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Nightshade & Sakura | Chapter 9: Decisions

Beginning Notes from the Author

So, I'm behind on this update. :( I'm so sorry. But I hope the length of this chapter, like the last (10,000 words!), makes up for it. I'm also behind on all of your lovely comments and messages. Just know I've read each and every one of them and cherish them. I have severe ADHD. This led to me never being able to finish my projects unless someone was standing over me ordering me to complete them. So, since I decided to post my writing, my productivity has gone up majorly. I thank you all for that. And as you know, I will always (eventually) reply back to your comments, and I appreciate everyone that takes the time to leave love, point out typos or consistency errors (that my betas and I miss), or simply to inquire about how I'm doing. Y'all are the real MVPs.

This chapter is dedicated to Bex who stayed up with me for five hours on video chat berating me to write every time I would get distracted (which happened at least 15 times). I love, love, love you. Thank you for all your work on this story and for just being an awesome friend.

Enjoy!


Rey

"Hello, love," Mara said, enveloping Rey into a hug. "How was your flight?"

Rey breathed in her smell—a discontinued perfume that Luke always managed to find a bottle of online. Sweet and musky. It felt like home, her home, but right now it made her stomach churn with another bout of scent-triggered morning sickness.

"Mm. It was fine. I'm a bit jet lagged, but I was comfortable."

Much more comfortable than the ride there with that kid kicking the back of her seat. It felt like ages ago, even if it'd only been a week. A week of being with Ben, of waking up to his kisses, learning about his past. Simply being with him. Rey had spent the entire flight back playing with the lotus pendant around her neck and trying to make sense of the last week. She'd taken that flight to Japan almost sure he'd tell he wanted nothing to do with her or their child, and she'd returned home his girlfriend. Ben's girlfriend.

"You've barely called me," Mara said. "I was worried sick when you told me you were in the hospital. "

"I'm sorry. It was so last minute—me taking off work. I must've caught a stomach bug, but I'm feeling better now."

Mara pulled back, holding Rey by the shoulders. "Did you have fun with your friend?"

"Yeah, I had fun." Rey looked away.

Mara raised her eyebrows and gave her that look. The look that meant Mara was waiting for further explanation. Silence fell between them, an aching settling into the bottom of Rey's stomach. Had Leia told her? How much did she know?

When they got home, Luke was cooking something strong, the smell putrid.

"Hey, Rey, how was your flight?" he asked, continuing to sauté whatever the vile thing was in the frying pan. "I thought we'd have an early dinner."

Rey took a few deep breaths, covering her mouth. "Fine. I'm not feeling so well, though."

"Is everything okay?" Mara asked, rubbing her back. "Why don't you go lie down?"

Rey couldn't hold her reaction back anymore. Without answering her, she rushed to her bedroom, threw her bags down, and stood over the bathroom sink breathing heavily.

"What's the matter?"

Rey jumped at the sound of Mara's voice. She'd been good at hiding the sickness for the past two months. There'd been a few occasions where she thought Mara was close to finding out—when Rey had to leave meetings early due to sickness or when she'd bail out of eating meals with Mara.

All those times before Mara hadn't looked at her suspiciously. Today was different. Today, her mouth was straight, eyebrows raised, green eyes wary.

"A midwife's office called the home phone while you were gone because they couldn't reach you. Is there something you want to tell me?"

Crap. What should she say? "A pap smear," she blurted out.

"I see," Mara said. "Aren't you too young? I also thought you went to a GP for those. Well that's all fine, then."

That dreaded word— fine. Mara knew there was something Rey wasn't telling her, but fine meant Mara wouldn't press her further. Fine was an hourglass quickly running out of sand.

Rey wouldn't speak, not yet. She needed to collect her thoughts, collect—

Buzz! Rey jumped again and pulled out her phone.

Kylo Ren

Can I call you? I can't sleep. I want to hear your voice.

"Who's that?" Mara asked.

"Rose," she said, typing out a not yet, Mara is suspicious and sending it quickly.

"I see. Fine."

Rey excused herself from dinner, calling out an apology to Luke. He waved her off. "Don't forget, you have a Japanese test on Monday. I want to see results."

"Thanks for reminding me," she said, walking back into her bedroom and pulling out her phone to text Ben. "I'll be ready."

Rey Jackson

I think they know. I don't know what to do.

Kylo Ren

Can I call you, please?

Rey Jackson

No, they'll hear. Distract me.

Kylo Ren

What do you want me to do?

Rey Jackson

Tell me something that makes you happy.

Kylo Ren

You. ;)

Rey Jackson

No, something else.

Kylo Ren

Fucking you? ;)

Rey Jackson

You're terrible. Shouldn't you be sleeping?

Kylo Ren

Can't.

Rey Jackson

Why?

Bee-Bee jumped onto her lap, purring incessantly. "Have you been hiding in my room? I'm happy to see you too." She played with Bee-Bee's smushy face and stroked her belly. "You are the strangest cat ever, do you know that?" Rey whispered. Bee-Bee loved her stomach touched; Rey had found out by risking it one day when Bee-Bee rolled over, showing the white, matted tufts on her belly.

Rey's phone buzzed again.

Kylo Ren

You're not here.

She smiled at that. She remembered him waking up in the middle of the night when he'd thought she was asleep. Were they nightmares or something else, something more sinister? She'd wanted to ask him, but it'd felt wrong. So, she'd pretended to be asleep.

Kylo Ren

Your turn. Tell me something that makes you happy.

Rey thought of his mouth, the shape slightly lopsided when he smiled, how his laugh had sounded when he twirled her around the sitting room. How it changed at the restaurant, eyes determined but soft when he asked her to be his girlfriend. Lips brushing across each of her knuckles, slight wetness on her skin. Thinking of it now made her eyes fill with tears. She thought of the painting wrapped and buried in her suitcase, his admittance he'd painted it when he forgot her smile. His body dancing in rhythm with hers, meeting her hips hungrily, gently. His grunts of pleasure, low and deep, him releasing inside of her, eyes wide, hands reaching up to cup her stomach.

She'd left it all behind.

Rey Jackson

I don't want to be back home. :'(

She couldn't answer the question, phone limp in her hand.

Kylo Ren

Are you okay?

Rey placed her phone on the bedside table, too upset to lock it. For the thousandth time within twenty-four hours, the tears were back, snot clogging her nose. Ridiculous . She was being ridiculous. She'd just spent the last week on vacation with him.

Buzz!

Kylo Ren

Rey? Talk to me.

Rey Jackson

I already hate this.

