'Mr Solo sent me,' Rey said grumpily as she stood in front of Phasma's desk with her arms folded across her chest.
'Ahhh yes, apparently I am to help you dress for some sort of event you will be representing the company at?' Phasma said.
She looked Rey over from head to toe. 'We'd better get started right away.'
Rey's day started out badly and got steadily worse. But she thought to herself, that if she was going to be forced to sit in a massage chair while expert beauticians took care of her hair, nails, skin, and face... she might as well enjoy it.
Phasma decreed that Rey needed more than just fashion advice, and declared that a complete overhaul was the only way to go. Rey decided to overlook the insult and just enjoy the ride. So now they were in a top salon that Rey could only dream of being able to afford herself, and Phasma demanded the works for Rey.
Phasma herself looked downright bored as she sat in the chair opposite Rey, inspecting her chrome polished nails. Phasma was a goddess. Rey had always thought of her as a perfect fit for Ben, but Phasma was already married. Rey forgot his name, James or Jamie? But anyway, that was a story for another time and place...
'Rey, I'm going to come back later. This is going to take some time. Everything is on account so don't worry about paying. I'll be back when it's time to choose you an outfit. Do NOT do that without me,' Phasma said arching her left eyebrow. Then she clicked across the salon floor and left.
Rey wished she was born with the kind of elegance that Phasma seemed to exude naturally, she guessed it was in her genes. Rey didn't know what was in her genes. She didn't even know her real parents' names... but again that was a story for another time — and a rather sad one that Rey didn't particularly want to dwell on.
She focused on the beautiful bob the hairdresser teased her unruly hair into.
'I've never felt so glamorous!' Rey said with a grateful smile.
The staff were surprised by her response. Their usual clientele were full of complaints, or too full of their own importance to even talk at all. It wasn't long before Rey had them all cheerfully chatting and offering to help her with everything from shaping her eyebrows to choosing the right moisturiser. By the time Phasma returned to collect her, Rey felt she had made a set of lifelong friends at Rebel Salon. She waved to Finn, Rose and Poe and promised to be back very soon.
Phasma knew exactly which dress would suit Rey's slight frame. She selected a simple light blue fitted shift dress and a pair of white high heels. Rey rarely wore heels, so Phasma had her parade up and down the store until she could demonstrate that she was capable of walking without falling over. Rey felt like an idiot but she dare not argue with Phasma.
Phasma said that Mr Solo authorised some other outfits and accessories for future events that Rey was to attend as well. Rey blinked in wonderment as Phasma expertly picked out clothes, jewellery, handbags and shoes which were bagged up in tissue paper and shiny plastic by the eager staff.
Rey wondered what Phasma thought of this arrangement. Did she suspect that there was something else going on? If she did, her expression didn't give anything away. Phasma was probably too clever to engage in idle gossip. She didn't climb the ranks to become a senior partner at FO Corp without knowing when to keep her mouth shut.
When Phasma bundled Rey into the company car with her many purchases at the end of the day, Rey took the opportunity to try and thank Phasma but found herself cut off mid sentence.
'No need to thank me,' she replied with a wave of her hand. 'Comes under "any other duties" in the job description.'
'Still, I appreciated it anyway.'
Phasma smiled slightly then instructed the driver to leave.
Rey thought about having dinner with Ben and his parents. Two hours. She had two hours to get home, pack away her new things, and freshen up. Then the driver would return to deliver her to the Solo family home.
Was this real? How had she gone from cleaning her boss's desk to attending a dinner as his significant other in the space of one day? Rey looked at the ring on her hand. Phasma hadn't even mentioned it. Surely she must have noticed it. Rey doubted her other colleagues would be as discreet. What would they say about a PA marrying her boss? Wasn't that the oldest story in the gold digger handbook? Rey didn't like the idea of being described as a gold digger. Would anyone believe that she was marrying him for love?
But she wasn't marrying him for love, was she? She wasn't marrying him at all. Not really.
'Urgh, I have a really bad feeling about this.'
