Alone Once More - Chapter 6

Chapter 6
“Han, you took your time to open the door.” Luke tried to break the ice. Han just stared back and sarcastically replied, “Well, in my old age, my fingers aren’t what they used to be.” It was not a witty remark; it was cool indifference that betrayed no interest in whether Luke wanted the door to open quickly or not.
“Leia wants to speak to you,” Han commented, as he walked out the door, not caring if Luke would ask where he was going.
“And where are you going?” Luke turned around to face a closed door. “Why do I care, anyway, what he does?”
“Luke. Come here.” Leia’s voice was coming from the kitchen. She didn’t sound happy. “I need to speak to you.”
“Yeah, I kinda got the message, Leia.” Luke took a moment to study his surroundings. The usual quiet order of Han and Leia’s apartment was disrupted. It was obvious that Ben was around.
“Just come in here, damn it Luke! Just listen to me for once!” Luke walked into the kitchen to find Leia holding a mug of steaming caf in his face. “Caf?” For a moment, Luke could swear that he saw his sister’s face soften, but in the next second it was back to the mask of cool and controlled anger.
“Thanks. Nothing like caf on a cold winter’s morning.” He chuckled nervously, still trying to make light of the situation. Leia merely glared back at him and hardened her gaze. Luke took a small sip of the caf and immediately spluttered and sprayed it out all over the floor, his boots and Leia’s white dress. “Leave out the sugar, why don’t you?”
“I don’t take sugar in my caf. Han doesn’t take sugar in his caf. Jacen and Jaina do not take sugar in their caf. So I do not buy sugar. It makes sense. I thought you knew that.”
“Leia, this doesn’t even taste like caf. What is it, really?”
“It’s your son’s first attempt at making me breakfast. I watched him. Want to know what you’re drinking? Try ground root leaf, black pepper, soy sauce and a foul mix of watered-down peanut butter and vinegar. That is what you’re drinking. No wonder it needs sugar.”
“What? Why the hell did you make me drink this?” Luke glared at his sister in disbelief while wiping the thick concoction off his boots.
“Let’s just say that as a kid I never got a chance to play a prank on you, big brother.” Leia’s face was a picture of innocence and naivety. No matter how old she got, she never looked a day more than thirty. “This is the kind of thing I’d do if we were fifteen and you’d just dumped my best friend for the most popular girl in the class. It’s called sibling rivalry, Luke. I am declaring war.”