Video call from Kylo Ren. Answer. Decline.

She immediately hit "answer" and the screen filled with him in the muted light of his bedroom, head resting on his pillow. The place where she'd been less than twenty hours ago. The tears came down faster. "I know we gotta be quiet," he whispered. "You're beautiful. You know that?"

Rey laughed, rubbing her nose. "You're not too bad yourself. Funny, I don't think I've ever told you how attractive you are."

"You didn't need to tell me," he joked with a wink. "Telling me to fuck you that first night together without a condom. Bad girl."

She smiled, gesturing toward her stomach. "Yeah, well look where it got me."

The happiness was brief. She fell apart again, the tears coming down harder.

"Rey? Look at me."

She did as she'd done numerous time the past week. His eyes reflected the light from his dim bedside lamp, each slightly damp.

"I know this isn't an ideal situation, but we'll make it work," he said softly.

Rey didn't know how. She didn't know how she'd keep her news from Mara and Rose, didn't know how to handle the next five weeks without him. Ridiculous, she reminded herself. You're being ridiculous.

If Ben agreed, he didn't say, and the look in his eyes never faltered.


Kylo

Without her, going to sleep and waking up became a chore. Cooking became a chore. He'd spent the last eight years living alone, but after one week, he didn't know what to do without her. So, he threw himself into his work, painted. Distractions, distractions, distractions. Anything to keep him thinking of her tear-stained face last night, eyes puffy and red.

Emails. Sunday or not, he needed to work. He had at least two hundred unanswered ones from taking off last week. Boards throughout Japan, most those ending their contracts with their current companies after the summer holiday in August. Issues with teachers at schools requiring a manager's presence to smooth the damage done with the principals or vice principals. Fixing issues—that's what he did. Yet, he couldn't stop Rey from crying, couldn't stop them from being separated for the next five weeks. And the nightmares would still happen. He could fix everyone else's problems but his own.

9 P.M. Meeting with Alexander and Huxley. Kylo's eyes and head hurt from staring at a screen all day. Alexander went down the list of universities Huxley was set to speak at. They discussed Kylo coming along for a few of the presentations—representing in part the Japanese branch of their company, convincing young college students to take a poor salary at the promise of experiencing Japanese culture. What he'd done since joining First English.

Meeting finished, Huxley signed off with his signature smirk on his face, and Kylo fought the urge to roll his eyes. Guys like him took business jobs like a dick measuring contest, he knew. Business was Huxley's life, as it had been Kylo's for so long. But now with Rey, it all felt off, a bit empty.

Kylo was about to sign off himself when Alexander said, "Wait a moment. We've hardly spoken. Tell me about your week off."

Kylo made up some bullshit excuse about needing a mental break—with moving and then watching his ex-girlfriend get married. It was overwhelming, he explained. "I'm having dreams again," he also found himself admitting.

Alexander pressed a hand to his chin. "I strongly suggest you see a psychiatrist if it is interfering with your ability to work."

"And what would they do? Tell me to take some stupid fucking pill that makes me numb to everything? Fuck that."

"Language, please."

Kylo shook his head. "Sorry. Forgot. Look, I get it. You've suggested I see someone for years. Maybe you're right, but I don't want to. I've handled it myself."

Alexander flashed him a tight smile. "Many people that have suffered sexual abuse at early ages struggle with the events long after. It is why I'm so protective of my children."

Kylo barely recalled Alexander's family—he'd only met them once at a work gathering, his wife occasionally dropping by the office to bring Alexander lunch or something he'd forgotten at home.

"You never told me the reason," Kylo said, his stomach in a knot. Kylo had only known he was going to be a father for a week, but Alexander's actions abruptly began to make sense. A baby, his baby, sleeping in his arms. She'd be here in six months. Six months and his whole world would change.

"Miyuki was perfectly content with the idea of being a stay-at-home mother," Alexander said. "Love has conditions and consequences as I've always said. Miyuki and my children know my expectations. Following them prevents the consequences for both them and myself. To protect our children from the world is our greatest responsibility."

Kylo nodded. To protect our children… is our greatest responsibility. His family had failed at that. He wouldn't.

Alexander continued, "I have also been meaning to apologize for how abruptly I sent you away. I should have discussed the idea with you before, but if we continue to lose contracts, you and I will both be out of jobs." He paused, chuckled. "I'm sure you understand. I need you to manage the Tokyo office."

Kylo nodded again. "Yeah, of course." Rey's words rang in his head: "He'll crush you." That might be true, sure, but Kylo didn't plan on becoming useless to Alexander. It was the nature of the business, one he'd participated in for years. Money was money. Business was business.

Then came the question Kylo knew Alexander had wanted to ask all along, "Any progress on our Rey dilemma?"

"Not exactly, but I will figure it out, I assure you."

"Good. The boards seem to like her spunk." A brief smile tugged at his lips, eyes far away, like he was remembering something. "She has a very pleasing personality, doesn't she?"

"She does. She'd be a great asset to us."

The moment was over, the smile gone. "Yes, well, I'm glad we had the chance to speak. Keep up with the work, and I will ensure a salary increase."


Rey

Rey unfolded her napkin across her lap, fingers fidgeting.

"So… how was your trip?" Rose asked with one of her signature smiles plastered across her face. "You messaged me like once the entire week! Come on, spill."

They were at one of their usual Sunday brunch spots—a French restaurant ten minutes away from the office. It was the first time Rey had been here since getting pregnant, and the smells were already upsetting her stomach slightly.

"It was quite good. I'm sorry I didn't talk to you much."

"How was the wedding? Yuki was the one you met online, right?"

"Right. Yeah, it was great. She was beautiful. The vows were sweet." Rey could almost feel Ben's lips against her ear, whispering each word of the translation softy, like he'd been saying them to her. The only two people to exist in that artificial chapel.

Rose asked further about the food, the decorations, and what she did for the rest of the week. "I hung around Tokyo. It was a nice break."

"Pictures!"

Rey pulled out her phone and scrolled through the pictures she'd taken of the last week, flicking past the ones with Ben. She didn't have a lot—the one of them with the deer, a secret one she'd snapped of him as he hung one of the paintings in his sitting room, him cooking dinner, and finally one of them together her last night in Tokyo at the restaurant overlooking the city.

"Wait a minute," Rose said, swiping the phone from Rey's hand. "I saw a guy. Were you with a guy? Do you have a boyfriend?!"

Rey swallowed and tried to steal her phone back; Rose held it out of range, her mouth hanging open. "You saw the deer in Nara together?" She continued to scroll through the pictures. "He's an artist?"

