Rey manages to wait a single, excruciating day before texting Kylo. It's just long enough to get over the shock of what happened, but not so long that her doubts about the wisdom of carrying on with him completely leave her either.
She tries not to imagine Jess and Finn's faces when they hear what happened. She knows deep down that no matter how much teasing they dish out, this isn't what they really thought would come of all this.
And if she thought writing an email expressing her feelings was tough, this text is next level.
She types and deletes a dozen variations before finally settling on the simplest.
Hey. This is Rey.
She's lying on the couch under an afghan with Beebee purring contentedly on top of her as she watches the little bubbles appear and disappear over as he drafts his reply.
Her heart races when it finally pops up and then a nervous giggle escapes her to see its simplicity.
Hey there yourself.
It's the day before Christmas already and the whole town feels like it's shut down. The temperatures haven't let up and everything outside feels sharp: the frost that licks up the corner of her bedroom window, the way the ice puddles crack when stepped on, the flat gray clouds that lay over the valley.
She's poised to reply, thinking of what to say, when another message appears.
Wanna get coffee tomorrow afternoon? There's a place by me that's still open.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow is Christmas day. Rey chews her cuticle. It's not like she had plans, did she? She's more surprised that he doesn't have plans.
ok, where?
He sends a link to the Yelp listing for the place and she recognizes it immediately. It's an adorable little shop in an old-fashioned corner storefront in the nicer part of town. She's seen it on her extended outdoor runs in the spring when she ventured beyond the immediate area around campus, across the river and into the historic area. It's the nice neighborhood, one where non-students live.
Meet you there at 2?
She suggests it first but her heart is galloping now. Beebee quits purring to stretch out a paw, kneading Rey's collarbone ever so slightly with her claws.
"Two is a good time," Rey tells her. "In case he has brunch plans but well before dinner. Just in case it's weird. No obligation."
Beebee gazes unblinkingly back before her third eyelid begins to slowly hood her amber eye.
"You're so gross," Rey whispers, fascinated by this quirk of cat anatomy.
See you there.
Rey hides her smile under the edge of the blanket.
And do your exercises, a final text commands. A smiley pops up a second later to soften the bossiness but Rey's gut is already twisting with anticipation.
She dashes off a cheeky reply before she can chicken out.
I think of you every time I do.
The bubbles appear a half dozen times or more before he finally sends back a emoji that looks like it's blushing.
Rey stares at it for a long time before dropping her head back on the arm of the couch and letting out a groan of frustration. Two pm tomorrow is an eternity away.
She sits in Finn's car down the block from the coffeeshop for a long time observing the street. Finn had left it behind and she is eternally grateful she's not at the mercy of the holiday bus schedule for this adventure. The thought of waiting in the cold for the lone bus route that makes its way through this neighborhood crushed her, especially on the return trip if this doesn't go well. The shop stands at an intersection where the paving is partly old brick instead of asphalt in a part of town where the streets are considerably narrower and more winding than the section of the city by the university. The river that cuts through the city marks the area between the historic district, built along the edge of the rolling hills that ring the city, and a fort perches atop one nearby peak.
Really, she's not quite sure what to expect. What would going well even entail? She folds the visor down to check her make-up for smudges once more and uses the tip of her pinky to scrub away some errant mascara that found its way onto her eyelid. Getting ready for this date turned into a two-hour affair; nothing she put on seemed right and the pile of discarded outfits grew on the foot of her bed as Beebee watched with measured feline disdain.
Just then, a flash of movement outside the car catches her eye and she peeks beneath the visor to catch Kylo loping across the street to the shop. Her hand flies to the door handle but a quick check of her watch tells her he's early and she hangs back in the car for a few minutes more. She peers into her bag and her heart feels like it's trying to escape her chest when she tucks the condoms she brought just in case into the side pocket even more firmly. The frigid air outside cools her cheeks rapidly and she hopes it looks like she's just flushed from the weather.
He's already seated inside at a table near a window away from the door when she arrives, but they have their pick of the seats. The place is predictably deserted save for a lone barista with a lip piercing who doesn't even look up from his phone when she enters. A handwritten sign taped to the edge of the counter reads:
We will be closing at 3 PM for Christmas. We're not sorry for the inconvenience.
Love,
Not the Management.
Kylo is reading some kind of magazine and he half stands when she nears the table as if to hug her but then sits again before she can raise her arms.
"Hey," she tries. "Merry Christmas?"
