Rey giggled with excitement as she opened the packet of haribo and plucked out a jelly ring.

'This is going to be the best prank yet,' she whispered as she pocketed the confectionery.

Out the front of the cafe, she could hear her friends laughing and joking as they enjoyed a drink together after hours.

Rey stood in the kitchen doorway and observed the scene before her.

Finn and Poe were daring each other to take tequila shots by the plenty and Rose was watching them with an amused expression. Standing away from the trio with his arms folding over his chest, silently watching, was Ben Solo.

Rey and Ben had been embroiled in a prank war ever since Ben had come to work at the cafe with Rey and her friends two years previously.

What had started off quite tame, a plastic spider hidden inside the lettuce, a pen that electrocuted you when you tried to write with it. Had become more elaborate and dangerous as time had gone on. Now there wasn't much they could do to each other that would provoke a satisfying reaction. But Rey has come up with something that was sure to rock Ben Solo to his core.

She walked out into the cafe and cleared her throat. Everyone turned to look at her. Ben straightened up and his eyes fixed onto hers.

'I have something to say,' she said dramatically.

The room was silent. Rey walked up to Ben who looked bewildered. She looked up at him.

'Ben Solo, I'm in love with you.'

'What?' he looked down at her searching her eyes for answers. His level of confusion was so deliciously entertaining that she had to fight hard to hold in the laughter that threatened to bubble from her lips.

'I said I love you, Ben. I've always loved you but I didn't know about it until very recently.'

She stepped closer to him and watched his Adam's Apple bob violently.

'Ben, I want to know. Will you marry me?'

She put her hand in her pocket and pulled out the haribo jelly ring.

She yelled, 'Gotya!'

Just as Ben said, 'Yes.'

Rey blinked. Had he said yes? What the hell?

'What did you say?' she asked.

He looked panicked. His eyes ran over Finn, Poe and Rose as they surrounded them.

'Nothing, I didn't say anything. Good one, Rey,' he congratulated her.

His voice sounded different, unfamiliar. Rey leaned towards him.

'Ben, is there something you want to tell me?' she said quietly.

'No, nothing. I have to get going.'

He sped out of the cafe leaving a very confused Rey staring at his back as he disappeared down the pavement.

'What was all that about?' she asked her friends.

Rose looked at her sympathetically.

'Rey honey, I can't believe how clueless you are.'

'What do you mean?'

'Bens liked you since forever. I know you think that what you just did was funny, but I think you kind of inadvertently just crushed his poor little love sick heart.'

Rey's mouth fell open.

'Shit! I had no idea!'

'You really didn't know?' Poe said looking at her incredulously.

'No! Why the hell didn't you guys tell me?'

'We thought you knew!' Finn insisted.

'Yeah, we all talk about it all the time,' Rose confessed.

'Oh my God, oh my God… I need to sit down.'

Rey pulled out a seat and lowered herself into it.

'What are you going to do now?' Rose asked coming towards her.

'I don't know,' she said quietly.

'Have you ever thought about Ben like that before?' Finn pressed.

'No, but I mean now I think about it, he's my best friend, we go everywhere together, we hold hands, we cuddle up watching Netflix, he cooks for me, thank goodness because lord knows I can't cook. We know each other's likes and dislikes. We know everything about each other down to which side of the bed we prefer to sleep on and what sexual position we rate the highest… oh my god!' Rey's eyes widened in realisation.

'I'm in love with Ben!' she yelled.

Everyone looked at her. No one seemed surprised by her outburst.

'You all knew that too didn't you?' she said in a small voice.

Everyone nodded.

'WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?' Rey shouted.

'We thought you knew!' they called back in unison.

Rose sighed.

'Rey sweetie, the two of you are always together, he does everything you ask of him, including but not limited to driving you to 24 hour supermarkets at 1am just because you fancied some bbq chicken wings.'

'Friends do things like that,' Rey said defensively.

Finn stepped forward.

'He swaps onto every shift he knows you are on.'

