A/N - Hi Lovelies!  I gotta say, I really, really struggled with this one - edited it numerous times....  It was originally much longer, and now I've decided to break it into two - so I'll apologize for that - but will try to post the next part in a couple of days.  I really appreciate everyone who has stuck with this story!!  

Well, we're finally getting somewhere with our two idiots!!  I'll try to pick up the pace in the last bunch of chappies (I had originally planned for this to be around 20 chapters but she's gotten away from me... 😢).  Anyhow - this chapter is a little exciting and a little angsty but fun and hopefully worth it all in the end with lotsa feels.  I hope you like it!  Please let me know - and of course VOTE!  Thanks!

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It had been a long time – probably almost 6 months at least – since Ben Solo had had an anxiety attack.  Even before then, they'd become a much rarer occurrence than he used to experience, somehow managing to keep his demons at bay until something set him off.  He was pretty sure that it was Rey's influence on him that helped manage his stress and anxiety.  Yet here he was, in the middle of a full blown attack, all because he hadn't heard from her in two days.

Well, he'd heard from her, but hadn't really heard from her.  She'd texted him on Tuesday night to tell him that she was too tired to talk, and then again last night saying something similar – which was totally unlike her.  Given his concerns about the mood surrounding their recent conversations – and his suspicions about how Celeste may factor into that – combined with what appeared to be her sudden reticence to talk to him, he didn't think his reaction was completely unfounded.

He'd been trying every one of his coping mechanisms all morning, but all of them were failing miserably as his breathing continued to accelerate.  He could feel his heart pounding wildly in his chest and it was now at the point where he was actually afraid that he might start to hyperventilate.

Fuck.  He needed to talk to Rey.  He realized.  Very badly.  But first he needed to get ahold of himself.  If he called her like this, she'd immediately know that something was wrong, and he didn't want to upset her - no know how upset he really was.

Hoping to calm himself down he took another deep breath and attempted to hold it for 10 seconds.  He'd barely managed to do it, but after a few tries felt his heart rate decelerate slightly.  Happy with that small modicum of success, he went on to the other breathing exercises his Uncle Luke had shown him, once again feeling his heartbeat slow a little bit as a brief sense of calm started to bloom in his chest.

He continued for a few more minutes until he thought that his pulse and breathing were a lot closer to normal.  Feeling much better, he reached for his phone and dialed her number, waiting impatiently for her to pick up, feeling his heart accelerate slightly once again.  When he got a message telling him 'that the customer at this number was not available' he sat back in a bit of shock.  Usually, that message was only given when a phone was put into Airplane Mode – otherwise the call would go to voicemail.

What the fuck?  She never said she'd be travelling this week.  So something must have happened with work, and she was probably sitting on a plane, on her way to a site visit somewhere.  He could feel his heart rate begin to spike again as his anxiousness returned and he literally began to shake.

"Fuck!"  He roared, finally letting it all catch up with him.

Less than a minute later, Celeste popped her head into his office, her face etched with worry.  "Ben?  Is everything okay?  Are you all right?"

Seeing her concerned face momentarily gave him pause, but when she started to take a few steps into his office he held up his hand to stop her.  His voice was brusque when he replied.   "I'm fine Celeste.  I just need a moment."  She looked at him if she didn't believe him, and opened her mouth to say more, but he cut her off, gritting his teeth to keep from losing it.  "Can you please close the door on your way out?"

"Um.  Okay.  If...if you're sure you're all right?"  She asked hesitantly.

He gave her a curt nod in reply, watching as she slowly turned and walked out of the office, closing the door as he'd requested.  He immediately dropped his head into his hands, taking deep, cleansing breaths.  What the fuck was wrong with him?  It wasn't as if they'd never gone more than 2 days without talking to each other.  So what if they hadn't gone that long since returning from the Bahamas.  It was no big deal, right?

Hissing out a long breath, he continued to try to control his emotions.  He had to get over this.  He felt like a complete, lovesick fool.  There was probably nothing wrong, and he was blowing this all out of proportion.  It was unlikely that she was avoiding him - Rey was just busy – really busy - that's all.  She'd probably call him tonight and he'd feel stupid that he'd overreacted like this.  And it will all have been over nothing.

Scrubbing his hands over his face, he fervently hoped that he was right, and that she would call him.  Soon.  If she didn't, he was going to have an issue dealing with his anxiety, which would probably result in him doing something monumentally stupid tomorrow.

****

Rey found that she couldn't sit still as the plane began its descent into LAX.  She'd taken a 10:30 AM flight out of Logan Airport that morning and had been nervous – fidgety – from the moment her ass had hit the seat.  But she was also excited – practically bouncing the entire time, unable to sit still.

She was going to claim the man she loves.  Loves!  It had been 3 weeks and 3 days – a full 24 days - since she'd seen him and she could hardly wait.

The flight would be landing just before noon local time, so it would likely be after 1 PM or later, depending on how long it took to get her luggage – as well as traffic - before she got to his office.  She'd easily found his office address on his website.  Crossing her fingers, she hoped he'd actually be there though.  That was the danger in this surprise visit – she might miss him if he was out somewhere, but figured that she could text him when she landed to see if he was actually in the office.  He might find that a bit odd, but oh well, she'd make up some excuse if he decided to call her on it.

Before she knew it, the plane had touched down and she was making her way through the terminal to find her luggage carousel.  She'd never been to L.A. before – and so was unfamiliar with LAX, getting lost once before finding that she'd have to take a shuttle to the main terminal after she'd retrieved her luggage.

While on the shuttle bus, the little TVs advertised the airport's 'convenient' luggage storage service, which for a fee, would allow her to stash her stuff for delivery later that day.  She thought that sounded wonderful as it would prevent her from having to drag her suitcase around with her.  After making those arrangements she checked the time.  It was almost 1 PM.  Now or never.  She thought, taking a deep breath and sending Ben a text.

'Hey!  How's your day going?' 

His reply was almost immediate.  'Hey!  Good!  I tried to call earlier but got a not in service message.  Are you travelling?'

He'd tried to call?  He never called during the day.  'You tried to call?  Is everything okay?'

'Yes.  All good.  I hadn't really heard from you in a couple of days and just wanted to make sure you were okay.'

Her heart melted.  He was worried because they hadn't spoken since Monday night.  She smiled to herself.  'Sorry about that.  I was unexpectedly arranging my flight and packing last night.  Sorry if I worried you.'

'Its fine.'  He replied.  'Where are you?'

Shit.  She'd have to fib to him.  'Oh, its nothing really.  Just an unexpected visit to discuss a really big proposal.'  She giggled, pleased with the ingenuity of her response, trying to distract him from the topic.  'Is it nice there today?  Are you stuck in the office on a lovely afternoon?'

'I'm stuck in the office on most afternoons.'  He shot back.

"That's too bad.'  She sent back.  'Gotta go now.  I'll touch base with you later?'  Again, she smiled at the cageyness of her response.

'Sure.  Call me later when you're settled.'

'👍'  She replied, trying her best not to outright lie to him, still smiling.  Soon.  She thought.  She'd be with him soon.

Grinning happily, she headed to the taxi stand, hopping into the next cab in line and giving the driver the address of Solo Strategies L.A. office.

****

Ben opened the door to his personal office and ventured out into the main area where the other staff cubicles were located.  The space wasn't overly large, with only two enclosed office spaces – one he'd chosen for himself; the other he'd left as a conference room.  The rest of the staff would all have open concept desk space in the main area, but he'd told Celeste that she could claim his office when he wasn't in town.