Rey forced herself to nod.

"He's…" Rose tilted her head to the side. "Interesting looking. Not quite your type? A little long in the face."

Rey snatched her phone back at last.

"I'm teasing," Rose said. "He's attractive. Why didn't you tell me?"

"We weren't technically dating before."

"You didn't even say you were talking to anyone!" She shifted in her seat. "Awkward, okay. I told Niall you were single. He's… interested."

Rey couldn't fight the laugh that rose to her lips. She'd met Niall when she first began to speculate she was pregnant—Ben's child, another man—and Niall was interested in her? She'd guessed he was—what with the way his eyes had been glued to her face all night, but she hadn't heard from him in a month. In that month, the world had crashed down around her. All she'd thought about was Ben, Ben, Ben. Talking to him, telling him her news. Wondering if they could make this, and their baby, work.

"Why is that funny?" Rose asked. "He's been asking about you for a month. He won't shut up. I told him I'd talk to you for him."

"That's sweet of you, but…" Rey remembered Leia's elated reaction. Rose wouldn't have the same response—she was twenty-six, five years older than Rey, and career-minded. Babies weren't in that equation for Finn and Rose for a long time

Rey massaged her stomach. They definitely hadn't been for her either. And look how that turned out. "I have something to tell you, and I need to say it before we order, or I might be sick."

Rose turned her head to the side. "Okay…"

"I'm pregnant."

"Is this a joke?" Rose asked, turning about. "Is there a hidden camera somewhere? Am I on TV?"

"No." Rey reached into her purse and pulled out the first sonogram photo; she'd left the newer one with Ben. "This is the baby at eight weeks."

Rose didn't move to take the picture; she stared at it, blinking. "Rey, you, pregnant?" Her voice was a thin whisper.

"I know it's not a good situation, but the umm, father is being really supportive, and I know I can make it work."

"Come on. Are you serious?"

"Yes, I just told you. I'm pregnant."

"How far along?"

"Twelve weeks."

"You still have time plenty of time to think it through. I went to Waterspring for mine three years ago."

Rey's mouth fell slack. "You mean to get an abortion."

"Accidents happen."

"Yes, I know, but…" That was before Ben. Maybe if she'd gotten pregnant by anyone else other than him she would've considered it. Hands shaking, the pill pressed to her lips. She remembered the feel of the morning after pill against her tongue, flushing the sensation out with water. She'd gone over the decision to take it so many times and ended up pregnant regardless. Sometimes Rey wondered if it was a sign that this was the path her life was supposed to take, but that sounded crazy and not something she could explain to her friends or family. The thought of an abortion, of anything happening to their child made her stomach ache.

"Is the guy in the photo the father?"

Rey fiddled with her necklace, pressing the petals on the lotus into her fingertips. "Yes. He's wonderful. I can't imagine being with anyone else."

"You love him."

Her hand fell from her neck and into her lap. "I love you too." She'd whispered it against his lips a few days ago, but there was something deeper and more real about an outside person verbalizing it, especially it being Rose.

"I know. I was stupid, but I'll make it work."

"Does he live in Japan?"

"Yes." Rey explained the situation—Alexander swiftly transferring Ben to First English's Tokyo office, the whole problem with him being there and her being here.

Rose asked, "What are you going to do when the baby comes?"

"We haven't discussed it yet. We only started dating officially this week."

"You guys move fast. So, a split household? What?"

Rey wasn't sure what to tell her; she'd tried not to think of their future together—the baby being born seemed too out of the reach of her current issues with Ben.

"We'll figure it out eventually," Rey said.

"So that's why you stayed an extra week. You weren't helping Yuki move at all." The waiter came to check on them and take their orders, but Rose stopped him. "We're still waiting on our friends."

"What friends?"

"Do you remember how I said Niall was interested? I know I should've checked with you, but I invited him out with us today and told Finn he could come too so Niall didn't feel like a third wheel."

Rey slumped in her chair. Finn occasionally joined them for breakfast or lunch on Sundays, but never Niall. "Why didn't you say something?"

"You've been acting really distant lately. I mean I get it now." She looked down at Rey's stomach. "I thought it might cheer you up a bit. I didn't realize you were seeing someone or that you were… pregnant ." The last word was a whisper—like saying fuck around Rose's extremely religious mother.

"But you know I'm here for you," Rose continued, face tight, eyes soft. "Even if you decide to keep it."

"I appreciate that, and yes, I'm keeping it." Rey forced a half-smile and wondered what Mara's reaction would be like. Rose didn't seem happy, but she was controlling it. That was the best Rey could hope for. A few moments passed until the bell on the front door jingled and Rey's eyes locked on dirty blond hair and a warm smile. Niall was as she remembered him two months ago. Finn followed in after him, immediately leaning down to kiss Rose. "Hey, babe, hey, Rey," he said.

Niall sat down next to Rey and leaned in for a side hug. Her body tensed. "Long time no see, stranger," he muttered with a smile.

"Yeah. How are you?"

They made polite small talk for a few moments, and Rey fought the urge to either bail from the restaurant entirely or text Ben. She hadn't planned on anyone but Rose knowing today—not even Mara, and Mara had still given her that look this morning.

She was running out of time.

They ordered; Niall talked about his job in client services. Rey found herself staring at his soft blue eyes. They didn't have the same harshness as Ben's did. Perhaps the world had been kinder to him. But hadn't the world also been unkind to her? She hardly thought about those days before—six foster homes in ten years. It was in the past. She had a family now, friends, everything she'd wanted as a child. She used to sit up at night, orange light streaming in from her window, and imagine water slipping through her fingertips, vast emptiness stretching into the distance. The ocean. Not one surrounding England's coast, but far away, in Jamaica or Fiji, the water impossibly turquoise and clear like glass. She used to imagine what it would be like to have a best friend she could sit next to at lunch and talk about boys with. She'd had friends, of course. What child didn't have at least one person? But they never got too close, never invited her to their cliques or birthday parties. It wasn't until her home life settled at twelve did she have close friends.

Ben. He'd been the first person. They used to sit up late in his apartment and talk about all the things they'd do when she turned eighteen. Lofty promises of concerts and places to visit together. It had been always focused on the future, and with their recent talk of the past, Rey was starting to understand why. Maybe that was exactly it—Ben had been the first person to show her that fantasies could be reality, that she didn't have to live in the past or let it dictate what she should do with her life. She didn't have to be the quiet girl without friends, the girl that talked to walls or any inanimate object that would listen. She could be what she wanted and have the friends she wanted. Travel, pursue a career. It was an interesting conundrum—Ben could spend all night with her talking of the future, but when he looked away, when he paused for the briefest of seconds, his eyes told a different story.

