"Remind me why I have to be the one traveling to pick up your boyfriend?" Rey asks her friend Rose over the phone.
"I told you, Rey. I would go get Armie myself if my jerk boss allowed us more vacay days. Apparently I've used 'all mine up' and can't go get him," Rose replies.
Rey rolls her eyes as she adjusts her shoulder bag and looks for her gate. But she would do anything for Rose, the sister she always wanted and is thankful to have. This would also give her an excuse to travel. She's always wanted to see more of the world and hopes to cross off more places on her bucket list.
"I didn't realize you and Armitage were such world-traversing explorers," Rey says with a coy smile.
"It's not my fault we live in different places! We are IN LOVE and there's no stoppin' us baby!" Rose shouts into the phone, causing Rey to pull her phone back a bit from her ear.
She laughs and shakes her head. Her eyes look up and she finally sees the gate she's been searching for. Rey takes an empty seat and places her bag on her lap.
"Alright alright Rose! Calm down. I'll get your boyfriend and bring him home safely to you," she promises.
"Thank you so much Rey. I owe you one. Travel safely! Love you!" Rose exclaims.
"Love you too," Rey replies before ending the call.
An announcement comes over the intercom informing everyone in the terminal of her flight beginning to board passengers. She looks at her ticket and checks her boarding group, nodding as she sees Group A at the top. Rey stands up when her group is called and moves to stand behind a tall man with her black hair. Her shoulder bag sags as she peeks around the man to see everyone else ahead of her, watching each person have their tickets scanned before heading down the hall towards the plane. As she stares, she can't help but note how wide this man is in front of her. The line moves quickly through until the man holds out his ticket to the flight attendant.
"Ben Solo…are you flying 'Solo' on this trip?" he asks, trying to hide his laugh.
The man says nothing, shaking his head as he takes his ticket back and walks down the hallway. Rey stares after him, feeling her heart drop for him. A cough from the flight attendant brings her focus back and she holds out her ticket. She stares cooly at him and he raises an eyebrow at her.
"What? Can't he can't take a joke?" he smirks.
"It pays to be respectful is all," Rey states simply.
She takes her ticket back and walks down the hall. Her heart races as she moves closer towards the doorway of the plane, saying hello to the flight crew as they welcome her. Rey makes her way down the aisle way and pauses when she finds her seat FN87. A soft smile crosses her lips when she sees who she'll be sharing the row with: the man with the name Ben Solo. He sits in FN21 reading a book, seatbelt already fastened.
Rey decides based on her assessment of him, aside from his handsome features and cute ears, this Ben is a seasoned flyer. She slides up to the row and taps him softly on the shoulder. He lifts his eyes up from his book and stares into her eyes with wide eyes, his lips parting slightly. They stare at each other for what seems like forever before Rey clears her throat.
"Umm, hi! I have the seat next to you. Could I please -" she begins.
"Oh, yeah, sure," he stutters.
Ben unbuckles his seatbelt and stands up, bumping his head slightly. A soft, "Ow," slips out of his lips as he rubs his head. Rey blushes and takes a step back as he steps into the aisle way. She whispers a quick, "Sorry, thank you," before sliding into her seat. He tells her not to worry as he settles back into his seat, buckles his seatbelt again, and returns to his book. Rey buckles her seatbelt and gazes out at the other passengers making their way to their seats.
Soon enough everyone has boarded and the flight crew begins their inflight checks and safety protocols. Rey looks at Ben from the corner of her eyes and sees he is deeply engrossed in his book, not watching as the flight attendant demonstrates how to use the life vests in case of an emergency. Being a lover of books, she opens her mouth to ask but closes it when the plane jerks backwards suddenly. She grips her armrest as well as Ben's. Her eyes bulge as her fingers brush against his arm slightly. Rey is thankful the seat next to her is empty and blushes from how Ben might react. His book closes slowly and he turns a bit in his seat to look at her.
"Is everything ok?" Ben asks softly.
"Yea-yes. Yes. I'm ok. Just…got startled," she stammers back.
