Rey stretched and immediately grabbed her phone, switching it back on once the Fasten Seat Belts light went off.  Scrolling, she checked her messages and then texted her boyfriend Finn.

'Just landed.  Hopefully I'll be home in about an hour.  What's for dinner – I'm starving! 😊'

'Welcome back Little Miss Sunshine.  Dinner is whatever you're bringing 😝.'

She sighed heavily.  She'd been gone a week.  The least he could do is make dinner.  'Seriously?! 👿'

'Just kidding Sunshine.  Dinner will be waiting......I will too 😉.'

Smiling, she shook her head.   'Thanks Hon.  See you soon.   Love you.'

'Love you too.'

Gathering her headphones, snack remnants and book, she checked all of the little nooks and crannies where she might have accidentally left or dropped something, before standing to wait for the rest of the passengers seated in the rows ahead of her to deplane.  It was a full flight, so she'd probably have to wait awhile until it was her turn.  It had been a long week in Orlando for work.  She was tired, and wanted nothing more than to get home, jump in the shower, eat, and then go to bed – with Finn.

After a few minutes, enough people in front of her had exited that she was able to squeeze out of the narrow seats, grab her carry on from above her and scoot down the aisle to the exit.    When she was safely ensconced in a cab not long afterward, she finally relaxed.   She was so happy to be back home in Boston.   Work was busy, and she travelled a lot – now almost all over the world.  However, there really was no place like home.  She smiled, recognizing how correct the famous movie line really was.

She loved her job as a robotics engineer.  Having always had a knack for all things mechanical, it was a no brainer when she'd decided to study mechanical engineering.  But when she chose to take a robotics course one semester, it had been as if she'd finally found her calling.  When she'd finished her undergrad, she'd immediately entered a Master's level program in robotics and never looked back.  It gave her the opportunity to put her skills to use, and to travel to different places.  Growing up, she'd never once left Boston, and it had been one of her biggest desires to be able to travel and visit new and different places.

However, travelling to interesting and exotic destinations was no fun if you had to do it alone, or if you spent the entire time stuck in various manufacturing facilities.  Recently, she'd found out she was going to Japan and had asked Finn if he'd wanted to tag along, suggesting that they could both take some vacation and stay a few weeks after her work was done.  Unfortunately he wasn't interested, saying he was too busy at work to be able to take two weeks off.  So that time she'd spent two weeks in and around Tokyo all alone.  She usually had a chaperone when her company sent her on international jobs – especially in non-english speaking countries – but still, it wasn't the same.

Maybe one day though, she hoped they'd be able to travel together.  Problem was, Finn was more of a home-body, and really didn't like to explore.  She was sure she'd be able to eventually convince him though – she just needed time.

Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back on the seat, letting her mind drift.   What day was today again?  Oh yeah, Wednesday.  She smiled.  Tomorrow was their dinner with Ben and Kaydel.   After being away it would be nice to reconnect with their friends again and feel normal.   Grabbing her phone, she shot her best friend a text.

'Hey Stupidhead, I'm back!'

'🙄 Must you?'  came his quick reply.

'Always 😊'

'How was your trip?'

'Fine – same as always – busy during the day but boring and lonely at night.  I can regale you with my monotonous tales tomorrow night.'

'Oh – its this week – I almost forgot.  Remember, you promised steak! 😁'

Men, she thought.  'Then steak you'll get.  Can't wait to see you!  Talk to you tomorrow!'

'Bye.'

She giggled to herself.  Ben hated it when she called him Stupidhead.  But that's exactly why she did it – to annoy the shit out of him.  He'd earned that nickname.  For someone so smart, he was often clueless about so many things, usually anything related to social situations or generally what was going on around him.

Typically quiet and introspective, he was even more quiet around strangers.  But once he got to know someone he usually opened up.  He had a quick mind – was a professional strategist – if she even knew what that was, and was sweet, considerate and really fun to be around, despite his secretive past.

