Rey Sands was nervous.
This was a new feeling for her, and as she pulled open the door to the large classroom, she took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before letting it out slowly. She had earned this, dammit! It had taken her countless hours shut away in the library, taking notes and pouring over textbooks. Being chosen as Professor Hux's teaching assistant was something to be proud of, because he was a Class A-1 dick, and if he chose you as a teaching assistant, it was because you absolutely knew your shit when it came to Indigenous Chandrilian anthropology.
And she did. She had been all over the country, both as an Undergrad and as a Grad student, on digs with other students, and she knew without a doubt that being an Archeologist was absolutely her calling in life.
Stepping inside finally, Rey smiled at Professor Hux before pulling the syllabi out of her bag and plopping them down on a table at the front of the classroom. As Hux started class, she looked around the room, waiting for him to introduce her. Finally, she heard her name and stepped forward, smiling as she looked over the room once more, her eyes landing on one man in particular – someone she thought she would never see again. He had expressive brown eyes, a shock of wavy hair – which Rey knew was soft and smelled absolutely delicious, a slightly large nose, and an incredibly muscular body, which he definitely knew how to use.
She completely forgot what she was going to say as the man looked back at her, one corner of his mouth turning up as recognition dawned in his eyes as well.
What the fuck? Rey thought to herself as Professor Hux looked at her oddly, his clipped British tone clearly annoyed as he asked, "Miss Sands? Is there something wrong?"
No, except the fact that the only person I have ever had a drunken one-night stand with is sitting in my fucking classroom…
"No, Professor Hux, my apologies. Welcome everyone, to Anthropology 242 – Field Methods and Research Design. As Professor Hux stated, my name is Rey Sands, and I am a graduate student here at Chandrila U. I will be teaching some of the chapters, and I am the person you want to come to with any questions or concerns you may have. I have taken the liberty of including both my office and cell numbers on the syllabus, and my office location is also on there. I will have office hours, please make sure you bring any questions or concerns to me then. I can also be reached through email, which is also included on the syllabus."
Her introduction over, Rey stepped back to the table, her hands shaking slightly as she grabbed the syllabi and started to distribute them to the people sitting in the front rows, asking them to take one and pass the rest back. She could feel his eyes on her the rest of class, and she did her best to ignore his gaze.
It wasn't that she didn't enjoy their night together – but the fact that they were both entirely drunk, and he had been gone by the time she woke up the next day told her everything she needed to know. She had been one night, and one night only. At least they had been at her apartment, and she hadn't had to do the walk of shame to get home.
Thankfully, she was able to sit at the front of the room as Hux droned on about his expectations for his students, as well as going over the syllabus. Pulling out her phone as nonchalantly as she could, Rey texted Finn.
-Remember kinda hot drunk guy I fucked last summer? The one that left before I woke up?
Her cell vibrated not even a minute later with a reply from her best friend.
-Yeah. You said something about his hair smelling nice, and his ass being hot enough to bite… Why?
Looking up to make sure Hux was still talking, she texted back quickly.
-He's sitting in my fucking classroom. What the hell should I do? Is there some kind of ritual or something for this?
Rey looked up again as she waited for Finn to text back, her eyes travelling to where he was sitting. Her face colored slightly as she realized he was looking at her, that same tiny smirk on his face. Her phone buzzed in her hand, pulling her attention away from him.
-You have the strangest luck, Rey. Avoid contact as much as possible, I guess? Unless you want round 2 with him… in that case, flirt like hell with him. Up to you.
Rey rolled her eyes at Finn's response, typing her own back quickly.
-You're a huge help, Finn. He's actually really hot. But I am a TA now, and he is my student. Definitely a big no-no. And his ass is hot enough to bite… in fact, I seem to remember doing just that! ;)
Her phone buzzed not even ten seconds later.
-Ew! TMI, Sands… TMI! See you tonight at the bar?
Rey knew she was going to need a drink… or ten… so it didn't take her long to make up her mind about whether she was going or not.