Now that he'd been in contact with Rey, he was thinking a bit more clearly.  He felt bad about how he'd ordered Celeste out of his office earlier, and wanted to apologize.

He found her sitting at her desk, gazing at him warily as he approached.  Stepping forward, he leaned his hands on the edge of her desk.

He cleared his throat uncomfortably.  "Celeste.  I'd like to explain – a bit – about my earlier behaviour."  Her eyes shot to his, softening in affection, causing him to look away before he continued.  "I was just having a minor and unnecessary meltdown over something personal.  But I shouldn't have treated you like that.  And so, I'd like to apologize."  He told her contritely.

"Don't worry about it."  She said, smiling at him in understanding.  "We all have bad days.  I was actually worried that you might have heard back from Aeromar, and that we didn't get the job."

That gave him pause.  They'd been waiting on pins and needles to hear from this potential client, expecting a response from them by the end of the week.  Given that, he could understand why she'd seemed so concerned at his earlier outburst.  "No.  Still nothing."  He reassured her.  "Rest assured, you'll be the first to know once I hear anything."

She smiled again, giving him a slight nod.  "Okay then."

"Thank you, Celeste – for understanding.  It won't happen again."

She smiled again, her expression open and softly pleading, yet subtly suggestive.  Reaching out her hand, she laid it on top of one his resting on the desk, adding quietly.  "Whatever it is, just let me know if there's anything I can do to help.  Anything at all Ben.  I'm a really good listener.  And, I really do want to help."

A shiver of discomfort whispered through him.  While it appeared that she was simply trying to be nice, there was something in her eyes that made him wary again.  And she'd touched his hand.  Not sure how to address her seemingly innocent offer of support, he gingerly withdrew his hand from beneath hers and schooled his features, giving her a blank look before nodding once and turning to walk away.

He sighed internally.  Although she wasn't being completely overt about it today, he'd felt really uncomfortable with that last exchange.  Fuck.  He was probably going to have to do something about her infatuation with him – likely sooner rather than later.  He was pretty sure that he wasn't imagining it – but he clearly sucked at being able to subtly deter her.  According to Rey, he generally sucked – badly - at deterring women when they were gunning for him.

Had he glanced behind him, he would've seen the naked longing and hunger in the woman's eyes as they followed him back to his office.

****

The taxi dropped Rey off in front of a nondescript low-rise office building that appeared to be located a decent distance outside of the main business district.  As she'd suspected, traffic had been a nightmare, the trip taking almost an hour even though Google showed that the building was only about 5 miles from LAX.

Walking into the lobby, she suddenly felt a wave of trepidation hit her.  What if this was a mistake?  What if she was disturbing him, and he wasn't happy to see her?  She closed her eyes, trying to calm her racing heart.  Well, it was too late for cold feet now.

Searching the directory board, she found Solo Strategies listed as Unit 404 on the 4th floor.  Taking a deep breath, she steeled her reserve and headed to the elevator.

****

Ben's day had improved dramatically after getting those texts from Rey.  Everything seemed to be okay with her – and between them.  She was just busy, as he'd suspected, finding herself unexpectedly travelling.  He realized then that she still hadn't told him where she was, but it didn't really matter – she'd call him later and tell him then.

He was just so relieved that it had all been in his head.  He'd literally felt the tension draining out of him after he'd spoken to her.  Shaking his head, he chastised himself mentally.  He'd stupidly overreacted about not talking to her for a mere two days, to the extent that he'd started to spiral out of control – having a fucking anxiety attack.  But everything was fine.  And although he was still extremely uncomfortable and concerned about Celeste, he'd speak to Rey later tonight and tell her all about his problem – about everything that had happened – and readily admit that he really was an idiot – a total Stupidhead.  Then she'd probably laugh at him and would help him find a solution.

Somehow, he'd managed to get a decent amount of work done in the last hour or so, scheduling two meetings next week with potential clients, dealing with a minor hiccup with Blutech, which was one of his existing clients, as well as putting the final touches on a proposal for yet another potential new one.  He hit send, emailing the document to Celeste for one final once through before forwarding it to the client.  All in all, he suddenly felt pretty good.  Not bad after having such a shitty start to his day.

His email chimed, notifying him of a new incoming message, and he gasped sharply, seeing that it was from Aeromar.  He sucked in a deep breath and opened the message, his eyes immediately bugging out of his head when he read the first few lines.  After reading it once again, a huge grin split his face from ear to ear, as a disbelieving laugh bubbled up from his chest.

"Celeste!"  He bellowed eagerly.  "Come here!"

She ran into the office seconds later, once again looking worried.  "What?  What is it?"  She asked anxiously.

He waved her around his desk, rolling his chair backwards and standing to move out of her way.  "Here – read this!"  He replied excitedly, pointing to his computer screen.

Zipping around his desk, she leaned over and read the message that was displayed on his screen, mumbling it out loud as she raced through it.  "Mr. Solo we are pleased to inform you that we've decided to go with Solo Strategies for support with our newest project...."  She gasped sharply, but continued reading quickly.  "...blah blah blah we look forward to working with you and anticipate hearing from you shortly to finalize the contract details....blah blah blah..."  Turning to face him she shrieked in glee.  "Ben!  Oh my God we did it!!  They hired us!  Three weeks in – and they actually hired us!  This is so amazing!!"  She grabbed his hands and literally jumped up and down in her excitement.

"You're right – it is amazing!"  He said, still smiling hugely.  "Celeste, I can't thank you enough.  Aeromar was your lead – there's no way I would've been able to do this without you.  And the project is worth $100k!  Not bad for our first foray out of the gate!"  He was still holding her hands, and he squeezed them gratefully, still revelling in their success at finding a client.

She was still bouncing excitedly when something briefly flitted across her face.  "We did it together Ben!  You and me!  We make a fantastic team!"  She said excitedly, before happily throwing herself at him, plastering herself against his body and wrapping her arms around his neck.

****

When the elevator doors opened, Rey stepped out and looked around her, following the signs on the walls, looking for the door to Solo Strategies L.A.  Wandering down the hall in the direction indicated by the arrows, she came to a stop outside of a wooden door, bearing the company name.  Smiling, she traced the letters softly, before opening the door and walking in.  She was greeted by a seemingly deserted, but large open space  with a number of cubicles that extended behind a currently vacant reception desk.

Nobody seemed to be around, which actually surprised her a little.  She knew that Ben had three staff, and assumed that there would at least be somebody there to show her the way.  Unsure of what to do, she walked further into the office, looking for any signs of people, finally hearing the sound of voices from a distance.  Listening carefully, she followed the sounds, definitely able to pick up Ben's rich baritone mixed in with the soft, lilting sounds of a feminine voice.  She smiled upon hearing him speak.  He seemed to be excited – exuberant over something.

Hastening her steps, she approached the doorway from where she could hear the conversation emanating.  Grinning broadly, she took the final few steps until she was in the doorway – and stopped dead – her heart freezing in her chest as the world fell out from beneath her feet.  Behind a large, but functional desk stood Ben with a woman – one that appeared to be his raven-haired VP – who was plastered to the front of him with her arms wrapped around his neck in what appeared to be a lover's embrace.

