~ 𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 ~ A Ben Solo/Kylo Ren Story

14.

~~~~~

Yep, Celeste's arm definitely still hurt. No question about it. Of course, it still hurt. It wasn't like she was just trying to get another glimpse of Ren's face, of his eyes, trying to hear his voice again, not distorted by the mask. Of course not. Wink

The next morning, she woke up earlier than usual. She showered, for longer than usual, taking more care to really make sure her hair wasn't disgusting, used more product than usual. She spent more time picking her outfit. Just plain black, as usual, but slightly tighter leggings, slightly shorter shirt. She braided her hair and pulled it into a bun neatly, pulling out some strands at the front that she twisted to curl. 

Vega stood in front of Kylo's door, inhaling and exhaling slowly and deeply. Why was her heart beating so fast? She wasn't usually this nervous before training. She wasn't even this nervous when Hux did his whole "literal assault" thing. She finished hyping herself up and knocked. 

A split second later, the door opened. Ren looked more put-together than usual, too. He wasn't wearing the bulky, loose clothing he usually, just some turtleneck with red accents, and...were those sweatpants?

"They're not," He smirked, hearing her thoughts. She shut her mind up. She liked the more casual look, honestly. To her disappointment, though, his mask was still on. He gestured for her to come in. 

"No fair! Your room's way bigger than mine..." She wasn't lying, Ren's room was more spacious. Modern, sleek. Gray and black colors only. She was 70% sure the water in the bathroom was black too, knowing him. He had what was basically a balcony to the outside of the ship. Surrounded in glass, with a breathtaking view of the galaxy. This ship seemed to have endless amazing views.

"So, is your arm still bothering you or are we training today?" 

"A-arm, definitely. It still hurts. You did really good yesterday but, um, it still hurts," Celeste replied. Very subtle, Vega! She thought, cringing. Thank god he didn't seem to be reading her mind then. Her arm did indeed still hurt, but only barely. She could now, in better lighting, see that there was some moderate bruising. 

Kylo nodded.

"Sit," He said, sitting on the edge of his bed. It was obnoxiously large for just one person, in her opinion. She did so, and to her slight joy, he removed his helmet. "It helps me concentrate..." He explained, "It's not going to be a regular thing, okay?" Celeste nodded, trying her hardest not to smile slightly. 

In this light, she could see his eyes much better. They weren't as dark as they appeared upon first glance. They were medium brown, with specks of gold and caramel swirling around. They were tired. That was apparent, also, from the deep bags under them. He seemed stressed. His scar wasn't as scary now. 

Kylo was much closer to her than he was earlier. She could just barely feel his breath on her face, could smell his...cologne? Did he even wear it? Or did he just naturally smell like a forest? Either way, it was nice. He gently took her injured arm in his hands and inhaled deeply. He was being quiet, as usual, but it was a comfortable silence this time, almost warm. 

Celeste watched her arm for just a moment, before again turning her attention to the man before her. His hair was cleaner, more volumized than it was yesterday. She wondered if he had spent as much time getting ready as she had that morning. She wasn't worried about him reading her mind now, he was concentrated on her arm. 

She didn't realize she was staring until suddenly, his eyes opened and he looked up at her. She glanced at her arm, the bruises gone. Her face flushed as she realized that he was staring at her now.