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"Ben, you made it!" says a man in his early sixties wearing a velveteen Santa hat over a wiry copper beard as he pulls Ben into a hug, slapping him hard against his back three times before releasing him. He wipes his hand on his evergreen Hawaiian shirt with tiny Santas sprinkled over it before handing it out to Rey. "And this lovely young lady behind you must be Rey."
She blushes as she shakes the man's hand. "And you must be Ben's Uncle Luke. Thank you again for letting me crash your Christmas dinner. It was very kind of you."
"It's no trouble at all. The more the merrier, especially at Christmas. C'mon you two, come inside before you freeze out there."
They enter the quaint Victorian-style house, the kind that Rey had hoped to live in when she moved to San Francisco until the reality of the cost slapped her in the face. She squeezes Ben's hand as they enter the skinny entrance hall, their heels clacking against the polished wood floor as Luke leads into the living room. Huddled together on the plaid couch is an elderly couple Luke introduces Rey to Ben's grandparents, Anakin and Padmé Skywalker, before rushing into the kitchen. Anakin nudges the dozing Padmé's sleeve of her rich burgundy satin dress that brings out the white in her wisps of hair pinned back into a tight bun, and her brown eyes snap open. Her hard frown softens when she looks up at Ben.
"Merry Christmas, Grandma Paddy," Ben murmurs and lets Rey go so he can kiss his grandmother on the cheek.
"What about me?" the old man whines.
Ben grins and steps around his grandmother to kiss his grandfather's cheek. "Merry Christmas, Grandpa Ani."
"Merry Christmas, Ben," Anakin chuckles as he slaps Ben's hand with his pudgy, liver-spotted one. "Who'd you bring with you, Ben?"
Ben glances up at her, and she smiles back in support. They decided on what they were on her bed that morning after he'd given her his card, but they had to make sure when they got into his car, and they double checked once more when he parked a block away from his uncle's house.
"She's my girlfriend, grandpa," he says.
"GIRLFRIEND?" a man booms as he stomps into the living room, shaking the floor and making the glass ornaments in the table-top tree shiver.
Ben rolls his eyes. "Yes, Uncle Chewie. I thought you were in Utah."
He shakes his head, though his course, curly brown beard with streaks of silver barely moves. "Was, but Han invited me over so I brought the trailer over."
"What? Who called me?" a gravelly male voice shouts.
"The apartment isn't that big, Han. You don't need to shout like you're on the field," a weary female voice snaps back.
"C'mon, everyone, it's Christmas. I don't want any arguing on Christmas," Luke says as he drags the squabbling pair that Rey (correctly) assumes to be Ben's parents out to the dinner table. "Let's all sit down, anyway. Dinner is just about done. Ben, help your grandparents to the table, won't you?"
Ben helps both of his grandparents up on their feet, but Rey takes Anakin's arm while Ben takes Padmé's, and together they lead the couple to sit together next to Leia, who sits at the head of the long rosewood table. Han takes his seat next to Leia, and Ben and Rey sit next to him so that they face opposite of Anakin and Uncle Chewie. Once Luke sets down the glistening honey-baked ham in front of his seat at the other end of the table, he asks everyone to join hands for prayer. Rey takes Luke and Ben's hands with her own trembling ones. She still can't believe that she's in this warm house with these warm people that she hopes to get to know a bit better over dinner.
"Dear Lord, today we come together once again at this table with family, with old friends, and with new--" his electric blue eyes twinkled at Rey, "to celebrate the birth of our Savior and to give thanks for this Christmas feast. With joy we pray, amen."
"Amen," Rey whispers with the others, suddenly feeling shy.
Everyone unlinks their hands, but Rey still holds on to Ben's fingertips under the table until the food is being passed around. Once everyone is served, Luke is the first to break the ice.
"So, Rey, how did you and my naughty nephew first meet?"
Ben's silverware clatter against his plate and he glares at his uncle, which makes Anakin laugh a phlegmy laugh and Leia smirk before she sips her wine. Rey tries to ignore the blush burning her cheeks and neck as she tells the summarized story of the Christmas cards all the way up to when he stayed up all night with her at the mailbox, which provokes a symphony of awwws from his family.
"We were wondering why you weren't at the service last night, Ben," Leia announces as she scoops up the last of her potatoes on her fork.