Niall's were different—inviting, warm. The thing Rey saw in Ben briefly, quickly fading the next moment.

Niall was saying something to her. Rey's eyes darted away from his.

"You okay? I asked how Japan was."

"I went for a friend's wedding," Rey explained. She told him about the ceremony in the artificial chapel, the reception which had served sashimi and all sorts of Japanese delicacies, but she left out Ben and her hospital visit. It would be too difficult to explain and likely cause him to worry about her.

"Did you extend your trip? Rose said you were only going on holiday for a few days, and then you ended up staying a week?"

What should she say? The Yuki excuse? Her eyes met Rose's in masked desperation.

"I told you, silly," Rose said. "Rey's friend asked her to stay the rest of the week to help her move into her husband's house. She wanted to do it before their honeymoon and needed an extra hand."

Niall grinned—a smile so genuine it made Rey sink further into her chair. "Wow." He laughed. "That was really kind of you."

"Not really. I help out when I can. I had the vacation time off."

Their food arrived. Rey had chosen something she knew wouldn't make her sick, a light salad, but it was always a gamble regardless.

The topics shifted between work, personal life, movies, music, and restaurants. It all reminded Rey of Ben, who was on the opposite side of the world likely trying to sleep. She wanted to be there with him. He would grab her stomach and leave soft kisses across her skin. The type of kisses that instantly made frowning impossible and giggles rise to her lips.

"We should have a movie night this week," Rose suggested. "It's usually only Rey and me, but maybe you boys want to join?"

"As long as it's not a chick-flick," Finn said, popping a piece of escargot into his mouth. Rey's stomach churned at the sight.

Rose rolled her eyes. "You're so narrow-minded. Some chick-flicks are really good."

"Babe, last time you made us watch one about a guy that falls in love with a sex robot." Finn leaned in toward Rey. "You and Poe dodged that one, but me and this guy"— He gestured to Niall — "had to sit through 120 minutes of mechanical banging."

Rose slapped him, but Finn continued anyway. "I didn't want to have sex for days."

Rey laughed, covering her mouth.

"It wasn't that bad," Niall said with his water glass pressed to his lips. "I thought some of the jokes were decent."

"See?" Rose said incredulously to Finn. "He appreciates me."

When they were distracted, Rey turned away and pulled out her phone, a pang rising in her chest. Ben had texted her back.

Kylo Ren

Still can't sleep. Will you be home soon?

"What're you smiling at?" Finn asked.

Rey locked her phone and took a bite of her salad. "Nothing."

"There might be another person joining us soon," Rose stated, sucking her lips in.

Rey paused, mid bite. Rose wouldn't tell them about the baby yet, would she?

Thankfully, Finn said, "Our girl has a boyfriend? Whattttt?"

Rey shrunk back into her chair. Finn and Rose knew all about her previous boyfriend at nineteen, Marcus, the one who'd made "it's not what it looks like" a running joke in their friend group. After him, Rey had sworn off men—taking a literal pledge over two bottles of wine and sealing it with a swear on Rose's pinky. Ben was different and had always been. Rey smiled.

Niall. His eyes were locked on hers, lips offering a weak grin. Her face fell.

"Yeah," Rey said, looking away. "It happened this past week. He's one of Yuki's friends. We've been talking for about a month now." The lie flew off her tongue with an effortlessness that concerned her.

"Congratulations," Niall muttered. "I'm happy for you." Rey didn't like this look of disappointment; his blue eyes had never seemed so grey. It wasn't like she owed him anything. It'd only been a little crush, right? They hadn't talked much, but Rose had likely hyped him up about the idea of Rey returning his affections. "Is he Japanese?"

"No, he's American. He lives in Japan."

"Long distance is rough. My ex-girlfriend was from America. Expensive."

"Okay, enough you two!" Rose interjected. "Let's have a movie night on Friday."

Finn tore off a piece of bread. "All of us? And Poe?"

"Poe will be away in Japan. He's visiting Amilyn. It seems you both became official this past week."

Rey laughed. So Poe was dating Amilyn. "About time, yeah?"

"Tell me about it. Leia offered him an administrative position under Amilyn. He's been debating it for weeks." Rose flashed an unamused face. "It'll be only us four. My place?"

"How about mine?" Rey suggested quickly. "Mum and Luke will be out on Friday. He's taking her to see Heir to the Supremacy finally after begging him for months." Heir to the Supremacy was a popular play in London based on a book of the same name, and Mara was obsessed with American Old West stories.

For Rey, the nausea was getting better every day, but the thought of being at Rose's place and being sick? It would be harder to make an excuse with only the bathroom to escape to.

"Well finally you invite us over!" Rose rejoiced. "I'll narrow it down to four movies for you guys to pick from, but popcorn and beer are on you."

Finn raised his eyebrows. "You always pick the movies."

"Because my taste is good."

"If it were up to you," Rey said to Finn. "We'd only watch weird space movies and people being blown to bits."

Finn looked over at Niall with a facial expression that said come on, back me up.

Niall shook his head. "I'm with the ladies on this one, man. Sorry."

"How about this?" Rose started, placing a kiss on Finn's cheek. "We can each pick a movie and then narrow it down from there, but you can't vote for your own movie. Deal?"

Rey finished off her salad. No nausea, thankfully. "She's never this nice. I'd take the deal."

Rose kicked Rey under the table with a smile. They erupted into giggles. She'd almost forgotten what it was like hanging out with Rose. The jokes, Rose's obsession with being witty or creating new words. How Ben could do that to her, make her forget everyone else but him, Rey didn't know

"I missed you, bitch," Rose said, gasping for air. "You are not allowed to leave me like that again."

"I missed you too," Rey replied and didn't mention that might be exactly what she'd have to do.


Good morning, beautiful. Video chat later?

Rey read his text message over and over, trying to make sense of it. Ben was her boyfriend. Ben was the father of her child. The past two days, it had hit her like that, a wave of unbelievability. It left her unable to breathe, her cheeks hurting from smiling so much.

Rey's first day back at work went fine, if but extremely busy. She had speaking engagements at a few universities throughout England, her schedule packed for the next three months. In between all of that was the conference in Sapporo at the end of July, a two day ordeal that would be filled with presentations and teachers from Kyushu too, not solely Hokkaido. The Hokkaido Board of Education planned to flood its schools with native English speaking teachers, following alongside Tokyo in striving to set Japan as a bilingual society.

