A/N: Regarding my preview and who Rey was talking to - Raise your hand if you think the fight is with Ben? What about Hobbie? This answer is: Yes.

I'm going to finish my author's note at the end of the chapter this time.

Also, Angel715 I didn't want to answer you until now. I'm sure you guessed Hobbie's going to make his appearance here lol

Brace yourselves...

~XXV. When Everything Falls Apart~

"Just make sure you send the NDA over to their office with the proposal. We can't let another slip up like Snap's mess us up. Not when this is a huge client."

"Sure thing, boss. I'll put that document on top of the stack!"

"Thanks Jess," Rey handed over the pile of papers. "Well, I think that's all. Let's call it a day, shall we?"

Jess took the papers and neatly stacked them on her desk right outside of Rey's office. She walked back to her with a quizzical expression.

"Really? You're not going to jump into a last minute contract that you say will only take fifteen minutes, but we end up staying for almost an hour?" she teased.

"I don't always do that, do I?" she jokily narrowed her eyes at her assistant.

"For as long as I've worked here with you, yeah you do it almost all the time!" the two women laughed.

"Well, take today as a gift then. I'm letting you off early to start your weekend!" Rey gathered her belongings and zipped her messenger bag.

"Hey, you don't have to tell me twice!" Jess grabbed her purse from under her desk.

The two ladies headed towards the front of the building. Rey took out one of her earbuds and set it in place. She was looking for the perfect playlist to listen on her way home. Absentmindedly, she started lightly humming.

"You seem awfully perky at the end of a workweek," Jess quipped at her bubbly friend.

"I'm just happy for the weekend," Rey simply replied.

And why wouldn't she be? Last night Ben asked Rey out on an official date.

Yes. Ben Solo. Her husband of five months, three weeks, and two days. Her roommate. Her crush.

It was more than a crush though, that's for sure.

The whole week had been a tumultuous surprise for the pair. From their impulsive kisses and brief make out sessions, their dear friend Poe visiting and shedding some light of their innermost feelings, to their double date with Ben's parents – the moment felt right. They were a couple months late, but the time had finally come. They were going on a date. They were going to tell one another how they felt. They were going to start a real relationship. Nothing could ruin Rey's aura.

Although, having to wait a whole day for their date was a bit of torture. While Friday, today, would have been ideal since he had just asked her out not even 24 hours ago, their bi-weekly check-in was scheduled for that afternoon, and it just wouldn't flow with their plans for a romantic evening. Plus, this gave Ben a chance to go all out. He spent the entire day planning their date; making reservations, borrowing his dad's car and taking it for a wash and detailing, and researching several idealistic spots in town he could take her for their Saturday of romance.

Talking to Pryde that day was probably the easiest check-in they've ever had. Even the counselor noticed a change in their dynamic. The pair was giggling, exchanging glances, and sitting very close to each other at all times. To say the least, he was satisfied with what he saw.

"Well, I'm happy to say that this is my last visit with you two," Pryde said as they walked him to the door.

"As much as we enjoyed your company, hopefully we'll never have to see you again," Ben chuckled.

"He means, thanks for all your support," Rey giggled at Ben's words, playfully scolding him in front of the counselor.

"I understand," Pryde chuckled as well. "And likewise, Mr. Solo. Good luck you too!"

When they shut the door, Ben high-fived Rey as they both cheered.

"We made it. We actually made it," he said in almost disbelief.

Rey nodded in agreement.

"I'm just glad Snoke never made a house call," she said in relief.

They stood in place, contentedly smiling at one another.

"Pizza?" he offered.

"It's like you read my mind."

Ben ordered a pizza from the mobile app and the pair settled into their typical routine of preparing for their meal. Plates gathered, soda's poured into glasses and cheese and pepper flakes set on the counter. They sat on the stools, face to face, acting like lovestruck teenagers ogling at one other, talking about random things to pass time.

One of Rey's biggest pet peeves was being interrupted mid speech. She wouldn't get angry at anyone per se, but her mind ran a mile a minute. Whenever she'd get interrupted her thoughts would hit a stump and it frustrated her to no extent to recall what she was talking about.

Rey was in the middle of rambling about this puff pastry recipe that she saw on the food network when Ben cut her off mid-sentence and stole a kiss on her lips.

To anyone else, she'd have been angry by the interruption. But she gladly accepted this distraction as she kissed him back, snaking her arms around his neck, deepening their connection.

"You know you can't make a habit of cutting me off whenever you feel like it," she teased, pausing their kiss.

