Thanks everyone for reading and for those who have reviewed! Hope this chapter brightens your day!

Phoenix1218: I'm trying to make their relationship as natural as possible, while also keeping the story on a medium burn. Some aspects in their relationship move rather quickly, but I want it to feel mature. They are both in their early thirties, so things you'd find in a teenage/twenty-year-olds romance I don't use in here. ldsrsc: I'm glad you feel like there is realism to this story! While it is fiction, I want it to be as relatable and realistic as possible. I do take liberties with some of the realism, though. But I hope you still like it! MBellicose: Thank you for liking my writing! I'm never completely happy with it, but I've started to accept it. Ben and Rey have been on quite the emotional rollercoaster over the weekend. Time will speed up and I will jump ahead after this chapter. But now, at least they are on the same page with Rey needing to calm down and Ben being honest with her about her behavior. Fighting between those two should be minimal from now on. Aleta Wolff: Thanks for liking it and finding the chapter cute! Feathers: I like reading conversations, too. I love seeing characters interact with each other. I find that a lot more compelling to read. It did get quite stressful there for a minute, but I didn't want that stress to be dragged out for a long time. Some things will be – like the fact that Ben has Poe's heart. But the story revolves around that being a secret, though. lexmckkni: And more I shall give you! Hope you get your fix from this chapter ;) Carvertown: You're totally fine! I understand needing to take a break from fanfic because of reading something that hits a little too close to home. Welcome back! Haha, yeah, since you know me in real life, you know that most of what I say doesn't even cover half of what I'm thinking. But here, it's nice to write something that's more close to my personality. Thanks for being invested with the story! Love you, too! Lucel18: The attraction is definitely strong with these two. Might be getting some smut soon... we'll see. And Kay needs to be brought up to speed with what's going on between them. She needs details! lol.

Warning for this chapter: there is a flashback of Rey finding out Poe's diagnosis of being brain dead. If that is too much for you to handle, skip over the italics a little after the beginning of this chapter.

Chapter Eight: The Blight of Liveliness

When Rey had been so lost within the unfairness of her life, it never dawned on her that there were parts she should've enjoyed. Chances she should've taken. Dreams she should've lived out. Friends she could've made.

Sitting in the passenger seat of Ben's truck – well, technically, his father's truck, as he had explained – Rey watched the evening light of the sun cast the last remnants of warmth on the buildings they passed, all the while thinking of BB.

True to his word, Ben had taken her to visit him after she got dressed. She spent most of the afternoon by BB's side, fingers softly stroking one of his paws, the only part of him she wasn't scared to touch.

Rey didn't actually hate BB, even if she did occasionally say so… and sometimes proclaimed it from the rooftops. But that didn't mean she had a special bond with him, either. Not like Poe had. Looking after BB the last couple years had been more for Rey's benefit than anything else – it was the last thing of Poe that remained in their once shared home. Even after boxing up and putting Poe's things in storage, she had treated the dog like a displaced object rather than an actual living, breathing being who was just as lonely as her.

And from that line of thinking, Rey thought of Shara. Rey visited her multiple times a week, feeding and talking to her, trying to lift the gorilla out of the depression over not having seen Poe for a very long time. She had more of a relationship with Shara than she did with BB.

Rey had been so self-absorbed and angry, that she wondered if she'd missed the opportunity to find kinship with the one thing that loved Poe more than she did.

The guilt was piling on swift and fast.

"We're here," Ben said softly. Rey blinked out of her daze, seeing that he had parked in front of her place. She hadn't even noticed that they had stopped.

Ben reached behind, grabbing the small duffle from the back seat. "I'll carry in your stuff for you."

Rey nodded, and then opened the door.

The walk up and inside the brownstone was quiet, her thoughts still back with BB in the zoo's medical facility. Seeing him hooked up to monitors, tubes coming out of his small body, Rey couldn't help but remember Poe in a similar position… before they had wheeled him away after her final goodbye.