She knew he'd had some issues when he was younger, and had been estranged from his family for several years before they'd reconciled.  It seemed to be some sort of secret though – as he never spoke of it – and she tried not to ask.

They'd met Ben and Kaydel about a year ago while on vacation in Mexico.  She could still recall the very first time she saw him.  He was hesitantly looking around in the small pharmacy at the resort, appearing to be somewhat lost and out of his element.  Rey had just stopped in to pick up some headache medicine, and had noticed him standing there, awkwardly staring at one of the shelves.  At 6'3", he always stood out in a crowd, and he'd looked positively gigantic in the tiny store.  The expression on his face was so forlorn it was almost comical.  Looking around her Rey had realized they were the only two in the store, except for the employee behind the counter.   He'd looked so out of place, she couldn't help feeling sorry for him.

He was wearing a Harvard T-shirt, so she assumed he was American – and spoke English.   Walking up beside him, he turned to glance at her with wide eyes.  "Hey – sorry if I'm intruding – but do you need some help with anything?  You look a bit....lost."

Relief washed over him, clearly visible on his face.   "Yes.  Please.  My girlfriend isn't feeling well.   She needs something for her stomach, but I don't recognize any of these medicines.  And the person that works here doesn't know much and can't really speak English."

Rey smiled up at him.  "Ah.   Okay.  Um.... Does she have...cramps?"

His brow had furrowed momentarily before his face and ears went beet red.  "Uh... um...no."  he stuttered.  "It might be something she ate?"

"Okay – we're getting warmer."  She replied, and scanned the shelves for something that looked like the right product.   Finding one, she walked over to the cash and through a bit of simple English and hand gestures tried to ask the young girl if the medicine she had was good for an upset stomach.  After a minute the girl nodded vigorously and Rey turned back to smile at the man.   "I think this will do."

"Thank you."  He said gratefully, taking the small box and moving to pay.   "I'm not sure what I would've ended up buying without your help."

Rey smiled back at him.   "Its absolutely no problem.  I was happy to help.  I hope she feels better."  She told him as she paid for her purchase and gave a small wave goodbye.

Later that evening, her and Finn were in one of the resort's lounges having drinks when she'd spotted the tall, dark haired man from the pharmacy.  He was at the bar ordering a drink.  Deciding to say Hi, she told Finn she'd be back in a minute, and walked up to the bar to stand beside him.  "Hi there."  She smiled from beside him.

He gave her an odd look before recognizing her.  "Oh, hey."

"How's your girlfriend?"  She asked.

"She's good – says she feels fine now.  Thanks again for helping me."

"No problem.  It sucks to be sick on vacation."  She stuck out her hand.  "I'm Rey."

Glancing down at her hand for a second, there was a slight hesitation before he slowly reached out and shook it.   "I'm Ben."

"Nice to meet you Ben.  My boyfriend – Finn – and I are sitting right over there."  She pointed to where Finn was sitting.  "Feel free to come join us if you'd like."  Something that looked like discomfort briefly flashed in his eyes, causing Rey to add.  "No pressure, though."  She grinned.   "We're not weirdos or anything like that.  Just a normal couple from Boston."

His eyes lit up.   "You're from Boston?   You sound British?"

"Long story."  She replied, with a sad smile.

His eyes searched her face for a minute before seeming to come to a decision.  "Actually, we're from Boston too."

It was Rey's turn to be surprised.   "Seriously?!  Ah, yes, you were wearing a Harvard shirt earlier today.  Oh, come on!  You guys have really got to join us for a drink!"

He chewed his bottom lip for a few seconds before giving her a brief nod.   "Let me check with Kay."

Rey grinned again, saying she'd see him in a few minutes.  Returning to Finn, she told him about her new friend – she'd mentioned the guy in the pharmacy earlier - and how she'd discovered that both couples were from Boston.  Not long afterward, Ben and Kay had wandered over to their table with shy smiles, drinks in hand.