"Hey, you're the one who looks so damn cute all the time. You can't blame me for being impatient to kiss you whenever I get the chance," he smirked.

"Oh so it's my fault?" she feigned hurt.

"Yes, finally you understand the root of my frustration!" he joked.

She was about to retort when once again he cut her off, capturing her giggles in his mouth and continued to kiss her some more.

They really have come a long way. Who would have thought six months ago they'd be in the kitchen, openly flirting, stealing kisses, anticipating their first date? Okay well their friends did. They teased them constantly. To some degree, Ben and Rey may have known this would happen. That they would fall for each other. It was only a matter of time. But they were glad that they weren't pressured or rushed by their friends. They got to know each other. They did it at their own pace… Well, at the pace they went because they were both afraid to admit anything right away. But that didn't matter anymore because they made it here to this moment. And they were happy. Finally happy.

They hadn't verbally expressed their feelings to each other yet; that was going to be saved for their first date the following evening. But the unspoken words exchanged between them and the apparent open intimacy in the past week was enough for Ben and Rey to understand that there was overlap, reciprocity, and mutual understanding.

Ben's phone beeped with a notification from the delivery guy with their order.

He groaned, cursing under his breath for having to break their kiss again from a little interruption. She giggled at him and kissed his nose, releasing her arms from his shoulders and stood up to go to the kitchen.

"Damn, the delivery guy accidentally took a wrong turn and got lost," he frowned at the message. "Must be a new guy. I better call him and meet him at the front of the building. I need my food!" he proclaimed.

He stood up from his seat and walked towards the door.

"Oh, do you mind checking the mail since you're going down to the lobby? I ordered some more k-cups for the Keurig."

Ben rolled his eyes at her. Rey as of late had discovered several interesting flavors of coffee online and was ordering new pods every week for them both to try. Not that Ben was complaining, he loved coffee, he just laughed at Rey's silly new obsession.

"You are a coffee addict, you know that?" he teased her. He opened the door and stepped out.

"Don't forget to check the mailbox!" she hollered.

"What? Can't hear you! Going to get a pizza!" he pretended and slammed the door shut.

Rey laughed to herself. She was going to get him back if he didn't return with a box of toasted marshmallow k-cups along with their food.

She opened the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of ranch dressing. Along with Ben's ridiculous sweet tooth, he had a very unhealthy appetite for pizza. These extra calories from the sauce just added to it. Rey shook her head, wondering how he even stayed fit. But then she remembered he worked out almost every day. Something she enjoyed when she started to join him. Not just for her own health, but because well… It's Ben in gym clothes, flexing his muscles and glistening all over for her to ogle at. And as of late, he started working out shirtless. She's only a woman for goodness sake!

There was a knock on the door moments later.

That's what you get for not bringing your keys to get the mail, Rey laughed to herself.

She excitedly walked to the door, thinking of a cheeky response to say to Ben for getting locked out of the apartment.

"Hi Rey."

All at once, her bright sunshiny day went colorless.

"Hobbie… what are you doing here?"

"Your assistant Jannah gave me your new address. Can we talk?"

Jannah was a recent new employee to assist Rey and Jess with the gala, then stayed on as her second assistant. She had never met Hobbie; never knew of that part of her past. She couldn't get too upset for her giving her address away to someone who probably charmed his way to get her new information.

"I don't have anything left to say to you," Rey flatly said. "I really think you should go."

"I messed up, Rey," he blurted. "Really fucked this up."

"It's a little too late for that," she mumbled. "You hurt me, Hob."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" she couldn't believe what he just said.

"Yeah?" he wondered why the confusion.

She leaned against the door frame, not really sure what his intentions were.

"You know in the three years we've been together, you never once actually admitted to saying you're sorry," she reminded him.

"Okay? And?"

"Nothing it's just…" Rey shook her head and sighed. "I always thought everything was my fault. That's why you never said it."

"Look, we can argue about this all day, but it doesn't matter. The past is the past," he tried to reason.

"It did matter, Hobbie. It still does. To me it does."

"Well then give me another chance," he expressed.

She looked at him in shock.

"What?"

"I want you back, Rey."

"Why?" It seemed like the right thing to say.

"I don't know. I just… I was sitting alone in my study one night and I thought of you and you know… I missed you and the little things you did for me."

"You mean like cook and clean for you?"

"Come on, give me some credit. You like to cook, don't you?" he retorted.

"You could've once cooked with me or something."

