Ben's gaze was fixed firmly on his mother and Rey suspected he was hoping she would spontaneously combust before his eyes.
Unaware of her son's murderous thoughts, Leia came towards them with a brilliant smile. Rey placed a hand on Ben's arm and squeezed. Equal parts hoping to reassure him and prevent him from strangling anyone.
'Well now aren't you surprised? You should see your faces! Oh what fun this is!' Leia said gleefully, clapping her hands.
'I thought I told you to keep our engagement to yourself, mother?'' Ben hissed.
'Oh keep your hair on. It's just a few close friends.'
A few close friends?
The room looked like opening night at a Broadway show.
'This is way out of line.' Ben warned her.
'Oh, What's the harm? Stop being so angry and go have some fun. Just look at the pile of gifts! Everyone has been so generous.'
Gifts? There were gifts?
Rey looked at the table Leia was gesturing too. It was overflowing with colourful packages and envelopes.
'Wow.' Rey said. Ben frowned at her.
Rey shrugged, 'I'm sorry, but it is an impressive haul and we're not even married yet!'
'It wouldn't be right...'Ben hissed at her.
'Sorry, yeah you're right, but we can't refuse them either surely, wouldn't that be...ruder?' Rey moved closer to the table.
'Rey...' Ben warned.
Rey took another step towards the table.
'Oh leave her alone.'' Leia scolded, 'Go ahead my dear.'
Rey picked up one of the boxes and shook it.
'Sounds expensive.' She said with a gleeful grin.
Ben's nostrils flared. Rey rolled her eyes at him. Could she not enjoy anything without him spoiling it? She put the present down and sulked back to Ben's side.
'Let's leave the Grinch here, you come with me, my dear!' Leia said and took Rey's arm.
Leia introduced her to about fifty people and she couldn't remember any of their names but she smiled and laughed at their silly jokes and gave vague answers to their questions about her relationship with Ben.
When at last Leia released her, Rey found Ben moping at the bar nursing a dry martini.
'Come on Ben.' Rey coaxed. 'The secret is well and truly out now, we might as well enjoy the party.'
'This is just like me mother, to go against my wishes and try to control my life.' Ben growled.
'She's just trying to be nice, in her own way.'
'You don't know her like I do Rey. I'm just a pawn to her. You think this party is about us? It's not. It's 100% about her.'
'Well so what if it is? No reason why you and I can't have fun.' Rey nudged his arm playfully.
Ben finally looked at her, and for a moment they just stared into each other's eyes. Rey silently pleaded for him to understand.
Can't you see I need this? Come on, let Cinderella have her night at the ball.
Ben finally nodded and took her hand. The moment they turned to join the party Leia appeared before them with a bunch of trust fund socialites in her wake.
'Now darling let's hear the story of how you proposed!' Leia declared.
They all looked at Ben expectantly, Rey included.
'Ahh, somethings are meant to be private.' Ben's said, looking at Rey for help.
Oh no you don't! I want to hear this!
'It's okay sweetheart, I think we could share the story just this once.' She said sweetly, reaching up and placing a gentle kiss on Ben's cheek.
Ben glared at her, but she didn't care. She was having way too much fun.
Ben cleared his throat and Rey prepared herself for what she was expecting to be an absolute train wreck of a story, made up entirely on the spot.
'Well as you know Rey and I work together and we often eat lunch together in my office. Anyone who knows Rey knows the way to her heart is food. Well that particular day, I had the forward thinking to add a cupcake to our regular daily order and I placed the ring into the pink icing on top of the cake. This was somewhat risky as, if you've seen Rey eat, you'll know there was always the risk she would swallow the ring whole before I even had a chance to get the words out!'
Leia and her guests laughed in unison.
Rey folded her arms over her chest but her mouth quirked up into a smile.
'And what did you say to her?' Asked one of his captivated audience.
Ben turned to look directly at Rey.
'I took the cupcake in my hand, got down on one knee and said Rey, the belonging you seek is in front of you. Let me be your family from this day forward. Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife and together we can face whatever this world has in store for us, together.'
Ben's audience sighed in unison. He had won them over. Rey tried really hard not to love Ben ever more than she already did. It was the perfect proposal in her eyes and she would have said yes without a moments hesitation.
Leia came towards Ben and put a hand on his cheek.
'That's my boy.' She said proudly. Ben smiled down at her.
'Okay future daughter in-law, your turn. What did you say?' Leia enquired.
Rey hoped no one could see the tears in her eyes as she answered Leia's question.
'I said yes of course! Although I did complain that he had ruined a perfectly good cupcake.'
The crowd laughed and Rey relaxed somewhat. Leia and her followers left to swoon over the magnificent five tier chocolate cake Leia had ordered, and Rey turned to Ben.
'That was some story.'
'Just came to me.'
'Just like that, huh?'
'I'm a talented improviser.'
'Mmmm.'
She didn't believe him, but decided not to push the issue.
The band started playing the 'way you look tonight' and Rey's sentimental heart melted.
She looked at Ben then held out her hand.
'Dance with me.' She ordered.
'I don't dance.'
'Everyone can dance.'
'I didn't say I couldn't dance, I said I don't.'
'Spoilsport.' Rey said with a pout.
She began to sway to the music and she felt a thrill of pleasure run through her as Ben's eyes followed her every move. She twirled slowly, but when her eyes met Ben's once more, she found he was looking past her. Rey stopped moving and mouthed,
'What is it?'
Ben didn't respond. He stood up and walked straight past her. Rey watched him walk across the room and stop right in front of...Tallie! Tallie was there, all flowing blonde hair and tight leather pants. She looked mad. Rey couldn't see what was being said but she saw Tallie's arms flying through the air as she shouted at Ben. Rey waited for Ben to grab her by the arm and throw her ass out, or better yet have security escort her to the nearest police station. She watched in horror as Ben leaned forward and said something into Tallie's ear. She nodded and they left the room. Ben even had the nerve to place his hand on Tallie's back as they left.