Rey gasped out loud, quickly swiveling around to press herself up against the wall next to the door, out of sight of the two occupants in the office, praying to God that they hadn't heard her.  Her heart had began beating again, pounding loudly in her chest, as she began heaving in gasping, shocked breaths.  She stood there shaking, trying to make sense of what she'd just seen, but already knowing what it was.  Suddenly, she could hear Ben ask  "What was that?"  At that, she let out a broken sob before turning frantically to run back to the main door and down the corridor towards the elevator.  When she got there she began hysterically pressing the button over and over, praying that the elevator would arrive quickly.

She could hear the click of an office door closing somewhere down the hall just as the elevator doors opened.  Dashing inside, she pushed and held the 'close door' button and the 'L' at the same time, fervently hoping that the doors would shut in time.  She breathed a small sigh of relief when they began to close, thankful for the brief respite from whomever appeared to have been following her.  She hoped that if it was Ben, that he'd given up and gone back to his office.  After all, why would he care that someone had happened upon him and his lover?  If it really was him, he probably just wanted to know who had entered his office.

Now that she was alone in the elevator, the tears began to flow freely, shock still permeating her very being over what she'd just experienced.

She had known that this had been happening – had felt it in the way he'd spoken of his beautiful colleague.  She'd just hadn't truly wanted to believe it.  And now she was too late – it was a done deal.

No longer able to hold back her sobs, she let them out, wailing brokenly as the elevator took her back down to the lobby, away from the man whom she loved but who had unknowingly broken her heart.

****

Ben stood there dumbfounded, with Celeste clinging to him tightly for about 5 seconds before his brain started to function again, with red lights flashing in his head.  Warning!  Warning!  Danger!  Danger!  He was just reaching up to disconnect her arms from his neck when he heard a soft sound from the doorway.

Fuck!  The last thing he needed was one of the other staff finding him in an inappropriate embrace with his VP.  They'd been busy setting up the office systems earlier that morning and had taken a late lunch, and had probably just returned to find him in a very compromising position with Celeste.  That was not the impression he wanted to give his staff - nor the tone he wanted to set for this office.  It was not okay to try to fuck the boss.  Wrenching her arms away from his neck, he stepped away from her and looked over to the doorway.

"What was that?"  He asked, not really expecting Celeste to answer.  He could hear footsteps running down the hall and the click of the door as it shut behind whomever just exited.

Shit.  Someone had seen them, and had likely misunderstood he thought to himself as he strode toward the doorway.  He had to find whoever it was who'd seen them - and set them straight.  Then he was going to have a very serious and pointed discussion with Celeste.

When he walked out into the main open area of the office he was instantly assailed by a familiar scent - an essence that was burned into his very being.  It momentarily stopped him in his tracks.  Rey.  He'd know her scent anywhere.  What the fuck?  How was that even possible?  He immediately broke out in a cold sweat, realizing that if it was somehow her who'd witnessed Celeste throwing herself at him that he was probably in very deep trouble.  Very deep trouble indeed.

Taking off at a run, he exited the unit and jogged down the hallway towards the elevator, turning the corner just in time to hear the elevator doors shut.  Fuck!  Looking across the hall, he darted towards the stairs, bursting through the door and taking the steps two at a time as he raced against the clock to get down to the lobby before whomever it was left the building.  On one hand, he hoped to God that it wasn't Rey.  But on the other, his insides were screaming in ecstasy that she might actually be here – that she may have actually come to L.A. to see him.

He wasn't quite sure which outcome he wanted – but first he needed to get downstairs to find out who it was.

****

Rey's vision was blinded by tears as she stepped out of the elevator on the ground floor.  She was too late.  She'd been so excited at the idea of seeing him that she hadn't really considered the prospect of what she might find when she did.  She was sobbing quietly, tears streaming down her face as she tried to find a quiet, isolated corner of the lobby in which to compose herself before leaving.

How had it all gone so wrong?  She'd known that there had been a risk of this, but after brooding over it for so many weeks, she'd brushed it aside with the fervent, bright hope that everything really would work out between them.

He had clearly started something with his beautiful colleague though.  She'd been stunned – and shattered - to have found them wrapped around each other like that in his office.  In that moment, her heart had cracked and broken open, knowing that she really had lost him – had lost the chance that fate had handed her – but had been too blind and scared to take.  Her hand went to the necklace at her throat, mourning the loss of something that could have been so beautiful if she'd had let it.  Mourning the loss of him.

What was she going to do now?  She hadn't thought about anything beyond getting here – beyond getting to him.  But now, she'd have to face it.  She really didn't want to be here anymore, and figured that her only option was to make her way back to LAX and see if she could get a flight back home tonight.  She just needed a few minutes to get control of herself and regain some of her composure – if that was possible with the way that her heart was hurting – literally bleeding in her chest.

She was still standing there, facing into a corner, quietly sobbing into her hands, when she felt a large, warm hand on her shoulder.  Gasping, she swung around quickly, ready to brush off whatever help this good Samaritan was trying to provide.

Instead, she was stunned to find herself looking up into Ben's shocked, confused and very concerned gaze.  She sucked in a huge breath and sobbed even harder when she saw him, gazing up at him with wide, watery eyes.

"Rey?"  He asked quietly, confusion and uncertainty plainly written on his face.  His heart had seized when she'd turned around and he saw her face.  She was a literal mess - her cheeks red and streaked with tears - her eyes haunted with such an overwhelming sadness that his throat immediately constricted and he could barely speak.  Knowing that she'd run from him – from what she'd seen – his voice was hesitant, careful in how he approached her, like a deer in headlights, worried that he might scare her off.  "Are you okay?  What are you doing here?  Did something happen back home?"

Her lips were unable to form any words and her throat was too tight to do anything but croak, so she just shook her head and continued to quietly sob.

Gently wrapping his arm around her, he pulled her closer into his side, trying to guide her back to the elevator.  "Here, come with me.  Let's go up to my office – you can have some privacy there – and we can talk.  Okay?"  He whispered, his tone tender and cajoling, still tentative with her, afraid she'd try to run from him once again.

Still beyond speech, she looked up at him tearily and nodded, letting him lead her over to the elevator.  Her brain wasn't quite working, so she simply followed where he led her.  Although her heart was breaking over him, his arm around her shoulder felt comforting, his touch soothing her splintered emotions.  He didn't let her go when the elevator doors opened, keeping her anchored to his side for the entire ride up to the 4th floor and the walk to his unit.  She was grateful for that - noting that his overriding concern for her well-being hadn't seemed to have changed.  At least they could still have that.

Thankfully, Celeste was nowhere to be found, as he continued to shepherd her towards his office.  When he got her there, he guided her through the doorway and steered her into one of the lounge chairs in front of his desk.  "Here, sit."  He commanded gently.  "I'm going to grab you a glass of water.  Please.....don't run away?"  He begged softly.

Once again, all she could do was nod, watching through teary eyes as he strode out of the office, returning in record time with a glass of water and a box of tissues, closing the door behind him.  Handing her the glass, he placed the tissues on the desk before snatching one out of the box and holding it out to her, perching himself on the edge of the desk in front of her.

She gratefully accepted both the water and the tissue, taking several huge gulps from the glass and handing it back to him before trying to dry her eyes.  The tissue was soaked after only a single pass, and he wordlessly held out another for her.  She chuckled slightly in embarrassment, using the second Kleenex to finish drying her eyes and face.  Holding her hand out for one more, she gracelessly blew her nose, then took a deep breath, feeling a bit calmer.  Wadding up the tissues in her fist, she looked up at him with sad eyes and gave him a small, regretful smile.

