Reya awoke with a scream, which she quickly stifled. Drenched in a cold sweat, she reached for her lamp and flicked on the light. Weakly, she picked up the pill bottle on her bedside table and popped off the lid. She poured out several pills. She selected one and took it, putting the rest back. I can’t keep living like this, she thought. Her mind flashed back to her earlier conversation with Rann. At that point she was willing to try anything.
That included sleeping next to Adrian again.
Her only trouble would be convincing Adrian to let her back into his bed after she left. He’d made an offer, perhaps he would make good on it. Maybe Rann was right. Maybe she could get what she wanted just by asking. She dearly hoped that was the case.
Her mind, ever the realist, was awhirl with all the different reasons Adrian should sleep with her again, ready to make her case should things go wrong. Quietly, she got out of bed and gently opened her door. She checked around and found all the lights on the main floor turned off. There were no night patrols to catch her. She really didn’t want to have to explain herself to whoever might be on duty.
Reya tiptoed and turned off her lamp before leaving the room, carefully shutting the door behind her. She crept towards the stairs and ascended, skipping the one that creaked. Ghosting down the hall, she stopped in front of Adrian’s door. Hoping that he was a light sleeper, she knocked lightly on the wooden door.
Inside the room, Adrian jolted awake. He was confused until he heard a second knock, followed by the whisper of his name. Adrian’s hearing was enough to make it out in the silence of the night. He turned on the light, mostly for Reya’s benefit rather than his, and opened the door.
Reya froze. A distant part of her mind realized that perhaps asking wasn’t the best of ideas. The rest of her shut it up and forced her to stammer out shyly in a quiet whisper, “Do you have a minute?” Her heart pounded as she tried to figure out how best to go about asking. While she was griped with indecision, Adrian took the chance to speak up.
“What are you doing here?” he asked softly. Not wanting to let her stand in the hall, he opened his door wider and invited her in. Reya stepped through nervously and walked towards the center of the room, facing the bed.
“Funny story. I can’t sleep. You’ve been having trouble sleeping. It all started after we split up, so I thought that might be the cause,” Reya paused, evaluating Adrian’s expression. “I was wondering if sleeping together again would help us sleep better,” she spilled out. Her heart leapt into her throat as she waited for Adrian’s response. An eternity passed by for her as she analyzed every single one of his reactions.
“You think us sleeping together again will help with our nightmares?” he asked, just to be sure.
“Yes,” Reya nodded hesitantly.
“And you want to sleep together to see if it will work?”
Reya nodded mutely. Now that he said it out loud, it did sound kind of silly. “You did tell me to let you know if I wanted to share a room with you again. This is me letting you know.”
A grin cracked out on Adrian’s face. “Of course. You don’t need to have a reason, Reya. I would have accepted regardless.” He muttered something under his breath.
Reya caught it, however, and she flashed a brilliant smile. “I’m sorry, what was that?” She wanted to hear him say it again, and she wasn’t going to let him go until he did.
Adrian looked at her, realizing he’ been caught. “I said, because I just plain like it.”
Her smile grew. “Like what?”
“Sharing a bed with you.”
“So then there’s no problem!” she said with delight.
Adrian gave a soft smile. “None whatsoever.” He gestured towards the bed and Reya climbed in. Adrian watched her get settled and joined her, turning off the light. He lay there, facing the ceiling, while Reya was on her side facing away from him. They lay in a tense silence as neither one knew what to do next. The situation had taken them both by surprise, and they weren’t sure what the other was thinking.
Several minutes passed until Reya spoke up. “Could I come closer?” she asked in a small voice.
Adrian took no time answering. “Yes.” He wasn’t sure what distance she would be comfortable at, so he lay stiffly without moving, allowing Reya to move in however close she wanted. She settled for half the distance between them.
Adrian heart sped up as she grew near. He was suddenly very conscious of her sleeping form, secretly disappointed that she hadn’t come any closer. After several more minutes of terse silence, it was Adrian’s turn to ask if he could approach her further.
A beat passed before Reya whispered an affirmative. Adrian took a deep breath and took a chance. He closed the gap between them and curled his arm around her. He waited with bated breath for her reaction. Reya stiffened, alarming him, before relaxing into his chest. She grabbed his arm and held it closer, her hand resting over his. Adrian felt himself relax and the tension bleed out of him.
They lay like that for a while until Reya let go of his arm and pushed it away slightly. Adrian immediately grew nervous, thinking that something was wrong. Instead, Reya turned towards him and gently pushed him onto his back. She lay down against him and put her head on his chest, snaking an arm around him. Adrian took the cue and gently collected her in his. Together the pair lay, at peace for the first time since their separation.
They both slipped into a dreamless oblivion soon after.
----------------------------------------
Reya cracked an eye open, lying in the same position she remembered last. Raising her head, she looked over Adrian’s sleeping form and checked the time. It was late. Very late. She squinted against the sunbeams peering through the curtains. Adrian shifted under her in his sleep, reminding her of his presence.
