Rey tapped her fingers incisively on her formica kitchen table and stared at the email that had just arrived that morning. She had already read it over twice but still wanted to read it over one more time for good measure because it seemed too good to be true.
She had an interview scheduled for 10 am Tuesday morning with Kylo's law firm. She felt so unprepared. She didn't know how she would even get downtown on time. She wasn't sure if her suits from her last job even fit anymore. She hadn't worn a pair of heels since before Armie had passed. Her waitress job had her on her feet constantly and she preferred to wear a comfy pair of sneakers.
She didn't know if it was even appropriate to use Kylo as a reference. After all what was he to her?
Was he her friend? He was supportive of her when she needed him to be but maybe it was just because he was a kind person or maybe it was because he felt obligated to be there for her because she was paying him.
Maybe they weren't true friends.
Were they dating? He had taken her out and paid but never said that it was an official date. Rey assumed he had taken pity on her situation and was just being nice to her when she was feeling bad. He was a lawyer and she was a waitress. She wasn't sure what he could possibly see in her.
Rey was a nobody from nowhere. Kylo was a somebody, he was a prestigious lawyer. He was smart and charming.
He made her heart melt when she was around him. He would just smile at him and she felt butterflies in her chest.
She wasn't sure how he felt about her.
No, definitely not dating. They were from two opposite worlds. Rey couldn't imagine him not being embarrassed to date her. She only could imagine him with someone from his social circle. Someone glamorous, unlike Rey. Someone with a prestigious job equal to Ben's. Not a lonely, widowed waitress. Not Rey.
Rey quickly accepted the invite to the interview and tried to take a deep , calming breath.
She could do this. She could finally move on. She was stuck in her current life. Living with the ghost of Armie and not being able to return to the old Rey. The confident Rey, The Rey that smiled and enjoyed going out with friends. She missed the old Rey and she was determined to bring her back.
Later on she sat in a booth across from Rose and excitedly told her that she had a job interview as a paralegal.
"That's fantastic Rey, so proud of you. Where is the firm located?", she questioned.
Rey spotted Finn, mopping the floor near the kitchen entrance and looked back at Rose.
"With Kylo's law firm. He encouraged me to apply. I wasn't too sure if I wanted to go back to that life", Rey told her in a hushed tone, trying to avoid Finn hearing their conversation.
"Oh that makes sense", Rose responded.
"What do you mean?", Rey asked.
"Well, isn't it obvious? He knows that your relationship as a cuddlier and customer won't last much longer and he's forced not to cross professional boundaries in the job. He found a way to keep you close to him.", she explained.
Rey was taking a sip of water as Rose told her that and chocked on the water trying to laugh at how ridiculous Rose's statement was.
She stuttered out the word, trying to breathe normally again. "No, seriously I don't think so. We are friends or something I think we are friends. Other times I am not sure what we are. As you said, he acts within his professional boundary most of the time but sometimes I feel like there is something else there. A connection but I wouldn't say that its outside of a friends connection.", Rey explained.
Rose rolls her eyes, "Finn tells me that Kylo glances at you like you are already his. He talks about you as if you are his to protect. I really can't say that he's 100 percent correct because it's Finn that has had the interactions with him. Really Rey, who wouldn't be crazy about you. ", he says.
Rey bites her bottom lip, "Well if what Finn said the other night is true even my own fiancee wasn't in love with me even though I thought he was the love of my life. Its like a hard slap on the face".
"Yeah well Armie was an ass Rey. You never saw him like we did. He was a narcissistic jerk who only cared about himself. I mean Dopheld almost falls over himself just to catch a glimpse of you and from what I hear Kylo is willing to drop everything to come to you", Rose explained
Rey shook her head at Rose's statement, "Well Finn is obviously wrong.I'll prove it", she said.
"How will you prove it?", Rose asks.
"I'll ask if he'd cross his boundaries for me or anyone else at our next session. When he says no and I know he will then it will prove Finn wrong".
Rose wiggles her eyebrows at Rey. "So you are going to proposition him for sex and see if he goes for it?"
Rey rolls her eyes at her friend. "Well sort of..ok maybe..yes. Its best to just rip off the band aid now, to tell him I don't have any more money to keep paying him and to get an idea where his head is at. I mean I'm not sure if he actually likes me, just feels bad for me and my situation or treats all of his clients like this and is just an opportunist", she rationalizes.
Rose tilts her head looking curiously at Rey, "An opportunist? What do you mean?"
Rey nods her head towards Finns direction as he squeezes the mop into the bucket. "Well if Finn is actually right, Kylo is actually a Gigolo who, for the right opportunity will go beyond what's in his set of Cuddler rules".