There were a few awkward minutes as introductions were made, and they started talking about where in the city they lived, what they did for a living, etc.  It didn't take very long however before they'd become comfortable with each other and were swapping stories about life in Boston.  It was nice to have another couple of the same age to chat with, with the added benefit of being from the same home town.

At first, Rey had felt as if she'd forced themselves onto the other couple, since neither Ben nor Kay really talked very much.  But by the 3rd day, the two had started coming out of their shell more and more, and by the end of their vacations had decided to stay in touch, and planned a get together for dinner a few weeks afterward.  They'd been doing that ever since.  Every two weeks, the couples met for dinner, rotating back and forth between each other's apartments.   The only rule was that the meal had to be home made – no ordering in – and they never postponed or cancelled because they were too busy.

Over time, her and Ben had become fast friends, which she knew had irked Finn a bit, especially at the beginning.   However, she'd explained that Ben reminded her of her engineering buddies – aka 'the guys' - that she still kept in touch with, and was no different to her than the rest of them, so he had no need to worry.

For some reason, her whole life she'd always hung around with guys.  She wasn't sure why that was, but it just felt easier to her – more natural – than hanging around with girls.  She suspected it was because she wasn't much of a girly-girl herself, and had little tolerance for stuff like that. Some of her engineering buddies from university even called her half-man – which they'd shortened to Halfsie – which seemed appropriate both because of that and her small size.  They did admit however that there were times when she'd gotten all 'womany' on them over some things.

She smiled as she thought of them.  Another month or so and it would be time for their quarterly get together.  She couldn't wait.

She was jolted from her thoughts by the taxi stopping in front of her building.  Grabbing her wallet, she paid the driver and made her way inside the building.  When she stepped into the apartment, she was greeted by the delicious smell of dinner.  Inhaling deeply, a happy, contented smile appeared on her face.  "Whatever that is, its smells divine."  She called out.

"Well hello there Little Miss Sunshine."  Finn said warmly, coming out of the bedroom.

"Hi!"  She gave him a huge grin, walking over to get a hug and a kiss from him.  "I missed you."  She said softly.

"I missed you too."  He wrapped his arms around her, sighed and kissed her neck.   "Eat first or shower first?"

"Shower first.  I need to wash off the recirculated air from the plane."

"Okay.  Dinner in 10."  He murmured, kissing her temple.

She emerged a few minutes later, freshly showered, wearing yoga pants and an oversized T-shirt.   Glasses of wine were already poured, and Finn was just dishing out the meal.   "Mmmmm. I'm so hungry."  She told him as she sat down at the table and grabbed her glass of wine.

He grinned.  "Its just a simple pasta primavera – with extra garlic.   Exactly as like you like it."

"Honestly, I wouldn't care what it is – as long as it's a home cooked meal.  I'm so tired of restaurant food."

Leaning down, he kissed her once he was finished filling her plate with the savoury pasta.  "I know.  That's why I made sure I cooked tonight – rather than ordering in."

Her smile was radiant.  "That's one of the reasons I love you.  You're so good to me."

"Nah."  He joked.  "I just know that the key to domestic happiness is through your stomach."

"What!?"  She huffed in mock outrage.  "And here I thought you were trying to seduce me with food."

"Who, me?"  He exclaimed, his face a mask of innocence.

She laughed, and pulled him back down to kiss him again before he could escape to his chair.   "You already know you're going to get lucky tonight."

"Never crossed my mind.  I swear!"

"Okay, whatever."

They both tucked into their food, and chatted easily, filling each other in about what had happened while she was gone, as well as all the things they needed to do the for the rest of the week.   After dinner, they both cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher before Rey pounced on him, dragging him into the bedroom.

"Somebody's still hungry."  He whispered to her.

Her voice was husky when she replied.  "I still need my dessert."

