A Song Of Light and Darkness - Book One: Dawn Of New Force

Chapter 5: A Kiss Wet By Tears And Rain

   It was pitch dark outside when Rey finally decided to put on her white linen nightgown and slid on the hard stone bench, beneath her woolen coverlet.
   A heavy rain had begun to fall in the evening, and instead of subsiding, now it was even worse. The torrents rippled and howled against the stone walls, and thunders rolled in the distance like angry beasts. A cold wind blew through the small gap that kept for window, and it made her want to crouch somewhere and hug her knees against her chest. A fire burned in the hearth, and she made to sit down on the woolen carpet placed on the ground.

   But as she walked to the table and turned her head, her eyes landed on the flowers Ben had bestowed her with, earlier in the evening. She went to her small cupboard and chose an earthen vase and filled it with water.
    Then she placed it on her small table and smiled contently. Ben knew how much she loved wildflowers, even though she had never told him so. He knew her better than she herself did. And a sense of loneliness surged then through her. Her hands left the flowers, as if she forgot about them in an instant. As if they didn't matter anymore. And her head turned in the direction where Ben's Hut should be uphill. What was he doing right now? Was he thinking about her too?

   Without even realizing it, she found herself walking to the door, pulling her boots up her feet and sweeping her short cloak on her shoulders. Her heart was pounding in her chest with emotion. She felt like a little naughty child who did something she wasn't allowed to. It had to be almost twelve o'clock, and maybe Ben had fallen asleep a long time ago.
    But sleep would not take her, she wanted him, his presence next to her, needed to see him one more time before she could sleep. And it was the rain too, that made her want to have someone next to her. She suppressed a smile as she swept the hood over her head and set out.

   Ben's perspective
   Ben couldn't sleep either. He kept tossing in his woolen blankets, not being able to find his place on the hard, narrow stone bench.
   He missed Rey, missed her presence. And even since arriving back at the huts after the beautiful evening they've spent, all he could think of was her. Her smile, her light presence, her clear, sweet voice. And her kiss. Yes, it was the kiss that haunted him the most.
   
   Ben was staring into the flames, his mind playing the image of Rey's face over and over again, her running toward him and greeting him with her arms open, when an idea came to him. He knew it was late, but his heart was aching for her.

   He threw the covers aside and rose from where he sat lunged on the bench, pulling his tunic on, for he slept shirtless. As he was lacing it up, faster and faster, as if every moment he wasted was crucial, his heart began to hammer in his chest as well.
   She must be sleeping, he thought. But it was enough only to see her. He could enter her hut and lay down next to the hearth, watching her from the distance.

   And within seconds, he was ready to go, his boots pulled up, his cloak draped over his shoulders, his cloak shielding his head.

   He took a moment and stopped in front of the wooden door, as if trying to convince himself that what he was doing was right. He took a long breath and pushed it open. He could see nothing but the faint light through the hole in the wall of Rey's hut. She's asleep, he thought. But he could feel she wanted him there. So that helped in making his decision.

   Rey
   His hut was some good feet up the hill away from hers. She could see through the small slit in the wall the light the fire was casting across his room. Maybe he can't sleep either. Or maybe he's cold, and needs a warm presence.
   She was cold, indeed. That was another minor reason for she couldn't sleep. And the sooner she got to his hut, the better.

   Rey made her way up the stone steps that led to the other huts. They were slippery from the water that ran in torrents down the hill, and she almost fell in the mud that formed between the ancient rocks, if not for her good balance. The heavy drops were whipping her face and plastering her hair against her neck.