"Sweetie, you're the expert in the kitchen. I'm not. I took care of everything else. I took care of you."

"Agree to disagree."

"How can you say that?" he was offended. "I bought you the most expensive jewelry, took you to those gorgeous restaurants, and paid for anything you needed."

"Hobbie, buying my love isn't the same as taking care of me," she pointed.

"But it worked."

"Huh?" she was confused.

"You can stand there and paint me as a bad guy, but in the end, I took care of you. I put a roof over your head and promised you a future. That's what you want, right? A stable future?" He reminded her.

Rey had no words.

Hobbie briefly glanced behind her into the loft, then at his surroundings outside the door.

"I don't even know how you can manage to afford this dump, but you'd be better and safer at my apartment building. Now come home with me."

"I'm not yours to own anymore," she defended.

"Is this about the engagement? Do you want to get married still? I'll agree to it if you say yes. It's just a title, Rey. But if that's you want then fine," he said. How romantic…

"You're the one who said you didn't want to get tied down. That I wasn't marriage material."

"People can change you know."

"Out of convenience. You want me back for convenience. You have no one else to control."

"I am not controlling!" he raised his voice.

But Rey wasn't scared of him. She was done with his manipulative ass.

"Oh please, Hobbie. You controlled every detail of my life. Heaven forbid I stepped out of line, you made sure I was doing everything according to your plans," she scoffed.

"I was trying to make out a roadmap of our future," he explained.

"Your future."

"Ours!"

"Why are you here?" she decided not to let this rambling continue any longer.

"I want us to get back together. I want to be in a relationship again."

"Well you can't have one with me. I've moved on," she crossed her arms firmly.

"Well I haven't," he confessed.

She was surprised by this. When he dumped her, he seemed like he was ready to move on from Rey and start a new relationship with someone else. Was he for real?

"You're just afraid to be alone," she said.

"I can have any woman I want. Don't even go there," he glared at her.

"Then go find another woman because I'm not coming back to you."

"Rey, think about it. Who else can give you the stable life you crave?"

She stayed silent. He still knew how to get in her head.

"M-maybe I don't want that anymore," she replied a bit timidly.

"Oh really?" he was unconvinced. "You don't want to wake up every day knowing you've got someone who takes care of you? To assure you that you're not alone anymore?"

"I'm not alone," she assured him.

"What do you mean?"

"I've got plenty of people in my life who care about me. More than you've ever cared."

"What, your dumb friend at the bar? Rose? Finn? Sweetie. They'll move on with their own lives eventually. You'll be alone again. Come back to me."

She didn't believe him. He was just messing with her head. Not this time, bud…

"Hobbie, you need to leave."

"Come on Rey, lighten up."

"She said leave, dude."

Never in her life was Rey so relieved to see Ben. Hobbie spun around and looked at the guy from head to toe.

"Who is this, the pizza guy?" he noticed Ben carrying their dinner in his hands.

"No, he's… my roommate."

"Seriously Rey? Do you really think I'm that stupid?" Hobbie rolled his eyes at her.

"If you stand there another minute, you'd be a fucking idiot because I won't hold back," Ben spat.

"Oh, you want to put your money where your mouth is tough guy?" Hobbie sneered.

They stepped roughly towards each other, both men sizing the other up.

"Ben," Rey stepped forward and gently tugged his arm. "He's not worth it."

Ben glared at the man for a bit but backed down slightly per Rey's request.

"Oh I see. You don't like being controlled, so you found someone to control. I guess I've rubbed off on you," Hobbie chastised her.

"I swear to god I will kick your ass right here, right now," Ben snarled.

"Ben, go inside. I got this. Please," Rey begged him.

He looked at Rey, then at Hobbie. He frustratingly grunted and stepped back. Grudgingly, he went into their loft to leave Rey to deal with their unwanted visitor.

"He can't give you the life I can. The guy's a loser! Let me take care of you," Hobbie exclaimed.

"I don't need to be taken care of. Especially not from you," she scoffed at him.

"So what, you're going to be with him? Play 'house' and live happily ever after?" Hobbie asked. "You think it's that easy?"

"It's none of your business what Ben and I do," she defended.

"Come on, Rey. You're seriously going to pass me up for some guy like him? You know I can give you everything. What can he give you?"

This was all happening so fast and her mind was in a complete mess. But she had the sanity to find the answer to his question.

"The one thing you can't," she simply replied.

As vague as that was, Hobbie saw that Rey was firm with her words. He knew he had failed.

