The travel day to Las Vegas arrives. At the airport, Rose and Hux bicker still until Rey and Ben look over at them. Their look quiets their friends for the time being. As much as they want to sit next to each other on the flight, Hux and Rose specifically made sure the couple wouldn't sit together on the flight. It wouldn't be a long flight, but 45 minutes is still too long for Ben and Rey to be away from one another.
The plane lands in Las Vegas and both parties are hit by the dry heat as they walk to the taxi cab waiting area. Ben brushes his fingers against Rey's as Hux hurries him past her. A blush crosses Rey's cheeks as she looks at Ben, the man of her dreams. The love of her life. She blows a kiss at him to which Ben catches in his hand playfully and presses it to his heart. Rey giggles and blushes even more when he blows her a kiss and mouths the word "peach" in return. Hux rolls his eyes as he pushes Ben inside the taxi and it speeds off to their hotel.
"My god, you two are insufferable," Rose teases, elbowing Rey gently.
"Lay off, Rose! It's wonderful Rey has found the person she wants to spend the rest of her life with. Isn't that why we're here? To celebrate?" Jannah asks, winking at Rey.
She links her arm with the bride to be and guides her over to the waiting taxi with the rest of the bridal party. They hope in and head off towards their chosen hotel: The Mirage. Rey looks out the taxi window in excitement as the Las Vegas Strip comes into view. She pulls out her phone when she feels it buzz against her. Her cheeks flush again as she sees a peach emoji sent from Ben. Without letting the others notice, she quickly sends an eggplant emoji with a kissy face. She pockets her phone just as they arrive at The Mirage. Her eyes widen as she sees Ben standing with his group just in front of the many clear doors leading into the casino. Rey fights the urge to rush out of the taxi, jump onto her tree of a man, and kiss him over and over again.
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Rose snarls as she pushes the door open after paying the driver.
Rey giggles as she slides out of the taxi and makes eye contact with Ben. He winks at her and she winks back at him. How he wishes he could scoop her up and take her to his suite and treat her like the queen she is. His ears still burn from the blush she gave him from the eggplant emoji and kissy face she sent. Ben's grin at her melts her into the pavement.
"Hux! What the fuck?! Why did you have to choose the same fucking casino?!" Rose shouts, angrily marching towards the groomsmen.
"Tico, is it really a crime? The Mirage is a popular hotel on the Strip. It's not just for bachelorettes," Hux retorts, folding his arms across his chest.
"Of course it's not. But why did you have to pick this one? There are plenty of other ones!" she yells back.
"Rose! It's ok," Rey says, wrapping an arm around her friend's shoulders to calm her down.
"Yeah, it's alright. Let's just enjoy our parties and enjoy the fact we are here to celebrate the most important thing: my marriage to the love of my life," Ben adds.
The tension dissipates for the moment as everyone takes a breath. Rose gives Hux one last look, sticking her tongue out as she walks Rey and the rest of the bridal party towards the casino lobby. Hux places his hand on his forehead as he shakes his head. Then he turns to the groomsmen.
"Gents! We are here for one reason and one reason only: to celebrate my best friend's engagement!" he shouts aloud.
The rest of the men hoot and holler, clapping their hands excitedly. Some clap Ben's shoulders and he chuckles from their affection, even though he blushes.
"What are we doing after check-in, Armie?" Poe calls out.
"Once we're settled in, there's an awesome arcade we're going to at the New York New York hotel. Then we'll grab lunch at Shake Shack before coming back to get ready for dinner here at The Mirage in a restaurant called The Stack," Hux replies.
More hollers and shouts of excitement fill the air as the groomsmen pump their fists in the air. Finn comes up behind Ben and wraps an arm as close to around his shoulders as he can. They lead the husband to be inside and get checked in. Ben looks to the front desk and smiles as he sees Rey standing in awe while she looks at the massive aquarium behind the front desk. He loves her love of the ocean and thinks about his surprise of taking her to Hawaii for their honeymoon. Her passion for all ocean creatures inspires him and he knows once again he made the right choice for their first trip together as wife and husband.
The bridal party finishes checking in and hurries Rey up to the suite they splurged for. Rey looks around in wonder and shakes her head in disbelief. Jannah smiles at her and walks over to her, squeezing her hand gently.
"Don't worry about the cost, Rey. You deserve it," she says softly.
Jannah kisses Rey's cheek and gives her another smile before turning to unpack and get ready for the activities Rose has planned for them. Rey rolls her suitcase in and listens in as Rose goes over the itinerary.
"Ok ladies, here's the plan for day one! We'll have a nice lunch at CPK downstairs then go to our scheduled time to see the dolphins and jungle cats at the Secret Garden. Then we'll come back up, change into our swimsuits and spend the rest of the afternoon at the pool before we go to Black Tap across the street at the Venetian for dinner!" Rose explains excitedly.
The ladies all cheer and clap their hands. Some of them dance little dances as they get ready for their day of fun. Rey smiles at Rose and nods her deep thanks. She is thankful to have a friend who knows her so well and knows she doesn't want the typical bachelorette party. A buzz from her phone pulls her away from her suitcase for the moment. Rey opens up the text and she smiles as she reads Ben's message.
*I miss you already so much baby. Can't wait to sneak away to be with you xo*
She blushes from his message and quickly messages back to him. Rey makes sure she keeps it hidden from the others.
*I miss you so much honey. Probably more than you miss me ;) Want to meet for drinks and deep fried oreos at Lavo tonight? xo*
Her smile widens and she blushes as she reads his next message.
*I'd love to, Rey 3 And no, I miss you more than you miss me ;) xo*
She hurriedly types a response back as she hears footsteps approaching her.
*We'll see who's right tonight ;) I love you Ben xo*
Rey has just enough time to see Ben's "I love you" message back to her before she tosses her phone into her suitcase and finishes dressing. Jannah walks in a few seconds afterwards.
"Are you ready, Rey?" she asks with a smile.
"Yes, I'll be there in a moment!" Rey replies with a smile.
As soon as Jannah is out of sight, Rey pulls out her phone and reads another message from Ben.
*I can't wait to be with you, Mrs. Solo xo*