The previous night’s memories flooded back to her and she flushed a deep shade of purple. She wanted to disappear, thinking back to what she said. And yet, Adrian had accepted her without any fuss. He’d even been happy for it, she thought sweetly. She glanced at Adrian’s peaceful face, free from worry. Her gaze lingered on his lips for a moment before moving on.
Putting her head back on his chest and settling in caused Adrian to stir. He opened his eyes after taking a deep lungful of air. Blinking blearily, he slowly took stock of his surroundings. He smiled when he spotted Reya, still leaning against him. He locked gazes with her and lost himself in it. He shut his eyes, hoping for the dream to last just a little longer.
The tickle of her breath against his skin gave him pause and he realized that he was awake. He turned his head towards her, the scent of her shampoo a calming familiarity. His smile only grew. “Good morning,” he rumbled.
Reya stretched, returning the sentiment. “I guess it worked,” Reya sighed. “I slept much better.”
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“Same for me,” Adrian affirmed.
“So,” Reya started, “what are we going to tell the others? They’re going to want to know what’s going on.”
Adrian arched an eyebrow. “And what exactly is going on?” He didn’t have a label for their situation and hoped that Reya’s answer would help shed some light on the matter before he made a fool of himself. The last thing he wanted was to mess up whatever it was that was going on between them by making the wrong assumptions.
“That we’re back to sharing a room,” she stammered.
“You want to continue sleeping with me?” Adrian asked slowly, ensuring that he hadn’t misheard. His heartbeat sped up at the thought. Adrian grew nervous, unsure of what he wanted the answer to be. A knot formed in his chest, full of emotions he couldn’t identify. He tried sorting through them but found himself swept away.
Reya made up his mind for him. “Yes,” she said, self-conscious. “That’s what we agreed last night, isn’t it? Sleeping together worked, shouldn’t we keep it going?” She grew worried that perhaps they weren’t on the same page.
“I just wanted to be sure,” Adrian said, relieving Reya of her self-doubt. His elation grew. He was disappointed when Reya had stopped sharing a bed with him. Unable to fault her logic at the time, he let her slip away. Certain that she would never return, he’d been rather dejected. “They’re probably wondering where we are right now.”
“There’s no way we’re going to be able to hide this, is there?”
“I don’t see why we need to hide. Let them know, for all I care. Our decision to share a room again doesn’t concern them.”
Reya pondered Adrian’s statement. He was right, there was no need for any secrecy. Her mind flashed to Jyn. His reaction was the one she was worried about the most. Hopefully, he wouldn’t do anything drastic after he found out. Things had been tense between them since their argument. If anything, he’d pushed to remove Adrian’s freedom even more afterwards.
After another ten minutes of snuggling, the pair got out of bed and joined the land of the living downstairs. Reya peered around the corner of the steps, spotting only Tassie and Rann at the table. Tassie was typing away furiously on her data slate while Rann appeared to be enjoying a steaming cup of tea.
Rann cocked an eyebrow when she saw Reya and Adrian appear at the same time from upstairs. “So you took my advice. Didn’t think you had it in you,” Rann snickered. Reya flushed slightly. “What brought on the change?”
Adrian and Reya took a seat at the table, sitting unusually close to one another. Tassie hardly took note while Rann observed the change with a critical eye. The pair in front of her fumbled about like newborn deer, overly self-conscious of the other. Rann grinned in amusement. Tassie finally unglued her eyes from her work and greeted the newcomers, not having noticed them arrive.
“It’s like you said yesterday,” Reya began, answering Rann’s question now that she had some food in front of her. “I had enough of being unable to sleep last night and figured why the hell not? And it worked!”
“Very well, if I might add,” Adrian said.
“Indeed,” Reya nodded sagely. “Made me wonder if I need the medication at all.”
“So you’re both feeling more rested?” Rann said in delight. “That’s great news!”
Reya and Adrian shared a look. “While you’re technically correct, we’re still both pretty exhausted. One good night’s sleep isn’t going to magically solve all of our problems,” Adrian said. They both still had deep circles under their eyes. It was going to be many more nights until they began truly feeling better.
Rann took the comment in stride. “That means things are at least improving, which is better than before.”
“True,” Adrian admitted. “Hopefully it won’t be too long until we’re feeling better.”
“So you’re both sharing a room until then?” Rann asked. Reya and Adrian looked at each other. They hadn’t discussed how long their arrangement would last, neither one having stopped to think about when it would end. They both shrugged.
“Until we decide otherwise,” Reya said finally.
Jyn timed his entry into the house to overhear Reya’s final comment. “Until you decide what?” he asked, curious. Everybody at the table immediately grew uncomfortable at the prospect of discussing the most recent development with him. When nobody answered, Jyn grew concerned. “Is there something you’re not telling me?” The guilty expressions told him all he needed to know. “I see,” he said blandly. “So you don’t want to tell me. I get it.”