A customer comes into the cafe and stands behind the Hostess sign. Rose gets up and walks towards him. "She turns back and looks at Rey. "You know Finn has your back and is only looking out for you. He tends to act like an overprotective older brother at times though", she states.
Rey finished her shift and made it to her place where she collapsed on her bed and stared at her closet. She didn't know what she was going to wear. She hadn't worn any of her suits in a while. She had lost weight and was sure they'd just hang on her body and look shapeless. She wondered who would interview her and if she would even see Kylo there. He was a bigwig after all, she didn't think he would be the one interviewing her.
The next day, Rey sat in a stiff black leather chair in a lobby inside of Kylo's law firm. He had texted her to wish her luck with the interview. She thanked him but their conversation ended there.
Kylo rarely texted her on nights that he wasn't coming to her house so she didn't expect him to say much to her but appreciated that he did reach out to wish her luck.
She nervously wrung her hands together, her nails dug into her pal, She had selected a black pants suit and silk red V neck top that she thought looked sharp. She applied a lot more makeup then she was used to putting on and had put some effort into curling her hair instead of wearing her hair into multiple rightly pulled buns.
The receptionist had called a woman upon her arrival and told her that, "Ms. Niima" was waiting for her. Rey swear that she hear her say, "Yes, yes that one that he told us about" before waiving Rey to sit down.
A fairly young,tall, svelte, woman strolled into the lobby with what Rey though was an arrogant confidence. She had dark blood red lips and heavy black eyeliner. Her platinum blonde hair was pulled tightly into a low bun near the nape of her neck.
She stiffly reached out to Rey with a plastered smile, "Hello Ms. Niima My name is Bazine Netal. I am the office manager at the firm. Nice to meet you. If you follow me back to my office we will go over the position. I wasn't sure if Mr. Solo has discussed the details of what the position entails with you but he has spoken highly of you and was confident that you were highly qualified for the position.", she said stiffly as she waved Rey towards the chair on the other side of her desk behind the glass doors of her office.
Ry sat awkwardly in the seat. "Exuse me, did you say, Mr. Solo?", she asked with confusion crossing over her face.
Rey thought that she saw Ms. Netal frown as she cocked her head looking at Rey. "Yes. Mr. Solo, our Junior partner in the firm. His office is down the hall from mine but he's currently out with the Senior Partner, Mr. Snoke, so unfortunately Mr. Snoke won't be able to meet with you. However, Mr. Solo advocated for you.", said Ms. Netal.
Rey got the impression that Ms. Netal was annoyed with her. She got that general impression of dislike the moment that she outstretched her hand for Rey to shake. She spoke to Rey stiffly and slowly. Rey wasn't sure why she would act like her before she even met her.
Rey smirked, Finn was right one one point about Kylo at least. He hadn't given Rey his actual name. He let her believe that he was 'Kylo Ren' and never told her otherwise. Rey assumed that it was a name he gave clients to protect his privacy.
She was still a little annoyed because she thought that she was different to him, someone that he could trust enough to give his real name, rather then finding out that he had given a false name at a job interview. A interview that he has pushed her to go to.
Ms. Netal went over the job description with Rey. As Rey listened to the requirements and realized that she had overestimated her qualifications when she applied for the position. She had been a paralegal prior to working at a waitress for six years but she realized that she didn't know any of the software programs being utilized and half of the duties were things that the lawyers had done at the firm that she had been at.
She realized that she was over her head.
The rest of the interview involved a lot of head nodding and Rey answering yes or no questions. In the back of her head she just kept thinking, "I have no chance" or "Why am I here?".
Ms. Netal ended the interview with the words, "We will contact the chosen candidate in less then two weeks. We thank you for your time Ms. Niima". She was a little less stiff then she had been in the beginning but Rey still had a feeling that she didn't like Rey.
Rey could just imagine the feedback that M. Netal would give to Kylo/ Ben. "Oh she's an absolute a disaster. She's not qualified for the position. What were you thinking recommending her?"
Rey didn't know what she was thinking in applying for the position. She quickly grabbed her purse off of the floor and walked out of Ms. Netal's office. She didn't look back at the woman as she walked swiftly out of the office.
Back to her life living in her tiny apartment. Back to her life waiting on ungreatful customers who barely tipped her.
She received a text from Kylo later that night letting her know that he would see her on Thursday and was glad that she went to the interview.
Rey wasn't sure what to make of that text. She knew they had more qualified candidates so he probably didn't want to tell her that she was immediately ruled out.