Ben had been watching her silently, his own emotions tangled up in knots, waiting for her to compose herself a little and hopefully stop crying enough so they could actually talk.

"Are you better now?"  He asked hesitantly.  She finally seemed to have stopped sniffling, so he didn't want to upset her again.  He was still trying to process the fact that she was unexpectedly here – actually here – unsure of exactly what it meant.  His heart had surged when he first saw her, but then stuttered when he realized that she was crying, and it looked like she was getting ready to flee.  All he knew was that she was hurting – sobbing brokenly when he'd found her, and he needed to know why.

He was certain that she'd seen Celeste embracing him.  Under normal circumstances, finding your best friend in the arms of another woman wouldn't generally result in such a teary, heartbroken reaction.  Unless......his breath stuttered in his chest.  Unless that best friend felt something more than friendship.....That might explain her tears.  No.  It would definitely explain them...... His heart fluttered as he watched her intently, hope flaring throughout his entire being, waiting for her to speak.

She sat in front of him, gazing up at him warily, her emotions rioting and eyes still wet from her tears.  Seeing him like this, she felt unbalanced – uncertain, with him – not knowing what to say, or where to even begin - especially after what she'd seen between him and Celeste in that office.  Swallowing hard, she tried to read the look on his face, but all she could see was concern for her, written in those expressive eyes that always seemed to see through to her soul.

He seemed to be happy to see her – but also appeared to be rather confused at her sudden appearance.  Her breath shuddered out of her chest and she wiped her sweaty palms on the front of her pants.  Suddenly, she couldn't meet his eyes, letting them dart all over, finally allowing them to settle on a point near his chin.  Her throat tightened once again and her heart started to ache, convinced that she'd made a big mistake in coming here.  She could be losing him entirely.  It looked like she already had.  The thought made her chest clench in fear and her eyes begin to water once again.

He gazed back at her, keeping a tight rein on his emotions, desperately trying to maintain a relatively neutral expression, afraid that if he let his control slip by the slightest bit that everything – his longing and fear - would come tumbling out and he'd make a complete fool of himself.  He was still unsure about why she was here and what was really going on – but he was so very hopeful.  What had happened to bring her here?  Why hadn't she let him know she was coming?  All he knew was that she'd hopped on a plane and flown all the way to freaking LA - came all this way to see him without even telling him – so whatever she wanted to say, it must be important.  He was almost afraid to let himself believe – to hope.

Could it be what he so badly wanted it to be?  It was the only logical explanation for her tears.  The thought sent a warm shiver of anticipation through him.  Please...

His heart was hammering in his chest, hoping beyond hope that she was here for the one reason that had kept him awake at night for the past two months.  Taking a deep breath, he gathered his courage and softly, but cautiously asked.  "Why are you here Rey?  Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"  When she remained silent, he continued, frustration and concern lacing is tone.  "What's going on?  Please tell me.  Did something happen?"

She blinked, confused by his question, her heart stuttering as pain once again stabbed through her chest.  He didn't want her here... She was probably interfering... in the way....

As soon as the words had left his mouth, he knew they'd come out wrong.  The expression on her face confirmed it.  His cheeks reddened and he cursed his clumsy attempts to get her to talk to him.  He was really making a mess of things.  Trying to dig himself out of the hole he suddenly felt like he'd fallen into, he added.  "I didn't mean -"

"I missed you."  She blurted out, without thinking.

A flicker of surprised amusement crossed his face as his expression softened.  "I missed you too."

Her still shaky breath shuddered out of her chest and she tried to blink back the tears that were threatening once again.  Somehow, her brain had stopped working, and the words just tumbled out of her mouth.  "You kissed me....."  She whispered, feeling like an idiot.  She was making a mess of this, but her brain didn't seem to want to cooperate.

His eyes widened hugely.  His heart, which was still racing, began hammering even more furiously as the blood roared through his veins.  The composed façade on his face cracked slightly, but he still did his best to keep his expression neutral, not wanting to assume too much.  "I did.  But that was almost four weeks ago Rey.  You haven't mentioned it since then...acted like it never happened.  I....I thought that maybe you wanted to forget about it."

Was she imagining it, or did his voice crack a little when he'd said that?  She wasn't completely sure, but swore it had sounded a bit gravelly and strained – as if his throat was unnaturally tight.  He still seemed a little distant, but less hesitant than before, and his eyes appeared to be suddenly softer, but still uncertain and wary.

Of course she hadn't forgotten that kiss!  How could she?  She needed to tell him that, but unfortunately was still tongue-tied, her brain and mouth refusing to cooperate.  "I....."  was all she could choke out, before falling silent again, her throat too constricted to go on.

He simply had to know why she was so upset.  Other than when she'd found out that Finn had cheated on her, she'd never looked so.....broken.  So lost.  She was usually so strong, almost always exuding light from some inner fire that burned so brightly.  But right now, that fire seemed....smothered.  Sputtering.  Vulnerable.  He'd never seen her like this before.  Ever.

The uncertainty was positively killing him, making him prod her further, desperately needing the answer – simply needing to know.  His voice was gentle though, as he reached out his hand to softly brush away her tears, which had started falling once again.  She visibly shivered at the slight touch.  "You came all this way to see me, because you missed me?"  He asked, his voice gently mesmerizing.  She nodded back silently.  "But then, why are you crying Rey?"

She took a shaky breath, her voice coming out in a broken whisper.  "You made me promise...but..."  Feeling pathetic, she looked away from him as her voice cracked and tears continued to softly cascade down her cheeks.

He sucked in a breath, trying to absorb what she was implying, daring to believe that she really just might want him as desperately as he wanted her.

"...but then....when I got here....I saw....you...and...."

He could hear the sadness – the absolute heartbreak in her voice and it suddenly all came together, confirming what he'd suspected – and feared.  His mind raced with the implications of it all – joyously exulting in the fact that he hadn't been wrong.  That she felt the same.

It all made sense now.  Her mad dash back downstairs after having just arrived – not even letting him know that she was here – and her heartbroken, anguished sobs when he'd found her crying in the lobby.  She'd come to see him – because she'd missed him – wanted him - and when she'd gotten here had found him in the arms of another woman.

Reaching out his hand, he gently tilted her head back to look at him.  "You saw me in the office with Celeste.  Saw us hugging each other – with her arms around me - standing far too close - touching me."  He told her quietly, with a soft smile.  "And you thought that....her and I...."

The green flecks in her wet eyes shimmered back at him like emeralds as she swallowed thickly, nodding sadly.

His thumb stroked over her cheek, gently wiping the tears away.  His voice was warm, soothing and seductive when he spoke.  "We'd literally just gotten notified that we'd landed our first client – and we were so excited that I foolishly hugged her – well, to be exact, she hugged me.  But honestly, Celeste has been a royal pain in the ass - making a nuisance of herself ever since I hired her.  She's a brilliant strategist and I'd hate to lose her, but I've wished you were here every single day to tell her to back the fuck off and save me from her roaming hands like you always do."

Rey's eyes widened and her mouth fell open with a sharp, shocked inhale as she absorbed his words.

His eyes burned with an intense molten fire, finally showing the emotion she was used to seeing in them.  But this was different – stealing her very breath.  What she saw there was deeper.  Stronger.  More intense than she'd ever seen in them before.  She was caught – mesmerized by them – feeling like she was looking into the mirror of her soul - as her heart beat furiously in her chest and hope blossomed, spreading throughout her very being.  "There's only one woman that I want to touch me, and its not her."  His gaze dropped to her lips.  "The one that's been haunting my dreams for months."  He looked back up into her eyes and continued to stare at her intensely.  "The one that I've been dying to hold since I kissed her and left her standing at an airport almost a month ago."

