THE HEART OF THE JEDI

 

PROPOSAL

by Martina

 Disclaimer: The people and situations used in this fic are the property of George Lucas and Lucasfilm Ltd. 

This chapter NC-13

 

 

The sound of the door bell brought a huge smile to Lando Calrissian’s face.

She was here!

And not only had she arrived. She had arrived right on time. Punctual as

always.

He corrected his grey-blue cloak for the thousandth time this evening and

then hurried up to the door.

He smiled even more when the door slid open and he saw her.

- “Welcome, Mara. I’m so glad you could come.”

- “Hi.”

Mara’s smile was dry, polite more than genuinely thrilled to be there. She

had accepted this dinner invitation out of her own free will. And she did

consider Lando a friend. That was why she had come.

But this meant she would have to endure his flattery for the rest of the

evening. And that was always easier said than done. Lando was all dressed up

in the typical garments of the Bespin system, the elegant cloak hanging down

his shoulders and everything. He looked quite handsome this night. She had

decided not to dress up too much for this occasion, partly because she

didn’t know more than this was a private dinner at a friend’s quarters and

mostly because this was Lando Calrissian. Her green pants and top seemed

very simple compared to her date’s choice of garment.

She noticed how he immediately looked her up and down, something Mara was

quite familiar with when it came to men in general. For a second she feared

that her simple choice of clothing would bring a disappointed look to his

face. Why that suddenly mattered to her she wasn’t really sure of. Lando,

though, kept smiling and showed no sign of any disappointment.

The opposite, actually.

Mara knew that some women loved the kind of charm that Calrissian displayed.

She simply did not belong to that group.

She was so beautiful!

Mara didn’t know, but her choice of clothing was what Lando had been hoping

for. He loved a lady all dressed up in something elegant. But Mara was not a

lady of the kind that most associated that description with. She was

something much better!

At the moment, she looked divine. Only she could make the simplest outfit

seem like the perfect choice to wear on a banquette. The intense green of

her clothes brought out the emerald colour of her eyes and made her red hair

that she had tied and wrapped around her head glow like fire. This was the

natural beauty of Mara Jade.

Lando would never want her to be any different.

He stepped aside and gestured for her to come forward.

- “Please, come in.”

Mara obeyed and entered his apartment.

The wealth of Lando Calrissian didn’t take long to be noticed. Throughout

the years, his mines of Cloud City and the one at Yavin had paid off quite

well. The interior of his home, located at the very top of the skyscraper,

was already enough to display his success. As the two of them entered the

large living room, Mara noticed that Lando had even hired servants to help

them during the evening.

Mara‘s apartment had all the latest necessities and a few luxuries. Still,

it was nothing compared to this penthouse.

But then again, her own business wasn’t backed up by the fact that it was

run by an old war hero of the Rebellion, the very one that had brought down

the Second Death Star.

She had no such things at all to brag about.

Not that Mara ever felt any need to brag about her abilities or the events

of her life. The more years passed, though, and the more the New Republic

grew, the clearer she saw the benefit many of her friends had because they

had been on the rebellious side of the Civil War.

Which she certainly had not been.

- “Let me say that you look absolutely stunning tonight.”

She woke up from her daydreaming. To survive an evening with Calrissian, she

had to remain focused.

- “Thank you, Lando. But you should know that I don’t fall for flattery.”

- “It’s no flattery, I assure you,” Lando stated as he took her hand and

kissed it – as Mara noticed, longer than what was common even for him. - “I

am honoured by your lovely presence.”

As he looked her in the eyes, Lando noticed the usual chill of her gaze.

Mara truly meant what she said – she never fell for flattery, nor was she

impressed by chivalry.

- “Men must always have told you these things, didn’t they?” he mentioned as

he offered her a glass of champagne.

- “They have.”

