A/N: I do not own Star Wars. I am merely playing with some of the characters.
Chapter Eight already! Hope you enjoy!
Chapter Eight
Rey had been quiet during the ride back to the apartment. She hadn't said a word after she'd told Ben she wasn't going back to the apartment for any belongings. "There's nothing there worth taking," she'd replied shortly, then followed Ben out to his car with nothing but the clothes on her back. Ben didn't know if that made him feel relieved or depressed.
He'd tried desperately to think of something to say. He wanted to reassure her that her life would be different from now on, and she would never have to worry about her next meal or wear clothes that would probably be better off burned than washed, or that no one would ever touch her if she didn't want them to.
Ben refrained from saying any of those things, however, because he didn't want to come across as condescending or overbearing. He knew what it was like when someone tried to overstep their bounds because his parents (particularly, his mother) liked to do it on a weekly basis. As he pulled into his apartment's parking lot, he mentally promised himself that he would not make Rey feel as though he was trying to interfere in her life. Yes, he was the reason she had left behind the only life she had ever known, but he quickly convinced himself that didn't count. He had put an end to her suffering; it needed to happen.
"Here we are," Ben announced, hating himself for how awkward he sounded. He glanced at Rey, who was staring down at her lap. He noticed the bruise on her cheek had turned an ugly purple, but she wasn't limping as profoundly as before. He was struck with a sudden urge to run his finger across her bruise and reassure her that no one would never raise their hand to her again. He chose not to because he knew it would send the message to her that he wasn't taking her condition of no romance seriously. Hopefully he'd be able to convince her during her stay with him that not all acts of kindness meant something vile.
"Are you ready to come up?" He asked after a minute had passed. She had yet to move.
Rey sighed and looked up at him. Her eyes were bright with unspoken words, and Ben knew she had something she wanted to say to him as well, but something stopped her. She looked away again, unlatched her seatbelt and replied, "Yes."
She followed him into the building. Sam, the security guard on duty, glanced up as they entered. He wished Ben a good evening but paused as he took in Rey's filthy appearance. Ben watched his lip curl in disgust as he assessed Rey's grease-covered face, overly large, disgusting coat, and muddy boots, and was about to chastise the man for his blatant disrespect but the man recovered quickly.
"And a good evening to you, miss. Are you visiting Mr. Solo?"
Rey hesitated, obviously unsure of what to say, and looked to Ben for help. "I…"
"She's not a visitor. She's going to be staying with me for a little while."
"You never mentioned you'd be having…"
"I'm mentioning it now. Is this going to be a problem?" Ben asked, his voice full of warning.
"No, sir," the man quickly reassured him. "I only meant that…well, if she were a visitor she would have to sign in with me. She doesn't have anything with her, so…" the man trailed off under Ben's continuous hard gaze, knowing whatever battle he thought he needed to engage in was over before it had the chance to begin.
"Sam, I appreciate you doing your job, but frankly Rey's presence here is none of your business. If she was a visitor I would have had her sign in with you, but seeing as she's not, there's really nothing further to discuss."
"Yes, sir. Of course, sir," Sam replied quickly, then held the door open for both of them in what he clearly felt as a show of good faith for arguing.
Ben felt proud of himself as he went through the open door, followed closely by Rey. He hadn't lost his temper with the security guard, though it would have been all too easy. He had felt the familiar prick of anger the moment Sam had questioned Rey's presence, but had managed to let it pass without bringing it to the surface.
The quick elevator ride to the tenth floor was silent, mostly due to Ben's continued lack of reassurance. By the time they reached the tenth floor he was beginning to regret his introverted nature for the first time. Usually he was fine with not talking to people and only keeping a few close friends, but now that he had found himself a roommate, he was finding it a hindrance.
Rey followed silently as he went to unlock his apartment door. Once he had it open he stepped aside so that she could enter first. She did, looking around as she did so. As she passed, he thought he saw a small smile play on her lips, but after he blinked and looked closer it was gone.
He vowed that he would do anything in his power to make her smile.
"So. What do you want to do first?" Ben asked once he'd closed and locked the door behind them.
Rey stood in the entryway and looked down at her feet in apparent thought, though Ben had a feeling he knew what she was going to say.
Sure enough, it only took a second longer for her to raise her head and look at him hopefully as she replied softly, "Can we make dinner?"