“It’s not that we don’t want you to know,” Reya started. Jyn grew annoyed. She was interrupted before she had the chance to finish explaining herself.
“So then what is it?” Jyn demanded.
“We don’t know how you’re going to react to the news.” Reya shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She didn’t mind telling the others about the change in her sleeping arrangements, but the thought of telling Jyn filled her with dread. After learning that he had hoped that they would eventually become a couple, Reya was having a hard time knowing how to act around him. The person in front of her felt alien at times. Far more so than Adrian was.
“You’re keeping it from me because of that? How little do you think of me?”
“It’s not that we don’t think highly of you, it’s just that –”
“No, it’s fine. I get it. I’m not good enough for you to confide in.”
“It’s not that,” Reya protested. She knew full well that Jyn wasn’t going to react in a positive manner to the news. Feeling trapped, Reya looked towards Adrian and Rann for help. Adrian spoke up in her place, voicing what she had been trying to keep hidden for her.
“We’re sharing a room again,” Adrian said simply, without fanfare. Jyn looked like he’d been slapped, jolting when he heard the news. Adrian winced internally, already having a very good idea of how the next several moments were about to play out.
“You can’t share a room,” Jyn said flatly.
Adrian scowled. “That’s not your decision to make.” He seethed at the thought of Jyn controlling yet another aspect of his life, a cold anger settling deep within. Adrian wasn’t about to let the opportunity to be with Reya slip by him.
“As long as I have my orders, it is.”
“No, it’s not. You have no say in this. Stop acting like you do. This is something Reya and I decided for ourselves. Deal with it.”
“I don’t have to because it’s not going to happen. An exception was made when the Elders were here, but now that they’re gone, you’re not allowed to share a room.”
“What are you, five?” Adrian scoffed. “We’re not children that need supervising, and we don’t need your permission.”
“Adrian’s right, Jyn,” Reya said. “This isn’t about you. This is about us. We’ve finally found a working solution to our problem and you’re just going to deny us that?”
“Sleeping together isn’t a real solution,” Jyn argued, not understanding what the problem was to begin with. It took him a moment to piece together that Reya was referring to her inability to sleep properly. “It’s all in your heads,” he said, unimpressed. “This isn’t a solution. It’s a fantasy.”
“It might not be a real solution to you, but to us it is,” Reya said firmly. “That’s all that matters.”
“I said no and that’s final.” Jyn crossed his arms and shot Reya a menacing look, which slid right off of her. Unfazed, Reya met his stare with a cold one of her own.
“You can say that until you’re purple in the face,” Reya shrugged. “It’s not going to change anything.”
“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Jyn said ominously.
“Or else what, Jyn?” Reya challenged. “You’re going to guard the door? Hold us at gunpoint to stop us? As you famously like to say, you’re making this more important than it needs to be.”
“This is a big deal!” Jyn exploded. “Can’t you see that?”
“To us, Jyn,” Reya said, gesturing between herself and Adrian. “It’s a big deal to us. Why can’t you accept that?”
“Because I refuse to let you anywhere near him,” Jyn said, pointing an accusing finger towards Adrian.
“Wow,” Adrian. “I get that you don’t like me, but this is a new low. You’re not only restricting my movements, but Reya’s as well. When are you going to be satisfied?”
“When she has nothing to do with you,” Jyn seethed.
“Reya is her own person,” Adrian replied, incensed. “She can make decisions for herself, and you need to respect that.”
Jyn knew. He knew he wasn’t going to win their argument. The looks of hostility only grew the more he spoke. His audience was not sympathetic to his cause. There was nothing else he could say without making a fool of himself and he knew that. “I think this is a terrible idea and that it’s going to backfire on you,” he said, giving his last two cents. “I won’t need to say I told you so when it does.”
“You won’t need to say that at all because it’s never going to happen and you know it,” Adrian said frostily.
Unable to stand being there any longer, Jyn turned and retreated back onto the ship. Adrian’s nostrils flared as he watched Jyn leave. Reya placed a hand on his lap, calming him. Adrian took hold of it and gave it a squeeze. After several deep breaths, he felt the adrenaline leave his system.
“Who does he think he is?” Adrian said hotly, his emotions draining out of him shortly after.
“An unhappy man,” Reya said. “Leave him to his misery. I refuse to be dragged down by it. I’m happy with things as they are now and that’s all that matters.” Adrian preened at the thought of Reya being happy with him. His hand had yet to leave Reya’s. She made no move to retract her limb.
Adrian turned his palm over so that it was facing Reya’s. Spreading his fingers, he turned his hand so that they lined up with hers. He felt her open her hand and curl her fingers into his. Their hands joined and remained intertwined for the remainder of their time spent at the table. Neither one of them said word. Neither one of them ended the moment.