All of this meant that Rey's life was about to go crazy. Pregnancy, a new relationship, her job. Could she handle it? Would… abortion be the better option? She clutched her stomach. It would be the easier route, Rose was right, but even at twelve weeks, she couldn't imagine getting rid of what she already considered a baby. Maybe that had been her birth mother's dilemma—young, broke, without a family, but holding on to the thing that assured her she wasn't alone.

Mara stared at her throughout the day. Leia, however, acted like she didn't know anything about her future grandchild. A secret between the two of them.

Email answered. Next. Rey typed as fast as she could, then raced home. 6 P.M. It was 3 A.M. in Tokyo.

"You know you could have called me in the morning," Rey said, her heart fluttering at the sight of him. "You didn't need to get up in the middle of the night. You really should sleep."

"You said it was the best time." He rubbed his face. "Can't sleep anyway."

Rey nodded. Mara was working late, and Luke had gone out to dinner with a friend. Rey could be as loud as she wanted. He asked her about her day; she told him about the prepping for the conference next month and how Mara seemed suspicious.

He finished listening, breathed. "Fuck, you're beautiful."

She slipped her dress over her head and unsnapped her bra. Intent, hungry, his eyes followed her fingers. He adjusted the camera, and soon he was pulling down his boxers, a hand gliding up and down, over and over. Desire pooled in her lower half at the sight of him—a throbbing sensation which increased as he continued. She found herself following suit with him, gingerly touching herself. What was it about him that did this to her?

"I might…" she breathed. The heat flared inside her core.

"Fuck, Rey. Will you come for me? Let me see you come. I'm gonna…"

A knock. "Rey?"

Rey froze. "Shit. She's home early. I'll call you back later." She hit the end button and pulled on her dress as fast as she could.

Another knock. "Rey? Can we talk?"

"Sure, one second!" Rey raced to clean her hands with a wet wipe and moved to open the door.

"What took you so long?" Mara asked. "Your cheeks are flushed. Are you feeling okay?"

Rey nodded, probably a little too eagerly. "I thought, umm, that you were going to be working until seven?"

"I was a bit knackered tonight I think, what, with the conference next month and that teacher getting in trouble… Anyway, I wanted to talk to you before you went to bed. You've been going to bed quite early. Can I come in?"

"Sure," Rey replied, letting her by.

Once they were sitting on the bed, Mara fiddled with a piece of her auburn hair. "I don't know how to ask this."

Keep it together, Rey, keep it together. "What is it?"

"For the past two months, you've left meetings early, skipped meals with me, and locked yourself in your room the second you've come home. Then you texted me last week saying you were in the hospital and you'd be missing work for the rest of the week. I was so worried, and you barely replied back. I thought it was quite strange that Leia didn't fight to approve your time off. After that, on Thursday, your midwife gave the house a ring. Something about a follow up on medications? So, what is it you're not telling me?"

Rey's hands fidgeted in her lap, her eyes immediately filling with tears.

"Rey? What's the matter? What's going on?"

Why wouldn't her lips move? She told Mara about her crushes and friends, the first time she'd had sex, her choices in universities, all the times Marcus had cheated on her. Everything.

A cool hand on her cheek. "Are you going to say something?"

Rey squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them, the tears rolling off her chin. "What do you want me to say?"

"Are you pregnant?"

"I'm sorry." What good would it be to deny it? She had nausea no matter what medication she took and heartburn radiating through her chest. On top of it, she would be swelling up soon, unable to hide.

Mara breathed out calmly, her entire body seeming to sink into the bed. "How far along?"

"Tw-twelve weeks."

Mara took Rey into her arms, stroking her head. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I wasn't sure how to." Rey remembered the first time Mara had comforted her as a teenager—the tremble in her hands as she patted Rey's back. Mara wanted to make it better; Mara had always wanted to make it better, but sometimes it seemed she didn't know how. Much like Rey now.

"Are you keeping it?"

"Yes," Rey declared, no hesitation.

Mara pulled back and searched her face. "You're so young. Nearly the same age your birth mum died. I didn't realize you were dating anyone."

"I wasn't," Rey admitted. "It was a one night stand that became something else." She wanted to tell her about the elevator; it would be a story Rey knew Mara would make jokes about at every family get-together. And funnily enough, it had been Rey's second time getting stuck in an elevator, but her first with anyone else, albeit Ben. An occurrence meant to be, dictated by the universe, some higher power? Or simply a rare coincidental event? Rey wasn't sure. She hadn't been sure about anything since Ben had stared at her from the top of that stage in Tokyo. His brown eyes—the softness, the hardness, a blend that had left her unable to breathe or think. Had her choices been hers at all?

"Who's the father?"

"I don't want to talk about that now. He's being supportive. That's all that matters."

"You can tell me," Mara encouraged, rubbing Rey's back. "We all know how great my taste is in men. Luke can't even put the toilet paper roll on right, damn man. Good for nothing, the lot of them."

Rey wanted to laugh, but couldn't. "I can't. I want… I want to see if our relationship will work." She also wanted to add an yeah, right to Mara's first statement. Mara would never approve of Ben.

"Does he live in Japan?"

Rey made up a story about the father being an American foreigner in Japan—someone that worked in the recruiting business too. They'd met at the conference in Tokyo, and then again in Kyoto.

"Love, you're so young," Mara repeated. "Have you considered abortion? You can get one up to twenty-four weeks."

"Yes, and I'm not doing it. I want this."

"If he works for a rival company, it's a breach of contract, likely on both your parts."

"I know."

"So one of you would have to quit."

"I know. That's why it's complicated."

Mara breathed out for the third time. "You're at the start of your life and career. Is being a mother at twenty-two, with the relationship complicated as it is, worth it? Please think about it, okay?"


Kylo

"Thank you for coming last week," Yuki whispered over the phone, voice warm. "Is Rey feeling better?"

It was like Yuki to call and check up on a person that couldn't stand her. Sometimes it pissed him off—her always going out of her way to be unselfish. Kylo finished pouring himself a glass of bourbon whiskey, phone balanced between his shoulder and ear. "Yeah. She's back in London this week."

"How did it go?"

Tear-stained hazel eyes, body pressed to his in the bathtub. That night after the wedding, when it had all fallen apart and back together again within seven hours. The week after—feeling her stir, chest rising with each breath. Her smile on his lips, stomach underneath his fingertips.