He looks at her, eyes riveting slowly over her face gently. Ben nods with a smile pulling at his lips before returning to his book. Rey nods back as the plane prepares for takeoff. It lifts into the air smoothly and the plane reaches its high altitude without issue. Once the captain turns off the seatbelt sign, Rey hears a click next to her and sees Ben unbuckle his belt. He crosses a leg over the other and grunts as he tries to get comfortable. A pang rings in Rey's heart, feeling sorry for the tall man in the right seat. She settles back into her seat and closes her eyes to rest for a bit.
About an hour into the flight, Rey is woken up by the need to use the restroom. Opening her eyes, she curses silently to herself. This isn't what she wanted to have happen because it's always a long wait on the plane. She even went before getting to the gate. Looking over at Ben, she blushes as she unbuckles her seatbelt and taps his shoulder politely. He closes the book and looks at her.
"I'm so sorry I have to ask this, but…do you mind getting up please? I have to…uh…you know…" Rey stutters.
"Not a problem," Ben replies.
He slides his book into the seat pocket in front of him and stands up in the aisle. Rey stands up quickly and thanks him profusely as she makes her way towards the restroom. She curses again as she sees someone's already using it. Her arms cross over her chest as she fights the urge to dance from side to side. It feels like an eternity before the restroom door slides open and the occupant exits. Rey slides quickly inside as soon as they are clear of the restroom.
Feeling better, Rey makes her way back towards her seat. She looks towards Ben and stops when she sees him asleep in his seat. Although she wasn't gone very long, it was clearly long enough to have him fall asleep. Rey stood in the aisle way debating between two choices: wake him up and pissing him off for the remainder of the flight or stretching over him without waking him. Not wanting to disturb him, Rey selects the second choice.
Knowing her flexibility, she feels she'll be able to stretch her leg across his with no issue. However, she misjudged the distance and his immense size. As soon as her foot is on the other side of him, she loses her footing slightly and lands onto his lap. Ben startles awake and his hands fly to Rey's hips. He looks and sees Rey staring into his eyes. Swallowing, his eyes flick down towards his lip and he feels his heart race as he sees she is straddling his lap. A look of shock crosses his face as he locks eyes with her. Several beats pass between them as they gaze into each others eyes.
Before Ben can say anything, a sudden jolt from the plane causes Rey to crash forward towards him. Her lips brush against his own as she scrambles to push herself off him. A soft groan tumbles off his lips as they look at each other. A blush grows across Rey's cheeks as she feels her lips tingling from the brief but electric connection she shared with Ben.
"S-sorry…I'm so sorry," she stumbles.
A gentle smile crosses Ben's face, his eyes crinkling in the corners. He squeezes her hips gently and leans forward slowly, brushing his lips against Rey's before pulling back. They stare at one another for a few moments before she leans forward and kisses him, fully slanting her mouth over his. She moans into the kiss as he deepens it, sliding his hands up behind her back and pulling her closer to his chest. Rey slides her hands up from his chest to cup his face. They pull apart for air and look at each other, chuckling softly.
"No need to apologize. This was…nice," Ben whispers.
"Really nice," Rey replies gently.
"Really really nice," he agrees, leaning in again to kiss her once more.
"Sir? Miss? I'm going to need you to return to your seats. The captain has turned on the fasten seatbelt sign," a voice suddenly says.
Rey and Ben turn to see one of the flight attendants staring at them. They blush and Ben lifts up his armrest to help Rey slide off his lap and onto her seat. The flight attendant thanks them then returns to her duties. Once she leaves, Ben and Rey look at each other and burst out laughing. They lean into each other and laugh a bit more before Rey sits up and holds her hand out towards Ben.
"I'm Rey," she says, smiling shyly.
"I'm Ben," he replies, taking her hand and shaking it slowly.
"It is very nice to meet you Ben," Rey whispers.
"It's…Rey it's really nice to meet you. You made my trip," Ben whispers back.
They look at each other, smiling as they lean in for a soft, tender kiss. The rest of the flight is spent chatting, enjoying snacks, learning about one another. When the plane lands, Rey takes out her phone and texts Rose, "THANK YOU," before pocketing her phone and taking Ben's outstretched hand. She walks off the plane with him smiling. When she returns home with Armitage a few days later, Rose's confusion from the text vanishes as she sees Rey hand in hand with a handsome tall man. He didn't fly solo and wouldn't be flying solo for the rest of his days.
