Rey gets to enjoy the peace and quiet of the coffee shop for exactly 21 minutes. She's pulled up the latest book she's been reading and has only just started to get into it, when she hears someone clear his throat. When she looks up, he is there. Ben Solo. And he's watching her with an expression she can't quite define. Somewhere between disbelief and annoyance, she supposes, with an edge of something else she doesn't really want to define.

"Where's your boyfriend?" he asks without so much as a hello, how are you, fancy meeting you here.

"Poe?"

"You have another boyfriend?" comes the snide reply and she tries not to kick herself for that response.

"Of course not," she says quickly. "He and Finn went off together somewhere."

"Did they now?" The words are accompanied by a smirk and she tries very hard not to notice the way those generous lips of his move when he does so.

She can feel herself color slightly. "Yes. They…uh…" Think, Rey. Don't let those dark eyes distract you, Rey. "They wanted to go for a hike…in the woods. I wasn't up to it."

"Really." His voice is flat and she shivers a little at the way he looks her up and down. "You look like you would be."

"I…well…not today. I didn't feel like it." She shrugs and glances back down at her phone. "Now do you mind? I'm reading."

"Of course you are."

"What? Do you think I'm not the type to read?"

"Romance novels, maybe."

She just shoots him a look. "There's nothing wrong with romance novels…"

"Told you." He crosses his arms and she watches the way the movement pulls his shirt tight against the muscles of his chest. Goddamit Poe, you really did not give me enough information on your cousin. Cousin Ben may indeed be the complete asshole Poe warned her about, but he's hot in a way that makes Rey's insides melt.

She doesn't say anything for a moment, instead taking her phone and pushing it at him.

"What's this?" he says.

"Just look."

He takes the phone gingerly and it looks absolutely tiny in his hands. "I hate these things," she hears him mutter.

"You don't have a phone?"

"I do," he admits. "But they're all made for munchkins, I swear."

She laughs at that. "They're made for normal people, Ben. Not giants."

He stares at her and his eyes are a little wide. "You think I'm a giant?"

Rey just rolls her eyes. "Just look at the damned phone."

He doesn't look away for another moment and then finally looks down at it. He lets out an annoyed grunt and then holds it up toward her. "I don't know your password."

"God, forget it," she mutters and tries to grab her phone back from him.

"No, just log the damned thing in." There's both an air of annoyance and petulance to the tone of his voice and she rolls her eyes. He's ridiculous.

"Fine!" She stands then and comes around the table to stand next to him. He hands her the phone back and there's this thing. She doesn't even know how to describe it. A spark, she supposes but then she sounds like she's speaking straight out of one of those romance novels he clearly despises. But still, there's something and she hears him suck in a breath at the same time she does. "I…uh…here." She turns the phone toward him and he leans over her to peer at it.

"Frankenstein? For class?"

"Hardly." She steps away from him then and throws herself back at her seat. "If you can't be nice, just go away."

"I'm being nice," he mutters.

"Interesting definition of nice." He's an asshole Rey, stay away from him Rey. Poe's voice goes around and around in her head for a moment and she shakes it to clear the sound out. "I'll have you know that Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is regarded as the first science-fiction novel ever written. And it's written by a girl." The last she tosses off with all the irritation she can.

"So it is."

"Look, I was reading and Poe is supposed to be meeting me back here after they take their little hike, so maybe you should…" She waves her hand vaguely in the direction of the door. He's unsettling standing there, staring at her.

"Oh yes, it would certainly be unseemly to be caught talking to your lover's cousin."

"He's not my…" she starts to say and then clamps her mouth shut. Fuck. "I mean…exactly."

"Interesting," Ben murmurs. "Well, I won't disturb you anymore." But before he leaves, he leans down closer to her and from that distance she can see the lighter brown flecks in his eyes, the pattern of moles that dot his pale face. "I'll see you at dinner, Rey."

And those last words are a purr and she feels it go straight down to her groin.

As he walks off, she slumps in her seat and puts her head in her hands. She is so fucked.

"Your cousin showed up at the coffee shop," Rey says as soon as Poe and Finn return.

"Oh no," Finn mutters. The two of them look like they just had a tryst in the woods. Poe's face is red and his hair is slicked with sweat. Finn has a few leaves stuck in his hair.

"God guys, did you have to…you know? Don't you think someone is going to catch on?"

"We fell," Finn jumps in with. "There was a ravine. I stumbled and fell down the side and Poe tried to stop me but fell in with me."

"Wow you didn't plan that at all," Rey says, her voice flat. "I mean, no one will ever not believe that story."

"It's very believable," Poe says.

"Ben doesn't buy it." She's sure of it. There are looks that he's been giving her. More than just that purr at the end, more than the way he won't stop staring at her. But this knowing look, like he's onto her.

