"Teddi's his ex?"
The room seemed to spin violently and Rey thought she was about to hurl everything she ate that day. She definitely should not have eaten that second serving of pasta at lunch.
Rey couldn't believe what just happened. She unknowingly met Kylo's ex-girlfriend. Holy fucking shit. She just met Kylo's ex!
Maybe it wasn't Kylo she was talking about, Rey reasoned internally, choking back a terrible sense of dread along with her lunch. She could've been talking about another boyfriend, not Kylo.
"Yup, she was," Kaydel answered, and those three words allowed Rey to give into the surge of blind panic engulfing her. "You okay there, Rey? You're looking a little green."
"Leia! Where's Leia? I need to speak to Leia!" Rey blurted like word vomit, beyond grateful it wasn't real vomit.
The puzzled blonde thankfully noted Rey's urgency and pointed to her right. "She's over there, speaking with the mayor."
Rey nodded, running past Kaydel as soon as she spotted Leia.
Teddi must've been talking about another boyfriend, though, not Kylo, no… Rey tried to calm herself down, taking large hurried steps toward Leia. Not my Kylo.
Just as Rey reached the petite woman, she remembered something. But then why did Kylo not want me to meet her this morning at the gym?
"Hello, hi, sorry," Rey stuttered, tapping on her shoulder rather brusquely as a bewildered Leia turned to face her.
"Rey?" The senator's face lit up briefly, her eyes shining for a brief second before dimming with concern upon recognizing Rey's agitated state. "What's wrong, dear?"
"Excuse me, I—I'm so sorry," Rey apologized when rational thought kicked in, embarrassment flushing red up her chest and cheeks. Shaking her head, she continued, "That was extremely rude of me. I see you're in the middle of something. It's nothing. It can wait 'til later. I'm sorry."
Not waiting for a response from Leia, she quickly turned on her heel and scurried back the way she came, leaving her future mother-in-law not only confused, but troubled.
"Rey, wait!" Leia called and the way she said it, with such an authoritative inflection, Rey didn't dare disobey and immediately halted her steps, staying frozen in place, awaiting further instructions.
A few seconds later she felt Leia's warm and comforting touch on her bare shoulder, the contact quelling her frayed nerves. Somehow she mustered the courage to move and look straight into Leila's concerned brown eyes. Her brain to mouth filter broke and without preamble, a question she didn't know she wanted to ask came bursting from within: "Did Kylo's grandfather kill his wife?"
Affront straightened Leia's spine. Surprise knocked Rey back a step and she clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes widening in shock. Leia was stoic, yielding no emotion.
Slowly, Rey dropped her hand from her face. "Leia, I—"
"I think you're right, Rey," Leia said in a steeled voice, squaring her shoulders while removing her hand from Rey's shoulder. The not-so-subtle action made Rey feel cold and she shuddered. "This can wait until later." She left without another word, storming off in the direction from where she'd come.
Rey stood there for a moment, discombobulated and shivering, until a microphone materialized out of nowhere and was rudely shoved into her face, startling her.
"Darling, your dress is absolutely stunning ! Who are you wearing?" asked a flamboyant reporter, intruding upon the tense moment. He leaned into Rey's line of sight, dressed in an impeccable black tuxedo and a neon green bow tie.
Rey could barely process anything. It was all too much to handle. She needed to leave and gather her thoughts and emotions. Rey would've run away were it not for the reporter's cameraman, who scooted closer to her and aimed his camera at Rey's shoes, bringing it up slowly from her feet to her head, stopping to focus on what she was certain was a comically flabbergasted face.
"What?" she whispered, gradually sobering up, remembering that she was on the red carpet… at the Met Gala!
"Who are you wearing, darling?" the reporter repeated, gesticulating enthusiastically as he gave her an approving once-over.
She glanced down at her dress and smoothed a hand down her torso. "It's er, it's Oscar de la Renta."
"Oh, of course! I knew it!" the reporter squealed. "He does magnificence so well, doesn't he? You look simply marvelous, dear. Radiant!"
Rey colored at the compliment. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, gorgeous! I honestly truly love it. A 10! I just think it suits the gala's theme this year so perfectly, don't you?"
The cameraman moved his camera from the reporter to focus back on Rey. She was getting super uncomfortable with all the attention. It was beyond intimidating and it didn't help that she was on her own. She was completely out of her element here.
"I suppose," was all she was able to reply.
"I saw you speaking with Senator Organa," the reporter commented, clearly not wanting to let Rey go despite her facial expression and body language conveying nothing but uneasiness. "Did you come here with her?"
