**ON HIATUS** Burning Desire (Assassin Kylo Ren x Reader)

2. Thank You

It didn't matter what you did, how absolutely exhausted you were; sleep just...refused to come.

Over the course of the night, you'd tried what felt like everything--taking a bath, yoga, even drinking a glass of warm milk like your mom used to do. But all that seemed to do was give you sore muscles and a sour stomach.

Finally, around 3:30 in the morning, after you'd memorized what felt like every nook and cranny of your dated popcorn ceiling, you picked up the phone.

She didn't answer the first time--you didn't expect her to. So when the ringing was replaced with the melodic 'sorry I missed your call' of your sweet sister's voice, you hung up and tried again.

You counted the rings--desperate for something to break up the mind numbing drone of time.

One...two...thr--

"Hello?"

"Hey," you said with unrequited excitement, sitting up and leaning back against the headboard.

"Is everything okay? What time is it?" Her words slurred together with sleep, only to be bookended with a long, deep yawn.

"Yeah--yeah, I just...can't sleep." You reached over to your nightstand and clicked on your lamp, light flooding your bedroom and chasing away the shadows that you'd come to know as friends over the last few hours.

"Did-yew-try-the-milk-thing--" Rey managed through yet another yawn, your body responding in kind.

"Yup and it was disgusting, by the way. I don't know how you do it."

There was a somnolent chuckle on her end followed by the barely audible ruffling of heavy blankets as she shifted in bed. "I guess I'm just used to it. Do you want some of my sleeping pills? I could run them down."

"Sissy, it's a 45 minuet drive. And besides, by the time you got here I'd have to get up for work," you pulled your blanket a little higher, bringing your knees up which made you sink deeper into the mattress.

"I know--I know--" her words once again dragging with a yawn.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called--"

"Oh stop. Talk to me, why can't you sleep?"

A long, fatigued breath leaked from your nostrils, your body slumping to the side to lay down. "I don't know. It feels like my brain won't shut off."

"Why? Cause of today?"

You didn't respond right away, your mind replaying the moment you saw him, alone...bleeding. "I keep...seeing his face...keep thinking about what happened."

"Oh honey..."

An overly disgusted 'eck' fled your lips as you rolled onto your back, eyes training once again on the popcorn ceiling, "don't do that--"

"Do what?"

"Oh honey me!"

"I'm trying--" she quickly cut off what she was going to say, letting out a disgruntled sigh before taking in a breath, "I'm just saying, I'm not surprised you're having a hard time. What you went through today was traumatic."

You tried to fight off the urge to say 'no', to downplay the whole thing so she wouldn't worry--a habit you'd been unable to shake since the accident. "N--I mean--it's my job, Rey."

"Uhm, stumbling across bleeding men in an alleyway is not your job, kiddo."

You didn't bother suppressing your grumblings as you rolled onto your belly and buried your face in the pillow.