Chapter Three
Thai
Kylo winced as he read her reply and ran his hand through his hair. He took a shot, but he figured that would be her answer and he didn't blame her. She still hardly knew him, even though they had texted all day. It had been the best Saturday he'd had in ages. The time had flown by. He had been so preoccupied by her. She made him laugh and was constantly challenging him, throwing his banter right back at him. He loved it. He thought for a moment and tried again.
Who said we had to meet to have dinner together?
He waited, silently counting the seconds without realizing what he was doing. He got to 47 before his phone buzzed again.
You lost me, Kylo.
He grinned, relieved that she replied so quickly. He liked when she used his name.
Well, you said you found a Thai restaurant, right? You order some takeout, I'll order some takeout. We can each stay at our respective homes and eat together while watching a movie.
That sounds fun. :)
Kylo resisted the urge to literally jump up and down. God, what was she doing to him? He decided to push his luck one more time, he just couldn't help it. His feelings be dammed if she turned him down.
May I call you?
———————
Rey settled into the couch. She was comfortably in her favorite pair of sweats and baggy sweater. She balanced the box of takeout in her lap as she reached for the remote. Her heart was pounding. She kept replaying his formal request in her mind. "May I call you?"
She took a deep, steadying breath. And then another. She was trying to slow her pulse. She had agreed with butterflies in her stomach and told him she would call him when she got home with her food. They hadn't spoken since and all he had sent her back was a smiley face.
She took another breath and pressed the call button. With shaky fingers, she held the phone up to her ear. She didn't know what to expect. Would a woman answer or perhaps an old man? What if this had been a joke the whole time and Kylo wasn't a real person? As anxious thoughts swirled, the phone rang once and someone picked up.
"Hello, Rey." His voice was deep and smooth. It sounded like he was smiling. Rey felt her body tremble slightly at the sound. It was a beautiful voice.
"Hi, Kylo," she replied. Her voice came out a breathy whisper without her meaning to. She flushed.
"Takeout ready?" She was enthralled with his voice. It was so rich and low.
"Yes, it is. What are we going to watch?"
"I was thinking Moonrise Kingdom, if you'd like. I want to see your favorite movie."
"That sounds good," she said, smiling. Her body was warm with delight.
"So, what did you choose for your first Thai meal?"
"Pad Thai," she replied. She couldn't wait any longer and took a large bite, chewing thoughtfully.
"A classic," Kylo observed, sounding like he approved. "And what do you think about it?"
"It's delicious! It's unlike anything I've tried before, but it's bloody fantastic!" The end of her sentence was a little muffled as she took another bite.
He chuckled, a low rumble in her ear. Rey savored the sound.
"Did you go with spicy basil noodles?" She asked.
"Of course. And I'm glad you like it," he said. "Ready to start the movie?"
"Yes. Play on the count of three? One, two, three," Rey said, smiling when she heard him count with her. She pressed play.
——————
"Rey?" Kylo asked softly, listening for a reply. He didn't get one, but he could hear her breathing, soft and steady. She had fallen asleep. For what felt like the hundredth time since yesterday, he smiled. He didn't think he had smiled so much before in his life. Not since his late childhood at least.
They had watched Moonrise Kingdom and decided to make it a Wes Anderson marathon. They watched Fantastic Mr. Fox next and then started The Grand Budapest Hotel. They chatted throughout the movies, Rey's giggles becoming more and more frequent as she grew delirious from staying up late.
He loved hearing her voice in his ear. Her accent was endearing and was sweeter than he could have imagined. They had both been growing tired, but neither of them had made any attempt to hang up. He stretched out across the couch, pushing the blanket under his head to make a pillow. She had fallen asleep on the couch and it only seemed right for him to sleep on the couch with her. Well, with her in a way. He closed his eyes, keeping his phone in is hand near his head. He didn't hang up and he was soon put to sleep with the comforting sound of her breath in his ear.
——————
Rey awoke the next morning with a stiff neck and Chewie sleeping curled next to her chest. She pushed herself into a sitting position on the couch, rubbing at her sore muscles. Chewie gave an annoyed meow as she was jostled by Rey's movement. Rey saw her mobile lying face down on the rug. She picked it up and was surprised to see the call with Kylo still going. 12 hours, 41 minutes, 35 seconds. She blushed, realizing she had fallen asleep while they were on the phone together.