"With Senator Or—oh no, no, I didn't come here with her. I came with—" Rey paused, worrying her bottom lip. Where the hell was Kylo?
The reporter dramatically threw his head back, clutching his chest. "Oh! How rude of me, darling! I didn't even ask who you were, oh! Forgive my dreadful manners!"
"That's okay, it's okay, I'm nobody so I'll just be on my way now."
"Nonsense!" the reporter stuck his hand out, preventing Rey's getaway. "Everyone that comes to the Met Gala is somebody so"—the reporter pointed a long finger at Rey and the cameraman zoomed in on her face once more—"who are you?"
Rey faltered, thinking of what the correct answer to that question was.
Was it I'm Senator Organa's future daughter-in-law? Or I'm New York's most eligible bachelor Kylo Ren's fiancée ? Or perhaps she should stick with what she'd previously said: I'm no one.
But she surprised herself when she smiled indulgently for the camera and simply stated, "I'm Rey."
The reporter squealed. "Ooh, Rey ! Mononymous, I love it! Like Cher or Madonna!" Rey genuinely laughed at that and the endorphins it released helped relax her. She didn't even mind when the reporter touched her shoulder. "Girl! Speaking of Madonna, did you know she is one of the entertainers for tonight?"
Rey shook her head. "No, I did not know that."
"Ooh girl, it's gonna be so good! You best believe that woman knows how to put on a show, mmkay?"
Chuckling, she replied, "Well, if you say so, then I'm looking forward to seeing her perform."
"You're in for a treat tonight, honey," the reporter promised. "I won't keep you any longer, I know you're probably dying to get into the party. Thanks so much for stopping to talk with us, Rey!"
"No problem." Rey did an awkward curtsy, then bolted past them. Climbing as fast as she could up the long daunting red carpeted stairs, she dodged as many reporters as she could. Being interviewed on the red carpet was a new and terrifying experience she did not wish to repeat so soon. Luckily it was an easy feat to avoid the press as the majority were busy interviewing real celebrities. Rey passed Rihanna, Emilia Clarke, Ariana Grande, Jared Leto, and Harry Styles as she climbed up the crimson stairs. Deep down she wished she'd paused to enjoy being starstruck by the Mother of Dragons and her favorite One Direction member. Sadly she couldn't afford that luxury, needing to get past the media and into the party. She was hoping to meet up with Kylo, even if she didn't know exactly how to feel about everything she'd learned tonight.
Recalling the look Leia gave her when she asked about Kylo's grandfather made her wrap her arms around herself. Rey was still quite mortified by the way she worded that awful question, but Leia's reaction was too sharp for her liking. She couldn't shake the apathetic image of Leia from her brain, a startling contrast to how she'd usually been with her. Granted, she'd only met Leia a few days ago. Rey didn't really know her.
And for that matter, did she really know who her son was? Did she know the man she had agreed to marry and spend the rest of her life with? Rey thought she did but perhaps there was much more to learn about Kylo Ren, the handsome, young and withdrawn billionaire. Who was he before that? Who was Ben Solo? Who was the man before Rey had met him? The man that Teddi spoke ill of. Were they the same? Were they different? The whole notion of not really knowing unnerved her.
What Rey did know is that she wanted to find out more. She needed to find out more. Directly from the man himself. With that thought in mind, she pulled out her cell phone from her purse to call Kylo. Where the hell was he?
Upon checking her phone, she found a new voicemail from Kylo. Rey breathed a sigh of relief when she passed the hoard of reporters and flashing lights, stopping just shy of the entrance into the museum. Putting her phone to her ear, she listened to Kylo's message.
"Rey, I'm sorry, I'm going to be late. The traffic is not only fucking terrible, but two buses crashed in front of us and we are stuck behind them. It's a giant clusterfuck. We're trying to find a way around it so I will be there as soon as I can, sweetheart, but you should go inside and I'll meet you at our table. MITAKA, DON'T LET THAT CAR GET IN FRONT OF US! I'm so sorry, babe. I'll see you soon. I love you. MITAKA—"
Well, fuck.
This was exactly what she didn't need right now. She inhaled deeply, attempting to calm herself down as she started to dial Kylo's number.
"Ma'am, excuse me?"
Rey jumped. A security guard appeared out of thin air beside her.
"You scared me!"
"My apologies, ma'am. Are you checking in?"
She hesitated. "I guess? My partner hasn't arrived yet."
