The Power Inside (Kylo Ren)

Twenty Four

Elle suddenly came to the realization that she had taken her top off and went to retrieve it but Ren grabbed it off of the floor before she could. 

"Give it Ren." she said with her hand outstretched. 

He smirked and shook his head which made Elle attempt to grab it. She tried to snatch it out of his hand but he was quicker than her. 

"Would you knock it off and just give me my top?" she said, rolling her eyes at his childishness.

He finally complied and handed it to her; Elle grabbed it and started to put it back on. Ren assisted her in pulling it down over her stomach to minimize her pain. She huffed and climbed back into the bed, pulling the blanket over her head again to hide the redness in her face. 

What the fuck just happened?

Ren made her do things she normally wouldn't; thinking of his touch on her skin sent chills down her entire body. Elle felt the movement as he climbed into bed and turned off the light. Ren kept his distance from her and attempted to go to sleep. She was waiting to feel his arms around her body and was disappointed when nothing happened. 

She sighed to herself and tried to go to sleep; after an hour of failed attempts, she pulled the blanket down and looked over at Ren. The dim light from the common area illuminated the room just enough for her to see him sleeping, or so she thought. Elle decided to go for a short walk, hoping it would make her tired enough to sleep. 

She tried getting out of bed without disturbing Ren and was nearly there when she felt a hand softly grab her wrist and pull her back into bed. Ren pulled her body in to his and wrapped his arms around her. She could hear his calming heartbeat as she pressed her head against his chest and closed her eyes. The warmth from his body enveloped her like it always did and she fell asleep almost instantly. 

...

A week went by with Elle staying in Ren's room with him. There hadn't been any more problems since that first day and she had become accustomed to practically living there now. She slept in Ren's arms on the nights when he wasn't working and barely slept on the nights that he did. The bruises covering her face and body were fading away along with the swelling and pain. Elle still hadn't talked to TJ since his outburst back in his room but she saw Dez almost daily for the afternoon meal rush. 

Elle grew closer with Dez but drifted apart from TJ. Dez had mentioned that he went looking for Elle to apologize but couldn't find her, probably because no one knew that she was staying with Ren now. Not a single person went near the Commander's quarters unless it was an emergency. 

It was around the time when Elle usually met Dez at the mess hall so she started to make her way there. When she arrived, Dez was already eating but had brought another tray for Elle. She quickly made her way through the hall and over to Dez. 

"Am I late?" she asked?

"No, I'm just impatient when it comes to food." Dez responded while laughing. 

Elle ate a bite of food and reluctantly swallowed it, "This stuff is worse than usual."

"No kidding. I have to go to a happy place just to eat it. Have you talked to TJ yet?"

"No. I haven't bothered to go looking for him. He can come to me if he wants to talk."

"He's been to your room a few times but you didn't answer."

"Oh...uh Snoke ordered that I be moved to a different location in case any soldiers wanted revenge for their friends. I can't tell anyone where it is."