Through the Darkness || Finn&Rey

Chapter 24

I take a deep breath as I pace quickly down the halls, I feel my head pound from exhaustion; it has been a long day. I pass the dining hall and causally glance in, only a few droids remain. I weave through the late evening commotion and outside into the warm open air. The large floodlights that run parallel to each direction of the tarmac beam their intense light into the growing darkness, illuminating the metal of the ships and freighters. I see the last squad of the day returning, flying their X-Wings into the hangars. I continue walking along the tarmac; seeing the Falcon in its usual position at the tree line.

As I approach the freighter I see them poking through the dry grass, they are vibrant and beautiful. I walk around the large ship and step into the grass. I kneel down carefully selecting the purple wildflowers that I had first noticed when Rey left me standing on this stretch of tarmac alone. As I hold a large punch in my hand I start to wonder if this was a good idea, Rey doesn't seem like the type of woman who would want to receive flowers. Maybe she would be insulted.
Then it dawns on me: I didn't even tell her. I reassure her that I would return; I just left. I feel a sinking weight press on me at my realisation. Now she may even prefer if I didn't go back to her room at all...
I hear some soft, quizzical beeps from beside me; in this position the small droid and I are almost the same height. His head rolls to one side of his body ball and his big black 'eye' looks at me questioningly.
"I think I messed things up with Rey," I admit, the small droid beeps loudly and a small flap opens and he pinches my leg a claw, I groan in pain, and glare at him, "I didn't mean it, I want to fix it." I add angrily, as his claw retracts slightly.

BB-8 looks down and back up at me, he bleeps, I assume he is asking why I'm sitting in the dirt with flowers in my hand.

"They were going to be for Rey, but I don't think she'll like them." BB-8 doesn't respond, he looks intently at me for a moment before he uses the claw to grasp hold of the bunch of flowers. He is somehow able to hold them out in front of him as he rolls away, some type of magnetic connection stops him from rolling the under him. It takes a moment for me to realise what he has done, my body slows with adrenaline and as I stand up I stumble over my own feet, he has put an incredibly large amount of distance between us. "What are you doing, come back!" I shout, running after him, I see his head twist around to face me before it spins forward and he leans down giving him extra aerodynamics.
He bumps along the tarmac, easily manoeuvring between the group of returning pilots. As I reach the squad I bump into most of them, "Excuse me," I try my best to weave through them, "Sorry," I call back once I break through to the other side.

BB-8 rolls into the base and hurries quickly down the corridors; I try and catch him but struggle. We pass the dining hall but he doesn't stop, "BB-8! Give them back!" I shout, he whirls deviously, obviously enjoying himself, and it just irritates me further. Doors and numbers blur past me as I chase after the droid. Suddenly I start to realise the black figures painted on the doors 33.. 34... 35...

He is taking the flowers to Rey.

How dare he steal them and go and take the credit; she already loves every single one of his motors and wires. We reach her door, and he smoothly knocks his body against the metal a few times, I look at him flustered, ready to roll him down the hall like a marble.
Before I can dispose of the cunning droid he extents his claw up to me, looking at the flowers and then up to me, as if he is offering them to me. He beeps quickly, ordering me to take them, so I do. He quickly disappears around the corner and I stand in the corridor, awkwardly holding the purple flowers and trying to comprehend what just occurred.

"Rey," I whisper quietly through the door, there is no response, I knock hard on the metal and it clicks opens, I mustn't have closed it properly when I left. I decide to walk in; as I close the door securely behind me I hear the sound of running water. She's in the shower, so I sit on the edge of the bed gripping onto the wildflowers while I wait for her to come out.
The soothing sound of running water causes the adrenaline to drain from my system and my exhaustion escalates. Before I realise what I am doing I have untied my boots, leaving them neatly at the end of the bed. I slide backwards slowly, it is as if my body is forcing me to do so without my consent. My head rests on the pillow and I bury my face into it, lying on my side. My arm is outstretched over the edge of the bed as to prevent the flowers being crushed; I face the bathroom, and wait. My eyelids feel heavy and I try to fight against sleep. It is a battle I cannot win, and I slip into an intense slumber.