Chapter 29.

The following night, Rey walked around the large balcony surrounding the base, admiring each stone that was cemented into the rail along the way. She stopped to gaze down towards the trees below, watching as they waved in the wind, in tune with the oncoming storm that was approaching in the distance.

Sighing, Rey rolled her neck as she felt the tension creeping within her bones, having thought too much about her next move when it came to Kylo and the challenge day.

She couldn't help but appreciate his reasoning, finding the fact that he denied any thought towards the light just to keep her safe. Yet, this still forced unanswered questions to poke her mind.

If he were to remain supreme leader, what would that mean for the rest of the base? Would he ensure Rey's safety and still attack the Resistance? Rey was sure that the rebellion would not back down, and she had no idea if-

"Hey, stranger." A voice called from behind her. Rey was too deep in thought to realize that Poe Dameron now joined her on the balcony, his back leaning against the railing so that he could face her.

Rey offered a small smile, knowing that it was only a matter of time until she spoke with Poe alone. Since her injury with Sano, and having to move bases so suddenly, she found little time away from training to really settle down and speak with any of her friends besides Flora and Kai, for which she felt guilty.

"Poe! I'm sorry, I've just been trai-" Rey began, but was cut off when Poe smiled and spoke instead.

"It's okay. Anything I can do to help?" he asked, and the grin on his face made Rey unwillingly blush.

"Not really, thank you though..." she mumbled as she turned away to look at the clouds.

Poe nodded, visibly disappointed, but was determined to get closer either way. He turned around and towards the sky, following her gaze to the dark, grey clouds that loomed over them.

"You're not used to this, are you?" he asked, glancing to her. He chuckled when Rey looked at him curiously. "I mean the colors, the sky, the rain. Being from Jakku and all..."

"Ah, yes. It is different. The sky was always so dry, so empty. Any life, any plant... well, it was useless." Rey sighed as she remembered her home, the life she had before she joined forces with the resistance, and every trial she has faced since then.

Rey was quickly taken away from her memory when she felt Poe's warm hand reach towards her own that rested upon the railing, carefully covering her own.

She looked at it for a moment, feeling shy and rather awkward at the sudden affection, yet not surprised. However, she still did not like it.

Offering a quick smile to her friend, she withdrew her hand from Poe's and clasped it with her others, as if shielding her own hands from his.

Poe nodded and looked away from Rey, smiling to the ground, and Rey noted there was no humor behind the smile, but embarrassment flowed from him.

"Poe, I'm sorry, I just-"

"No, it's okay. I shouldn't have. You have someone, don't you?" Poe asked, his gaze meeting Rey's, and the look in his eyes made her heart stop. Poe was a dear friend of hers, someone she could fight beside, someone she trusted. She truly did not like the idea of hurting him in any way.

There was no denying that she felt some sort of affection towards him, but deep down, she knew it was not in the way he needed, or wanted.

Yet, the question he asked still threw her off.

Did she have someone? She wasn't sure.

Her thoughts flew to Ben, and the tension rolled back in waves, hitting her so intensely that she was unsure what to focus on first. Rey knew she cared for Ben, more than she should have, and in ways that were new to her. However, it was still complicated. He was both her ally, and her enemy.

And a question still pegged at the back of her mind,

If any harm came to the base, if Kylo Ren were to ever threaten the resistance, ever killed any one of her friends... If they stood toe to toe at war, would she be able to kill him?

She was not sure...

Again, Rey was ripped from her thoughts when Poe cleared his throat, making Rey jump back into the moment. She sighed, looking at her friend with a sorrowful look.

"I'm not sure how to answer that. There's a lot going on, and I care for you Poe, I truly do, and I appreciate our friendship very much, but I'm not able to offer anything more than that. Just friendship."

Poe sighed, feeling defeat creeping up on him, but did not let Rey see an inch of it. Instead, he smiled at her, nodding as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, genuinely surprised that she let him.

"No problem, Rey. I'm always here if you need me. Well, mostly. Leia has me watching over the cells for now. I think she just wants to keep me grounded, out of trouble." he shrugged as he guided Rey to look. towards the sky again, and they both stood there watching the sky.

"The cells? I thought we didn't have any prisoners when we landed on Pyron?" Rey questioned, her brows furrowed.

"Just one. Melo."

Rey was quickly reminded of the large man that Poe helped capture, the arms dealer and previous boss of Flora, Kai and Sano. With a quick mental note, Rey decided to pay a visit to the cells later on, thinking maybe she would be able to bribe some information fro-

A sudden vibration through the force surrounded Rey, and she felt a warm , tingling sensation crawl up her spine as she slowly turned her head towards Poe, who's arm was still wrapped around her shoulders, and saw out of the corner of her eye that Kylo Ren stood behind the pair, carefully studying the two in their embrace.

Rey gasped, whipping her head forward again, making Poe look down towards her with a question on his face. Rey quickly stepped away from him, knowing that if Kylo could see him from their physical contact, Poe would also be able to see Kylo.

"Rey? What's wron-" Poe began.

"Poe, can you give me a moment?" Rey asked, turning on her heel so that her back was against the stone railing, and Poe's back was to Kylo.

"Did I-"

"Please." Rey said sternly. Poe nodded, confused and feeling rather awkward, but still did as she asked and slowly left her alone.

Rey sighed as she watched Poe leave, turning her attention to Kylo, who was watching her with a stone cold expression, eyes blank and mouth formed into a thin line.

"It's not what you are thinking. Or assuming." Rey said, taking a step towards him. Kylo cocked an eyebrow at her, and Rey tried her hardest not to roll her eyes.

Instead, she turned her back to him, watching as the trees rustled harder with the wind.

"And what is it that you believe I'm thinking or assuming?" he asked, his voice low. Rey turned towards him, and studied his face. His eyes grew softer, but she noticed that dark circles surrounded his eyes, and his usual straight and tall form was slumping just a little bit.

"You're not sleeping again." she stated, casting his question to the side. Kylo glanced down to her shoes and back to her face, frustration crossing his own at being read.

"What of it? I'm training, I'm leading, I was fighting off the bond, however that gets me nowhere."

They let silence fall between them both as they studied one another, each trying to out-read the other.