Poe stepped forward.

'He dragged me to eight different bookshops to find you that special edition of Pride and Prejudice for your birthday.'

Rey felt guilt and shame weigh down on her shoulders. She put her head in her hands.

'Oh god, what have I done?' she moaned.

She felt Rose reach forward and gently pry her hands away from her face.

'Come on, lets go fix this,' she murmured.

'How?' Rey asked.

Rose smiled.

'Rey, you love each other. You have everything you need.'

Ben walked as fast as he could to his small apartment and shut the door. He lay against the wood and closed his eyes.

Idiot.

Why had he said that? Because he had been under some sort of spell where he had stopped thinking straight and all he saw was her and he never denied Rey anything she asked of him. Never. So when she asked him to marry her of course he had said yes, and now he looked like the biggest fool in the world.

He banged his head against the door.

'IDIOT!' he called out.

Now they all knew his secret, although he had long suspected that it wasn't really a secret to anyone but Rey at this point. She seemed oblivious to him as anything other than a friend.

Maybe it was for the best that it was out, maybe this was the push he needed to finally give up on his hopes of them ever being together. Rey obviously viewed the whole thing as a big joke. Maybe it was time to move on. But he knew he couldn't. Rey was the love of his life and his pathetic heart would want her until the day he died. Ben threw back a glass of whiskey, and slammed the glass down on the bench.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. He ignored it. He wasn't in the mood for visitors.

Another knock.

'Ben are you in there?'

He stilled at the sound of her voice.

'Ben please, can you let me in?'

'Go away,' he shouted.

He heard murmuring voices on the other side of the door. Who was out there? He moved closer and put his ear up against the wood.

'He won't let me in,' Rey said.

'Try again,' Poe said.

'Go on,' Rose urged.

Rey knocked once more.

Ben stood firm.

He heard Rey sigh and then sob quietly.

'He's never going to talk to me again is he? I'm never going to be able to tell him that I love him too.'

Ben opened the door and came face to face with Rey as well as Finn, Poe and Rose who stood behind her. They all looked at him expectantly. Rey had tears rolling down her cheeks. He came towards her and took her face in his hands, wiping at her tears with his thumbs.

'Ben, I'm so sorry—'

'Did you mean it?' he demanded.

'What?'

'Did you mean what you just said?'

Rey's eyes opened with realisation.

'You heard me?'

Ben looked at the others.

'Excuse us,' he said, pulling Rey into his apartment and closing the door. He stood in front of her.

'Did you mean it when you said you loved me?' he said softly.

'Yes,' she said, the word a mere whisper.

He kissed her then, crowding her up against the wall, his hands in her hair, on her back, gripping her hips. She moaned into his mouth.

'Why didn't you tell me?' she murmured.

'I didn't think you felt the same way,' he said between desperate kisses.

'What's going on we're dying out here!' Poe called.

Rey and Ben pulled apart and laughed. Ben took her hand in his and opened the door.

'Everything is okay now,' Ben said.

'You made up!' Rose said with a grin.

'We'll get out of your hair,' Finn announced with a wink.

'Call me in the morning!' Rose hissed before she followed Poe and Finn down the corridor.

Ben closed the door and looked at Rey. He ran a hand through his hair.

'Erm, so what do we do now?' he asked.

Rey gave him a seductive smile.

'I would have thought that was obvious,' she said coming towards him.

'I don't want to presume, I mean we haven't even had a date.'

Rey wrapped her arms around his neck.

'We've been dating for two years, Ben. I think we're ready to move to the next level.'

She pressed her lips to his and he groaned and lifted her into his arms.

'You sure you're ready?' he asked.

She nibbled at his jaw.

'Definitely.'

Ben carried her through to the bedroom and lowered her onto the bed.

'I don't think I'm ready for marriage just yet though,' she joked.

Ben smiled down at her.

'It's enough that you're here,' he murmured as he leaned down to kiss her once more.

'For now,' he said with a smirk as he wrapped his arms around her once more.