Okay so Ben worked here, at this antique bookstore.
At least Rey now knew something else about him, but he was staring at her like she had three heads when she eventually came to her senses remembering that she had in fact not said anything.
Finding her voice she softly spoke trying to hide her embarrassment "I was just wondering if you could help me find a book for my mom's birthday"
Maz's birthday was coming up in several weeks, but Rey had already bought her gift, it just served as a good impromptu reason to be there.
It was a realistic enough excuse, one which Ben couldn't exactly argue with as he curtly nodded his headed, gesturing for her to follow him.
Amilyn shot Rey a smile before the older woman went over to assist some of the other browsing customers.
Ben and Rey were standing in the first aisle when Ben cleared his throat, now forced to interact with her.
"What kind of books does she like? Your mother I mean?"
Racking her brain, Rey went with the first thing she could remember Maz enjoyed
Baking
So Ben lead her down to the end of the aisle where there was a designated section for baking and cooking related books.
Rey ran her fingers over a few book spines, marvelling at their incredible quality but reminding herself that there was no way in hell she could afford any of these.
"So, Ben" she tried to converse with him "why work here of all places?"
"I've always loved reading and when my mother's friend Amilyn opened this place five years ago, it was decided that I should work here"
That was the most Rey had ever heard Ben offer up in conversation and she felt proud that she had gotten him to open up, even just a little.
It was nothing compared to whatever Rose could do but at least it was a start.
For a few moments, Rey just gazed at these beautiful books, wishing she could afford them more than anything while Ben awkwardly stood there. Taking Rey's silence as a no to this section, Ben went on to ask her if there were any other types of books the gift recipient would enjoy.
Cringing at her awestruck behaviour Rey turned to the serious teen, thinking of another of Maz's interests "my mom also likes business" she supplied, following Ben down another aisle to the corresponding section.
As they arrived Rey beamed at Ben, beginning to feel even just a little more at ease with him. While he didn't exactly appear to like her, at least he had spoken to her, surely that meant something.
It had to, and for now, that was more than enough for her.
Lying flat on her back, Rey gazed up at the ceiling of her bedroom, well her shared bedroom with Finn, but he was still with Maz closing the café for the night, so she was alone.
Slowly Rey ran her fingers over the leather of her only purchase at "First Order Books", a three-dollar bookmark which was by far the cheapest thing in the entire store.
She had felt bad taking up Ben's time (a whopping five minutes but still) so she bought this little memento, even to remember the crazy lengths she had gone to so she could learn more about Ben Solo.
Ben had looked at her weirdly when that was all she purchased, but he didn't get it, none of them did. Rey was not rich in any means and honestly splurging on a three-dollar bookmark probably wasn't the wisest financial decision.
He probably never had to buy food off a menu not because he wanted it but because it was the only remotely affordable thing in the whole place.
But Rey would never trade Maz and Finn for the world, they were her family and while being financially unstable was horrible, they were worth every cent.
For now, this was a win in Rey's book, Ben had talked with her, not very much, but at least he hadn't walked away from her like last time.
Rey's phone chirped from beside her as she rolled over to pick it up, smirking at Kaydel's message.
K: How are things going with the loser? Do you give up yet?
R: You wish😉 I'll have Ben wrapped around my finger any day now, just you wait.
Ben was going to be a tough nut to crack, but once she did, she would definitely win this bet, it was truly just a matter of time.
The next step in Rey's plan was to thank Ben.
While thanking him via her purchase at the shop would normally be enough, Rey had to keep the ball rolling so she decided to invite both Ben and Rose to Jess's birthday party that weekend as an act of gratitude.
Jessika's party was going to be hosted on her family's fucking privateyacht (their level of wealth should be utterly illegal) with a very select number of their peers invited to attend.
The next day at school, Rey made sure to bump into Ben and Rose, invites in hand while she smiled at them, trying to persuade them to come along.
Rose had snorted and Rey felt her expression falter, she was just trying to be nice and thank Ben, excluding her ulterior motives obviously.
Of course, they would decline her invitation, well Rose clearly had, Ben was still furrowing his eyebrows, his molten brown eyes focusing on the invite in his hand.
