One month had passed since Crait captured Rey, and two months after, she moved to Luke's room. Sharing a flat with two men was manageable for Rey. She grew up with a brother and was a bit related to how boys act. Thankfully those two kept the basic hygiene rules, and they were pretty clean. Poe used to be like that too. Yet every day would be a new challenge to exist in the same room with Ben.
Both of them still disliked each other!
On the other hand, for the Ren Brothers, it was a new way of living. Even for Hux, who was more understandable. After their parents died, the brothers lived together. There was never a female around, especially Rey, who would draw all the attention without trying too much. The only positive part was that she was working long hours and the brothers had found some balance.
The rest of the days were always filled with loud arguing, fighting, and threatening. Gosh, they were loud! Whenever Rey and Ben were in the same room, that room would never find peace. Things had gone even worse after the Crait incident. Hux was afraid soon they would start getting physical into fights. He was sure the only reason Ben had not struck her yet, was because she was a girl.
Their daily lives were never the same, and not boring any longer. Each day, something new happened inside the Solo house and it was all somehow related to Rey. The daily routine was slowly changing and they had not fully comprehended. Though, along with that Rey was also evolving.
Day by day, part of her old forgotten self would slowly blend with the present one. The self she hated and called dark. In spite of that, there was nothing really wrong with herself back then. It was the choices she took and the path she followed that was crooked. And since then, she was only a confused teen. Rey was indeed not the same person. She was through a lot and managed to overcome her corrupted life. She came clean. Indeed she made mistakes and wronged people. She still had a lot to learn and to grow. But what she could not see was that she was already a great person.
Though she never pictured herself like that. She could act self-centered and calm. But deep down in her core, she had no faith in herself. She thought that she was a dark person and maybe an evil one. She was filled with imperfections that she learned to hide over the years. And manage to show a perfect Rey.
Yet living with the Ren changed that slowly...
She was working still on the Mall Project. The Desk was filled with Architectural drawings and Designs. Her laptop was running a simulation of the Mall as she was trying to correct a few details. Suddenly something soft hit the back of her head and her black lace bra landed on the keyboard. Her eyes blinked and she looked again to verify it was really her bra. She grabbed it and looked into the direction it came from.
A too annoyed Ben stood there glaring at her. He was wearing a white T-shirt and ripped jeans. "Idiot! Why is your bra mixed with my washed clothes?" he asked her in a loud tone. "Each and every time, there is one of your personal underwear mixed with my clothes."
Rey dropped her bra against the Desk and stood up. It didn't take her long to fire up. "I am not doing it on purpose! Pervert! Do you really think I would go and hide my personal things with your laundry?" she shouted at him. Today her hair was tied up in the usual three buns and she was wearing a brown woolen button-up shirt and jeans.
He shortened the distance between them and poked her against the shoulder once. "Keep you dirty things out of my side! Next time I will throw them away!" he warned her.
Hux simply turned on the TV volume and ignored them. There was no point trying to knock some sense at them. They would manage to drag him inside the fight too. Ben was always fighting with someone, even before Rey moved in. He had his reasons back then as both Hux and Luke were messing with him whenever possible.
"Are you trying to scare me now!" Rey backfired and pushed him with both of her hands. "Try me! And see what happens!"
Ben raised an eyebrow and lightly smiled mischievously. "You are right! Long enough have I only verbally warned you. Words don't work on Idiots!" he added and by-passed and grabbed her bra. He dashed off over the window and opened it. Ben paused his actions gazing at her to make sure she was watching him. And he simply threw the bra out of the window and offered her a cocky smirk.
"You Pervert!" Rey screamed and ran towards him punching him lightly against his shoulder.
Both watched in slow motion the bra float against the air and drop. Until it found it's a target and landed on a male head. The man gasped the bra and looked at it bewildered. He lifted his head and had eye contact with the pair. And after realizing who they were he seemed upset. Then he jogged towards the building aiming to reach their apartment.
Rey and Ben froze, while they witnessed with wide-open eyes who the man was. They took a step back and Ben locked the window astonished. Rey was rubbing her eyes in disbelief. Both turned at the knocking sound against the door. Before being able to react, a very lazy Hux opened the door.
