All Fun and Games Until... (Ben Solo/Kylo Ren)

Chapter 47: Three Years Down

It's like a scene in a movie how everything went by. The sun took the moon's place night and day, the leaves turned from green to brown until they reached the ground formed to a satisfying crunchy heap. The branches of old trees laden with thick snow until it's time for them to melt and watch them bloom brightly again. 

Ben and Diana slowly build up the life they have created together. In just a short period of three years, tons of memories of them have filled every wall and vacant spaces of their apartment. The mantlepiece and the stairs have been filled with frames of their photographs from every occasion possible- Three Christmases, Three New Year Eves, Three summer and winter vacations, Three anniversaries and countless birthday parties.

The latest addition to the group was their picture in the balcony of the luxurious lodge they had rented out that weekend during their family ski trip with Han and Leia. They were both staring at the camera with their hairs dusted with snow. Ben, who had his arms wrapped around her, crouched down to minimize their height difference, was too busy to give the camera a smile as he nuzzled her cheek. Her smile was on the verge of a giggle from the tickling of the tip of his nose as he held on his corded forearms. The majestic ranges of the famous Swiss alps were behind them. Diana thought they were really living inside a snow globe.

That weekend on Zermatt was one for the books; eating al fresco on the terrace at Chez Vrony, the four of them enjoying good craft beer in front of the fireplace at night and experiencing the thrill of skiing slopes the place is mostly renowned for.

After making sure that the parents were heavily dozing off, the two didn't miss the opportunity to enjoy the jacuzzi while beet-red tipsy from the red wine they drank straight ouf of the bottle. The sound of the jets bubbling around them was loud enough to conceal their sloppy wet kisses and risqué sounds that were very much inappropriate to the family ski resort they were staying at. But when Diana did the thing Ben loves with her hips when she's on top, it had become a challenge to keep the splashing and sloshing of steaming water to a minimum. 

But among the growing collection they have, her favorite was the very first picture they displayed in the mantlepiece. It was the morning of their first Christmas together. They were both sitting cross-legged at the foot of the Christmas tree they decorated with Artoo on Ben's lap. The camera captured their open-mouthed grins with their hands overlapping at each other as they gave the dog neck scratches. Their noses were scrunched with utter adoration to the French bulldog who was wearing a jolly antlers headband. The cuteness was too much for Diana that 90% of the photos she took on her that day were just Artoo in almost identical angles. 

She wouldn't forget how they took hours to design the fresh tree they brought in from the farm because they didn't have a solid plan on where to put which newly bought ornaments as if they were relatively new to all of the festive preparations. Because in some sense, they were new to it. Because they didn’t have someone to celebrate it with until they found each other.

There may have been no actual theme to it. It may have been a little a tad too much. But after Ben lifted her up with both of her legs on both sides of his shoulders to put the shiny gold star on top of the tree, they thought that it was the most beautiful thing they've ever done.

That day has a very special place in their hearts because they got to share something that's something first time for the both of them, and it unlocked many many more occasions that they would share together through the years.

They have both found someone so worth it to cook early in the morning of Thanksgiving to cook foods that would likely last a week.

They have both found a reason to put a mistletoe in very unlikely places so they could have a reason to make out. The manner of putting the star on top of their Christmas tree has also become their yearly tradition.