"… from the extensive scans, and the two other doctors being consulted and coming to the same diagnosis, Poe is by all accounts… brain dead."

Kay was softly crying, holding on tightly to Rey's hand, still wearing the black cocktail dress from the gala. They sat in chairs that offered no comfort, much like the situation that was playing out in real time.

The male doctor – young, probably between Poe and Rey in age – was sitting across from them in the private room they'd been moved to. He did all the talking as a middle-aged woman sat next to him. Rey figured she was another physician from the white lab coat.

"But…" Rey found herself saying. "I don't understand. He's breathing–"

"With the help of the ventilator. He can't breathe on his own otherwise."

"So… he'll never wake up?"

"The damage to his brain from the accident was severe." Brain dead. Ventilator. Accident. Damage. The doctor kept talking, saying something about how some of Poe's organs were already starting to shut down, and even with machine help, his heart will eventually stop. But all Rey could think about was how she just wanted to go back to Poe's room, hold his hand, and sit by his bed.

Rey's focus came back when Kay said her name. "Huh? What did you say?"

"The doctor," Kay hiccupped, wiping at her face, "he's talking about organ donation."

"No," Rey firmly told the man, but it was the woman who answered.

"Your brother is a registered organ donor –"

"I don't care," Rey said vehemently. "He won't be donating. He'll wake up."

He'll wake up.

The woman leaned forward, all matter-of-fact, but with a softness to her eyes that contradicted her expression. "I understand this is a very difficult time for you. My husband suddenly died of a brain aneurysm five years ago. Something like this is very upsetting and horrible and there is no such thing as the right way to react. But I want you to understand what is going on here without room for interpretation, because it would be irresponsible of us to give you false hope. Your brother waking up is impossible." The male doctor blanched, opened his mouth to say something, but the woman steamrolled right over him. "While his heart is still beating, keeping his body alive, Poe is gone. Waking up from brain-damage is a thing, but Poe is brain-dead, not damaged. And no one has ever recovered from such a diagnosis. Ever."

The words splintered inside of Rey, causing more pain than the accident ever could to her body. Still in her white, blood stained dress, arm in a cast and sling, Rey understood what the doctors were trying to tell her: No more joining Poe on his walks with BB. No more birthdays of making Poe watch whatever movie was in the theater that day. No more late night chats over leftover Chinese food at the kitchen table.

How was it only mere hours ago that Poe had been laughing and dancing, and now?

"Dr. Kalonia is right," the young male doctor concurred painstakingly. "Poe will not wake up. I'm so sorry."

Rey's breath was ragged, but she calmed it a little, at least. "What if I don't wish him to donate?"

She couldn't imagine his body being cut into and harvested for the things that were his. He should be buried whole, not scrapped for parts.

"Under state law, a family cannot override the donation of the individual who is registered."

That statement was like a slap to the face. "I have no say?"

"Plainly speaking, no." Rey kept looking to the doctors, mouth hanging open. They stood, each of them offering their condolences. "We'll give you some time to process all of this. You can go back to Poe's room whenever you want."

Kay helped get Rey back to her brother, situating her in the same chair as before. She asked Rey if she wanted to change into some scrubs. For the third time, Rey declined.

Logically, Rey knew Poe was dead. Knew he wouldn't want to his body kept like this. But he was lying there, alive. There was color to his scratched up face, his skin warm, a pulse at his wrist.

But the ventilator and bandaging on his head was the evidence that sentimentality was playing tricks on Rey's heart.

Rey watched her brother's chest rise and fall, dazed, not believing any of this was real. Wondering if she'd had a stroke. Wondering if this was some kind of hallucination. Wondering if this was the end of her life.

Not yours, but Poe's.

"What do you think he'd want?" Rey lightly asked, shifting her gaze to Kay sitting on the opposite side of the bed.

Kaydel looked to her mentor with bloodshot eyes. "If there's a chance Poe could save a life, he'd do it. In a heartbeat."