"Eh? What brings you here?" Hux puzzled as the man forced his way inside the house without answering.
Ben glared at him and strolled over "Hey! Why..."
Rey remained frozen next to the window still not believing what was happening "Finn!?" she mumbled in a low tone. But everyone heard her.
Finn threw the bra against the coffee table and stared at Rey and Ben for a second. Honestly, the last he was expecting was for them to surprise him like that. He thought he would be the one surprising them.
How did Finn find out that Rey was staying with the Ren Brothers? Simply the day after saving Rey from Crait, Hux and the Y-TIES went to Falcon Diner. There it was said that the girl that Crait caught was living with the Ren. Finn placed the events together and slowly understood what happened.
Yet he would never guess their rebel would end up actually sharing an apartment with the Ren Brothers. Of course, he didn't reveal the truth to anyone. For a month now he wanted to visit Rey. Finally today he decided to pay her a visit.
"I'm here visiting a friend!" Finn clarified and pointed at Rey "And Poe wanted me to give you this..." Finn handed over to Hux a USB disk and took a seat.
"You know each other?" Ben questioned and tilted his head. How did his high society idiotic roommate know someone from Ajan Kloss? "Friends? How?"
"We have a mature Friend!" both Finn and Rey said. They gazed at each other but didn't say anything further. They had a lot to discuss. She never thought that there would come a time that Finn would find her living with the Solo.
The moment was interrupted as Hux asked: "What's inside this USB?"
"We have looked into it, but cannot understand what it is! Babu Frik managed to hack it, but the files make no sense." Finn added.
"Where did you find it?" asked Ben, dropping the matter how Finn and Rey knew each other.
"Y-TIES did, inside the Crait building!" he informed them. "Crait surely worked with someone. But we didn't manage to find any other clue."
"We'll look into it and brief you in!" Ben said and tapped his shoulder, trying to make Finn take his leave. It was making him uncomfortable to have Finn around.
Finn stood up glancing at Ben "You always welcome your guests so warmly? Anyway, I will take my leave!" There was a small silence as Finn and Ben exchanged angry looks. Finn never forgot the fight between them a few years ago. And now he had one more reason to be bothered by them.
"To the ones who are welcome! Yes, we are!" he uttered, gifting him back with the same annoyed look. Ben shared the same feelings. But it had more to do that the damn Ajan Kloss member knew the Idiotic roommate.
"Rey, can we talk outside?" Finn asked and waited for her at the front door.
She could feel Ben's eyes pinned against her. But she did not look back and just followed Finn. At the moment she was not worried about Ren Brothers. She was trembling in the idea of Finn exposing her to Poe. She stepped outside with him "What do you want Finn? And why did you show up here?"
Finn turned and faced her grabbing her shoulder and looking at her serious "I was worried, Rey! What are you doing?" he buzzed "Being threatened by Crait? Captured? Living with the Ren? And what else is there we don't know! You insisted on keeping away from Ajan Kloss... away from incidents like those. And here you are getting in a bigger mess! What would Poe say?"
Rey lowered her head, she couldn't give a valid reason why she was avoiding to return home. What would she say? That she lied to them and even worked for the enemy. "I will!" she suddenly said "Finn I need time. I cannot face Poe! At least not yet!" she admitted honestly.
"Rey, you can perfectly live in a house with those two! Yet you cannot face your own brother?" he couldn't understand her. But Finn was the kind of person that would not push her. He would wait for her to talk to Poe on her own time. He was always like that. He supported his friends.
"There is more you don't know about me, Finn. I'll come clean. But I don't have the strength to do it now. Trust me on this!" she requested. And this time she was sounding like the girl he used to know.
"Alright! If you need time you will have it! Though try to visit us from time to time even if you don't talk to Poe! That's an order!" he told her, smiling "And try keeping your bras inside your room." he added. He didn't want to go into any details. He didn't like the idea that Rey was living with the Ren. But he knew that she was safe there.
Honestly, who would ever dare to cross paths with them? But Rey was like his younger sister. And no brother would like to find out that their dearest person was living with two men. Especially Ben. If Finn reacted like that, imagine Poe's reaction. Scary?
