Next morning, Rey woke up to her official first day of work. She took the elevator that led to the dining room and once she arrived she spotted Matt having his breakfast alone in a table, his back was facing her. After she grabbed her tray she walked toward him and sat.
- Hey, Good morning she said with a mild smile, she was in a good mood but it was still too early to be acting all bright and keen
- Hi, he replied swiftly, did you sleep well?
- Yeah… well, kind of…
He raised his eyebrows as he expected her to continue speaking, she noticed and her voice came out a little shaky
- My bed… it's just too firm and I've got no pillows so my neck ache a little...
- Oh…
Kylo was already planning on what he was doing next… he was going to send her some pillows, he had never visited the female technician bedrooms but he could imagine that they were not comfortable at all
His thoughts were interrupted when Rey stood up and said goodbye to him after her data pad pinged
- Seems that they need me to repair something that broke near area AD-3 so I better get going, see you later.
She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, well… kind of a kiss, it was not like lip-cheek contact, it was more like touching his cheek with hers, a very common gesture used to say hi or goodbye in Jakku, just cultural behavior.
He was left alone again, but this time he was feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, he could still feel sparks where her cheek had been previously.
His data pad also pinged multiple times but he ignored it, he had more important things to do now. He stood up and left.
He was heading back to his old quarters, he slid open the door and put on his uniform, but when he was leaving his room Hux approached him.
- Hey you, I think you owe me an explanation
Shit, not now…
- Hux I'm kind of busy can we have this conversation later?
- No, I want to know what's happening and I want to know now
Kylo sighted, he knew that it would take him more time to argue with that man than to explain what had happened the day before
- Fine, follow me
The two men walked back to Kylo's room. Kylo locked the door behind him as he entered after Hux.
Hux was pretty confused by his behavior; he wanted to complain when Kylo removed his helmet and started speaking…
After Kylo explained almost everything Hux busted out laughing
- Seriously, a radar technician? And your name is Matt? I never thought I would live to see the day that Snoke finally get tired of your childish behavior and your anger issues, this is just hilarious…
- Shut up, it's not funny Hux, said Kylo angrily as a slight shade of pink rose to his checks… And, and there's more…
Hux stopped laughing, it was true that they were constantly competing but in a way they were the closest thing to a friend they had so he decided to listen to him; and after all, he was trusting him.
- There's this girl, her name is Zazil…
- Oh…
- Yeah, and about what happened yesterday, well…
When he finished explaining Hux nodded in comprehension
- Well, I have just three words for you: jewelry never fails
- Huh? He looked at him confused
- You know, if you really like this girl, conquer her heart, flirt with her, buy her expensive stuff and tell her sweet things. Just go for it.
- But, Hux, I don't know how to do any of those things, neither I know where to buy jewelry… I've spent most of my life training, focused on…
Hux interrupted
- Sorry Kylo, I have to go… just try your best alright?
Hux patted Kylo's shoulder as he left the room.
Kylo was left alone with his thoughts, he really wanted Zazil to like him back, but he didn't know how to do it as Matt. As Kylo he was a confident man who felt powerful all the time and had no trouble getting woman, even though he was only interested in fast, selfish and hollow sexual encounters. As Matt he felt insecure and shy and besides, his feelings this time were different… deeper, he just wanted to protect Zazil and make her smile, he didn't wanted to fuck her, he wanted to make love to her.
His thoughts were interrupted when his data pad pinged, for the fifteenth time that day it was a message from Leslie and it read:
Matt, report immediately in area AD-1
-Leslie
Fuck, he was in trouble already and it was just his first day at work as a technician.
Before he left to report to Leslie he put back his helmet and went to the laundry station to ask for some pillows for Zazil. After that he quickly returned to his quarters and changed his uniform to Matt again. He practically ran through the base and everyone in the superior's area looked at him confused except for Hux.
He finally arrived to area AD-1 where Leslie was already expecting him, she started speaking annoyed
- Matt, I've been waiting for you to repair this all day long! Where have you been? Would you like to get fired?
Nothing I want more he thought to himself, he was starting to get angry, he was used to give orders not to follow them…
She showed him what was needed to be repaired and he got on his knees and slid his screwdriver underneath the panel to remove it.
Leslie had recovered her calm tone when she said
- Ok, ok It's real easy, all you got to do is rewire the calcinator
- So, repair this? Kylo asked unsure while pointing to the igniter
Rey had finished her duties; she was walking through the halls when she heard an angry woman speaking to someone
- Does that looks like the calcinator? What's wrong with you? What was so hard for you to understand?
