Ahsoka didn't fully believe Anakin when he'd said Theed was a wonderful place. Now that she was actually walking the streets of the capital, she knew exactly what he meant. Vendors were set up all along the main roads selling anything and everything one could possibly want to buy.
She and Lux walked down the main street with their hands clasped, trying to be as much like normal teenagers as possible. They made the occasional stop to look at something, but didn't see anything worthy of their credits until they came across a small shop selling beach supplies.
Lux stopped in front of it. "How does a picnic on the beach sound?"
"Wonderful. I've never been to a beach just to hang out before."
"Really?" He asked, surprised.
"Really. There are loads of things I've never done because I'm a Jedi."
"Well," he started, "we are going to fix that, starting right now." He held the door for Ahsoka. It jingled as it closed behind them.
"Welcome!" A voice shouted from the back. "I'll be right with you!"
Ahsoka looked around at all the merchandise on the walls. There was certainly a variety of things to buy. Beach chairs and towels lined the left wall, umbrellas and coolers on the right, and racks with swimsuits in the center. The back wall had sunglasses, sunscreen, shoes, floaties, inner tubes – you name it.
A small, orange creature made her way towards Ahsoka and Lux. She gave them a once-over and clapped her hands together. "What can Maz get for you today, hm?"
Lux spoke. "We're looking for beach supplies."
Maz blinked, unamused. "Well, obviously. This is a beach supply store, is it not?"
Ahsoka shook her head, embarrassed by Lux's blunt answer. "We are going to have a picnic later on the beach, so we need some chairs, a cooler, and a blanket."
"That's what I thought," Maz said, looking up at Lux. "First date?"
He blushed and looked at the floor. "Yes."
She smiled. "This is why I love this job! Two towels, two chairs, a cooler, a blanket, and a swiumsuit for each of you, yes?"
"Sounds great," Lux nodded. "We'll go get started with the swimsuits, then."
Ahsoka made her way towards the racks and started rifling through them. She found a navy blue two-piece in her size that she liked, so she went to the back fitting rooms to try it on. It fit her nicely and was modest enough, so she decided to get it. She noticed a sign at the top of the mirror saying that all articles of clothing are washed after being tried on, so she went ahead and put her clothes on over it.
Just as she was finishing, Maz knocked on the door. "Are you doing alright in there?"
Ahsoka slowly pushed the door open. "Yes, thanks. I'm ready to check out now if Lux is done."
"Excellent." She lead Ahsoka to the counter where Lux was waiting.
"Hey, you ready?" Ahsoka asked.
"Yeah. Maz let me pay ahead of time."
She raised an eyebrow. "So I wouldn't get a chance to argue?"
"Pretty much. While you were changing, I loaded everything into a taxi and grabbed some dinner. We're ready to go whenever you are."
"Did I really take that long to change?"
"Not that long, and I had help." He glanced at Maz.
"Well, in that case, I guess we should get going. Thanks for your help, Maz." Ahsoka smiled.
"My pleasure." She turned her head and spoke directly to Lux. "Now don't you forget what we talked about, son." He nodded and led Ahsoka out of the store.
As soon as the door shut behind them, Ahsoka stopped Lux. "What you two talk about?"
"Nothing."
She brought her hands to her hips. "You really aren't gonna tell me?"
"Nope, not yet."
-:-:-:-:-:-
Soon, they arrived. Ahsoka helped Lux unload and carry the stuff from the car to the shore. Since she had no idea what it was like to spend an evening on the beach for pure fun, she let Lux pick out the perfect spot.
When her toes first hit the warm golden sand, Ahsoka knew this was going to be one of the best evenings of her life. She looked out at the deep blue waves crashing against the shore, making the sand sparkle like a thousand tiny jewels. The humid sea air surrounded her and relaxed her. She looked up at Lux, who closed his eyes and smiled. A warm breeze swirled around him, sending his hair in all directions.
She let her gaze wander to the other beach goers playing games, swimming, and building sandcastles. Fishermen's lines were hanging off the pier in hopes of catching dinner. Surfers were trying to catch one last wave as the sky grew darker. Some teenagers were setting up a large tent with a dance floor and huge speakers for a beach-side party. Everyone seemed to be having a great time.
Lux lead her over to a quieter section of the beach, past a trio of squealing girls trying to attract Lux's attention. She could feel them radiating jealousy and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on. Lux looked over at them, rolled his eyes, and kept walking. She wanted to grab his hand protectively, but her own hands were full. They kept walking until Lux found a suitable spot. He put down the stuff he was carrying, laid out the blanket, and started taking out the food. Ahsoka set up the chairs and took off her clothes to reveal her swimsuit.
Lux stopped what he was going and stared for a few seconds, looking her from head to toe.
