Across the Stars

the ball

So sorry the last chapter was short!

There is a time jump between the last chapter and this one! '

Enjoy!

Inspired by

**Two weeks later**

"One more minute Rey!" Kylo yelled, glancing at the stopwatch he held. He glanced down at her tense figure on the ground, subtly admiring her strong body. He tore his eyes away, careful not to ogle her figure for too long. Not that she would notice since not only was her back to him, but she was in much pain.

Rey cried in frustrated pain as her core ached and begged for her to yield.  Though she couldn't yield-- a few days ago, she yielded a few moments early on a 2 minute plank and Kylo had made her run an extra fifteen minutes. 

Yes, an extra fifteen minutes for a few damn seconds.  The man was a hard ass.

"Argh! How much longer?" Rey grit her teeth in pain, biting so hard that she felt as if her teeth would split her lip in two. The subtle taste of metal sprang into her mouth as she drew blood from her bottom lip.

"Thirty seconds! Come on!" Kylo yelled, not an ounce of sympathy in his voice. Sympathy wasn't exactly his strong suit, but this was the fifth consecutive day of training this week and he ha don't eased up at all.  Rey's body was stiff and achy with bruises and sore spots. Thankfully, tonight marked the beginning of a few off days for her.  The First Order was putting on some sort of exquisite banquet and ball tonight in celebration of cornering the Resistance's last remaining ships.  Tomorrow, surrenders would most likely begin.  But tonight called for an early celebration. Rey got the feeling that these men here loved an excuse to drink and have a good time. 

Rey tried to push down the feeling of dread and worry that rose in her stomach every time she thought of her friends in the Resistance- Poe, Finn, Leia, BB-8. She hoped they were all right and that they would find a way out of the corner the First Order had backed them in to.

Two weeks had passed since Rey had unexpectedly fallen asleep in Kylo's bed. Nothing else had transpired between them, but a fire, ever so small that it was, was beginning to burn between the two of them. Neither had acted on it however. Though Rey had caught fleeting glances from him that lasted a bit too long; lingering touches when he helped her through training that lingered a moment too long. Sometimes she saw a glint of something in his eyes, an emotion that she had never seen him display before-- she believed it be affection, though her eyesight could be worsening.

She hadn't slept in his bed since that night, not dared to enter his chambers again.  She felt as if she had crossed a line that night, a line neither of them wanted to cross again. And he certainly hadn't called her sweetheart again, though a small part of Rey begged to hear that word cross his lips again as long as he was talking to her.  

She had been so surprised when he called her that, the shock of his mistake flooding his face instantly.  Though she had been caught off guard, she loved the way it sounded, the way he made it sound with his deep, velvety voice that made her squirm sometimes.

"Time!" Kylo yelled, breaking Rey out of her inner thoughts. She dropped to the floor with a resounding thud and a groan, panting to catch her breath. She rolled over to see Kylo smirking smugly down at her.  

"You lasted the whole two minutes. Impressive." 

Rey rolled her eyes as he held his hand out to pull her up. "Haha, very funny."

His smug smile deepened at her comment.  Against her better judgement, Rey took his hand and tugged hard, forcing Kylo to unexpectedly tumble down onto her.  Surprise gleamed in his eyes along with a hint of irritation that made Rey smile inwardly.