Chapter Text
There's something about Ben.
Something frustratingly attractive despite the fact he's barely said a single word to her since he joined Leia’s campaign a few weeks ago, shelved her projects and honestly, has been quite fucking rude when he deigned to appear from the cave that he calls his office.
It's probably the hair. Ever since she lived in London, Rey's been an absolute sucker for floppy hair. Or maybe it's the weight of his presence. She spends hours in leadership classes learning how to ‘take up space’ while men like Ben Solo just do it by existing.
She allows herself another moment to look through the glass door and ponder what the hell is keeping this trashheap of a man on her mind. Because he is garbage, and a whole lot worse, the architect behind Senator Snoke’s previous election bids, he literally sold his own mother out to work for the worst politician in existence. So no, Rey tells herself, she needs to stop thinking about him like this right now.
Just at that moment, Ben rolls up his white shirt sleeves slowly and looks up, straight at her, before she can look away. His gaze is steady, so intentional and intense that she keeps holding it until a voice breaks the stalemate.
“Hate him all you want Rey, he's still our boss.” Poe says as he hands her that morning's update.
“And Leia’s son.”
“Don't start this again. Leia wouldn't have made him head of the campaign unless she was sure he was the best person for the job.”
“I don't trust him, Poe. His politics stinks.”
“He made a mistake. Okay, a shit tonne of mistakes. We all heard the speech he gave when he arrived, he owned up to it. Besides, you don't need to trust Ben, but you should trust Leia.”
She remembers it well. The explanation without apology, carefully crafted to take responsibility without taking blame, the implication that they, Leia's loyal staff, couldn't possibly understand his reasons for choosing to back his mother's rival for eight whole years.
She really can't stand him. That's all it is.
****
Turns out the feeling is mutual. At least that's how it feels after Ben declines her request for a meeting yet again even though he is sat right there in front of her, all alone, every single time.
She might be nothing to him, not even an employee worthy of his time, but this project is her life's work. A way to reach voters who have never voted before. It's not even about helping Leia win, it's about empowering people to exercise their fundamental right and even the Senator’s son cannot stop her from her work. He might've swept it aside but Rey is going to fight back.
It's late now, the stars are dancing against the inky night, although time is relative when you're working an election. Some of her colleagues have left, and the hardcore bunch are in the breakroom with takeout. All of them except Ben.
She looks in a few times and his dark eyes are glued to his screen. Then she marches up to his door, knocks, and enters anyway.
“Hi, I'm sorry to interrupt you but…”
“Then don't,” he says without looking up.
It takes her a second to regroup her thoughts. And then another to look around the office. There's paperwork everywhere but it's perfectly ordered into labelled piles.
“Excuse me?”
“I don't recall inviting you in and I have a lot to get through tonight so if you don't mind.”
Rey sees red. The actual fucking nerve of the guy.
“I do mind.”
She stares at him, daring him to ask why but he looks at her flatly, the vaguest impression of curiosity darting over his face and disappearing.
"I would be over there with everyone else eating shrimp egg rolls and leaving you alone right now if you'd just taken even one of the meetings with me. I have tried to speak to you but you keep blowing me off, so yeah I do mind and I'm not leaving until you hear me out.”
When he looks up at her, his dark eyes are sparkling and she can't tell if he's really, really pissed off or just amused.
“What do you want?” his voice is softer than she expected.
“I want you to reconsider closing my voter abstention project.”
“No.”
“No?”
“No.”
Firm and swift. Rey opens her mouth to protest but he beats her to it.
“It's not my call.”
She scoffs now, sounding more like a petulant teenager than she'd like but then again it's not often your boss’s boss lies to your face.
“Of course it's your call.”
“Then the answer is no, Rey.”
She sits down defiantly in the chair in front of Ben and for a second, the infuriating sparkle returns to his eyes, but then it's gone again, fast.
“Look, I get you don't like me, but this project is important, not just to Leia’s campaign.”
“Why do you think I don't like you?” He sounds amused and it takes Rey a second to compose herself.
She wants to say that it's pretty fucking obvious when he cancels five meetings with her. Or how he always goes to Poe for information instead of her even when she's the one doing the actual work. Or how about how he never, ever speaks to her, not even a how are you or a polite hi in the corridor.
“You just don't.”
He stares at her intensely and the sparkle’s back, along with a few soft wrinkles around his eyes, his whole demeanour rippling with quiet amusement.
“Don't I?”
She huffs and leans back.
“If you're trying to psych me out, forget it. I'm not going to give up, Ben.”
His name on her lips out loud feels comforting and dangerous all at once, which it shouldn't she realises, but she holds her poker face.
So does he.
“Clearly.”
She studies him. He looks younger up close, only a few years older than her, his dark eyes a delicious shade of mahogany. It's completely irrational but for a second she imagines what it would be like to touch his face, his soft tanned skin, to draw him closer and look into his fearsome eyes.
He runs his hand through his hair absently and she can't help but bite down on her lip. In turn, his eyes skirt to her mouth but it's a fleeting moment, so quick she thinks she's imagined it, but long enough to regain her control.
“This is important to me. It’s what I was hired to do and if this campaign doesn't want my work anymore …”
“Write me a briefing. I'll consider it.” he says with finality.
“Seriously. A briefing? Are you even going to read it?”
He smiles lazily but says nothing, returning to his laptop. With a sigh, Rey leaves and crumples into her own chair. She barely manages to check her inbox before Poe appears.
“One carton of steaming hot shrimp egg rolls for the star of my campaign team.” He plops the box in front of her with a grin.
“What’s this for? Not that I'm complaining.”
“I was going to ask you that. I leave you alone with our not-so-esteemed leader for five minutes and he's messaging me to get you food. Which by the way I was going to do anyway, I know how cranky you get without eating, Rey.”
“Wait, Ben sent these?”
“Mmmhmmm.”
She looks at him through his office window and like a magnet, he locks eyes with her, before he turns back to his work with a smirk.
She nibbles the egg rolls and tries to think about a report she has to write but for the rest of the night her focus keeps drifting to that corner office. Ben doesn't look her way again.
The truth is, she finds him interesting. Deplorable and damned but even on a cerebral level, she can't help but think there's some good in him and the desire to find out which parts of him are good and which are downright bad eats away at her in the most frustrating way. He can fill a room with his presence, sure that's his job, but the way he's now taking up space in her mind and distracting her, well that's unforgivable.
She snaps her laptop shut and heads out. The night is silent, the sky a dark violet glimmering with stars. The parking lot is empty and the cold wind reddens her cheek like a peaceful balm.
Whatever this is, this stupid crush she's got, she needs to get over it. Fast.