She started crying again in earnest as she leaned closer to him.  "Ben......I don't want to be your best friend anymore."  She whispered.

His eyes widened, afraid – for a just brief second – worried that maybe he'd completely misunderstood everything.  However, her eyes were saying something else entirely.  "You.... don't?"

"Yes.  No.  I mean..."  She blew out a harsh breath, still feeling discombobulated.  Her eyes slowly tracked upward and locked onto his.  "I want to be more than your friend.  I mean...I think I already am...that we already are...."

Overjoyed relief shot through him upon hearing those words, making his heart beat so frantically that he thought it was going to explode right out of his chest.  She felt it too.  Thank God.

He closed his eyes and said a silent thank you to every deity he could think of, as well as the forces of the cosmos, whom he'd known had been slowly pushing them together.  Swallowing thickly, he opened his eyes again, surprised to find them starting to water, and reached out for her hands.  When he found them, he tugged her up and out of the chair, pulling her forward so that she was standing between his knees.  "You'll always be my best friend.  But you're so much more than that.....Rey....You're the other half of me.  Somehow, you've wormed your way into my soul.  I need you - more than I've ever needed anything in my life.  I've literally been going out of my mind without you."  His eyes were hungry and full of longing as he continued to search her face, waiting to see what she would do.

Rey just stared at him for a minute, absorbing the truth of his words, letting all that he'd said sink in.  Once it did, she gave him a teary smile, before throwing herself into his arms and burying her face in his neck.  "Ben...."  She murmured quietly against his skin.

He pulled her even closer to him and held her tightly, inhaling deeply, breathing her in and sighing into her hair.  Suddenly, the knot in his chest loosened and he could finally breathe again.  It felt like the first time he'd truly been able to do so in a very long time.  Dropping his head, he nuzzled her neck and shoulder, relieved to have her in his arms like this at last.  She felt so damn good.

After a minute, she pulled back and gave him a huge, teary grin.  "Hi."  She said happily.

"Hi back."  He replied, his eyes sparkling, his smile equally huge, the tension between them gone.  Tugging her closer once again, he placed a palm onto her cheek.  "I missed you Rey."  He told her in his deep and mesmerizing voice.  "So damn much it hurt."

"I've been such an idiot."  She whispered pitifully.  "I feel like its been right in front of me all this time....and then when you kissed me.....I was afraid to believe it."

"And I've been a spineless coward."  He gave a quiet, self-deprecating laugh, dropping his forehead to hers.  "I wanted to tell you so many times.  Even though you'd already told me, in so many little ways...."  He huffed out a breath, pulling back to look at her carefully.  "I should've just given in and kissed you a long time ago...."

He watched her eyes darken and her lips part as she inhaled sharply.  Her eyes flicked down to his lips before returning to his, causing a small, involuntary sound to escape from his throat.  Their gazes locked on each other's unwaveringly as they both leaned forward at the same time, anticipation thrumming between them, their eyes fluttering closed as they gently brushed their lips together.

It was electric and beautiful all at once.  They both shuddered and then sighed into the soft kiss, easing further into it, both ecstatic and relieved to finally be able to share such a simple, yet intimate act at last.  It felt so overwhelmingly right – like a feeling of wholeness and of finally coming home.  Almost....magical.  No longer forbidden.  No guilt.  No fear.  No misunderstandings.  No hesitation.  There was just the two of them, and nothing else.  Because nothing else really mattered.

Ben could feel hot tears gathering behind his lids as his emotions began to overwhelm him.  She wanted him.  Him!  With his fucked-up past and neuroses.  Somehow this beautiful creature, who knew him better than anyone else – knew his dark, shameful secrets - knew what made him tick - felt something more than friendship for him.  He'd felt their connection deep in his soul; had known for months that fate had meant for them to be together, and after patiently waiting for what seemed like so long he was just so damn relieved that he wanted nothing more than to lose himself in her forever.  Tightening his arms around her, he shuddered again and deepened the kiss, allowing himself for once to stop thinking and just feel.

Just like the first time he'd kissed her at the airport, the moment Ben's lips touched hers, Rey felt like her knees were going to buckle beneath her.  She quickly placed her hands on his chest for support, slowly running them upward to wind around his neck.  Holding on for dear life, she continued to sink deeper into him, earnestly plucking at his lips with her own, slowly learning his kiss.  Learning what made him shiver and sigh as he tightened his hands on her and pulled her even closer; learning what made him groan softly in his throat – each one of his sounds making her quiver in response – as she gradually lost herself in him.

Although their kisses had started soft and easy, tinged with sparks of passion and desire teasing the edges of their senses, after denying themselves for so long, it didn't take much for those sparks to turn to flames.  Little sizzles of electricity began crackling through them, shooting sharp bolts of sensation throughout their bodies with each soft but intense stroke of their lips upon the other's.  Soon, they both surrendered to it completely, their kisses becoming deeper, their movements more fervent as the temperature between them increased, their breathing sped up and they lost themselves completely to everything around them except the steadily growing passion that was finally flowing openly between them.

After wanting her for what felt like so long, Ben almost couldn't believe that she was really here – and that she was kissing him, no less.  Kissing him like there was nothing more important to her in the entire world.  His chest filled with utter joy.  He'd longed to be able to hold her like this for so many months, wanting to show her how he felt, how precious she was to him and how much he just needed her – only her – pretty much for the rest of his life.  He knew it like he knew he needed air to breathe, and he wanted her to know it too.

He didn't want to overwhelm or scare her, but his feelings were clamoring to get out – making him feel like he was almost bursting at the seams to tell her everything.  For right now though, it seemed as if time had slowed down, like the beat of a hummingbird's wings shown in slow motion.  All he could do was feel what she was doing to him, each sensation independent and overwhelming – slowly seducing him.  The feel of her soft lips against his, making them tingle.  The brush of her fingers at the nape of his neck, making him gasp.  The way her soft breasts felt as they lightly skimmed against his chest with each of the subtle movements she made, drawing a quiet groan from his throat.  The puff of her breath softly fanning across his face each time their lips separated briefly to catch a much needed gasp of air.  It was so much and yet not enough all at the same time.  He'd never get enough of her.  Never.  His hands clenched, grasping her hips even tighter, pulling her closer still.  More – he thought – he wanted more.  Needed more.

When his tongue lightly brushed against her soft lips, they both moaned, and suddenly the intent, slow movements were not enough to satisfy.  It felt as if a firework suddenly burst between them and everything shifted.  Their kisses became even deeper and more desperate - hotter, as tongues twined and teeth nipped at each other's lips, both wanting to get even closer to each other as the fire between them flared and sizzled, burning even brighter.

When Ben felt her softly bite at his bottom lip in response, unbridled lust surged through him.  He huffed out a breath and roughly pulled her flush against him, a whining moan escaping his throat at the contact.  Rey whimpered softly in response, the sound causing his dick to twitch heavily in his pants, suddenly feeling so hard he thought it would burst through the seams of his trousers.

As their kisses became even wilder, their hands frantically started roaming everywhere, fingers flexing and grasping wherever they touched.  Rey's moved up into his hair to clasp the luxurious strands in her fingers, running her nails across his scalp, eliciting a shudder and a long groan from him.  Ben's moved down to her ass, cupping and squeezing it before pulling her toward him and pressing his desperately hard erection against her.  She gasped and let out a whine when she felt his hardness begin gently rubbing against her center.  Pulling herself closer still, they began to devour each other, as their passion exploded and need for each other started to spiral out of control.