"We figured it out. Almost. We're a thing I guess. I don't wanna talk about it. How was your honeymoon?"

Yuki told him about their trip to Hawaii. The surfing, the food. Hiroto liked to spend a lot of money on vacation. Kylo knew it was partly Japanese culture and partly the work hours of salary men. Already Kylo had racked up thirty hours for the week and it was Tuesday.

When she was done rubbing her vacation in his face, Kylo asked, "Is he bigger than me?"

"Oh my god, Ben, you're so disgusting," Yuki replied in her usual fashion. "Are you drinking? Don't you even think about making the joke about Japanese men having small penises. It's not true, and you know it."

"You're so right. Because I've had my fill of dick up my ass." Despite experimenting sex first with a guy, Kylo had never gone that far.

"God, can you go one minute without cussing like a sailor?"

"Already did fifteen hours of it today. Fuck off. So, he's bigger. Sounds like you upgraded. Congrats."

Yuki was silent.

"What?" Kylo asked with a chuckle.

"What do you think? You always knew how to please."

He chuckled again, took a swig of his almost forgotten drink. "I'm better. Interesting."

"I said you knew how to please, not that you were better in anything else. You're not husband material. Unless you've quit drinking and smoking and actually started paying attention."

His chest stung. Yuki had never been that straightforward before about the subject. "Right, that's why you were begging me to marry you."

"I was in love with you. I always wanted to get married, and Hiroto's a wonderful husband and person."

"You don't think I could?"

"Marriage is, uhh, a really unselfish thing. I don't think you'd want to or like it. I hope Rey realizes that."

"Always so much faith in me."

"Have you… have you been thinking about marrying her?"

Had he? Kylo knocked back the rest of his drink. "She's got my kid. As it stands, we work for separate companies. Alexander could fire and sue me for that alone. She's in London. I'm here. How's that gonna be for the kid? Having separate households?"

"You actually are." Yuki paused. "I'm surprised."

"It doesn't matter. I don't wanna talk about it."

"That's a cop out. You never want to talk about anything other than work."

He scrubbed his face. "Because it's not your fucking concern. She's my girlfriend. It's my kid."

Yuki was mostly quiet after that, and Kylo changed the subject to Hiroto's job. Was that what drew him to Rey despite their history eight years prior? Sex? His mind swam with Yuki's question, "Have you been thinking about marrying her?" Straightforward, unlike the quiet, kind person he'd known who collected holiday cards like he went through cigarettes. In fact, since Rey had come back into his life, Yuki had been different. Like she wanted to protect Rey—from him.

"I'm glad you had a good time on your honeymoon, but I have some emails to answer," he said. "I'll talk to you later."

"Call me sometime, yeah? I'd like to try to be friends. Something past the things, you know, we've done for the last three years, especially since I'm married and you're living in Japan again."

Kylo removed the phone from his ear, about to press the end button, when he heard Yuki's voice again. "And Ben?" she said.

"Yeah?"

"I'm really happy you're doing the right thing."

Kylo poured himself yet another drink. "I haven't done it yet."


Rey

After telling Mara, the rest of the week would have passed uneventfully—if it weren't for the call Rey made to her midwife on Wednesday when she asked about the father coming to her ultrasound at sixteen weeks.

"That's wonderful!" the receptionist exclaimed. "He's fine to come. I do see a note in your file about requesting an ultrasound at sixteen weeks which you agreed to pay extra for. We do have to warn you. The technician may not be able to decipher the sex at that time. Eighteen to twenty weeks would be more definite. It should be included in the information we gave you?"

Eighteen weeks. Two more weeks past what she'd told Ben. She should've researched it more before deciding the second they'd told her they could see the baby's sex at sixteen weeks. An ultrasound at sixteen weeks was an unusual time—most had them at twenty according to her midwife. In one phone call, five weeks had now become seven. Rey mumbled she understood and hung up the phone. She couldn't tell him, not yet. Telling him would speak it into reality. She wouldn't see him for seven weeks now, not five. Seven whole weeks.

By Friday night, she still hadn't told him. Rose, Finn, and Niall would be on her doorstep in an hour. Rey flitted around the room, wiping down counters and windows, scrubbing the powder room toilet.

She was about to pick up the scooper to clean Bee-Bee's litter box when she remembered—pregnant, couldn't do that anymore. Add it to the list of normal things that Mara would now have to do for her for the next twenty-five weeks or so. Raw fish, deli meat, smoked sausage, soft cheeses—couldn't eat those anymore. Three cups of coffee or tea? Apparently that was bad too. "If you're determined to do this, you need to stay healthy," Mara had said, writing out a list of reminders for Rey. And she'd already put Rey on a prenatal vitamin she thought was the best. Dietary changes—everything organic with more protein (excluding the eggs) than Rey could imagine. They'd decided not to tell Luke yet, maybe next week when Rey was officially into her second trimester and mostly out of the high-risk window.

Rey flushed the toilet, slamming the scrubbing brush into its holder. It was 3 A.M. in Tokyo. The middle of the night—maybe he would be up.

"Rey?" came his sleepy, husky voice. "Something happen to the baby?"

He was in the sitting room on the couch, the lights dimmed low as always.

"Yes, everything is fine. I missed you. Are you sleeping on the couch?"

"Mm," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "Must've fallen asleep."

"I'm sorry I woke you."

"It's cool. I told you that you could call me anytime. What's up?"

"I wanted to tell you before you booked your flight here. I talked to my midwife, and they recommended you come when I'm eighteen weeks pregnant, not sixteen. There's a better chance of finding out the baby's sex then. I made an appointment for July 23rd, about three days before the Sapporo convention. We could fly there together."

Ben rubbed his eyes again. Shaking his head, he reached off screen and brought a whiskey tumbler to his lips. Why did he always have to drink? Rey determined to wait patiently until he finished his sip, but it didn't stop there. He grabbed something else; a spark flashed in front of his face.

"Are you smoking inside?" Rey asked incredulously.

"Mm."

"I really, truly wish you'd quit."

He laughed, took a drag. "Yeah, I got it."

"Is this a game to you? I'm pregnant. You said it yourself that cigarette smoke isn't good for the baby."

"I don't do it around you, and if you remember, when you were here, I always went outside to smoke and changed my clothes afterward."

"I don't know. I just really wish you'd stop. It seeps into the walls, and won't you have to pay a cleaning fee for cigarette smoke when you move out?"

He took a long drag this time. "Not your concern."