This did not surprise him. Lando had been around Ms Jade long enough to know

that the usual approach didn’t work with this woman. When she walked by,

most men turned around. She was the kind of exotic beauty that was

exceptionally rare. And, judging from all the extra male attention that she

had to constantly be bombarded with, Mara naturally had to remain cold.

Lando had never really been ignorant to this fact, as he had noticed that

his usual ways to catch a woman’s attention had been totally rejected so

far.

But this was merely a fresh start to warm her up.

He had much more in store for her before this night would be over.

And if this worked out, this could end up being the night of their lives!

Taking his own glass as well, Lando gestured for her to follow him once

again and led her out onto his huge balcony. The sun was setting and several

stars had already begun to glow in the coming darkness of the night. Yet the

air was very warm and the winds were soft. The view over Coruscant was

spectacular.

But all this was not the first thing Mara noticed as she stepped out.

She could not hold back her gasp as she came to a halt and saw what had been

prepared for them. Lando – who had been watching her every move, her every

reaction – smiled in obvious satisfaction. Finally he had managed to impress

her!

- “It’s such a lovely night this evening so I decided that while we eat we

should be embraced by the warm Coruscant breeze as we watch the sun go

down.”

A table for two had been set up, fully decorated. Two smaller tables stood

to the side with the dinner that had been prepared. A waiter, which bowed to

her in greeting, already stood ready to serve the couple.

Stunned, Mara turned to Lando. She had tried to imagine what to expect

during this dinner at Lando’s apartment. But she had never expected a

luxurious feast under the stars with Coruscant’s skyline as their view.

- “And to what do I owe all this?” she asked.

- “Nothing, except to that you are who you are.”

Mara’s sense of suspicion was not soothed by the setting. In fact, the way

Lando seemed to want to spoil her this evening increased her suspicion. This

was too elaborate to be but a simple dinner between two friends, friends

that had never been terribly close to begin with. Sure, she had recently

escaped death and perhaps needed to be cheered up, but if that was

Calrissian’s intention, then this was over-kill, no matter how sweet a

gesture it was.

- “Come on, Lando. I know you want something. Why don’t you just tell me?”

He had expected her suspicion. Mara loved mysteries. This was the perfect

way to win her heart, Lando simply knew it!

- “All in good time, Mara. All in good time.”

The little box with the ring rested safely in his pocket, the touch of it

almost burned as Lando’s expectations for this evening increased with each

passing moment. But he had to remain patient. If he played his cards right

this night, he would be the greatest winner this galaxy had ever seen!

- “First, we will eat,” he continued. - “I promise to tell you later.”

Mara shrugged and offered him a true smile this time. She would be an

impolite fool if she did not appreciate what her friend had done for her.

And this could really turn out to be a fun evening after all. She could

remain patient.

- “Fair enough,” she said and raised her glass. - “Cheers.”

She was hooked!

She had given him her first acceptance!

This was going much faster than Lando had hoped for.

He could barely contain himself as he raised his own glass and carefully

brought it to hers.

- “Cheers, my dear.”

*************************

- “You mean… you recognised me?”

The dinner was going quite well.

They were already halfway through and it was not just the food that seemed

to have been accepted.

The company seemed to have met with her approval, too.

Lando kept smiling and it was no effort at all. Their conversation had

miraculously transpired successfully. And it presently looked as if he had

found a topic in which Mara found great interest.

- “Yes,” he answered her. - “I could not place exactly where I had seen you

before. But once Karrde introduced you to me and Han on Myrkr, I just knew

that I had seen you before somewhere. It took me some time until I

remembered that it had been in Jabba’s Palace that I had seen you.”

Mara frowned.

- “Until Luke told you who I was, I reckon,” she stated and took another sip

of her red wine. Lando shook his head seriously.

- “No, not at all,” he insisted. - “He hardly uttered a word. Luke, in fact,

has always been very quiet when it comes to you, Mara. Even to this day.”

Her green eyes widened.

- “He is?”

