A/N: First chapter up! Hope you enjoyed Ben's version of chapter 1. Enjoy! R&R!

Idiot: Ben

Chapter 2: Ignorant

Ben decided after dinner that he would actually stay with Poe and Rey. The month was going by pretty quick, and just as expected, he was rarely home alone with Rey and when she was home, she was in her room. She was a workaholic, apparently. Ben wondered if he could take a lesson or two from her. However, there were some times, too, that they hung out in the living room together. They'd had pleasant reading discussions on their favorite books and decided that they had a common interest. They even exchanged books for the other to read together. Bonding moments were special, he thought, but he tried to not think about it too awful much, for fear of getting too attached. His cousin was scarce as of late, probably chasing Zorii. He briefly wondered if his cousin would ever get the girl. She was definitely a stubborn one, but that was what Ben respected about her.

Their comfortable silence had taken a turn the past couple of weeks. They'd gone from staying on their side to getting comfortable and bumping knees occasionally. That progressed to literally lying next to each other, legs touching on opposite ends of the couch as they read. And then, as if things couldn't get more comfortable between them, she started to make him coffee or tea, depending on the day. The first time, she'd asked him how he took it. Ever since then, she'd made it perfect for him. Admittedly, it took him a bit to get used to it. He had hesitantly accepted the cup, unsure what it was to mean, but once he reconciled it in his head that it was just her being friendly, he accepted it with ease, and even returned the favor. He'd watched her make hers and paid special attention with the intention of repaying the favor. And she smiled warmly at him when he'd gotten it right. One thing his father definitely taught him was that, even if you lack confidence, fake it till ya make it. And he was, by no means, confident about the way he'd made it. Her smile of approval made him more confident though, which was more than enough for him.

Poe came home that night with a wide grin, which signaled for Rey to glance to the calendar. He wasn't sure what was going on, not having paid attention to their calendar since he got there. He knew that almost every Saturday, they'd gone out and done something. Was it Saturday again? "All right! Carnival tonight!" he said with all his obnoxious exuberance.

Ben shut his book, the sound echoing through the living room. "Absolutely not." He hated carnivals with every fiber of his being. Such a con. Such a waste of time and money.

"I agree," Rey said, turning a page in her book. He was surprised that she felt the same as he did. Or maybe she was just too comfortable to want to move. No, that couldn't be it. He assumed it was because she didn't want to throw her time and money away on frivolous things.

"Rose wanted to go though! You know carnivals are her favorite, Rey!" Ah, always with the sympathy card.

Apparently, it was working. Rey groaned and slumped over the couch, her attention on Poe now. This angle was actually really nice. "Rose will definitely be there?"

Poe grinned and thumbs-upped her. "Definitely."

After another groan, she sat up straight, causing Ben to quickly avert his glance without her noticing. "Fine..."

"Ben?" Poe questioned.

He didn't want to go, but Rey would be there. So... maybe it wouldn't be too awful. He glanced at Rey then. They already shared a mutual hatred for cliched movies, so what about carnivals? He turned his sight back to Poe. "Fine."

That insufferable grin again... "All right. Let's go!"

They arrived an hour later and met up with everyone else, namely Finn and Rose. Zorii apparently had gotten lost, so Poe ran off to meet her. Finn and Rose, as usual, took off with one another on their own little date. Left alone with Rey. He figured this would happen. But... was this a date? He glanced at her and found her looking at him. After a mutual shrug, he decided he wouldn't overthink it again. As they walked in silence, he saw all the couples attempting to win games for their mates and only rolled his eyes. So stupid... He glanced down at Rey and saw her roll her eyes, too. Apparently, she wasn't a fan either. He hated that it was such a waste of money and time. "I hate these childish events..." A bunch of adults throwing their money away just to woo a girl? So middle school... Go on a real date!

They sat at a picnic table, right next to each other again. She smirked at him. "Yeah. The games always end up ripping you off."

Unless you know their angle. "Food's too expensive, too. $3.25 for a drink?" Robbery...

She laughed at him. "Yeah, I can afford two bottle drinks for that price!"

"Tell me about it..."

"So... why'd you come?" she asked, drinking her soda and effectively shocking him with the question.

You. He looked over at her. "Poe," they said in unison, making him smirk at her laugh. "Nice to know I'm not alone in being forced into this."

Ben only nodded at her. He didn't know what possessed him to, but he reached his hand out to her, a playful grin on his face. "You're never alone."

She gave him one of her beautiful smiles and took his hand. "Neither are you."