Rey started to sob.

Rey lingered in the entryway, thoughts all over the place as Ben looked unsure on what he should do.

"You're sure BB will be fine?" she asked.

"I talked with Kay, Mitaka, and Jess before we left. We're going to rotate watching over him the next few days. But he's out of the most critical part of it."

"... Okay."

Rey's mind harshly shifted to the letter she received from the person who now had Poe's heart. It was in her desk in the den, buried beneath a box of pencils, sketching paper, snacks, and whatever else was able to be stuffed in there. Rey had wanted to throw it away, burn it, run it over with her truck when she first read it. But she didn't. She couldn't bring herself to get rid of the thing.

Now, she actually had a strange urge to go read it again.

Ben lifted his hand as if he was going to touch her. Then lowered it. "Do you… are you hungry?"

"I don't know."

"If you're still wanting to shower, I can throw something together for you."

"Okay," Rey said again, turning to him. "I'm sorry I'm not so talkative right now. It's weird… being here without BB."

"I get it. And you don't have to say anything."

"I just want you to know that me being like this has nothing to do with you. You've been great… all day. I appreciate everything you've done for me."

"You're welcome," he said, his voice extra low and sensual. At this point, Rey was pretty sure he had no idea that those little changes in his tone upped his sex appeal by a million points. "And don't worry about me. I just want you to feel better."

She nodded and gave a soft smile before heading upstairs, catching Ben's worried frown as she glanced back at him.

The shower lasted till the water went frigid. Rey wasn't sure how long she was in there. She'd taken long showers before, but never to the extent of depleting her three-month-old water heater.

Hair wrapped in a towel, a loose grey shirt and sweats hanging off her slender frame, she plopped onto her bed. Eyes on the ceiling fan.

There was a soft knock at the door. Rey sat up and tugged the towel from atop her head, running quick fingers through her damp hair.

Good enough. "Come in," she called out.

Ben timidly opened the door, popping his head in first before entering. Rey's mouth watered the instant she saw a plate in one of his hands, her stomach roaring as if it had just been brought back to life.

Guess she was hungry.

Ben scanned her room before landing on the bookcases lining the adjacent wall, books crammed into every ounce of space. "That's quite a collection of reading material," he complimented. She recalled giving him a similar compliment on the collection of books back at his place.

Rey glanced at it, thinking that it was probably larger than Ben's. "It's my 'shelf-confidence', as I like to call it."

His lips did that cute up-curve, a product from her humor. She could get used to making him smile. "Nice play on words."

"I thought so."

Ben placed a water bottle on her nightstand, holding out the plate. "I, uh, hope you like chicken piccata."

Rey took the plate like a reverent offering, gazing at the mouth-watering feast. "How in the world did you make this?"

"It's not too difficult, actually. If you just –"

"No, I mean, I don't have any of the ingredients for something like... this." Rey barely had a stick of butter and a carton of milk. Probably expired.

"Oh." Ben ran a hand through his hair, scratching awkwardly at the back. "I went to that little grocery store a block over to grab some stuff. Rita's, I think it's called? They had everything I needed. And your fridge should be stocked enough to last you the rest of the week. So… yeah."

"You bought me groceries," she stated in awe.

Ben sat on the plush yellow chair in the corner, his massive body too big for the small frame, making it creak in protest. He leaned forward, elbows to knees, trying to disperse some of his weight. "I know when I'm not doing well, food's the last thing I want to worry about. I just… wanted to help you somehow."

Rey had only met this man on Friday – was time even a thing? – but it was remarkable how she felt like she'd known him a lot longer than that. "You saved BB. You've helped me enough."

"I don't think there's a cap on how much you can help someone."

God, his sincerity was going to murder the part of her personality that was self-centered.

Rey focused on the food, noticing that he cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces so she didn't have to. Swirling a wad of noodles onto the fork and spearing a piece of the meat, she took a generous sized bite.