-Yeah. See ya there.
With nothing more to distract her now, Rey tried her hardest to focus on what Professor Hux was saying, but she found her eyes kept wandering back to where he was sitting. Sometimes, he would be looking down at the syllabus, and Rey had a few moments to admire him. She remembered all too well how his hands had felt touching her, how it had felt to have his lips kissing his way down her hot, waiting body. There was no doubt, those hands knew how to please her, and Rey wondered idly how many other women had been privy to feeling his hands on their body.
Not your business, Sands. Shit, what is wrong with you? Focus!
Unfortunately, Rey didn't have a way to make time stop, even for a split second, so she could slip out of the room undetected, and as the students filed out of the room, she noticed that he was holding back, taking a long time to pack up his laptop in his bag.
She was shoving the undistributed syllabi into her bag when he approached her, his tall frame blocking the way out of the room for the time being as he simply stood next to the table, those damn enticing brown eyes watching her for a moment before he finally spoke.
"Miss Sands? May I have a moment of your time?" His voice was a deep, yet gentle, rumble as he spoke, and Rey felt a tingle go down her spine at the sound of it, her face coloring as she looked up at him. Looking around the room, Rey realized that it was completely empty except for them, Professor Hux having left rather quickly to get to his next class.
Biting her bottom lip nervously, Rey tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before saying softly, "Um, sure. I have a few minutes before I need to get to my office for my office hours. What can I do for you, Mister..?" Rey realized she didn't know his name – even though she had a roster for the class she could have referred to.
"Solo. Ben Solo."
"Ah, yes. Mister Solo. What can I do for you?"
That tiny smile returned, one corner of his delicious lips curling up ever so slightly. Rey found herself staring at them, her mind wondering how it would feel to kiss them again. Oh, Ben Solo was definitely hot as fuck, and Rey tried to ignore the fact that she was getting wet just being near him. Clearly, she had gone too long without a man in her bed.
"Well, I have a few questions for you, and I do believe I will take advantage of your office hours to get them answered. Is it alright if I walk with you to your office?"
Rey nodded, shoving the last of her papers into her bag before she turned, trying to walk calmly and casually to her office, even though she was wetter than she had ever been in her life, the ache between her thighs making it difficult to even think clearly as she navigated her way to the building housing her tiny office. The Anthropology department was housed in the oldest building on campus, and her office had been a closet at the end of a dark hallway at some point. Pulling her keys out of her pocket, Rey fumbled with them for a moment before finally getting the door unlocked. As she opened it and stepped inside, putting her bag down, she could sense him entering the room behind her.
Settling into the chair behind her desk, Rey gestured to the chair on the opposite side, waiting until Ben folded his large frame into it before speaking, "Alright, Mr. Solo, you had some questions for me?"
Ben ran a hand through his hair, his teeth worrying his bottom lip for a moment before he said softly, "How old are you?"
Rey snorted derisively, one brow raising as she looked at him. "Really? You just… leave me sleeping in my bed without giving me a way to contact you, wait three months until you happen to be placed into my class, and now you think to ask how old I am? Really?"
Ben's face colored, his shoulders coming up in a shrug as he drummed his fingers nervously on his leg. "I… I didn't know what to say. I never drink, and I had never had a one-night stand before. So, I left. It seemed like the right thing to do. I… I'm sorry, Rey. To be honest with you, I've thought about that night a lot since it happened. I've thought about you a lot."
Rey sat back in her chair, slightly stunned by his admission. Their night together had been beyond hot – even in her inebriated state, she remembered that. "Yeah. Same here," she finally admitted, looking up at him, a small smile on her face. "But, things are different now. I'm your TA, and that's a big no-no. I could lose my position, and I worked my ass off to get it. And to answer your question, I'm twenty-five."
"Oh. Okay," Ben's voice was sad as he responded, his fingers stilled on his leg. His hair was partially hiding his face now, and Rey's fingers itched to reach across the desk to push it back so she could see his face again. "I'm thirty-two. This is my second degree. That's why I'm in your class."
