The college feud || a Reylo fan fic!

9) give her a family

Rey only had to train Ben for a few weeks before she could confidently leave him alone at the counter while she could complete the jobs in the back office. over the last few weeks Rey and Ben had been friendly to each other, whether it was acknowledging each other at college or even chatting to each other at work, you could say they fell into a nice friendship. Their days usually consisted of Rey flicking Ben a text asking if he was working the graveyard shift (Which he usually was) and a polite conversation over text after it. Ben didn't receive that text one day.

Ben sat staring at his screen waiting for his daily text but today it didn't come. maybe she was automatically assuming she was closing with him, maybe she only ever texted him for that. He knows she doesn't think of him like that but he at least thought she enjoyed texting him. even with the disappointment lingering on his face, he managed to get ready for work.

But, she was there in the breakroom, her usual three bun hairstyle thrown up a little bit more carelessly than usual.

"Hey Rey, wait, are you alright?" he asked after she turned around showing her red rimmed eyes that sparkled with fresh tears. she gave a little sniffle before another tear rolled down her cheek.

"No" she quickly wiped away her tears and lifted her hands so they covered her eyes. she gave another sniffle before her shoulders started to shake and a sob left her mouth. he walked over to her and enveloped her in a hug and she quickly melted into him.

"what's wrong sweetheart?" he said into her hair. Rey hesitated to look up after his use of a pet name made her shiver with pleasure despite the circumstances.

"It- it's my grandfather" she broke into another wave of sobs and his fingers ran over her hair soothingly.

"He went into hospital late last night and.... they don't think he will make it" she brought her head back down so her forehead lay against his chest and his arms wrapped tighter around her.

"Oh my gosh Rey, why are you here?" he said with a bit of alarm.  she just slowly shook her head.

"without him, I have no one. so I cant miss work.... I have barely enough money to make it through this week..." she went silent after feeling him freeze around her. he started to pull away and another round of tears threatened to spill after losing his warmth but instead he grabbed her hand and lead her towards the office.

"Wait here" he told her before slipping in and closing the door. soon the office door opened and Rey found not only Ben but Leia walking out of the room. Leia instantly pulled Rey into a hug.

"oh darling, why didn't you tell me. you take as long as you need off and we will give you full pay...remember you are like a daughter to me and I am always going to be there for you" Leia let her go and placed a hand on her cheek.

"Now, you can go back to the hospital and Ben you can take her" she said while walking towards the counter.

"But-" Rey started to say thinking that it was a bit unnecessary for Ben and she could hear Ben start to say something as well before she cut them off.

"the Café will be fine, me and Poe can do the closing, Rey, I need to know that you got there safely and that you get home safely, so Ben can take you" and with that she walked off to break the news to Poe that he would be working an extra 5 hours.

~~~~

Rey bursts through the hospital doors with Ben hot on her heels. Rey's face is still streaked with tears but she runs through the waiting room towards the elevator pushing buttons until both of them are situated in the small space.

"Hey, its alright" Ben whispers to Rey as she fidgets with her fingers. she can only look up at him and nod before the doors open back up again. When they reach the door Ben pushes it open for Rey so she can run straight to the bed and before he could turn back around from closing the door he hears his name.

"Ben?"

ben whips around to find that the frail old man in front of Rey knew him.

"Uh, how do you know my name sir?" he asks as respectfully as he can. he can see that Rey is visibly confused as well.

"You look a lot like your father" the old man whispered and finally Ben saw it. although he had only ever met him once or twice due to his parents, laying down in front of him was Ewan Kenobi. before Ben could say anything else Rey gave a silent chuckle before turning her attention back to her grandfather.

a few hours had passed and while Ben was sitting on the other side of the room, he could see just how close Ewan was to dying, and Rey could see it too. Ben could still clearly hear Ewan's last words to him before he passed.

"It was so nice to see you again son, make sure you look after Rey for me. All she needs is a family and I know you can give that to her" Ewan had spoken just before Rey could come back from her trip to the cafeteria. all Ben could do was nod. He would take care of Rey forever if he had too, in more ways than one Ben loved Rey even if it was just friendship.

"Of course sir"

Ewan died thirty minutes after that with Rey by his side and doctors floating in and out of the room. Rey knew he was dying but she would never be able to un-see just how fast and peacefully he went, almost like he was sleeping. almost as if he wasn't actually gone except the flatline beep was filling her ears and tears were filling her eyes. she only started to calm down after feeling a pair of arms wrap around her, the warmth soothing her soul. His hand stroking her back.

"It's alright" he whispered.
All she could do was slowly nod her head and hope that Ben was telling the truth.