Alone Time

her backstory

A loud blaring of noise startled Rey, waking her from her slumber. She rubbed her eyes, searching the room for the source of the horrendous object that had torn her from the dreams she so rarely had. The particular dream she was robbed of was one where she had already passed all of her finals and hadn't had to worry about all of the financial debt that she would be in once she graduated from her undergrad degree. 

If it was up to her, she would have just worked the rest of her life at the auto shop where she had been employed since she was a young teen. The auto shop was one of the rare places where she had sought refuge from the cold, hungry and often lonely nights at her foster house. Despite being enrolled in public school, she rarely had any friends due to the fact that she was quiet, and often kept to herself.

The one person who had seen her, and understood the troubles and demons that she faced behind the mask of her worn out smile was her history teacher, Mr. Skywalker. He was the person who saw her work ethic during class, and had kind eyes. Someone who saw past the foster kid and saw her soul. Mr. Skywalker was the reason she had been introduced to the auto shop, and the reason she got into Coruscant College. 

When Rey was in her second year of high school, Skywalker had caught her fixing some of the other student's computers in exchange for the lunch money she lacked. He caught her in the corner of the library, scrawny and tired as she squinted with focus and frustration on the object. She hadn't noticed him watching as she got it up and running, wiping her brow and sighing with satisfaction as it rebooted. Not until she heard him speak,

"Looks like you've got some talent there," Skywalker spoke. Rey looked up with wide eyes, fearing that she would be in trouble for charging another student for the services she was providing. 

"I- uh, was just helping a friend.." she muttered back. Luke however, knew better but decided now was not the time to make her feel bad for her need to work for simple human resources. Instead, he smiled and replied, 

"You know, you have a keen eye for fixing things, as well as the ability to work well with your hands. I have seen your work ethic in class, and if you'd like, I could introduce you to my brother in-law. He runs an auto shop a few blocks away and he has much more knowledge on engineering than anyone here does."

Rey smiled at this, thankful that she was not in trouble, but it also felt nice to get noticed by someone for the skills she had. She simply nodded in return, and her life had changed completely since. She loved the owner of the shop, Han and his childhood best friend Chewie who never underestimated her abilities, and always made sure that she had a meal to eat during her work hours. The pay was nice too, she saved most of it even though she spent more money on food than anything else. Once she turned eighteen however, that money turned into rent, and bills, that she no longer had the foster system to pay for her.  

This was why Luke persuaded her to go to college. One day her senior year she sat in his classroom during lunch and he asked her what her plans were after she graduated. Apparently, 'work at the auto shop until I can't anymore' was not an acceptable option. Skywalker had told her then, how he had believed in her, and knew that she was capable of much more than she let herself believe. After a few weeks of Luke pestering her, she caved and applied to the local community college and reluctantly to the local 4-year college in their town. 

Surprisingly enough, she got into the 4-year school, something Rey thought was impossible. The only thing she had to do now was figure out how she was going to pay for it. Luckily she was able to apply for FAFSA, student loans, and apply to some scholarships. Yet, the engineering program she had got into was going to cost a lot of money that she didn't have. So she kept working on her cars, and even got a job at a local coffee shop that was run by a sweet older woman named Maz.

Speaking of, she had an opening shift there at 6:00 am and she reached for her phone, the object that had woken her up, letting her know that it was time to get up and at 'em. She stumbled out of her hammock bed, something she had bought at IKEA for under fifty bucks because why would she spend money on a bed frame and a mattress when she was still young and didn't have any back problems... yet. Anyways, she was barely twenty years old and her money was better spent on tuition and a bus pass rather than interior design.

It was surprising how much Rey had been pinching her pennies since she started college. She had opted out of the safety net that was dorm housing and meal plans because she didn't feel comfortable with such close quarters, and she often preferred being alone compared to the noise that came from living in one. Her current living situation was another thing on her never ending list she could thank Luke for.

When she had explained to him how she was not going to be able to afford student housing, he had told her that his nephew, and coincidentally her bosses son, was living off campus in a small but quaint house and probably had an empty room that he could rent out cheaply to her. The thought of living with her bosses son was enough to scare her away, but once Luke had his nephew invite her over to look at the place, she couldn't say no.

The house was much larger than she expected, beautiful to say the least. The facade was painted a shade of light blue, and was an old craftsman style. The inside was more than she had bargained for, with sleek hardwood floors and a real kitchen, with gas stoves and everything. The tipping point for her was the windows in every room that let the light stream in at every angle, something she had always wanted but never had in any of her former foster homes. 

Luke's nephew was not what she expected either. He was about the height of a forklift, and built like a goddamn fridge. He had long, nearly black wavy hair that covered his ears and draped down his neck. His dark eyes should have been intimidating, but to her they weren't. There was a certain softness to them that she could not describe. Something about him always made her stomach feel like it was going to fall out of her butt. 

He had introduced himself as Ben, Han Solo's son. He was a grad student at the same school as her, in his last years of getting a masters in english literature. She was sure that he was planning on being some sort of writer, he gave off that vibe. He was approximately nine years older than her, but she didn't mind. The moment she met him, she liked that he was quiet and kept to himself. Just like her. Plus he was offering her an unbeatable price and she loved the place.

That about brings her up to date. She began to get ready for her shift at the coffee shop, throwing her hair into her signature three buns, washing her face and then pocketing her old phone into her only pair of non-grease-stained goodwill jeans. She grabbed her bus pass and started off to the kitchen when she bumped into her roommate in the slim hallway between her bedroom and where she needed to be. 

Rey came to a halt, mumbling some sort of apology as she saw Ben before her. He was returning from his 5 am workout later than he usually did. Usually, he was in the shower or in his own room when it came time for Rey to leave for work. She liked that system because that meant she never had to run into her sweaty, and handsome (come on, she has eyes) roommate. But apparently not today. Rey tried not to blush as he smiled down at her, and stepped out of her way as he let her pass.

Without a second glance, he was already down the hall in search of a clean towel and before Rey could let her mind linger on him, she was out the door. She had work to do, and he was her roommate, and roommate only.