Chapter Two
Velvet Chairs
Rey opened her eyes slowly. Her vision was blurry with sleep, but it was also obscured by the fluffy brown cat that was nearly sleeping on her head.
"Move, Chewie! We've talked about this," she said as she sat up and stretched her arms over her head. There was a lot of light streaming in through her blinds. She tapped the screen of her mobile. 10:02. Wow, she had really slept in.
"It appears I am very late in serving you breakfast," she told the cat. "I guess I forgive you for sleeping on my face." Rey shuffled to the kitchen in her fuzzy socks. She yawned as she poured a bowl of cat food for Chewie and a bowl of cereal for herself. Chewie purred gratefully as she ate her meal.
Rey's mind traveled back to the night before and her conversation with Kylo. She had been thinking about it as she fell asleep the night before. She was sure that he wasn't going to message her today. After all, he was just some random person from a chat room. He was right. That's not where you went to make friends.
Her mobile buzzed softly, breaking her line of thought. She glanced down to see a text from Poe. It was a picture of the sunrise from the sky. Soft and fluffy clouds scattered below, so thick that she couldn't see the Earth beneath them.
It's beautiful! She looked at the picture again and then sent him a second message. Don't text and fly!
It buzzed again. A winky face. She smiled and put her dirty bowl in the sink. Chewie was still working on her breakfast. Rey scratched Chewie's cheek as she walked past her. What to do today? She really didn't have any plans. Usually her Saturdays were spent with Finn or Poe or both of them. That wasn't an option this weekend.
Finn was taking Rose on a romantic weekend away to the mountains just outside of the city. And Poe was... off somewhere in the sky. Some place where the sun was just now rising over the horizon.
She plopped down onto the couch, turning on the tele and tucking her legs underneath her. She typed the chat room website into the browser on her mobile and paused, her finger hovering above the enter key. She took a breath and pressed it, resolving not to get her hopes up. No notifications. No history of the conversation from last night either. Evidently, once you logged off, it deleted whatever conversations took place.
She realized she didn't know how to search for a specific person to start a chat with. She only saw the option to start a new, random chat. She clicked around the website. It was even more difficult to navigate on her mobile than it had been on her laptop. It was 10:48. She didn't know why she was even trying to find him. She was sure he hadn't actually meant it when he asked if they could chat again.
She decided to go take a shower and stood up, tossing her mobile on the couch. She had gotten a coupon from her favorite bookstore for 20% off any purchase. There were a couple new novels she was interested in, so a weekend with no plans would be the perfect time to escape reality in a book. As she walked to the bathroom she glanced at her laptop, folded shut on her desk. Maybe she would give the chat room site a look on there when she got done to see if she could find Kylo that way.
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Kylo had been up for hours. He rarely could go a whole night without being terrorized by nightmares. They woke him up and made it impossible to go back to sleep, even when he was still tired. That was one reason he was always in a bad mood. He had thought about Rey all morning. Running through hundreds of different questions he wanted to ask her.
He had even typed her name into Google, but without a last name, nothing came up. In fact, the website questioned if what he had meant to search for was "Ray". So, that was a dead end.
He had opened and closed the chat room website dozens of times already. He wanted to message her, but he also didn't want to wake her up. Without knowing where she lived, that was difficult. He had told her good night, but he'd logged off before she said anything in return. She might be on the other side of the world and just now going to sleep. She had spoken English though.
He sighed, frustrated with himself. He blew his chance to get to know her. He just knew it. He would be better off forgetting the whole thing so it could stop tormenting him. It would help if he actually had plans or something else to do to keep his mind off of it. His weekends were usually very dull. Typically consisting of grading papers, watching TV, and getting drunk.
It was 11:00 already. He forced himself to get out of bed and be productive. He dug through his bag that he had left by the front door and pulled out a stack of papers. He might as well get the grading over with. He sat at the kitchen island and tried to concentrate. The assignment was simple: write a one page summary of any astronomy article published in the last two months. He couldn't make it past the first paragraph though.
