Chapter Five

Observatory

Rey felt ridiculous and sneaky. She was wearing a baggy jumper with the hood pulled up over her head. She was on the University of Endor's campus, near the observatory. She glanced at the time. Kylo's class should be letting out soon. She heard a sound behind her and nearly shrieked. Whipping around to face the noise, she saw a student wearing headphones walk over the mulched landscaping at the corner and then across the street.

She let out a nervous breath and decided that she was going home. This was crazy. Here she was, being overly paranoid about giving Kylo any information about herself and at the same time, was stalking him at his place of work. She stood up to leave the bench she had been sitting on when she heard doors opening. Glancing up, she saw a stream of students leaving the Observatory.

Rey tried to swallow the panic rising in her throat. That was probably Kylo's class. He could be leaving any minute now. Bloody hell. What was she thinking?! She didn't have a plan. What if he saw her and recognized her somehow? She hesitated by the bench a moment longer and then felt a vibration in her pocket. She pulled out her mobile to see a text from Kylo.

I just finished up with the class. Do you still want to talk tonight?

She felt her panic soften into nervous affection. Of course she still wanted to talk to him. She had been waiting all day to hear his voice. His moments of uncertainty were endearing. She decided to tell him as much.

Of course. I've been waiting all day.

She heard the doors open again and froze. Kylo Ren was leaving the building, turning to lock the doors behind him. He was tall. She was shocked at his height. Even from where she stood at a distance, across the street and diagonal from the observatory, she thought he was over six feet tall. He was broad shouldered and was dressed in business casual. It looked like dark jeans and a dark blazer. The colors were hard to make out in the dark. Shit, he was turning now and walking her direction, parallel to the street she was on.

She panicked and decided it was definitely time to leave. She spun on her heel and started walking at a pace that she hoped was brisk, but not so brisk that she would attract attention. Her mobile buzzed in her hand and she glanced down to see his name on her screen. Bloody hell, he was calling her now! She thought he was going to call her when he got home. She risked a look over her shoulder and saw Kylo had his hand up to his ear. Bloody fucking hell.

——————

Kylo looked down at this phone. She hadn't picked up. He slid his phone back in his pocket and puffed out a breath that he could see against the cold chill of the night. The campus was quiet and the night felt still. He looked up and over at the moon. It more yellow tonight, but was still casting long shadows over everything. He saw a figure across the street turn the corner and disappear out of site. He was usually the only person out on this part of campus after his class and he enjoyed the peace of it.

He found that his hand was already reaching back into his pocket to bring out his phone. He forced himself to leave it. She said she wanted to talk, he needed to stop being so damn inpatient. As if she knew his thoughts, his phone gave off a notification.

Sorry, I'll call you back in a bit!

Promise!

He let out a sigh of relief. Patience you fool, he thought to himself. By the time he got home and was slipping off his shoes, Rey was calling.

"Hello?"

"Hi," she said a bit breathlessly. She cleared her throat. "Erm, sorry about that. I was talking to Finn and then I had to clean Chewie's litter box."

"That's another reason to not like cats," he said seriously. "They are so smug about the fact that you have to scoop their shit."

Rey's laughter floated across space and into his soul.

"They are not smug about it!"

"If you say so..." he said has he hung up his blazer in the closet. Her laughter quieted abruptly and she took a deep breath.

"Calrissian," she said softly. "My name is Rey Calrissian."

"That's a beautiful na-," he started to say when she cut him off.

"I want to meet you... in person."

He froze with his hand still on his closet doorknob. He felt a swell of excitement flood through him.

"I want to meet you too," he replied, trying to keep his voice light and even. "Can I take you out to dinner on Friday?" He closed his eyes without realizing it as he waited for her reply.

"Yes, I'd like that."

