Noticing You, Noticing Me
Chapter Four
(bonus points to whoever guesses what this gif is from)
Summary: The ball continues.
W/C: 2.9k
Warnings: None other than the usual bad editing.
A/N: So, I'm now putting this story on a schedule. Pretty much to keep myself from posting it all and then having nothing to post until I write more😅 either way, I love the reactions everyone is having to this. Speaking of which, if I don't reply to your comment, I sincerely apologise. I truly do see them and if I have time between writing and work, I'll do my best to reply. I love you all and wish you all the best. (Also a bit of good news. I'm no longer on evacuation alert so no more fear of needing to leave suddenly) -B
- - -
Anakin, Padmé, Varlo, your father and mother all were standing together as you made your way over. The excited feeling in your chest nearly died until your mother caught your eye. She had a knowing and mischievous smile as you made your way to them.
When Padmé saw you she ran over to meet you, far enough so that the others couldn’t hear your conversation, you noticed.
“Do you like him?” she asked. You knew she wasn’t going to dawdle. Yet, you were still hoping she wouldn’t go straight to the point.
Even with that being said, you couldn’t help but smile as you thought about Obi-Wan.
“Oh come on, Padmé,” you heard Anakin as he approached. “We could clearly see her heart eyes from across the ballroom.”
Embarrassment quickly filled you at his words as your cheeks quickly heated. The two of them only lightly chuckled.
“I’m joking, sis. Come on,” Anakin said, gesturing to the rest of the group.
When you looked at Varlo, he didn’t look too happy. Assuming it may have been because of the conversation with your father earlier, you gave him a smile. He brightened for a moment before it dulled down.
“I guess me being your first dance was canceled.” Although you could hear the sarcastic lilt, there was an edge to his words. It confused you but you pushed it away.
“Not tonight, sorry.”
“Y/N, darling,” your mother said as she took your hand, ending the conversation with Varlo, “it’s time to introduce you to someone.”
At first you were confused until a tall man joined the group. Although his figure was imposing, he radiated a calming energy. The smile he wore was kind as he bowed, revealing the crown that lay on his head.
“King Qui-Gon Jinn of Coruscant,” he introduced himself.
With a curtsey, you did the same.
“If I may, would I be able to speak with you alone?” King Jinn asked. Turning to your father, he nodded before leaving you alone in the quieter section of the grand room.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, your majesty.”
“Oh, the pleasure is all mine. Your father speaks very highly of you.” He paused for a moment before adding, “It’s also nice to meet someone who has finally caught the attention of my son.”
You felt your cheeks begin to heat up again. The intensity was mild as you saw the genuine happiness in the smile of the king.
“He’s quite… amazing. Your son is nothing but a gentleman.” As you thought about the time you’ve spent with Obi-Wan, you smiled. “And I have to say, he’s just…” you trailed off as you thought of how happy you were while you were with him.
“I’m glad to hear it,” his own smile gave away how much he truly loved your feelings about Obi-Wan. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind, I truly would like to hear about all that you do in your kingdom. Your father explains some, but I’d rather hear it from you.”
You looked up at King Jinn with wide eyes which made him laugh.
“Really? You want to know about that?”
He nodded. “Does no one else ask?”
You looked down with a twinge of sadness. “No. People are usually only interested in hearing about my brothers. Even when they talk to me.”
“Well, I’ve heard enough about your brothers for one night, personally. I want to know about what you do.”
Looking back up, you beamed. Between this man and Obi-Wan, you were truly happy that, for once, people wanted to get to know you.
-
Obi-Wan stood off to the side and watched the people dancing. A couple of women came up to him hoping for a dance, but he politely declined them. Not only was he wanting to wait until you were back, but he only wanted to dance with you.
So, here he stood watching as everyone enjoyed their evening. There were even a few times that he spotted Cody with his brothers Rex, Fives and Echo. Each of them were laughing as they talked. It didn’t go unnoticed that Cody seemed to find interest in someone as well. Cody did share a dance or two with them, but if anything more happened Obi-Wan didn’t see as Anakin walked up to him.
“Enjoying the party?” Anakin said with a teasing lilt.
When Obi-Wan glanced over, he saw a knowing look. He couldn’t help but wonder if your brother had seen the two of you dancing. If so, how much did he see?
“I was. I will be,” he said as he thought about spending the rest of the ball with you. At least, he hoped you would spend the rest of the evening with him.
“She has, and will be as well,” was all Anakin said before going over to Padmé.
Obi-Wan sighed in exultation, a smile forming on his lips for the first time since you left. If Anakin approved of the two of you, it gave him hope that the rest of your family approved. It was all Obi-Wan could want at this point.
