My Love, My Bonded

Chapter Forty Six

Rey didn't remember when she fell asleep when the noise of Atey beeping wildly filled her ears. Her body was tight together, huddled in the infant position with her arms looped around her knees. Sitting up in bed, she rolled her joints around, hearing the familiar and satisfying pop. She didn't know why she had fallen asleep in that way, she hadn't slept in that position since she was in Jakku, alone in her AT-AT for however long.

Her mind was still foggy with sleep as she padded to her bathroom to relieve herself. Rey yawned loudly and blinked a couple of times before she remembered the events of the previous night, her worries and anxieties creating a knot in her chest that made her have to remind herself how to breathe.

Silently, she tried to reach out to him.

Good morning, Ben.

She was met with silence but she wasn't surprised. She had reached out late last night meaning he was awake late last night as well. But why was he up so late?

Rey didn't really have time to think before Atey rolled in, demanding what she wanted to eat and what she was going to wear to work, declaring she had fifty seven minutes left and she better not waste them.

She groaned and yet fifty seven minutes later, she was standing in her small office, alone and tired of being so. Atey had her put on the light gray suit she had and even wrapped her hair in a bun while dabbing makeup on her face. Normally, she would've protested but she didn't have the energy.

Rey settled in, sitting down in her chair and drinking the tea her droid had shoved in a to-go cup. She heard the gentle clanking of armor and turned to see Phasma, fully dressed in chromatic attire.

"Good morning, Rey!" Her voice was altered through the mask and she felt herself instinctually grimace at it. Phasma seemed to catch on and quickly removed it, her blonde hair tight in a bun and her face bare of makeup.

"Good morning, Phas," she replied. Phas was a nickname she had allowed her to use although Rey wondered if she just offered it to make her feel better after she was upset with Ben's untimely disappearance.

Phasma looked around shyly before dipping her head low so it was level with hers. "Did he come back?"

She frowned and shook her head. "No, he didn't. He said he might come back today, or at lwast he's trying to." Phasma quirked a brow. "Talked through the bond."

"Oh, right, right," she responded before standing straight. She cleared her throat. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Rey shook her head but offered a small smile. "No, not until Ben gets back. But thank you, I appreciate you."

Phasma nodded and offered a thin lipped grimace. "Just let me know. For now, I'll leave you to it."

She slipped her helmet on and marched off quickly. Rey sighed, sinking further into her seat. Her mind was swimming with possibilities explaining why he wasn't with her but she didn't let herself think too deeply about it. If she did, she would end up in a puddle of her own tears.

Slowly, she stretched her muscles, rolling her head over her shoulders before sitting up straight. She began to type, searching for the planet with the highest recorded slavery rate before she felt a shiver run through her spine. It was quick but chilly, a light heartbeat before an overwhelming silence. She knew this feeling, she had felt it many times before and yet her mind just couldn't quite place it's origins.

"Rey," a deep voice struck through the silent air and her eyes widened. She knew that voice.

Rey quickly turned around and saw Ben standing there. The air in her lungs evaporated within an instance. He looked exhausted. Dark crescents hung beneath his eyes and he held a sort of somber and sad expression. His brows were furrowed, as if permanently, and his lips pouted outwards. He let his shoulders hang low. She noticed he was still wearing the clothing she had seen him wear yesterday, the black military garb now unbuttoned and looser, as if he didn't care to make it properly fit him.