"That's unfortunate, miss," he said though his expression showed he could care less about that fact. "If you're an attendee then your name should also be on our list. You are?"
"I'm Rey. Rey Nowan."
The guard looked down at the iPad in his hand and began scrolling. "Ah, here you are. You're Kylo Ren's plus one, correct?"
"Yes, I am, but you see he's running behind. He got stuck in traffic."
"I'm sorry to hear that," said the guard, but his face remained impassive. Rey realized she was holding up the line and it was irritating the guard. "Please do wait for him inside, ma'am. You both are assigned to sit at Table 7."
"Table 7? Okay, thank you."
"No problem, ma'am."
Rey moved to walk through the glass doors when she heard the guard clear his throat loudly, and stopped midstride, glancing over her shoulder.
"Ma'am, I will need for you to leave your cell phone here with me."
Rey raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"Phones are prohibited because photography and social media are not permitted inside the gala, ma'am," he informed her. "Did you not receive the notice from Anna Wintour?"
"I didn't know, no," Rey's mouth hung open. "Can I send one real quick text, please?"
The guard stared down at her with a baleful look. He nodded curtly, clearly miffed by her request. Rey wasted no time, firing off a brief text to Kylo.
Got your voicemail. Phones aren't allowed inside but I'm heading in now so I'll be waiting for you at our table. Lucky number 7 haha. Hurry but be safe! 3
After hitting the send button, Rey reluctantly handed her phone to the guard.
"Thank you, ma'am. I shall take great care of your device. Please know Mrs. Wintour does this solely for the guests' security and enjoyment of the event. Should you need your phone at any point during the night, feel free to come back here to retrieve it from me," the guard informed with a practiced smile. "Enjoy your evening."
Rey nodded then walked through the doors into the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was her first time inside the largest art museum in the United States and she felt incredibly small in the grand majestic lobby. After passing through one more security check point where she walked through a metal detector and had her purse searched, she stood with her mouth agape in the main entry, which she later found out was called the Great Hall. It was appropriately named, she determined, as she took in its striking grandeur. Having barely stepped foot inside the building, she was already immersed in artistic beauty. She gawked while sweeping the entire Great Hall with luminous eyes. Its immense saucer-shaped domes and dramatic arches echoed the prodigious limestone exterior of the Met.
"Wow," she whispered. She collected herself, shaking her head, remembering to mind her surroundings lest she accidentally bump into Leonardo DiCaprio or some other celebrity of that caliber. That would be really embarrassing.
A line was forming in front of her and she assumed it was to get into the seating area so she joined the tail end of it. Discreetly she tried to see if she could recognize the tall man in front of her, but sadly it was not Leo or anyone famous she knew of.
Twiddling her fingers, she waited nervously in the queue. She wished Kylo was with her, she would feel so much more comfortable. Instead she felt like a true fish out of water. As the line moved a grand staircase alit with hundreds of candles came clearer into view. Hanging from the ceiling above the glowing stairs was a massive and intricately designed yin-yang symbol. The thirty foot structure looked to be made from thousands of real flowers, a combination of white roses and black-dyed roses. The sight took Rey's breath away, mesmerizing her. It was quite ethereal. She wished she had her phone with her so that she could take countless pictures of this otherworldly spectacle. To be able to share them with Finn and Jess and have evidence that this was real and not just something she dreamed up. How could she possibly describe all this? Words would utterly fail her and fall short of all its impressive splendor.
Too caught up in all the awe and wonder, she didn't notice when she'd reach the front of the line and startled when a soft, feminine voice said, "You look beautiful."
Her wide hazel eyes ticked down from the yin yang symbol to the woman with a petite frame standing in front of her, dressed flawlessly in a black and white floor length gown, sporting a short bob with bangs and iconic black sunglasses. She recognized the woman instantly.
Rey was speechless when Anna Wintour extended her hand. "Fernando almost convinced me to wear that Oscar de la Renta gown but I'm glad I didn't because it looks so much better on you."
"Thanks," Rey squeaked, shaking Anna's delicate hand, perhaps a bit too eagerly. "I mean, thank you. Thank you very much. Wow! I can't believe it's really you! I mean I know it's you but you're really here in the flesh in front of me and I just shook your hand and you said I looked beautiful. I can't believe this and OH MY GOD Lady Gaga!" There was no stopping the horrid shrill sound she made when she saw the pop icon standing beside Anna. "Ahh! I love you!" She was close to bursting into tears, fanning her face with her hands.