Thursday dragged by incredibly slowly. Kylo couldn't concentrate on anything. He only taught classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. He spent his Tuesdays and Thursdays taking classes for his PhD and working on his dissertation. He wasn't getting anything done today. His mind kept drifting off to thoughts of Rey and their real life date they had planned for Friday.

His long fingers rose to his face and traced the line of the ugly scar from his brow across his cheekbone and down to the sharp line of his jaw. What if she didn't find him attractive? What if she took one look at the jagged line twisting across his face and hated it as much as he did?

He scrubbed a hand roughly across his face, his palm rasping against a shadow of stubble. He hoped it wouldn't matter to her and he hoped she wouldn't ask about it right away. His usual icy demeanor typically kept people from asking about it and that's how he preferred it.

"Calrissian," he said softly, not even realizing he said it out loud. It was a very unique name. He hadn't heard it before. He suddenly decided he couldn't take it another second. He typed her name into Google, this time with more to give the search engine. There wasn't much, but he did find the link to a social media page and clicked it.

It was her. He was sure of it. Her profile was set to private, so all he could see was her profile picture. She was standing in between two men, her arms thrown up over their shoulders. They had their arms around her small waist and a pang of jealousy hit his heart.

She had warm honey brown hair pulled back in a messy bun with tendrils of hair escaping around her face. Her eyes looked light, a blue or maybe green? He couldn't tell because the quality of the photo wasn't great and she wasn't facing the camera straight on. She was smiling and looking up at the curly haired man on her right, slightly bent over with laughter. The man on her left had rich dark skin and bright eyes, crinkled at the corners. He was also laughing, a wide smile across his face. The men with her must be Finn and Poe, although he wasn't sure which one was which because she hadn't described what they looked like.

She was stunningly beautiful. Mine, his heart seemed to cry as it thudded in his chest. Mine. Mine. Mine.

——————

Rey woke up before her alarm went off on Friday morning. She put her mobile up to her ear to see if she could hear Kylo. She couldn't. He usually got up earlier than she did and was probably getting ready now. He had never been the one to end their phone calls, so that responsibility fell on her. She hung up and sent him a text wishing him a good morning and a good day at classes.

Her chest had felt tight with excitement and nerves since Wednesday. She had felt so guilty about stalking Kylo and nearly getting caught, that she decided it was time to share her name with him and see him in person. Well, to see him officially with him also aware that it was happening.

She had even agreeded to let him have the ingredients needed for Shepherd's Pie shipped to her house on Thursday. He promised that he wouldn't stalk her and show up unannounced. She thought her whole body had blushed when he said that.

She was walking out of her flat, running a little late for work when she got a text from Finn.

Update on the professor??? Did you confess to stalking him yet?????

Rey blushed. She had called Finn on her way home from the University and told him everything. He had been laughing so hard that she threatened to hang up on him if he didn't pull himself together. She wasn't going to live that down with him. They hadn't had a chance to catch up since.

No. And I wasn't stalking... just checking.

Sure, Rey. I'm sure that's what all stalkers tell themselves.

Shut up! We're actually going on a date tonight.

For realz??!! Where is he taking you?

He said he made reservations at an Italian place called La Bella.

Dammmmmmmn! He's trying hard.

What do you mean?

La Bella is that super swanky place on the upper side of town. I'll bet you couldn't get a tomato slice there for under 50 bucks.

Rey laughed and rolled her eyes. She hadn't realized the restaurant was so fancy though. Mentally, she pictured the dresses in her closet. She hoped that she had something nice enough to wear. Now she felt even more nervous. Her preferred style of clothing was pretty casual and she rarely dressed up.

I'm about to go into work. I'll text you later!

She put her mobile in her pocket and went inside the shop. Mrs. Phasma greeted her and handed her the scheduled meetings with clients for today. Luckily, they scheduled lightly on most Fridays, so no one would have to work too late. She was determined to be done by five so she could rush home and figure out what she was wearing. If she had to, she might have time enough to run out and get new dress.

