Author's note: Hi readers! I'm sorry it look me so long to get back to this story, you know how life goes... I have every intention to finish this, hopefully before the end of the year. Thank you to everyone who has left me encouragement & kind words.

Chapter Seven

Voicemails

Ray awoke the next morning with Kylo's arms around her. She expected to feel a little shy and awkward in the light of day because of how fast they had moved together on their first real date, but she actually felt completely comfortable and safe. She turned in his arms to face him and he tightened his grip on her, even though he was still asleep. Ray smiled and lightly cupped his warm cheek with her hand, her thumb smoothing over his scar.

Kylo opened one eye slightly and peeked at her beneath his dark lashes. "Good morning," he murmured, pressing his lips into her hair.

"Good morning," she said as she snuggled closer into him, resting her cheek against his solid chest. She listened to the steady beat of his heart as he brushed his long, slender fingers through her hair. They lay together in silence, just soaking in each other's presence. Finally, Kylo moved to sit up and poked her in the side, right above her hip, making her jump. "Breakfast?" She nodded enthusiastically and sat up, the blanket falling down around her waist, exposing her breasts.

"Erm, do you have a shirt I could borrow?" She asked a little shyly, pulling the covers back up and tucking it under her arms to hold it in place. He grinned at her and got out of bed, walking over to a dresser in only his knickers. She watched him, smiling, and admired the broad lines of his shoulders, his strong arms, and his smooth pale skin. He pulled on a pair of joggers and a simple dark shirt before coming back to the bed with a similarly colored shirt for her. He leaned over to kiss her, as he placed the shirt in her lap, one hand slipping under the blanket to cup her breast and lightly run his thumb over her nipple. She gasped a little as a warm heat reignited deep within her and kissed him back more firmly.

He pulled away smiling. "Come to the kitchen whenever you're ready." When he had left the room, she fell back against the pillow. She was grinning widely without even realizing it. Her mind ran over the events of night before, from the embarrassing café conversation, to their dinner filled with laughter and wine, to the steamy hours in bed, exploring each other's bodies. Everything was moving quickly, but at the same time she felt she had known him forever and felt a connection with him that she couldn't quite put into words. She slid out of bed and pulled the shirt over her head. It was large on her and fell halfway down her thighs. She peeked out of the doorway, trying to remember where the bathroom was in this maze of a flat.

Rey padded quietly into the kitchen, taking in the scent of caramelizing sugar, cinnamon, and bacon. She had freshened up as best she could, finding a bottle of mouthwash in his cabinet and washing her face. Kylo's back was to her as he leaned over the stove, flipping over something in a pan. She slid onto a barstool at the kitchen island and watched him cook. She knew from their cooking "dates" that he knew his way around the kitchen, but it was really fun to watch him move around so deftly. He poured two tall glasses of orange juice and slid one over to her. She took a large sip and regretted it as mixed with the lingering taste of mouthwash she had just used. The second sip went down better. Kylo was placing a plate of French toast and bacon in front of her. It smelled delicious and she didn't even wait for the syrup before taking a bite.

"This is SO bloody good!" She gushed after taking another sip of orange juice. "Thank you for cooking me breakfast."

The tips of his ears turned pink and he ducked his head and murmured thanks between his bite of food.

"So..." he cleared his throat and started again. "What are your plans for today?"

"Well, I really hadn't made any yet. Poe will be home tomorrow, but today is free. I was probably just going to spend it cuddled up with Chewie and reading my new book. Oh, Chewie!" She suddenly exclaimed. "I actually need to stop in and check on her soon." Kylo's face fell a bit, so she hurried on. "You can come with me... if you'd like."

Kylo instantly cheered, although he tried to keep his face neutral as he answered. "Well, you know I'm not a fan of cats, but I am willing to give Chewie a chance." He was relieved that she didn't seem to want their time together to end yet either. "Interesting name by the way, where did you come up with that?"

"Well, I found her during of my scavenging trips outside the city when she was a really small kitten. I took her home and planned on taking her to a shelter or finding her a new home, but I got attached really fast," Rey laughed. "She was a crazy little fluffball and she chewed on everything in my flat. My shoelaces, the curtains, blankets, pillows and could completely tear apart toy mice in no time. I was calling her my little Chewy Monster and it just stuck."

"That's very adorable," he said grinning teasingly at her.

His phone that was sitting on the counter between their plates suddenly lit up and started buzzing, sending vibrations through the marble. His grin faded as he read the name in the incoming call. Leila Organa. He quickly moved to decline the call and switched it to silent.

"You can take that if you want," Rey told him as she got up and started clearing their plates.

"No, I don't need to," he said, glancing back at the phone to see a voicemail notification pop up. There must have been something in his voice because he looked at Rey to see her standing at the sink with her eyebrows raised at him questioningly. "It's just my mother," he blurted without thinking.