Keep him. Tie him down so he never leaves you. Worship the ground he walks on.

Hot damn, this boy could cook.

Rey moaned, chewing quickly. "Wow…" she admonished, placing a finger over her lips. "This is amazing."

Ben positively beamed. "Really?"

"You must be quite the chef."

"Cooking is more like a hobby for me. I'm really not that great at it." And there he went, trying to be modest. "And I only really know how to cook meals that I like."

"Well, you're leaps and bounds ahead of me." Rey took a swig out of the water bottle. "Takeout and freezer meals are my go-to."

"I noticed." Ben steepled his fingers, the corner of his mouth lifting with mirth. "I especially liked the dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets in your freezer. And the SpongeBob mac-n-cheese in the pantry. If I didn't know any better, I'd think a child ran this place."

Rey abruptly gulped down the half-chewed food so she could defend herself. "Hey. I'm an adult. Just last week I bought a vegetable."

"What was it?"

"... green."

"That's a color."

"Some would argue it's a flavor." Rey kept eye contact as she took another bite, challenging him.

Ben's voice lowered, a sultriness to it that almost made Rey choke. "Do I need to make sure you eat your daily vegetables?" Okay, scratch her earlier assessment. He had to know what that voice did to her… right? Why else weaponize it?

Rey told her eyes to glare at him, but she doubted they actually were. "I'll fight you."

"How do you think that'll go?" he asked, arching a brow.

You pull down my pants, bend me over a couch and rut into me like you're a bull.

Wow… the romance.

Rey didn't answer him. She needed a moment to remember how to speak. Situating herself against the bed's headboard, her pillows offered her back some cushion as she reached over for the remote and turned the TV on, plate resting in her lap.

"Do you–" Rey's voice cracked. She cleared it. "Do you want to watch something with me?" She glanced over, finding his eyes to be on her and not the television. God, how was he so beautiful, so perfect, with those big brown eyes… and those lips? Soft, naturally pink. She would suck at those lips, nip at them, give them the attention they so rightfully deserved.

Slow. Remember? Sloooooooow.

Rey was many things; patient was not one of them. Couldn't she at least snuggle up to him? Rest her head on his chest that was no doubt chiseled like a marble statue? Hell, she'd take holding his hand. She just wanted something.

"We could see what's on?" she added, breathless, like she just sprinted a mile.

Ben's forehead crinkled. "In here?"

"I know my bed isn't as big as yours, but I don't take up that much room."

"I can sit here."

Yeah… that chair was not going to last much longer.

"No, it would just make me anxious knowing you're uncomfortable. Please, I… you can lay on the bed." She scooted over, making more room. "I don't mind. Really."

Ben pressed his lips together, rounding his jaw. "Umm…. Okay."

He stood, and Rey immediately knew that it was indeed going to be a tight fit on her queen-sized mattress. "There's extra blankets in the trunk in the den, next to my desk. It's the door down the hall and to the right."

Ben nodded and left. Rey scarfed down the rest of the food, chewing with her mouth open, taking big gulps of water in between. Then she got up, ran to the bathroom on quiet feet, and went through an appearance check: teeth clean, face unblemished, hair not too frizzy from air-drying.

Cute, in a lazy sort of way. Passable.

Launching herself back on the bed, Rey looked to be casually channel surfing as she waited… waited… and waited for Ben to come back. Minutes ticked by. Felt like decades. Did he get lost? Was he using the spare bathroom? Rey was about to go looking for him when he finally reappeared, a brown blanket in hand.

He remained at the doorway. Something was off about him. Was he nervous? That made two of them.

Rey patted the space next to her. Ben scraped a hand through his hair before closing the distance between them. The bed dipped considerably as he reclined next to her, and Rey had to angle herself away from him or else she would've slid onto his lap… because that would be bad. Very, very bad.

"Is Chopped alright?" she asked.