He grinned at her and fell into a comfortable silence with her once again. Then his thoughts got the better of him. His month here was almost over. He didn't want it to be over so quickly... It's been real nice getting to know her. He was betraying himself. He said he wouldn't get too stuck on her since he didn't live here. He was a plane ride away. He couldn't see her as he wanted. Not easily anyway. "This month has been interesting," he said, attempting to make their conversation last just a little longer.

She smiled at him. "What was your favorite part?"

Such a loaded question. But he knew the answer. "Probably the movie at the start," he said with a small snicker. It was his favorite because it was when he met her. It was so stupid, he knew, but it meant something to him. He was really interested in pursuing whatever this was, or could be. But he needed time to see if she felt the same. Which was why he answered her so freely. He was gauging her reaction.

She laughed at his response. "It was so awful!"

"The worst," he agreed, laughing alongside her. When she stopped all of a sudden, he glanced over at her and saw a blush on her face.

Then that smile to end all smiles caught his eye. "That's the first time you've actually laughed."

He stopped laughing then. "It's not like I don't laugh at all..." She smiled again, causing him to look away. If he didn't, he would probably do something stupid... "It's just few and far between."

"As rare as the Hope Diamond, I see!" she teased.

He grinned and shrugged. "Sure." If that's what she wanted to deem it. Truthfully, he never had a reason to laugh. His life was all business. He didn't have anyone in his life to make him laugh or make him forget his responsibilities for a time. No one to share anything with. Not until she came along.

"You two seem to be really friendly..."

He turned to see Poe standing with Zorii. Rey jumped at her and hugged her with a wide smile. "Good to see you again, Zorii!"

Ben almost fell out in shock when he saw Zorii grin and hug her back. That wasn't something that Zorii did, typically. He listened to the women carry on, amazed at how easily they got along. It was endearing. They seemed similar, but different. He just stared when he heard Zorii laugh. If Rey thought his laughs were rare, then Zorii's were endangered! "Well, if it isn't the elusive Ben Solo. It's about time you came back!"

He nodded at her, breaking him of his stupor. "Someone had to keep this idiot in check," he said, motioning to his idiot cousin. "When are you going to finally give in to him pursuing you?"

She scoffed at him. "As soon as he stops being a womanizer."

Everyone but Poe laughed. All he did was sulk and pout. Typical. He can joke on everyone else, but as soon as someone jokes on him, game over. "I'm not a womanizer..." he mumbled.

"Right... you keep telling yourself that, Poe," Rey said as she shot him a look.

"Maybe one day, you'll actually believe it," Ben snickered. He high-fived Rey again, earning a grin from Poe.

"I'll stop being a so-called womanizer when you two admit that you like each other," Poe said with a grin.

Zorii only rolled her eyes at him. "You're never going to stop being one, then..." Ben didn't know whether to take that as her calling them both too stubborn to admit something, or that it didn't exist. He didn't know how to take Zorii's comments sometimes... She was so cryptic.

Rey and Ben exchanged a glance before rolling their eyes, again in unison. He was growing fond of their same level of thinking. "Quit trying to ship us all the time," Rey said as she glared at Poe. Ben stayed silent the whole time, watching Poe and Zorii retreat off into the carnival, leaving them alone again. Maybe he was just imagining things again. She clearly didn't feel the same, otherwise, she wouldn't have said to stop shipping them. Even if she had sort of the same feelings, or at least developing feelings, wouldn't she have said something different, like 'don't rush us' or something? He was so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't realized he was still staring at her. "What?" she asked, breaking him of his thoughts.

He only shook his head. "Maybe we should turn in for the night. Mind driving home?" he asked as he stood from the picnic table.

"Sure." He stayed where he was, waiting for her to do what she needed to do. He glanced over towards the car and saw a restaurant. Maybe...

She appeared at his side and started to walk with him towards the car. "Are you hungry?" he blurted out, pointing at the restaurant in walking distance.

She followed his pointing and shrugged. "Sure! I could use some food before bed."

They walked to the restaurant in silence. He watched Rey look around for a few moments, as if taking in the atmosphere. He took the time to scribble a note on paper and grab $100 out of his wallet, having just enough time to hide it in his hand as they were escorted to the table. He handed the note to the waitress, which read "This is to cover the meal. Keep what's left over." They sat down together and ordered their food. He was falling into a comfortable lull until she broke the silence. "So... you're leaving next week?"

Why did she sound so sad about that? "Yes. I need to finalize a few business arrangements," he said as he drank from his soda.

