Exposed. || swritess_

Escape

Usually, it was a huge relief to go home for the holidays, to see your family and take a step back from your hectic work life.

But this year, you couldn't even bring yourself to enjoy being home.

And it was all because of Kylo.

It'd been three weeks since he'd left for London, and you missed him more than you'd expected. You missed the feeling of his arms around you, his lips on yours, his hands on your skin. You just missed him.

But besides missing him, you couldn't stop yourself from worrying. You didn't really have a reason to think that anything would be different once he left London and came home, but you still worried about it. Worried that time away would change everything.

You're mine.

He said you were his.

Do I get to call you mine?

Yes, you do.

He was beyond angry, possibly even hurt at the thought of you seeing someone else. So that would naturally lead you to believe that he not only cared about you, but possibly felt something for you too.

Right?

You really wanted to call him. Just hear his voice, talk for just a little while.

You'd called him a week ago, only exchanging a few texts here and there since then. It wasn't that you hadn't wanted to over the past week, but you just didn't want to bother him. You knew he must be busy, and besides, you felt a bit guilty.

He was out of town for work, all alone, while you were out of town for the holidays, spending time with your family.

Your heart ached for him. It was Christmas Eve and you knew he would be spending it alone, probably ending his day with a small bottle of overpriced whiskey from the mini fridge in his hotel room.

You picked up your phone and quickly called him, trying not to lose your nerve and hang up before he had a chance to answer. It only rang twice before he accepted the call.

"Hey, I-"

"Hold on."

The line went dead.

Disappointment washed over you. Was he annoyed? And if he was, why had he even answered in the first place? You felt an ache in your chest, embarrassment creeping-

Your phone buzzed. Brows pulled together in confusion, you looked down at your phone to see Kylo's name appear at the top of the screen. He was requesting to facetime you.

Your dejected frown transformed into a smile, eagerly accepting the call.

"Hey," you said, trying to keep your excitement at seeing him to a reasonable level.

He looked so soft, so unsophisticated—in a good way, of course. Rather than his usual perfectly pressed dress shirt, he was wearing a grey fisherman's sweater, his hair tousled and framing his gentle smile. Your heart fluttered at the sight of him.

You could've sworn you felt something stronger than just fondness and affection for him in the moment, but you shoved the thought away as quickly as it had appeared.

"Hey," he replied, giving you an uncharacteristically warm smile. "I didn't mean to hang up so abruptly, I just wanted to...see you."

You just about melted on the spot. "I'm glad you did. I was just afraid I got you at a bad time when you hung up."

He shook his head. "Not at all, I'm not doing anything. How's your family?"

"Good, good, everyone's good," you replied. "We have some extended family and friends coming over later for Christmas Eve, then just family tomorrow." You paused, swallowing your nerves. "What are you going to do?"