"Yeah," he quietly answered, crossing his ankles and arms, tense. "I'll watch anything on Food Network."

"Same."

As they lounged in silence, Rey tried to pay attention to the program, making comments here and there in an effort to strike up a conversation. But Ben remained tight and reserved no matter what she said.

Rey shook her head. "I never understood why someone would try to make risotto in twenty minutes. It's like they want to lose."

"Yeah…"

Rey peeked over at him, noticing the rigidity of his jaw from his side profile. "You okay?"

"Just tired."

"You can close your eyes and sleep if you want."

Ben grimaced. "Actually... can I ask you about the painting you have hanging up in the den?"

"Is that why you were in there for a while?" Rey turned down the volume, shifting herself so she could face him more head-on. "The artist in you needed to give it a closer look?"

"Yeah. I…" He rubbed his lips with his fingertips. "I don't want this to come off as rude, but you don't seem–"

Rey showed her ironic smirk. "– like the type of person to own such a thing? I'm not offended; I know it's true."

Ben tilted his head. "Where did you get it?"

She heard the slightest overemphasis on the word "it".

Rey hadn't been expecting to talk about the one random painting she happened to own. But hey, if Ben was actually starting to converse with her, she'd take whatever subject she could get.

"I was at a meeting downtown," Rey began to explain, "negotiating a contract for some new materials. It went longer than I wanted it to and I was starving by the time it was over. I wandered around, looking for a place to eat when I saw this exhibit across the street, the windows showcasing some paintings. There was something about them that just… made me go over." Ben was really focusing on her now. Like he could see into her inner thoughts and desires with that singular gaze. "I know nothing about art. Like, zilch. But… I don't know, the paintings just felt so real. I was still struggling a lot over losing Poe, but the images seemed to understand that. Which is weird, I know–"

"It's not weird."

Rey had to look away from him, combustion an actual concern from the way he was staring at her. "Anyway, most of the paintings were already sold by the time I got there. But I was able to snatch one up before this older lady could get it. Which is good, because it happened to be my favorite. The Blight of Liveliness is what it's called, and I'm pretty sure that lady wanted to kill me as I was finalizing the purchase. But you snooze, you lose. I just wish I could own more stuff by the artist. He hasn't sold anything else since then." She braved a look at Ben. His fixed stare was down on the bed. "Did you like it?"

He looked up. "Hmm?"

"The painting?"

"Oh. Yeah… It's, uh, one of my favorites of his."

Of course he would know about Kylo Ren. She figured most artists did that lived in the area.

"Well, if you want to know who he is, you're out of luck. I've tried to get Kylo Ren's real name from the gallery, but they wouldn't budge. Apparently the guy wants to stay anonymous."

Ben adjusted his posture so he was sitting more upright. "Maybe he's just a really private person."

"Probably is, and I don't blame him. It's actually something to admire, if you think about it."

His brows rose. "It is?"

Rey nodded. "In this day and age where everyone wants to be famous and get attention, it's nice to see someone do something they love that's not purely based on recognition. They just create something beautiful and put it out in the world. Not many selfless people, nowadays. Ya know?"

"Yeah…" he agreed, looking to the TV and chewing at the inside of his cheek.

They went back to watching the program, Ben making comments right along with her, sinking a little lower into her bed. In the middle of the next episode, Rey heard soft breathing from beside her, finding him fast asleep. She lifted the blanket so it stretched over his torso, the relaxed lines of his slumbering face making him appear ten years younger.

It would've been nice to have met him then. Maybe they would have experienced their twenties together.

Tentatively, Rey touched his hair, caressing just the outside layer. It was as soft and silky as she imagined it to be.

()()()()()

Ben roused, at first burrowing deeper into the warmth of the sheets and pillows. He half wondered if he was dreaming, but upon lazily opening his eyes, the dark familiar room was more real than anything his subconscious could conjure. In the span of a second, he was more awake than he'd ever been, sitting up, finding he was alone.