"Business arrangements? Oh, I never knew what you do for work," she said, her smile acting as a mask and a truth serum all at once.

He tried to pay it no mind. He refused to believe she was sad he was leaving. "I'm taking over my dad's company." She nodded and he averted his glance. "He started a parts delivery company about twenty years ago. He's retiring... so... he wanted me to take his place."

"Oh, ok. That sounds great," she smiled. "What will you be doing?"

He looked out the window for a moment. First order of business would be to get rid of that jerk of a redheaded menace... "Nothing much. I'd be in charge of ordering, shipping, negotiating contracts... Pretty much some of everything. I've been working there since I was fourteen, so I pretty much know how to do everything anyway."

"So it's a matter of legality then," she confirmed.

Ben couldn't quite place her tone. Was she having a hard time with this? Why? He watched her take a sip of her drink, a nervous habit that he'd come to realize. It made him wonder why she was so nervous. Was she hiding something? Did this conversation have an end goal? The food was set in front of them and they thanked the waitress softly. "Exactly," he said almost immediately afterwards.

"So... when you take over your dad's company," she started. He sensed something different about her voice. Apprehension? Fear? Whatever it was, she tried to mask it with nonchalance, which he quickly realized was a failed attempt at being casual. "When would you be coming back to visit again?"

Bingo. There's her source. She was worried she wouldn't see him again? Why did that concern her so much? Sure, he knew he was starting to explore this interest for her, but did she have one for him, too? No, couldn't be. That wasn't possible. He just stared at her, as if contemplating what he was going to say next, and he was. What could he say to that? He didn't know when he would be able to come back. He didn't know what taking over the company would mean for him, let alone her. "I'm... not sure." He heard her hum under her breath, as if that wasn't the answer she was looking for, but accepted nonetheless. He wished he could give her something more solid, more concrete and definite, but... he didn't even know if he would be able to break away once he took over the company. And he certainly didn't want to give her false hope. He cleared his throat, sensing her discomfort. "So... what do you do, Rey?"

He could tell she was lost in thought by how long it took her to compose herself. "Um..." she began, clearly trying to find her words. "I'm a financial consultant for Skywalker Industries." Ben started to cough violently, clearly choking on his drink. Did she just say what he thought she did?! Skywalker... Thoughts ran through his head. His uncle that he disowned. His father having nothing but issues with him. The arguments that his parents went through because of Luke Skywalker himself. The rare and very uncomfortable visits they were blessed with. "Ben? Are you all right?"

No. No, he wasn't all right. She was working for his dirt bag uncle. He nodded anyway and looked away, his face obviously showing his displeasure and him making no effort to stop it. "Skywalker..." He had to make sure. "As in Luke Skywalker?"

The look on her face was one of incredulity. "Yes?" He thought so. Not many people had that last name. "Why?" He couldn't help but glare at the food in front of him for a moment, every bad memory replaying itself in his head that involved his darling uncle. All the pain this man caused his family. How many arguments he'd witnessed where his dad had left his mother in anger because his mother stuck up for that dirt bag. He hated him. He hated that name. "Ben? Are you all right?"

"Luke is my uncle." It was the simplest thing he could say. He didn't really want to spill the beans too much with her, having not known her long, but something in him beckoned him to confide in her.

"Really?" she asked, earning a curt nod from him. "And that's... bad?" she asked, trying to guage his reaction properly. He didn't know what to say. It was bad for him, but apparently, it wasn't too bad for her. It was complicated. He just didn't want to talk about him. She cleared her throat, earning his attention. "Sorry, Ben."

He looked at her then, wondering what in the world she was apologizing for. He snapped out of his silent hatred for his mother's brother. "For what?"

She wouldn't look at him, as if she were too embarrassed or ashamed to look at him. It hurt him. Though he didn't know why. Once again, Luke Skywalker messes something up for him. "The name seemed to upset you... Sorry for mentioning it."

He couldn't help but blink in astonishment at her. Was she really apologizing for upsetting him?! No one's ever cared before. Nevermind that though. She was really perceptive. Then again, it didn't take a genius to tell with Ben's angry face on how much that name upset him. Maybe he thought he was just doing a better job at hiding his hatred for the man. But something else struck his consciousness. She had actually paid attention to him. She paid enough attention to him to notice that it had bothered him and sent him to a dark place, and didn't want him to go there. That maybe she actually cared for his mental state. Maybe... this could work. He felt his lips pull into a small grin. This woman was remarkable. She didn't even know him that well and she already showed that she genuinely cared, just by listening and empathizing with him. Maybe he owed her an explanation... That thought made him run his hand through his hair and sigh. When his eyes landed on her again, she was smiling at him, as if giving him the confidence he needed to tell her what was up. Amazing... "Luke and I don't have... the best of relationships..." To put it mildly.