Rey unlocked the door and stepped inside, only to bump into Ben. He grabbed her from the arm and turned her pushing her against the office chair. "Explain? How do you know Finn?" he sought out and crossed his arms, standing over her.
She glanced at him, an eyebrow raised in silent question. "I already answered that. We have a mature friend!" she repeated and turned her chair around trying to get back on her work.
Though Ben was not satisfied with her answer, he grasped the chair's backrest and shifted it around. "Now tell me how you know Finn?" he questioned and leaned over her waiting for an answer.
"Benny! You are too, pushy!" Hux said and tried to pull him back from Rey. However, Ben freed from his grip and remained to block Rey's way.
Silence took over and there was again a moment created between Rey and Ben. She held her gaze as long as she could, and he noted how authentic it looked. It felt she could tell him the truth. She could confess she hailed from Ajan Klossand that she was Poe's sister. Then Ben looked away and their eye contact was lost. She chickened and played it cool.
"I already told you! Deal with it!" she uttered and tried to pull away from him.
"Who is the mature friend, tell me?" Ben insisted and didn't allow her to move away "What secrets do you and the Ajan Kloss members have?"
"Rose, you pervert! We are on bad terms and Finn wanted me to reach out and visit her!" she lied and launched against him as she stood up and ran inside her room.
Ben rubbed the back of his head feeling like a jerk and followed her knocking on her door "Idiot!" he called her a few more times. But Rey did not answer.
Until now the Ren never asked her any questions. She never needed to lie to them. Today though, as she was saying one lie after the other. She was hiding her past and how she knew Finn. It scared her. Maybe Finn was right. It was time for her to deal with her past and her demons.
Midnight - At The Bar Across
The bar was hundreds of conversations told in loud voices, all of them competing with the rock music that dominated the atmosphere. The crowd of a few people was spread dancing or drinking surrounding the small place. Rey leaned on the bar, her brown hair lying over one shoulder of her sequinned dress and asked the bartender where the bathroom was.
She only had two drinks but they were enough to make her face look all warm and red. She needed to wash her face. She wasn't drunk yet but she liked to give the impression that she was. She needed one more drink to start getting drunk, but not tonight. She had to remain sober.
Her face was washed, and her makeup revived. Finally, she felt and looked refreshed. She stepped outside the bathroom in the dark corridor, that connected the Bar and the Bathrooms in the back. Suddenly, she bumped into Ben, who was also stepping out of the male bathroom.
Tonight he seemed a bit different. He was wearing a black suit and a white shirt. An attire the Ren brothers would choose whenever they visit the graveyard. His mouth was sore from the amount of alcohol that he poured down his throat. He had reached a state of drunkenness where he was toppling around though he still had contact with reality and his actions.
She tilted her head to one side and twiddled her hair in a seemingly absent-minded way. Her hands grabbed against his arms, making sure he could support himself. Her eyes rested against his, and no one spoke. Only the loud music and voices were filling the dark hall.
His solemn gaze dropped on her. Tonight she was unlike her usual self, he noted. She was not bothering him at all, and damn, she looked hot in that black dress. He tried to correct his thoughts. Since when would the Idiotic Roommate caught his attention. He slowly closed the distance between them.
Rey took a step back and one more until her back leaned against the wall. He rested his hand against the wall and trapped her between him and the wall. His breath was the underlying cause of the smell of alcohol and it was noticeable as he leaned over.
They oddly stared at each other, as if it were a silent argument. Their glances battled each other until he grabbed her arm. Her heart skipped a beat. His eyes never lost contact with hers. Once again, that strange moment was created that was slowly drawing them both in. He thrust his lips against her and kissed her. His body was pinning her against the wall as he went on kissing her.
Her body loosened, and she slowly gave in. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her lips against his. It was not a half fake kiss. It was a full-on, open-mouthed, almost sexual kiss—one of those kisses that can steal your breath away.
The kiss lasted for ages, and when they broke away, ...
16 hours earlier...