Rey's side of the bed was cold.

He went to his feet, rubbing the Z's from his eyes. Ben ventured out into the hall, seeing a slit of light coming from the partially open door of the den.

He knocked lightly before pushing it open.

Rey was leaning over the desk, pencil in hand as she made lines over a large sheet of paper. She didn't seem to notice him.

"Rey?"

Her head snapped up, body going still.

Ben neared her. "Hey. What are you doing?"

Rey put the pencil down, shrugging. "Just looking over some things… and thinking."

The patterns on the paper held no relevance to him, but he could recognize the beginnings of a building taking shape. "And you said you knew nothing about art. I'd consider this quite a good sketch."

"I can make lines and a design, but ask me to draw a portrait or a landscape and I'm lost."

Rey's gaze went to the painting on the wall, the one he, under the pseudonym Kylo Ren, had made. Out of the whole city of Chicago, and it had to be her who had acquired his most precious creation. He didn't know what to think of that, of what a huge coincidence it appeared to be.

He'd been about to tell her he was Kylo Ren, had made up his mind that he would when he found the painting earlier. But he couldn't get the words out. What if she asked him what it was? What had made him draw a woman figure in a white dress, covered in blood? What if those questions led to a deeper line of inquiries? She had seen his other works, knew they were emotional and dark. If she asked him what his inspiration was, what did he say?

Ben didn't want to tell her about the heart transplant. Once someone knew, they treated him differently, more fragile. Breakable. And around Rey, he felt more like a man than he ever had in his entire life. He couldn't lose that.

The air conditioning came alive. Ben felt the coolness on his face.

"Would you like to go somewhere with me?" Rey asked him.

"Now?" Ben glanced at the clock ticking away by the curtained window. 8:53 p.m. He needed to take his evening meds. He'd already been late taking them yesterday due to BB, so he should proba–

"I want to show you something," she added, as if he needed convincing… which he sorta did.

He needed to get to his medication… but with the way Rey was staring at him, open and hopeful, he just couldn't tell her no. "Okay."

The drive was about twenty minutes, most of which was spent in relative silence. But it wasn't of the awkward kind. More like a peaceful quiet that was experienced when two people were comfortable being in one another's company.

Ben followed her to the side entrance of a skyscraper situated downtown, one that was probably used by maintenance and cleaning staff. The hallway was retina shattering with how brightly lit it was, causing him to squint all the way to the service elevator. He wondered where exactly she was taking him.

"This building… it was the first one I designed and built," she said, the lift creaking along.

"Really?"

"The owner took a chance on me, a newbie just out of school. But he said that out of all the other prospects, I was the only one who added beauty into the design." Rey kept talking, describing her inspiration for outlining the initial design and saying things Ben didn't quite understand.

Rey was so smart that he was intimidated. She threw around engineering terms like a pro tennis player covering a U.S. Open volley, her voice as passionate as a Broadway star performing the climactic scene.

It was so fucking attractive.

The elevator stopped and opened, and they turned down another long hallway. Rey stopped at a door, punching in a six-digit passcode. When Ben stepped through the entryway, the warm night air welcomed him solemnly, the smell of the atmosphere hitting his nose. There were steel beams, ductwork, and an overhang to get past, but Rey guided him to where she wanted them to go.

"Watch your head," she warned.

Ben ducked under a beam and then stopped at the edge of the building, right against the safety railing. The whole city of Chicago was laid out before him, monoliths of concrete soaring out of the sidewalk in exact grid patterns. His jaw slackened at the sight.

Rey eyed him, noticing his reaction. "This was also the first job I supervised on my own. I love this building."

"Wow. That's incredible," he said gently, tearing his eyes away to glance at her admonishingly. "We can see all this because we're standing on something you built."

She chuckled. "I had help."

"You mean you didn't do this all by yourself?" Ben asked with mock disappointment. He sheathed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "You misled me."