She immediately noticed this. "Do I look bad?" Ahsoka asked, full of concern.
He put down his sandwich and stood up, inching closer to her. Once their foreheads were almost touching, Lux whispered, "Beautiful doesn't even begin to describe how how look." He closed the distance and softly kissed her lips.
They pulled apart, and Ahsoka felt her face heat up. "Mr. Bonteri, are you flirting with me?"
"I wouldn't call it flirting – more like being extra nice to someone who is extra attractive."
-:-:-:-:-:-:-
Once they finished dinner, they swam in the ocean, built a sandcastle, and watched the sunset. It was a truly romantic evening, and Ahsoka couldn't have been more content.
An hour or so passed, they were both tired and thirsty. Lux decided to go try and get some water at the party tent on the other side of the beach, so he left while Ahsoka dried off.
She used the time to process the past 24 hours. Here she was, a Jedi Padawan, in love with a Senator. If her master were someone other than Anakin Skywalker, the king of broken rules, she would have already been thrown out of the Order. Regardless, she enjoyed every moment spent with him. Their relationship had been everything she dreamed of and more.
She didn't know what was going to happen once this mission ended. His absence in her day-to-day life would be normal, but after having this experience, would she still be able to live like that? It would break her heart if they had to split up and pretend they had never been together. Frankly, she would rather leave the Order than never be able to see Lux again.
Minutes passed, and Ahsoka started to worry. It shouldn't take this long for a couple glasses of water, unless something happened. She jogged over to the party tent and scanned the partygoers, looking for Lux.
The tent was an absolute mess. Plastic cups littered the ground, waiting to be tripped over. Ahsoka could feel the vibrations of the music amplified with her enhanced Togruta senses, giving her an enormous headache. The dance floor was crowded with drunk teenagers stumbling around attempting to dance. Others stood in clumps around the edges drinking and talking.
Seeing no sign of Lux, she took a deep breath and began making her way across the dance floor. People shot her dirty looks as she bumped into them or had to push them out of her way.
Finally, she reached the bar section. Two of the three Twi'lek girls that were gaping at Lux earlier were serving drinks, which set Ahsoka on edge.
"I'm looking for someone," she yelled over the music. "He's a human, tall, brown hair – have you seen him?"
They shared a glance, then looked back at Ahsoka. "He came through a few minutes ago. I saw him go that way," she shouted back, pointing the opposite direction.
Ahsoka mouthed a quick "thanks" and pushed her way to the other side of the tent. People were clumping in the center around something, so Ahsoka pushed her way through to the front to see. It would be easier for her to see Lux that way.
And then she saw him. Lux was standing in the middle of the crowd, kissing the third Twi'lek girl. She let out a small gasp as tears welled up in her eyes. The girl and Lux parted, and he noticed at Ahsoka. It was almost as if he didn't recognize her, which shattered Ahsoka's heart into a million tiny pieces. Lux smiled, and kissed the other girl again, this time much harder.
The crowd cheered while Ahsoka broke down. She turned slowly and sulked away from the tent. How could he? She had risked her entire career to be with Lux, and this was how he acted. Maybe there was a reason attachment and relationships were against the Order. She would've been better off had she just listened to Anakin in the first place.
Not knowing what else to do, she ran. If this was what breaking up with someone felt like, she wanted no part of any relationship ever again. There was no point in her staying anymore, so she ran back to the stuff, put her clothes on over her suit, and hailed a cab back to Theed.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-
All was silent when Ahsoka stepped foot in the palace. The only sound was her footsteps echoing though the long halls. She did her best to wipe away her tears and try to seem happy. Maybe if she pretended to be alright, her pain would go away.
She pushed the door open to her room and immediately sensed Anakin's presence behind her.
"Ahsoka, you're back," he whispered quietly. "How'd it go?"
She motioned for him to come inside. He shut the door behind him while she turned on the lamp by her bed.
Her lack of response spoke louder than anything she could've said to Anakin. He spread his arms for her to give him a hug. She gladly ran to him and collapsed in his arms.
"Hey, it'll be okay, Snips. I promise."
Once she ran out of tears, Ahsoka pulled away from Anakin and took a deep breath. "Thanks, Skyguy. I don't want to talk about it anymore. What's done is done."
Anakin nodded. "Then I'll let you rest. Let me know if you need anything." He opened the door and slid out.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-
Ahsoka woke up from a nightmare the next morning tired and sore. She rolled out of bed and slipped into her combat suit. As she was packing her stuff into a her small bag, she heard a soft knock on the door. She wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, but she opened the door anyways.
She was shocked to see the same Twi'lek girl standing before her that kissed Lux the night before. "What do you need?" Ahsoka asked dryly.
"I came to talk about what happened last night." She hung her head.
"How did you find me here?"