"I don't bloody care if you think it's my concern or not." Her eyes pricked. "Okay, look, I need to finish cleaning. Rose, Finn, and Niall will be over soon, and I still have a lot to do. I'll call you back later."

"Who's Niall?"

"Not your concern," she repeated back to him. "I have a life outside of you, you know."

Ben scoffed. "Some guy you're interested in?"

"Really? How could you even suggest that? I'm pregnant with your fucking child!"

"It doesn't matter. Have a good time. We'll talk later."

"He's just a—"

The screen went black. The little thumbnail with his professional picture sat there in the middle. Call ended, no goodbye.

With her hands balling into fists, Rey slammed the phone onto the bathroom vanity and stalked to the sitting room. She thought about giving him a piece of her mind, the words pounding around in her brain. Arsehole. Liar. Alcoholic.

Bee-Bee meowed at her from her perch on the windowsill. "Oh, go feed yourself, you good-for-nothing cat."

She meowed again, jumped down, and walked out of the room, tail in air.

"Yeah, you leave too!" Rey said to her retreating bum. "Layabout."

She went back to the bathroom, took one look at her phone, and decided. No more. She opened her bedroom door and threw it on the bed.

Rey spent the next forty-five minutes violently fluffing pillows and stomping around. Why wouldn't he quit? Did he care about their baby? Arsehole, liar, alcoholic. Arsehole, liar, alcoholic. Arsehole, liar—

They were here.

"Hey," Rey said, out of breath, flinging open the door.

Rose enveloped her into a hug. "Everything okay?"

Rey forced a smile, but it felt wrong. "Yes, of course. Come in." Then she saw Niall, and her face fell completely. "I made dip," she said, walking to the refrigerator.

"We brought Chinese food," Finn chimed in. "Should I set it here?" He pointed to the counter.

"Yes, fine. Whatever."

Rose smiled, showing far too many teeth. "Can we talk for a sec?" She didn't wait for Rey to respond; she grabbed her arm and whisked her into the bathroom. "Okay, spill. What's going on?"

"I'm fine."

"You're definitely not fine."

"Why can't you leave it alone for once?" Rey snapped. "I'm not feeling well."

"Guy problems? Is he treating you poorly?"

"Something like that. I don't want to talk about it, really."

"He's being a right bastard, isn't he? Spill."

"Can we eat and watch the movie? I'm sorry I'm in a sour mood. It's been a long week."

"Fine. After the movie I've picked, you won't even remember his name. Hullooooo, Mister Tatum."

Rey rolled her eyes and walked back into the sitting room. Finn was drinking a beer, sitting on one side of the couch. Niall was on the other, a bottle of water in hand.

"Not drinking tonight?" Rey asked him.

"To be honest, I don't drink much. My dad was an alcoholic. It runs in the family."

The Chinese take-out containers littered the coffee table, the smell strong but inviting. Thankfully, no stomach pain. She hadn't eaten since a soggy grilled chicken breast sandwich at lunch time. Orange chicken, her favorite. Spotted and sniffed in all its goodness. Would that be okay for the baby? Her stomach rumbled.

Who cared? The baby wanted it. Kylo had his vices; she had hers. She picked up the container and spilled the majority of it onto a plate, not bothering to look up. Every single last bite she savored, scarfing it down as fast as she could chew.

"Woah, save some for the rest of us," Finn remarked, holding up the mostly empty carton.

Rey snatched it from his hand and poured the rest onto her plate. "Mine."

Niall laughed, reaching for the fried rice. "Is this yours too?"

She gave the fried rice a once-over before shaking her head and going back to her food.

Rose snorted and fell over into fits of laughter. "Mummy bear's hungry, isn't she?"

Rey glared at her, indicating to Niall and Finn with her eyes.

Rose laughed harder and took a sip of her wine. "My nose!"

Finn joined her in laughter. "You're supposed to drink it, not snort it."

Rey finished her plate of food and leaned back against the cushions, unamused. She would save this moment for the future—when Rose and Finn had their own child. Rey would swirl around the wine in her glass, raise an eyebrow, and let Rose know, Payback was definitely a bitch.

"Okay, movie time!" Rose said. "Pull up Le Neflee and hand over the telly commander!"

"To your right," Rey muttered with a laugh. "You have issues, I swear,"

Rose fired up the telly and brought up Le Neflee. "Alright, what did you lot pick, huh?"

"You're not going to win tonight," Finn said. "I chose a force to be reckoned with. A movie for the ages."

Rose scoffed. "Yeah, right."

"No, really," Niall said. "The movie he chose is called A Force to be Reckoned With. It's been the top trending film of the year."

Rose pulled up the Trending page. True to Niall's word, it was there, spaceships and laser guns littering the movie poster.

"Not another space movie."

Finn turned to his girlfriend. "This one's not just a space movie, babe. It's the top space action movie of the century. I've talked about it for months."

"No, you haven't."

Niall sipped on his water. "Where've you been? He made me see it three times when it came out."

"Okay, fine. So, Finn has this... movie . What are the choices for you and Rey?"

Niall had chosen a '90's romantic comedy, She's Everything. Finn cracked a few jokes at Niall's expense. "Trying to appease the ladies, eh, mate?"

"Rey?" Rose called in a sing-song voice. "Your turn, bitch."

The movie she'd previously picked wasn't an option now because Kylo had been the one to suggest it. And he could, quite frankly, suck his own dick right now for all she cared. Rey made Rose go back to the Trending page, and her eyes fell on a movie poster four tiles to the right.

"Right there, The Rival," Rey said, pointing.

Everyone took a minute to read through the summary before Rose went back to the search menu and sat up straighter. "My turn!" She pulled it up, a cover with two people arm in arm on a bench flashing across the screen. Like Mad the title read in cursive.

"You're predictable." Finn planted a kiss on Rose's cheek. "Another romantic indie film?"

"It got nearly perfect reviews from the critics, even those not into romance."

Rey read the summary and froze. British woman meets American man. Complications with her visa, struggles with long distance, marriage, and having a family. No way in hell would she be watching that movie.

"Voting time!" Rose clapped her hands together, and then squeezed Finn's thigh, batting her eyelashes. "My darling, would you like another beer?"

Rey narrowed her eyes. Rose constantly did this to get her way.

"That's bribery," Finn said. "But since we can't vote on our own, I guess yours. You're still not going to win."

"I'm for it too. Sounds interesting." Niall held up his empty water bottle. "I could use another water and some popcorn. Get that, and you have my vote."

Everyone looked at Rey. "I'm really not in the mood for anything romantic tonight. Finn's movie sounds good?"