"I told you, Rey. I would go get Armie myself if my jerk boss allowed us more vacay days. Apparently I've used 'all mine up' and can't go get him," Rose replies.
Rey rolls her eyes as she adjusts her shoulder bag and looks for her gate. But she would do anything for Rose, the sister she always wanted and is thankful to have. This would also give her an excuse to travel. She's always wanted to see more of the world and hopes to cross off more places on her bucket list.
"I didn't realize you and Armitage were such world-traversing explorers," Rey says with a coy smile.
"It's not my fault we live in different places! We are IN LOVE and there's no stoppin' us baby!" Rose shouts into the phone, causing Rey to pull her phone back a bit from her ear.
She laughs and shakes her head. Her eyes look up and she finally sees the gate she's been searching for. Rey takes an empty seat and places her bag on her lap.
"Alright alright Rose! Calm down. I'll get your boyfriend and bring him home safely to you," she promises.
"Thank you so much Rey. I owe you one. Travel safely! Love you!" Rose exclaims.
"Love you too," Rey replies before ending the call.
An announcement comes over the intercom informing everyone in the terminal of her flight beginning to board passengers. She looks at her ticket and checks her boarding group, nodding as she sees Group A at the top. Rey stands up when her group is called and moves to stand behind a tall man with her black hair. Her shoulder bag sags as she peeks around the man to see everyone else ahead of her, watching each person have their tickets scanned before heading down the hall towards the plane. As she stares, she can't help but note how wide this man is in front of her. The line moves quickly through until the man holds out his ticket to the flight attendant.
"Ben Solo…are you flying 'Solo' on this trip?" he asks, trying to hide his laugh.
The man says nothing, shaking his head as he takes his ticket back and walks down the hallway. Rey stares after him, feeling her heart drop for him. A cough from the flight attendant brings her focus back and she holds out her ticket. She stares cooly at him and he raises an eyebrow at her.
"What? Can't he can't take a joke?" he smirks.
"It pays to be respectful is all," Rey states simply.
She takes her ticket back and walks down the hall. Her heart races as she moves closer towards the doorway of the plane, saying hello to the flight crew as they welcome her. Rey makes her way down the aisle way and pauses when she finds her seat FN87. A soft smile crosses her lips when she sees who she'll be sharing the row with: the man with the name Ben Solo. He sits in FN21 reading a book, seatbelt already fastened.
Rey decides based on her assessment of him, aside from his handsome features and cute ears, this Ben is a seasoned flyer. She slides up to the row and taps him softly on the shoulder. He lifts his eyes up from his book and stares into her eyes with wide eyes, his lips parting slightly. They stare at each other for what seems like forever before Rey clears her throat.
"Umm, hi! I have the seat next to you. Could I please -" she begins.
"Oh, yeah, sure," he stutters.
Ben unbuckles his seatbelt and stands up, bumping his head slightly. A soft, "Ow," slips out of his lips as he rubs his head. Rey blushes and takes a step back as he steps into the aisle way. She whispers a quick, "Sorry, thank you," before sliding into her seat. He tells her not to worry as he settles back into his seat, buckles his seatbelt again, and returns to his book. Rey buckles her seatbelt and gazes out at the other passengers making their way to their seats.
Soon enough everyone has boarded and the flight crew begins their inflight checks and safety protocols. Rey looks at Ben from the corner of her eyes and sees he is deeply engrossed in his book, not watching as the flight attendant demonstrates how to use the life vests in case of an emergency. Being a lover of books, she opens her mouth to ask but closes it when the plane jerks backwards suddenly. She grips her armrest as well as Ben's. Her eyes bulge as her fingers brush against his arm slightly. Rey is thankful the seat next to her is empty and blushes from how Ben might react. His book closes slowly and he turns a bit in his seat to look at her.
"Is everything ok?" Ben asks softly.
"Yea-yes. Yes. I'm ok. Just…got startled," she stammers back.