Lady Gaga chuckled warmly, wrapping her arms around Rey. "Hello gorgeous! I love you, too!" Rey melted into the embrace and she had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. She had seen her from afar at the A.I. Gala in Chicago last year, but didn't get the chance to meet her. But the songstress acted as if she knew Rey, giving her the warmest of hugs, like they had been lifelong friends.
"Welcome to the party," a heavily accented voice from the side said. Rey jerked her head sideways, staring at the man who spoke, recognizing him immediately. Dressed in his signature uniform of black and white, his lips curled in a smile. He wore a slim black jacket, starchy white shirt, black pants, black gloves, black sunglasses and his stark white hair was pulled back in a low ponytail.
"I love your dress," Karl Lagerfeld said, offering his gloved hand.
"Thank you," Rey said, reluctantly unwrapping her arms from around Lady Gaga. The singer moved on to greet the person that'd been behind Rey with just as much love and enthusiasm as she had with her. She moved closer to the iconic designer in a daze, shaking his outstretched hand. "It's Oscar de la Renta."
"I know," the creative director of Chanel smiled a tiny bit wider. His handshake was warmer than she'd expected from what was said to be a particularly prickly man. "Black-and-white always looks modern, yes?" Rey nodded, letting go of his hand. "It is why I accepted to co-chair this year's Met Gala alongside my dear old friend, Anna, and my new friend, Lady Gaga," Karl told Rey. "The theme could not have spoken to me more."
Theme? Rey reflected and then remembered, stating, "Yin and yang. The fashion of balance."
Karl nodded. "Not only because I love black and white, obviously," he laughed, gesturing grandly with his hand. "Fashion is a language that creates itself in clothes to interpret reality."
Rey hummed pensively, forehead creasing as her eyes fixed on the enigmatic man before her, still very much in disbelief that she was actually carrying a conversation with the Karl Lagerfeld.
"And is there a sort of impartiality to this language, would you say?" Rey was shocked her brain could even come up with such a highbrow question, let alone voice it.
"Yes, I do believe so," Karl agreed. "Take the iconic little black dress. One is never over-dressed or underdressed with a Little Black Dress."
"Balance," Rey commented, much to the satisfaction of Karl.
Pointing a finger at her, he agreed fervently. "Exactly! It is a sense of harmony. And it is essential in maintaining quality not only in one's work, but life in general."
"Like light and darkness," Rey looked towards the gigantic yin and yang centerpiece dangling from the ceiling. "There's a symmetry. A balance."
"Oh, it is so much bigger," Karl took a deep breath as he rested his hand on his chest. "I am a fashion person, and fashion is not only about clothes – it is about all kinds of change."
"Change?" Rey bunched her eyebrows together, prompting the legendary man to continue.
"Change is a part of life, a part of our reality," Karl explained. "What fashion, and life, have taught me is to not do anything in excess. Do not sacrifice yourself too much, because if you sacrifice too much there is nothing else you can give and then who will take care of you? Nobody."
She fell back a step, but her arms relaxed, absorbing the wisdom he'd unknowingly imparted.
"It's all about—"
"—balance," they finished together, then shared a small laugh.
"It is a good theme, yes?" Karl asked.
"Yes, it's perfect," Rey agreed, baring her teeth. "I understand now why it was picked as the theme."
"Yes, that and"—he leaned forward, his voice dropped down low—"black and white are my favorite colors."
They laughed at the not-so-private joke. Karl gripped her shoulder gently and told her to enjoy the party, thanking her for her attendance.
"What was your name again?" he asked, hand still on her shoulder. Rey forgot she hadn't introduced herself, but fought the urge to apologize, instead stating her name. "Well, it was a pleasure to speak with you, darling. I hope you have a fabulous evening, Rey." Karl softly squeezed her shoulder before removing it, turning away to greet the next guest behind her.
"Thank you, sir," Rey said, doing another awkward curtsy, thankfully out of his view.
Walking forward, she was directed up the illuminated grand staircase, and headed towards the Temple of Dendur, where the reception dinner was about to start. Upon entering the Sackler Wing, Rey was not in the least bit surprised to find the color palette of the decor to be black and white. The Temple was one of the iconic and most beloved works of art at the Met. Rey mouthed the word wow , her jaw hanging open as she gawked at the white arched floral doorway that welcomed guests to the Temple of Dendur. She ambled into the room, still stunned by the absolutely gorgeous and opulent aesthetic, but was determined not to cause any back up due to her gawking as guests kept filing in. There were numerous round tables and a few long tables, and above them were dazzling chandeliers enveloping the space in a sumptuous glow. Servers were strewn about, attending to the extravagantly dressed guests, many of whom she recognized.