Rose flashed her a betrayed glance. "Well I pick Niall's. So, ha, I win! Rey, popcorn help?"

"You know where the microwave is."

Rose made and served the popcorn after another glare in Rey's direction. Movie started, blankets on. Numbly, Rey watched, shoveling popcorn in with one hand and propping up her head with the other. It was on the list of BAD, DO NOT EAT, but she didn't care. Niall was quiet beside her, but she noticed how his eyes would dart to her face every few minutes or so. Rey leaned back on the couch, wishing she had her phone beside her so she could check for any missed messages. But what would hurt worse—her missing his texts or him not sending any at all?

Sarah, the British woman, went to America for university and fell in love with Will, a man dedicated to building houses and establishing himself as a signature builder. But then she made the biggest mistake of her life—she overstayed her visa. They fought. They dated other people, but something kept driving them back together. Marriage, a child. They did it all from separate countries while working to get the visa ban lifted.

All to end up divorced.

They sat across from each other at a restaurant, Sarah's face crumbling as she brought a coffee cup to her lips. The papers were signed. Will took a few deep breaths and gazed at her wedding ring.

Rey's stomach churned, hand freezing in the popcorn bowl.

"Are you okay?" Rose asked with a pat on Rey's back. "Do you need us to pause the movie?"

"No, I'm fine." Rey jumped up and excused herself to the bathroom. It was like playing a shitty game of Stomachache Roulette. Was she sick from the pregnancy, the movie, or eating too much? Who knew! She sat on her knees, hunched over the toilet, but nothing came back up. Perhaps the morning sickness was starting to fade.

When she emerged from the bathroom, she walked straight into the kitchen and sipped on a bottle of water. They were all watching her.

"What?" she growled.

Finn raised his eyebrows. "You look like you could use a drink. You can have one of my beers if you want."

"You're right, I really could. Too bad I can't." She stared at each of them directly, hands on her hips. "I'm pregnant, okay? Will you all just leave me alone!"

It was like watching herself in slow motion, outside of her body. She knew she was being dramatic, that she was hormonal and upset about the movie and Ben, but she didn't care. She retreated to her bedroom, and they didn't bother her for the next thirty minutes.

No missed calls or texts. He hadn't tried at all. She lay on her back, staring at the ceiling, and let the tears fall freely.

At last, a knock. "I'm okay, Rose!" she called, swiping at her eyes. "I'll come out in a minute."

"It's not Rose," came Niall's voice. "Can I come in?"

"The door's unlocked."

Niall stuck his head in. "Rose and Finn decided to watch another movie. We're only two minutes in."

His eyes. They captured light, reflected it. Such a deep blue, so unlike Ben's.

Rey caught sight of her phone on the pillow. "What do you want?"

"I'm not going to ask if you're okay. It's obvious you're not. Do you need anything? Water? Tea?"

"No, thanks."

"If you do, let me know. It's 9:30. I'm going to head out soon. I'll come back and say goodbye, but you should come and watch the movie with us if you're feeling better."

"Okay."

He shut the door.

What was she doing? It was her house. Mara and Luke would likely be home in another hour. Ben hadn't called, and one of the nicest people she'd ever met was worried about her. After she'd yelled at him and rudely holed herself up in her room. It was more than she could say for Ben. Had Mara been right about him in the end?

Cradling her stomach, she got up from her bed, walked back out to the sitting room, and took up her previous seat between Niall and Rose. They were watching Finn's choice— A Force to be Reckoned With.

No one mentioned her outburst. Rose smiled, hand finding Rey's and giving it a squeeze. Niall pushed a bottle of water to her section of the coffee table and tossed her a blanket and a few pillows.

Her head rested on Rose's shoulder, Niall's hand near her knee. The place where he'd left it after gently tucking the blanket around her lower half.

True to its cover, it was another space movie. The exact type Finn always picked. But he was right, it was good, the graphics well-done, the story engaging. It was something Rey could lose herself in for an hour or two.

And she did.


Kylo

Laughter surrounded Kylo. Coffee in hand, he watched from a park bench—families enjoying the early morning sun before the heat set in for the day. Everywhere he looked, his eyes fell on the faces of babies in strollers or children demanding something from their parents.

His phone sat limp in his hand. He should've texted her. He imagined her lying in bed, waiting for him.

He wasn't ready to be a father or husband, nor she a wife or mother. Maybe it was all a mistake. Why hadn't he worn a condom or suggested she get an abortion? He couldn't quit his job or move to London. And he never wanted to see his family again. They were liars. Betrayers.

Yuki's question, "Have you been thinking about marrying her?"

Something touched his leg. He looked down; the eyes of a small toddler stared back at him. He was so little, deep brown eyes wide, curious. Was this what his child might do one day? The look his child might give? The ultrasound photo on the fridge. Abortion—what the fuck was he thinking? It had been a stupid fight, brought on by the idea of not seeing her for almost two months and contemplating marriage to put an end to the distance. Ready or not, he would be a father. It was too late to go back now.

"Sumimasen," a heavily pregnant woman said in Japanese, bending down to grab the boy. Excuse me.

"Daijobu," Kylo replied, gently, reassuring her it was okay. Sometimes little kids did that to him at the park when he came to read and drink his coffee. Most were too shy, but occasionally there would be a brave sucker. Kylo imagined his child like that—a girl always smiling and unafraid of strangers, opposite to how he'd been as a toddler.

The boy clung tighter to Kylo's leg, squealing. The mother's face. It had changed, morphed for the briefest of seconds. Hazel eyes, wide smile, all teeth showing. She bowed and continued to apologize before finally prying the boy off. The father mirrored the woman in apologies and placed a hand on his wife's back.

"Look, daddy! Watch this! I can go all the way across the monkey bars!" Han sitting next to Leia on a park bench, lowering his newspaper, smiling. "Good job, kid." Leia clutching Han's arm, her wedding ring catching the sunlight. Kylo used to admire it, the diamond simple despite their wealth. Leia had never taken it off.

Wedding ring. Family.

Kylo stood up, placed the phone to his ear. Laughter followed him the entire way home.


Author's Notes

Thank you for reading.

Music inspiration: Now Three by Vienna Teng and Youngblood by 5 Seconds of Summer. I'm mostly just obsessed with the music video for Youngblood. I LOVE the Tokyo subculture of 1950's Rockabilly gangs.

Anyway, I hope you are all great and having wonderful days. I will see you next update or in the private messaging section if you feel inclined to leave your thoughts. :)