Finally, he gave in.
Starkiller: Good morning. Well, it is morning for you?
He waited. A couple minutes went by and nothing. He figured as much. He picked up the paper again and tried to start over. He decided he wouldn't look at his phone again until he finished the paper and gave it a grade. He was halfway through the third paragraph when his phone lit up. Trying to quell the wave of hope that had risen within him, he picked up the phone.
Anonymous599343: Good morning to you too. It is morning for me. (Well, sort of. It's closer to afternoon now.)
Anonymous599343: I'm very surprised.
Kylo tried to suppress the wide smile that wanted to take over his face. So she wasn't across the world. In fact, it sounded like they were in very similar time zones.
Starkiller: What are you surprised about?
Anonymous599343: Do our honesty rules still apply today?
Starkiller: Yes.
Anonymous599343: Well, I didn't think you'd actually message me today. And I'm surprised you know how to start a conversation politely.
Kylo smiled again. This time, he didn't try to hold it back. He liked her. He really liked her.
Starkiller: We can start over if you want. I've got plenty of rude remarks in my arsenal.
Anonymous599343: No, I think it's nice. You being nice, I mean. So, what are your plans for today?
Starkiller: Not much. Just grading papers. What about you?
Anonymous599343: Are you a teacher?
Starkiller: Professor of Astronomy, at your service.
Anonymous599343: That sounds fascinating. How long have you been a professor?
Starkiller: 3 years. I had a career change when I was 29. And you never answered my question, what are your plans for today?
Anonymous599343: Well, I don't really have any. I was about to head out to the bookstore to find something to occupy my time this weekend.
Starkiller: You should add ordering Thai to your list. I can still help you find a restaurant if you want to tell me where you live.
Anonymous599343: Haha, not yet. Besides, I'm perfectly capable of using Yelp on my own.
Kylo's heart felt like it was skipping beats. She hadn't told him no this time, just not yet. And it was the first time she indicated laughter. He hoped that meant she was warming up to him. A call popped up on the screen, covering their conversation. It was the Dean's office. He rolled his eyes and declined it. Surely, whatever it was could wait until Monday. As soon as he pulled their chat back up, he got a text.
Professor Ren, so sorry to bother you on a Saturday, but I think you need to come down to the University ASAP. There was a break in at your lab. There is damage.
Now the Dean had his attention. He growled in frustration. His lab was full of expensive equipment, mostly telescopes. He pulled on his shoes and grabbed his keys.
Starkiller: I'm so sorry, I have to go.
Starkiller: Text me? 555-172-1002
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Rey stared down at her screen, thumbs poised over the keyboard. She had been about to tell him that she had indeed found a Thai restaurant nearby with great reviews. It wasn't just that he gave her his number that had her frozen. It was the area code. 555. It was the same as her area code. That meant that he lived in Coruscant.
She was on her feet and pacing. It had been a solid 15 minutes and she still didn't know what to do. She had almost texted Finn, but decided against it. He was spending the weekend with Rose and he probably didn't have signal anyway. For once, she wished she had a close girl friend to talk to.
Poe wasn't exactly the kind of person she could talk to about this. He was one of her closest friends, but he was terrible with relationship advice. Plus, when she first met him she had a huge crush on him. He was charming, with gorgeous curly hair and a brilliant smile. Her crush had faded with time, but it still made her want to keep relationship talk off the table. She didn't exactly love hearing about all the women he met in his travels.
Kylo lived in Coruscant! What were the odds?! Seriously! This could not be real. If she texted him, he would see her number and know that she lived here too. She chewed her lower lip as she always did when she was anxious. She never realized it until later, when she had made a mess of her lip.
Chewie gave her a questioning meow as she watched Rey pace back and forth.
"I don't know!" Rey exclaimed, throwing up her hands. "You know, you're right. I should go to the bookstore to clear my head. A walk will do me good."
