Maybe it was pure coincidence, but it seemed that Rey and Ben were home alone, together, a lot.
Rey first noticed it a couple days after they recovered from the flu, Poe and Finn were making every excuse to not be at the house during the day, leaving early in the morning and returning late at night. She didn't think much of it, simply assumed they wanted time away after being cooped up for nearly two weeks.
Ben, however, knew exactly what they were up to. Ever since their heartfelt conversation a few days prior, his two roommates had been giving him looks and not-so-subtle nudges—elbows to the ribcage—any time Rey was around. Make a move, their actions and expressions screamed, but he ignored them every time, instead choosing to duck into his room, the tips of his ears burning in embarrassment.
So, now, they were enacting their last resort: simply force the two oblivious lovebirds to be together. Alone. As often as possible.
Of course, they had their classes to attend and jobs to do, but nearly every moment spent in their little, three-bedroom plus one-dining-room-turned-bedroom cottage on the corner of Crait Lane and Chandrila Court, was spent together.
Rey had just returned from a full day of classes (intro to welding, advanced mechanics, basic engineering 101, and Basic tango dancing with Poe, just for the heck of it), and she was sore, tired, and hungry. She tossed her messenger bag onto the couch, ignoring the fact that a stack of textbooks spilled out, and marched to the kitchen, yanking open the fridge. She scanned the contents, grabbing a Tupperware of leftover Chinese takeout and her Arizona Tea from a few days ago. She emptied her food out onto a plate and shoved it in the microwave, setting the timer for two minutes before she turned to the pantry. A bag of chips, two granola bars, a chocolate cookie, and a box of goldfish crackers found their way into her arms. She padded across the carpet and dispensed her loot onto the sofa beside her bag before returning to grab her drink and main course.
She powered up the TV, flipping through channels until she landed on something not completely unbearable, some cheesy flick about these two lovers from outer space who were on opposite sides of the war. Rey turned her attention to her phone, shoveling a forkful of fried rice into her mouth. She scrolled through Instagram, stopping every few minutes to like a picture, most frequently one of her friends or a dog.
"Please, Kylo, don't leave me! Don't go this way!" the female character from the movie cried out, tears streaking down her cheeks as she reached for her love.
"No, you're still holding onto the past! Let go! Come with me, and we can rule the galaxy together, Kira!" he replied, extending a hand to her. "Join me. Please."
The girl, Kira, continued crying, with renewed intensity. "Kylo, you're all I have now. I need you. I—I love you." Sparks from severed electrical wires rained down around them, lighting up parts of their faces.
"I love you, too."
"Oh, please!" Rey groaned, munching on a handful of chips. She shut off the program, rolling her eyes. For the first time, she noticed the muffled sound of a voice, coming from the bathroom. "Ben?" she called, standing and moving to the hallway. The voice was louder, and more clear.
"But he doesn't know what she's been through before, puts herself on the front lines with no reward, and takes care of everyone before herself," Ben was belting out the words in the shower, his voice and the sound of the water melting together. Rey covered her mouth to keep from bursting into laughter. She could tell he'd skipped ahead in the song, despite never having heard it previously, due to the tone and tempo change. "She catches on to all his signs, a change of pace for her but it's fine, she's not used to it but he goes the distance for her too. She is all he needs and desires, and it is about time she acquired someone who knows she's not a fool." Her face started to heat up. She felt as though she were intruding. "She's on his mind day and night, thinks he takes her for granted but to her surprise, he needs her more than she needs him. Won't fight, no, just walks away. Won't tell his secrets keeps them safe. That's why she's not just another face…." His voice trailed off, thoughtful and quiet.
Rey's face was burning. Not only had she stood outside the bathroom for at least five minutes while Ben showered, she also witnessed his beautiful singing voice and maybe a glimpse into his true feelings. Was he singing about her? And if he was, did that mean—
Her musing was interrupted by a sharp yelp followed by a loud thud and the tell-tale sound of shampoo bottles crashing to the ground. Before thinking it through, she shoved the door open to find Ben, lying in the bathtub, wrapped in the shower curtain, which had been torn from the rod. A graveyard for broken bottles surrounded him, their sudsy contents flowing toward the drain.
Thankfully, he was mostly covered up by the curtain, only his arms and upper chest were visible. His incredibly toned arms and upper chest—"Ben! Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm good," he grunted, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "Just slipped and fell, like an idiot."
Rey couldn't conceal her laughter. "Oh my, what a mess." She closed the toilet lid and sat down, shaking her head. "I expect full reimbursement for the innocent lives of my showers gels that were lost today."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." He rolled his eyes, and then stiffened, slowly turning to look at her, his face an even brighter shade of red. "How long have you been here?"
She stood, shrugging her shoulders. "Not long," she answered breezily, sidling toward the floor and flinging it open. She made her way down the hall, humming as she did so.
Ben's stomach dropped to his feet as he recognized the tune.
A/N: this has got to be one of my very favorite chapters I've ever written. Its not that late (2:04 AM) but I also just updated three different stories and my hands feel like jelly and I'm spelling my words like a drunk man THANK GOD FOR AUTOCORRECT. the song is how do i tell a girl i want to kiss her by modern baseball a BOP