Rise

Chapter 19

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She never looked nice.

She looked like art,

and art wasn't supposed to look nice.

It was supposed to make you feel something.

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The next day, around evening, as the Sun was beginning to set on the horizon, I hear a knock on my door. The sound is unexpected and I think I've imagined it, but once a second knock sounds, I abruptly close my book and walk up to the door. I press a button on the wall and the door slides open.

To my surprise, Han Solo is standing there. He's dressed differently than he was yesterday; he now has a big, fluffy coat on. There's fur around the collar and it honestly looks like the most comfortable jacket anyone could wear.

He's been fixing up his gloves; looking up, he puts on a smile as his eyes land on me. "Oh, hi," he straightens up and steps back a bit. "Sorry--were you busy?"

I shake my head. "Oh, no, I was just reading the books I got from you all--thanks, by the way." I say to him.

Han nods. "No problem."

After a few moments of silence, I ask, "So...what do you need?"

As if just remembering something, Han nods quickly and laughs. He sounds almost nervous. "Oh, yeah--um--I was wondering if you wanted to go somewhere with me?" he meets my gaze.

I'm quiet for a second, because I honestly don't know how to respond. Then I realize that I do want to go somewhere with him, and I catch my breath. "Yeah! Sure, that'd be fun. Where would we be going?" I inquire as I give him a small smile.

Looking relieved, Han bites his lip whilst smiling and lifts his head. "It's a surprise." he seems to suppress a grin, and I get the feeling that he's really excited to show me this place he's talking about.

Normally, I would've pressed further until he caved and told me where we were going. But, for once, I decide that maybe a little surprise wouldn't be so bad after all. I could wing it, just this once.

Then again, didn't I "wing it" on everything?

"Alright..." I think of going back into my room to retrieve any snow gear, but then Han pulls gloves out of a pocket on his jacket.

"Here." he hands them to me, and I take the gloves. They're a dark, heat-absorbent leather.

Slipping them on, I broaden my smile at him. "Thanks." I am surprised at how comfortable the gloves are, and I wonder briefly if I'll be able to keep them.

"No problem--do you have everything?" Han asks me. I nod, and then he grins a bit. "Alright, let's go. Follow me."

I step out of my room, closing the door behind me. Excitement is starting to root within me and I wonder where, exactly, we're going.

Me and Han get on the elevator, and as it's going down, I find myself messing with my gloves. These gloves are really comfortable.

I think Han notices, because he chuckles a bit. "You can keep the gloves, if you want. I don't really need them." his voice is warm and kind, and I give him a look of gratitude.

The elevator stops and the doors open; Han strides forward and I follow him as we walk through the rebel base.

The base is quiet, and there's not many people working at the moment. There's only messengers going to and fro; generals exchanging status reports.