Rey gathered her bag, stuffed the coupon in her back pocket, and picked up her keys.
"I'll be back soon!" She promised Chewie as she locked up her flat.
The air was crisp and cool, making her glad she had worn a sweater. She breathed in gratefully and paused on the sidewalk, face tilted up to the warm sun. Right, a walk would clear her mind. She mulled it over as she walked the three blocks to the bookstore. Stepping inside, she smiled as the smell of books, old and new, hit her nose. She forgot about Kylo for a bit as she perused the shelves, running her fingers over the spines and picking out the ones that sounded interesting to read the back.
She made her final selection, a romance, and brought it to the counter. Once the purchase was made, she walked to her favorite chair, a cozy, velvet, overstuffed antique nestled by the window. She liked the read in the shop. She opened to the first chapter, enjoying the feel of the fresh pages and stiff spine. Her mind kept wandering though, making it hard to concentrate. She kept having to reread sentences. Finally, she took a deep breath, punched Kylo's number into her contacts and sent him a message.
Hi.
There. She'd done it. She picked the book back up and tried to start over. Her phone buzzed.
Rey?
Her heart thumped loudly in her chest. She smiled, feeling slightly nervous.
Yes, hello.
I wasn't sure if you'd text me.
Rey's smile widened at this honest confession. She liked that he was honest and open with her.
I think I like this better than the chat room.
Me too. I'm sorry I had to log off so quickly, my lab had been broken into at the University.
She wondered if that was Endor University. It was the only one in the city.
Oh, I'm so sorry! Was anything stolen?
Unfortunately. But it is all covered by insurance. It will just take some time to submit the claim and get new equipment. Enough about me though. What are you up to?
I was reading. I got a new book at the store.
She didn't tell him she was still there. He hadn't mentioned that they lived in the same city, but she thought it probably hadn't escaped his notice.
Let me guess, a romance novel?
You're getting better at guessing. How did you know?
I just had a hunch. Shall I leave you to your book then?
No, that's all right. I'd like to talk to you.
She paused and then quickly typed.
If you're not busy, of course.
She blushed at her admission. It was true though. She wanted to keep talking to him.
I told you, I don't have plans this weekend. So, back to questions?
Sure.
What's your favorite movie?
That's too hard! I love a lot of movies.
That's a lazy answer.
If it's so easy then, what's yours?
The Dark Knight Rises.
Really? Batman?
Yes, it's a fantastic film. The whole trilogy is great actually. Now, pick one.
I suppose Moonrise Kingdom is one of my favorites. But I reserve the right to change my answer at any time.
I guess that's fair. What's your favorite type of music?
This went back and forth for hours until Rey was startled by someone standing by her chair and clearing their throat. She looked up and saw an annoyed expression on the bookshop employee's face.
"We are about to close, miss," he said, politely enough.
Rey glanced around, slightly dazed. She realized that the sun had gone down and it was nearly dark. She looked at the time. 6:56. She jumped up and closed the book where it had been laying on her lap, still open to the first page.
"I'm so sorry! I lost track of the time," she exclaimed as she rushed to gather her belongings.
He nodded graciously as he followed her to the door and locked it behind her. Rey felt the heat of embarrassment slowly leave her cheeks. She couldn't believe how oblivious she'd been to the world around her. Now, her stomach growled loudly.
I just got kicked out of the bookstore.
You've been there all this time?
Rey's blush returned, realizing that she gave away a clue to her whereabouts. Well, only a very small clue. This was a large city. There were plenty of bookstores around.
Would you like to have dinner with me?
Rey gulped and stopped in her tracks. So he had noticed they both lived in Coruscant. Of course he had. She felt a tightening of nerves in her stomach.
I'm sorry. I don't think that is a good idea. I am really enjoying getting to know you, but it's still too soon to meet.
Her fingers trembled as she pressed send and she held her breath without realizing it.
