#ldrs

With vision that is still blurry, you check the time: it’s 4 am!

Your fingers fumble over the screen, but somehow you answer the call.

“Hello?” you greet, voice still groggy with sleep.

“Oh shoot, did I wake you up?” the voice on the other end asks, sounding apologetic. “I forgot about the time difference.”

“Armitage? Is everything alright?” suddenly, you feel more awake. You sit up in your bed, anticipating his response, hoping that he is okay.

“Oh, yes, everything is fine. I just… wanted to let you know that my plane landed and that I made it back home.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” you say, settling back into your bed. Now that you know he’s okay, you can relax a little bit. You still worry about him, though. You always worry about him. “How was your flight?”

He sighs. “Long,” he says. “But otherwise, it was rather unremarkable. I had time to do a lot of work.”

“I miss you,” you say, turning onto your side. The first time that you interact with him after he leaves is when you miss him the most. “What are you doing right now?”

“I’m just making some coffee. I’m taking a half day off, but I’m going into the office later,” he says, pausing for a moment. You hear his spoon clank against his cup. “I miss you too.”

“You’re going in to work already? Have you slept since I last saw you?”

“I slept a little, but the best way to deal with jetlag is to stick to the schedule of your destination.”

“Well, promise me that you’ll get some sleep tonight, okay?”

“Yes, darling,” he says, although you know that it’s mostly to appease you. “I will try.”

“How’s Millicent?” you ask, changing the subject. You didn’t want to harp on it too much, but you do hope that he finds time to rest.

“She’s doing well. I hope that she’s happy to see me. It’s hard to read her,” he says, laughing a little bit.

“Give her some pets for me, if she’ll let you.”

He laughs. “I’ll try. You know how she is.”

You do. You’ve met her twice, when you’ve traveled to visit him. Millicent is a grumpy old orange cat who has been Hux’s emotional support pet since he was in his twenties.

“What do you have planned for today?”

“Oh, you know… getting some sleep,” you joke. “Then I work, and I’ll probably run some errands this evening. Can we talk again today?”

“Yes, um… maybe during your lunch break? It was so nice to not have to worry about the time difference, wasn’t it?”

“Mm, I liked everything about having you here,” you comment, starting to feel sleepy again. “That sounds fine to me.”

“Alright, my dear, I will text you later. I think I’ll let you go now, get some sleep.”

“Love you,” you say, eyes feeling so heavy.

“I love you too,” he responds, and hangs up. The room feels empty without his voice, his presence.

You fall back asleep, dreaming of the next time that you’ll be able to meet in person, hoping that it is soon.