Seconds passed and Rey was preparing for a total rejection, when Ben suddenly said something, his words gruff
"No Rose, I think we should go" his (girl)? friend's eyes went comically wide as did Rey's, not expecting his reply. Rey's hazel eyes narrowed in on Ben as he lent down to whisper something into Rose's ear. The height difference between the two was odd, with Ben fully leaning over to talk with the short girl. Watching their interaction unfold, Rey felt something ugly unfurl inside her when Rose giggled at Ben as he continued gazing down at her.
Couldn't they fucking flirt another time?
Starting to get just a bit irritated, Rey cleared her throat, plastering an incredibly fake smile across her face.
"So?"
Finally remembering that Rey was still standing there, Rose moved to face her, now resting her hand on Ben's bicep.
"Sure, we'll be there"
Shooting daggers at Rose's hand, Rey had to remind herself to speak, too caught up in their sickening physical contact.
"Great, I'll see you there", with that Rey stormed off incapable of witnessing another minute of those two lovesick puppies.
Well this was going to be more difficult than Rey had expected.
Jealousy really was a pain in the ass.
Jessika's party was in full swing.
Her parents had paid an outrageous amount for their only child's eighteenth birthday and it felt like a total fucking fever dream.
The fact that the party was being held on the Pava family's private yacht apparently wasn't flashy enough, because they had hired catering from the most expensive restaurant in Coruscant.
There was also a drink fountain and a state-of-the-art karaoke system onboard which were probably worth at least three months of the Kanata's rent.
You would think that'd be enough, but of course it wasn't even scraping the surface in regards to the way the yacht was decorated.
Jess's parents had hired a very high-end party planner to design and plan this event, determined to make this the most memorable celebration of the year for their daughter and her fellow peers.
Rey was currently standing off to the side, sipping some sweet fruity concoction out of a red solo cup as her orbs scanned over the sight in front of her.
A bunch of their classmates were out on the dance floor letting loose and cheering Jess on, while Jess herself was attempting a rendition of some Lady Gaga song on the stage at the karaoke station, which was the definition of cringeworthy.
Kaydel was over at the drink fountain chatting up some guy from their English class, the poor boy was mesmerised, and Rey snickered at the sight, Kay literally had him eating out of her palm.
That was everyone and Rey frowned to herself, where were Ben and Rose?
She didn't care if Rose came but she needed Ben to be there if she could progress forward with her plan.
When getting ready that morning, Rey had spent a little more time than usual when selecting her baby blue mini dress and doing her hair and makeup, but the tall brooding teen had nothing to do with it. Nothing at all. Well, that's what she kept telling herself anyways.
She had promised to tell Finn all about the party, with only a limited number of seniors invited. As a junior he was often kept out of the loop with senior year drama and parties, but that didn't mean he didn't still enjoy hearing about it.
Unable to keep her gaze off the entrance to the party, Rey sighed in relief when moments later two familiar individuals stepped inside.
Ben was wearing another god-awful Space Battles graphic tee, still way too big on him and those damn converse again but at least he was here, Rey really needed to start counting her blessings however unfortunate they appeared when dealing with Ben.
Rose was dressed as usual in her edgy and alternative getup, complete with a choker and fishnet tights under her plaid skirt. It was clear the Asian girl lived and breathed the colour black which already matched her glossy dark hair to a tee.
Even in her combat boots which had quite a bit of height to them, Rose was still tiny beside Ben, barely coming up to his shoulder, something which would make kissing difficult (but not an impossible) feat for the two of them Rey remarked to herself, hating how dismayed it made her feel.
She was being ridiculous. So what if they were dating and kissed and had pet names for each other and had se-
Okay okay that was enough.
Rey needed to focus.
Pushing these downright treacherous thoughts from her head, Rey's feet began to move on their own accord as she went up to the unsuspecting couple, her smile not meeting her eyes.
"Hey Ben and Rose right?"
Of course, she knew who Rose was but they had never ever talked until days ago when she had invited them to the party.
Rose bobbed her head as an answer to Rey's question, and this was going to be agonising.
"Well anyways, I thought it would be nice to thank Ben for helping me find what I needed at the bookstore" she explained fondly.
Ben just gave her a strange look at her claims, you do remember you bought a $3 bookmark, don't you? That wasn't even what you came in looking for.