Wednesday seemed to fly by as she was only counting down the moments until she would see Kylo again. She knew it may be one of the last times as she had to force herself to break the news to him. She was out of funds and couldn't continue to pay him.
He had brought her a lot of comfort and she was sleeping better lately. The nightmares weren't as consistent as they had been. She still occasionally saw Armie in her nightmares but this time she didn't always run towards him but rather tried to turn her back on him. She saw flashing images of him / kissing another woman and then appearing alone besides Rey.
Thursday morning Rey ran into Dopheld on her way into work. He grinned at her and eventually sat down at a corner booth before ordering a coffee.
It didn't shock Rey that he asked her out again. She politely declined and explained that she needed to be alone at this time and was still grieving her fiancee.
It wasn't a lie but she didn't want to be alone. She wanted to date and she wanted to smile again with someone by her side. She just didn't want that someone to be Dopheld Mitaka.
She wanted that someone to be Kylo. If only he wanted her too.
Thursday evening came and Kylo was on time as usual. He walked in and threw his coat over the back of a kitchen chair.
Rey had been sitting on the chair next to that chair wringing her hands nervously. Trying to go go over in her head what to say to him before he came in.
"We have to stop seeing each other", she blurted out as he sat down next to her.
He frowned at her, "Umm Rey, what does that mean?", he asked.
She took a deep breath before responding. "I'm sorry, that came out wrong. I didn't mean we had to stop seeing each other like we are in a relationship. I know that we aren't. I just meant that I don't have any more money to pay for the cuddling services after this week. You've been so helpful to me and I am so glad that I met you. I will be sure to refer your services to all of my friends", she explained before shifting her eyes to the floor.
Rey looked up at him and thought that his eyes looked dark for a moment before he smiled at her. "That is understandable Rey. I understand about the money. I know that money is tight for you right now. ", he paused and looked at her and she met his gaze.
"It doesn't mean we have to stop seeing each other though", he responded. "Just not in the same capacity. We'd have to change our dynamic".
Rey wasn't sure what he meant by 'change our dynamics'. She was too scared to hear his answe. What if he just meant as friends? She didn't think that she could see him as 'just a friend'. She wanted more then that from him.
"Should I call you Ben instead , since that's your actual name", she blurted out.
Kylo smirked at her. "You are acting like Kylo is my stage name or something. Its my nickname, Rey. All of my friends call me Kylo. I just go by Ben Solo for professional purposes.", he assured her.
"Please keep calling me Kylo. I like the way you say my name in bed", he stated.
A hot blush creeped over Rey's cheeks. She let out an embarrassed giggle.
"Ok I will keep calling you Kylo then", she said.
Rey offered him some tea. They drank their tea is silence until he asked if she was ready for bed. She nodded and went into her bedroom to change while he went into the bathroom.
He came out in a pair of flannel pants and a black V neck Tshirt. A strand of his hair had fallen in front of his eyes. Rey thought he looked sexy. She had tried to block out his attractiveness before. She had felt guilty for thinking about another man over Armie.
She quickly sank into his embrace in her bed as their bodies san comfortably into the mattress.
Now she wasn't going to allow herself to feel guilty anymore. Kylo was an attractive man. He made her tingle all over when he touched her, even if it wasn't in a sexual manner. She wanted him when he held her close to him and wrapped his arms around her.
His erection told her that he wanted her to.
Rey closed her eyes and thought raced in her head preventing her from sleeping.
She had one more night with him and she needed to know. The question that she had for him had been burning on her mind.
"Have you ever dates one of your clients before?", she asked. She thought that question was more tame then the one that she had wanted to ask.
"No Rey, I haven't ever dated a client before", he responded, pulling her close to him.
She breathed deeply, inhaling the woodsy scent of his cologne with a hint of cinnamon. She stilled in his arms and leaned into him.
It was now or never.
"Have you ever done anything sexual with any of your clients, paid or otherwise?" , She asked.
Kylo entwined his fingers with his as he squeezed her fingers. "No sweetheart, I have never done anything sexual with any of my clients".
This information brought some reassurance to Rey but also she wasn't sure if that No also meant the door was closed for her.
"Would you with me?", she quietly said as the darkness engulfed her and she was met with silence.
What seemed like hours stretched by before he responded almost in a choked whisper, "Rey…I can't..we can talk about this later ok".
Rey stared out into the darkness of the room, with only a stream of light shining through her bedroom window.
She breathed calmly and was embarrassed at herself for asking him. She had never been that straightforward with a man before. She didn't think she would ever broach the topic with him again even on her last night with him.