Kylo Ren was an asshole, simply put. A self-righteous, conniving asshole, who had always done what he could to repress his teenage memories, and was all-in-all kind of creepy.
So what on God's green earth was he doing at a fucking college party?
After approximately 5 minutes of pep-talk, Rey Kenobi strutted out of her modest bathroom in her brand-new Adidas sneakers, doing a little spin, and promptly tripping over herself.
"Why the fuck do I even bother with this shit?" she muttered.
Moments later, there came a rhythmic banging on her front door. "Come in," she grumbled, loud enough for the guest to hear. Laughter was heard outside the door and she perked up a bit, knowing immediately who it was.
"Ready, boo?" asked her best friend, Finn. He was all dapper-looking in some nice deep red pants and a white button-up.
She smirked at the nickname. "Of course, sweet cheeks. It only took four hours to get this gorgeous," she said sarcastically. He nudged her and went into her kitchen to grab some water.
Poe gave her charming grin and a quick squeeze before he was dragging Finn out the door with Rey trailing behind.
"This could either be the best or the weirdest party ever," Poe laughed as they piled into his Mazda Trooper X-1 series. "I heard Kylo Ren and his cronies are gonna be there."
Rey rolled her eyes, and stared out the window for the whole ride, trying to calm her sudden nerves. She hadn't seen that old high school classmate in a long time.
Rey stepped out of the car one leg at a time, perhaps showing off a bit, but in an ensemble she had to save up for weeks, who wouldn't? Naturally, the first thing she noticed was the venue, covered in gorgeous flowers with what seemed to be a field in the back and an arc full of roses before the entrance to the rustic cabin. The darkness of night-time made it difficult for her to see the unlit details, but she could only imagine what it looked like during the day.
"This seems a bit overboard for a college party, doesn't it?" Poe inquired.
Rey looked at him. "At least they put some effort into it, unlike the last one you threw," she said, poking his cheek. He gave her a look and she gave him her toothiest grin.
"The budget was low and — hey!" he started as she pranced off before him, Finn holding her hand. Poe shook his head, smiling, and locked the car door. 'This ought to be interesting,' he thought before following his friends.
"No, Phasma, it needs to scream energy, but in a soft and demure way," Hux mocked, batting his eyelashes, as Gwen Phasma mussed with Kylo's hair for the umpteenth time that evening. Hux was bored. His friends had been at this for an hour now, and every time Kylo checked to see what Phasma had done in the mirror, he seemed less and less impressed.
At Hux's remark, Kylo shoved his friend's hands away. "That'll do, thanks," he mumbled, as he stood up and raked his hand through his mane one last time. Phasma gasped silently, as all of her hard work vanished before her eyes.
Dressed in black fitted jeans, all-black sneakers, and a soft black pullover, he was something straight out of a magazine. His partners-in-crime, Brendolyn Hux and Gwen Phasma were dressed in their own interpretations of a night out, and all together, they looked to be a proper clique.
"Are we fucking ready yet?" Hux huffed, becoming irritated with Ren's antics. The party started two hours ago, and with the schedule he had had recently, he didn't have time to stay out much later than 1.
"I am literally going to kill you if you don't - OW!"
Finn made a beeline for the bar, a curious Rey in tow. Rey had only recently turned 21, and had just began to develop a taste for different alcohols. Being in college and all it was only fitting that she "cultivated her tastebuds," as she called it.
"I'll take a sex on the beach and my friend here will have…" he started, pulling his wallet out to present his ID.
"…a...monkey gland," Rey finished, pointing to a random drink on the menu. He raised a brow at that, and she winked back at him. "I'm a classy lady, what can I say?"
"And I'll have a vodka cranberry," said a deep voice from behind her. She whipped her carefully placed hair around, stopping halfway as she bumped into a chest.
Slowly looking up from under her lashes, she held back a gasp at who it was.
"Kylo…Kylo Ren?"
He looked at her, after giving some distance and shrugged. "The man, the myth, the legend, all in the flesh."
She snorted, rolling her eyes. "Clearly," she hollered at him and turned back around as he receded into the crowd, drink in hand.
"Hasn't changed a bit," she said to Finn, who had disappeared. She looked around for him, but he was nowhere to be seen. "Oh, blast it." She downed her entire drink, pounding her chest after to release the burn.
Hux and Phasma had been dancing all night, Hux stepping off the floor briefly to refill their drinks. After his third, he noticed Ren sitting at the bar, talking to someone he didn't recognize and decided to intervene. Pushing through the crowd, he finally appeared behind Ren and poked him in the shoulder. He turned his head slowly.
"You haven't danced at all tonight. Aren't you drunk enough by now?" he slurred.
Kylo Ren glared at his friend. "Why don't you go back to eye-fucking Phasma and mind your own?"
Hux mock-gasped and rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever. Be a fucking loner for all I care," he said, completely ignoring the presence beside Ren. "And who might you be?" he finally asked, only half-interested.
The man gave him a look that indicated confusion and disinterest at the same time. "I'm Poe Dameron, head pilot for -"
"Yeah, yeah, that's great. Ren, get your ass on the floor and stop flirting," Hux said, grabbing Kylo's wrist and yanking him away from Mo Cameron or whatever the hell his name was.