"Ben's an asshole," Poe reminds her.

"Yes, but he's a smart asshole."

"He's getting under your skin," Poe mutters.

"He's not," Rey responds with. "But he's giving me all these vibes…"

"Creeper vibes?" Finn says and Rey rolls her eyes. "What? He gives me the creeps."

"He doesn't give me the creeps," Rey says and she tries to keep her voice neutral. But Poe gives her an assessing look. He knows. Damn these boys.

"You think he's cute?" Poe asks.

"Not cute exactly…"

"Really?" That one from Finn. "He doesn't seem like your type."

"Funny, Ben said the exact same thing about Poe. He's straight, right? I suppose that makes him 'more my type' than Poe."

Poe stops suddenly and turns to her. "Now let me get this straight. You find my cousin hot. We're talking about Ben Solo here, right? Tall guy, wears all black, has these ridiculously huge ears that his parents told him his entire life he'd grow into and he never did. That cousin."

Rey's cheeks are on fire and she knows she's bright red. Fuck fuck fuck. "Could we just not right now?"

"Damn," Poe says and laughs. Laughs. As if it's the most ridiculous thing he's ever heard of, as if her love life (or lust life, she supposes) was really that amusing.

"I give up." She turns and storms off then. Poe and Finn follow behind her, still laughing. And more, probably, but she refuses to turn around and give them the satisfaction of seeing her annoyed face.

The rest of the day is mostly uneventful. She doesn't see Ben when they get back and so she's able to escape to her room for a nap. Or at least, she tells them all she needs to take a nap. Poe walks her up to the room like a good boyfriend should and then leaves her there.

He almost says something.

Almost.

But Rey stops him with a quick gesture and then shuts the door in his face.

God, this whole thing is a disaster. She's supposed to be Poe's girlfriend. Poe, who is dating her best friend. Poe, who wouldn't give her a second glance because he only likes men. And she wants to jump Ben Solo's bones.

He's an asshole, sure. Poe was not wrong about that much at least. But fuck. He's hot. Not like, Hollywood hot, but she's never been drawn to that. He's awkward and strange and huge and she can't help but realize she'd like to climb that bastard like a fucking tree.

She's on the bed with her pants down around her ankles and her legs spread before she can even think about what she's doing. Her hand runs down her stomach and to her folds, already finding them wet. It doesn't take her a long time of running her finger around her clit, rubbing light circles there for her to be gasping into the pillow she's pulled tight to her face. Fuck, she'd really like to find out how those thick fingers of Ben's feel there, wonders what one or two or three might feel pressed up inside her, wonders what those gorgeous lips of his would feel like between her legs.

She comes thinking about those lips and his tongue, screaming into her pillow.

Yeah, she is definitely fucked.

She finds dinner that night an awkward affair. She is still thinking of the intense orgasm she had while thinking about Ben, but she's playing the dutiful girlfriend to Poe at the same time. And Ben? He's watching her.

There's a half-smirk on his face.

One eyebrow raises every time she glances his way.

And she's terrified that he knows the direction her thoughts have gone in. It probably doesn't help that Poe keeps shooting her looks, then glancing at Ben, and then smirking.

He's going to give them all away.

She has no idea how she'd even explain to his mother that no she's not his girlfriend thank you very much and would you mind if I dragged your nephew off to that lovely guestroom you gave me to shag him senseless?

"Poe," she whispers under her breath.

"Yes, my peach?" he says as he takes her hand.

She kicks him and he pulls away from her. "I thought we weren't going to use that nickname anymore? Darling," she adds for good measure.

"Now, now," Finn says, his eyes darting around the room. He looks a bit wild-eyed, a little terrified. She knows that he has no idea what they'll do to Poe if they find out, but he has to know that he is likely to be seen as the bad guy and thrown out on his ear. "None of that." He laughs, a little awkward. "They're always fighting over such things." The last is directed to Poe's parents.

Rey glances over at Ben, who is watching their exchange far too carefully.

After a pause that is far more awkward than she'd like, Poe grabs her hand. "Was there something you needed?"

"I don't even know now." She pulls her hand away, trying to make it look natural, not like she was trying to keep from touching him.

But Shara notices. "Oh my dear, don't worry about holding hands. I understand young love." And she smiles. And Rey feels like she's about two feet tall. She wants to crawl under the table, or beg forgiveness.

I know I'm not with your son, but maybe you'd accept me as your nephew's…fuck buddy, maybe? As if that would go over well with Poe's conservative family.

She wonders for a moment what Ben's family is like, but then remembers that Poe said they don't talk and she feels a little sad over that. She has no family. And in a way, neither does he. They're both alone.

She's not sure what that means for her. Or for him. Or for any of this, really. But she sure would like to find out.

It's just too bad she's fake dating Ben's damned cousin. What a mess they've made of everything.