Rey wanted to take his hand, but she kept herself back. He claimed it wasn't a rejection, but at the same time... what had become of the easy peace that had settled between them just moments ago? Why was he still calling whatever she and Kylo Ren had a connection?

Because that was what it was. She hadn't wanted to think of it that way, even though she'd known it had felt different from anything she'd ever experienced before. Even with Luke, that connection was something else entirely, something new and unique. She preferred it that way, really, since she wouldn't want to sully it by comparing it with this other aspect of her life, one that she didn't want and that could only prove dangerous before too long.

But she couldn't keep denying that it was a connection, not if she needed Luke's help to overcome it. And she did need Luke. In more ways than one.

At last, she slipped her hand into his, meeting his eyes so she had something to focus on so she wouldn't cry. "You're not the only one that's afraid," she pointed out softly. "My choices had always been decided for me by circumstance. This is the first time that I can't see where I'm going or what I need to do to get there, and that's... it's terrifying, Luke. I can't do this without you. Please don't make me."