Just as Lando had suspected, to talk about their mutual Jedi friend seemed

to catch her interest even more. It was a gamble; it could just as well have

backfired. But, as the risky gambler he always had been, it was paying of.

- “Yes,” he confirmed. - “I don’t know why. It’s out of respect for you, I

suppose. I know that he is your confidant.”

Mara’s eyes dropped. She felt slightly embarrassed.

- “Well, I’m not quite so sure about that.”

- “No? Well, if he isn’t your confidant, Mara, then maybe you should let him

be. And if not Luke, then you should consider me.”

That offer did not surprise her and the wide smile of her gracious host

merely confirmed what she already knew.

- “Thank you, Lando. That’s very kind.”

Yes, it was kind. But Mara was certainly not ready to confide any of her

secrets to the charming scoundrel. Not that she didn’t trust Lando to keep

her secrets to himself, but her secrets were too great for anyone else but

herself to bear.

If she could not confide in Skywalker even..?

- “I know, however, that Luke is probably easier to confide in than me,

since you’re both Jedi,” Calrissian confessed.

- “Only one of us is Jedi,” Mara corrected. - “At least so far.”

Lando knew of Luke’s wish and offer to train Mara in the ways of the Force.

He fully supported the idea of Mara becoming a Jedi Knight. He had seen her

in action. He was amazed that she was not a Jedi already.

He was also pleased of the friendship she and Luke shared. They had come

this far against overwhelming odds. It was really quite amazing. Most of all

because it was good for them both. Luke needed all the friends he could get,

and certainly female ones. And Mara, who seemed even lonelier than Luke,

definitely needed someone to depend on.

Lando wished to fill that void in her life and heart. But he lacked one

thing and that was Force sensitivity. He had the intention and the wish to

become her husband. But to be a close friend in the Force was something he

could never be. And Lando was pleased that Skywalker was the one to fill

that gap in her life. He didn’t mind.

- “If you let him know of your most inner secrets, Mara, I can assure you

that Luke would never tell anyone else about them. He never has.”

Mara nodded slowly. Somehow she had already known this to be true.

- “That’s comforting to know.”

- “He has never let me down and I assure you, he never will,” Lando stated

with utmost pride for his Jedi friend. - “Nor will he betray the trust of

another. That is something extraordinary rare in this day and age. Luke

Skywalker is the most honest man I know.”

- “I can’t argue with you about that.”

He had an angel’s heart, the Jedi Master.

Her friend.

Lando had no idea how much Mara agreed with his words.

Calrissian observed her for a moment. His lovely guest seemed lost in

thought and he didn’t need to be a Jedi to make a good guess that she was

thinking of their mutual Jedi friend. Lando knew that she deeply regretted

the threats and the hatred that she had once bestowed upon Skywalker and

that she still felt ashamed of it to this very day.

She didn’t need to feel any shame. Luke had forgiven her before anybody else

had even understood what was going on. And, nowadays, no one who knew Mara

blamed her for what had happened. With her background, how was she supposed

to have acted differently? She had obeyed her orders, had done her duty.

Being a former general, Calrissian knew exactly what following orders meant.

- “He admires you very much,” Lando finally stated. He had been sitting

there, considering long and hard whether he should tell her this much. If he

wanted to win her favour, though, hopefully her heart even, then he should

play with a fair deck of cards. He would be prosperous in the end.

- “And that goes far beyond the Jedi powers you carry. Luke’s just too shy

to say it.”

He could easily see the surprise on her pretty face. There were apparently

things about Skywalker that not even the former Emperor’s Hand knew.

- “Unlike others,” Mara answered, smiling dryly. To her surprise, Lando did

not seize the opportunity to add more charm into the topic.

In fact, he suddenly seemed very preoccupied.