Ben's hand smoothed up her back and into the hair at her nape, his fingers forcefully clutching her head, his teeth scraping along her bottom lip, causing her to keen loudly.  Suddenly, lust shot through him, threatening his fragile control.  He broke the kiss and leaned his forehead onto hers, trying to calm his heavy, erratic breathing, holding Rey tightly to keep her upright.  After a minute, he opened his eyes and gazed down at her, his mouth still open and panting, eyes still dazed.  "My God - that was even more amazing than I ever dreamed it would be."  Reaching over, he gently stroked her cheek.  "And I've dreamed about doing that every damn night since the airport – longer, actually."

She smiled up at him, giving a small nod, trying to find her voice.  "Me too."  She croaked shakily, not quite capable of speech just yet.  Her limbs felt like jelly, and she was thankful for Ben's arms wrapped so firmly around her.  "That was.... "  She blew out an amazed breath, also still panting.  Her eyes were sparkling with happiness though.  "Wow."

His hand moved up to stroke over her hair softly, continuing down to rub circles onto her back, feeling so happy he thought he would explode.  "I don't know how many times I almost kissed you in the Bahamas."  He laughed, shaking his head slightly.  "I probably should have.  But I'm so glad you're here now Sweetheart.  I've been going crazy these past weeks, unsure whether you felt the same way I did, too nervous and scared – terrified - to actually tell you in case you didn't.  I thought that, after that kiss at the airport, that maybe you did....but then you didn't say anything about it, so I wasn't sure.....and I was so worried that I'd fucked up."  He shook his head.  "And then, you seemed so closed off and quiet lately – I was so worried about what was going on with you."

"Sweetheart?"  She asked softly, a knowing smile on her face, recalling that she'd heard Han use that term with Leia a few times.  Ben's face went red, but he continued to look into her eyes as he nodded happily.  "I like that."  She whispered, before laughing softly, her joy bubbling up from inside of her chest, no longer able to contain it.  Running her fingers through his hair, she marvelled at its softness and grinned like an idiot, enjoying this easy affection between them.  She realized now that it had always been there – they just didn't acknowledge what it was before.  "I've been so scared too, Ben.  At first, I was overjoyed that you kissed me.  But then, I got really confused.  You didn't ask me about it – or say anything either – so I thought that maybe I'd misunderstood what you'd meant by it.  Then I saw the pictures and videos with Celeste, and I really wasn't sure any more.  The way you talked about her at first – you seemed so excited and animated – but then you didn't want to talk about work anymore, and when you did speak of her it almost seemed as if you were keeping something from me."

She blew out a shaky breath.   "It really scared me Ben.  What if I was wrong and you didn't feel this?  Or, what if you were falling for her?  What would I do?  Could I accept that and get over this?  Would I lose my best friend?"  She shook her head.  "I panicked at the thought.  I'd already lost my heart to you – I knew it after Paradise Island.  But losing you entirely - that would completely break it."

He thought his heart was going to burst at her earnest confession.  Bringing his hands up to her cheeks once again, he looked straight into her eyes.  "I'm sorry you were so confused about everything Sweetheart – I wish I'd been brave enough to just tell you months ago.  But I was afraid that you weren't ready to hear it.  Know this though - you'll never lose me Rey – do you hear me?  Never.  You're too much a part of me for that to ever happen."  He whispered emphatically, leaning his forehead onto hers again.  "And as for Celeste, every time I mentioned her, you got really quiet and seemed to be really uncomfortable.  And, well, when I finally figured out that she was trying to seduce me.... I just thought it was best to simply not talk about her – in case you picked up on it.  I didn't want to worry you or piss you off."

Sighing in relief, she stroked his cheeks with her thumbs, giving him a soft smile.  "You have no idea how much the thought of something happening with her positively tormented me.  I mean, I want you to be happy Ben – but the very idea of it broke my heart.  So...it was just....really hard to deal with."

"I'm so sorry Sweetheart.  I wish I would've just told you when we were in the Bahamas.  I actually did try to tell you once...."

Laughing, she shook her head.  "I think I know when.  It was that last night at dinner, right?  When I stopped you."  He nodded, his forehead still against hers.  "I figured that out after you'd left.  I'm such an idiot."

"Why did you stop me anyways?  You seemed so....frightened, all of a sudden."

"Yes, I was."  She replied sheepishly.  "You seemed so serious....I thought you were going to tell me that you'd met someone....break the news to me and all that...."

He sucked in a sharp breath, stroking his thumbs back and forth along her cheeks.  "I don't know what would make you think that, but that will never happen, Rey.  Never.  I'm in too deep – and I think – at least I hope - you are too."  She nodded at him fervently, her eyes bright and happy.  His voice softened, dropping an octave to that timbre that both enthralled and excited her at the same time.  "I love you Rey."  He crooned reverently.  "I am so crazily, hopelessly in love with you.  I....I've never felt like this before.  But I know what I feel.  You're it for me - absolutely everything to me.  All I want is to make you happy – and to see you smile.  I think about you all the time.  You're the first thing I think about each morning, and the last thing on my mind when I fall asleep.  I want to wake up beside you every day, after thoroughly making love to you before we fall asleep each night."

Her heart was going to burst - stunned by his passionate, sincere admission.  This was everything – yet so much more.  Her eyes were teary with joy and wide with wonder, tinged with more than a little shock.  But she was tongue-tied, unable to find any words to say to him, her brain completely overwhelmed.  "Ben...."  She whispered through her tight throat.

Seeing the wide-eyed expression her face, he mistook it for hesitancy.  "I know – too much, too soon.  I'm sorry."  He said abashedly.  "I always go too fast – just plowing ahead without thinking.  But I feel like I've been holding it in for so long and it all just came tumbling out."  He looked away, his hands sliding off of her face.

She caught them with her own.  "No.  Ben.  Just wait."  She laughed.  "First of all, neither of us went too fast with this - I'd say it was rather the opposite!  And secondly, would you please just shut up and kiss me again, you big Stupidhead."

His own eyes widened briefly, realizing that she wasn't hesitating at all.  In fact, her eyes were shining with happiness, and maybe even something more.  Chuckling, he smiled sheepishly and nodded, bringing his hand back to her cheek, nuzzling her nose gently before threading his hand into the hair at her nape and softly touching his lips to hers once again, breathing a sigh of relief at how good it felt.

An overwhelming feeling of rightness washed over Rey once again, just as it had from the moment their lips had first touched earlier.  She knew they were meant to be together.  That she felt the same things – everything he'd just said – and more.  She could feel it in the very core of her being.  Suddenly realizing that she hadn't told him exactly how she felt, she pulled away from the kiss, not wanting to wait even a minute longer before telling him.  She'd inadvertently made him wait so long already.....

"Wait!  I...."  The words stuck in her throat as he looked at her curiously.  "I love you too, Ben."  She told him shyly, watching his eyes flare with renewed joy.  

"You do?"  He asked, wonder clearly written on his face, bursting into a smile when she nodded back at him, and he began to stutter.  "I mean....I thought you felt something....and I had hoped.....but....I never expected....."