"Sure." Ben hurried into the kitchen and began rummaging around in his shelves to find something suitable. He was disappointed in his lack of a selection and made a mental note to visit the grocery store in the morning. He managed to find some hamburger patties in the freezer so he pulled two of them out. He let them thaw on the counter as he looked around for the hamburger buns he was pretty sure were still laying around somewhere.
He found both the buns and a package of instant mashed potatoes sitting together on his counter, so he took both of those and figured their dinner could be quick and simple. He would give Rey a better meal later once he went shopping.
He was about to get to work when he noticed her standing in the same spot, watching him. She had her arms crossed over her chest, the sleeves of her massive, dirty jacket swallowing them up. He was about to tell her she could sit down while he cooked, but a better idea came upon him as he remembered the promise he'd made during their last meal together.
"Do you want to help? I can show you how."
Her face lit up as she went to join him in the kitchen.
"You might want to take your jacket off. The sleeves could get in the way," he pointed out.
To his surprise, she frowned at the suggestion and crossed her arms again as she said, "You won't like what I have on underneath."
His eyebrow raised, but he said, "You don't have to be ashamed of anything, if that's what you're worried about. I know how that man treated you. None of it is your fault."
Her face blushed red, obviously unconvinced. "It's embarrassing."
Ben thought for a moment, not wanting her excitement as the prospect of learning to cook to be taken away by something as simple as taking off her jacket. He suddenly found himself wishing he had done more to hurt Plutt but he knew any anger he showed at the situation would only be taken the wrong way by Rey. She would think he was angry at her, and that was the last thing he wanted.
"Tell you what. I'll wait while you go change. The pajamas I laid out for you in the spare bedroom are still there. Tomorrow we can go shopping, but those will work for now," he said after yet another moment of awkward silence passed between them.
Rey thought about it for a moment, then finally nodded reluctantly. "Okay. I'll be right back."
She left for the spare bedroom. Ben took the opportunity to take out a frying pan and a medium-sized pot for the mashed potatoes. Then he stepped back and waited for Rey to rejoin him.
She emerged a couple minutes later wearing the black pajamas and looking wildly out of place. The grease on her face had been rubbed off and her hair was beginning to come out of the buns on the back of her head. Her arms were crossed over her chest again. After dinner Ben would tell her it was okay if she wanted to shower, but for now he wanted to keep his promise and show her how to cook.
"Now then, the first thing you're going to want to do is…"
And they got to work. Ben told her to watch the hamburger patties on the frying pan while he started boiling some water for the potatoes. When it was time to flip the patties Ben got out a spatula and showed her carefully how to slip the spatula underneath the patty and flip the wrist quickly and timely to bring it back down without the hamburger grease flying everywhere.
"Now you flip the second one." He handed her the spatula and smiled inwardly to himself as her eyes lit up.
"Okay." She did as he had showed her, though her movements weren't nearly as quick and practiced as his were. It took her a little longer to work the spatula underneath her hamburger patty, and when she flipped it over he saw bits of the patty that were still on the frying pan. She deflated a little at that before Ben reminded her that it was only her first time.
He looked around in the refrigerator for some slices of cheese, only to come up empty.
"Normally I would make a cheeseburger, but I'm out," he explained. "Tomorrow I'll take you grocery shopping. Not the best way to spend your second day, but…"
"That's okay," Rey quickly reassured him as she stirred the potatoes the way he'd shown her. "I've never been, so it sounds like fun."
He marveled at that, then quickly neutralized his expression. He didn't want her to feel more ashamed of her lack of life skills than she already did. "Great. It's a date."
Her eyes narrowed at the word 'date' and Ben wanted to slap himself for forgetting. He'd only meant it as a joke, but Rey was quite clearly taking her condition of no romance seriously. Judging from the suspicious look on her face, she hadn't gotten the humor. But she didn't say anything and he was more than happy to let it go.
As they finished up dinner, Ben got down two plates and helped Rey take the hamburgers off the frying pan and on to the buns he had waiting. He'd asked her preference of ketchup or mustard and when she said she didn't know he put a little bit of both on, promising it tasted the best that way.
"Okay. Are the potatoes ready?"
He glanced at them, nodded, then told her she could scoop the potatoes on the plates if she wanted.
