"That was delicious," Ben said before wiping his lips with the edge of a paper napkin, "thank you, Rey."
Flicking a strand of hair from her eyes, Rey glanced down to her nearly empty plate and smiled warmly. Not since Poe had someone praised her cooking with such conviction. It was the fifth time in the span of a half an hour that the handsome man had made a comment on how good her dinner was. Ben sure knew how to make a girl feel good.
"It was just jarred sauce and noodles, I couldn't really screw that up," Rey said with a small laugh.
"Hey...you're talking to a guy that lives off of microwavable dinners," Ben offered with a large smile, "this was the best meal I've had in years."
Standing from her seat, Rey began to gather the dirty dishes from Ben and Sam. Piling the plates and utensils on top of one another, the girl pulled her hazel eyes to her guest and arched a brow.
"Thank you, Ben...I have some dessert in the fridge...would you like some?" Rey asked, gesturing to the small kitchen with a flick of her head.
"Peanut butter pie?" Ben asked suddenly.
Stopping dead in her tracks, Rey took in a sharp breath and blinked her eyes. Had he looked in her refrigerator while she was using the bathroom?
"How did you know?"
Internally swearing at himself, Ben shrugged his large shoulders and cleared his throat. He remembered Poe bragging to all of the guys about how his wife made the best peanut butter pie every Sunday morning. To Ben, Poe was the luckiest man alive. Not only did the fighter pilot have a beautiful wife, but he had a beautiful wife that made him peanut butter pie every week.
"Lucky guess?" Ben said, his voice lifting towards the end.
Rey picked up the stack of dirty dishes from the small table and gave Ben a curious look. It was too specific to be coincidental. Maybe her new neighbor was psychic?
"Huh...well, yes, actually. Would you like some?" Rey asked, deciding not to dwell on it.
"Yes, please!" Ben exclaimed, excited that he was being given the opportunity to taste Rey's famous pie.
"Perfect...Sam, would you like some, love?" Rey asked, grinning at her little boy.
Nodding his head, Sam gave his Mum a smile that lit up his freckled face. It wasn't every night he got dessert. Maybe when Ben married his Mummy, they would have dessert every night! It was a fun thought for the tiny tyke.
"Yes, Mummy!" Sam squealed.
"Ok...peanut butter pie, coming right up!" Rey said sweetly before heading into the kitchen.
Watching his Mummy leave the room, Sam hoisted himself on his knees and leaned half of his body on the wooden dinner table. He needed to talk to Mr. Solo, man-to-man.
"Pssst, Mr. Solo?" Sam began, urging Ben forward with a wave of his hand.
Raising a dark brow at the little boy, Ben scooted himself closer and dropped his torso over the table. He was curious to know what Sam wanted to say, he looked much too serious for a five year old.
"Yes, Sam?"
"My Mummy likes you," Sam stated plainly.
Quirking his head do the side, Ben stared at the little boy a long moment; unsure if he had heard him correctly.
"What?" Ben finally asked.
Rolling his brown eyes, Sam shimmied himself closer to Ben on the tabletop. His Mummy would be back soon, the little boy knew he had to work quickly.
"She likes you! She thinks you're cute!" Sam said in an almost whisper.
Scoffing at the boy, Ben sat back in his chair and tapped his fingers on the table. There was no way that that gorgeous creature thought he was cute. It must be wishful thinking on Sam's part.
"I don't think so, Sam," Ben said with a shake of his head.
Sam let out an exasperated sigh and slapped his forehead with his open palm. This would be more work than he thought. Why were grownups so blind?
"It's true! I heard her tell Uncle Finn last night! She said, 'I just ran into Sam's cute teacher.' I heard her say that, Mr. Solo!"
Surveying the little tyke, Ben couldn't help but smile a little bit. Although he didn't fully believe Sam, it was nice to think that maybe Rey had said that about him. He certainly felt that way about her.
"Take her to a movie," Sam continued, "Mummy loves movies!"
"I don't know, Sam...I don't think that would be appropria-"
Before Ben could finish his sentence, Rey sauntered into the room carrying three small plates of pie. Knowing she had walked in on something by the way Sam was strewn over the table, the girl furrowed her brow and glanced back and forth between her son and Ben. Just what on Earth had she interrupted?
"What wouldn't be appropriate?" Rey asked, handing out plates of pie and forks.
Stabbing his peanut butter pie with his fork, Sam scooped up a piece and brought it to his mouth. He might as well tell his Mum. The quicker they realized they were supposed to get married, the better.
"Mr. Solo is gonna take you to the movies!" Sam exclaimed before shoving his dessert into his mouth.