****
Rey breathed deeply as she relaxed into the sheets, still feeling the relaxed remnants of their post-coital high.  There was simply nothing like 'return from a work trip' sex.  She always missed Finn while she was away, but sex after returning from trips longer than around 7 days was usually particularly intense.  Shuddering, she remembered the depth of their passion.

Finn was beside her, still breathing heavily.  "What are you thinking about?"

A secret smile graced her lips. "How much I love returning after work trips."

He laughed.   "Yeah.   I was just thinking something along those lines too."

They were quiet for a few minutes, just drifting and enjoying the moment when she remembered something.   "Tomorrow's Thursday.   Don't forget Ben and Kay are coming for dinner."

"That's good...."  He mumbled.

Turning to give him a knowing smile, she added.  "I'll go to the market after work to pick up the steaks and salad things.  I'm going to take the afternoon off to visit Obi and Anna – I haven't seen them for awhile.  I'll go shopping on my way home."

"Mmmm......steak."  Was all he said in reply.

Laughing again, she placed a hand on his chest.  "It's still pretty early.  Do you want to watch a movie or a show, or just call it a night?"

"Really tired..."  He breathed.  "I usually work till late at night when you're not here, so I'm ready for bed....."

She gave him a quick kiss.  "Okay.  Sleep.  I'm just going make sure everything is turned off and locked up for the night."

"Okay...."  He whispered, already half asleep.

Chuckling, she watched him nod off.  There was nothing like a good go in bed to knock Finn out for the night.

Grabbing her shirt, she crept out of the bedroom and checked the stove and the locks, as well as turning out the lights.  Home.   She sighed.  There's simply nothing like it.

****

"Fuck!"  Ben Solo cursed as he skidded to a stop on the platform, having just missed his train on the T.  He was late.  He hated being late.  His PA had scheduled a 9 o'clock meeting with some new clients this morning and he wanted to make sure he was sufficiently prepared.  Now he'd be lucky if he got there with 10 minutes to spare.

He'd had trouble sleeping again last night, his mind racing with everything that could go wrong during today's meeting.  He knew that he was a compulsive over-analyzer, but wanted to be sure that everything was ready for his presentation.  Mentally, he'd ticked off all of the details he'd need to outline and elaborate upon in order to convince Blutech Industries to sign with him.

He'd finally nodded off somewhere around 3 AM and as a result had slept through his alarm.   Now he was exhausted, late and pissed off – in addition to nervous.  Could this day get any better?

Pacing along the platform, he tried to calm his agitation and focus his mind on the discussions for the meeting ahead.  Blutech would be a big client if he could land them.  One who wanted to revitalize their image which had recently been tarnished by false employee allegations of fraud and other criminal activities.  They'd been suffering financially ever since, and he wanted to help them – to prove that he could bring them out of their current downward spiral.  It wasn't only a challenge, the project was also worth a lot money, and if he was successful would serve to elevate his business to the international level.  He wanted to win this client.

"Three positive things."  He muttered to himself as he paced back and forth.  "Think of three positive things that would result from not getting this client."  He breathed deeply, wracking his brain.  "One.   I'll have more time to spend with Kay – because I won't be as busy."  Continuing to pace, he muttered.  "Two.  I'll be able to finish the work for Gamma before getting distracted with Blutech, which is just as important since they're currently my biggest client, and I don't want to piss them off."  Nodding, he swiveled to change directions and strode the other way.   "Three."  He searched his mind, trying to come up with one more positive outcome of not getting the project.  "Three.  Three, three, three, three...."  He sighed, stopping.  Finally, it came to him, and he smiled.  "Three.  I won't have to travel much – or as far – as I probably would, since Blutech's head office is in London."  Giving himself a mental congratulations, he took a deep breath.  "Done.  See, no reason to be nervous about getting this client, because there are still positive outcomes if I don't."

