Ʀey sighed against his shoulder, she had finally done it. She had finally told him how she really felt. She could still feel his soft lips against hers. She slowly moved her hand up and down across his back in a soothing manner.

She never wanted any of this to end. Not just the moment they were sharing, but she wanted to continue to give him her affection for the rest of their lives. Now that she'd had a taste of his lips, she couldn't imagine being without them. She wanted to hold him as often as she could and tell him that she loved him every chance she got. She wanted to hug him and kiss him every day so that he would always know how much she loved him.

At first she had been sad that she hadn't gotten to have her first kiss before she was forced to marry the prince. But now she didn't want to kiss anyone but Ben and she was glad that she had given her first kiss to him. She wanted to kiss him and only him.

After a while, he placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Rey," he whispered, gently caressing her cheek.

She stared into his dark eyes waiting for him to continue.

"I can't ask you to marry me, because you're already my wife..." he trailed off, looking down at the floor of the balcony. He took a deep breath then he knelt down at her feet, looking up at her. He gently took her hand in his. "All I can ask is...will you love me? Will you love me for the rest of my life?"

She looked down at him, his dark puppy eyes pleading with her. She couldn't stop the overwhelming, uncontrollable affection that she felt for him. She couldn't comprehend what she felt for him, she only knew that she cared about him in a way she had never cared about anyone else, and she loved him beyond what her words could express. She reached her free hand up to gently stroke his cheek.

"No..." she whispered and his heart sank. "... I will love you for the rest of my life, and beyond."

His mouth gaped open slightly in surprise and she smiled. She leaned down to place a soft kiss on his lips. Then she pulled him closer to her, allowing him to lean his head against her stomach, as she stroked his hair tenderly.

After a moment he stood and she snuggled into his arms again. She sighed contently as he ran his fingers through her long hair and moved his hands across her back.

"It's getting late," he whispered, after they had stood there in each other's arms for some time.

They had been standing there on the balcony holding each other for what felt like both an eternity and a split second. How long had he held her? she wondered. For the first time, she noticed that her feet were getting tired as if she had been standing in the same place for a while, he must have been holding her for a long time, she realized.

She nodded and he wrapped his arms around her waist, leading her inside. Then he escorted her to their room, seeming a little shyer than normal as he opened the door for her. He followed her inside, then began to walk towards the couch where he slept.

"Ben," she said, in a soft voice.

He stopped and turned to look at her.

She had intended to offer to let him sleep in the bed with her again instead of on the couch, but she suddenly felt too shy to do so. She wanted to beg him to stay with her, but she didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable by rushing their relationship.

"...um... aren't you going to wish me goodnight?" She tried to hide her embarrassment, but she was blushing fiercely.

He smiled at how shy she seemed over such a simple thing as asking him to say goodnight to her. He came over to her, then leaned down and placed a kiss on her cheek. He was glad that he could kiss her without worrying that she wouldn't want him to do so.

"Goodnight, Rey," he whispered.

"Goodnight, Ben," she answered.

Ben looked at her for a long moment, she almost seemed disappointed. Maybe she wanted a more intimate kiss than just a peck on her cheek before they parted. He leaned down and kissed her lips timidly. He wasn't sure why he felt so embarrassed about kissing here in the privacy of their room.

He pulled away from her to look at her again, he was relieved to find that she seemed happier now.

He turned, walking over to the couch and laid down.

Rey watched him for several moments, before she went to the bathroom to change into her nightgown. She untwisted the two strands of her hair and looked in the mirror as she brushed her hair. She took a deep breath, deciding that she wouldn't be shy. She would ask him to stay with her tonight.

She opened the door, to find that he was already asleep. He looked really tired and she didn't want to wake him, especially in since she knew how little sleep he got the night before.

She went over to the bed and climbed in. She blew out the candle on the table next to her and looked up at the ceiling, which was dimly illuminated by the starlight that poured in through the curtains.

She couldn't sleep, she couldn't stop thinking about him. About the kiss they had shared, about how wonderful his lips had felt against hers. She couldn't stop longing to be in his arms for just a moment longer. She looked over at the empty place next to her, secretly wishing that he was there so that she could snuggle into his arms, into his warm embrace, as she had the night before.

She sat up and looked over at him. She could just see him in the dim light. He was sleeping peacefully and she couldn't stop watching him. Why did she suddenly feel so lonely without him?

Without a moment's thought, she climbed out of bed and went over to him, quietly. She looked down at him, his eyes were glued shut and he breathed in the slow rhythm of a deep sleep. She didn't want to wake him, but she wanted to be with him even if it meant that she would have to sleep on the hard couch instead of in the soft bed. There wasn't enough room next to him, but perhaps she could lay down on top of him without disturbing him, or waking him up.

She slowly lifted the blankets that covered him and carefully climbed in on top of him. She fixed the covers, draping them over her back. Then she snuggled against him, and rested her head on his chest. She had never been this close to him... to anyone before. Her chest was pressed against his and their legs were now tangled together. It felt wonderful to be so close to him, she felt safe and as if she belonged there with him.

She felt him move slightly beneath her and her heart froze.

"Rey?" he mumbled.

"I'm sorry for waking you," she whispered, feeling guilty and embarrassed.

"It's okay... is something wrong?" He sounded concerned and he placed his hand on her arm as if to comfort her.

"No, I... I just wanted you to hold me," she answered shyly, she could feel blood rushing to her cheeks.

She felt him move beneath her again. "I can leave if...." she began, she lifted her head up to look at him. Then she sat up and began to leave.

"No... stay," he wrapped his arms around her, gently pulling her back down to lay on his chest. He leaned down to place a soft kiss on the top of her head. Then he held her in a warm embrace, then he began to gently rub her back trying to soothe her to sleep. She had never felt so warm and safe in her whole life. She closed her eyes, falling asleep as she listened to the sound of his heartbeat.