- “I wish he were as bold with expressing his feelings as he is bold in

battle, but I really can’t blame him. Luke hasn’t had an easy life,” Lando

said. - “And I’m not talking only about all the challenges the Force has

laid on his shoulders. He has had bad luck when it comes to women. The last

straw was Callista. She sure had me fooled – I was sure that she was finally

the right one for him”.

Mara jerked at the mention of that name. For once, though, she didn’t mind

that Lando had brought her up. Not since he seemed to share her opinion

about that body snatching woman.

- “You weren’t the only one fooled, Lando.”

She took another sip of her wine, a rather huge sip actually, almost taking

half the glass.

- “You too, huh?”

This did not surprise Calrissian either. Jade had never really hidden her

disapproval of and her discomfort with the Ming woman.

- “Has Luke said anything to you?” he wondered.

- “What? About Callista?”

- “Yeah. If you don’t mind me asking? I’m worried about him.”

Mara saw the honesty in the man’s face. It pleased her that Luke’s closest

friends had indeed noticed that Luke wasn’t really okay, no matter how much

he tried to claim otherwise. She doubted it but maybe if she told Lando of

her feelings regarding Skywalker’s so-called relationship with Callista,

then maybe – just maybe – there would be a change in the Jedi Master’s life

someday.

- “So am I,” she admitted with a sigh. - “He hasn’t let her go. For some

weird reason he still waits for her to return to him. But he rarely speaks

to me about her and frankly, I’m glad that he doesn’t. I had a bad feeling

about that woman even before she abandoned him. Callista broke his heart,

Lando, even though he’s trying to conceal it from us. If he didn’t have good

friends, like you, I don’t know what would have happened to him.”

- “You, too, have helped him stay afloat, Mara,” Lando stated, never hiding

his gratitude and pride of the fact. - “Like I said, Luke doesn’t reveal

much about you, but we all know that he regards you as one of his closest

friends.”

- “I know.”

Her gaze dropped down to her plate again. She was slightly unsure of how

much she would actually confess. She felt the need to talk. But she had to

choose her words wisely.

- “Sometimes… I feel ashamed of myself when I’m reminded of how I treated

him in the past.”

Lando shook his head and reached with his hand across the table, taking hers

softly into his, caressing it gently.

- “Don’t be ashamed of who you are, Mara. You have done much good for him by

being the one you are, and your existence has also helped shape the galaxy

into what it is today.”

Her hand withdrew from his gentle grip and reached for her glass again. When

Mara put down the glass once more it was completely empty.

- “Yeah, I failed to kill him at Jabba’s,” she muttered and her buried anger

for just about everything her life had put her through could be noticed in

her tone of voice. - “That’s the only failure of mine that I’m grateful

for.”

Mara was not ignorant to the sound of her own voice, nor of the words she

spoke. She was going too far. Thinking about these things only made her

depressed. And it was certainly not kind towards Lando. She had no right to

spill out her anger with the universe at this lovely dinner he had arranged

for her. Up until now, she had enjoyed the evening as well as Lando’s

company. He had reigned in his charm this night, showing a more sincere and

humble side of himself. And they did share similar opinions about many

things.

She did not want to spoil the night for him.

She had better bring the topic back to a more enjoyable area.

- “So, if Luke didn’t tell you who I was, who did?” she wondered, bringing

the conversation back to how it had begun.

- “My own memory,” Lando stated with a grin and pointed at his own head. -

“It took me some time but it finally came back to me. It was your beauty.

There were many exotic dancers in Jabba’s Palace, but one was exceptionally

beautiful. You. It was nearly impossible to forget you, wearing that blue,

transparent dress.”

Goodness, he even remembered what she had been wearing all those years ago!

Men never really seemed to amaze her. They only remembered what they wanted

to remember. And when they did, it was with great detail.

- “Posing as one of the skiff guards, I assume you had loads of time to

observe me, then,” she stated, not denying that she did feel slightly

flattered that Lando had remembered her so well when she had been working

undercover at Jabba’s.

