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Every morning, Luke would get up early, dive into a bay on the west side of the island, and swim. For the first few days of her stay on Ahch-To, Rey would wait impatiently for him to get back to the huts, anxious to start pestering him about returning to the Resistance. He was as stubborn as ever about staying alone on Ahch-To, though at least he was friendlier than he’d been since Rey arrived.
Lately, though, Rey had started going to the west side of the island to watch him. At first, she’d told herself it was because she’d never seen anyone swimming before. A little later, she was sure it was her admiration for Luke, admiration which hadn’t cooled no matter how much he’d disappointed her. Now, she was aware there was probably a third reason, a reason she didn’t want to admit to herself.
Luke’s reaction to her was different every time. Sometimes he would give her a friendly greeting, other times he would just ignore her, and other times, he would say, “I’m still not leaving this planet.”
This morning, Luke climbed up out of the bay, looking more exasperated than usual. The water streamed off his gray hair, which was plastered to his head, and ran in rivulets down his bare chest. “Still here? I told you before: I’m not coming back.”
“I didn’t come down here for that,” Rey said, gazing at Luke. How did a man of his age manage to look so attractive, despite his gray hair and flabbiness around the waist? But his arms still looked strong, his blue eyes were warm, and despite the grimness of his current life, there were still laugh lines around his eyes.
“What’s the matter?” Luke’s look wasn’t friendly. “Haven’t you ever seen someone swim before?”
“I grew up on a desert planet,” Rey said indignantly. “I never even left it until about a month ago. How could I?”
“Right, right; I forgot. I’m sorry.” Luke looked down; he seemed ashamed. There was an awkward silence before he finally looked at her and said, “Want me to teach you?”
“Teach? To swim?” Rey wasn’t sure she heard right.
“Why not? You might not go back to Jakku after this, so it might come in handy.”
Rey’s face warmed at the thought of her and Luke in the water together, but she said, “I didn’t come here to learn to swim. I came—”
“To learn to use the Force; I know,” said Luke. “But look on the bright side: at least I’ll be teaching you something. You don’t want your stay here to be a total waste.”
Rey thought about it. She was still angry about Luke’s refusal to teach her. Her telling him about Kylo Ren’s appearance on Ahch-To had only turned him against the idea even more, it seemed. But at the same time, her admiration of the old Jedi Master was as strong as ever—and yes, she could admit it wasn’t just admiration. She could admit she had a crush on him, even if he made her angry. At this point, it didn’t really matter what he wanted to teach her, as long as he did it.
“Okay,” she finally said. “Can we start tomorrow?”
The next day, when Rey and Luke approached the bay, she felt her stomach churning in anxiety. It was a cloudy morning, and the water looked gray, gray and deep. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.
Luke dove into the water. It was a surprisingly graceful gesture for someone of his age. He swam over to where Rey was standing. “You’ll want to just step into the water; it’s shallow enough for you to stand up in. Just sit on the bank and lower yourself down.”
“Okay.” Rey gingerly sat down and stretched out her leg. Her toes touched the water. “Ow! Cold!” She drew her leg back.
Luke smiled. “It won’t be cold once you’re wet all over. Come on; get in.”
Rey closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and plunged into the water. “Oof!” she spluttered. It was freezing! What was Luke playing at, saying it wouldn’t be cold? Rey started to lift herself out.
“No, you don’t.” Luke was standing up in the water now, with his arms crossed. “You’re staying in the water. How do you expect to learn to swim if you can’t handle a little cold?”
“A little cold?” Rey squeaked in disbelief, even as she sank back into the water. “You call this a little cold?”
“It gets much colder in winter.”
Rey shivered. She wasn’t sure if it was from what Luke said or from the water temperature. “You’re mad, and you lied. You said it wouldn’t be cold if I was wet all over.”
“After a while. It takes a little while to get used to it." Luke’s eyes were twinkling, and he had a half-smile on his face. He was amused.
Rey bristled. “If you’re making fun of me—”
“I’m not,” Luke said. “I’m remembering when Han and Leia taught me to swim. I was even worse than you; I jumped out of the water and refused to get back in for the rest of the day.”
Rey laughed. The water did seem less cold now, especially if she squatted down until it came up to her chin. Actually, it was pleasantly cool. Her body felt strangely light.
“Ready to start?” Luke asked. At Rey’s nod, he took her hands and pulled her gently towards him. Rey’s feet lifted off the bottom of the bay, and she floated on her stomach. She squirmed uncomfortably, trying to let go of Luke’s hands, but he was holding them too tightly. “Relax. As long as I hold onto you, you’ll be okay. Now, I’m going to hold you by the waist. When I’m doing that, you kick with your feet. Ready?”
“Yes,” Rey said breathlessly. Her heart started beating faster as Luke's good hand held her stomach, while his other arm settled on her back, the metal fingers gently touching her side. She felt goosebumps that had nothing to do with the cold water.
“Okay, now start kicking,” Luke said. Rey thrashed her legs in the water, splashing it high into the air. A spray of water landed in her eye; she spluttered and stopped kicking. When she stopped, she was more aware of Luke’s hands on her waist.
“Good,” Luke said. “Now, I want you to move your arms like you’re crawling uphill, like you’ve seen me doing. Reach your arm out and then pull it underwater, and then do the same with the other.”
Rey tried out the awkward motion. She tried to remember what exactly Luke did with his arms. But it was hard to concentrate, with his hands on her waist and his low, rough voice in her ear…Focus! He can sense emotions!
“Okay, now comes the hard part: putting the arm and leg movements together. I want you to kick and crawl with your arms at the same time.”
Rey tried; she really did, but it was impossible. When she kicked, her arms stopped moving; when she moved her arms, her legs stopped moving. Her face grew hotter as her frustration grew. Focus! Come on; you can do this! Her arms and legs ached, and anxiety began to creep into her thoughts. It was only Luke’s hands holding her up, and if he let go, she would sink down into the cold depths and drown…
“It’s okay.” Luke’s voice was gentle, and it sounded warmer than it ever had before. “I won’t let go. You’re safe with me.”
His voice was so comforting; Rey began to relax. She could listen to him forever…No! Focus!
“Even if you did go underwater, I’d rescue you,” Luke said. His voice deepened. “And if you really needed it, I’d just give you mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.”
Maybe it was Rey’s tiredness, maybe her nervousness. But the words popped out of her mouth: “Will you give it to me right now?”
There was silence. “What did you say?” Luke finally asked.
Rey looked over her shoulder at him. “Can you give me mouth-to-mouth right now?”
Perhaps it was her imagination, but Rey thought Luke’s hands trembled. “Rey. Think about what you’re asking. Are you absolutely sure?”
Rey nodded. “Kiss me,” she said.
Luke helped her stand up, and he brought his lips to hers. His beard tickled her lips, but soon Rey didn't notice; she was overwhelmed by a warmth that spread throughout her body. She threw her arms around his neck and held tightly; his arms encircled her waist. She gently touched her tongue to his lips; he parted them, and her tongue slipped into his mouth. He let out a moan and tightened his arms around her; she ran her hands through his hair.
When they broke apart, they looked into each other’s eyes. The air was cold on Rey’s wet skin; goosebumps were rising again.
“Let’s get back to the huts,” Luke said huskily.
“I’m cold again. Will you warm me up when we get there?” Rey asked.
Luke’s smile made Rey shiver in anticipation; the warmth of his eyes made her heart flutter. “Oh, yes.”