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CHAPTER 5

Lying on her sofa, warm under a blanket, Rey watched the end credits of Episode IX appear on her television, clenching rolled-up tissues in her fists.

"No way, it can't end like this…"

Her eyes were red and she was upset, frustrated, and angry.

The day before, under an overcast sky, she had arrived at the Damerons' at nine a.m. with a good bottle of wine and a bouquet of flowers for Kaydel. After chatting over coffee, the trio had settled comfortably into the living room to begin their "Galactic Wars" marathon. They had watched the first movie of the sequel trilogy, discussed the film while eating a delicious lunch prepared by Poe, then immediately went on to the next movie, which was - a revelation.

Action, emotion, lightsaber fights, and space battles ... Episode VIII was a marvel. Not to mention the sublime and heartbreaking relationship between Kylo Ren, the character played by Ben Solo, and Kira, the young heroine.

Like many people, Rey had, of course, heard of the most famous movie saga of all time, and she had a vague sense of the plot of the previous two trilogies, but she'd always thought that this kind of thing was reserved for children and fanboys like Poe, great big eternal teenagers.

Back home that evening in her small apartment, she'd gone to bed with epic scenes playing out in her head. And on this Sunday morning, right after she got out of bed, she'd loaded the brand new Blu-ray that Poe had loaned her into her player, ready to finally find out what would happen to the Resistance, Kylo, and Kira. She'd made herself a nice cup of tea, settled back in her cushions, and witnessed the rebels' victory against the New Order, the redemption of Kylo Ren and his sacrifice to save the life of the one he loved.

Rey finally threw her tissues on the table, grumbling.

"What is with this new trend of killing off all the likeable and interesting characters?!"

So she had lunch, tried to soothe her disappointment with a bowl of vanilla ice cream topped with caramel sauce, and decided to tidy up and clean her apartment a bit. But as she finished dusting, she realized that something was troubling her much more than Kylo Ren's tragic fate.

And that something was Ben Solo.

She remembered having seen him in small, insignificant roles, but she had to admit that here, in a starring role, the actor had appeared to her in a completely different light: his acting was incredible. The way he had completely embodied his character was amazing, and the young woman's curiosity was definitely piqued.

So she went back to her couch with a fresh cup of steaming hot tea and opened her laptop. She typed Ben Solo's name in her Google search window and a whole Wikipedia article about him appeared on her screen:

Benjamin Organa Solo, American actor, born November 19, 1988 in New York City.

Son of Leia Organa-Solo, politician and senator from New York State, and of Han Solo, photographer at National Geographic, who died in 2015. Also grandson of actor Anakin Skywalker, very famous in the 1970s, who died at the of a drug overdose, aged 35.

Ben Solo attended New York Law School after high school, but decided to abandon his law studies to study acting at The Juilliard School in 2007. He graduated in 2011 and then went on to audition for parts. He appeared in episodes of the police series "The Unusuals," "New York: Law & Order," and "New York: Special Victims Unit," as well as making his big screen debut in the biopic "Hoover," directed by Flint Westwood. He became known to the general public in 2012 after joining the cast of the TV series "Hannah's Friends," in which he played the role of Adam Baker. After separating from his agent and uncle, Luke Skywalker, he began to be given more important movie roles…

Rey continued to read his filmography and then lingered on the "Personal Life" section. As Poe had told her in the cafeteria, the page said that the actor had been in a relationship with Victoria's Secret supermodel Bazine Netal since October 2019.

She then watched interviews and promo videos on Youtube, as well as photo galleries showing Ben Solo, at the height of his power and virility, climbing the steps of the Cannes Festival or arriving at movie premieres on the arms of various beautiful women. In the majority of them, he was obviously accompanied by Bazine.

Pffff… That girl was really stunning…

All this of course dated from before the accident. The most recent articles were only illustrated by blurred images, taken with a telephoto lens, of a Ben Solo in dark glasses, his face half hidden behind his hand, being helped into a car as he was leaving the hospital.

When she finally closed her computer, it was already four p.m.

Holy crap…

She had just spent nearly two hours on the net and had images of Ben Solo stuck in her head.

Ben Solo… With his body like a Greek god, his captivating voice, his hypnotic gaze, and his bad temper.

The young physical therapist was staring at an imaginary point on the opposite wall when her phone vibrated next to her on the couch. It was Rose.

"Hey you, so how is it being back in the city?" she asked cheerfully as she got up to bring her empty mug back to the kitchen.

