When Light Meets Dark - A Reylo Romance

Red Flags

"To make one person the center of your world is bound to end in disaster. There are too many factors outside your control."

~Alexandra Adornetto, Halo

Rey

I stood in front of the mirror, and my reflection stared back at me like we were two people who hadn't seen each other for a long time. The Resistance uniform I was wearing clung to my body and I tugged at the collar, suddenly feeling suffocated by it. I'd been awake since sunrise, fretting about what to wear, and my clothes lay strewn around the room. I let out a frustrated sigh and walked over to the chaotic pile that sat on my bed to see if I could find a different shirt. After digging around I came across a small black one. It was long-sleeved and with intricate lines blending in to it's fabric. For a long time I held it in my hands, gently fingering the material. Then I dropped it quickly back onto the bed and went into the bathroom to brush my hair.

After about half an hour I was finally ready. As I left my room and started down the maze of corridors I felt as if my insides were tangled in knots. But I kept on walking, past the cafeteria, the medical bay, the training rooms. Just as I walked past the doors of one of the training rooms the alarm went for the end of morning training. Doors burst open and people began to spill out into the corridor. There was excited chatter and raised voices as crowds of young men and women in neat grey uniforms moved in different directions and I sunk into the clamour, grateful for a distraction. But the noise gradually died down as people broke off into small clusters or just on their own, and soon I was alone in the empty hallway as I continued steadily on my path.

When the doors of the command room opened I straightened myself up and walked it. Finn was standing by the furthest window which overlooked the court and he seemed lost in thought. I cleared my throat to get his attention.

"Rey." he said turning to me. His voice was warm but he didn't smile. "I wasn't sure if you'd actually come."

"Why wouldn't I come?" I replied. "We all answer to you now."

Finn shook his head, a faint smile appearing on his lips. "You know it's not like that." he said. Then he blinked and asked "Is Kylo coming?"

"He said that he would." I answered, swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat. Finn looked concerned and I tried to avoid making eye contact. After a few moments passed in silence he let out a sigh and said "You know this can't go on."

I looked at him and asked "What can't go on?", even though I already knew.

"This." he said, gesturing with both hands. "I don't want out friendship to be like this." I stared into his eyes as he spoke and I could see that he how much he meant what he said. But that didn't explain why he had done what he did, or what would happen now that the three of us were all back in one place.

"Friendship?" I asked.

"Yes." he said, moving closer. "We're still friends aren't we?"

Just as I was about to reply, the doors behind me opened and Kylo walked in. Finn quickly took a few steps away from me and cleared his throat.

"Kylo Ren. Thank you for coming." he said. Kylo gave a nod in reply and then looked at me. My heart, which was already beating at an alarming rate, threatened to burst in my chest. I didn't understand why, because I'd known that he would be coming, and yet seeing him made me question every thought that I'd had over the past few hours. His black hair shone, making his eyes stand out, and as he stared at me his expression was a mixture of longing and contempt. I tore my eyes away from him and looked back at Finn who was standing by the holo-table.