Much to Ben's disappointment, Rey soon got called away to deal with some more troubling engine issues in another garage bay. Before she left, she yelled out to a scrawny little worker she called Teedo to come over and help Ben finish up and close out the register. Ben sneaked a glance at his phone and was relieved to see it read 4:45, meaning only fifteen minutes were left until closing. He had always put in at least twelve-hour days at First Order but the busy day at the garage on his feet and using his hands had drained him in a way he had never experienced. Before he put his phone away, he winced when he saw the oil smudges on the screen.

His hands were disgusting, covered in black grease. He turned both hands over and examined his nails, his brow crinkling in disgust. When he looked up, he saw Teedo wearing a mocking sneer.

"You mess up your manicure, Ren?" Teedo asked. "Well, pretty boy, apparently I have to help you finish a basic oil change because Plutt is so damn cheap he can't bother hiring someone with some experience because they might cost a couple more bucks an hour."

Teedo continued mumbling to himself under his breath as he pushed Ben to the side and gestured to a nearby vacuum.

"Here, make yourself useful and vacuum the floor mats while I finish this up. Do you need me to teach you how to turn it on? You push on. OH-EN."

Ben gritted his teeth and took the vacuum head begrudgingly, picturing snapping the little weasel in half or at least telling him about all the expensive cars he had ridden in that Teedo could never even hope to repair. When he noticed Teedo's eyes on him, Ben made a big show of dramatically pushing the on button and got to work. He couldn't remember the last time he had vacuumed a car, if ever. Probably at some point in high school when his parents had attempted to enforce a few chores when they remembered to pay attention to their moody son. He had driven his own car in college and grad school, but tended to just send it to the local car wash to be detailed. For the past few years, Mitaka had dealt with all of his car maintenance.

Ben couldn't help but be disgusted by the floor of the minivan he was asked to vacuum. The carpet was dotted with abandoned Cheerios, dusty fruit snacks, smashed Goldfish, and stale French fries. At one point, he had to gingerly dislodge a sticky lollipop from the carpet so the vacuum could finish the job. He about gagged when he saw the underside of the lollipop covered with hair and crumbs before the vacuum sucked it away.

Once satisfied enough with his work, he looked up to see Teedo slamming the hood shut before he climbed into the drivers seat.

"I'll pull the car around if you go in and find the driver," said Teedo. "We'll get her checked out and close out everything for the day."

Ben went back into the storefront and tracked down a harried looking mom scrolling mindlessly through her iPhone while the little demons responsible for the van's filth built blocks on the floor in the little play area.

"Hey, um, ma'am? We've got your van ready." Ben's voice startled the woman out of her Instagram haze. Just then, one of the kids dumped out a large bucket of crayons all over the floor, making woman roll her eyes and sigh heavily, before she went over to clean up and prevent more destruction.

Ben bent down to help her out. Noting his mom's distraction, the toddler boy behind the mess ran off but Ben automatically shot out an arm and pulled him back to his mom. His mom grasped his chubby little hand tightly and together, she and Ben picked up all the crayons and blocks.

"Thank you so much," said the woman as they walked to the counter where Teedo waited.

"No problem," Ben muttered, looking down. He had mostly wanted to help her so they could check her out and close up sooner.

At the counter, Ben couldn't help but notice Rey animatedly chatting with a customer. She was breaking down the car's issues and fixes carefully, and Ben could see the customer's head bobbing in appreciation. When she finished, she gave the customer a wide smile that spread to her dimples. Ben felt a little envious that the other guy had been the recipient of such a smile, but knew that was completely ridiculous.

Finally, Ben and the others worked to close and lock up. He had managed to wash most of the oil off his hands, but there was no saving his nail beds. Ben watched Finn give Rey a hug and kiss on the cheek before he took off, whistling and swinging his keys. Ben's eyes fell to the ground and he could barely lift a hand to wave and mumble a goodbye when he heard Finn yell to him that it was nice to meet him. But it really didn't matter who Rey chose to see, or hug, or kiss. She was just a coworker at this stupid garage. Still, his heart skipped a beat when he felt a light tap on his arm and looked over to see Rey standing by him.

"Hey Ren, you ready to go catch the bus? Unless you decided to call Uber again? The bus is a lot cheaper, you know, only $2.20 per trip, although I just get a monthly pass. I can show you where to get one at the grocery store later, but probably today you should just get the single use pass right on the bus. Do you have enough cash with you? I'm happy to spot you if you don't."

Ben took all that information in and was grateful he had broken a twenty over the weekend to tip his bartender.

