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A soft floating laughter fills Ben's ears and he fights the natural smile forming on his lips in response. Her melodic giggles have always had a direct effect on him but with the eyes of their friends all around them, he couldn't risk being caught with a smile on his face. Rey reaches across the table for the bottle of vodka the group is sharing and sloppily pours herself a shot. Rose quickly follows suit and soon the remainder of the group gets swept up as well. Poe, Finn, and Ben all raise their glasses with Rey and Rose and toast to 'Just another Friday night!"
The group is a strange one. A melting pot of extreme personalities all somehow coexisting in a normally healthy environment. The dynamics can be a bit strange at times what with Rose being Finn's girlfriend and Poe being Finn's boyfriend but Rose and Poe aren't boyfriend and girlfriend? I mean with lines so blurred who bothers caring. Ben is happy to be an outsider in this situation and it definitely has nothing to do with Rey being the only other outsider with him in their rag tag group of weirdos. At least thats what he tells the group when they tease him about it. And they do that. A lot.
It had been a running joke for years within the group and it still hasn't failed to set him off every time. The night Ben met Rey for the first time it was at a bar. He had left the trio of Rose, Finn, and Poe at their table and went up to the bar to get a drink. Out of nowhere this tiny beautiful British women was standing next to him and talking to him and maybe even...flirting with him? Ben couldn't believe this could actually be happening and then suddenly she started bursting out in laughter and Ben heard a resounding chorus from the table he had just left. Realization sunk in hard. Embarrassment much harder.
To her credit, Rey was sheepish for the rest of the night, mostly just asking questions of him and listening intently to his answers. She seamlessly joined the group and since that moment Ben has spent every moment possible by her side. Just wanting to hear her talk and laugh, see her bright beaming smile.
Ben brings himself back to the group again. Shaking off his intrusive thoughts. He has a habit of letting her take the wheel of his subconscious and not caring where she takes it. Which only got worse once they started doing....whatever it is their doing.
He glances up at her and hides the surprise he feels at finding her already staring back, alcohol showing the truth in her eyes of just what she wanted. Ben raised an eyebrow questionably at her and smirked at the small flush he saw began to creep on her face. She was a terrible liar. The truth had a home in the delicate features of her face and try as she might to suppress it, it always found its way back. Ben quickly glanced at the other three members of their group and found them all preoccupied with picking a game to play. His eyes moved back to Rey and he mouthed a silent, later, which caused even more heat to fill her cheeks.
He really shouldn’t let her build his ego like she does but when the most beautiful and perfect woman he’s ever known looks at him like that it’s kind of hard not to. He watches as she turns to join the rest of the group and soon Ben finds himself sitting around the living room table playing Cards Against Humanity. The vodka bottle becomes lighter as the world outside grows darker and once the clock tips over past 1 am, there is an air of wrapping things up that passes through the group. Rose and Rey begin to clean up and Poe helps an already passed out Finn walk to their bedroom. Ben tidies the living room, passing time as he waits for Rey to gather her things. They live within a block of each other so it's become habit for Ben to walk her home after a night hanging out with their friends. At least that's the extent of what their friends think happens. In reality, Ben and Rey have begun a new habit of ending up in the same bed on nights like these, whether it's his or hers it doesn't matter. He's just happy to be there at all.
Finally the girls finish cleaning and after saying their goodbyes, Ben and Rey begin making their way home. The brisk night air lifts the fog of alcohol that settled comfortably in Ben's mind. He breathes in to try and wake himself up further and glances down at Rey who seemed lost in her thoughts. He reaches out with his hand and gently grabs hers, feeling her fingers twine with his without a second thought. She turns her face up to his and gives him a smile so warm it lights up her eyes as she looks at him. He gives her a smile in return and squeezes her hand affectionately. They continue walking in peaceful silence, neither needing to fill the space with useless conversation, just happy to be strolling together side by side.
“You’re getting a bit obvious.” He finally says in a voice laced with amusement.
The indignant look on her face when she whips her head around makes it worth the resounding slap to his arm that follows.
“I am not!”
He smiles at her deviously, knowing just how to push her buttons from here.
“You were practically stripping me with your eyes.” he drawled.
He smirks at the color that rushes over her cheeks, knowing that his words would put it there. He’s gotten to know her so well, all her quirks and ticks. So much so that he knows exactly what buttons to press to get the exact reaction he wants. More times than not it’s to try and color those pretty little cheeks of hers.
“It’s not my fault that you look extremely sexy in that sweater.”
This time it was his turn to blush. He’s been trying to wrap his brain around Rey being attracted to him since they began this weird secret dance of theirs. She has a habit of being forthcoming with compliments and praise to his physique that continues to catch him off guard. Not sure how to respond, they continue the walk in silence as they approach Rey's apartment building. She looks up at him and then gives his arm a tug as she leads him inside toward the elevator. No matter how many times they've done this Ben still gets a nervous pit in his stomach that she's going to change her mind and think he's disgusting and not worth her time. He can feel the ropes coiling in his gut but then suddenly he feels her lean up on her toes and plant a soft kiss on his cheek.
"What was that for?" he asks in the quiet din of the ascending elevator.
She shrugged her shoulders and gave him a heart stopping smile.
"Just felt like it."
The elevator ding rang out signaling their arrival to her floor and before he could think of something to say, she was already tugging him along to her door.
