"Y'know, jawbreaker is another word for blowjob." The comment was casual enough, but it was almost enough to make him drop the canister of gum balls he was attempting to hoist onto the top shelf.
"Jesus, Rey; there's children around!" Rey laughed at her flustered coworker, resting her head on the cherry red counter, rolling her eyes at him as she plunked her finger on a display of chocolates. "Calm down, Kylo. It's a candy shop. I doubt anyone is actually paying attention to our conversation."
She watched his eyes flicker from her to their surroundings, as if to confirm her statement, which, as usual, was true. Anyone who was close enough to hear them were too focused on the confections around them, the gleaming glass jars of bright lollipops, homemade chocolates and, yes, jawbreakers, looking almost too inviting, too much of a temptation. Much like Rey, Kylo decided.
His coworker was something else, his gaze sweeping from her head to her feet, wondering how she could pull off the blue raspberry hued apron Skywalker's Sweets employees were forced to wear. On her, the apron was flattering, making her look motherly enough to be trusted, with candy poking out of the pockets for her to sneak to children that couldn't afford a treat. On his lanky frame, the apron was awkward, and he usually had to fold it in half to actually tie it around his waist, the smock being more for someone smaller than 6'0.
To be fair, his uncle was still recovering from the shock of his nephew actually agreeing to work over the summer, so there hadn't been time to order new aprons. And that suited Kylo just fine. Who was he to get special treatment? That was his reasoning the first few weeks, and then he had met Rey, star employee and his uncle's heir apparent to the shop.
And to be honest, the fact that Rey was usually employee of the month still perplexed him, seeing how she had the foulest mouth and humor of the small staff. Yes, Poe was bad at moments, more prone to say something inappropriate in front the younger clientele, and Kylo himself would admit that he wasn't any better (given more to swear words than anything). But Rey made the two of them look like saints (and therefore, made their other coworker, Finn, look like an angel).
But that wasn't to say that she was awful with the kids—if anything, she was the best with them. He glanced at Rey now, watching her help one of the young regulars now, smiling at the little girl as she excitedly babbled about her favorite candy, about how she wanted this specific sucker, not the other one, because this one was more blue… Despite her more vulgar comments (jawbreaker comment withstanding), there was a gentleness with Rey that always made his stomach and head hurt as if he was coming down from a sugar high with a toothache in tow.
Moments like this made Kylo wonder if he had a crush on the pretty brunette, and so he turned away, attempting to squelch his feelings as he manned the register, keeping his distance, staying safe at his perch behind the counter. It was more comfortable for the two of them like that—just coworkers, close enough to make small talk and compare notes on their lives, but distant enough that once Rey was off shift, she didn't bother him.
Much.
Poe teased him incessantly about him being dense, but Kylo didn't see it. He couldn't—wouldn't—believe that Rey was being vulgar so as to flirt with him. Sure, a lot of her more risqué comments were aimed at him or said to him, and there were moments that she seemed to squeeze herself into the tightest possible spot between him and the shelves when he was attempting to stock, but he was sure that was how she treated everyone else. Yeah, Poe and Finn both said that she never acted like that until Kylo started working, but Poe was always trying to get a rise out of Kylo, and Finn, as Poe's boyfriend, always went along with his schemes.
Besides, he was sure that she had a boyfriend outside of work. A few times the past week, a customer (by the name of Hux, maybe? He couldn't remember) had become a regular, always fawning over Rey, complimenting her, even helping her with some of the cleaning tasks. Kylo was sure that she had gone out with Hux at least once on a date, but that was one of the pitfalls of not being as close—he didn't feel as if he had the right to ask her about her love life.
Was he interested? Yes. But that didn't put him in the same league as a guy who could waltz into the candy shop and buy out the place if he wanted to. He was just a college student, home for the summer, trying to stave off his student loans, one paycheck at a time. Rey was making a career out of confections—she didn't need him in her palace of sugar.
He attempted to keep that in mind as he watched her sweep the store before closing, the jawbreaker she bought at break bulging almost obscenely in her cheek. He tried not to stare, but it's hard, he decided, mouth going a bit dry at her look of concentration, the gobstopper sweet rolling in her mouth, surely pushed around by her tongue. Despite himself, Kylo felt his pants get tight, and he was suddenly grateful for the stupid apron and his counter.
"Kylo?" He sure that he stuttered back a response to her sudden exclamation of his name, but he couldn't be too sure now, wondering now where her candy went. (Later, he would find the jawbreaker in the trash, a fact that he would tease her about.)
Still, he prayed that she didn't come closer, leaning into the counter, his knuckles going white by how hard he was gripping it. Despite his hope, there she was, rounding the counter and stepping into his space. She was looking up at him, and he was wondering why he suddenly was thinking about strawberries when he looked at her lips, but then he realized that must have been the flavor of jawbreaker, and now he had to stop thinking again before his jeans busted open.
"Do you know what else jawbreaker can mean?" Rey was almost too close, and now Kylo wondered why he agreed to close the store a half hour early, and he couldn't remember if it was her suggestion or his uncle's request, just knowing that the sun was slanting through the window shades, casting them in enough darkness that made her question almost look…seductive. He took a measured break, looking at her a bit warily.
"What else does 'jawbreaker' mean, Rey?" Her eyebrows were arching playfully, her smirk becoming a full on grin now as she stage whispered at him:
"It can also be a nickname for someone with a big cock." His blood surely had drained from his face by now, and he wasn't sure why it had to pool in his groin, but he did know one thing. Whatever Rey was playing at, he was losing.
"Is Hux a jawbreaker then?" Kylo blurted this out, watching Rey's face go from mischievous to mystified in two seconds. "What?"
"Hux. Your boyfriend. Is he a jawbreaker?" It was a stupid question, and he wanted to slam his head into the counter, his ears flushing, but he also had to know if he had any chance with her. If Hux was better than him in every sense, then maybe he could just gracefully give up now. He focused in on her face, taking a breath to calm himself down, watching her chew on her lip thoughtfully. She considered him for a second before doubling up with laughter.
"Oh my god. You think that I'm banging the snobby trust fund guy? As if." She saw the confusion on his face, so plain and clear cut, and she waved a hand at him, unable to stop laughing. "I'm not interested in him, Kylo. I'm interested in you."
"Me?" Kylo knew that he squeaked the question out, but he didn't care. She nodded, her hand brushing his, her gaze on the glass jars behind his head, suddenly unable to focus on him. "I went out with Hux to make you jealous… and you think that he's my boyfriend… Jesus, Kylo. You're so dense. You know that, right? I even told Poe and Finn about my crush on you, knowing that they would blab, but you still haven't realized it."
By this point in time, his face was as red as the counter, and he wasn't sure what to do or to say now. God, he felt dense in this moment, struggling to open his mouth, as if the news was a piece of caramel and he had his middle school braces back. Thankfully, her finger was on his lips now, having worked her way between the counter and him.
"So I'll just cut to the chase—Kylo, would you like to go out on our next day off?"
"Aren't you a bit more curious if I'm a jawbreaker or not?" Rey's smile widened, and he sucked in a breath of air as her hips ground into his.
"I was thinking of finding that out after you answered. You could be a tic-tac for all I care. I just want you to say yes."
Two minutes later, Kylo wasn't sure what he said exactly, just that he was enjoying a 'jawbreaker' right now. He smirked to himself as he had a thought, sharing a glace with Rey.
"So this is how a kid feels in a candy shop."