"Hi," he replies, smoothing the spine of the magazine flat with his enormous palm and she sees that it's some kind of professional journal, all dense text and diagrams. "Merry Christmas yourself."
He's not wearing scrubs for once and Rey can't deny that her heart skips a little to see how his jeans cling to his thighs. He's got on at least two layers up top, a flannel and a half-zip sweater that looks cozy but reads a bit... mature in style. Rey clears her throat to keep from giggling at what Finn would no doubt say if he were here: hello, Daddy.
She slides into the seat and shucks her heavy coat. An awkward beat passes before they both try to speak at once.
"You come here often?"
"You found the place okay?"
They chuckle and both try to answer before he insists she go first.
"Yes, I did," she assures him with a shake of her phone, still open to her map app. She drops it into her bag. "And you?"
"I live just down the street," he explains. "Thanks for coming to my 'hood."
Rey just nods. "Have you lived here a long time, or…?"
Kylo squirms in his chair at this and for a second, she gets the same feeling as when she flirted with him at the office. Like she is suddenly the much older party and he, a teenager.
"No, I only moved here last year," he replies, not looking at her. "Can I get you a drink?" He glances over his shoulder at the counter. The barista doesn't move aside from the rapid flicking of his thumb over his phone's screen.
"If we're not interrupting something," Rey says softly. "I would drink a latte. But no flavoring or funny business."
Kylo looks back at her and he's clearly amused.
"Is sugar 'funny business'? Asking for a friend."
"Yes," Rey deadpans before she cracks a smile.
The barista comps them the drinks and it's clear he knows Kylo by sight despite the pained look that he wears through the entire transaction. Her heart warms when Kylo stuffs a ten in the empty tip jar, more than the two drinks would've cost together and the kid mumbles thanks.
Kylo doesn't sit as he delivers her latte.
"Do you wanna get out of here?" He proposes this like they'd been lingering for awhile. "I think they want to close early. There's a trail along the river if you want to walk."
Rey glances at the sign hanging from the countertop and smiles. "You think…?"
Kylo merely rolls his eyes and waits until they're safely outside before saying, "He put that sign out after I came in."
"That's bold," Rey judges, but she understands the sentiment. "I'm surprised they're open at all today."
They walk down the street clutching their cups. They're partway down the block when Kylo slows a touch and asks, "Actually… do you mind if I bring my dog? He's home alone and he loves to destroy things. He's kind of the worst."
"Of course not," Rey shakes her head. "I love dogs!"
They make a u-turn and head down a cul-de-sac that is literally across from the shop, an adorable little enclave of historic rowhouses with some very nice cars parked along the street. Maybe it's just people visiting for the holidays but Rey spies mostly foreign makes and one so fancy she's not able to recognize it at all.
Number 47 sits on the left side of the street and a decidedly unpretentious small SUV sits in his driveway. It's at least ten years old with rust licking up the quarter panels. A few stickers from places Rey recognizes to be ski mountains decorate the back window and she spies a rack on the roof to match.
"Brace yourself," Kylo warns as he unlocks the front door. Rey can hear the animal inside and from the timbre of its bark, she expects at least a medium-sized dog, a shaggy rescue type with a lopsided ear or some other endearing lumpiness.
To her surprise, a sleek black French bulldog with bugging eyes and ears the size of wings squeezes out the cracked door and leaps repeatedly at her knees.
"Vader, down!" Kylo scolds the dog but Vader's excitement cannot be repressed. Rey drops to one knee and succumbs to the tornado of wriggling dog. She laughs as his tongue swipes her cheek and then her teeth accidentally.
"Sorry, Jesus!" Kylo grabs the leash from just inside and shuts the door before Rey can get a look inside his place. "He's a terror."
Rey can't believe this bundle of overjoyed yips crossed with nasal snorts is exactly a terror so she says, "He has a lot of energy!"
Kylo makes a sound in the back of his throat that Rey can't interpret as pure agreement or pure disgust as he reaches in and hooks Vader's collar. Instantly the dog changes course, darting out to the extent allowed by his leash and even straining against it to the point of making gasping sounds.
"You'd think we didn't already walk two miles this morning." Kylo's tone is gruff as they set off back down the street, but Rey detects a hint of affection for the creature. "The neighbors probably think I neglect him."
Rey hasn't seen a single other person since they left the coffee shop who would judge them, so she shrugs noncommittally.
"I'm sure you're a good dog-dad," she offers.
"I'm a single dog-dad," Kylo shoots back and she can detect a caustic note in his retort.