"Oh?" Rey asked over the noise of the sink as she washed one of their dishes. "You don't want to talk to her?"

He took a deep breath and then let it out. "We... don't really have the best relationship, he began, faltering over the words. He looked over at her and she studied his face, but said nothing. "It's complicated," he declared vaguely as he looked down at this hands.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No!" He said in a harsher tone than he meant to. "Not yet..." he added, trying to soften the words. He looked back at her, but she had her eyes on the plate she was drying.

"Okay, but just know that you can tell me anything," Rey said as she put down the dish and walked around the counter to stand beside him. With him still sitting on the barstool and her standing, they could see perfectly eye to eye. He reached out for her and pulled her in between his legs, wrapping his arms around her. She hugged him back and playfully tugged his long hair.

"Ready to go meet the best cat ever?" She asked with a smile.

Rey glanced over at Kylo as he drove. He had one had on the wheel, the other was on her thigh and his fingers absentmindedly drew patterns on her skin. She lightly drew her hand up his arm, from his wrist to the inside of his elbow. His skin was smooth and soft, but he had hard muscles underneath. Ever since his mom had called, he seemed withdrawn and his face looked closed off and... haunted? He looked more like the faculty photo Finn had found of him online. She didn't want to press him, but it was clear something was troubling him. It made her want to hold him and comfort him and cast away whatever dark cloud he had over him.

By the time they got to her flat, Rey had been able to slowly start pulling Kylo out of his dark mood. He held her hand as they walked up to her flat door. She tried to picture what state she had left everything before their date. She was generally a pretty tidy person, but she had been in a rush when she left and hadn't expected company. There was also the small detail that she obviously was not as well off as Kylo was and her furniture and decor really showed that.

She pushed open the door and they were immediately greeted by Chewie, who jumped off the couch, meowing loudly at Rey. She rarely left Chewie alone overnight. Rey hadn't been certain how their date would go the night before, but she had enough foresight to leave out extra food in Chewie's bowl, just in case she wasn't back in time for breakfast. It appeared the cat hadn't rationed her food, had emptied the bowl, and was still demanding a second breakfast portion.

"Hey Chewie!" Rey enthused, bending down to scoop her up and cradle her in her arms. She turned to face Kylo, who appeared to be suspiciously eyeing her pet. She lifted one of Chewie's fluffy paws and moved it in a waving motion at Kylo. "This is Kylo, he doesn't like cats so you need to be your most charming self to win him over," she told the cat in a mock whisper. This earned her a smile from Kylo.

She put Chewie down and moved to give her a little scoop of food, just to mollify her. "Do you mind if I take a quick shower?" Rey asked. Kylo shook his head and gestured that she should go on. "Feel free to make yourself comfortable. You can turn on the tele if you'd like," she said as she turned to head down the hall.

With Rey gone, Kylo looked around the apartment and made his way over to the couch. He saw a novel lying on the coffee table and picked it up to read the back cover. He never considered himself a romantic, but Rey obviously was, if you went by this book's synopsis. He sat down on the couch and pulled out his phone, his finger hovering over the voicemail. He had a total of 5 from his mother since had started calling him recently. The dread that had settled in his stomach when he saw her call earlier resurfaced, even heavier this time and making him feel sick. He quickly pressed play and brought his phone up to his ear before he could change his mind.

"Hi Kylo, it's... me again. I know how we left things off, but I have something very important that I need to talk to you about. Please call me back soon... I love you."

He let his hand holding the phone drop to his side. Her voice and her words were still in his ears. He felt a wave of grief and guilt hit him so hard that he bent over and buried his face in his hands. He sat motionless as memories that he had tried to bury deep, were clawing their way painfully to the surface.

A questioning chirp of a meow at his elbow temporarily broke him out of his struggle. He turned his face to see Chewie, sitting a few feet away from him on the couch. She had large green eyes, pupils huge as she stared at him. Kylo reached out a little tentatively and pointed his index finger towards her face, figuring she might want to smell him like a dog would. She did lean forward, her long whiskers tickling him as she examined his hand. Without warning the cat suddenly deemed him not a threat and vigorously rubbed her whole head against his hand. This startled Kylo and he quickly snatched his hand back. Laugher behind him made his face hot as he turned to see Rey.

Her hair was still wet, hanging in curly tendrils around her face. She had put on jeans and a simple black tank top, but he thought she had never looked better. He told her as much and her face blushed to match his. There, now they were even.

"I'm almost done, let me just dry my hair and throw on a sweater. I think she really likes you," Rey told him with a wink as she left him once more.

Alone again, save the now purring furball beside him, his stomach gave a lurch. He ran a hand roughly across his face and shoved his phone back into his pocket. It didn't matter. He was having the best weekend of his life and he wasn't going to let himself think about this now. He appraised Chewie and carefully brought his hand up to pet her head. She rubbed against it and let out another loud purr. He smiled and deposited a well received scratch under her chin.