Author's Note: Nira's POV
"But there's just one thing I wanted to ask you." Kylo Ren began, "While I was considering the presidential job I thought a lot about you, and about how I never want what we have to end."
Kylo Ren took a deep breath and said, "We live in a dangerous universe, and if anything were to happen to you or I, I want all loose ends to be tied up. I want to know that I will be with you forever, and vice versa."
"I want to marry you, Nira."
_____
I sat up and looked at him with wide, unbelieving eyes. "What?" I asked, my voice sharp.
Kylo Ren looked deeply into my eyes, and for a moment I saw nothing more of him than his dark, serious irises.
"I want to marry you." He uttered quietly and slowly. His words were a loving torture to my ears and made me desire him so badly. My body felt magnetized towards him, as if he were the only thing I wanted (he was), and he was the one thing I needed (he is). I felt a literal pull towards him.
All was silent in our bedroom, but in a way I felt as if I was drowning in noise due to thought. So many thoughts were whirling in my head and I had endless questions.
How would that be possible? Would there be any restrictions, or rules? How would we get away with a marriage? What would be punishments if we were found out?
Out of all of the questions, the only word that came out of my mouth was, "Why?"
A concerned countenance immediately washed over his gorgeous features and Kylo Ren asked, "Do you not want to get married? I'm sorry if I came on too strong. I probably shouldn't have said anything. Forget that I -- "
"No, no, stop," I interrupted his progressing regret, "I just . . . Couldn't get my thoughts together. What I wanted to ask was if that . . . Marriage . . . Is even a possibility for us."
I looked at him with much hope and bit my lip. My subconscious, however, was begging me to feel scared. I was mentally preparing myself for failure -- I figured that marriage between the two of us would be impossible.
"Yes, marriage is a possibility for us, but the ceremony would have to be extremely private and we would have to keep the entire affair between ourselves and the one witness we select." Kylo Ren explained calmly, quietly. He looked slightly relieved -- I knew I'd scared him when I'd asked why he wanted to marry me.
"When would we do it? Where?" I fired questions at him because if Kylo Ren and I were going to go through with this then we would need every detail thought out and planned accordingly.
"We could get married any time we wanted, and the location is yet to be determined. These are just small things we would have to think about." He said, bringing a hand up to my face and toying with a strand of my hair absentmindedly. I focused on my hair strands intertwined with his fingertips and I was entranced by the sensation, however slight.
"Listen, it's not that I don't want to get married, but I really just need to rest right now. Of course I love you and want to marry you, Kylo Ren. But so much has just happened, I'm just . . . Tired." I admitted, looking back up into his brown eyes, which were soft as silk but at the same time as hard as titanium. I was right, too. My body felt exhausted and I was relieved to be laying down with no worries. I wanted to feel that relief for a while.
He nodded understandingly. Kylo Ren bent his head down and pressed his pure lips lightly to my forehead. I closed my eyes and focused on the feeling of his lips on me. He allowed his kiss to linger slightly before pulling not even an inch away.
"Goodnight, my Nira," He whispered. Kylo Ren then lay down next to me. I fell asleep with a busy mind filled with jumbled thoughts about our proposed marriage and Kylo Ren's lips whispering sweetly to me.
*****
Several days had passed since Kylo Ren had suggested we get married. I had given the topic a lot of thought and allowed my body adequate rest time with Kylo Ren. I wanted to have an easy few days -- I couldn't remember the last time Kylo Ren and I had had a string of days where no conflict interrupted our loving peace and where we could be united the majority of the time.
The days before I agreed to marry him were pure bliss, regardless of our official relationship title. I hadn't been able to freely walk in the hallways with Kylo Ren without thinking about some looming danger or problem in a long while. I wanted to enjoy that time.
The fact that he had proposed a marriage to me seemed to bring both of us closer as a couple. Even though Kylo Ren and I weren't married at the time, we seemed more connected and more at peace. Knowing that we would eventually be eternally united created a calming joint aura between us.
Whatever impulse General Hux received that told him to help Kylo Ren during my trial had completely left the sour general. At each meal Hux prodded at Kylo Ren with hateful words as if he wanted to get taken down in a battle -- either with words or with physical power.
I was completely mystified as to what prompted Hux's antagonizing. You would think after repetitive miniature losses over such insults to Kylo Ren the man would just give up, but no -- Hux was persistent and took joy in irritating Kylo Ren to the point of retaliation. Hux's antagonistic stamina was vastly impressive to me, even though it annoyed me as well -- I was often the butt of Hux's jokes.
Just the past day at breakfast I had taken a step forward in defending myself. Hux had been egging both of us on about our secret relationship that he was sure existed; Hux was correct, but he had zero evidence whatsoever.
