had said, and she had no idea what had just happened.  Was he about to kiss her? Did she imagine everything? But most importantly... did she want the Padawan to kiss her?

"I asked you if you wanted to sleep under the stars, right here in this little clearing." He smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck.  "Of course, we don't have to.  That's perfectly fine—"

"I would love to," the duchess interrupted, trying to forget everything that had just happened.  It was probably nothing.  They were simply friends, after all... right? Satine ignored all the voices screaming at her in her head.  "I hope the forest floor isn't too dirty for your Jedi robes, Padawan."

Obi-Wan smirked at her as he lay down on the ground, close to her, but not too close.  Why was she even noticing these things? "You're one to talk." 

She pretended to scoff, and they chatted for a while before she fell asleep with her back to him.  It was as if the 'almost-kiss' never happened at all.

When she woke up, the sun was quite high in the sky, and there was a strong arm on top of her accompanied by an even stronger chest pressed against her back.  Her eyes widened and her cheeks turned pink before she tried to wiggle her way out of Obi-Wan's reach.  But he murmured in his sleep and tugged her closer.  She froze, and then finally melted into him.  What could it hurt?

And so the Duchess of Mandalore and the Padawan slept under the stars for a little longer than two months.  Simply as friends, of course.  Nothing more.  Satine refused to believe that she was in love with the young Jedi, and she was absolutely positive that he harbored no such feelings for her.

The group probably should have kept on the move and hidden on another planet, but Satine and Obi-Wan had begged Qui-Gon to stay.  Everyone was happy on Draboon, and there appeared to be no threats.  Satine hoped it would stay that way.

Their life on the jungle planet was similar to how it was on Tatooine, albeit a lot cleaner.  It was nice having the ship to take showers in and sleep in when it was storming, and it rained quite a bit on Draboon.  It often made Satine's hair very frizzy, much to her dismay.

There were other things that were different, too.  It had never been awkward between Obi-Wan and Satine on Tatooine, but the same thing couldn't be said about Draboon.  It was as if the two were being pulled in different directions, as if there were some unspoken thing between them.

Sometimes they would gaze into each others' eyes instead of looking at the stars.  Every once in a while, Obi-Wan would start to say something to Satine, but then he seemed unable to finish the thought.  The duchess didn't know what to think of it all.

Yet they never tried to kiss again.  Satine told herself that she didn't want to kiss the Padawan.  She often scolded herself, telling herself that it was for the best.  It was delusional to believe that a Jedi and a duchess could be together.

So, Satine tried her best to act normal around Obi-Wan, and she was pretty sure he had to put in a lot of effort to do the same.  And even though there was a strange rift between the two, their friendship never faded.  

Tonight, Obi-Wan and Satine were sleeping in the moonlight when a storm seemed to appear out of nowhere.  They both squealed and leapt to their feet when it started sprinkling.  

"Get to the ship!" Satine giggled.

"We can't!" laughed Obi-Wan as they huddled under the leaves of a tree, which didn't do much for cover.  "Qui-Gon took Darling for another spin around the planet, just to make sure no creatures have decided to join us or something like that."

"Shit!" cursed the duchess.  Obi-Wan glared at her.  "Sorry," she chuckled.  "Well, maybe we can hide in the caves nearby! Last time Qui-Gon checked them, they were safe, so let's go!"

"Alright!" Obi-Wan grinned, and the two of them pranced through the forest as the rain got a little harder.  Then lighting flashed and thunder rumbled in the distance.

"Uh-oh," Satine said, but honestly, she wasn't frightened.  She always felt safe with the Padawan by her side, and the adventure made her feel giddy with excitement.

"Not to worry, my dear!" Obi-Wan shouted over the wind.  "We shall not die on this dreadful night!"

The duchess giggled as she leapt over a tree root and ducked below a branch.  "Oh, woe is me! For I do not believe you, young Jedi!"

Obi-Wan tried to contain his laughter.  "I swear to thee, my words ring true! I—" Then he ran smack into a tree trunk.

"Oh, no!" Satine rushed over to him.  "Are you okay—?" The Padawan started cackling, and the duchess joined in.

"I'm fine!" he assured her, wiping the water from his face while he gasped for breath, and Satine did the same.  "Come on! There's no point of hiding from the rain if we're already soaking wet!" He sprinted off, and the young lady followed close behind as the thunder chased them through the woods, getting louder and louder.

"There! I see the caves!" Satine shouted right after the lightning illuminated the rocks before them.  Then another lightning bolt cracked through the night sky and connected with the ground only feet away from the duchess.  "Ah!" she screamed, stumbling into Obi-Wan right before they tumbled into the cave.

"Ow!" the Padawan yelped as they rolled to a stop on the cold stone.  The two of them just sat there for a few seconds, gasping for breath.  Then they burst into laughter.  "You should have seen your face!" Obi-Wan shouted, pointing a finger at Satine's nose.  "You looked scared to death!"

"Well, I was!" she retorted, shoving him in the shoulder.  "At least I'm not the one who looks like a rat that just came out of the sewer." She smirked and ran a hand through his wet hair.

"Hey!" he cried, batting at her hand.  "I—" Suddenly, Obi-Wan tilted his head and held up a finger.  "Did you hear that?"

Satine froze.  "Hear what?"

But Obi-Wan didn't need to respond.  The growls that reverberated in the deep, dark cave were answer enough.