By the end of the day, she was exhausted and dirty. She had been invited to view a "collectors" property. The collector turned out to be more of a hoarder. He had three giant storage buildings overflowing with things. All of it had been covered in a thick coat of dust and everything seemed to have been haphazardly thrown into piles. It was like playing Jenga when trying try to remove anything from its place. She had left with some good finds though.

She checked her messages as she quickly walked home. She was tempted to run, but was holding back. Their dinner reservations weren't until eight. She had texts from Poe, Finn, and Kylo.

She had been texting Kylo throughout the day. He had asked if she made it off the property without being buried in an avalanche of junk.

Poe had sent that he was coming home on Sunday and that he would be in town for a week. She smiled. Poe hadn't had that much time to spend at home for weeks. She sent him back the emoji in a party hat with confetti. She tapped back to see what Finn had sent.

I've been thinking about your date with Kylo tonight. I just want to make sure that you are going to be okay and that you feel safe. I know you've been talking to the guy for almost a week, but he's still a rando from the internet. I have an idea. Don't get mad yet and go all crazy feminist on me!!! I know you're tough and you can take care of yourself. You're a strong, independent stalker who don't need no man!

But seriously. Call me when you get off work. I love youuuuuu!!!!! Don't be mad. :)

She laughed out loud and shook her head as she dialed Finn's number. He picked up on the first ring.

"What's this about me being a crazy feminist AND a stalker?" She asked, putting on her best indignant voice.

"I also said you were strong and tough and don't need no man!"

"So you did. I really don't think there is anything to worry about, Finn. He checks out online and I trust him. Everything he's told me has been true. I know it seems crazy because we randomly found each other online, but that's just how it happened. I could have met him anywhere."

"I know, I know. Just hear me out. See if he will meet you somewhere before dinner. Like a coffee shop or some other place that I could afford to enter."

"Finn..." she interrupted. She could see where this was going.

"Hush woman, I'm not done yet!"

Rey rolled her eyes as she said "Continue..."

"Meet him somewhere first where I can be casually and very discreetly keeping my eye on him from the shadows. You can pretend I'm not even there. Just make sure he doesn't send you super creepy murder vibes and if you feel safe, then you guys can go to dinner."

"Finn, I already feel badly enough for sneaking around and watching him like a loon. I don't want to be sneaky again."

"That's just it though! You won't be doing any of the sneaking, just me... and maybe Rose."

"Rose?!" She asked incredulously. "You dragged her into this too?"

"Well, kinda. I just was telling her that I was worrying about you meeting this guy alone and she helped me come up with this idea."

Rey sighed.

"Pleasseeeeee, Rey? Will you do it for me? Just so I'll feel better?"

Rey sighed again. She was trying to dig her keys out of her pocket to unlock her flat.

"Listen, I just got home and I need to shower and see if I have something nice to wear... I'll think about it."

"Okay, but you'd better let me know soon. Otherwise, I'll have to start looking for a costume so I can try to get in to La Bella. Do you think I can convince them that I am the Duke of Alderaan if I wear a fake mustache?"

"No fake mustaches!" She laughed. "I'll think about it," she promised again and hung up. She quickly flipped through her small selection of dresses in her closet. Her eyes settled on a black one that she had only worn once. It was simple, but could possibly pass for elegant.

It had longer sleeves that went down to her elbows and a soft scoop neck that showed off a little cleavage, but not much. It hugged her curves lightly and flared out at the waist, stopping above her knees. The skirt was made of a sort of flowy material. Maybe chiffon? She glanced at the time. If she was going to go with Finn's plan, she wouldn't have time to go search for another dress, this would have to do.

Okay, I'll ask him.

She thought maybe she really was going crazy, but what Finn had said kind of made sense. It couldn't hurt to meet him for the first time in a public place with her friend nearby just in case. They wouldn't have to stay long. Besides, Kylo didn't know what Finn looked like, so it was unlikely that they would get caught. She quickly typed out a message and sent it to Kylo.