"I saved both of your unintelligent selves once from the courts, but soon enough I'll be turning you both in for treason and pure law-breaking. You both helped the general escape, and you -- " He jabbed a pale gruesome index finger in my direction and continued in his snide, nasally voice, " -- stole two star ships. This is without even mentioning your rule-breaking private affairs."
Hux sneered at both of us. "You know, Ren, I really should be ranked higher than you. I mean, for me to figure out your secret girlfriend must be quite humiliating, correct? It's as if I hold all the power over you now, intelligence-wise and actual knowledge-wise."
Kylo Ren and I both ignored him and continued to eat our breakfast, but Hux relentlessly droned on. "And you, Leven -- everyone made you out to be some First Order prodigy with your lightning, but really you're just an uncontrolled freak with zero wits whatsoever and -- "
Hux was stopped short by the tiniest electrical volt sent above the table by my fingers. I coldly stared at him while he suffered from my purple electricity. It's not that his insults were too offending but they were excessive, unnecessary, unprovoked, and purely irritating. What's the harm in a slight shock that would shut the general up?
"Uncontrolled, huh?" I stated without emotion, staring up at Hux as he continued to frequently quiver from the aftershock of my voltage. He glared at me with utmost hatred.
Kylo Ren privately, affectionately, purposely brushed my knee under the table and I knew he greatly approved of what I had just done, which was electrifying Hux.
*****
Two weeks passed and Kylo Ren and I still hadn't conversed about his proposed marriage. I had had my time of peace with him as a plain, secretive couple and I considered myself ready.
I now wanted to be married to him. It was as if I woke up and felt the everlasting, strong urge to marry Kylo Ren right away.
I was perfectly fine not thinking about the marriage in my drama-lacking two week time period. I went to sleep on day thirteen of peacefulness without eternal unity in mind but on day fourteen I awoke and couldn't go another minute without being married to Kylo Ren.
Kylo Ren was awake before me as usual, so I knew that I'd need to wait until afternoon to relay the news to him. That was when we both trained our own skills. I was now so in-tune with my powers that I didn't need Kylo Ren as a mentor. We both simply preferred to train in the afternoon not only to be together, but also to better our own skills. We were quite an even-leveled match, which made dueling fun.
I walked into the training arena and awaited Kylo Ren's arrival. Surely enough he came and I couldn't contain my news any longer.
"I'm ready." I said, trying to keep my internal excitement from slipping into my voice. I couldn't conceal my feelings for long, however, because a smile crept onto my lips as he took off his helmet, revealing his luscious locks, enchantingly dark eyes, and rosy lips.
Kylo Ren looked at me without smiling, but his lips were parted and I could see the pure joy on his features. He looked down as me as if I were the soul treasure in his life, as if Kylo Ren's love for anything else was incomparable to his love for me. I could see the happiness behind his dark eyes and I knew he was just as excited as I was to become legal and soulful husband and wife.
(Author's Note: To get an accurate visual representation of the above paragraph, look at the image I tagged onto the top of this chapter :))
"Good. When do you want to arrange the ceremony?" He asked -- the corner of his lips turned upwards as he spoke.
I shrugged as if I didn't care, but then I thought, I shouldn't act like when we get married doesn't concern me. I am concerned with the time frame. I want to get married --
"As soon as possible." I breathed out, finishing my thought out loud.
"Well . . . Shall we?" He suggested. I raised an eyebrow and felt stopped up inside as if something had put me on pause.
"Wait. We can? Right now?" I asked, frozen with disbelief.
"Right now." Kylo Ren confirmed, walking towards me and taking my hand. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"
For a moment I wasn't focused on replying to him. I was focused on his coarse fingers tangling themselves with my softer, smaller fingers. I was thinking about the feeling of his thumb gently stroking my knuckles and how his hand held mine gently as if he never wanted to risk harming me.
I looked up at him. "You have no idea how sure I am. I want to marry you, Kylo Ren. Right now."
"Then let's go do just that." Kylo Ren said, and we began walking out the arena doors together.
Yes, we walked out of the arena doors where we had spent so much time with one another and gotten so close. We walked out of the arena doors technically together in only one way -- physically.
But as we walked out of the arena doors with a plan to marry one another, we were more together than we ever had been before.
_____
Author's Note
So yes I just realized that we only have one chapter left. This book might be over tomorrow.
Holy crap. It might be over . . . Tomorrow. Depending on if I can squeeze in an update after missing school today for a student council conference.
Oh my geez. This is so exciting!!
Okay I will give a lot of information in the end-of-book epilogue/author note regarding sequels, endings, etc . . . Patience, frogs and buddies!
See ya for now, though :);)