Smiling softly, she brushed a lock of hair out of his eyes.  "It's the same for me.  Everything you said.  It's exactly the same.  I think about you all the time too.  About what you're doing – things I want to tell you about my day... These last few weeks have been hell!  I missed you so much and I was so afraid – obsessively brooding over imagining you with Celeste!  It was like my heart hurt all the damn time!  My colleagues – and my boss - were afraid that I was sick because I wasn't eating much, and well, you know me..."  She blushed.

He laughed in response, giving her a quick kiss.  "I do.  I know you better than anyone else.  Just like you know me."

She nodded, tightening her arms around his neck and pulling herself closer.  "I'm so happy, Ben – so glad that I came here.  It just feels.....right."  Pausing to look around for a few seconds, she returned her gaze to him and continued.  "Your office already looks like its going really great.  And I think you said you've already gotten your first client, right?"  He nodded, his eyes shining back at her.  "Ben – I'm so proud of you.  It seems like you've accomplished so much - and after only a few weeks!"

"So far, it has been going great.  Well, except for Celeste's increasingly apparent attempts to seduce me at every turn.  Her behaviour was really starting to become a problem.  If you hadn't shown up today, I would've finally had to sit her down and set her straight – if not outright fire her.  But I'm glad you're here now."  He smirked.  "I'm sure you'll do much better at....deterring her."

"Oh, so you finally figured it out on your own this time, huh?  That a woman was trying to seduce you?"  She laughed.

"It took a few days..."  He mumbled sheepishly.  "But before I realized it I may have accidentally given her some false hope.  Eventually it was kind of hard not to see it though..."

Rey's eyes narrowed.  "She was almost crawling on you when I first showed up!  Her arms were around your neck and she was practically plastered to the front of you!  I'll bet she would've even kissed you if you hadn't come after me!"  She let go of him and placed her hands on her hips in irritation.  "And like usual my big Stupidhead was too nice to shove her off!  I swear Ben,"  She told him angrily.  "she'd better not lay a single finger on you ever again or I'll kick her ass from here to next week!"

He smirked back at her and grabbed her hands once again, tugging her closer to him.  "For your information, she wouldn't have gotten the chance to kiss me because I was just about to untangle her hands from my neck."  He grinned.  "And... secondly - your Stupidhead?"  He pulled her even closer.  "I think I like this possessive side of my little Technogeek.  Its kind of hot."  He muttered silkily.

She wound her arms around his neck and pulled herself to him with a mischievous smirk, marvelling at how good it felt to be pressed against him like this.  "Oh, you think so?"  Leaning even closer, she whispered into his ear, her voice dropping an octave as her lips brushed against his lobe.  "Then just wait till I get you into bed.  I'm going to make you so hot you're going to spontaneously combust."

All the air huffed out of his lungs and he shuddered deeply as lust surged through him once again.  "Christ, Rey."  He pulled her face close again and began kissing her frantically, his hand splayed across her back, holding her to his body, letting her feel exactly what she did to him.

The kiss started out frantic and very quickly began to spiral out of control, getting hotter and hotter, reaching a point where they were once again almost devouring each other.  He simply couldn't stop touching her, his hands roaming everywhere they could reach – into her hair, down her back and then over her ass, caressing and squeezing a little less than gently – desperate to just feel all of her after waiting so long.  After a few minutes Rey began whimpering again as he unconsciously thrust himself against her, moaning at the sensation – forgetting where they were, wanting more.  

He was still perched against the desk, and she leaned further against him, trying to get even more friction where she needed it, frustrated that their positions wouldn't quite allow it.  Her panties were damp, her was core throbbing for him and she wanted nothing more than to climb up and straddle his lap to let him ease the desperate ache and emptiness between her thighs.

A noise from outside his door very suddenly brought them both back to reality.  He pulled away from her sharply with a gasp, taking several deep breaths, still stroking her hair – unwilling to stop touching her.  "We have to stop."  He gulped out.  "Before this gets out of control."  She nodded back at him wildly, her eyes wide and her own breathing harsh and laboured, her hands still tangled in his hair.  Taking a few more deep breaths, he sheepishly smiled at her.  "We should get out of here, but...."  He blushed.  "I'll need a few minutes.  I can't walk out of the building in this –"  He cleared his throat.  "....condition."

Rey chuckled as she released him and backed away, glancing down at the large bulge straining against his slacks.  Her eyes widened when she caught sight of it, unable to look away.  Holy shit.  She thought, her heart starting to pound in anticipation.  She had to squeeze her thighs together to ease the sudden intense, renewed throbbing in her core.  Fuck, she wanted him so badly.

Ben noticed the direction of her gaze and immediately tensed in nervousness, before quickly quashing it.  No.  She was not Kay.  He reminded himself, pushing the feeling away.  Clearing his throat to get her attention, he teased.  "Excuse me Miss Kenobi – eyes up here."  Afraid of what he might see when her gaze met his, he was unprepared for the clear hunger written on her face.  Another jolt of lust shot straight through him, and his dick twitched again.  He swallowed thickly.  "The way you're looking at me is not helping the....situation."

"Sorry."  She mumbled bashfully, turning her attention away from him and clearing her throat.  She took a deep, cleansing breath before turning back to him with a smile.  "Okay.  Hands and lips off for the time being."  She told him, leaning forward to give him one last hard, quick kiss.

Shifting away from him, she walked around his office, noticing the bare shelves and walls.  "You need some stuff in here."  She commented.

He stood and began gathering his things into his briefcase.  "I know.  It was mostly furnished with the cubicles outside, but the rest of furniture – for my office and the conference room - just came in a few days ago.  What kind of stuff would you suggest?"

"I don't know – some personal things.  Things that express who you are."  She glanced back at him, slightly perplexed.  "You know, I just realized that I've never actually been to your office in Boston.  Don't you have those types of things in there?"

"I do."  He smirked.  "But I don't intend to be here in person that often, so I don't need to fill this office with that type of stuff."

She shook her head.  "I disagree.  You don't want your clients to know that you're rarely here – so if anything, you definitely need to make it look and feel lived in."

He stopped what he was doing to regard her for a minute.  "Hmmm.  I never thought of it that way.  I just assumed they wouldn't care that my home base was in Boston."

"Some brilliant strategist you are."  She chuckled.

"Hey!"

"Calm down – I'm just kidding Solo."

He replied quietly.  "I also told Celeste that she could use this office when I'm not around, so maybe I'll let her pick out those types of things.  Assuming she stays around."

"I guess time will tell."  She gave him a coy smile.  "Are we good to go?"

He blushed slightly, but gave her a curt nod, grabbing his briefcase off the desk.

"Wait!"  She moved closer to him and leaned up to try to tame his mussed hair.  Smiling knowingly, she whispered.  "I seem to have made a mess of things."

Smiling back at her, enjoying her gentle ministrations, his voice was quiet and deep when he replied.  "Then by all means you should fix it."  When she was done, he leaned down to give her a soft kiss, smiling at her tenderly.  He couldn't remember it ever being this easy with Kay – nor those few weeks with Alison.  This was just....right.

Rey watched him gazing down at her with an odd smile on his face, causing her heart to skip a beat.  "What?"  She asked amusedly.

"Nothing."  He said happily, holding out his hand and wrapping his fingers around hers.

When they exited his office, Rey could see the woman in the red dress – Celeste - look up from her desk.  The expression on her face was almost comical as her gaze shot down to their entwined hands.  Ben walked over to the woman's desk, who stood as they approached.

