The Power Inside (Kylo Ren)

Twenty Three

Elle walked to her own room without realizing it; it had become a habit to walk from TJ's room to her own. When she got to the hallway, she noticed that there wasn't any blood like Ren had told her. She ran her fingers along the metal wall where she was help up and punched repeatedly. 

Elle angrily walked back to Ren's room and slammed the door behind her. 

Why the fuck is he lying to me?

 "Alan?" 

Yes?

"Where have you been?" 

Where else could I have gone?

"You know what I mean."

But I do not. I am connected to you, therefore I could not have gone anywhere.

"Okay okay, never mind. It's been a while since we've talked is what I meant."

Has it? I hadn't been keeping the time. However, I did experience your altercation the other day.

"Oh did you? Well how was that?" she asked sarcastically. 

You should avoid situations like that in the future. 

"Don't be an ass."

My apologies. I don't have any new news for you regarding our situation. 

"Okay. Well I'll let you get back to whatever it is you do up there in my head." 

Very well. 

Alan left and Elle was alone again. After a little while of silence, she heard Ren come into his room. She stood up and faced him as he walked towards her. 

"I'm sorry for leaving so quickly earlier." 

"Why did you tell me that my blood was still in front of my room when it's not?" she interrogated. 

Ren remained silent and removed his helmet. Elle waited for a response but he said nothing. 

"You lied. I'm going back to my own room." she stated as she started walking towards the door. 

Ren held onto her wrist as she tried to pass by him. 

"Let go." 

"You aren't leaving. You're staying here now."

"Bullshit."

He pulled her towards him and stood in front of her, "You will do as I say." 

"Absolutely fucking not. Get the hell out of my way." Elle yelled. 

She painfully ripped her arm away from his grip and ran to the door. She was opening the door when Ren came up behind her and slammed it shut. She flipped around and tried to push him away from her but he was much stronger. 

"Stop fighting me." 

"Let me leave."

"I need you to stay." he confessed accidentally. 

"You what?"

Ren groaned at his mistake and turned to walk away. Elle, now intrigued by what he said, followed behind him quickly. She grabbed his arm with both hands to stop him from walking any further. He tried pulling away but Elle had gripped on tightly. 

"Stop walking away. Tell me what you said."

"I didn't say anything." he lied as he turned around to face her. 

She let go of his arm, "You're lying. Say it again."

Ren sighed, "I need you to stay Elle. That's why I lied."

Elle held his face and kissed him; she had to stand on the tips of her toes for her face to reach his. He held onto her by her waist, pulling her into him closely. Ren pulled away and kissed her forehead softly. 

"Please stay." he pleaded. 

"Okay." she agreed quietly. 

It felt good to actually be wanted by him; it was something she didn't know that she needed to hear. That warm feeling was back and now stronger than before. She pressed her face into his chest while he held her close to him. Being wrapped in his arms made Elle feel so safe but she somehow wanted more. 

She looked up locked eyes with him; his normally dark eyes were back to a soft amber color. Elle's eyes were mesmerizing to Ren and he couldn't look away even when he tried. His gloved hand softly caressed her face and pulled it towards his. His lips grazed hers while he gently pressed his forehead against Elle's.

Elle never wanted to leave his arms and was upset when he finally let go. 

"I'm going to shower." he stated. 

"Okay, I'm going to lie down then." she responded. 

Elle walked over to the bed and climbed under the blanket; Ren went to the lavatory and locked the door behind him. It usually takes Ren a while to remove all of his clothing as there are several layers. Once it was all off, he turned on the hot water and stood under it. The water ran down his body, temporarily emptying his mind of all thoughts and feelings except for the ones of Elle. His lips curled into a small grin as images of her flashed through his mind, including the ones of when he helped undress and dress her. 

He dried off after exiting the shower and wrapped the towel around his waist. It was his normal routine and the fact that Elle was in his bedroom had slipped his mind. He walked out of the lavatory and over to his closet to find clothes to sleep in. He had different uniforms for different occasions such as everyday, fighting, and sleeping. 

His rummaging in the closet caught Elle's attention, not that she'd fallen asleep anyways, and she sat up in bed. He must not have heard her move because he hadn't stopped what he was doing. Elle's eyes scanned his muscular body that was always hidden underneath his black uniform. The pale skin of his abdomen and back as well as his arms were covered in scars, similar looking to her's. She gasped quietly when she noticed them but the gasp wasn't quiet enough because Ren spun around to face her. 

Ren was frozen as he remembered that Elle was here. The hot water had caused the memory to slip his mind. He could feel her eyes examining him but it didn't make him feel uncomfortable. 

"I uh...forgot you were here." he admitted. 

"I can leave the room." she said as she started to get up.

"No. You're fine where you are." 

Elle got up anyways but walked over towards him instead of leaving. She looked up at him then at his arms and traced the scars with her finger. His body tensed up in response to her soft touch. Her tracing moved down to the scars on his chest, followed by his stomach. Ren held his breath as she moved lower and lower. 

"They're like mine..." she trailed off. 

He didn't know how to respond; his brain was so focused on her touch that he barely even heard her. He grabbed her wrist and gently pushed it away when she was getting too low. 

"Oh...I uh...I'm sorry I didn't mean to..."

Ren cut her off, "Don't apologize. It's just...I'm not proud of them." 

Elle paused and looked into his eyes; she could see that he was being truthful. Without fully thinking it through, she slowly pulled off her top and threw it onto the floor. Elle then held his hand and placed his fingers onto the scars that covered her left arm. His fingers instinctively traced over the scars up her arm then down onto her stomach and waist. He could feel her skin reacting to his touch which caused a knot to form in his lower abdomen. 

It remained silent even after the tracing had stopped. Neither of them knew what to say at this point. Elle felt this unfamiliar craving from deep within her and, unknown to her, Ren felt it too.