Chapter 19

Rey strolled away from the festival, Ben less than three feet behind her. She walked down the empty streets of the town, getting away from the noise and music of frivolity. She kept going, heading further from the people, and toward the outskirts of town.

"That's far enough," Ben called, his deep voice echoing in the empty street, "I'm not walking any further so you can stall."

"I'm not stalling," Rey lied, turning on her heel, "I just don't want to make a scene."

Ben gazed at her, the light of the three moons lighting his face, "I can tell when you lie too, Jedi," He put his hands on his hips, "I'm sick of playing your game."

Rey glared at man who had haunted her thoughts for so long. This wasn't going the way she planned. She didn't know what she had expected, but it wasn't this. In a way it would have made her feel better to see him being a slime-ball. Their roles would have reset, and she would have corrected whatever injustices he had inflicted upon the people of the planet. Now everything was up in the air. He made everything so confusing, so infuriating! "It's not a game," she growled.

"You've not changed a bit," Ben scoffed, "You're still lonely and afraid," he frowned, his eyes turning to dark slits, "You haven't changed, you never will. You're still a know-nothing child-"

Without thinking twice, Rey's hand flew up to slap him. He deserved it. He made her feel so out of control, she was desperate to regain control of the situation.

He caught her wrist before her hand landed on the side of his face. Ben Solo might look like a back-space grease monkey, but he still had the reflexes of a trained warrior.

"I'm not afraid of you," Rey muttered, trying to pull away from his grasp, "Now answer my question. Why did you let me win?" She moved to slap him with her other hand, her face was beginning to burn again.

Ben grunted, catching her other hand with his own before she could hit him, "Why do you need to hear it? You already know why!"

Rey felt her heartbeat race in her chest. She was too close to him. She could feel him, she could smell him, and she could hear his sharp breathing loud in her ears. "You're wrong, I don't know!"

He leaned forward, his deep voice booming from his chest, "You do!"

"No!" Rey shrugged against his grasp. She had fought him before. If she really wanted to hurt him, she could. It would be simple. A kick to the groin and a shove to his knee cap. But that wasn't really what she was doing. She was trying to prove a point. "I don't! Why can't you just answer me?"

"Damnit!" He released her hands, "I love you, alright?" His anger melted away as he said the words, and his dark eyes finally showed the deep hurt they'd hidden under sarcasm and resentment, "I've loved you this entire time. I can't help it." He said these words slowly and softly, his shoulders slumping as he did so. He'd given up, and he was tired of fighting her.

Rey froze in place, a small gasp escaping her lips. He was telling the truth. She knew it to be true. He didn't bother concealing it. He loved her. Ben Solo, who had once been the infamous Kylo Ren, loved her. Perhaps he was right, perhaps she had always known but didn't allow herself to acknowledge it. It was the only rational reason that he had done the things he had, and taken the chances he did. That small part of Ben Solo who had fought all those years against Snoke's influence, loved her. "You?" She felt the words come from her lips as a whisper, "You love me?"

Ben nodded, "Now answer my question," he took a step forward, coming so close that their faces were only centimeters apart, "Why did you come back?"

Rey felt her head begin to spin as she stared up into his eyes. He was so close. It made it hard for her to think clearly. "I don't know, I…" Her voice drifted away. She was afraid. He was right. She was still so afraid. Rey swallowed hard, beating back the panic that wanted to take over her heart, "I missed you," she finally whispered, admitting the hard truth she had fought for two entire years, "That part of you, it had become a part of me. My life doesn't feel right without you."

Slowly, Ben moved closer so that his lips only barely brushed against hers, "Rey, do you love me?"

Rey closed her eyes, her heart beating so fast that it hurt. She gasped, trying to say the words aloud. The truth had been hidden so deep down that it had lodged itself inside her, and it hurt to drag it to the surface. "Y-yes," she choked, "Yes. I love you."

Ben exhaled, his warm breath washing over her. In that moment, he closed the distance between them, his lips meeting hers in a gentle kiss.

Something inside her burst then, and a feeling of deep relief flooded over her. Rey tasted the salt on his lips, and felt his warm soft mouth against hers in a fierce type of glory. Her body reacted to him like he was the secret piece to her puzzle. She was whole again, and her body let out a deep sigh. Rey stepped forward, closing the spaces. Reaching up, she placed her hand at the back of his neck, entangling her fingers in his thick black hair and gently pulling him deeper into the kiss.

Ben wrapped his arms around her, holding her so tight that it almost hurt. In the instant he held her, Rey felt every single one of his walls come crashing down. He didn't bother hiding anything from her anymore, and he let her see who he was. What he was. She could feel everything about him; his loneliness, the always present agony of his guilt, and his deep longing. Ben longed for her, needed her, and wanted her like an icy mountain aches for the warmth of the sun.

After the kiss ended, she buried her face against his neck and they stood together in the darkness. The distant pop of fireworks interrupted the sounds of the night, and the sky was lit up above them as the sparks flew.

Rey gazed up into the starlit sky, watching the bright embers fall in the like brilliant fire flowers. She sighed, moving to wrap her arms around Ben's waist. "What do we do now?" she asked quietly.

Ben placed his arms around her shoulders, holding her close. "I don't know," he answered, his voice quiet in the darkness.

To Be Continued!

(A. N. I would love to thank my readers, especially the ones with English as their second language. It takes a load of determination to read an entire 19 chapters in another language. Kudos to you, I am beyond flattered. As for the rest of my readers and reviewers, you're awesome! Love ya! And plz review, I love those reviews. J