"I asked Lux where to find you. He told me you'd be here."
"Well why don't you go talk to him some more? He seems to enjoy your company very much." Ahsoka didn't care what she sounded like. She started to close the door, but the girl held it open.
"It wasn't Lux you saw last night, or at least not fully Lux."
Ahsoka paused. "What do you mean?"
"My sisters and had a bet, you see. After seeing him walk by, one bet that she could get him to kiss me, and the other took it. When he came by to ask for water, one of them gave him a love potion mixed with some other stuff."
"Love potions don't exist," Ahsoka stated plainly.
She shook her head. "One of my sisters works for a company that manufactures all sorts of illegal substances like love potions. She can get them for free whenever she wants. Anyways, she slipped it in his drink, and that's what made him go all crazy."
"Well, thanks for letting me know. Go enjoy your new boyfriend. I hope he's worth it to you." She tried again to close the door, but the girl stopped her.
"When we parted, I saw the way you looked at him, and I felt terribly about what we'd done. It crushed me to think I had caused you to be heartbroken. I came to apologize. It was really stupid and mean of me to take him away from you like that."
Ahsoka didn't know quite how to react, so she remained silent, crossing her arms.
"Once the potion wore off, Lux was completely beside himself. I don't know how much he was aware of, being intoxicated and controlled like that. The point is, it wasn't his fault; it was mine. I'm ashamed of what I did."
"Who are you, anyway?" Ahsoka asked, uncrossing her arms.
"My name's Koyi, and I'm sixteen."
"Well, Koyi, it takes a lot of guts do come back and apologize like you just did." She placed a hand on her shoulder. "I forgive you."
Koyi breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."
"We've all been there, where we think we're doing something good or harmless but it turns out to be a terrible mistake." She thought back to the battle of Ryloth, wheb she lost her entire squadron because of her disobedience.
"Yeah, I guess so." There was an awkward silence. "I should probably go. I'm sure you have many things to attend to today."
Ahsoka nodded and extended a hand. "Koyi," she said, shaking her hand.
"Ahsoka," Koyi responded. When she turned to leave, Ahsoka closed the door and continued packing. Once she finished, she left to go load her bag on the ship and meet Anakin. She wanted to find Lux, but she wasn't sure what to say to him.
"Ahsoka!" She turned and saw Anakin running up to her.
"Yes, Master?"
"The Council just contacted me. There's been an attack on Cato Neimoidia, and they need us to lead the air strike. We're scheduled to leave Naboo in one hour, and you cannot be late. There isn't enough time for us to wait."
"Undersood, Master."
"We don't have time to formally say goodbye to everyone, so if there's anyone you need to talk to, you better be quick."
"Got it. Have you seen Lux around this morning?"
"Oh, I've seen him alright."
Before Ahsoka could ask him what he meant, Anakin had started running in the opposite direction. "Great," she mumbled to herself as she quickly dropped her stuff off on the ship and started searching for Lux.
Time ticked away, and she finally found him standing on the third floor balcony, staring off into space. She slowly pushed the glass doors open and joined him. Closing her eyes, she felt the wind blowing around her.
Lux looked down at her as she leaned on the railing and then back at the horizon. He shook his head and turned to leave.
"Don't go," Ahsoka called after him.
"I don't want to disturb you."
"Your presence is soothing."
There was a brief silence. "You had a nightmare last night."
"Jedi don't have nightmares, Lux."
"I heard you."
She sighed, opened her eyes, and turned to face him. "It was about the beach last night."
"Ahsoka, last night was a complete fiasco. I messed up pretty badly. I was completely out of it, but I saw the way what I did made you feel. It broke my heart to see you like that, and to think that I caused it..." He ran a hand through his hair. "You don't desrve an idiot like me."
Ahsoka cut him off by passionately kissing him. Once Lux realized what she was trying to convey, he kissed her back with equal fervor.
"And I sure as hell don't deserve you."
She smirked. "Well then it's a good thing I love you, despite your occasional absence of brain cells."
He blushed. "So you aren't going to break up with me?"
She shook her head. "Our meeting wasn't an accident. It was the will of the force. We started out on opposite sides of an endless war, and now, here we stand."
He chuckled. "You know, it's funny how we all fall in love with the most unexpected person and under the most unexpected circumstances."
They both walked over to the balcony, and Lux wrapped his arm around Ahsoka's waist. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, content with the fact that she had finally found her other half.
~
A/N: Another piece finished! Romance isn't really my area of expertise, but hopefully you liked it.
And the nightmare known as school has begun... which unfortunately means I don't have as much time to write :( I will try my best to write as many updates as I can.
On the bright side, I have started that Luxsoka novel I was talking about in the last author's note. It's called Park Benches, if you want to check it out.
Have a fantastic week, and may the force be with you!