"No, I've got it, but thanks Rey. Lead the way."

Rey started walking, and continued talking. "So what are your cross-streets? Let's figure out the stop you'll need to get off on."

Ben panicked. "Um, I'm not entirely sure. Like I said, I just moved in and I haven't learned the layout. I'm planning to mostly watch for landmarks and map it out as I go." He cringed inwardly. Real smooth.

"Oooh, he'll map it out as he goes," said Rey, lifting one eyebrow in mock amazement. "Well, okay then Columbus, don't blame me if you end up stranded in the middle of nowhere, searching for your apartment all night. We can just input your address in GPS you know. That would be a lot more efficient." She reached into her pocket for her phone and Ben's eyes darted quickly from side to side.

"Dinner!" he blurted out. His neck flushed immediately.

"What?" Rey's eyes flicked up from her phone.

He swallowed and tried to compose himself. "Are there any good places to eat nearby? You're the expert and all. I'm starving. If you're not busy right away I could get some for you too, to say thanks for all the help today."

Rey seemed surprised, but nodded.

"Sure, there's a burger joint not far from here that Finn and I get for lunch a lot, if that's your thing."

It was definitely not Ben's thing, but he wasn't going to say so. She turned in the direction of the restaurant and Ben followed, half-listening as she chirped on about the onion rings and special sauce, something that sounded like a disgusting mixture of mayonnaise and ketchup. He looked up and down the street and wondered if the state's health inspectors even bothered to visit this neighborhood. In the end, it didn't matter, he decided. If the food they served didn't kill him, the grease embedded in his skin would rub on the bun and finish the job anyway.

Rey went right to the counter and ordered a burger, onion rings, and chocolate shake like she'd done it a million times before. She turned to him expectantly and he tried to scan the menu as quickly as possible looking for anything worth eating.

"Uhh, what's good?"

Rey rolled her eyes. "Well, you just heard me order, so I think it's safe to assume that I think that's good."

"Fine." Ben turned to the cashier. "Same as her, but a glass of ice water instead of the milkshake."

"Booo! Party pooper!" Rey teased him from behind, but he ignored it, rifling in the pocket of his jumpsuit for his wallet.

Rey immediately shoved her way in front of him and handed the cashier her credit card.

"No way, mister. I'm buying dinner. To welcome you on board."

"But I invited you!" Ben protested.

She looked right in his eyes as she passed the card quickly to the cashier to swipe.

"I know that, and thank you, but I know how it is when you get a new apartment with a security deposit and whatever else and start a new job as you wait for your first paycheck. It makes things tight, and I can help you out a bit."

She smiled at him encouragingly before she turned to fill out the receipt. Ben felt sick. He watched helplessly as Rey carefully calculated a tip using her phone's calculator and looked up at the ceiling like she was tallying something up. He made sure to take in the final price on the receipt before they stepped away to find a booth. He was aware that the cashier had witnessed the whole interaction, and he couldn't imagine how pathetic he looked, in a dirty jumpsuit while someone covered his meal because he was apparently broke.

As they sat, Ben was seized by a sudden thought.

"Will Finn mind that we're on…that we're getting dinner… together… without him?" Ben stammered out.

"Finn?" Rey asked, surprised. She waved a hand carelessly. "Nah, he had his other job tonight. He's a server at a Chili's a couple nights a week. It's pretty cool. Sometimes he brings leftover chips the next morning."

"He was really helpful to me too, today."

"He's the best." Rey smiled even wider than he had seen her do before. "There's really no one like Finn. I've known him for years. He joined the garage the same time I officially started working."

"Officially?"

Something flashed across her face and she waved her hand again as if to wipe away his question and spoke quickly.

"So I'm sorry I had to leave you with Teedo there at the end. He can be a bit of a prick. Was he really rude to you?"

"A bit," replied Ben honestly, "but I think he was mostly upset that I wasn't very helpful, which is understandable. In the end, he just put me on vacuuming duty. It helped us finish quickly, especially since the car was really dirty."

"Wait," said Rey. "He made you vacuum the car? Why?"

"Aren't we supposed to?" Ben asked slowly.

"No," said Rey, giggling. "Looks like Teedo took you on a bit of ride there. Make you work and get you out of his hair all at once. That's wrong though. He should have been helping you learn."

Ben groaned. "It was a minivan."

"Oof," said Rey, wincing sympathetically. "Obviously, I really only ever sit in the driver's seat of the cars we see, but I'm not blind. Those minivans can be cesspools."

"A smorgasbord of yesterday's snacks," said Ben, finally cracking a smile in spite of himself.

