"What a great day." Poe deadpanned, collapsing on the couch in their house, watching with tired eyes as his roommates filed through the front door, each carrying a towering pile of luggage and bedding. He turned away and clutched a throw pillow, releasing a heavy sigh.

Rey dumped her armload on the ground and sat beside him, patting his shoulder. "Aw, Poe, it's gonna be okay! We just have to roll with the punches, right? We can stop by a couple dealerships tomorrow morning and see what they have." She paused, and after a moment of thought, added, "I'll look for myself, too. It's about time I got my own car, anyway. I'm twenty-two years old and I treat my best friend like my personal driver. Kill two birds with one stone, yeah?"

"So optimistic," Poe sneered, running a hand through his dark curls. "How do you do it?" Without waiting for an answer, he stood and stomped across the carpet to his room, slamming the door shut behind him. Rey visibly deflated, her shoulders, rolling inward, disappointed that her efforts to cheer him up had failed.

Ben edged through the maze of bags and pillows scattered across the living room floor, wrapping an arm around Rey. "Don't worry about 's not mad at you; he's mad at the situation. He'll get over it. He stresses way too easily." He offered a comforting smile and chuckled. "You did your best. You always do."

"It sure seemed like he was mad at me," Rey stood and leaned against his shoulder, feeling frustration seep through her. "I don't like seeing him upset. I wish I could just like, have a car right now to give him." She rubbed at her eyes and yawned, checking the time on her phone. "Well, I gotta get to bed, or I'll be a bitch in the morning. 'Night, guys." She pressed a kiss to Ben's cheek, threw a tired smile toward Finn, and headed down the hallway.

"That kid cares too much sometimes." Finn commented, downing a glass of water from where he stood in the kitchen. He stretched, moaning, before making his way toward his room. "It'll get her in trouble one of these days."

Ben pursed his lips, deep in thought, before following his friend down the hall.

_SW_

The sun will rise and we will try again.

Rey smiled as she read the text from Ben. He had sent it at 3:49AM, which made her wonder if he had thought of the quote on the spur of the moment or had stayed up, thinking of an encouraging thing to say to her. Either option made her heart fluttery and warm. She slid out from beneath her cotton comforter, the cool air causing her skin to prick up with goose bumps. Sitting up, she paused for a moment, as she tried to do every morning, to savor the first moments of her day. Dust hung suspended in the air, moving lazily across the expanse, illuminated by the soft beams of sunlight streaming in between the slats of the blinds. A song bird trilled somewhere outside her window, and a car horn honked down the street. Slowly, the sounds of a busy kitchen filtered into her senses, and with a contented sigh, she stood and went to greet her roommates.

To her surprise, Ben shuffled throughout the kitchen alone, stirring batter for vegan pancakes and keeping a close eye on the strawberry compote he was attempting to make as a topping. He hummed quietly to himself as he spooned batter into a sizzling pan and adjusted the heat. His unruly hair stuck up in all directions and light purple circles were all too apparent beneath his eyes. Rey watched him from the doorway as he worked, slightly amazed at how much she loved him. Not in the way of sexual attraction—there was plenty of that, too—but the affection she felt for him, how whole her life felt now that he was an even bigger part of it. Rey still felt foolish at times, when she thought back to how long it had taken her to come to terms with how she felt about him. "Good morning," she murmured softly, taking a step into a kitchen and wrapping her arms around his torso. She pressed her cheek to his back, feeling the warmth of his skin seep through the fabric.

"How are you doing?" He continued with his tasks as he spoke, managing to waddle from place to place as Rey remained latched on to him. He flipped a pancake and stirred the compote while waiting for her answer.

"The sun rose, didn't it?" She sighed and buried her face deeper into his shirt. "It's just so frustrating. I don't know why I care so damn much, but I do and I can't help it. I think—I think that I feel like it's my job to fix everything and make everyone happy and when I can't, I feel like I've failed somehow." She drew a shaky breath, wiping away pesky tears that slipped down her cheeks. "It's exhausting."

Ben turned to face her, gathering her up in his arms with a small smile. "Yeah, damn you and that big ol' heart of yours that's filled with more love than there are stars in the sky." Rey sputtered out a watery chuckle and swatted at his bicep. "Well, I have something that might cheer you up. Other than a delicious breakfast, that is." He untangled himself from their embrace and added more batter to the pan, chattering excitedly as he did. "I didn't sleep much last night, so I texted a bunch of people I used to know, asking if they or anyone they knew had a car they were selling for a decent price. When I woke up this morning, I had four positive answers. I was thinking that maybe after we eat, we could go check out the prospects?" He wrapped up his question by presenting her with a plate heaping with pancakes and strawberries.

"Well, I can't say no, because you're the one feeding me," Rey replied, accepting the plate and grabbing syrup from the cupboard. "Give me five minutes to get dressed and I'll be ready to go."

Hello.

Although it may have seemed like it, no, I am not dead. Just really bad at updating.

Next chapter will (hopefully) be up soon!