Hey, do you have time to meet me at a café before dinner?

—————

Kylo was back from the University and at his apartment. He was working on grading the last of the essays from the weekend before. He was normally very quick to get tests and papers graded and submitted into the system, mostly because he didn't ever have anything else to do, but Rey had changed that.

He didn't want to get his hopes up too high, but he was preparing to have the whole weekend devoted to spending time with Rey and he didn't want anything work related hanging over his head. He was also trying to find something to do to take his mind off the time. Dinner wasn't until 8 tonight. The ping of his phone broke his concentration and he read Rey's message. He grinned and sent one back.

Why? Can't wait until 8 to see me?

And if that's true?

I've told you before, I am at your service.

You're very cheeky you know that? I just thought it could be nice to meet in a more casual setting before we go to dinner. What do you think?

Anything that allows me to spend more time with you is good with me.

Kylo stuffed the essays back into the dark brown leather messenger bag that he used to carry his things back and forth from campus. The grading would have to wait. They had decided to meet at 6:30 at a coffee shop of Rey's choosing. It wasn't exactly close to the restaurant, but a car could get them there in 20 minutes. Kylo had a car, even though he preferred to walk most places.

A few years ago he had owned several luxury sports cars. They had been gifts from his parents, but around 3 years ago when he moved, he had sold them all and bought a slightly less ostentatious Audi R8. He moved his bag into the closet instead of leaving it on the floor by the front door as he normally did. He was trying not to be presumptuous, but if Rey came over to his place, he wanted everything to be tidy.

——————

Rey's heels were clicking against the sidewalk and she was slightly regretting her decision to meet him at the café first. She had been planning on taking a cab to the restaurant since it was way across the city, but the café was right by her flat, so she had decided to walk. Her feet were not used to long distances in heels and they were already beginning to ache.

Finn had texted her that he was at the café with Rose and that they were "in position". She checked her reflection in a storefront window as she neared the café. She had worn her hair down and taken special care to get the soft waves just right. She usually opted for minimal make up, but tonight she had done a hint of a smoky eye with a burgundy lip. The reflection showed that her cheeks were rosy from the cold and possibly from her excitement and well. Her eyes were wide and bright and she looked happy.

She looked away and turned the corner towards her destination. He was already there. She forced herself not to freeze in her tracks and keep moving forward. He was leaned casually against the side of the building, his arms folded across this chest. He was wearing a black, well fitted suit and he looked deliciously handsome. The sound of her heels must have caught his attention because he turned his head her way.

Their eyes met and Kylo straightened, his mouth spreading into a smile. It completely transformed his face and made her heart squeeze. She smiled back involuntarily and kept walking until there was only a foot of space between them.

"Hi," she said, tilting her face to look up at his. He was so incredibly tall.

"Good evening, Rey Calrissian," he said and gave her a slight bow. "You look... incredibly beautiful."

She felt her cheeks heat and smiled at him.

"Thank you," she said, ducking her head shyly and tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Shall we?" He asked and offered her his arm.

She took it and they entered the café together. She was so preoccupied with the feeling of his warm, hard bicep beneath her hand that she almost forgot about Finn and Rose. She and Kylo walked passed the table they were at to settle at a small table for two in a corner.

A waitress came up quickly to take their order. Rey asked for a cup of Darjeeling and Kylo got a dark roast coffee, black. Kylo had taken the seat against the wall that looked out across the room, so Rey's back was to the two spies. An air of nervousness settled over the pair. Rey glanced up at him and then quickly away. Kylo cleared his throat.

"So, you're a classic Brit then?" He asked her with a wry smile.

"I suppose," she said with a shrug, "but I do drink coffee occasionally."

He nodded and cleared his throat again. He started to open his mouth to speak, but the waitress was already back at their table, setting their steaming drinks down in front of them. Rey reached out and wrapped her hands around the mug to warm her cold fingers. She looked back at Kylo and met his eyes. They were a beautiful warm brown.