He looks at her, eyes riveting slowly over her face gently. Ben nods with a smile pulling at his lips before returning to his book. Rey nods back as the plane prepares for takeoff. It lifts into the air smoothly and the plane reaches its high altitude without issue. Once the captain turns off the seatbelt sign, Rey hears a click next to her and sees Ben unbuckle his belt. He crosses a leg over the other and grunts as he tries to get comfortable. A pang rings in Rey's heart, feeling sorry for the tall man in the right seat. She settles back into her seat and closes her eyes to rest for a bit.
About an hour into the flight, Rey is woken up by the need to use the restroom. Opening her eyes, she curses silently to herself. This isn't what she wanted to have happen because it's always a long wait on the plane. She even went before getting to the gate. Looking over at Ben, she blushes as she unbuckles her seatbelt and taps his shoulder politely. He closes the book and looks at her.
"I'm so sorry I have to ask this, but…do you mind getting up please? I have to…uh…you know…" Rey stutters.
"Not a problem," Ben replies.
He slides his book into the seat pocket in front of him and stands up in the aisle. Rey stands up quickly and thanks him profusely as she makes her way towards the restroom. She curses again as she sees someone's already using it. Her arms cross over her chest as she fights the urge to dance from side to side. It feels like an eternity before the restroom door slides open and the occupant exits. Rey slides quickly inside as soon as they are clear of the restroom.
Feeling better, Rey makes her way back towards her seat. She looks towards Ben and stops when she sees him asleep in his seat. Although she wasn't gone very long, it was clearly long enough to have him fall asleep. Rey stood in the aisle way debating between two choices: wake him up and pissing him off for the remainder of the flight or stretching over him without waking him. Not wanting to disturb him, Rey selects the second choice.
Knowing her flexibility, she feels she'll be able to stretch her leg across his with no issue. However, she misjudged the distance and his immense size. As soon as her foot is on the other side of him, she loses her footing slightly and lands onto his lap. Ben startles awake and his hands fly to Rey's hips. He looks and sees Rey staring into his eyes. Swallowing, his eyes flick down towards his lip and he feels his heart race as he sees she is straddling his lap. A look of shock crosses his face as he locks eyes with her. Several beats pass between them as they gaze into each others eyes.
Before Ben can say anything, a sudden jolt from the plane causes Rey to crash forward towards him. Her lips brush against his own as she scrambles to push herself off him. A soft groan tumbles off his lips as they look at each other. A blush grows across Rey's cheeks as she feels her lips tingling from the brief but electric connection she shared with Ben.
"S-sorry…I'm so sorry," she stumbles.
A gentle smile crosses Ben's face, his eyes crinkling in the corners. He squeezes her hips gently and leans forward slowly, brushing his lips against Rey's before pulling back. They stare at one another for a few moments before she leans forward and kisses him, fully slanting her mouth over his. She moans into the kiss as he deepens it, sliding his hands up behind her back and pulling her closer to his chest. Rey slides her hands up from his chest to cup his face. They pull apart for air and look at each other, chuckling softly.
"No need to apologize. This was…nice," Ben whispers.
"Really nice," Rey replies gently.
"Really really nice," he agrees, leaning in again to kiss her once more.
"Sir? Miss? I'm going to need you to return to your seats. The captain has turned on the fasten seatbelt sign," a voice suddenly says.
Rey and Ben turn to see one of the flight attendants staring at them. They blush and Ben lifts up his armrest to help Rey slide off his lap and onto her seat. The flight attendant thanks them then returns to her duties. Once she leaves, Ben and Rey look at each other and burst out laughing. They lean into each other and laugh a bit more before Rey sits up and holds her hand out towards Ben.
"I'm Rey," she says, smiling shyly.
"I'm Ben," he replies, taking her hand and shaking it slowly.
"It is very nice to meet you Ben," Rey whispers.
"It's…Rey it's really nice to meet you. You made my trip," Ben whispers back.
They look at each other, smiling as they lean in for a soft, tender kiss. The rest of the flight is spent chatting, enjoying snacks, learning about one another. When the plane lands, Rey takes out her phone and texts Rose, "THANK YOU," before pocketing her phone and taking Ben's outstretched hand. She walks off the plane with him smiling. When she returns home with Armitage a few days later, Rose's confusion from the text vanishes as she sees Rey hand in hand with a handsome tall man. He didn't fly solo and wouldn't be flying solo for the rest of his days.