Rey seethed. How could he be nice to that psychopath? How could he touch her like that?
Rey's logical side tried to reason with her,
He's trying to mollify her, no one wants a scene. He's trying to protect you. You need to calm down.
Rey refused to listen. She gulped down her drink and grabbed another one.
Twenty minutes went by before she saw Ben again. Enough time for Rey to chug down another four glasses of champagne and imagine several ways she could murder Tallie and make it look like a very unfortunate accident.
'How many of those have you had?' Ben said gesturing to the glass in her hand as he reappeared beside her.
'That is none of your business.' Rey retorted.
'I think our little 'arrangement' makes it my business.' Ben replied.
Ass!
Rey resisted the urge to slap him.
'Oh yes? Well do you care to share what you and Miss big boobs have just been discussing? You both looked very cosy together.'
'It's nothing that concerns you.'
Now that hurt. Rey's blood boiled.
'Right. Okay then. Got ya. Then I think my drinking shouldn't concern you.'
Rey finished her glass of champagne before picking up another from a passing waiters tray. She walked away from Ben. She was acting like a child, and she knew it, but seeing Ben and Tallie, whispering like that, well it had made her crazy, because he had made her look a fool. For all intensive purposes, they were betrothed and he had made it look like he was going to have his cake and eat it too. Well this cake wasn't going to stand by while he sampled every pretty little cupcake that stuck it's cherries in his face, okay enough with the cake analogy, but the point was that she wouldn't be made to feel like an idiot! Rey made a beeline for the bar.
'What'll it be lovely lady? Hey! Rey hi!'
'Poe! What are you doing here?' Rey said warmly, very happy to see her new friend from the Rebel salon at that moment in time.
'Sometimes I do some private bartending on the side.' Poe said with a shrug. 'So what will it be?'
'That man's head on a platter please.' Rey slurred and pointed a finger at Ben who was watching her intently from across the room.
Poe laughed, 'I take it that's the fiance?'
'Yup.'
'I also take it he has done something very foolish?'
'Yup again.'
'Okay. You wanna get even with him?' Poe said with a cheeky grin.
Two voices struggled in Rey's head. One pleaded with her to stop what she was doing and go talk to Ben. The other voice told her she should listen to Poe and have some fun. Rey chose to listen to voice number two.
'What do you have in mind?' Rey asked.
**********
Poe asked the band to strike up a Tango, and gestured for Rey to join him on the dance floor.
This is a mistake. This is a mistake. This is a mistake.
Rey walked over to Poe and allowed him to manoeuvre her around the space like a puppet.
Poe was an excellent dancer and guided Rey expertly.
Soon they were twirling and shimmying and gyrating in perfect unison and Rey really started to enjoy herself.
The crowd started to notice and Poe played up to the attention.
For the big finish, Poe lowered Rey over one of his arms and dipped her.
The crowd went wild and Rey laughed out loud. They took a bow and it was only then that her eyes settled on Ben. He wasn't clapping and he wasn't smiling. What had she done?
Shit.
He looked at her with wild eyes. Rey felt sick in the pit of her stomach.
Uh oh.
Now she was in for it.
**********
Rey held her chin in the air as she walked towards Ben.
'What the fuck was that?' He hissed in her ear.
'We were just dancing!' Rey protested.
'Just dancing?'
'Yes.'
Ben grabbed her arm and led her out of the room and down the hallway to the hotel entrance.
'Let me go!' Rey shouted, but Ben didn't let go until they were outside of the building.
'Is this a game to you?' Ben said, his eyes bore into her.
'No. I don't know what this is.' Rey answered truthfully.
'We have a deal.' Ben hissed.
'The deal is still on.' Rey insisted.
'Do you realise how that made me look? You're my fiancée!' He said angrily, 'Every man in there is lusting after you now.'
'I'm your fake fiancée and you didn't seem to care about appearances earlier, when you were meeting in private with that bitch who threatened to kill me! Do you have any idea how that made me feel Ben? Do you know how it felt seeing the two of you together?'
They stared at each other, panting hard. Rey tried not to look at his lips. She tried really hard. Okay, a tiny glimpse didn't count.
'I was just talking to Tallie she wasn't gyrating all over me.'
'He's gay!' Rey blurted out.
'What?'
'Poe. He's gay. He has a partner called Finn, they both work at the salon I visited earlier this week.'
'Oh.'
Rey's head started to clear in the crisp night air and she started to feel rather foolish. It had been a silly move. What did she expect to happen? That Ben would go mad with jealousy and announce that he was in love with her all along? This wasn't a fairy tale. She wasn't going to get her happy ever after.
'I'm sorry okay? I was mad at you but I shouldn't have used Poe to try and make you jealous. It was wrong.'
'You wanted to make me jealous?'
'Yes.'
'Why?'
'I don't know why.'
'Yes you do. Say it.' Ben urged.
'Say what?'
'Stop it. Tell me why you acted that way?'
'It's called champagne Ben.' Rey deflected.
'Rey, just tell me why.' Ben said gently.
It wasn't fair to fix her with the full intensity of those dark, lie detecting, eyes. God, he was a beautiful specimen.
Just tell him...
'You really want me to say it huh? Fine, I'll say it! I wanted to try and make you feel just a fraction of the jealousy I felt watching you walk out that door with Tallie, because watching you talk to her was hard enough but seeing you touch her, was fucking torturous!'
Rey had been expected Ben to explode with anger, or make a clever, belittling retort, the last thing she had been expecting was for Ben to kiss her, so it took her completely by surprise, when he did.
**********