A Lesson to Learn

Chapter 3

Kylo Ren watched with interest from his seat on the couch as Rey opened the door to the two men who had rung the doorbell. Kylo briefly bristled with an unknown feeling (jealousy?) before he realized that the two men were quite obviously together romantically. One of the men had wavy brown hair, tan skin, and a friendly warmth behind his eyes. He was every bit as excited as his counterpart, a dark skinned man with a smile that lit up his face. The tan man with wavy hair let go of the other man's hand before handing Rey a wine bag with several bottles. "Four bottles?! Poe Dameron, you are trying to get us really drunk tonight, aren't you?" Rey reprimanded with obvious mirth behind her eyes.

Rey took the wine bag and set it on her kitchen counter as Poe answered, "Hey! It's a Friday. And besides, you don't work until later on Saturday and you know we need our wine when we watch a good romcom. It's an absolute must.".

"True. I don't think I could handle all of the ridiculous teen romance anymore without a good drinking game. It's crazy how ridiculously addictive that genre is, though." Finn added. Rey laughed and nodded as she waved them over to the table that was already set and had a pan in the middle with the frozen ravioli turned into a full meal thanks to the addition of some sauce, vegetables, and ground sausage.

"It's almost sinful but it's a sin I partake in eagerly." Rey said as she sat down. Kylo Ren beamed at her from his position on the couch, knowing full well that no one could see him. He was interested in whatever these "romcoms" were. The movie genre clearly made all three of them giddy and the energy was infectious. He hoped that he would enjoy this as much as they would. He figured that if the movie wasn't entertaining, their wine drunken state surely would be. Kylo Ren knew the power of alcohol, especially sweet cheap alcohol like what Poe and his partner had brought, and he nestled himself further into the couch to enjoy the show.

***

As the dinner went on Kylo Ren learned a couple of things from the trio seated before him. Finn was the name of the other mysterious man, and he lived and was romantically engaged with Poe, who was Rey's brother. This confirmation that Finn and Poe were, in fact, together and not even remotely interested in Rey made Kylo Ren's mood elevate that much higher (even though he couldn't help still feeling jealous that they could touch Rey or make her laugh like that). He also learned that Rey and Poe owned a bookstore / café that they called the First Order.

His mood then dipped as he listened to Rey recount what caused her day to turn so sour yesterday. He fantasized about what he would have done to that sleazeball if he had been there. He would probably whisper some things in his ear and cause some mischief. Playing with people's thoughts was one of his favorite powers. Kylo was snapped out of his wicked daydreaming as Rey let out a hearty laugh and he chose to focus instead on the merriment ahead of him. He was already having fun watching them enjoy themselves, especially Rey.

Kylo Ren could not remember a time he felt this genuinely happy. Sure, he didn't completely mind when he had been enslaved to others through the ring. He was the king of mischief and he loved to toy with the desires of those who wielded his power through the silver band. Plus, he had the added freedom of being able to travel around a bit when he was bonded to someone through the ring. As long as he didn't stray too far, he found he could usually inhabit wherever the person was and also places they dwelled in or frequented. This allowed him far more travel options than when the ring wasn't worn and he was stuck to a small radius of space because he wasn't attached to anyone and their energy. Either way, even if he strayed, he always had to come back and do his master's bidding if he was called or if he sensed they had a deep desire or want. All his old masters had not allowed him to stray far before anyway, though Kylo Ren knew he had some freedom with Rey before she realized what her ring was and could know to call on him for her wishes.