She was as curious as a kid so she followed the voice just to find Leslie standing above Matt who was fishing around in a mess of wires.
Matt snapped back
- I don't know, but could you please stop yelling at me? You're starting to stress me out.
Leslie had backed off a little, but she was still acting hostile
- Okay… But now can we rewire it please? So I can go have my muffin? I haven't had my muffin yet, Matt!
Matt looked like he wanted to punch something, he was really close to losing his sanity so Rey quickly decided to insert herself into the conversation.
He was very concentrated on finding the calcinator when suddenly he heard a familiar voice from above.
- Go have your muffin Leslie, I'll show him Said Rey with a smile in her face
The woman hesitated, but finally left when she said
- Leave, we'll be fine
Rey had got into her knees so that she would be at the same height as Kylo
- Hey, rough day?
- Yeah… he was nervous, he wasn't expecting to see her. I'm not used to doing this kind of work he said as a lame excuse
- Don't worry, calcinators are usually hard to find, she lied
Rey took some wire from her vest and gracefully rewire it
- There, she said proudly
He stared at her work, it was perfect, nothing compared to his past attempts…
He stood up first and then offered her his hand to help her stand up, at first he thought she would ignore him, but she took his hand and again he felt that familiar warmth in his insides, a slight smile formed in his lips.
- Let's go for something to eat, its dinner time already. She said happily, I'm starving
She didn't let go of his hand and dragged him quickly to the dining room but this time Tim and Zach were nowhere to be spotted so they ate their muffins alone.
They spoke about how their first day of work was; of course Kylo had not much to say so he just lied about how easy everything was for him. She was speaking nonstop about how amazing her first day was because Leslie had complimented her work multiple times and because she had already made two friends, Aruma and Brok…
While she spoke he was just thinking about how hard and fast he was falling for her.
A poster in the walls of the room read:
It's been 2 days since our last accident.
After they finished their food they parted separated ways…
When Zazil arrived to her room she was speechless, her bed was covered by a soft pink bedspread and at least ten pillows of different sizes in colors pink and lavender, also over her bed it was a single red rose and a card that read:
Wishing you sweet dreams and a restful night
- Kylo Ren
Her door was opened so Aruma noticed
- OMG, Zazil what is this?
- They, they are a gift… from Kylo Ren, I guess… she was almost having a panic attack, how did he knew her and why was he sending her gifts? This has to be a mistake she thought
- Are you kidding! Kylo Ren? I've worked here during 5 years and he hasn't even said good morning to me!
- Uhm, well…
Rey was trying to find something to say to her friend to excuse this weird situation when she suddenly interrupted
- How sweet! These pillows are pretty expensive… And I wonder where he found a red rose, they are very rare…
- I… I think so said Rey still trying to catch her breath
It was late so Aruma left and Rey quickly closed her door; she removed her hair pin and called Luke
- Rey, what happens? Do you have any idea of what time is it? I was sleeping…
- Sorry to wake you up but we need to talk
Rey moved the small camera that was located in the center of the red ruby to show him her bed and the card and the rose
She could see that he was as surprised as she was through the projection of his holographic face.
- What am I supposed to do now? I haven't even met the guy yet I think this might be a mistake, at least I hope so…
Luke was about to explain to Rey that Jedi are not allowed to fall in love when the call was cut. She was very tired so she thought about calling again tomorrow.
She put the hair pin in the table besides her bed and quickly fell asleep among her comfy bed that smelled like flower scented fabric softener, having mixed feelings about Kylo Ren.
Rey woke up still confused about what had happened last night, she wanted answers and she knew exactly where to find them, she hurried to get ready and left her room searching for Matt. Rey found Matt making his way to the dining room through the halls, she ran to him while yelling "Matt"
He paused his steps and turned his body to look at her, he looked sleepy and she looked impatient, he thought she was going to thank him for his gift when she started speaking
- Hey, I have a question for you. Do you have any idea of why I received a bed makeover, a rose and a card from Kylo Ren?
Her question had took him by surprise, Kylo was somewhere between nervous and angry, Damn! Those useless workers, they should have written Matt in the card not Kylo Ren!
- Uhm… well, he began to explain, his voice a little shaky, I talked about you to Kylo, Remember he is a close friend? He was impressed with your excellent work, I told him you helped me the other day and he decided that you deserved those gifts. He also said he… he'd like to meet you.