Thank you for the support! Here's another chapter because you guys are awesome!
Rey pointed to the blue skirt on her bed and sighed as Poe shook his head again. "Rey, you want to look hot, not like a teacher from the 1800s." Popping his gum, Poe sifted between the pile of shirts on his lap. He sat on her desk, carefully keeping his hands away from the dismantled microwave that Rey was in the midst of fixing for their friend, Maz. Poe knew better than to touch any of Rey's projects.
Finn had caused the incident years ago, in their sophomore year. He had seen a clutter of sparkboards connected with cords and attached to Rey's laptop. Poe didn't know exactly what happened, but Finn was forbidden from touching any of Rey's projects and the dining room table had to be replaced.
Low on funds and living off of ramen and McDonald's; at the time, neither had enough money to even buy flashdrive. It was Rey's quick thinking that got them one of the nicest tables on the market. She and Poe struck a deal with the owner of the furniture store: in exchange for one table, they would fix his car. It was a done deal and Poe found that Rey was much better at fixing cars than he was.
Falling onto the ground, Rey groaned and shook her head. "We've been doing this for two hours!" She looked at her friend before pressing her face into her mattress. It smelled like vanilla and cat. Rey reminded herself to change her sheets once she got back from the stupid date. "I'm pretty sure the captain of the lacrosse team will like the skinny jeans," she pointed to the discarded pile of pants and returned her face to her mattress.
"Rey, I know that you will be confident in the perfect outfit. This is about you- not him. I want you to look better than him," Poe smirked. Rey turned her head and watched as Poe set her shirts aside and stood from her desk. He walked over to her closet and began sifting through it. He sorted through pants, shirts, vests, jackets, and the occasional skirt until her stepped out with a cream colored, knit sweater, and dark leggings. "Warm, cute, and you look good in cream. There we go."
"You know," Rey said, accepting the clothes from her roommate, "we could have avoided this entire fiasco if you'd just cancelled the date and let me go to the Taekwondo gy-"
"Rey, you have fifteen minutes before you're expected to be at the bar. How about we get a move on? Kev-I mean, your blind date just texted and said he's going to get there soon."
Sitting at the bar, Rey shifted in her seat and glared at her vodka. She felt beautiful. Of course, she wasn't going to tell Poe that anytime soon.
The cream colored knit he had chosen hugged her body, keeping her comfortably warm, but making her feel proud at the same time. Her legs were wrapped in forest colored leggings and a pair of heeled boots- her only pair of heeled boots- were on her feet. Rey sipped her vodka, waiting for her date to show up.
"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" a deep voice asked. Without looking up, Rey waved her hand at the person and shook her head.
"It's all yours," she sighed. Her vodka was dwindling and her date was late. Motioning to the bartender, Rey ordered another drink. Pulling her phone out, Rey called Poe… only to be sent to voicemail.
Hey, it's Dameron. I'm currently away, so leave a message.
With a sigh, Rey began her message. "Poe, I've been here for thirty minutes, and he's not here. Whoever you set me up with is an asshole," she ended the call before tossing her phone onto the counter and reaching for her replenished drink and taking a large gulp.
"Hello," the man beside her said. Rey set her drink down before looking up at him.
The man beside her wore a black three piece suit and had messy, dark hair that reached his shoulders. His expression was analyzing and Rey suddenly found herself nervous. Oh shit, he's hot, she thought. "Are you waiting for someone?" he asked.
Looking around for any sign of a lost looking, lacrosse playing type, Rey shook her head. "No, not anymore. May I help you?" she asked. The man's quizzical look focused on her. He cleared his throat before taking a sip of his whisky.
"I'm Kylo," he said and Rey nodded. Strange name, she thought.
"I'm Rey," she replied, turning her to her left to face him. Rey was intrigued by the older man and she rested her elbow against the bar.
"Can I buy you a drink?" Kylo asked. He had arrived at the bar after a terrible day in the courtroom, looking for something strong. Rey had caught his eye as a single woman at the bar and he wanted to meet her. Her dark hair was wrapped in what looked like a series of twists and he found himself intrigued by her. Or was it attraction?
Rey pursed her lips and glanced at her half empty vodka. She didn't want to drink any more, but she did want to keep speaking with him. "Sure. Something weak, though."
Kylo's stoic face morphed ever so slightly into one of victory and he called for a Havana Beach. Rey thought the drink he ordered was stupid and too weak, but she kept her mouth shut. She hoped her blind date would see her drinking with a stranger and leave- if he ever arrived.
"So, what do you do, Rey?" Kylo asked slipping a hefty tip into the bartender's tip jar. Rey was beginning to feel that Kylo wasn't just a regular guy in a suit. She felt as if she'd seen him before.
"I'm a senior at Jakku U," Rey said, accepting the fruit drink the bartender tossed together. She wondered if it would be impolite to not drink it. The fruity scent made it quite unappealing, but Rey took a tiny sip from the straw before setting the glass onto her coaster. "My major is in engineering. What do you do?" she asked, looking at Kylo.
He chuckled and shook his glass, irritating the single ice cube surrounded by whisky. "I'm a lawyer," he said and Rey nodded. Kylo returned his gaze to Rey and noted how beautiful her eyes were. They were like blue nebulae.
"Lawyer, huh?" Rey said, taking another sip of the sweet drink in front of her. She did not like the taste, but found herself wanting more. "I'm a part time Taekwondo instructor." Kylo nodded in what looked like appreciation, but Rey didn't feel like deciphering his expressions.
"That's very interesting," Kylo said and Rey smirked.
"Is it? I find the fact that I'm a humanitarian worker is much more interesting than that I teach bratty assholes how to kick wood," she said. Kylo was impressed.