- “You knew I was there, didn’t you?” Lando asked outright. Mara grinned,

confirming his suspicion.

- “It didn’t take long,” she said. - “Besides, it made perfect sense. You

had to be there before Skywalker arrived. Neither Chewbacca nor Leia could

slip in under such a secret cover as you had, even though Leia did try. I

suspected that you would show up in one way or another so I kept my eyes

open.”

Calrissian nodded.

- “It seems that it takes two pros to discover each other,” he said.

- “It sure does.”

*************************

Lando closed the front door behind the hired servants that had performed

their job perfectly this evening and turned around, heading back to Mara and

into the living room.

It was only her and him.

They were finally alone. Mara was in good spirit. And so was he.

Underneath his nervous desire, that was.

It was now or never!

- “Has the evening been to your satisfaction, Mara?”

It was a warm smile that greeted him, so unlike the familiar chill of the

former Emperor’s Hand.

- “Oh yes! Very. The dinner was excellent. Thank you.”

- “I’m pleased to hear it.”

He closed in on the couch on which she was sitting, enjoying her drink. His

hand reached for his pocket, slowly bringing out the little box.

- “But it would please me even more if you granted me the honour to continue

satisfying you in all ways possible.”

His statement took her totally by surprise.

- “What are you talking about?”

- “Mara…”

Lando pulled a deep breath. As smoothly as everything had transpired this

evening, his success depended entirely on how he presented his words in the

crucial moments to come.

- “There’s something I want to ask you,” he began carefully. - “I’ve wanted

to ask you this for a very long time, actually. And it will have a great

impact on both our lives.”

In that same moment, Lando dropped to his knees in front of her, his eyes

never leaving hers. He took her glass and placed it on a nearby table.

Mara felt confused, not sure how to interpret what was happening.

- “Lando?”

He took her hands, kissed both tenderly. Then he met her confused, but so

wonderful eyes once more.

- “Mara, my sweet, you are the most wonderful being that has ever crossed my

path, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known. I’ve kept quiet about my

feelings for you for many years but I will do so no longer. I love you with

all my heart! I’m aware that I’m probably asking for more than I deserve,

but nothing would make me happier than to become your husband.”

Slowly, Lando brought up the little box for her to see and opened it. Inside

was the golden ring with the red and green stones. Mara gasped. She

recognised the ring!

She had seen it before!

Inside the cockpit of The Lady Luck!

- “Mara Jade, will you marry me?”

Stillness fell over the room. But in Mara’s mind there was utter confusion

and chaos!

She stared almost terrified into Calrissian’s dark and very sincere eyes. He

was not lying. He truly meant every single word he said. And she began to

realize the whole purpose of this evening.

On mere impulse she wanted to draw away. She did not love this man. Mara did

not know much about love but she at least believed in mutual love in a

marriage or there should be no union at all.

But she didn’t draw away.

Instead she started thinking.

If she declined, what would happen?

She would return to her usual every day life.

Without love. Without companionship.

Only her solitude would greet her if she said no to this offer.

But then she would also remain single. Free to do whatever she liked.

Free and available to the only man she had ever loved.

Except that she had been free for him to discover for a decade already. She

had been right in front of him all the time. Her life was no more than a

clock, ticking.

Nothing had changed.

All she had was her solitude. A companion she could do without. Mara was so

sick and tired of always being alone.

But finally an alternative was presented to her. It was not exactly of the

kind that she had wished for or expected. But right now it was a better

alternative than solitude.

Her thoughts went back to the previous evening. She had told Luke that she

wanted to change her life, that she wanted to settle down. Well, here was

her chance!

A marriage to Lando would mean real companionship. Stability. Security. And

maybe even a higher position in society. And he would truly love her; spoil

her utterly with both gifts and romance. Lando would be true to her, Mara

had no doubt about that.

No more solitude.

And also no more hope of true happiness!