Slowly and reluctantly, she uncovered her face under the blanket. She blinked, closed her eyes, and blinked again. Streaks of sunlight penetrated the window and blinded her. It was time to wake up. But her body wished to sleep a bit longer. 'Work,' her inner voice reminded her. She sat up, dragged her feet off the bed, and rubbed her knuckles into her eyes. She stretched her arms above her head and yawned.
She managed to find her way into the bathroom for her morning needs. She brushed her teeth, washed up, and walked outside, stretching once more. Her steps reached a hold as she found a very awake Hux trying to open her laptop. Her first reaction was to say, "Good Morning!" Her last to run over and pull him away from her computer. "You know how expensive this is. And all my work is saved in there."
"Morning!" Hux responded less flirty than usual and showed her the USB that Finn had given her. "I need just to take a fast look and see what's inside?"
Rey checked at the time she had a few minutes to share "Okay!" she agreed and sat on the chair turning on her laptop. She took the USB and plugged it in, waiting for the content to show. "Here you can now use it! Just be careful!"
"If a specific Idiot had not thrown our old Laptop away, we wouldn't need yours!" Ben suddenly uttered as he walked through the living room to reach the bathroom.
She lifted her head and gazed at him. "It was long broken!" Rey shouted.
But Hux shook his head, gesturing her to drop the matter. "Not today!" he murmured while he was trying to open the files.
"Why?" she asked curiously as it was the first time Hux interfered to stop their regular arguments.
Hux sighed and paused, looking at her. "It's Luke's Birthday today! For Today's sake, let him be!" When it was his birthday, and the anniversary of Luke's and their parents' death, it was difficult for the Ren Brothers. They were in a bad mood, and usually, the day ended with a lot of drinking.
Rey closed her eyes as she understood what Hux meant, and she nodded. "I'm sorry!" was the only thing she could say to him. Honestly, she was not acceptable to comfort people. Before stepping away to get ready for work she noticed the files on the laptop. "Wait! I know why they cannot open the files!"
Hux glanced at her and waited for her to explain what she meant.
"Look, those are .3dm files for 3D Models and 3DS. And the rest of the files, I recognize those. You see, the .3dm is for the Rhino 3D Model using that application when we try to simulate the design in 3D. The rest of the files are for Autocad and a few more applications we use to finalize our work." Rey analyzed as she tried to open Rhino 3D.
Hux looked puzzled as he rubbed his head. "I don't understand! But you are saying you can open the files?"
"I am trying to do that now. But they should be Resistance secured!" she noted and started to look into the file properties.
"Eh? Finn said that Babu Frik broke the pasRestistances?"
Rey paused suddenly and started clicking on the files faster, ignoring Hux. Her facial expression changed as she was clicking folder after folder. "It cannot be?" she mumbled, and a few seconds later, she stopped and looked at Hux. "Finn hacked into the USB and not the files. The files indeed are locked. Hux those files I have seen before!"
Hux leaned closer, confused, "What do you mean? How would that be possible?"
"My previous work... My company was assigned to the Casino Project..." Rey tried to explain, and it was not easy.
"You worked for the First Order?" Ben suddenly asked, and silence overtook the room as he stepped out of the bathroom.
That was the part that Rey hated when she talked about her past. It always is connected to the people close to her. "In a way, yes!" she answered. "I worked for the Galactic Empire. One of the largest Architecture Companies. Yet you are correct! The First Order owned 1/3 of the company. Used to own at least!"
Ben glared at her, "You worked with the Enemy then?"
Rey avoided his question. If today was Luke's birthday, the last thing she wanted was to start another fight that could end badly. "Those are the Casino files. A few of them are surely from our team. But there are new designs here."
"Are they still working on the Casino Project?" Hux's eyes opened widely and gazed at Rey. "Do you have the old pasRestistances?"
"I cannot answer that. But the dates half of the files were created are very new. So someone is working on the project." she assured Hux. "I don't remember the old pasRestistances. But I saved them. I have to go to work. But when I get back, I'll look into it!" she promised.
Hux and Ben accepted her answer. It was the first time actually that Ben didn't fight with her as usual. Surprisingly they didn't judge her for working along with the Casino project. For the time being, Rey got ready and went to work. As for Hux and Ben, the day was starting, and it would be filled with a lot of sorrow.
