I think about you all the time
But I don't need the same
It's lonely where you are
Come back down

"Name" by The Goo Goo Dolls

Rose huffs. "Rey, for the love of everything, please be still."

Rey sighs, but relents. Valentine's Day, and the Valentine's Dance, conveniently fall on a Saturday this year, and Rey straightens her spine as Rose sweeps light blue eyeshadow across her eyelids. Her hair is tugged into an up-do, with longer pieces of her bangs left out in order to frame each side of her face.

She's already in her dress. It's breezy and airy and falls just past her knees, with a v-neckline that shows off absolutely nothing. The thin spaghetti straps had required her to purchase a new, fancy bra. The underwires poke at her sides and Rey feels herself growing surlier by the second. Plus, this dress is covered in sparkles, a detail that had seemed delightful in the store, but now seems stupid and overtly girly in a way that Rey is not.

She hasn't even been to one yet, technically, but Rey has already decided dances are not her thing.

Rose, on the other hand, is a crackling ball of happy energy. She'd picked out a red dress for herself, long hair already curled and makeup perfectly in place. And when she's not scolding Rey for fidgeting, she's talking about Finn.

That's another aspect about tonight that Rey is decidedly not looking forward to. What if a slow song comes on and Finn asks her to dance instead of Rose? Just the thought makes panic rise up her throat. She should have prioritized talking to Poe about this situation, and is kicking herself for forgetting.

Which is why, Rey has decided, she's just not going to dance with anyone at all. She'll stick to the punch and snacks and hide out in the bathroom if need be. She'll even fake having cramps.

There's a long-suffering sigh. "Rey, you moved." Rose uses a makeup removal wipe to quickly correct the smudge, then rummages through her makeup bag, debating lipstick shades. She eventually holds up two sticks that look identical. "Which one?"

"Uh. They look the same."

Rose looks mildly horrified. "This one is Bright Rose and this one is Dusky Rose. They're completely different."

Rey lets out a whine of sheer anxiety and Rose's face softens in pity. "Dusky Rose it is." She pulls off the cap to the lipstick and jerks her head to Paige's old, battered stereo that she'd left behind for them. Rose had turned on the radio when they'd started getting ready. "Just listen to this song. It's relaxing."

The acoustic guitar and soft singing don't really calm Rey's pent-up nerves. She thinks she might have heard this song once on the radio in Ben's car, briefly, before he'd scoffed and turned it off. She can almost see his disgusted expression—

Rey exhales, and Rose swipes the color over her lips with dainty strokes. "See?" She pulls back and recaps it. "You just needed some calm music."

And Rey smiles, because the music has nothing to do with it, really.

Ben comes home in less than a week.

Finn's Nana picks up both girls right at 6'o'clock. Finn turns a little to face them in the front seat and gives a resigned look. "You guys ready to have a thousand pictures taken?"

Rose squeals with excitement and Rey groans. Finn's Nana had personally called Luke earlier in the week to ask if it'd be alright to utilize the garden in the back of the studio, and Luke had instantly agreed. He'd told Rey on Thursday that he wanted copies of all the pictures, a wicked and knowing gleam in his eyes. Rey had glared at him and had refused to speak to him for the rest of the evening, sticking her tongue out at him in contempt when Maz had come to pick her up. Luke knew how she felt about having to stand for pictures. He knew.

And yet, here they are, pulling into the studio parking lot and getting out of the car.

They walk around the side of the building toward the back garden, and Rose quietly compliments Finn on his dress shirt and pants.

"Thanks!" he says cheerfully, smiling at Rose brightly. "You look nice too." He glances at Rey and says a little more shyly, "You as well, Rey."

Fuck.

The picture taking is worse than Rey had anticipated. Every couple of minutes they have to stop so that Finn can help his Nana with her new digital camera. "You press this button to turn the flash on, and this arrow if you want to view—Well, okay. You deleted that one."

Rose shifts a little while they wait, wincing down at her feet. She'd picked out shoes the same shade as her dress and with a fairly sizeable heel. They are cute, Rey admits. But they look scary.

Rey is in white and black Converse. Practical shoes were something she'd refused to budge on, despite Rose's protests.

Finn and Nana have descended into full on bickering, with Nana insisting she had deleted nothing and Finn explaining for the fourth time that if you select the trashcan icon it deletes the picture.