"Hi, Rey. Oh my god, don't even mention it. It's a disaster here," Rose replied in an annoyed tone.

"How is it a disaster? At the clinic, you mean?"

"No, everything's fine at the clinic, although we could still use some extra hands. No, I'm talking about the apartment I rented! There's a cockroach infestation and leaks everywhere!"

"Ugh, what are you gonna do then?"

"I have to move back into Paige's tiny place in Soho."

Rey started laughing on the phone.

"There are worse neighborhoods, Rose."

"Maybe, but it's pretty obvious you've never lived with Paige."

The two young women chatted for a while longer, and Rey told her friend about her weekend.

"I knew it! I knew you'd make short work of Ben Solo. You're too tough for him."

Rey imagined Rose smiling from ear to ear on the other end of the phone.

"Stop... We just decided to make peace and do our best to work together in a friendly manner, so that he can make a quick and full recovery."

"I think you should put the bikini back on, you know, to keep him motivated."

"Rose!" Rey scolded as the brunette giggled into the earpiece.

"OK, I'd better go. I have to pack up all my stuff again and get out of this disgusting place!"

"Sounds good, Rose. I'll see you next Saturday?"

"You bet. Bye, Rey."

Rey put the phone down and was about to go back to the kitchen to do the dishes when it vibrated once again.

What did Rose forget to tell her?

But it wasn't Rose calling back.

It was Finn.

Rey's heart skipped a beat, and she stood there motionless, staring at her cell phone as if it had suddenly become radioactive.

Finn. After four months of silence.

On the couch, her phone rang three more times before going to voicemail just as Rey reached her room and slammed the door.

OooooooO

On Monday morning, when Ben arrived, accompanied by Larma, in the rehabilitation room, Rey was waiting for him, sitting on the floor mat. A few rays of sun filtered through the tiles and a magnificent rainbow stood out in the distance above the trees of the forest.

It was ten o'clock on the dot and the young woman got up to come and greet him and take over from the nurse.

"Hello, Ben. Glad to see you haven't changed your mind," she said, grabbing his arm and pushing his walker aside.

"You're lucky, I'm in a pretty cooperative mood today," replied the actor, a smile stretching across his lips.

Amilyn had kindly asked him to make an effort. Very well. He was going to do it. If Rey Kanata was surprised by his unusual kindness, she didn't let it show as she returned his smile.

"Perfect! So let's start with a little treadmill, okay?"

"You're the boss."

He spent the next thirty minutes on the machine, adjusting his stride to the different speeds that Rey imposed on him. When he finished, Rey suggested they move on to squats. They stood facing each other, with Rey doing the exercises right along with him.

"So, this weekend… Did everything work out well for you?" she asked, syncing her breathing with his.

"Yeah, the mediation went well, and I also spent some time with my mother, which hadn't happened for a very long time."

"I guess she's a very busy woman."

"You could say that, yes," he said before exhaling, fixing his gaze on a point over the young woman's shoulder.

Rey realized that she shouldn't press him on this and changed the subject.

"You must have been happy to be back home. Let me guess ... Central Park?"

Ben smiled again.

"Nice try, but wrong. Brooklyn Heights."

"Two steps from the Promenade, I presume?"

"Of course," retorted Ben jokingly. "And yes, I admit that I missed my home, especially my books and my green plants - and I think they missed me too. Even if my neighbor has taken good care of them in my absence."

"You live alone?" The young woman raised her eyebrows, a little surprised.

"Yes, why?"

"Sorry, I don't mean to pry," she stammered, embarrassed.

"It's fine, no problem."

The exercise ended and they stared at each other for a few moments without speaking, both of them slightly out of breath. Then Rey walked to the small bench near the window and returned with a towel and a new topic of conversation:

"Your operation with Gwendoline Phasma is coming up soon, right?"

"In three weeks. The swelling still needs to go down a bit."

Ben had never considered himself very handsome. Quite the contrary: his ears were too floppy, nose too big, face too asymmetrical… And that had never been a problem for him. He'd never gone for the good-looking romantic lead parts in rom-coms. But knowing that this red line was now going to permanently mar his cheek was a real blow. If he was lucky enough to return to a film set one day, the make-up artists would certainly have their work cut out for them.

"Well," said the young woman simply, holding his gaze again.

There was green in her irises, and Ben realized then that Rey was perhaps one of the few people whose eyes didn't always drift over his scar each time she spoke to him.

"In three weeks, you can compete once again for the title of 'sexiest man alive,'" she added. "But good luck dethroning Idris Elba!"