Rey raised an eyebrow at him, a new level of appreciation gained for him in her mind. "What's your other degree in?"
Ben let the ghost of a smile come to his lips as he responded, "Historical Document Preservation. I was the curator of a museum in Coruscant, but something about digging in the dirt for buried treasure has always called to me – so here I am." He shrugged, his eyes coming up to meet hers.
Rey bit her bottom lip as she looked down, her eyes fixated on Ben's hands for some reason. She was well aware of how those hands felt on her skin, and she wondered – could they somehow find a way to repeat that magic night, without the alcohol and the disappointment of waking up alone the next morning? Would she dare put the position she had worked so hard for on the line, simply to feel his hands on her once more?
Ben's eyes went back to the floor, and Rey cleared her throat, trying to find her next words.
"Let's say that maybe, just maybe, you happen to show up at that same bar we met at tonight… around seven? Maybe I just might happen to leave because I am terribly hungry for a croissant from the bakery a block down the street." Rey's eyes met his again, and she saw those gorgeous brown eyes light up at her words.
"They do have good croissants there," Ben said, a smile coming to his lips.
Rey simply nodded, unable to speak as she leaned across her desk towards Ben, her lips grazing his softly. "And maybe, if you know how to be discreet, Mr. Solo, we might get those croissants to go."
Ben stroked her cheek, his hand warm against her skin. "I'd like that, Rey. I'd like to get to know you."
Rey felt her heartbeat start to race in her chest, her lips grazing his again. "I'd like the same."
A knock sounded at the door, and Rey sat back down in her chair quickly, her face coloring as she took note that Ben had done the same, his hand quickly pulling his syllabus out of his bag as if he'd been asking her a question regarding it.
"Come in," Rey called, watching the door as Professor Hux entered the room.
"Professor, one moment please," Rey said with a small smile to her boss. Her eyes went to Ben's, her voice as calm as she could manage to keep it as she said in a professional tone, "I hope that answers your questions, Mr. Solo. If you think of anything else, feel free to text or call me on the number from the syllabus."
Ben's answering smile and nod told Rey that he understood her, and he unfolded his tall frame from the too small chair, "Thank you, Ms. Sands. Professor Hux," Ben said as he slid past the Professor on his way out the door.
…
Rey was only on her third drink of the night when she glanced at her watch, a small smirk coming to her lips as she realized it was ten minutes to seven.
"Finn, I'm heading out. Hux gave me so much extra shit to do for his classes, and I need to get started. I'm gonna stop and grab some croissants and coffee from that little shop on my way home," the lie to her best friend came easily, and Rey almost felt bad – until she remembered she was meeting Ben at that shop.
A delicious shiver coursed through her body at the thought of seeing him again, and Rey slid a twenty across the table to her best friend. "That should cover my part of the tab. Tell Rose I said hey when she shows up later."
Finn nodded at Rey, not thinking anything was out of the ordinary with her early departure from their night out. Her lips grazed his cheek as she stood, and he gave her a smile before she headed out the door. "Will do. Text her – you know how she worries about you!" Finn called after Rey.
Rey told herself that meeting Ben was completely casual. It was simply a woman meeting a man for a damn pastry and a coffee – but if she was honest with herself, she was already thinking about kissing him again, something far more passionate than the kisses she had bestowed upon him earlier in her office. What was it about him anyways? Was it that he had an amazing body? Was it his hair? The way he smelled? Those goddamn eyes? She had boyfriends before, of course, but none of them had ever invoked feelings like these in her.
It was hard to believe she hadn't even known his name when she woke up this morning.
She might not have known his name – but she knew every inch of his body from that one glorious night last summer. For now, that would be enough to build a relationship on… maybe. Would she be willing to risk losing her TA position for him though? She had worked so hard for it, and it was important to her.
But now that he had walked back into her life, Rey somehow got the feeling that Ben Solo was going to become important to her as well, and it was confusing as hell.