It was a trick he'd learned from his therapist to keep his thoughts from going down a negative, mistrusting, self-destructive path when he was nervous.  An adverse thought process he'd learned all too well from Snoke.  A thought process he'd tried very hard to undo and erase.  When he got nervous, the temptation to revert to negativity was too great, so he kept using this trick to keep his mind and energy positive.  He'd found it personally helpful, positivity becoming an important facet of his business's image, and its success.

Ever since he'd struck out on his own – started his own company – he'd catered to a mix of underdog clients and wealthy corporations.  He wanted to erase the stigma – the tarnish – he felt was attached to his soul after all the years working for Snoke.  After the evil bastard had died, Ben had just been grateful he'd been able to get away, but as time passed he realized that he wanted to do some good in the world, to atone for the horribly bad things he'd inadvertently done under Snoke's tutelage.  Blutech represented a combination of both.  Unjustly accused and reviled, but wealthy, he'd be able to make a good amount of money as well as feel good doing it – if he was successful.

His firm – Solo Strategies – specialized in developing strategic solutions to various problems, for a diverse range of clients.  Ever since he was a small boy, he'd had an uncanny ability to see the solution to complex problems, where most others could not. He couldn't explain how he did it, it was almost like some weird form of precognition.  Quite simply, he was able to reduce the number of steps taken in pursuit of the solution, and as such, reduced the time, and often the amount of money, required to go from Point A to Point F in the process.  It was why Snoke had latched onto him as soon as he'd discovered Ben's abilities as a pre-teen.

Snoke's firm – First Order Strategic Initiatives had been the preeminent strategic organization in North America.  If you needed a problem solved, that's where you went.  However, it wasn't enough for Snoke.  He wanted total domination – and left no room for other similar companies to survive.  Sometimes, using underhanded and illegal means to do so.

Ben had met him at one of his mother's charity gala's when he was twelve years old.  Snoke had been intrigued by him.   By the time he was 14, he was in constant communication with Snoke.   When he was 16, Snoke had so thoroughly corrupted him that he'd run away from home to join him as some weird sort of child prodigy.

That was when he'd truly began to see what Snoke really was – a monster.  He'd tried his best to thoroughly corrupt Ben – and had almost succeeded.  Snoke had wanted to shape Ben into his image, and started teaching him everything he knew.  But Snoke had been a manipulative bastard, slowly using some sort of mind fuck on Ben to get him to do some truly atrocious things in the 6 years he'd been with him.  Near the end, many of the solutions that Ben had designed for the company were highly illegal and some were borderline immoral.

His parents had never given up on him though, repeatedly trying to get him to come home.  It wasn't until he'd almost killed his father for Snoke that he realized how twisted he'd almost become.  That was when he'd decided to leave.  His parents had thankfully helped him of course – and when they did, Snoke had been furious.  He'd threatened all kinds of legal actions and repercussions, but his mother Leia wouldn't cower against any of it.  She was powerfully connected herself, and had not so politely told Snoke to go fuck himself.  A couple of days later, Ben went to see him again, to formally break his ties – and that's when Snoke had finally tried to kill him.  Luckily, Ben was able to get away, and Snoke had had a massive heart attack, dropping stone cold dead while running through his office.  Ben had never been more relieved, knowing he'd never have to encounter the bastard ever again.

He shuddered.  Through his own company, he would do his best to erase his sins of the past, and help people and companies who truly needed him to right some wrongs.  It was what drove him every day.

After he'd left Snoke, he'd done his best to slowly put the pieces of his life back together.  He went to Harvard, completing a degree with multiple majors in economics, mathematics and a minor in psychology.   He'd met a pretty girl – his girlfriend Kay – and was trying to build something good – something lasting.

He smiled, thinking of her.  She was all that was good in the world.  It didn't hurt that she was exceptionally pretty, in a very cute way.  But her sweetness is what drew him when he'd first laid eyes on her.  She was just so good to everyone.  He wanted to absorb some of that goodness.  It made him feel just a little bit better about himself and where his life was headed, every time he saw her.