Rey blushed at his silent observation "and it would be nice to get to know more of you since we're graduating so soon"
Rose and Ben exchanged confused glances while Rey endured on with this incredibly one-sided conversation
"So, what are your plans for next year post Coruscant High?"
Thankfully Rose spoke, even though it was clearly because she felt coerced to do so "I'm moving up the coast to Naboo and will be attending Naboo University where my sister is already studying"
Taking in Rose's response half-heartedly, Rey then turned to Ben, the real reason she had asked what she did.
"I'm travelling abroad for the year" Ben replied reluctantly before Rose cut in, adding "Ben here doesn't exactly believe in higher education".
That was interesting to hear.
Since starting at Coruscant High Rey's future had been destined for her like so many of her other peers. She would attend Coruscant State University, with her major still undecided. But Ben's plans were different from anything she had ever heard before.
Rey had never been outside of Jakku or Corsucant and wanted more than anything to do so. She loved new experiences and knew there was so much more to explore in the world than what she'd grown up with.
"What about you Rey?" Ben's dark deep eyes were watching her awaiting a rejoinder to her own question
Not expecting Ben to be interested in what she had to say Rey was surprised but also glad "I'm going to Coruscant State"
But before Rey could say anything else, they were interrupted by Kaydel who was on the stage with a microphone calling for Rey to come on up.
Bidding Ben and Rose farewell, Rey went up the few stairs taking the mic from Kay.
It was customary for Jess, Kay and Rey to at each other's birthday parties do a best friend speech, kind of like at a wedding.
Rey was up first having memorised her speech days ago like the good friend she was.
Up on the stage, she was met with applause before she began her spiel
"Hi guys, as you know one of my favourite people on this planet is finally an adult and I'm so bloody grateful to have her in my life. Jess you never fail to make me laugh and you've been by my side through so much"
Looking out into the audience, Rey felt her stomach instantly plummet as three new people strutted in through the entrance.
It was Poe, Bazine and Hux and Rey could not believe what she was seeing.
The words she had memorised were now long gone, leaving her a blank and stuttering mess in front of her peers.
"Uh, yes, you've been been so mmuch Jess" and Rey couldn't do this.
Poe was a scumbag sure, but he had still hurt her and shattered her confidence (not all, but a lot of it) and she wanted to die because of that fucker.
How had he even heard about this party? It wasn't like she or Jess had invited them.
Everyone was now staring at her, and she was drowning all alone up on that damn stage.
Desperate for an escape, her amber eyes frantically searched the small crowd for relief or honestly anything at this point.
Rey was seeking support, but everyone was emotionless, providing her with nothing in the slightest.
Everyone except Ben Solo that was.
The intense guy was frowning, his eyebrows furrowed probably having sensed what was going on with Poe's recent arrival.
Rey felt her orbs settle in on him and his massive frame, as her heart started to loudly thump in her chest.
His whiskey-coloured eyes bore into her when his mouth slowly curled upwards into a barely there smile.
He reassuringly nodded up at Rey, keeping her attention focused on him until she soon found her words, reciting the rest of her speech into her microphone.
"You're like the sister I never had Jessika and I hope you have the best day because you deserve everything. So everyone, here's to Jess", she lifted the red solo cup she still had in her left hand as a toast.
"To Jess" everybody resounded, when Rey who was now a deep scarlet finally tore her gaze away from Ben.
She glanced over at Kaydel who was smirking, her phone camera pointed up at Rey and shit. Her best friend had recorded Rey's entire speech, complete with her stuttering and googly eyes directed right at Ben.
After flickering her gaze over the audience, it appeared that all the other attendees (minus Ben, Rose and a furious Poe), had been busy on their phones videoing her whole speech and whatever the heck had just happened with Ben.
She had messed up because of her asshole ex, but Ben had helped her through it, encouraging her when no one else had.
Biting back a grin, Rey easily spotted him in the crowd, his cheeks also a dark red as he shyly stared down at his feet, thinking to herself, maybe Ben Solo wasn't so bad after all.
Author's Note:
Hi everyone,
Chapter 3 time yayy!
I hope you enjoyed Reylo's first "moment" ;)
Also here's Rey's party dress: s/files/1/0876/3680/products/m80869-blue-5_ ?v=1600138125
Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time :)