Rey was more than happy to oblige. She scooped generous portions onto both of their plates, then set the pot back on the burner, making sure it was off like Ben had told her. He smiled at her pleased expression, then told her to join him at his dining table.
He watched her as she took a bite of her hamburger. She couldn't have looked happier in that moment. "Is it good?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.
She nodded vigorously as she said through a mouthful of food, "This is the best thing I've ever had."
"Even better than the omelet?" he couldn't help but ask.
She nodded. "That was good, but this…is amazing." She swallowed, then took another large bite.
She felt the same way with the potatoes. He didn't have the heart to point out that they were instant mashed and required no cooking skills. Anyone who could follow directions could cook instant mashed potatoes, but she was so proud of herself that kept his mouth shut.
He promised himself then and there that he would look up recipes for the two of them to tackle together. He would show her better things to cook than hamburgers and potatoes. Maybe, if he could come up with a convincing reason that wouldn't make his mother suspicious, he could borrow some of the unused cookbooks she had lying around. It had always been a mystery to Ben why his mother had so many cookbooks when she rarely cooked. When his dad was home he did most of the cooking, and when he wasn't she either went out or made simple things for herself.
When they were both done they took their plates to the kitchen. Ben put his in the sink and Rey did the same, though she turned the water on and looked as though she was about to clean up.
"You don't have to do the dishes. I'll do them in the morning."
She frowned at him as she replied, "But I helped. I don't mind doing them."
Ben sighed and ran a hand through his thick black hair as he said, "You don't have to do that, Rey. We can both do it in the morning. It's not going anywhere."
She didn't look convinced, but relented anyway. He didn't want to think about what she obviously would have done if this were the Plutts' apartment. He suspected they made her clean up the aftermath of the dinner they cooked for themselves but didn't allow her to be a part of. It was sick the cruelty some people were capable of.
She stopped by the door to the spare room, which Ben supposed he was going to have to start referring to as Rey's room seeing as she lived there now. He hated how lost she looked. It was almost as though she were waiting for him to give her direction.
"Rey, this is your home now. You can do what you want without waiting for me to tell you what you can do," he explained as gently as he could. He didn't want her thinking that he was talking down to her.
She bit her lip, considering his words, then said just as gently, "I'd like to take a shower. If that's okay."
"Of course it is," he said. "You don't have to ask permission."
She regarded him a moment longer before saying, "I don't have a change of clothes."
Ben thought about that, remembering that she hadn't gone back to take anything with her. That obviously meant clothes of any kind.
Even underclothes.
His face must have shown when comprehension found him because she blushed so intensely that her face turned beet red.
"I have some boxers. Hopefully they can make do until we go shopping tomorrow. I'd ask my neighbor for help, but I seriously doubt you want to wear a stranger's underwear."
Rey grimaced at that before pointing out, "You're giving me your boxers and I hardly know you."
"Yeah, well, that's different…" he said, trailing off at the amused expression on Rey's face.
"I was joking. It's fine. Seriously, I'm used to wearing stranger's hand-me-downs."
Not knowing how to reply to that, Ben went into his room to fish out a pair of boxers. Suddenly he was the one blushing. He was about to give a girl his underwear. A girl he wasn't even intimate with. If only his mother could see him now.
He gave her the boxers then watched her disappear into the bathroom. Once he heard the shower turn on he went into the spare room to change the sheets, but stopped when he saw the discarded pile of clothes in a pile on the floor by the closet.
There was a black rag full of holes lying on top of the jacket and pants. When he picked it up, he knew immediately this was why Rey had been too embarrassed to take off her jacket earlier. It had no doubt once been a black tank top, but it was so full of holes that it could only be called trash. The seam under one arm had been ripped nearly down the middle. It must have exposed her side all the way to her stomach. He was once again filled with rage as he stared at the clothes Rey had been forced to war. What kind of sick monster can wear all kinds of new and clean clothes yet forces his ward to wear rags?
He quickly put the clothes back where he found them and stormed into his bedroom. He picked up his phone and dialed the number before he could stop himself.
"Well, this is a nice surprise," Phasma said by way of greeting. His earlier treatment of her seemed to have been forgotten.
"I need you to do me a favor," Ben began and, doing his best to keep his tone even, explained what he wanted his neighbor to do.