Sitting down in her seat, Rey looked at Ben with her finely featured face scrunched in confusion. No, that certainly wouldn't be appropriate, she thought to herself. Ben was Sam's teacher. His tall, dark, and handsome teacher that she had been thinking about nonstop; but his teacher, nonetheless.
"Don't be silly, Sam," Rey laughed with a shake of her head, brushing off the thought.
Taking Rey's lead, Ben chuckled lightly and picked up his fork. He couldn't help but feel a little defeated from her reaction but it was absurd to think she might feel anything for him. They had only just met and besides, she was Poe's widow. What kind of a friend would he be if he tried to scoop her up?
Sam glared at his Mum and Ben with a frustrated frown on his face. Didn't they see? They were meant for each other. Even his Daddy thought so!
"M'not silly…," Sam muttered under his breath.
Ignoring the small bit of attitude Sam was displaying, Ben cut off a piece of pie and brought it to his lips. Even though he felt like bolting from the room out of embarrassment, he didn't want to be rude. Taking a bite of the peanut butter pie, Ben moaned loudly and let his dark eyes roll back into his head; it was the most delicious thing Ben had ever put into his mouth.
Smiling at Ben's reaction, Rey straightened her back and picked up her own fork. He looked so sweet diving into his dessert, she mused. Maybe she would have to make him an entire pie as his holiday teacher's gift.
"Do you like it?" Rey asked hopefully.
Nodding his head, Ben swallowed his mouthful and promptly took a drink of water to wash down the decadent dessert. Poe was right, his beautiful wife did make the best peanut butter pie.
"Oh, so good...seriously, Rey. You know...the PTA is having a bake sale, soon. This would be a hit! I could bring you some information on contributing to it, if you want?" Ben offered.
Rey mulled the thought over in her mind a moment. She always told herself she would be involved in activities when Sam started kindergarten. It would be fun to help the school, and if Ben was involved in the bake sale, well then, that was even more of an incentive.
"I would like that, thank you Ben," Rey said before digging into her own dessert.
"Of course, Rey," Ben stated with a warm smile, thrilled with the prospect of having an excuse to spend more time with her.
"Thank you so much for dinner," Ben said as Rey walked him to the door.
Grinning at her tall neighbor, the girl reached up and gave him a small pat on his back. She had thoroughly enjoyed Ben's company; they had quite a few things in common. He was an interesting man, someone Rey definitely wanted to know better.
"It was my pleasure. Did you get enough to eat?" Rey asked, struggling slightly to open her sticky front door.
Watching Rey yank the metal door open, Ben made a mental note to fix it. It was unsafe for her and Sam to have a front door that didn't open properly, and it was his duty to Poe to make sure they were safe.
"Oh, more than enough! Hmm...looks like your door needs new screws in the hinges. That's an easy fix. I could come over this weekend and take care of it for you, if you want?" Ben asked hopefully.
Blinking at Ben, Rey took in a breath and nodded her head. She didn't see the harm in having the handsome man fix her door.
"That would be great! You would save me the hassle of dealing with the manager. I heard he takes his sweet time getting things fixed," Rey said.
"You heard correctly, he definitely does," Ben stated with a snicker, "I'll take care of it. It's no problem."
"Fantastic, thank you Ben," Rey said with a small clap of her hands, "well...it was really nice having you join us, tonight. I guess I'll see you later?"
"Yes, definitely," Ben acknowledged, turning his large body towards the beautiful girl.
Rey stared at Ben a moment, letting herself appreciate how he filled the space in her doorway. She had felt conflicted about being attracted to him earlier in the day, but now Rey wasn't quite as torn. She quite liked him; a lot.
Getting sudden butterflies in his stomach by the way Rey was looking at him, Ben opened his arms and leaned towards her. He didn't know if it was appropriate or not but he didn't care. Ben wanted to give the Rey a goodnight hug.
Swallowing nervously as Ben closed in, the girl mimicked his action and took a step closer. Thinking he was going to give her a kiss, Rey closed her eyes and turned her head towards Ben's. It had been too long since she had been kissed and the realization caused a cold shiver to run through her limbs. What if she sucked at it?
Completely oblivious to Rey's expectation of a kiss, Ben wrapped his long arms around her svelte frame and gave her a quick embrace. Not allowing himself to dwell on how good she felt in his arms, Ben released Rey after a fast squeeze and stepped through the threshold out into the hallway.
"Goodnight, Rey," Ben offered over his shoulder before heading down the dark corridor.
"Uh...goodnight," Rey said in bewilderment as she watched Ben slip away; not understanding what she did wrong.