Rey stuffs her free hand in her pocket and ignores it. She's got mittens on but they're still cold to the point of her fingertips being slightly numb and she wonders how Kylo is still warm without any hat or gloves on.
They walk down the main thoroughfare once more and reach a turnoff down a dirt path in short order. Vader obviously knows the way and is practically hovering with excitement to be going to the park. The path widens out to a large grassy area alongside the river and Kylo unclips Vader's leash, leaving him to race after a flock of birds that rest along the bank. They swirl into the air in a startled bunch before their instinct takes over and they float just above the dog's jumping range, taunting him by swooping down before winging aloft again, maddeningly just out of reach.
They stroll along the edge of the park in silence before Rey finally gets up her nerve to ask him something. Her initial, first-date nervousness is now replaced by a hum of anticipation since it seems to be going… well, at least not actively badly. The ease of their text-based flirtation has deserted her, but she knows she wouldn't be here if he hadn't reciprocated her advances.
"You said you moved here recently?"
Kylo takes a measured sip of his drink before answering. "Yeah, I've been here about a year now."
He doesn't elaborate and she feels the need to fill in the gap. "I've only been here two-I transferred in with a few years of university credits from England."
"Do you like it here?"
Rey takes her own time sipping at her latte before answering. It had felt lonely at first until she had met Finn and then Jess, but now that they're roommates she couldn't imagine feeling at home anywhere else.
"It's different," she begins as Vader trots up to them, triumphant at the stick he's brought to Kylo. His owner wrestles it from his teeth and slings it out ahead of them so he can race after it, his round haunches straining as he digs into the frozen ground.
"I bet," Kylo concedes easily. "It's always hard when you come to a new place."
The question is begging to be asked, but she doesn't touch it, not yet. Instead she tries to be playful.
"Did I get you in trouble at work? With that note?"
Kylo's laugh is musical. "No," he dismisses her concern quickly. "I would only be in trouble if they knew I wrote back. It's… not the first time someone's sent an inappropriate note."
Rey raises an eyebrow and takes a deep draught of her drink before she turns to face him, walking backwards so she can see his reaction.
"Yeah? Is it the first time you wrote back?"
Kylo's stride falters slightly at her question but he looks her in the eye when he answers.
"Yes- is that the first time you've flirted with your doctor via email?"
Now it's her turn to blush. "I've never done it before, I swear!"
"Good," he nods. "Don't make it a habit."
She falls back beside him and they walk a distance in silence punctuated only by Vader's looping trips. The dog is slowing with each repetition until he finally stands panting at Kylo's side just watching the stick as it hurtles towards the river bank.
Kylo slows too and drops down to Vader's height. Placing his paper cup on the frosted grass, he uses both hands to rough up the dog's head and Rey's heart pitter-patters in a way she can't ever remember it doing. Something about seeing his affection for the animal causes her to melt and she drains her own drink, trying not to stare at them openly. Kylo's massive, ungloved hands dwarf Vader's ears and neck and Kylo murmurs something only the dog can understand. She may as well not be standing there and feels like she's intruding on some private male ritual.
"We should probably start back," Kylo says at last. "He's tired and despite what it looks like, he's heavy to carry."
"You carry him?!" Rey's laugher echoes in the bare trees around them.
Kylo looks sheepish before shrugging. "I can't leave him out here. He just sits down and refuses to walk any further."
One look at Vader's heaving sides and lolling tongue and she knows it's the truth. This dog seems like a master manipulator.
They slow their pace on the return trip and now Rey wonders if this is the end of their date. They've gotten their coffee, the dog has been walked, and the light is beginning to take on the late-afternoon quality of winter dusk that signals early evening. If something is going to happen, it will happen soon.
They're almost back at the junction of his street when Kylo suddenly says, "I don't want to keep you if you have plan-"
"I don't have plans," Rey interrupts him before he can finish.
A grin slowly creases his cheeks and Rey's heart stutters. She hopes it's not too forward of her but she can't bear the thought of being alone the rest of the holiday, not after the gooey way her insides have been feeling for the last hour.
"Okay," he agrees readily. "Have you ever seen National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation?"
"No, what is that?"
Kylo looks gutted. "What is that!? It's only the greatest American Christmas film of the 20th century, and I'm happy to be your cultural envoy since your roommates are obviously not up to the task."
And that is how she comes to be seated on her doctor's couch on Christmas Day with a bowl of popcorn between them, the fireplace on, and Vader snuggled beside Kylo's thigh.