Rey rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest in a relaxed way. They both went back to appreciating the majestic view of the skyline, not a single cloud in the dark sky. Rows of buildings and skyscrapers stretched out across the concrete terrain, some of the windows alight from within. A half-moon hovered at the fringes of the glowing cityscape, the red blinking lights of radio towers twinkling in the distance.

Ben loved this city. New York was a close second, but here in Chicago, you at least had greenery and trees and parks in more abundance. And you still had a good view of the sky–

"I…" Rey started to say, unsure. "I told you about my parents dying in a car accident, but I left out the part where they weren't my biological parents. They adopted me when I was six from a London orphanage. I have no clue who my real parents are. They just left me on the doorstep when I was four, the name Reyna inscribed in my jacket. The police never found any records of me, so… they never found who left me there."

Ben clenched his hands into fists. What kind of parents did that to their child? "I'm so sorry."

Rey tensed, her tone a little on edge. "I'm not looking for your pity."

"And you don't have it." She shot him a surprised look. "I wouldn't offend you in such a way. But… you don't have to tell me this if you don't want to."

"I want you to know, though," she muttered, her eyes wandering across his face as she leaned against the concrete guardrail. "I don't remember Shara or Kes much, but I'm deeply grateful for the new life they gave me. And I got Poe out of it. I consider myself one of the lucky orphans. Not all of them get a family."

But her family was now gone.

"You don't have any ties to London anymore?"

She shook her head. "I did have dual citizenship since Shara was British and Kes was American. But after graduating high school, I didn't want anything to do with England anymore. So I gave up my citizenship and became a full blooded American."

"Do you regret doing that?"

"No. The U.S. is my home." Her brows scrunched together. "Though, I don't think I'll ever get used to The Fourth of July."

"Still bitter about us winning the Revolutionary War?"

Rey snorted. "Without France, you guys would've been toast. You bloody Americans always want to take all the credit," she said, laying her accent on quite thick.

Ben nudged her gently with his shoulder. "Watch it, you're one of those 'bloody Americans' now."

Her modest smile made his heart skip. "No, I just still find it odd how patriotic all of you are. It's not bad, but definitely a culture shock."

There was a pause. And Ben felt compelled to ask, "But you do like it here? In the States?"

"I can't imagine myself anywhere else."

Well, he didn't have to worry about her leaving then.

"I'm glad you're here," Ben honestly stated.

Rey met his stare, grinning as if he just told her she was the most beautiful woman in existence.

Seven billion smiles, but hers was his favorite.

Ben watched tiny vehicles rush along tangled lines of streets, weaving together strings of light.

Rey shifted herself closer to him and cleared her throat. "It's been years since I last dated anyone seriously, and even then, I've never had a relationship last more than a handful of weeks. So this may sound a bit juvenile, but, uh… may I hold your hand?"

Their eyes locked, neither of them blinking. Ben had to remind himself to breathe.

He held out his hand. Rey took it without hesitation, intertwining her fingers with his. Their palms were fixed securely together, her tiny hand the missing puzzle piece to his own. She positioned herself next to him, lolling her head onto his upper arm since she was slightly too short to rest it on his shoulder.

Ben wasn't trembling; he wasn't nervous. How could he be when being with Rey at this moment felt so unerring? He could see himself loving her, wanting things with her that he never wanted with anyone else. Even after the rollercoaster of the last few days, Ben didn't regret meeting her. And while he knew she had the potential to be his first everything, what he really wished in life was for her to be his last.

A/N

Some things I just want to point out. The flashback of Rey finding out Poe's prognosis is rather quick, and most of you will probably find Kalonia's delivery rather harsh. In her defense, doctors need to be blunt when delivering such news so there isn't room for family members to interpret a different meaning. Now, was it rather quick to get a brain dead diagnosis? More than likely. But the organ donation is sped up because some of the organs are beginning to shut down.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Already starting on the next one!