Even if the two of you only met tonight, he wanted to talk to you more. He wanted to get to know you more. If he was lucky, maybe you would like to know him better as well.
“Mind if I join you?” you asked from beside him.
With a smile, he stood from the pillar he was leaning against so he could face you. Your own smile greeted him which caused the now familiar warmth in his chest to return.
“Not at all. Would you care to dance?”
Your smile grew as he held out his hand. Without any hesitation you took his hand and followed him to the floor.
“I had a pleasant conversation with a rather charming man just now,” you say as you settle back into your position that you were in before Varlo came to get you.
Obi-Wan tilted his head to the side, raising his eyebrows, “Oh really? May I ask who?”
A playful smirk curved a corner of your lips. “A really handsome, tall man that some may say passed his looks down to his son.”
As he realized who you were talking about, he felt his cheeks heat up. He was flattered.
“Well, thank you. On both of our behalfs,” he replied with a chuckle. He wished he could pay you a similar compliment, but he hadn’t met anyone other than your brothers and your father. Giving a compliment based off of your father’s looks just didn’t seem right.
For a few moments, he fell back into the colour of your eyes. There was so much he wanted to say, but the thoughts weren’t translating to words. Truly, you had him speechless. Ever since the first moment he saw you.
It didn’t bother him one bit, either. One way or another, he wanted to listen to you.
“So, would I be able to hear about what else you did in Naboo?”
Your eyes lit up at his question as you nodded.
-
Even though you loved dancing, you and Obi-Wan only stayed for a few more songs before making your way to the side. It did make talking easier.
Obi-Wan seemed even more interested with your dealings in your castle than his father was. He asked even more questions, and better yet, didn’t change the topic until the first was done.
When you looked at it, you were the one that was mainly talking. Although it was refreshing and you thought the look he had nearly the whole time was endearing, you wanted to hear more from him. In truth, you didn’t know much about him before he came here other than the fact that he was King Jinn’s son.
“How about you?” you asked. “What is life like in the great Coruscant?”
He smiled. “Not as interesting as it is here.”
You chuckled, “Seriously. Didn’t you say that children come up to you with questions?”
“Yes,” he said with a fond smile. “It’s something I picked up from my mother. She used
to do it for me and my friends growing up. I guess you could say I just… expanded it.”
With a smile, you encouraged him to tell you more. You were interested in all he did. Not only that, but you felt yourself falling for him with each story he told.
It seemed like the two of you were very familiar in many ways. Although he was well known as the only son of his parents, people weren’t interested in what he actually did, just like you. He explained how people only cared about how good he was with a sword or they only consulted him about things with his father.
“When my father tried to hold balls to find me a partner, no one cared about anything other than the fact that I was royalty. They were highly uninterested in me, well, except for my physical looks.” His face twisted in slight disgust as he thought about it. “My mother was the one to convince my father to stop forcing it on me a couple of years ago.”
“Your mother sounds like an amazing woman,” you said, more to yourself than to Obi-Wan.
Either way, he heard it and smiled.
“May I ask where she is?”
Obi-Wan’s smile slightly dropped when you asked. He looked down at the floor before saying, “She passed a year and a half ago.”
“I’m so sorry,” you said quietly. Sadness filled you at the thought of how recent her passing was. With the stories he told of her, you wished you could’ve met her.
“I wish she were here tonight. She would’ve loved you,” he said quietly.
When you looked over at him, there was a small smirk on his lips. His eyes were reflecting a glint of sorrow before brightening again before meeting yours.
“Would it be alright if we go back to that balcony? I feel like the lake would look extraordinary with the moon fully out,” he said, his tone filled with hopeful anticipation. It made him sound so innocent, a huge contradiction to nearly every other topic the two of you have discussed.
Despite that, excitement grew in you at the thought of having conversations truly in private. Sure, you were having private conversations now, but there were so many people around you. The combination of the music and the chatter of everyone in this one room made it loud. Being able to talk without having to raise your voice would be an amazing change of pace for the evening.
That’s why you hardly hesitated in agreeing.
“Do you remember where to go?” you asked in a playful tone, linking your arm through his when he offered.
“I would say yes, but I believe there’s one turn I’m not too sure about,” he replied, his expression matching your tone. His eyebrows were raised which caused you to giggle.
So, like you did coming down, you led him back up to the balcony on the second floor. The two of you were laughing before stepping out of the doors, immediately stopping to take in the nightly sights.