She had spent the night last night, and he'd been hyperaware of her presence – not wanting to keep her awake with his insomnia.   Unable to afford a place of her own, she still lived with her parents, and usually only stayed over a couple of nights a week, so he didn't want her to be kept awake when she did.

They'd talked briefly about her moving in with him, but she said she couldn't leave her parents just yet.  She was their only child, and even though she was 22 years old, they still needed her.   While in some ways he understood that – Kay was probably the sweetest, most considerate person he'd ever met, her reasons felt a little hollow.  However, he usually worked late most nights – still trying to build his business – and so was often not home anyways.  Since they both seemed to be comfortable with the current status of their living arrangements he didn't push her on it.

The onset of a slight breeze followed by a rush of air hallowed the arrival of the next train, breaking his train of thought.  Stepping onto the car, he realized it was packed full, and that he'd have to stand, crammed too close to others like sardines in a can.  He didn't like being close to so many people – was uncomfortable with almost anyone other than Kay or his best friend Rey being in his personal space.

Grinning, he realized that he was already looking forward to their dinner at Finn and Rey's tonight.  It was something they did every other week – vowing never to cancel except on illness, absence (most of them travelled occasionally for work) or pain of death.  Steak was on the menu tonight, and he knew that it would not only be a good meal, but they'd also all undoubtedly have a great time with each other.

He recalled how they'd met each other a year ago while on vacation in Mexico.  For Ben and Kay, the trip had been a graduation gift to themselves, and was meant for them to relax, celebrate and enjoy some time away together.  He'd met Rey by accident when she'd helped him find some meds for Kay one afternoon, and then had recognized each other afterward in one of the many bars and pubs.  They had started chatting with each other while there, discovering that they all hailed from Boston.  After hitting it off really well, the couples decided to have dinner together the next night, and subsequently ended up spending a good portion of their vacation together.  When it was over, they'd had so much fun together they decided to keep in touch upon returning.

A few weeks after they'd gotten back, Rey had texted them with a dinner invite and the rest was history.  They'd had such a good time, they made it a standing date – every 2nd Thursday they met for dinner.  The only condition was that it had to be a home cooked meal.  The couples decided that they had enough restaurant food throughout the week, so there'd be no ordering in or bringing take out.

Both couples were busy, and didn't have large circles of friends.  Because of that, they had grown quite close over the past year, and in addition to their bi-weekly dinner dates sometimes vacationed together, or just hung out.  During that time, Ben and Rey had become especially close, and were now essentially best friends.  Initially their significant others had been a bit concerned, but both had explained that it was completely platonic – they just clicked in a different way than the others.   Rey called him Stupidhead – because she said he was so focused on his thoughts – on what was going on in his head – he was often totally oblivious to everything around him.  It annoyed the shit out of him, so he called her Technogeek, which annoyed the shit out of her.

Arriving at his stop, he got off the train and made his way up to street level.   As soon as he was in signal range, his phone beeped.  He could see a new text from Kaydel had popped in.

'You forgot your lunch on the counter. 😞.'

He knew that Kay had packaged up some leftovers for him to take to work.  'Aw shit.   I'll have to order something in instead.'

'I can bring it to you at lunch if you'd like?  That way we can have lunch together for a change 😊.'

'Damn Kay – I would've liked that, but need to work through lunch.  Don't worry about me – I'll just order in.  Just put it back in the fridge.   Thanks for trying though.'

'Okay 😢.  See you later.'

'See you.  I'll swing by your parents place around 6:30 to pick you up before we head to Finn and Rey's.'

'Okay.  Bye.'

'Bye KK'

He smiled at her nickname.  For whatever reason, her middle name was Ko, and from the minute he'd found out, he'd started calling her KK.  She'd liked it, and though it was cute., so he'd kept calling her that.

Reaching his building, he grabbed a coffee from the shop in the lobby, and headed to the elevator to start his day.