"You changed, Rey." He dejectedly sighed. "Let me show you I can change too."

"Hobbie, please. Just leave me alone."

~.~.~.~

Rey stepped back inside and locked their apartment door immediately. She didn't have time to mull over what just happened with her ex because now she had another situation in front of her. As grateful as she was for Ben to come to her rescue, she was upset that he intervened.

Ben was pacing around the room, angrily muttering curse words under his breath.

"Ben, why did you do that?!" Rey marched towards him.

He was caught by surprise. Was she really asking him that? He thought he'd at least get a 'thank you' or something.

"I can't believe you were engaged to that guy!" he scoffed.

"Well, I haven't always made the soundest decisions in my love life. You of all people should know that," she had anger laced in her voice. He noticed.

"Why are you getting mad at me? I was trying to defend you!"

"I can defend myself!"

"Well apparently not, because the guy wouldn't leave!"

"What is it with men thinking I can't fend for myself?!" she threw her hands in the air. "I'm not a weak little puppy dog needing someone to take care of me every minute of every day."

"I'm not saying you're like that," Ben defended. "But what if I want to take care of you? Is that so bad?"

She knew he meant well, she really did. But Hobbie was a ghost of her past and she really wanted to rid herself of her own demons alone.

"Look, I know you were trying to help, but that was my battle. My fight. I needed to deal with Hobbie alone. I needed closure just like you had closure with Baz," she tried to explain.

"It didn't seem like there was any actual closure," he pointed.

"What are you talking about?"

"You never answered him."

"I told him to leave."

"But are you going back to him?"

"Where is this coming from?"

"Why are you dodging the question?"

"Jesus, Ben. No, I'm not going back to Hobbie! You happy?" she exclaimed.

"Don't patronize me, Rey," he glared at her.

"It's hard talking to you like this when you're not thinking clearly," she shook her head, rubbing her temples.

"Neither are you!" he replied, pacing the room some more.

"Are you serious right now?! I've never been so clear with my thoughts and I one hundred percent do NOT want anything to do with Hobbie, ever."

"Well why not? He's the answer to all your wishes, isn't he?" he stopped in front of her.

Ben was able to climb the stairs long enough to hear most of Rey and Hobbie's conversation. He recalled Hobbie saying those words to Rey and she was hesitant to answer at first. Because of that, Ben started second guessing himself. He definitely knew how to play mind games with Ben's head too.

"What are you talking about?!" she looked at him incredulously.

The volume in Ben's voice died down, but the frustration and anger were still ever present.

"He's got the money. He's got the life you want. He's got the stability. You said it yourself. He offered you that," he said to her.

"But if it's being offered from someone I don't care deeply about, it's not my wish," she explained to him. "Not anymore."

"What if he's your only chance for the future you've always wanted?" Ben said crushingly, slumping down on a stool.

"What are you talking about?" Rey asked again as she walked over to him.

She wanted to touch him, hold him, anything, but she was still trying to control her own emotions and trying not to break down. Touching him would be a bad idea right now for both of them. Ben propped his elbows on the counter, frustratingly rubbing his face with his hands, trying to get through this argument with as little damage as possible than there already was between them. The tables have shifted, his mind was being played by Hobbie and he was falling into that all too familiar dark abyss, the one he desperately wanted to lay to rest.

"Rey," he sighed. "I'm not who you think I am."

"What do you mean?" she was more confused than ever.

He placed his hands on the cold marble counter, trying to keep his emotions in check. He had been preparing himself for what he wanted to say to her all week, to pour his heart out. But now, he suddenly doubted everything.

"I'm not someone who can give you what you want. Give you a stable life. Give you happiness. I'm just not."

"You don't know that," she said softly, this time choosing to cross the barrier and touched his arm.

"But I do," he bowed his head, patting her hand and placing it in his. "I'm not worth it. I'm just going to disappoint you. Hurt you. Make your life shit. I can't change. I won't change," he sadly admitted.

"Not even for me?" she was hanging on to a loose thread.

"I don't know…" he confessed. "I… I… I don't want to be the reason for someone's heartbreak. Especially not yours."

She remembered the night he told her that same thing when they were in their hotel suite watching a movie. So…. Did that mean she wasn't enough for him? Was she not worth fighting for?

"So you're saying I'm not worth it?" she looked up at him, crushed.

Ben took it offensively; his soft tone had changed again as he let her hand go.

"Don't put words into my mouth, Rey. I never said that," he looked back at her sternly.

"But you're implying it," rage was starting to build in her voice as well.