It was incredible, and yes breathtaking, to see so many celebrities, so many important and notable people, the biggest names in stardom, all gathered into this area. It was honestly a miracle how the place didn't just cave in on itself and implode due to the sheer amount of fabulosity. It was an even bigger miracle how Rey didn't spontaneously combust herself.
"Wow, that is such a beautiful dress," she heard someone behind her say. She turned around and came face to face with a movie star. None other than the star of the Fifty Shades films, a movie franchise she unabashedly loved. In fact, she was eagerly waiting for the final installment to come out next year.
So instead of thanking the brunette beauty for her compliment like she should have, her mouth betrayed her as she blurted out, "Dakota Johnson?!"
The starlet giggled heartily. Her laugh was contagious and soon had not only Rey but her plus one also laughing. Rey gave her a quick once over, regretful she couldn't fully appreciate her look without seeming obvious or lecherous. The actress oozed sex appeal, having taken the dark and decadent route with the Jason Wu dress she had on. It was a black micro-beaded camisole with a silk-gauze full skirt and donned black satin gloves, clearly embodying yin for the evening.
Remembering herself, Rey apologized. "Sorry, I mean, thank you, but your dress is way more stunning than mine."
"Thank you," Dakota said, walking ahead as she paced a long arm around her date. Rey stared wistfully as the couple found their table, sitting down together. Then it hit her like a bucket of cold water. Her muscles shuddered, feeling chilly as she was reminded of the fact that she was alone. At the moment she had no one to share all the wonder and amazement with. She worried about Kylo's predicament. What if he remained stuck in traffic all night long and missed the gala? Her awestruck smile turned sour and all the warmth she'd had pumping through her veins from the adrenaline rush turned to ice. Another faint tremor spread through her muscles, her skin turning clammy.
Rey couldn't spot Leia, but she probably wouldn't want to speak with her right now anyway. Leia seemed pretty offended and taken aback by Rey's question and she couldn't blame her. Still, she wished she could be back on good terms with her because, well, she really needed someone right now. A friend would be nice, especially since she had none here. In truth, Leia was more of an acquaintance really. It would help if she had known someone else here. She wished she'd had a friend here.
A wave of sadness hit her, and she felt a hollowness expand in her core. Making her way across the room, her eyes turned misty as she tried to locate Table 7. She really missed Jess. She missed Finn. And even Finn's girlfriend, Rose, whom she started getting really close to. She had Kylo, yes, but she also realized that now that she moved to New York, she was going to need a friend here. That was something that she hated admitting, but she knew deep down it was true. The thing was that it wasn't really Rey's forte. Sure, she'd gotten better at opening up more ever since she met Kylo, but it was still difficult for her to be vulnerable and let her guard down enough to let new people in. It was going to be a challenge, but one that she decided she needed to overcome if she was going to live a happy, fulfilling life in Manhattan.
God, it'd be so much easier if Jess, Finn, or Rose could just move out here. She chuckled without humor, shaking her head, dismissing that silly idea. Her friends had their own lives and she had accepted that. She had a new life now, especially since she'd accepted to become Mrs. Kylo Ren.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she located her assigned table and breathed an even bigger sigh when no one else was sitting at her table yet. Rey was pleased to find place cards with names on them, knowing that would help ease some of the inquietude she was feeling. She found her assigned seat, frowning slightly when she saw a place card with KYLO REN to her left.
He should be here with me now, Rey lamented . I hope he'll be here soon. I don't want to be alone.
"Well, hi there!"
Her gaze briefly caught on the place card to her right before her hazel eyes flicked upwards, colliding with a warm set of brown eyes. The blood drained from her face when the name she'd read concurred with the voice that had spoken. With the person that was grinning down at her.
Oh n—
"No way! I can't believe we're sitting next to each other!" Teddi exclaimed cheerily, taking her seat.
Fuck me.
So again sorry for taking forever to update, lots of stuff has happened in the last year. The atrocity that was TROS and then the series of unfortunate events that occurred afterwards. We're living through a pandemic and thankfully I have not contracted the virus and don't plan to and hope you all are staying safe out there!
While I can't tell you when the next update will be know I haven't given up on this fic and plan on finishing it. Just might take me some time but yeah, I APPRECIATE YOUR READERSHIP AND PATIENCE!
I also appreciate any comments as they do help fuel my motivation to keep writing. ;)