Rey sighs. "I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be back in a sec."

Rose nods, amused gaze never leaving Finn.

Rey maneuvers her way to the back door, lifting up the very obviously fake rock that hid the extra key. She unlocks the door swiftly and moves inside, closing the door behind her.

She takes care of her business, washing her hands and frowning at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She looks…older. More mature, maybe. This makes her feel oddly strange, and she quickly exits the bathroom before she can stare at herself any longer.

She pauses at the backdoor, ears pricking at the sound of someone shuffling around down the hall in the kitchen-office. Her brow furrows. That's weird. Luke is supposed to be out of town this weekend and she hadn't seen his car out in the parking lot.

She moves down the hall, curiosity getting the better of her. She pokes her head around the doorway to the kitchen office and sees a very tall young man standing with his back to her, music blaring, coffee maker gurgling out fresh coffee, an entire pizza on the countertop, and every paint imaginable scattered on the table.

It's almost as if Ben Solo never left.

Rey gasps, and he jerks around at the soft sound. He's clean shaven, and his hair, longer then she's ever seen it, is shower damp. His eyes go wide in surprise when he sees her, lips parting a little.

Rey's heart is hammering. Something much purer then happiness fills all the spaces in her chest that have been empty since a rainy day last June. It escapes her mouth in a shriek of sheer joy and she rushes forward, throwing her arms around Ben and squeezing tightly, assuring herself that he really is there.

His thick arms wrap around her upper shoulders and he hugs her back just as fiercely. They stand like that for a moment. When his grip finally loosens, Rey pulls back, reluctant to let go of him.

"What are you doing here? I didn't think you'd be back until tomorrow. Why didn't you tell me you were getting out today you jerk?! I would've been here—"

"What the hell are you wearing?" Ben is peering at his palms and white t-shirt, both now covered in tiny, dazzling sparkles that managed to travel from her dress to him in a matter of seconds.

"A dress," Rey deadpans. "Did you get stupider in jail? I didn't think that was possible."

He stares down at her for a beat, mouth twitching as he fights a smile. Then his face softens a little. "I missed you, kid."

Rey's heart melts a little at finally hearing his endearment for her again. "I missed you too, Ben."

She tells her friends to go to the dance without her.

Rose, who never ceases to amaze Rey at how wonderful of a friend she is, squeezes her hand in understanding as she watches Ben. He's in a deep conversation with Nana, insuring her that he'll get Rey home safely and that he'll feed her.

Rey hugs Finn, who looks sorely disappointed. "Ask Rose to slow dance," she whispers into his ear before she pulls back. He casts her a confused look before eyeing Rose, eyebrows furrowing in thought.

Hmm. Maybe she didn't need Poe's advice after all.

Ben shares his pizza with her. They sit in Luke's living room upstairs, the TV on in the background but neither of them really paying attention. He explains that he'd gotten out a little early because overcrowding, that he'd just gotten there when she found him, and that he hadn't called her because Luke told him she'd be at a dance.

And Rey, who still can barely believe he's there, asks him all about jail.

"Well, they boiled dirt and tried to pass it off as coffee. And the deodorant they give you made me smell like an old man. Hux and I made the best of it—"

Rey swallows her bite of pizza and wipes at her mouth with the back of her hand. "Who's Hux?"

"A creepy ginger fucker, but the only person whose sentence was as long as mine, and easily the only one there who could hold a conversation." Ben's gaze zeroes in on Rey's mouth. "Ah, you smeared your lipstuff." He licks his thumb and swipes it gently just under her lower lip, making her freeze.

He tries to rub the lipstick off on his jeans to no avail. "Why do girl's lipstick always stick to me like this—"

And Rey is too distracted to feel the full sting of his words, because her lip still tingles wickedly where he'd touched her.

A/N:

And he's back! Ah Ben, we all missed you, Rey most of all. I hope the reunion was up to snuff. I know a lot of y'all were leaning something a bit sweeter, perhaps, but I wanted to keep it as "them" as possible, if that makes sense.

Words can't express how much I appreciate everyone who comments and shares their love for this fic. I've had a real shit weak (rear ended someone and car is in the shop, and that's not the most garbage thing that's happened), so reading everyone's thoughts brings such warmth to my blackened heart.

If you liked let me know!