Lando waited for a reaction patiently. He had expected her to be quiet and

confused, his declaration of love to her must be a minor shock for her, he

realized. He observed her eyes extra carefully and noticed how she very

intensely stared at the ring.

‘She’s considering it,’ he thought with excitement. ‘She’s truly considering

it!’

She still said nothing. Most likely she wasn’t sure what to say or think. He

had to clear his offer out for her. There should not be any doubts.

- “If you accept, you will never lack anything,” he promised her. - “And, of

course, you shall have your freedom to continue to run your business as you

see fit and do all the things you love to do. I offer no restrains, only

companionship to share it all with each other. All I’m asking for is to

share my life with you. I love you, Mara. Be my wife. Let me love you.”

Mara’s heart was pounding.

She was afraid.

Terrified.

What should she do!?

She was right in a battle between reason and happiness. And her life was the

battle zone.

If she accepted she would not lack anything. She would be a fool to say no

to Lando. It was a good offer.

But she would still never experience the true happiness and joy, like when

she had been swept away in several dances the night before in her own

apartment. Or when she had been kissed in the most spontaneous and innocent

way possible after being saved from drowning. Or to be comforted from horrid

nightmares in the safest embrace she had ever known.

If tiny moments of true happiness like that were all she would get if she

continued like she always had, it was still better and more honest than to

deny what her heart truly wanted.

She met Lando’s eyes. He was a good man. A finer man than she had ever

thought of him, she had learned that this evening. A man with a great heart,

why else would he be crazy enough to want to marry someone like her?

But she would not accept him as her husband. She risked entering a marriage

that was doomed to fail, even if they might never divorce. She would never

be able to give Lando what he so desperately needed. And her solitude would

still not go away.

Even as Mrs Calrissian, Mara would continue to be lonely.

She could not let that happen.

She could not do that to herself or to Lando.

- “No.”

Mara shook her head.

- “I’m sorry, Lando. I can not marry you. Or anyone else, for that matter.”

Her eyes dropped to the floor. She was doing the right thing. But it hurt

almost as bad to do what was right as it did to do the wrong thing.

Her reply stunned him. Her reason why even more than the actual no itself.

But Lando had no intention to get mad. There was a great sadness in her eyes

and voice. Something was troubling her. And he wanted to find out what it

was.

He would do anything for her.

He sat down on the couch next to her.

- “Why?” he wondered. - “Have you decided to never get married?”

If that was her agenda in life, then Lando would not be unreasonable. Even

if marriage was the most ideal thing, he would be perfectly content merely

being her man, her boyfriend. As long as they were together he would be

happy. And maybe, with time, she would perhaps change her mind?

- “I do want to get married someday,” Mara confessed and she turned to look

at him. - “But it can not be with you, my friend. It has nothing to do with

you. It’s me. I can never give you what you want. For my heart already

belongs to another. And that will never change.”

His controlled disappointment and pain made Mara break her eye contact with

him. Instead she stared out the large windows. She could see the night sky.

And the stars beyond.

- “I know that now,” she declared in a soft voice.

Yes.

He had her heart. He had always had it. The happiness she already had in her

life she owed to him. That was why she loved him.

A million men could come with the some offer as Lando, it would never change

anything. None of them could give her what she sought. No other would fulfil

her so easily. No other could make her as angry as he could or make her

laugh as hysterically. No other would make her feel so alive!

There was only one who could.

And he was out there! Amongst those stars.

Tears were beginning to appear in her eyes as Mara thought of the only man

she had ever loved.

And would ever love.

- “Another?”

The sad irritation of Lando’s voice was beginning to break through his

barriers.

- “You already have a lover?”

He should have expected this. Mara had known and had had many men in her

life. She was certainly not inexperienced. She had never kept any of them

around for longer than a couple of weeks at the most, though – usually never

more than a night or two.

That she now indicated that she had a regular lover came as a complete

surprise!