Rey looked out the window. The driver had nearly reached her little flat now.
What would Ben be expecting from her later, she wondered? Would she have to hold his hand? Would she have to kiss him? Shit, she hadn't even thought about it! Would she have to kiss him? She thought back to her earlier 'screw you' comment, what if he wanted... no!! That wasn't possible! It was all just a ruse, just another way for Ben Solo to use others to get exactly what he wanted. And what he wanted definitely wasn't Rey... or was it?
At exactly ten to seven, Rey stood in front of her bedroom mirror and smoothed down her shift dress for the fiftieth time since she arrived home. She looked out the window again as she nervously awaited the arrival of the company car.
She had to admit that she was excited for Ben to see her. She had never looked so chic. Her deep brown hair never shined or had such body to it. She really had to hand it to the staff at Rebel. They really knew how to make a gal look and feel her best.
Her phone pinged just as the car pulled up. A text from Rose popped up on her screen, the girl who had attended to her nails earlier. She hadn't told her new pals the whole story, just that she was meeting her fiancé's family for the first time that evening.
She smiled as she read the text:
'Good luck Rey! We're sure they are gonna love you just like we do! Love, the Rebel staff. xx'
Rey took one last look in the mirror and headed down to the car.
**********
Rey stepped out of the car and her jaw dropped at the sight of the mansion before her. This was Ben's childhood home? Rey walked up to the door just as Ben opened it. He looked her up and down with wide eyes.
'Rey... You look...'
Rey smiled and prepared for the compliment that she was expecting...
'You look... very clean.'
Clean? Really?
'Thanks so much Ben, you also look... very clean. Kudos to us both on our personal hygiene.'
Rey walked into the massive entrance and gaped at the high ceilings. Ben took her jacket and shot her two sideways glances as he hung it up for her.
She shot him a sideways glance too. He changed for dinner, which she hadn't expected. He wore a darker blue shirt with a light blue tie and black dress trousers. He went as far as to slick back his shoulder-length dark hair too. She had to admit he looked good. Bastard.
Leia appeared all smiles and outstretched arms. A man who vaguely resembled Ben lagged behind her with a crooked grin and a sparkle in his eyes.
'Rey, my dear! Thank you for joining us, this is my husband, Han. Han, this is our future daughter-in-law!'
Rey winced inwardly. She liked Leia and she didn't want to lie to her, but she didn't have a choice.
Rey shook Han's outstretched hand.
'It's nice to meet you,' she said.
'Nice to meet you too, Rey. I've heard a lot about you. All from Leia, of course,' he said looking pointedly at Ben. Ben rolled his eyes.
Leia smiled at Rey. 'Look at you! You always look pretty, my dear, but tonight you are an absolute vision! Doesn't she look beautiful, Ben?'
'She does,' Ben agreed quietly, looking directly at Rey. Rey tingled everywhere in response. Now that wasn't playing fair — hopping on his mother's compliment!
You owe me one straightforward compliment, mister!
'She's a beauty alright,' Han agreed. 'Not your usual type though, is she?'
'Han!' Leia exclaimed.
Ben looked livid, but Rey just laughed.
'Yes, I'm neither blonde nor well-endowed!' Rey said, gesturing to her chest and pulling a face.
Han laughed out loud. 'I like her already,' he added warmly.
Ben looked impressed. Interesting...
'Let's go through to the dining room!' Leia announced. 'It's been so long since we've entertained, I'm afraid I went a little overboard.'
As they followed Leia through to the dining room, Han leaned over and whispered in Rey's ear, 'My vote for cheeseburgers and fries was shot down, I'm afraid.'
Rey stifled a laugh and Han smiled back. Ben appeared beside her and took her hand. He pulled her back so she was walking with him. Han rolled his eyes and carried on through to the dining room. Rey frowned at Ben, but he continued looking forward and kept a tight hold on her hand. What the hell was that about?
'Boys,' Rey muttered under her breath. But she squeezed Ben's hand anyway, sensing that the action might bring him some comfort.