The lake was beautiful during sunsets, but you thought it was even more magnificent at night. Twinkling stars danced across the surface of the water, only interrupted by the rare cloud. When it came to the moon, it hung in the sky and kissed the surface of the Earth with light. It caused each tree to cast hauntingly beautiful shadows across the grasses around the lake, a path that ultimately leads to an outer castle garden.
Everything that was once bright with colour was hardly seen, but replaced with a new glow. It reminded you of something General Yoda had once told you.
“In a dark place, we find ourselves,” he had said to you once during a conflict with another kingdom that was threatening to wage war. “And a little more knowledge lights our way,” he finished.
At the time, the wise general who you never saw fight, let alone train with any of the soldiers, was referring to the document that would later prevent the war from happening. Now, you applied it to the sight in front of you. In the dark of this night, it showed you new things that lit a new path that would make the next day brighter. It would make the colours of the flowers more vibrant, the trees look a little stronger, the water clearer. It reminded you that, without the night, there could be no day.
You were so caught up in your thoughts that you almost forgot that Obi-Wan was with you. When you looked at him, though, he seemed to be as lost in the surroundings as you were. Fascination was painted across his features. Yet, he was more aware than you assumed, especially with the fact that it seemed like he looked away when you looked at him.
“It’s alright,” he said softly while looking back at you, “I was lost in the beauty as well.”
His eyes stared into yours, and you did the same with his. There was a new light that shone from them. Even in the dark, it was almost like they glowed. You felt your cheeks begin to flush as you realized what he meant.
When you turned to face him, you let your hand gently graze down his arm. Though, when you went to bring your hand back thinking that you had once again gone too far, his hand caught yours. Without much hesitation, you intertwined your fingers with his. Despite both of you wearing gloves, the warmth of his hand was comforting as you took a small step closer to him.
Your heart was beating so hard that you thought it would beat itself out of your chest as your eyes remained locked with his.
Without much thought, but with the most right feeling, you started to lean forward, as did he. You saw as his eyes flicked down to your lips a couple times, ultimately finding their place in your eyes.
The two of you were centimeters apart when someone cleared their throat at the door.
Both of you jumped, letting go of the other’s hand as Obi-Wan took a single step back. You really didn’t want him to, but he had to.
When you looked over to the door, you were met by a sight you didn’t expect. Varlo stood just behind another man who had a smirk on his face, though he looked apologetic at the same time. Looking at Varlo, he looked shocked, almost like he had been betrayed.
Obi-Wan cleared his throat as he took a step closer to the pair. “Cody, is there something important?”
“My apologies, your highness. Your father wanted me to tell you that he was retiring for the evening and that he wishes that you enjoy the rest of your night.”
“Commander, I highly doubt that’s all you’re here for. You aren’t a messenger boy,” Obi-Wan said jokingly to Cody who you now realized must be Obi-Wan’s guard. You noticed that he looked very familiar.
Cody laughed. “I also wanted to tell you that I’m taking my leave for the night as well. Rex suggested I join him and my other brothers.”
Oh, so that’s why you find him familiar. He must be one of the brothers from Coruscant that Rex, Echo and Fives mention once in a while.
Behind Cody, Varlo shifted as he looked at the ground. For some reason he looked unsettled. Was it because of how he saw you and Obi-Wan together?
When you met his eyes, he seemed to snap out of a train of thought as he slightly shook his head to clear it.
“For me, I truly am only a messenger. Anakin and Padmé are leaving, as well as mother and I,” he said, his voice sounding strained as if he was keeping himself from raising his voice. It confused you, but you didn’t let it show. Instead, you nodded which gave the two other men the incentive to leave you and Obi-Wan alone once more.
“I believe that means the evening is sadly drawing to a close,” you say, disappointment filling your tone. Although you were still wanting to kiss him, now no longer seemed like the right time. It felt as though it would be forced if you did.
Obi-Wan nodded as a look of understanding washed over him. Was he thinking the same thing?
“Before we head back,” he quickly started before you could start to walk away, “I’m here for a few more days and… I was wondering i-if you weren’t busy if you’d-”
“Yes,” you answered, knowing what he was going to say. “I would love to spend more time with you. How about meeting in the garden just before noon?”
Obi-Wan visibly relaxed as he beamed at you which you returned in entirety. So, as you took his arm to now end the night, you could only look forward to the next few days in anticipation.
- - -
@stardancerluv @where-fantasy-meets-reality @jaydenwoo @madmax2003 @mackycat11 @generousrunawaydonut @imabeautifulbutterfly @animalgirl05 @blondekel77 @cosmicsierra @badbatch-simp24