The little laugh they shared relaxed the atmosphere between them completely. Then Rey bit her lip and became serious once again, declaring with a sincerity that disarmed him:

"I'm sorry I yelled at you that day at the pool."

Ben's fist clenched on the towel and he took a deep breath before answering:

"And I'm sorry I yelled at you in the park."

At these words, Rey's face lit up again with a huge smile, and Ben's heart suddenly felt lighter.

OooooooO

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, Ben slid a razor over his cheek, being careful not to touch his bandage. He was going to meet Rey for a new PT session in a few hours, and he was humming an old Bob Dylan tune that had been stuck in his head ever since he jumped out of bed. It had been more than a week now since he and Rey had made their peace, the sun was shining outside, winter seemed to be coming to an end, and the temperatures were getting more and more pleasant.

His mother had called him the day before and they'd talked about everything and nothing, just as they had done the previous Sunday when he'd gone to her house in Manhattan.

That day, a car had picked him up, and he'd expected to be taken to one of Leia's favourite fancy restaurants. So he'd been surprised to find himself at the bottom of her apartment building in the heart of the Upper East Side. On her doorstep, his mother had given him a radiant smile and hugged him. She'd then asked him to make himself comfortable while she went to tend the arrabiata sauce simmering on the stove.

A simple homemade dish. That had been unexpected.

He knew she enjoyed cooking. But throughout his childhood and until he left home, her obligations and busy schedule as a former lawyer turned senator had prevented Ben from being able to enjoy her home cooking very often.

He remembered the Thanksgivings they'd spent together as a family, when the turkey was roasting in the oven, and he and Leia prepared gingerbread cookies together as Han and Luke drank and laughed on the sofa while watching football.

It was the good old days.

Today, his father lay buried in the Green-Wood cemetery, and Luke had left the country.

When dessert time had arrived that day, his mother had asked how his rehabilitation was going - although he knew she called the clinic every day for information - and the young man finally admitted that he'd gotten rid of Snoke.

Leia had stared at him, looking stunned. Then her shoulders had dropped as if a huge weight had just been lifted off them and, without a word, had emptied her glass of wine in one go.

Her hatred for Allan had always been strong. She blamed him for Anakin's descent into hell, and did not approve of Ben's decision to take him on as an agent after his falling out with Luke. She'd tried many times to warn him about the man's harmful influence. Han had also tried to warn him. And now Ben had to admit that they'd both been right. He had finally opened his eyes and seen how horrible, greedy, and toxic Snoke was.

When it was time to say goodbye that evening, Ben had kissed and thanked her, and Leia had taken his hand and held it tight.

"I'm so glad you're better. I was so scared that you…"

Her eyes had been bright and her lips trembling, but she'd tried to keep a smile on her face. Saying "I love you" had always been a bit complicated for her.

It was difficult for him, too.

"I know, Mom... I know," he replied, kissing her on the cheek.

OooooooO

Rose Tico was pretty good, but Rey Kanata had magic in her fingers.

"Let the air in and out of your lungs slowly. Focus your attention on your forehead and slowly release all the muscles of your face, your neck, your eyelids ... Feel the flow of energy along your nerve fibers, through your arms, your legs …"

The day's session had been intense, earning Ben the right to this deluxe massage. Rey's hands kneading his neck were warm and soft, and the actor was slowly slipping into the wonderful world of contentment.

"Are you ok?"

"Mmmm…" he confirmed before hearing Rey fail to suppress a little laugh.

The young therapist then placed her palms on his pectorals, over his T-shirt, to work on pressure points on his chest. Ben had just lost skin-to-skin contact with her and, without quite knowing why, that annoyed him. So he cheated, opening one eye and then the other to discover the brunette leaning over him, her eyelids closed and her face a picture of concentration. A halo of light from outside illuminated her fine features and brought out the string of freckles on her nose and cheekbones. Her full pink lips glistened a little, and the actor closed his eyes abruptly.

A delicious and sensual shiver slid down his spine. A shiver that, against all odds, spread to his lower abdomen.

Ben tried to focus on the flow of energy that Rey had talked about. But he couldn't stop the image of Rey's perfect figure in that red bikini from materializing in his mind. He relived the water drops on her tanned skin, the fire in her eyes, and her angry finger pointing directly at his heart.

Rey Kanata…

This girl was special - he'd felt it from their first meeting in the park. What Amilyn had told him later only confirmed that impression.

No no no… Stop. Don't go there…

Rey's palms continued to slide lower, down to his abs. And the heat went up again.