"Thank you, for agreeing to come to dinner with me," he told her without breaking eye contact.

"You're welcome. Thank you for asking me," she said, smiling again. She took a careful sip of tea. It was delicious.

"So, do you think I'm passing the test?" He asked her with a mischievous look on his face.

She froze, her heart suddenly pounding even harder.

"What do you mean?" She asked carefully, lowering the tea.

"Your friends," he said lifting his eyebrows and tilting his head in the direction of the table behind them.

She felt her whole face grow hot and she covered it with her hands. "How did you know?" She asked regretfully, her voice muffled.

"Well, I had my suspicions when you suddenly asked if we could meet here first. But your friends are terrible at acting casual. They've literally been peering over at us from around a newsapaper that they are holding in front of their faces." He laughed.

She peeked out at him from between two fingers.

"You aren't angry?"

"No, I'm not angry," he said and reached across the table to pull one of her hands off her face. He lowered their hands down to the table and lightly squeezed her fingers. She felt a tingle move up her arm and spread like wildfire across her body.

"I'm so embarrassed," she said, looking at down the table. "And I'm sorry."

He laughed and ran his thumb lightly across her knuckles. Another buzz of electricity ran through her veins.

"Really, it's okay. I'm not angry at all. I understand." He smiled at her, but she still couldn't meet his eyes. She had to tell him. She took a steadying breath.

"I sort of have another confession..." she trailed off and looked over his shoulder at the wall, finding any place she could to avoid his piercing eyes. "On Wednesday, I may have gone by the observatory around the time that your lab ended to see you." The words came out in a tumble and she looked down into her mug of tea. She pulled her hand out of his grasp nervously and ran her finger around the lip of the mug. She finally looked into his face.

His eyebrows were raised, moving his scar up slightly. He looked at her and his lips tugged up into a smirk.

"So, you have a history of spying on me?"

She looked away again, even her ears were turning red. She wished she could sink into the floor. He wasn't saying anything so she stole another glance at him. He still didn't seem angry, just amused. She forced her eyes to meet his.

"I am really and truly sorry I did that. It was a complete invasion of your privacy and I had no right..." she trailed off as he started laughing. "What's so funny?" She demanded as she glared at him.

"Nothing," he said. "I'm sorry for laughing. I just find the thought of you sneaking around campus to spy on me very adorable. Did you wear a disguise?"

"No!" She exclaimed hotly and then added, "I was only wearing a hood."

He looked like he was fighting back laughter again and he raised the cup of coffee to his mouth to cover it. She watched him with as much dignity as she could muster.

"Are you quite finished yet?"

He put the coffee back down and reached across the table, palm up. She stared down at his long fingers and he wiggled them at her. She suppressed a grin and placed her hand lightly in his. He closed his fingers around hers and she liked the way his large hand engulfed hers. He squeezed her hand gently.

"I'm really not upset and I appreciate your honesty. In the spirit of continued honesty I should tell you that I looked you up online. I didn't find much, except one picture of you with your friends. That's also how I figured out your friends were here to watch us. Is that... Finn and Rose?

"Yes," she admitted. "It was their idea, actually. Finn was worried about stranger danger." She grinned at him. "Should we let them know it didn't work before we go?"

"You're okay with introducing me to your friends already?"

"Of course!" She drained the last of her tea as Kylo stood and placed some bills on the table. She pushed back from the table and stood with him. She tentatively reach out and took his hand, weaving her fingers through his. They turned towards table and Rey saw Finn quickly raise the newspaper higher. When they were in front of them, Rey gently tapped the newspaper. Finn slowly lowered it to where only his eyes were showing. Rose was giggling and had the grace to look abashed.

"Oh!" Finn coughed and looked to Rose for help. Seeing she was not going to provide any, he dropped the paper. "Rey! What in the world are you doing here?!" His feigned shock was comical. "Rose, look it's Rey! Man, what are the chances?"

