Force Destiny

Waiting

Rose found Finn right where he told her he would be. He was wringing his hands and pacing. She knew his thoughts were on Rey, but she couldn't help admiring how handsome he looked in the moonlight. He was conventionally attractive – a smile that lit up the room, perfect hair she yearned to touch, and a strong body that would make any woman swoon. Her treacherous mind had even found him dashing in a First Order uniform, not that she would ever tell him that.

His gentle eyes reflected the stars, and even if his thoughts were elsewhere, she felt like the only woman in the galaxy when he stared up at her. He licked his lips in anticipation of the details she would provide him, but she could only think about how much she desired to kiss those soft lips again. She had thought she was dying, she thought she would never have another chance to show him how wrong she had been about him. She had hoped that the concern in his eyes had meant that he had felt something, too. But she had woken up alone, and though she had been told that Finn had visited her, it was likely more out of guilt than anything else.

Since she had awoken, Finn had been keeping his distance. When they were reunited, it was clear that her feelings were very one-sided. She envied the problem Rey had. The Jedi clearly loved Leia's estranged son. And judging by his reaction to Rey's kiss with their commander, he loved her too. Force-users always seemed more in tune with their emotions, and while she didn't want Rey to suffer, it was helpful to know that even those who were one with the Force didn't have all the answers with love.

Rey was... a little rough around the edges because of her upbringing; she was secretive, solitary, and always lost to her thoughts. Rose had wondered if there was more behind the last Jedi's distant stare; maybe it was this "Ben"-- maybe her heart was calling for someone across the stars. Rey had some soul-searching to do. She was so focused on what she didn't want – what she was afraid of – that she refused to see the truth of her desires. Once Rey better understood herself and what she wanted from him, Rose had hope that heartbreak with the younger Solo would resolve.

From what Rose was able to ascertain – from the limited information she was able to drag from Rey – they loved each other, but he refused to repair his relationship with his mother, so he didn't go back to the Resistance with Rey, which she took personally. Their problems were focused on the estrangement, and their fights – and poor treatment of each other – arose from that. If they fixed the estrangement, then the rest would come with time and patience.

Love was difficult and complicated, especially when it was new and foreign. They made mistakes, but Rose was a firm believer in forgiveness. No matter what happened, another member of that legendary family could help the Resistance. Perhaps Rey could eventually help mend the relationship between mother and son. Then he would join the Resistance, and Rey would have time to go slow and learn how to properly communicate with him. Rose only wished it could be that simple for her.

Rose never had much time for love in her life, but Finn had changed that. When she first met him, she thought he was selfish, arrogant and a coward. But once she had given him a chance – seen his loyalty, compassion, and selfless bravery – she had fallen in love with him. And it wasn't his smile, his eyes or his lips that caused Rose to fall in love with him. It was his big, kind heart. And presently that big, kind heart was worried about Rey. There was a tinge of regret inside her that she would never earn that devotion from him too.

Even if his heart belonged to someone else, she was grateful that he had been taking her on nightly walks around the temple. Listening to his warm voice regale her with stories of his life as a stormtrooper and the planets he had visited – all safe subjects absent of what had happened between them – were moments that she wouldn't have wanted to spend anywhere else in the galaxy. She could learn to be content as his friend if only to know such a brave and kind soul. Her sister would have adored him. When she descended the last step, she smiled. He didn't return it. "That took long enough!" he sighed dramatically. "What's going on?"