Control yourself, Solo…

"Ethan? What are you doing here?"

Rey's hands suddenly left his body, causing him to open his eyes and turn his head slightly to see who the young woman was talking to. He then saw a round face, wearing a pair of red glasses, peeking through the gap in the door.

Rey asked Ben to excuse her for a moment and walked towards the entrance.

"Don't tell me you've been giving Poe the slip!"

"Yes... and I also wanted to see you, and Kylo Ren," murmured a child's voice.

Rey was a little embarrassed.

"Look, Ethan, Mr. Solo isn't…"

"Rey?" called Ben as he got up. "I think we were almost done, right?"

Rey gave him a significant look before opening the door wide, and Ben was shocked by the vision of the frail little figure walking towards him. The boy must have been nine or ten at most. His right arm and left leg had been replaced with prosthetic limbs, so he was progressing slowly and with difficulty. Rey encircled him with her arms but without touching him, and the actor quickly masked his surprise and emotion by displaying his biggest smile.

"Ethan," said Rey, "This is Ben Solo. Ben, this is Ethan. He's eight years old and he's a very big fan of 'Galactic Wars.'"

"Hello!" exclaimed the boy, who was now standing in front of him, visibly delighted to meet one of the heroes of his favorite saga.

"Hi Ethan, nice to meet you."

The little boy reached out his multicoloured composite fingers and Ben grabbed them, only to find that the child could control his articulated hand to squeeze his own. Then Rey grabbed Ethan under his arms to sit him on the table next to Ben. The boy was wearing a T-shirt printed with the poster for Episode VII and sneakers emblazoned with the logo of the saga.

"If you snuck out while you were with Poe, he must be looking for you everywhere!" scolded Rey without much conviction. "I'm going to let him know, and you're going to wait for me here, okay? Do you mind watching him?" she added, addressing Ben this time.

"No problem," replied the latter.

The therapist then slipped away, and Ben turned his head towards the kid who was still staring at him with big round eyes.

"Did you keep your saber and your Kylo Ren mask?" asked Ethan.

"That's supposed to be a secret - but yes, I have them."

"My mother bought me the same lightsaber as yours, but when I wanted to play with my cousin Kevin, it broke."

He looked so disappointed that Ben's heart melted a little more.

"Did you see? I have a robot hand just like the Jedi Grand Master from 'Galactic Wars.' And my leg too. I didn't have an accident like you, I had a disease. It's called meningitis. Bacteria attacked my forearm and my leg, so they had to be removed. It was Dr. Poe who gave me these new ones. Do you know him?"

The actor cleared his throat to try to contain the wave of emotion that was now rising in his chest.

"I had the opportunity to meet him, yes. He's very nice."

"Yes, and Rey is very nice, too. And she's beautiful. I wish I was bigger so I could be her boyfriend. Because she doesn't care that I have prostheses and she always tells me that I'm cute. Do you have a girlfriend?"

A small smile, both sad and tender, appeared on Ben's lips.

"I used to have one, but not anymore."

"Oh …" sighed the child, as if he sympathized. "Is it because of your accident?"

Was he really going to try to explain the world's most disastrous love life to an eight-year-old child?

"I think it did speed up our breakup a little bit, yeah. But the two of us just weren't right for each other."

Suddenly, something vibrated behind them. It was Rey's phone sitting on the cabinet by the table. Ben and Ethan turned around at the same time to read the name on the screen: Finn. The same thought crossed their minds: Who was this guy?

Then just as the cell phone went silent once again, Rey and Poe entered the room.

"You! You little rascal!" exclaimed the orthopedist, rushing towards the child and taking him in his arms to twirl him in the air. "I turn my back for two seconds, and you take the opportunity to sneak away?"

"Sorry Poe, I wanted to meet Ben because he's Kylo Ren and he's my favorite character in 'Galactic Wars' right now!"

"Well, maybe Kylo Ren could give you his autograph?" suggested Rey with a smirk and a wink to Ben.

"Sure, no problem," he replied.

"Awesome! Will you sign my hat? Oh no, Poe, I left it in your office!"

"I'll go get it," Dameron said, putting the child back down on the floor.

Ben offered to accompany him and Ethan, to end his session with a bit of walking. Rey agreed and made an appointment with him for the next day, which Ben acknowledged with a nod and a smile.

Just before crossing the threshold, as Ethan and Poe walked down the hallway while continuing to tease each other, Ben took one last look in Rey's direction. He saw that she was now holding the phone in her hand, and that she had lost her wonderful smile.