He shot up from his seat once more and paced around the room.

"What do you want me to say?! That I don't want to be single anymore and I want to take a chance and be in a relationship? A real one? Fall in love and live happily ever? And do all that shit with you because you're all I've been thinking about?!"

"Yes I want you to say all of that!" she flailed her arms in the air. "I want you to know how I feel too!"

"No, don't tell me how you feel, Rey. Please. This is hard enough."

"Why can't I?" she screamed. "Why can't I tell you that I feel the same way? That I've been feeling this way for a long time and you're the only person I've ever felt like this before?!"

"Stop it. Stop talking," he said through gritted teeth.

"Why is it wrong for me to choose you?!" she cried out.

"Because it just is!" he too flailed his arms in the air.

"It's not! Everything you just said, it's all I want, all I need. Why can't you just say it to me?!"

"I can't say any of that," he shook his head vigorously. "I'm sorry, I don't have another side. A good side. This is me. I'm a fucking disappointment. I can't give you what Hobbie can give you."

"I don't care what Hobbie can give me. I care what you give me. And you're not a disappointment. Not to me."

"I just can't do it, Rey…"

"Why can't you just take a chance?"

The desperation in her voice punched Ben in the gut.

"Because I don't want to hurt you!"

He knew he said it a bit too powerfully, but that was his biggest fear and he needed to let it out.

Rey went silent; her lips quivered, fighting a losing internal battle from crying. Ben stood in place, trying to calm himself down so he wouldn't scare her any more than he probably is. Unfortunately, somewhere along the lines of being sad about what he said, Rey's mind instead turned on her defenses.

"That's the problem with you Ben, you don't take chances," she mumbled.

"Oh you're one to talk," he replied.

"I take more chances than you," she glared at him.

The hostility had come back.

"Oh really miss goody two shoes? You practically freaked out when Snoke wouldn't let us get an annulment the second we got back from Vegas."

"Ben, be real, that was a very different time and we were both scared."

"You were more scared."

"How dare you!"

"Admit it, Rey. You were so terrified that this wasn't going along with your god damn life plan. That I was a roadblock you needed to get rid of."

"Ben-"

"No, I'm not finished," he scowled. "I know what everyone's been saying about this. You and me. I know what you say to people too. That I'm not the ideal person you were supposed to end up with. I'm not a boring old stuck up prick who can promise you stability and shit."

"I never said that!"

"But you thought about it!"

"That was a long time ago. Before you and I got to know each other!"

"You still thought of it though."

"Oh and you don't think I know about you? Mister 'I don't want to be in a committed relationship' so you can have no responsibilities?!"

"That's not why I didn't want to be in a relationship at first!"

"It's true though. You said it yourself! You're afraid of commitment, of having responsibilities. That's why you 'stopped playing the game'," she mocked his words. "You can't even hold down a decent job because you don't want the responsibility."

"You better watch it," he warned her.

"In fact, you can't even keep a simple job with your father. The one person who is biologically wired to love you, and even he couldn't deal with your bullshit."

"Oh and you're supposed to be saint?!" he blew up.

"What? No!"

"You go around saying you don't want to get hurt, you want this perfect life. But you grab on to the nearest thing that will offer you stability - a jerk like Hobbie, or a loser like me… just because you're so desperate not to be alone."

Rey slapped him across the face.

This time her tears fell. The room went silent.

Ben realized what he had just said. Everything that was just spoken. At that moment he wished nothing more but to take it all back.

"I'm sorry," he breathed.

"Me too," she whispered.

This sorry wasn't a peace offering.

It was a goodbye.

Ben slowly walked past her and grabbed his keys. He headed for the door. Before stepping out he turned to her.

"I told you not to bet on me, Rey."

She wiped her tears and gathered whatever courage she had left to look at him.

"I thought you were worth it... I guess we were both wrong."

A/N: *Sigh* I'm sorry. But... Nope, that's all. I'm sorry. This is how the story needs to go. Please don't hate me! I promise you, it's still worth the read to the very end! Side note, I hope you guys felt the emotions in both conversations. I'm only good at dialogue writing in two genres: humor and drama. A client of mine is writing a drama and I'm testing out some dialogue in this chapter. Hopefully what I wrote was convincing enough to sound natural and real.

A/N: Preview of next chapter: Things Will Never Be The Same

"Are you going to talk to Ben?"

"I don't know. I think we said all that we needed today..."

"You don't know that."

"Everyone says things they don't mean when they're angry sometimes."