The first tear fell down her cheek. Her pain that she had been carrying for

ten years was so unmerciful to her when she was faced with the utter truth.

Even as she followed her heart, she was left alone, heartbroken.

- “I have nothing,” she whispered. - “Except his friendship. And my heart

will forever belong to him.”

Heartbreak or not, Mara loved Luke Skywalker. If she was destined to love

him from afar forever, she preferred that fate rather than to give only half

of herself to another man. And she always found great pride in that

realisation.

- “If I shall ever marry anyone, it will be him”.

Lando was completely dumbstruck.

Mara Jade was in love with another man!? Since when? How? Who?

- “But…”

Mara quickly stood. She had already said too much. Lando had been told more

of her inner secrets than anyone else. Not even Karrde knew this much.

- “I’m deeply sorry, Lando,” she said. - “I understand how disappointed you

must be.”

Lando rose to his feet as well. His confusion was slowly replaced by the one

thing he did not want to feel.

Anger.

- “Who is he?” he demanded.

Mara did not like his tone of voice, no matter how well she understood his

feelings. She knew exactly what it felt like to be in Lando’s shoes right

now. To realize that the one you loved was in love with another.

Still, it gave him no right to raise his voice to her.

- “What difference does it make if I tell you his name?” she asked in her

defence.

- “You can tell me that much at least!” Lando insisted.

Mara’s eyes narrowed. It had been a long time since someone had ordered her

around or demanded things from her. Including learning of her most sacred

secrets. She had sworn to never let that happen to her again.

And certainly not here and now.

- “His identity is secret with me and shall always remain that way,” she

declared with utmost clarity. - “I love this man too much as that I could

let my feelings for him be known!”

Mara dropped her irritation. Yelling at Lando would not make things better.

He had really not done anything wrong.

If not for her hidden desire, all her secret hopes, she would most likely

have accepted to marry him.

She would most probably have gotten married years ago.

If she had not loved Luke Skywalker.

She placed her hands on each side of his face. No matter what they both

felt, Mara did not want her friendship with Calrissian to end because of

this. All his attempts, his feelings for her, had changed her view of him.

She no longer saw him as annoying. She had been allowed to see more of the

real Lando Calrissian this evening and she had liked what she had seen. She

did not want to end what was already working better than ever before.

It could only not be the way he had intended.

- “You’re a sweet and kind man, Lando,” Mara stated sincerely. - “And you

will be a great husband to someone one day. But not to me.”

She leaned forward and gave him a little kiss on the cheek.

- “Forgive me.”

She backed away.

- “Thank you for a lovely evening.”

With those final words, Mara hurried towards the door.

- “Mara! Wait..!”

His protest was in vain. She had already left the apartment. And Lando

realized that there was no use in running after her. There never had been

any use!

Someone else had already taken her.

- “Blast!”

The pain was unbelievable. First Tendra. Now Mara rejected him, too!

It had at least been his own choice to walk away from Tendra. But Lando had

no intention to walk away from Mara so easily. The mix of anger and pain

started to create a way of thinking that was not very common to Calrissian.

His rationalism had no chance against these new frustrating, dark emotions.

Not this time.

- “I don’t understand…” he mumbled out loud to himself. He began pacing,

trying to find enough peace to think. Instead, his stress began to increase.

Lando did not want to accept what had happened; it hurt too much to just let

it go. He would never accept a defeat if he was beaten in a game in which he

had not known all the rules or all the players.

He was being fed, more and more, by a strange desire for revenge.

- “Who is this other man? Who is he!? When I get my hands on that nerf

herder..!”

He fisted his hands and looked at them. Somehow, the scent of jealousy

didn’t smell that bad. For once, it smelled quite good.

- “I will find this man, no matter who he is or where he’s hiding!” Lando

promised himself and his dark brown eyes almost turned black with rage. -

“Nobody steals my woman from me! Nobody!”

 

To be continued in: "I Need You"

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