"It slipped my mind," Ben says.
"I figured as much," Han chuckles. "You did good, kid."
Rey looks up apologetically at Ben, feeling a little guilty that she kept him away from such a warm, welcoming family that enjoyed ribbing him a little.
Ben leans down to whisper in her ear, "My Uncle Luke says the same thing every Christmas. Trust me, I didn't miss anything."
"Well, that's only partly true," Luke interjects, which makes both Ben and Rey flush. She never expected Ben's uncle to have such good hearing. "I do say the same thing every Christmas, but the audience is always a little different. We had a special guest come last night, didn't we Mom, Dad?"
"Snips was there," Anakin says and pats Padmé's arm. "You remember Snips?"
Padmé only nods in response, but her face has a refreshed glow to it. Ben warned Rey that she had a stroke six months ago and hadn't spoken a word since.
"She used to talk all the time too," he told her in the car, his finger stroking the bottom of the steering wheel in small, controlled circles. "She was a senator, like my mom is. She used to call me once a month when I left San Francisco, but I ignored her calls. Now that I'm here I visit them once every couple of weeks, but it's not the same."
Rey didn't know what to say to that, except that they were here now and that was the important part, wasn't it? She hopes that she kept her face blank when he said that he ignored his own grandmother's calls. He opened up to her about ignoring his family in the past, but at least now he was trying to make up for it. When dinner is finished and everyone is brought to the living room, Ben sits between his grandparents, chatting with his grandfather while he holds his grandmother's hand. Rey listens in on the small conversations between his parents and his uncles about cars and football and how the BART was late again and did you see how nice they decorated the fire station--similar conversations she's heard her family say when she still lived with them during the few quieter, sober moments when they almost felt like a family. Small presents are handed out by Luke and Uncle Chewie, and Luke apologizes for having nothing for Rey.
"I was planning on spending the day eating Chinese food alone at my apartment, so spending time with you all when you weren't expecting me is a gift enough," she tells him.
"We'll make sure to have something for you next year, dear," Leia coos before giving a pointed look at Ben that reads loud and clear: Don't screw this up.
Ben shakes his head slightly and rolls his eyes, but he can't lose the smile on his face, and neither can Rey. She doesn't know how she'll fit into his family, but she hopes to learn how to by next year.
"Your family was not nearly as dramatic as you said they were," Rey teases the moment Ben pulls out of their parking spot.
"You threw them for a loop," he says as he flies down the dark hill, "so they all acted on their best behavior. Once you get to know them better, you'll see what I'm talking about."
She laughs at that.
"You had a good time, though?" he asks.
"I did."
"Good. I'm glad you did. Everyone liked you too."
"Are you sure they just weren't being polite?" she chuckles, though she can feel herself already sinking into a familiar sadness.
"They weren't, trust me. My family isn't big on false sentiment. If they didn't like you, you'd know right away."
Rey glances down at her cellphone and searches her missed calls for the day, but of course her parents' didn't call. If she wants to talk to them, she'll have to be the one to call them. Again. She jams the phone in her pocket and lets out a heavy sigh.
"I'm. Stuffed. Your uncle is a wonderful cook."
He eyes her just as they swing into the garage.
"I've got leftovers in case you need a midnight snack."
Rey leaves her cellphone in her apartment before she retreats into his. Tonight, just for tonight, she doesn't want to think about them.
There's something comfortable about Ben that she just can't place, like an old, old friend she hasn't seen since he moved away when they were children and just happened to be next door neighbors when they meet again as adults. She fits perfectly over him as he's sprawled out on his long couch, their Christmas cards standing side by side on the coffee table, his card opened just wide enough to read the scrawled message inside:
Dear Neighbor,
Sorry for not giving this to you sooner, but next year I'll make sure it will be the first one you receive. I never expected to have gotten to know you so quickly over these last few weeks, but I hope to get to know you better in the new year. You are an incredibly kind and generous person, and I feel that I've become a better person for having known you. I hope that you will want to get to know me better too, whether it's at Union Square or the café down the street.
Merry Christmas,
Ben
She definitely has plans to get to know him and his family better in the new year, but for right now, she's all about kissing up the curve of his chin to the lobe of his ears that he hides with his long, dark locks that are fun to twist between her fingers.