Sitting at the grand dining table, Rey thought that she had never seen so much food in her life. She resisted the urge to rub her hands together. Rey was truly passionate about food. Her eyes roved over the trays of vegetables, potatoes, sauces, and meats. Leia and Ben carefully placed their napkins in their laps. Han and Rey laughed together when they realised they had both tucked their napkins under their chins in unison.
Leia peppered Rey with questions throughout dinner. She tried to answer between mouthfuls, sometimes during mouthfuls. Ben didn't say much, but she suspected he was listening intently. Rey knew pretty much everything there was to know about her boss, but he knew very little about her. He better start paying attention if he wanted their little scheme to be believable!
Eventually the inevitable question about her parents reared its ugly head. Rey answered as casually as she could. She didn't really want a pity party.
'Actually, I never knew my parents. I'm an orphan.'
Rey jumped as Ben's knife and fork clashed noisily against his plate.
'Careful, dear,' Leia admonished.
Ben mumbled an apology and sipped his wine.
'That must have been difficult for you, dear,' Leia said sympathetically.
Rey shrugged. 'Well, I was very little when they left me at the orphanage. It's the only life I've known.'
'Weren't you adopted?' Leia said with a look of horror.
'No. I moved from the orphanage to a bunch of care homes, and then finally when they deemed me an "adult" I was allowed to make my own bad choices.' Rey laughed awkwardly.
'Oh! My dear,' Leia said with a look of concern.
Rey shrugged off Leia's pity. 'I'm fine. I'm here, I'm healthy, I'm doing alright on my own.'
'Well, you're not alone now. You have us and you have Ben,' Leia said with a smile.
Ouch. That hurt.
'Yes, now I have you all,' Rey said with what she hoped looked like a sincere smile.
Ben cleared his throat. Surely he wasn't feeling guilty about this charade. It was his idea after all.
Rey felt quite depressed after the conversation about her upbringing, but she cheered up immensely when dessert came. The server presented her with a plate containing a chocolate mousse, a raspberry cheesecake, and a chocolate brownie with white chocolate chips. The only thing better than dessert to Rey... was more than one dessert. She polished hers off in minutes and grinned at Ben when he nudged his untouched plate over to her.
Rey felt the shift dress tighten a little around her middle once she was finished. She patted her stomach.
'Leia, that was delicious. Thank you so much.'
Leia laughed, 'Oh, don't thank me honey, I haven't cooked a day in my life. I have staff for that.'
Rey blushed. 'Oh, I didn't realise.'
She felt like an idiot. Of course someone as rich and important as Leia had help. She probably had a whole team of chefs.
Ben reached over and gently rubbed her knee. Rey was surprised by the contact, but she didn't pull away. Was he trying to comfort her? Curious...
'Ben, you've barely said a word all evening,' Leia declared.
Ben sipped his drink and shrugged at Leia. He still had his hand on Rey's knee.
Han snorted. Leia pursed her lips.
'Well, thank goodness I finally have someone in this family to talk to,' Leia said, smiling at Rey. Rey smiled back. She couldn't help it — it felt nice to be wanted and to be a part of a family, even if it was just temporary.
'Yeah, that's one thing Rey excels at. Can't shut her up at work,' Ben said. Rey pulled her knee away from him and kicked his ankle. Ben groaned and narrowed his eyes at her. Rey gave him a defiant look.
'It's getting late. We'd better go, honey,' Ben said glaring at Rey.
'Okay, Benny Wenny!' Rey said in her best sing-song voice. Ben rubbed his forehead.
'Headache darling?' Rey asked sweetly.
'I do seem to have an ache I can't shift,' Ben said pointedly. Rey rolled her eyes.
'Oh, do you have to go so soon?' Leia pouted.
'Yes, Mother. Some of us have work in the morning.'
Now it was Leia's turn to roll her eyes. Eye-rolling seemed to be the theme of the evening. Rey thought it was amazing one of them hadn't gone blind.