Ben wouldn't necessarily call this thing between them intimate. It was more like a release if anything. A release of pent up frustration. A release of sexual attraction. A release from the chains of their everyday lives. But that kiss on his cheek burns hotter than anything she's done to him before. A gesture so small and full of feeling it caused Ben's heart to skip a beat and his brain to short circuit, trying to figure out what it all means. She was quite clear in the beginning that she wasn't looking to be coupled up, that she just wanted to enjoy the fun of it and not think too much about what it means.
Unfortunately she failed to realize the extent of Ben's obsession with her and now he's on a path that could only lead to disappointment. He can't quite make himself care however when it's a path that involves being next to her.
Once inside, he stands awkwardly in her doorway, never really knowing the best way to start situations like these but preferring it when she took the lead. With a shy smile, she grabs his hand and leads him to her room before shutting the bedroom door behind him. She turns to look at him, eyes full of some unspoken thought and a small smile forms on her face.
"It's funny that we've done this so many times and yet I still feel nervous about it." she confesses to the still air between them.
Ben tries to hide the shock he feels at how similar their feelings are.
"I feel the same way sweetheart." he says in a voice that is much deeper and raspier than it was last time he spoke.
He holds back the smile at the deep crimson blush she wears from the pet name he calls her. She pretends as if it doesn't effect her but he knows her better than that by now. Ben starts slowly closing the distance between them until they're flush together in the quiet dark of her room, the only sounds are of passing cars outside and the even breathing of the two of them. He slowly places a hand on her hip, the other coming up and stroking her jaw up from her chin before capturing a loose strand of hair and tucking it behind her ear. The freckles of her face dance in the muted light of the room as she fights to maintain a collected demeanor despite the close proximity.
"You're so beautiful Rey." The words slip out from his mouth against his better judgment but he can’t regret it with the way her eyes bulge and her cheeks heat.
"You only say that because I let you see me naked." she responds, trying to deflect his compliment.
He can't help but chuckle at her, his girl of fierce pride and defience.
"No, I say it because it's true and because you deserve to hear it." his words are hushed but even he can hear the barely restrained passion behind them.
They've done a very good job of avoiding soft moments and conversations like this one. Trying to maintain the original idea of just being friends with benefits or whatever the hell you call what they are. Something is shifting tonight however. Her blatant ogling of him earlier and the way she openly accepted his hand while walking home all leading to that quick and caring kiss to his cheek. All of a sudden Ben gets the sudden urge to tell her everything. Tell her how he passes every part of his day with thoughts of her and memories of her touch. Tell her how every woman he's met since meeting her has been a mere shadow compared to the light that beams from every part of her. Tell her that he doesn't want to go another second without calling her his....
Instead he just grabs her face and slowly brings it up to his, planting a soft and lengthy kiss to her lips before pulling back and staring into her hazel eyes. Her pupils are huge and searching, scanning every inch of his face before meeting his eyes. He watches her swallow and sees a quick dart of her tongue as she licks her bottom lip. Suddenly she's everywhere. Hands snaking up to come around his neck and bury into his hair as her lips crush against his. Her whole body is pressed to his now and he hears a moan before realizing that it's his. He pushes her up against her bedroom door and slowly runs his hands up and down her sides as his tongue pushes past her lips to find the warmth of her mouth. This time it's her moans that fill his ears and fuck if it isn't his favorite sound in the whole fucking world. She shoves him back and he regards her with confusion before watching her slowly peel off her t-shirt and revealing a simple red lacy bra he's never seen her wear before. His eyes go back up to hers and he sees the excitement hiding behind them.
"Is this for me?" he asks huskily, fingers trailing the cups and straps of the bra.
She bites her lips and slowly nods her head when he looks back up to her face. He leans forward and kisses the soft spot of her neck right underneath her ear.
"Were you thinking of me taking it off when you bought it?" he says against the skin of her neck and smirks as the breathy, "Yes" that flows from her.
Ben leans back and takes in the sight before him. The girl of his dreams in a heart stopping bra bought just for him to peel off of her. It should be everything he could ever need but suddenly he wants more. He grasps her chin and holds her face to look him in the eye. Her mouth is barely open, quick little breaths flowing in and out as she raises the temperature of his blood with the look in her eyes.
The urge to do something supremely stupid comes into Bens mind and all the usual screaming reasons not to seem to have gone mute.
“Does that mean you’re mine Rey?”
He watches her pupils dilate and jaw drop open a little further. His heart is on standby, waiting for her to say something. Anything.
“Yes.” She finally breathes out as a delicious pink wave crashes over her cheeks.
Red hot possessiveness erupts through his veins as his heart finally starts working again. He grabs her face and crushes his lips to hers, allowing her tongue to fight its way into his mouth. She returns the ferocity he feels and a wave of lightheadness hits Ben hard as his dreams come sliding into reality. He pulls back from her, both gasping for breath with puffy red lips. Ben smooths her hair down and away from her face, breath finally returning to a normal pace.
“I mean it Rey. I want to be yours and...” he falters suddenly feeling self conscious about his words, “...and I want you to be mine.”
She clears his worries away instantly with the beaming smile she gives him in response. Her eyes are shiny and more open than he’s ever seen them.
“I’m yours Ben Solo. And you’re mine.”
He kisses her again then lifts her up and throws her on the bed. She bursts into giggles and this time he doesn’t have to hide the smile that forms on his face.