Kylo Ren stumbled onto the dance floor, drink in hand, and was immediately unsure of what to do next. Should he let loose and allow his dancing ruin his image for the rest of his life, or should he stand there looking like a loser?
As he was deciding what route to take, something caught his eye. No, that couldn't be. Was it? There's no way.
"Rey? Rey Kenobi?" he uttered, just barely loud enough for anyone else to hear. He pushed through the crowd to get closer and to see if it could be the person who singlehandedly kicked his ass in high school, after he taunted her a bit too long.
She had certainly grown up these 2 years after high school. Her chestnut hair was up in an effortlessly chic bun atop her head, and was wearing a sleeveless grey dress that came down mid-thigh and hugged her frame gorgeously, which she had gracefully grown into, he noticed. He found himself staring at her and wondered if she could feel his gaze. Before he could slink back into the crowd, she glanced his way and immediately averted her eyes.
He took a few steps closer to her, purely out of curiosity. She was wringing her hands frantically at this point, not sure if she could make a run for it with him closing in on her like this. She looked at him again, seeing his unbreaking stare and said something quickly to Boe. He looked at Kylo and seemed to take on a paternal guise, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.
Kylo put his hands up in surrender and laughed, walking back toward the bar. He ordered his fifth vodka cranberry of the night, along with a shot of tequila, and settled himself in a seat. Just his luck, Rey appeared beside him.
"What was that all about, mister mysterious?" she said, smirking.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You were staring at me and I caught you."
He laughed. "Yeah, and you were looking like you may collapse because someone was looking at you. If you were in my place, you'd be staring too." He wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but he ignored it as he downed the shot. "Cheers."
She put on a determined face and stuck her hand out toward him. He looked at it, and at her face, and back at her hand.
"What does...what does that mean?"
"Just shake my fucking hand, Ren. I want to make a truce. No more high school nastiness. We're both adults now and it's time to move on from our childish antics."
He raised his eyebrows. "Wow. Spoken like a true grown-up." He slowly shook her hand, noticing how cold it was. "Maybe someday we can even be friends," he laughed. She hinted at a smile, and dropped her hand.
She sat at the bar, and ordered herself a glass of whiskey and a shot of tequila as well. She downed both one after another, and he had to admit that it was impressive for someone who had just started drinking.
The two talked for what seemed like hours, and became more and more drunk as time went on. Rey found it refreshing to have a real conversation with him, rather than the constant jabbing she was used to. He laughed a lot more the more intoxicated he became, and was starting to make a lot more of his signature cheesy jokes.
As she got up to check on her friends, she bumped into a shorter man with white hair and an icy grin. "Sorry, love," the man said.
"Uh, it's fine," she mumbled, as she tried to get past him but the man followed her every uneasy step. "Can I help you?" she asked, more rudely than she meant to.
"You are just...exquisite," he said, stroking a long hand up her arm. "My name is Patrick Snoke. I have been searching for a woman quite like you for a...long, long time," the stranger began. She snatched her hand away in disgust and as she was about to turn around and go the opposite way, an arm found its way onto her shoulder. She looked up to see the hooded eyelids of a Kylo Ren.
"Don't...ever touch my...wife again," he slurred, swaying slightly, drink still in his hand. She rolled her eyes but decided to play along. She would thank him later.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Snoke, but I believe my...husband here requires my attention," she said as she put her hand over Ren's other arm that was wrapped around her chest. She managed to get them to a position that they could walk in, and figured it would be better to get both of them outside.
"What the hell was that about?" she started.
He shrugged, as they settled on a bench in the field out back. It was around 1 in the morning at this point, and the stars were magnificent in this part of town, he thought to himself.
"You're welcome," he said simply, smirking.
She huffed and said in her most sarcastic voice, "What can I ever do to thank you?"
He looked at her, who was gazing up at the stars. Her eyes were sparkling with moonlight, her face glowing. She was a sight to see. Something possessed him to reach out and grab her hand, and as he caught it, she came back to earth. Her brown eyes got impossibly bigger as he stroked over her hand with his thumb. "Snoke is a scumbag. I'm sure you don't even need me to tell you that for you to figure it out."
She let out a small laugh. "I'm glad you said that because I was beginning to think it was just in my head. I hope that snake gets what's coming to him." She looked at him and gave him a small smile.
Something within him stirred at that. He took a leap of faith and leaned in, barely any closer to her. She sat still for a moment, seeming to be debating on the effects this decision would have on her later, but she threw caution to the wind as she put her other hand on the back of his head and brought them closer together, lips grazing each other.
She let out a shaky sigh as her body moved in accordance to his, pressed next to his side as their kiss deepened ever-so-slightly. Never had she been kissed like that, even as brief as it was. She retracted, and grinned at him, pressing her forehead against his.
He grinned right back at her, and she knew she was a goner.
"My wife," Kylo said in his most obnoxious Borat voice.
Rey snorted and slapped his arm as they settled in to stare at the moonlight.