'Well, goodnight then and drive safely! Oh, I almost forgot — will you join me on Thursday evening for a little soirée I'm holding? Nothing special, just a few hundred place settings for a charity I'm patron of.'
'Sure,' Ben said, looking bored.
'Wonderful,' Leia said, very pleased. 'Well, thank you for coming and I look forward to seeing you both on Thursday.'
They walked back to the entrance and Rey hugged Leia then Han. Ben nodded in their general direction as he headed for the door. He retrieved Rey's coat and helped her into it, then held the door for her as they left.
Rey looked around for the company car.
'I told him to go. My driver can take you home,' Ben said, nodding towards the car waiting at the foot of the stairs.
'Oh... okay,' Rey said.
Ben held the door for her as she got in, then surprised her by slipping in next to her.
'You're coming too?' she asked.
'Well, this is my car and my driver, Rey. Don't look so worried. We're just going to drop you off then my driver will take me home, okay?'
'Okay,' Rey said.
They drove in silence. Rey had a million questions swimming around her head, but she was also extremely tired so she decided to save them for another time.
The car's engine rapidly lulled her to sleep. When they pulled up at her apartment building, Rey was embarrassed to find that she had snuggled herself into Ben's side.
'Sorry,' she mumbled as she reached for the door handle.
'Wait,' Ben said, putting his hand on top of hers.
Rey turned to him to protest, but Ben had a look on his face that made her stop in her tracks. The hair stood up on the back of her neck.
'What's wrong?' Rey asked.
Ben signalled to the driver, who nodded in response and got out of the car.
'Rey, stay here,' Ben instructed.
'What's happening?' Rey asked.
'Maybe nothing... I just have a feeling... We're going to check it out first to make sure it's safe.'
'Safe! Why wouldn't it be safe? Ben, please tell me what's going on?'
'I don't know anything for certain, just stay here.'
Ben got out of the car and Rey watched as he and his driver entered her apartment building.
She waited 5,10,15, 20 minutes before deciding she couldn't wait any longer. She got out of the car and entered the building. She took the lift to her floor and stepped out quietly. She could hear muffled voices coming from her apartment. She moved closer and peeked around the doorframe. The sight that met her eyes almost brought her to her knees.
Her entire apartment was trashed. All of her belongings were strewn across the floor and some of them had been destroyed completely. Rey put a hand over her mouth and felt hot tears spring to her eyes. Ben and the driver stood in the centre of the room, surveying the damage. When Ben turned and saw Rey in the doorway, he came towards her in two long strides and enveloped her in his arms. Despite everything that had happened between them, Rey was grateful for the comfort. She wrapped her arms tightly around Ben's waist.
'Oh Ben, what's happened?' Rey sobbed.
'Someone broke in, as we pulled up I saw the outline in the window. That's why I wouldn't let you leave the car.'
'Who could have done this?'
'Criminals don't care who they target Rey. Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of this.'
'Should we call the police?'
'No need. I'll make sure whoever did this is found.'
Ben kissed the top of Rey's head and stroked her hair. The gesture made her feel better. Rey never had anyone look after her before. It felt kind of nice.
'Maybe I can stay with a friend for the time being...' Rey began.
'You will stay with me. I have plenty of room,' Ben insisted, 'I'll get us a cab, Tommy is going to stay here and wait for the private investigators and the locksmith.'
'Can I get some of my things together?'
'Sorry, Rey. My men will need to inspect the crime scene. It needs to remain untouched until then.'
Rey nodded. That made sense.
'Don't worry, I will take care of everything,' Ben said firmly. Rey tried not to be flattered by his knight in shining armour act. She failed miserably.
'Thank you Ben,' Rey said softly. 'I honestly don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been here.'
'Yeah, well, unfortunately for me, things like this are a common occurrence in my world.'
Mmm... what did that mean? she wondered.
Ben pulled away from Rey and took her hand in his.
'Come on,' he said gently pulling her to the exit. 'The cab will be here any minute now.'
**********