Pothos and the Neikea

19. You've upset me, your Highness

The day's class on Civil and Environmental Engineering was over, and Kylo took out his phone before he did anything else. He texted Rey before she was even outside the auditorium, and he saw her digging for her phone in her pocket and unlocking it.

Starfighter:

Will you come over tonight?

She smiled at the screen and then shot him a quick glanced. She walked out of the room, and a couple of seconds later came her reply.

Kira:

Okay, professor ;) but I'm going to be late because I have to study

That worked fine with him. He needed to study too. It was kind of funny. Maybe the reason he wasn't so grossed out with dating a student was that he still felt like one, too.

And so he got home, graded some papers, and then began reading some academic studies for his research. Usually, he could never spend a lot of hours so focused. His mind would always wander, he would get tired, he would feel like a prisoner. Lately, though, he found himself very productive. Especially when he knew he would see Rey afterward. He could just relax and yield to his work. He was calm. He was at peace.

And he thought he wouldn't mind feeling so complete for the rest of his life.

The tiniest of knocks was heard on his door, and when he looked up, he realized it was past ten o'clock. He walked over and opened it, and she was there, and a feeling overwhelmed him, seeing her outside his door, coming home after a long day of work to see him. He moved forward and captured her lips with his. Usually, he got paranoid just at the sight of her there. Now he just wanted to kiss her, and he couldn't care less about the neighborhood.

"Hey… sorry it took me so long," she whispered as she moved in and removed her jacket.

"Oh, no, it's fine. I had stuff to do anyway."

She turned around and looked at his desk where a lamp was still lit, his laptop buzzed alive and books were scattered all over. And she smiled. He couldn't tell if it was a sweet or a sly smile. Maybe it was both.

"You were studying, professor? Were you grading papers?" she asked with a tone in her voice he didn't understand immediately.

He rubbed the back of his neck, as he said, in the abstract, "I was actually just studying, I graded beforehand."

But then Rey turned to look at him again, and there was a spark in her eyes. Yep, her smile was definitely sly. Maybe he should have just agreed to her guess.

"Can I see you sitting at your desk, Doctor Solo?"

Huh, doctor. He had barely started calling himself that. His long legs carried him at the other end of the room, and he complied and sat down on his chair. Rey was still standing far away, admiring him, and for some reason, he felt a bit nervous. He rubbed his palms over his thighs.

"You wear glasses, too?" Rey asked, the surprise obvious in her voice, as she moved closer and her eyes fell on his glasses on his desk.

"Um… yeah. I usually use contacts, but they can get pretty tingly after a long day." Rey's smile wavered, and he suddenly thought about how him wearing glasses must look. His face became paler. "I'm a little nearsighted," he explained quickly. "I swear it's nothing to do with my age."