"Give it up Finn," Rey said with a laugh. "He noticed you guys pretty much from the start. Apparently you two aren't cut out to be spies."

Finn smiled sheepishly as he stood and stuck out his hand towards Kylo.

"I'm Finn, terrible spy, and Rey's best friend. This is my beautiful fiancée, Rose."

Kylo and Finn shook hands and Rose exchanged a smile with Rey.

"Thanks for looking out for her," Kylo said.

"Anything for my Rey Rey," Finn said and stuck out his hand to muss Rey's hair. He stopped when he saw her glare.

"We must be going," Rey said trying to shoot daggers telepathically at Finn. Finn seemed to sense this and grinned, taking a step back to wrap his arm around Rose's shoulders.

"Have a good time!" Rose said cheerily.

"Thank you," Rey said. Kylo nodded to both of them and Rey turned to go, tugging Kylo out with her. The night air was brisk and Rey shuddered. She had been moving to stand near the corner to hail a cab, but Kylo gently pulled on her hand to stop her.

"What?" She asked, turning to look up at him. He tilted his head to the left.

"I brought my car," he told her and pointed to a sleek black Audi.

"I didn't know you had a car," she said, trying to keep her voice casual. She didn't know a lot about cars, but she was pretty sure that car was worth years of her paychecks combined. He opened the passenger side door for her and waited for her to get in before pushing it shut and making his way around to the driver's side. The interior was extremely luxurious and surprisingly roomy.

Kylo got in beside her, ducking his head low. He started the car and she could barely hear the engine.

"I thought you were just a professor?" She blurted and immediately blushed. "I'm sorry! That was incredibly rude." She glanced over at Kylo and saw that he was blushing too.

"It's okay. I'm a professor now, but I worked at a very large firm that my parents owned before that. They also had a bad habit of spending too much money buying me things."

She took this information in thoughtfully. It was the first time that he had mentioned his parents. She didn't want to push him, so she didn't ask any other questions. She reached out and touched his free hand, lightly trailing her fingers over it. He turned his hand so that it was palm up, his eyes still on the road. She swallowed and traced the lines of his palm. His skin was soft and warm. She still felt electricity buzz between them.

She looked up at his face, studying his profile and watching the streetlights flash light across his features. Without thinking about it she reached up and softly ran her fingers through his silky hair that was touching his shirt collar. He reached over without looking at her and placed his hand on her knee. She felt a heat light deep in her belly. She wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and moved her thumb back and forth, just under his jaw.

He looked at her then and she saw a blaze of passion in his eyes that made her want to ask if they could forget dinner and go somewhere, anywhere, where she could continue to explore his body with her hands.

"We're here," he said softly, not taking his eyes from hers. She looked out the window. She hadn't realized they had stopped. She saw a valet walking towards them and the man leaned down to open her door. He offered his gloved hand to her and she took it and exited in what she hoped was a graceful manner. Kylo was beside her again and he reached for her hand, tucking it firmly into the crook of his arm and they walked into the restaurant together.

——————

Kylo was watching Rey's eyes as she laughed and took another sip of wine. Her hazel eyes were sparkling and they had him mesmerized. When she was touching him in the car, he had regretted their dinner plans, wanting to get to them place where he could return the favor. He didn't regret it now though. He was enjoying getting to watch her expressions and the way she moved her hands enthusiastically when speaking.

They had both been a little quiet and nervous at the beginning of the meal, but by the time they were finishing dessert and had gone through a second bottle of wine, they felt complexly relaxed and engaged with each other's company.

"I think that was the best meal I've ever had!" Rey exclaimed, after eating the last bite of tiramisu. She looked at him thoughtfully and reached out for his hand.

"So, are you going to take me home with you now?"

"I've been hoping you'd ask that all night," he answered with complete honesty and sincerity.