"Celeste, I'm going to be taking tomorrow off – and possibly Monday too – but I'll let you know for sure in a day or so."  He told her, his tone stern.  She just stood staring, her eyes flicking back and forth between him and Rey.

"Uh.  Okay.  Sure.  This is... sudden.  Is everything okay?"  She asked uncertainly.

"Everything is fine – nothing to worry about."  He smiled.  "Celeste, I'd like you to meet my..."  He turned his gaze to Rey to glance at her for a second with a broad smile.  "...my girlfriend Rey.  She's in town for a few days."

"A few weeks actually."  She grinned up at him when his surprised eyes met hers again.  Shrugging, she told him.  "I have eleven weeks of vacation and OT stored up, and my boss wanted me to burn a some of it, so I took some time off."  Shifting her gaze back to the woman, she smiled sincerely.  After all, Ben probably hadn't mentioned her, so she couldn't really blame Celeste too much for chasing after him.  "It's nice to meet you Celeste.  Ben tells me you're quite the brilliant strategist."

Caught off guard, the woman's expression softened momentarily.  "Oh.  Um.  Thank you."  Her eyes moved to Ben's briefly before flicking back to Rey.  She studied her for a few seconds before saying.  "So you're Rey.  I....I didn't realize you were his girlfriend."  Her head turned toward Ben's once again, her smile brittle, as she continued in a slightly chiding voice.  "You've talked about her a few times, but you never mentioned that you left a girlfriend back home."  She glanced back at Rey, tsking quietly.  "You poor thing – a six-week absence is such a long time – it must've been so hard for you.  But don't worry, we've been taking really good care of him here in L.A."

Well that was catty.  She thought.  Also, something about her tone of voice pissed Rey off.  It sounded almost, possessive.  And insinuated that he might have been up to 'something' with the woman.  She could sense that Ben was about to respond, but squeezed his hand tightly to let him know that she'd take care of it.  "Oh.  It's been fine - really.  We've spoken almost every single night, and he's told me all about you."  She said back, just as cattily, her smile knowing.

Celeste's eyes widened in uncertainty with Rey's last statement, getting even wider when Ben added.  "That was why I freaked out a little earlier today."  He explained.  "We hadn't connected in a couple of days and I was getting worried - and had a melt down when I couldn't get in touch with her .  But she was actually on a plane coming to see me - as a surprise."  He gave her a little squeeze as he said it and Rey smiled up at him adoringly.

Glancing back at Celeste, Rey gave her a gamine smile.  "I really do have to thank you for trying to distract him and keeping him occupied these past few weeks."  She said sweetly, with just a hint of sarcasm lacing her words.  "I'm sure it helped keep him focussed.  So – thanks!  I will be eternally grateful to you for taking Ben under your wing so he could acclimate to L.A.  And now, he can show me all the cool places you helped him find." 

Ben smiled, chuckling inwardly at her subtle barbs and tugging Rey a little closer with a surge of pride, as he spoke to Celeste once again.  "So, you're in charge for a few days.  Please get the contract for Aeromar drafted up, and I'll review it when I'm back.  You can call or text if you need to – but only if its an emergency please."  He hesitated before slyly glancing at Rey and adding.  "We'll probably be a little busy for the next few days."

He could hear Rey choke back a laugh, shocked at the subtle yet blatant inference in his words.  Celeste's face paled even more.  She couldn't resist giving the woman another genuine grin and a parting shot.  "Goodbye Celeste.  It was nice to finally meet you.  I'm sure we'll see a lot of each other while Ben's still here."

Giving Celeste a brief nod and a farewell smile, they left her staring after them as he tugged Rey out of their offices and toward the elevator.  "She looked a little shell shocked, don't you think?"  Rey giggled.

Ben shrugged.  "I'm hoping that your mere presence will result in an extreme shift in her behaviour towards me.  I really don't want to fire her."

Rey chuckled again and rolled her eyes.  "If not, I can resort to less subtle methods."

"Lets hope it doesn't come to that."  He replied, before his brow wrinkled, as if suddenly realizing something.  "Don't you have any luggage?"  He asked in confusion.

"I left it with a storage service at the airport.  I can have it delivered if I send them the address."

"Okay.  Are you hungry?  Do you want to grab something to eat?"  He asked, stepping into the car as the elevator doors opened.

She shook her head.  "No.  I'm good for now.  I'd really love a shower though – I always feel grimy after flying.  Then maybe we can go to dinner somewhere afterward?"

"Sure.  We can go to my temporary apartment.  You can have your bags delivered there.  Unless...."  He swallowed and looked away.

Tilting her head she looked up at him in confusion.  "Unless what?"

He sighed.  "Unless you want to stay in a hotel."

Rolling her eyes, she leaned up and wound her arms around his neck.  "Ben.  Why would you even think that?  I don't want to be separated from you...."

"I only have one bed."  He blurted out nervously.

She kissed him softly, whispering.  "And that's a problem, why?  If you remember, we shared a bed in the Bahamas."  She grinned mischievously.  "And...."  She said, emphasizing the word.  "...you told Celeste that we'd probably be "a little busy" for the next few days."

He ran his hands down to her hips, and she could hear the uncertainty in his voice.  "I know.  I....just want you to be sure.  I don't want to rush into.....that."

Her eyes widened as she pulled back a bit to look at him in surprise.  "Ben, I don't know about you, but it seems as if we've both been practically pining for each other for more than a month – maybe longer - so I would say we wouldn't be rushing into anything."  She laughed.

Leaning his forehead against hers, he replied.  "I know... I just....want us to get to know each other like this for a bit – as more than just friends.  To have a bit of time to enjoy the newness of this.....the anticipation of it all.....for maybe a couple of days, before taking that step."  He sighed.  "Although I've wanted this for so long, we've suddenly crossed this....line...and well....I just thought we should get more comfortable with that....first."

Staring into his eyes, like usual, she became lost in them.  Had they always looked like that?  With those dark whiskey coloured irises and hints of gold teasing the edges?  Blinking firmly, she gave herself a mental shake to snap herself out of the haze she was in.

How could she not love this gorgeous, sweet, amazingly considerate man?  She guessed that most guys would want to take her straight home and fuck her senseless.  But not Ben.  Based on their kiss and his reaction to her physically, she knew he wanted to take her to bed, but he clearly didn't want to rush it.  While on one hand it was a little disappointing – she wanted nothing more than to give into this heat that had been simmering between them for months – it was also such a sweetly romantic thing to do.  Something that was just so...Ben.  It was little wonder that she was so head over heels in love with him.  She'd simply been unable to help it.

Gazing at him with a knowing but meaningful smile, she replied.  "Okay – a few days of foreplay sounds like it could be fun."  She teased and exaggerately batted her lashes up at him coquettishly.  His eyes widened as he began to process what she'd said.

Giving him another soft kiss, she nipped his lip and then gazed up at him with a devious grin.  "And I fully expect us to act like horny teenagers till then."

He chuckled.  "Horny teenagers, huh?"

She nodded playfully, reaching around to grab his ass, startling him as she gave it a light squeeze.  "Oh definitely.  But I'll give you fair warning - if you make me wait too long, I'm going to have to thoroughly seduce you."  She murmured with a seductive smile.

His eyes darkened as he gazed back at her, hungry once again.  "Noted."

The elevator dinged and they released each other before the doors opened.  Stepping out, Rey found herself in the lobby once again – only this time under much different circumstances.  Ben gave her a happy smile before lacing her fingers through his, giving her a quick kiss on the knuckles before dragging her outside to grab a taxi and head home.