Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Places

Rey Palpatine was a bargain hunter and a bit of a hoarder.

She'd grown up with her wealthy yet frugal grandfather who believed in necessity over comfort … to the extreme. His mansion seemed more like a monolith built with concrete walls for durability, and nothing about the cold, stark building seemed like a house. A prison perhaps, but not a home filled with warmth. His house was the one in the neighborhood that made people plant trees with the hope of removing it out of sight. He made the cul-de-sac of Exegol Avenue feel more like exile — the house did nothing for property value around it.

The day she'd moved out, Rey had painted her apartment walls a buttery yellow, relishing in the joyful color every time she saw it. She also began to collect things from garage sales, online auctions and classifieds, filling up her home with everything that she thought needed to be salvaged, especially unwanted heirlooms.

This eventually led to a storage problem, of course. Thus, when she saw her favorite store for organizational solutions was having a sale on a Saturday, she made certain she was there early.

It was hard. Her fingers nearly cramped with the desire to reach out and place unneeded, but appreciated, items in her cart. She nearly crashed her cart into a large display because she caught sight of a tea cup case, already picturing her tea collection in it. Rey slipped it into the cart with the thought that she'd make a decision on it before checkout, though she already knew it was going home with her.

Then, Rey managed to make her way to the aisle containing storage solutions for dresser drawers. She had a cabinet full of odd trinkets, and she thought to separate them with an underwear organizer.

She sighed when she saw the one she wanted was on the top shelf, already wondering how sturdy the shelves were. If she went looking for an employee, the last two would probably be taken.

"Can I help you?" a deep voice asked behind her.

"Yes, thank you." Grateful, she turned around as she pointed to the box containing the collapsible drawer.

"I need you—" Rey cut off, eyes traveling up the tall man whose chest seemed made for a t-shirt. It was not the store's uniform, so he was also a customer. Then, her words finally reverberated loudly enough in her mind to cause a reaction. "No, that's not what I meant. I don't need you. Well, I do, but not like that. I need both. Both boxes, I mean."

She smiled awkwardly, feeling a blush penetrating through her light foundation. Yet she was unable to tear her gaze from his brown eyes, and she might have swallowed heavily when he reached for the two boxes without fully looking away.

Oh, yes, that shirt is kind, she thought, glancing appreciatively at the straining material.

He seemed almost shy as he held the boxes toward her, and that only made her heart rate increase further. "Are these the right ones?" he asked when she didn't react, gaze darting to the boxes before locking on to hers.

Take them! Rey told herself, not even looking at the boxes as she reached out. Her thoughts were a little consumed by his amazing hair.

And then … her fingers touched and slipped off his as she placed her hands on the box. "Thank you," she whispered, neither of them breaking their hands' interlocking pattern.

Looking down, he cleared his throat before meeting her gaze again. "Are both boxes for you?"

The question broke through the fog of attraction, causing disappointment to settle within her. "Oh … ah, yes. Did you want one?"

She noticed his shoulders straightening as he kept his eyes on her. "No, I was hoping there isn't a significant reason for the second one."

He doesn't sound sarcastic … Rey frowned in confusion. "Other than admitting to you that my drawers are in need of organization?"

He stared intently at her. "So they are your drawers?"

She tilted her head slightly, feeling the weight of her signature three buns. "Well, they are now. I can't say to whom they belonged before."

He nodded as he looked away, seeming disappointed for some reason. Then, he suddenly looked at her again. "Do you rent a furnished place?"

Rey's brows rose in surprise at the strange question. "No, I furnished it. Why? Is there a better, more permanent solution?" Her grip shifted on the box, her fingers pressed against his. "I prefer not to alter the antique pieces."

His eyes widened, and then a smile formed on his face that had her swallowing again. "Antique?" He continued when she confirmed with a nod. "Does that mean I wouldn't be overstepping if I asked what you're doing tonight?"

Rey felt a flutter of excitement, but she didn't want to assume and end up embarrassing herself. Biting her lower lip, she smiled. "It looks like I'm going to do some organizing. Unless … Do you have a better suggestion for a Saturday night?"

His hands moved so that his fingers covered hers. "I could show you how I've organized my kitchen and cook for us while I'm at it. Would that be too forward?"

Her smile widened until her cheeks hurt, but she appreciated the cheerful sting. "Perhaps a little, but I want to. What if we add a few friends to the picture?"

"For you, I'll face entertaining," he replied somberly.

Laughter spilled over her lips, and it was as though the joyful notes found their home in his gaze. He smiled again before he said, "I'm Ben. Ben Solo."

"I'm Rey. Just Rey. My last name sounds like someone was severely beaten."

"Maybe we'll do something about that," Ben remarked. Then, his eyes widened just a bit, as though he was surprised by what he'd said, and she knew it wasn't a line.

"Is your cooking that good?" she asked teasingly.

Her lack of negative response appeared to embolden him. "I'm sure you'll be wondering about breakfast."

She swallowed with nervous excitement, but she didn't look away. "Perhaps we should see about the last name situation first, hmm?"

"My family is going to like you." He coughed slightly as the quick response processed, but before he could speak again, she spoke.

"And we're up to meeting the family, too. I think this is going exceedingly well, Mr. Solo." Rey took the boxes from him and placed them in her cart. Turning back, she smiled shyly. "I'm probably going to need your number and address then."

"Right." He took a small step forward. "Do you have a pen? I can just imagine a phone accidentally landing in a puddle, causing me to lose out on the chance of getting to know you. I've never met anyone that made me feel this way … and I probably shouldn't have told you that. Not yet, at least."

Rey dug around in her purse and found a permanent marker. Handing it to him, she lingered before pulling away. "I don't mind. I … I feel the same."

He began to lower his head, but then he diverted towards her cart and leaned over the side. Opening the box and the packaging, he wrote on the side of the drawer his name, number and address. "Now you can't lose it. Soap's not washing that away."

She laughed and touched her shoulder against his arm. "I wasn't planning on losing it anyway."

A little over a year later, at that address, the two organizers were side by side in the walk-in closet. The one with his name was on the left, and the one with "Rey Solo" and their wedding date was on the right. Everything that mattered was perfect in its place.

Author's Note: I saw a photo of Adam Driver where he appeared to be helping someone in a store. I don't know the particulars about the picture, but I wanted to write something inspired by it. I hope you enjoyed this little story. Thank you for reading!