Swimming free through warm waters of the cove.
The brightly-colored coral just ahead.
His arm could almost reach.
He was so close!
Just a little—
WHOOOOOOSH!
In a flurry of motion, the boy felt himself thrown off course, tumbling through the water with someone else. He caught the colors of the suit and the masked visage of his girlfriend, whirling him away just inches from the prize. Jerek’s mind flooded with frustration as a flood of air encircled his head, though he could still see that they were under water. He blinked in shock as the cool air hit his face, and then his vision filled with the face of Allya holding him close. He wanted to look around, to figure out how this air bubble was possible, to learn how it worked.
But Allya was there in front of him, kissing him.
She was the thing that mattered most to him in the galaxy, aside from his Jedi training. Perhaps even more than that, he couldn’t be certain where the boundaries lay. Jerek couldn’t be certain of much when he was around her, either. She could consume his thoughts, his world, and it sometimes took all of his willpower not to just run away with her and ignore the galaxy completely. He knew that could never work, he knew he felt responsibilities to the Jedi and to the galaxy, he couldn’t just leave all that behind. Yet that seemed to matter little when he was with Allya, he felt like he wanted to stay with her forever then. His heart so rarely intervened on the part of his head, that when it did, he often stopped to listen.
But did he love her?
She said the words to him, and in her voice he could hear that she meant them. Allya’s fire burned hot as well, there was no mistaking that. She had given up so much for him already, and he could see how much she had changed. Could he love her, though? Was it enough the way she was now, was this where he could remain forever? In love with a Sith, one not so eager to destroy or kill as others, but still a Sith of the dark side? In love with a Confederate so patriotic that she would fight and sacrifice herself to keep her people safe, even if that brought about the evil he was so sworn against?
He had mixed feelings about Allya the Confederate. He had mixed feelings about Allya the Sith. Yet Jerek could not deny that there was no ambiguity about his feelings for Allya the girl. She was fun and bubbly, attractive and charismatic, thoughtful if a little impulsive, powerful yet willing to show self-restraint, protective but still generous, with a troubled past and a strict family but a good person underneath just waiting to emerge. He could wait, he could ask her to change some more, until she could become the perfect girl for him. One without mixed allegiances, one without caveats.
Could he really ask that of her?
His eyes caught the shimmering of the air bubble around them, and the Force power it took to keep the water at bay. They weren’t far enough under the water for the pressure to be crushing, nor did the bubble extend much further than their heads, but the amount of skill necessary was still beyond what he could muster up. He had seen her skills demonstrated on Eshan and Sullust as well. He had seen her struggle with concepts of harmony and peace, too. Allya was still a Sith, a darkling, and the emotions he tempered would always compel her to action. She could be a dangerous animal.
But then she kissed him again, her lips pressing to his once more. And in that kiss, in the electric feeling it sparked inside him, the boy’s worries vanished. Yes, Allya was a powerful Force user, but she wasn’t dangerous. The power was attractive and the risk was thrilling, but Jerek didn’t feel scared. He felt
excited. Being with her was a rush, and the teen knew that he truly, actually, really, genuinely, sincerely did..
”I love you, too, Allya. You’re an amazing girl, and I couldn’t imagine my life without you anymore.”
Jerek kissed her back, pressing his lips to hers, wrapping his arms around her body to draw her closer. He drew on the Force, using the valor technique to draw energy from it to add to hers, reinforcing the bubble that kept them in air. He paused, grinning at her in their embrace, just spending a moment to revel in their closeness inside the magic of an underwater airbubble. Even knowing how it work didn’t diminish the awe he felt.
”I, Jerek Zenduu, love you, Allya Vi’Dreya. Today, and tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.”
[member="Micah"] | [member="Persephone Shan"] | [member="Kahlil Zambrano"] | [member="Demitry Draskovits"] | [member="Seth Huze"] | [member="Kiran Arlos"] | [member="Seaja Linata"] | [member="Eenia Vahn"]