"Kylo?" Rey whispered into her mobile, unaware Kylo had done the same to her hours ago. She waited, holding her breath and straining to hear. She thought she could barely make out the sound of his breathing, coupled with an occasional soft snore. She smiled to herself and cradled her mobile in her lap, reliving the night before.
Chewie stretched and looked at her expectantly. Breakfast time for the cat and for the human. Although she didn't want to, Rey softly pressed the button to end the call, she didn't want to wake him.
"Okay, Chewie, let's eat," Rey announced, getting up from the couch. She saw her battery was at 4%. She was surprised it had lasted this long. She plugged it up and made her way to the kitchen. After serving Chewie her meal and eating a bowl of cereal herself, Rey rushed back to her mobile, unable to resist any longer. No new messages or missed calls.
She felt childish at her disappointment. It had been less than twenty minutes since she hung up. He was probably still asleep. She pulled up her messages and typed out a text to Finn.
You are never going to believe what's happened to me this weekend!
She hesitated before sending it. She wanted to tell him, but at the same time, she didn't want to interrupt his weekend. Rose knew they were close friends, but she still didn't want to send the wrong message or make it look like she was crossing boundaries. It could wait until Monday, she supposed. She erased the message and pulled up Poe's contact instead.
How are the skies treating you?
She set her mobile back down and decided to go freshen up. She didn't have anywhere to go today, but she still wanted to brush her teeth and wash her face. She pulled her brown locks into a messy bun on the top of her head, small pieces immediately falling down around her face. She stopped when she heard a buzz and all but ran back to check the message. It was just Poe.
Big, blue, and beautiful!
She smiled in spite of her disappointment that it wasn't Kylo. Poe always said that when she asked about the skies. It was their way of checking in with each other. She put the mobile back down and went back to her task. She supposed she could get back to her book after this, as an attempt to distract herself from Kylo.
——————
When Kylo woke up, it was very bright. Sunlight streamed in through his large living room window. He cursed and checked his phone, but the screen was black. Shit. The battery was dead. He quickly moved to get it to the charger he kept by the couch. Why hadn't he plugged it up last night? Oh, because he had wanted to listen to Rey sleep. He blushed at his own actions, feeling the tips of his ears go hot.
He stuck his head around the corner to check the time on the stove and saw that it was nearly 10:30. He thrummed his fingers impatiently across the back of his phone as it slowly rebooted. He hoped Rey was still asleep. Or that she hadn't been up long. He didn't want it to look like he had been ignoring her.
The fact that he had slept soundly, without ever waking up from a nightmare was not lost on him. He hadn't gone to sleep sober, without experiencing a nightmare in... well he couldn't remember the last time that had happened. Rey's presence was soothing. Even if it was through a phone connection.
The trill of his phone finally rebooting stopped his train of thought. He watched as a little red message notification popped up.
Good morning, Kylo Ren. :)
The time stamp was for 10:01. He breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't been up for too long. Or at least hadn't been waiting on a message back for too long. But, if their roles had been reversed he would probably be losing his mind, waiting for her to reply. He quickly typed back.
Good morning, Rey. :)
He would have included her last name, but she hadn't told him yet. She insisted that wasn't dishonesty and that she would tell him soon. He didn't push it. There was a lot they had learned about each other, but there was a lot they still didn't know. He avoided questions about her family and childhood because he knew she would return the same questions and he wasn't ready to discuss that part of him. Oddly enough, she hadn't broached that topic yet either.
How did you sleep?
Better than usual. You?
I slept well, aside from getting a crick in my neck.
Want me to come rub it out for you?
He sent it before he could stop himself. He closed his eyes, mentally kicking himself.
Don't tempt me, good sir.
He smiled. At least she was taking it as a joke and not telling him to bugger off. He grinned, remembering the phrase as she had used it last night when telling him a story. It was so very British of her.
You just say the word and I am at your service.
So very gallant of you. Shall we pick up where we left off last night?
Are you saying you want to hear my voice again?
...Maybe. If that's what I want, will you give it to me?
Kylo felt a warmth rush through him as he picked up on her possible double meaning. Well, maybe she didn't mean it like that. She was very innocent.
I told you, you have me at your service. Just give me a minute to wake up.
He quickly put down the phone to take care of some pressing concerns related to his bladder. Once that was done, he grabbed a banana for his breakfast and slid with his back to the living room wall to sit on the floor where he could still use the phone as it was charging. It seemed a smile was a permanent part of his features now. He could feel it spreading across his face as he pressed the call button beside her name. Rey.