Her face changed, as if things clicked into place for her. She nodded. "I figured that with as bad of a reaction you had from his name." Her voice was gentle, soothing. Everything he wished he could hear when he went to this dark place.

He nodded, feeling the need to explain further. "When I was little..." he started, his eyes flashing with the memory he hated so desperately. "He took me for a ride. He... drank too much... and he started speeding because I wanted to go faster..." He could already see the horror playing out over her face. Was this a mistake to share this with her? He was her boss, for crying out loud. The last thing he needed was to make her put her job in jeopardy because her friend's cousin didn't get along with his uncle. It was too late to turn back... He literally just started. Her eyes beckoned him to continue, again lending him the strength he needed to acknowledge the memory. "I trusted him..." He held so much bitterness for that statement. He couldn't believe he trusted him. So stupid! Such an ignorant child he was! "He hadn't been doing proper maintenance on the car... The brakes failed..." He saw the scene replaying in his head, right before his eyes all over again. The fear, the emotions that were tied up in the memory seizing him all over again. He snapped to when he felt a warmth on his arm. He blinked several times, body gradually relaxing from the sudden tense he had. He set his hand over hers, wanting it to stay there. "We both made it out, obviously... But... we both almost died."

He looked up at her then, finally reliving that awful memory no kid should have to experience. What he saw made his heart wrench in his chest. Tears. They were pouring down her cheeks. Tears for him. He wanted nothing more than to reach forward and wipe them away. He had decided then that she was too beautiful to cry. Especially for him. She let out a soft laugh, clearly embarrassed at the show of emotion. "Sorry. Sympathy wins again," she chuckled.

He felt her go to pull away, but, without his permission, his hand tightened over hers, earning her attention. He tried to relay his utmost sincerity, but wondered if it was coming across a little too intense. "Thank you." He truly meant it. No one had cried for him before. No one had cared enough to actually listen to his story and to try to make him feel better. But she did. And it meant so much to him. More than she'd ever know.

Her cheeks reddened as she stared at him. She'd stopped breathing for a moment, making him wonder why she was so stricken. He didn't push it. She probably thought that he was being a little too intense for her to handle, which he no doubt was. He had a habit of pouring a little too much feeling into sentiments. She smiled nervously at him. "Thank you for opening up about something so sensitive."

All he could do was smirk at her. Maybe she understood him more than he thought she did. He hoped that was the case, honestly. It occurred to him then that his hand was still on hers. Not wanting to come across as some creep, he hesitantly and reluctantly took his hand off of hers, giving her the option to pull away if she wanted. Her hand lingered, making him wonder, but then it was gone. "I do hope I won't have to hunt you down if you tell any of this to anyone," he teased, trying to lighten the mood as he finished his meal.

She stared at him in confusion before grinning back at him. "You'd have to catch me first, Solo, and I don't think you could with that huge frame of yours."

Huge frame? Ah, so she was checking him out after all. How interesting. "You'd be surprised how fast I could run when I wanted to."

"Oh, really? Run, or thud?"

This girl was quick. He couldn't help but snicker at her. "A little of both, to be honest." He heard her heavenly laugh that sounded like music, burning it into his brain. When she finished her meal, she had a satisfied smile on her face. He was glad she enjoyed herself. "Ready to go?" he asked as he stood from the table.

"What about the check?"

He offered her his hand with a grin. Stealth mode was a success. "What about it?"

The look on her face was priceless and made him want to start laughing right then and there. "We aren't stealing food are we?"

He managed to roll his eyes as he shook his head. She was bound and determined to get him to admit to it. "Paid for it when we got here."

"How did you know what I would want to order or how much it would cost?"

Cornered. "Doesn't matter. Come on." He didn't know, honestly. But he knew that $100 was enough to pay for it. And if it wasn't, he would leave the rest at the table as a "tip." She took his hand, that perfect pink blush on her cheeks. He gave her the option to take her hand back if she wanted to, as he loosened his grip on her hand when she was on her feet. She took her hand back, leaving him feeling the loss of her hand, but he didn't push it. They left the restaurant and walked to her car, then drove back to the apartment. The comfortable silence ensued as he committed to memory their first unofficial "date." He hoped he would have another one with her. He hoped that she would catch on to his interest in her.

Sadly, he wondered if she were too ignorant to realize it...