Rey reached work, and her day already seemed a mess. She thought it could not get any worse as her eyes rested against a familiar face. She froze before even reaching the front desk. The male recognized her and started walking towards her.
"I Never changed my number. You people have to learn and call before showing up!" she mumbled to herself. "What do you want, Pryde? Didn't we agree never to meet again?"
"It will only take a minute!" he said and turned out to find a better place to talk.
This morning she was talking about the First Order and an hour later she was sitting across her workplace again inside a cafe talking with the current leader of the First Order. Why was her future getting more and more confusing? "Alright! What happened? Why are you here?"
Pryde looked around, making sure no one could listen to them. "It's about Resistance. Listen, this year, the First Order lost a lot. We are still in the game, but we aren't involved any longer with larger corporations." Pryde was trying to explain to her.
Rey interrupted him, "I don't care, Pryde! Did you show up to tell me about the First Order? Should I even pity you then?" She stood up and was ready to leave. "You know I don't want to have any connections with the First Order! You people are sick! I have seen all your work and heard about it! So spare me!"
"That's not the reason!" he pulled her back to sit down with him. "What I mean is... That even without the First Order around, there are organizations interested in Resistance. I heard about Crait. That's why I am here. Tell your Brother the War never ended! They still want Resistance!"
"The Casino Project?" she suddenly connected the dots. "They still want to build it? Who...?" Her mind slowly unfolded and recalled.
The Casino Project was an effective plan that more organizations wanted to be done. The First Order was only a small part of it as they were trying to hide their older doings. They just recommended Resistance so secure that everything would be buried. With The First Order out of the picture and the rotten politicians, the plan to build the casino was put on hold. But it was never canceled.
Rey gazed at him with an open mouth. "Outsiders?"
Pryde rose from his seat. "You forget the Mafia owns the Galactic Empire. The Casino Project holds high prices in the market. Speak to your Brother!"
The new leader of the First Order took his leave. Rey's reality had changed again. It was not only the new threat that worried her. It was that now more than ever, she would have to meet with Poe finally. Things were slowly looking worse. And Today she would need a drink too.
The time of the 'accident.'
The kiss lasted for ages, and when they broke away, they didn't talk. Rey touched her lips, and Ben stepped back. He almost lost his balance and she grasped his arm and helped him to balance. That night Hux, Ben, and Rey decided to go out drinking. It was a hard day for all three of them. Rey notified them that she had figured out a few things about the USB and who could be behind it. Yet, she first needed to face Poe and then reveal her truth.
That night they drank a lot; only Rey drank two beers. But it was enough to relax her more. The pair returned to the Bar counter where Hux was still drinking. He suggested that Rey should take Ben back. Since the bar was only a few yards away from their apartment, they could walk around.
Rey helped Ben to return home. Both were speechless of their early actions, and no one dared to talk about it. She unlocked the door, and soon Ben sat on the couch. Rey left him there and walked inside her room. Ben took off the jacket of his suit and closed his eyes. His mind was poking, and an inner voice kept pushing him. Until moments later, it won.
"Fuck it!"
Rey had just changed into her pj's and was ready to go to bed. She paused and looked at the door. Her mind was playing confusing games. She convinced herself nothing happened. It was just a drunk act, nothing much, just a kiss. After her thought ended, the door was opened.
Ben pushed inside her room without any warning and closed the door behind him. His eyes pinned against hers, and he picked her up and leaned her against the bed. His lips collided with hers as he climbed against the ground. Her body melted under his as the kiss was on fire. Ben started kissing Rey again, only this time the kiss lasted longer. And after the kiss was broken, another one was formed.
Rey was not sure how long they were kissing, but her lips were red and sore. As for Ben, he had fallen into the moment and was lost inside it. Neither of them had ever encountered such strong emotions. They were so strong that in the end, they were left confused and in pain.
After a lot of kissing, Ben wrapped his arms around Rey and gave in. They both drifted asleep deeply. They shared a bed all night long. Sometimes they were hugging each other. Sometimes they would change positions. That night they had a long and deep sleep.
The rest of the issues, they would figure out tomorrow...