Sugar and Spice (A Reylo AU)

Phrases and Barstools

Ben thought he heard her wrong. Surely, surely, this girl that somehow has invaded his mind for the past few weeks didn't mean what she said. 

It's a phrase Solo, just a phrase. 

But that didn't stop his imagination. He was a writer after all. 

"Come again?" He said, realizing too late just exactly what those words could mean. Speaking never really was his strong suit, it was a wonder Ben could write anything at all, and now he really didn't know what to say. Rendered speechless yet again by the marvelous woman before him, who was now turning towards him. 

Ben also realized too late that in his confusion of Rey's statement he had leaned in closer to her, folding over the counter just so that as she turned around she brushed up against him.     

Fuck. 

His body was betraying him, spurred by her touch and the fantasies his brain was now playing on a loop. Her knee was now resting on his inner thigh as she spun around on her bar-stool. 

Close. So dangerously close. 

Ben moved to go sit down on the adjacent stool, hoping against hope she wouldn't recognize how he was progressively getting harder. 

"Hmm?" She questioned under long lashes. There was a blush forming across her cheeks that he now was focusing on, his brain hyper-aware to all of her. 

Right. He had asked her something. 

"I didn't catch what you had said." 

"Oh! Um, I was just reminding myself that I'd have to make more sometime." She responded.

"Ah." That is most definitely not what she said. 

"And you will have to make me more spaghetti. We can have a comfort food day and spend it watching all our favorite movies." Changing the subject it is then. Ben was slightly glad for the distraction, but another part of him— one that hadn't appeared in years— didn't want her blush to fade. He liked her flustered nose scrunch, and the way she tried not to make eye contact. 

Maybe that's why he said, "Sounds awful lot like a date."

"Well that's what were doing isn't it? Dating." Rey put finger quotations around the last word, and added a blink just to you know, kill his heart more. 

Right. This is all fake. 

The problem was, it didn't feel fake. At least not to him. They had been hanging out consistently for two weeks, and the past few days Rey even came over during unscheduled visits. She would vent about her day sprawled out on his couch. 

Wasn't that what couples did. 

Granted, Ben didn't have a whole lot of experience of what exactly a healthy relationship looked like, seeing as how his parents set a terrible example, but he felt something. 

He realized Rey didn't feel it too. 

~~~

The rest of the evening had gone smoothly, if you take out Ben's internal thoughts screaming at him. 

Ben was wondering how exactly he was going to brush off this newfound feeling in his chest. 

Like now. That same feeling what wiggling around in his chest, making his heart beat violently. 

At least I'll be able to play my part well. He thought. 

There would be no questioning his attracting towards her, but Rey well. Ben knew she'd pull it off, but he would be left alone yet again after their little arrangement was over. He wasn't ready for the visits to stop. He wasn't ready to say goodbye to her smile that lit up her face. Or her freckles, those gods damned freckles. 

Fuck. Ben was screwed. 

He lay in his bed silently pondering over just what exactly he would do after this. His breathing filled up the space. Looking over at his clock he wondered what Rey was doing then. She was behind their shared bedroom wall, no doubt sleeping as soundly as can be. It was unlikely she was thinking about him as he was her. 

Ben instead decided to get up and write, deciding he better busy himself before the overwhelming depression sets in. 

That was something else that would suck once this ended. 

He would more likely than not go back to his old ways. 

The good thing about Rey, among so many others, was that her presence didn't allow him to fade away into the dark of evening. It didn't allow him to cycle through life without purpose. She gave him that need, that desire, to keep going, and Ben didn't want it gone. 

He sat down on his kitchen counter and got to work, deciding on exactly what his new character—kira— meant to kis main character. 

What Rey meant to him. 

So this was shorter. I apologize.

**Everyone is going to hate it. It makes no sense Olivia.**

I know, but im hoping they will at least like some of it. I tried to make it funny and good..

**...**

so um yeah... ill leave this here... 

love you all