"I saw you in there after, helping the mom clean up her kid's messes and saving her little runaway. You were like her knight in dark blue linen." She put her hand over her heart dramatically.

Ben looked down at the table, chuckling and shaking his head.

"She was totally checking you out, you know."

Ben rubbed his neck awkwardly. "Stop it, no she wasn't."

"She definitely was!" yelled Rey triumphantly. "When you walked her back to the desk, she looked you up and down and then watched you with these dreamy eyes while you were finishing her paperwork. Trust me, I'm a woman, I know these things."

Just then, the server brought them their food and Rey was instantly distracted, saving Ben from the embarrassing direction their conversation was going. He looked at the array before him, and sampled an onion ring nimbly. It had been years since he had had fried food, but he reminded himself that Kylo Ren probably ate like this all the time.

"Oh no," said Rey, noticing him. "You've got to try it with the zesty sauce." She gestured to the orangish-peachish dip in a little plastic cup.

He acquiesced and chanced a little dip, like a child sticking a toe into a swimming pool. To his surprise, it was pretty good. His face must have shown his reaction, because Rey looked immensely satisfied with herself. He was still eating his onion rings and hadn't even touched his burger when he noticed she had finished all her food and was sipping at her milkshake. Her eyes were darting around the restaurant and he figured it was his turn to bring up a topic.

"So how long have you been at Solo Tire?"

Her eyes snapped back to his and she thought for a moment. "Well, I started there when I was eighteen, so that was five years ago this past April. I can't even believe that sometimes."

"Is there something you would rather be doing?"

"Don't get me wrong, I love working with cars, but I definitely wish I could finish school." She shook her head sadly.

"Well, why don't you?" It seemed simple enough to Ben. She clearly had a good head on her shoulders.

While so confident before, Rey suddenly seemed very interested in her straw wrapper, wrapping it and unwrapping it around her finger.

"You know, no parents, no money, unsupportive guardian who made too much to qualify for financial aid. I've managed to get a few college credits online through Coruscant U using Solo Tire's scholarship program, but the program only covers a few select courses. I don't have the time or money to attend in person classes at CU, and besides, it's clear on the other side of town and then I'd have to get a car…"

Her voice drifted off and Ben thought again about the food in front of him that she had paid for. He picked up his burger and bit into it voraciously. He'd find a way to pay her back somehow.

"So Ren, what about you? What were you doing before you decided to learn the exciting art of car repair?"

Ben thought for a moment, and decided it wouldn't hurt to tell some version of the truth.

"I worked at a bank," he said, "but the owners got involved in a scandal and got shut down by the government. It was this whole huge thing. Anyway, it's tough to continue in the financial world once you've worked for a bank that's been shut down. It's like you're tainted to future employers. Doesn't matter if you're the lowliest employee on the totem pole, everyone thinks you may have been involved somehow."

"Wow," said Rey, eyes wide. "That really sucks, Ren."

"Yeah," said Ben. "I'm lucky I could get this job. It's obviously a lot different than what I was doing but it's honest work and I can learn a lot."

"Well I'm very impressed with you that you took a bad situation and turned it into a learning opportunity. Lots of people wouldn't do that. And don't worry; most of the stuff you'll be doing at Solo is pretty rudimentary. I'm sure a smart banker can figure it out in no time." She winked at him.

His mouth went dry, and he took a quick sip of his water to cover his expression. He felt uncomfortable that she was heaping all this sympathy on him when she had clearly had such a rough start herself. He thought about the secret paycheck he'd be getting from Solo headquarters on top of his one from Plutt, and wished he could just give it to Rey. He thought of the efficient way she had worked all day and knew she deserved every penny far more than he did. He heard her chair scratch the floor and her voice telling him she was going to run to the restroom.

When she was out of sight, he pulled out his phone to shoot a text to his buddy Hux.

Hey, can't make it to the gym tonight. Something came up.

Then he opened Google and typed "Coruscant Hills apartment complexes" into the search bar. He scrolled through the results quickly, worried that at any moment Rey would appear behind him. He was able to find a complex that appeared to be in the direction her bus would be going and copy and pasted the address. He sent it to Mitaka and told him to meet him at the address listed. Just then, a text came in from Hux.

I hope that something is a someone, and that someone has breasts.

Ben snorted and again looked up to make sure Rey wasn't behind him.

Maybe. I'll tell you about it tomorrow. In fact, I have a lot to talk about. I've had a crazy few days.

Hux responded quickly.

