Yavin_4 - Part 1
"We're going to get so wet!" Rey says, looking outside at the downpour of rain. It bangs noisily onto the roof of the small spacecraft. The season on Yavin_4 has changed and there is no longer any snow, but rain, which now pours down in sheets.
"We could wait it out," I suggest.
"No. I don't know anything about Yavin_4 or its seasons. This could last for months." She grabs her bag and sets it onto her shoulders. "Come on. It will be an adventure!" She smiles.
I expected her to be sad about the message from Dukath. She'd finally found a piece of her heritage, a family member, and now he too is gone. But she seems happier. Maybe because she knows she wasn't abandoned or forgotten by her parents after all.
"Ready?" she says, her eyes shining in the yellowish glow of the ship's auxiliary lights.
"What about the blankets and sheets and pillows?" I point towards the bed stuff rolled up and tied with a rope. For a moment I expect an uncanny response from BB-8, but then realize she isn't at my feet.
Rey snaps her fingers. "The garbage!" She runs off.
I pick up the bed things and throw it onto my shoulder. My stomach has been in knots the whole trip here. I have no idea what Rey has in mind for our short time away, or what she wants. My guess is time to rest and relax, away from everyone and everything. Yet with all her excitement and energy I don't think we'll be getting to sleep anytime soon.
"Here!" she returns with a large plastic bag in hand. "Now it won't get wet! Come on!"
She pushes the release button for the back door and it opens. The sound of the downpour outside fills the small bay area, along with a scent so refreshing I sigh and take a deep breath. Rey lets out a small squeal and runs out into the rain. I hope she remembers which way to go.
I quickly stuff our bed things into the plastic bag and grab my bag as well, which has my clothes, food and the ring in it. The mechanics did a nice job, adding little detailing around the shining crystals embedded inside the duranium. The light saber crystal doesn't cut, unless some pressure is applied, but even then it would only result in a small scratch.
I take a deep breath and run out into the rain, almost forgetting to close the bay door behind me.
I'm instantly soaked. I didn't even need to take a bath on Ahch-To. The rain beats down cold, seeping into my cloak and making me worry about Rey. I get disoriented for a moment then find my way to the cave entrance.
Rey is waiting there for me, heer arms are wrapped around herself and her teeth chattering.
"You should get out of those wet clothes," I say, only realizing how it sounds after I've said it. Rey doesn't seem to take any offense. She grabs my arm and starts walking, using it for support as we make our way over the unleveled cave floor.
The cave becomes darker as we leave the loud rushing sounds of the rain behind us. The walls echo with the gentle dripping of water into tiny unseen puddles instead. I pull out a flashlight from my bag. Hopefully the cave room doesn't have too much water in it.
When we reach the room I'm hit with a wave of so many conflicting emotions I can't move for a moment. This is the place I came to re-cooperate, when my life was so far from where I wanted it to be after Starkiller Base was destroyed. This is where I felt the loneliest I've ever felt in my entire life, but also the place I felt more understood and accepted than ever before, when Rey appeared.
"Are you okay?" she asks now, looking up at me. Her hair is dripping into her eyes and her lips look blue in the light of my flashlight. I shine it around. Puddles, everywhere. Then I shine it onto the bed. My shoulders relax. At least the bed is dry.
"Looks like we'll have to stay on the bed if we want to keep dry," I say, then groan inwardly. I'm not doing well for conversation on this trip.
"Let's light some candles!" Rey says. She splashes over to the small food table and drops her bag down onto it with a thud. I go to help her but she waves me away. "I'll do it. Just go get changed first and I'll light the candles."
I head into the bathroom area leaving Rey humming to herself as she sets up the candles. I remove my belt and boots. My cloak is soaking wet and heavy. I grunt to pull it off over my head. Before long a warm glow shines beneath the curtain. I smile.
I open up my bag to find some dry clothes. The towels near the top are wet but my clothes survived. I take out the small box with the ring in it to put it into my pocket once I'm dressed. I've only got one robe with me, but I have extra pants and shirts. I'll leave my feet bare, since they'll just get wet anyway. I take off my wet shirt and consider going shirtless, but I don't want Rey to think I'm expecting anything she may not be ready for, or I may not be. I change into a dry pair of pants and shake the water out of my hair. Rey's humming has stopped. Am I taking too long?
I move the curtain aside and step out. My breath catches. Rey is in her underwear, trying to pull her shirt over her head. She has a thin white undershirt on underneath that's wet and stuck to her body, hugging her breasts so close I can see right through it. I hold back a moan. There's no way she isn't going to notice my excitement now. I suppose it's only fair, considering I'm openly looking at her beautiful body.
She finishes pulling the wet shirt over her head and whips it across the room in such a carefree way that it makes me chuckle. She notices me standing there, watching her, and I quickly look away. My pulse races. Will she be mad? I don't have to look down to know what she probably sees right now, with my body so tense. I'm not sure if I should apologize, or if she'd consider it a complement that she has such an effect on me. Her bare feet make tiny splash sounds as she walks towards me. She reaches up to my chin, turning my face to look at her.
"All the clothes in my bag got wet," she says. I clench my jaw, dizzy with the images that pop into my mind of her undressed and stretched out on the bed. My pulse pounds in my ears.
"Can I borrow one of your shirts?" she asks, looking up at me from beneath her long lashes.
It takes a second for my head to clear. "Yes," I say, stepping aside so she can go into the bathroom. "My clothes are in there."
"Thanks." She goes in and I quickly turn to catch a glimpse of her small bottom in the tiny pink underwear she's wearing. She glances over her shoulder and closes the curtain. A small space is left between the wall and the edge of the curtain and for a second I see the curve of her hips in the soft glow of the candle light. I step away and walk to the bed.
I need to get a hold of myself. She doesn't know I've never had any experience whatsoever with intimacy. I know what women look like undressed, but I've never seen one as lovely as Rey. Her breasts have a perfect roundness to them, as does her bottom. Her hip bones showed slightly just below her undershirt and above her low rising pink underwear. I run my hand through my hair. I have to stop thinking about it. I hope she puts on a pair of my pants too or I'm going to lose it.
The curtain opens and I jump. Rey stands there with a shy smile on her face. My shirt is massive on her, reaching down to her knees and hanging over her shoulder, revealing the olive skin of her chest. I don't know what to say. I imagine my obvious stiffness below says it all.
"We should dry our feet off and get into bed before we catch a cold," Rey says. "I still have to give you my gift."