When Light Meets Dark - A Reylo Romance

Walls

"One of the keys to happiness is a bad memory."

~Rita Mae Brown

Kylo

The hallway felt wider. As I walked down it my cape hung from my shoulders and it's weight made me feel firm, secure. I took a deep breath. The lights were blindingly white and there wasn't a single sound to be heard apart from my own feet against the floor. How long had it been since I'd been back there, five days? A month? Although I knew where I was going everything seemed unfamiliar. Maybe some parts of me still weren't ready to return there, to be reminded of what I had lost. I turned a corner and came across two people standing in a doorway speaking. As they heard me approach the one with his back to me turned. It was Finn.

He was startled to see me, I could tell. His pupils dilated and I could sense his pulse racing, clearly no one had informed him of our arrival. I kept walking in his direction, keeping my face as expressionless as possible.

"Kylo Ren." he addressed me with an air of importance, and straightened up so that he was no longer leaning in the doorway. The man he was talking to glanced at me, then muttered something to Finn and left. Soon it was just the two of us alone in the hall.

"Finn." I answered. I could hear the cooling vent hissing above us.

He blinked a couple of times before he said, "I'm glad to see you safely back."

"I'm...glad to be back." I replied with a nod. Through his mind I could see thoughts racing. How long had I been back? Why was I back? Did I know that he had kissed Rey? I couldn't tell, but maybe he had been hoping deep down that I'd never come back.

"I hear you've replaced the General." I said with some difficuty. I had wanted to say "my mother", but The General came out instead.

"Just doing my best to fill the void." he replied.

I exhaled louder than I intended to and a long pause followed.

"Well I suppose you were on the way to your room." he said finally. "Don't let me keep you."

I nodded and he took a few steps out of the way, even though the width of the passage made it unnecessary. I tucked my helmet more firmly under my arm and began to walk away.

"Oh by the way, where is Rey?" he asked. I stopped in my tracks but didn't turn around.

"She should be getting her things from the ship." I replied, keeping any hint of emotion out of my voice. Finn didn't respond, and so I kept on walking until I reached my old room. It hadn't changed, although I barely remembered what it used to look like. Once the door had closed I felt spontaneous rage rising up in my throat and choking me. I threw my helmet at the window with all the force I could muster and it flew off of it and landed on the floor with a thud. The window cracked.

***

Much much later I woke up in a cold sweat. I hadn't meant to sleep, and I usually didn't, but there I was on my bed still fully dressed and completely disoriented. I stood up slowly and went over to the window to draw the blinds. Outside the lights from the lower levels of the base were glowing brightly and I could sense people moving about everywhere. As I looked further out to the forest, the lights dimmed and the uttermost parts were covered in a thick impenetrable blackness. There was a loud cry. I recognised the sound and for the first time something felt familiar to me. I stood by the window and listened until I heard the shriek of another banshee responding to the call. Then there was a soft knock at the door.

Quickly I drew the blinds to hide the obvious crack in the glass. Then I bent down to pick up my cape which had found it's way onto the ground and laid it across the bed. I was about to bend and pick up my helmet as well, but the person knocked again.

"Come in." I said.

The door opened and Rey was standing there. I still felt disoriented and my head was throbbing gently from dehydration but she was definitely there. Back on the ship we'd barely spoken two words to each other. I'd sat in the pilot's seat for the whole journey and Rey claimed that she had been feeling tired and had gone to lie down. But I could sense her awake the whole time, tossing and turning. It reminded me too much of our first trip together, like we were back at the very beginning.

She took a few steps inside and the door shut automatically.

"Hey." she said immediately. I looked at her, waiting to hear what she had to say. Her eyes scanned the room and then came back to rest on me. She swallowed.

"I just...came to see how you were doing." she said softly and I saw that she was wringing her hands. I'd never seen her do that before.

I rubbed my eyes and answered, "I'm fine...thanks." Then after a pause I added. "What about you?"

She pressed her lips together and looked at the ground. "I've seen better days." she said.

I nodded. Instinctively I felt like reaching out and holding her. She just looked so, lost. As I looked at her face I noticed that her eyes were slightly red. Had she been crying? Or perhaps she had just woken up from sleep as well. Then, in a momentary flash, I saw her lips moulded to Finn's, and his hands pressed against her. I blinked and cleared my throat.

"Is there something you need?" I asked.

She looked up, seemingly taken aback by my tone. I hadn't intended to sound harsh. "Yes, actually, well no I just, Finn asked me to pass on a message." she stammered.

I raised my eyebrows. What could he possibly have to say?

"He said that he has some intel on Snoke which he thinks that you...we might find useful. He wants the three of us to meet tomorrow after morning training." When she finished she looked at me anxiously. He couldn't be serious I thought. But then I remembered why I had decided to come back here in the first place, to put an end to all of this. To put an end to Snoke.

I hesitated before I replied. "I'll be there."

She nodded seeming relieved, but made no movements towards the door. Her thoughts were hidden from me but I could tell that she had so much more to say. I stared at her.

"Don't be like that." she said.

"Like what?"

"You're looking at me as if you'd much rather I was anywhere but here." I didn't respond for a while.

"What do you want me to say Rey?"

She said nothing but her eyes were focused on me and as I looked back at her she bit her lip nervously. Why was she making this so hard for me? After a while she let out a sigh and turned to the door. But before it opened she whispered to me through her thoughts, That you forgive me. Then she was gone.

I didn't know why, but when she left I realised that I was shaking and needed a drink. As I lifted my foot, I mistakenly kicked my helmet and it knocked against the foot of the bed and then rolled back to my feet. I stared down at it.

So this is what love felt like.

***

Hey guys, Padme here. Thanks for reading as always and also thanks for your votes and comments. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, let me know what you think :)