All right man, I'll let you off the hook. Have fun tonight. *winky face emoji* But if I wreck my back because you weren't here to spot me, I'm sending my medical bills to you.

Ben quickly typed back "deal" and locked his phone right as Rey returned.

"You ready to go?" she asked. "I think we can catch the 6:15 bus if we hurry over."

"Great," said Ben, standing and gathering up their trash. He followed her out and down the street to the bus stop. He couldn't believe he was doing this. He hadn't even ever ridden a school bus, except for the fancy ones his prep school provided for the odd field trip. When he first moved to Corellia to start at First Order in between college and grad school, he had taken the subway exactly two times before buying the very expensive parking pass that would allow him to drive to Wall Street.

"So do you have the address?" Rey asked him while they waited at the bus stop.

"Yeah," said Ben, pulling out his phone. He showed Rey where he had marked the location on his Google map and she gasped excitedly.

"Wait, you live at Takodano too?"

Kriff. He hadn't even thought about this possibility. He nodded, gulping.

"That's great!" continued Rey. "We can just commute together. I must have totally missed you moving in. I was at Finn's for most of the weekend."

She continued jabbering as the bus pulled to the curb.

"What do you think of Maz? She can be pretty kooky, but overall she's a really nice and attentive land lady."

As she climbed aboard, she flashed her pass at the driver. Ben fumbled with his wallet to collect a couple dollars out and feed them into a little dispenser near the driver's seat. He heard the coins clink below, giving him change. He would have much rather just left them than crouch down and stick his fingers in the little hole, but he knew Rey was watching expectantly. As he bent, his elbow swiped the leg of large lady sitting in the front row and he yanked it back awkwardly, which then made him bonk into Rey's ankle. He grabbed out his coins and stood up quickly, whacking his head on a low hanging bar. Before today, he would have said he had never felt more out of his element, but the day had been chock full of the feeling.

Rey grimaced on his behalf and quickly found a couple empty seats. He felt every eye on the bus on him as he slunk back and sat down next to her, his legs barely fitting in the space in front of him. To his astonishment, Rey started rubbing his head.

"That looked painful. You're too tall for your own good, you know. Where does it hurt?"

Ben leaned his head towards her, indicating the side he had hurt. She rubbed back and forth and he closed his eyes, suddenly able to ignore the fact he was on a grimy city bus in Coruscant Hills, dressed in a mechanic's outfit, getting caressed by a girl who was maybe dating his coworker, and just focus on the feeling of her fingers in his hair. It was incredibly soothing, but she stopped after just a few moments.

"So, since we live in the same complex, I can help you catch the bus in the morning, too," she said, once she had dropped her hand and he looked back up. "Although, I guess I have to go early tomorrow morning and finish up those two cars before we open up. It won't take me long, but I'd hate to make you have to get up earlier. I can just show you what to do when we get off –"

"Its fine," Ben interrupted her. "It's only fair that I go in early and help you out since you used up your time teaching me today. Maybe you can show me what you're doing as you go?"

He hated how stupidly hopeful he sounded. He apparently said the right thing, though, because he was rewarded with another dazzling smile.

"That would be great, Ren. There's a bus that leaves at 6:09 AM. If we catch that, it should give us enough time to finish the cars before 8."

They finished the rest of the bus ride in comfortable silence before eventually getting off. She guided him down the street and to the complex's parking lot.

"Which apartment is yours?" asked Rey.

He looked over at the numbers on the doors but was too nervous to pick one in case it might be Rey's. It was bound to happen, with his luck today.

"Before I go there, let me walk you to your door," Ben answered instead. "I feel like it's my job to make sure you get home safely."

"Ren, we're already here."

"Yeah, but my mom would have my neck if I ever let a woman walk home alone at night in a dangerous neighborhood."

"Oh, my gosh," said Rey, exasperated. "You're as bad as Finn. It's not dark, and it's not even a dangerous neighborhood. I've lived here for ten years and have been just fine. But fine, I'll allow it." She said this with the air of bestowing a great favor.

Ben grinned and followed her to her door.

"K, well, we're here," said Rey. "Where is yours?"

"Erm, upstairs," said Ben.

"What's the number? I'd love to bring you some-"

Just then, Ben's ringtone went off and he snatched up his phone, which displayed Mitaka's name. Relieved, he held it up to Rey apologetically and said, "oh, really gotta take this. Have a good night Rey. See you in the morning."

He slipped away to answer, hearing Mitaka say he was outside the complex. As he climbed in the car, he looked at Mitaka and said, "just don't ask."

"Wasn't gonna," said Mitaka.