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Ben Solo sighs as he pulls his overcoat’s collar up higher, and picks up his pace. Showing up to his new job both late and soaking wet was not a good look. So much for having left early, he thinks. With his having gotten off the train at the wrong stop, and this blasted storm that seemed to have come out of nowhere, the world seemed to be conspiring to ruin what should have been a good morning.
It’s too early for many of the shops to be open, and he hasn’t spotted any umbrellas in any windows as it is. With a jolt of excitement he spies what appears to be an open store at the next corner, something called “Boots.”
He dashes inside, shaking his head a bit to rid his hair of some of the rain, and looks to the cashier.
“Do you have any umbrellas?” He asks the man behind the counter, mentally crossing his fingers.
The cashier mumbles out an “aisle five,” and Ben makes his way there.
His eyes light up upon seeing a lone umbrella in a bin at the end of the aisle, and, despite it being red and polka dotted with little frills along the edges, he will happily take what he can get. He reaches for the umbrella and just closes his hand around the top when a small hand with light pink painted fingernails lands on it as well. Ben pulls his hand away at the unexpected touch, then looks up to see a brunette still holding onto the only umbrella the store seems to have in stock. She has on a white blouse and black slacks, and her hair drawn up in three buns. Ben would swear he could see a hint of freckles on her adorable nose underneath her simple makeup. He’s not sure if he’s ever seen a more beautiful woman.
“I’m sorry, but I was going to buy that,” Ben tells her, lamely, kicking himself before the words are even all the way out of his mouth.
The brunette laughs, and Ben is surprised by how much he enjoys the sound. “Well, that was my general idea as well. Mine got destroyed by the wind,” she explains, holding up a clearly broken bright yellow umbrella.
Ben has never been one for English accents, but this woman’s voice makes his spine tingle. I could listen to her talk all day, he thinks idly.
It’s not until he gives himself a mental shake that he remembers why he is here, and that he’s in a bit of a hurry.
“I hate to play the pity card, but it’s my first day at a new job, and I can’t show up more soaked than I already am,” Ben tries to convince her somewhat desperately. “And I have to walk another five blocks to a giant egg-shaped building because I got off at the wrong subway station.”
“Tube,” the brunette blurts out.
“What?” Ben asks, nonplussed.
“You got off at the wrong tube station. Or underground. We don’t call it a subway here. And the egg-shaped building is called ‘The Gherkin.’”
Ben stares at her. “The Gherkin? You’re serious that that’s what it’s called?”
She nods, smiling, and replies, “I work in the building next door, so I’m pretty sure I’d know what we call it. And if we’re playing the pity card, I’d point out that I unfortunately chose a white blouse today, and I forgot my coat.”
Ben keeps his gaze resolutely on her face, despite the strong urge to look down to see if anything showed through her slightly wet blouse. Despite this distraction, he is struck with an idea, one that seems advantageous in more ways than one. “I have a compromise. Could we share the umbrella as we’re going in the same direction as it is?”
She gives him an appraising look, taking in his wet hair, the rumples in his damp suit, and his dripping overcoat. He knows he looks a mess, especially since his ears were likely sticking out terribly with his hair plastered to his head as it was.
“I suppose we could share it. You’ll have to hold it, though, since you’re so bloody tall that if I held it you’d have to crouch,” she tells him with a broad grin.
Ben sighs in relief. “I’d be more than happy to hold it. Well, I’d be happier if it was a bit less… polka dotted, to be honest.”
“Don’t be daft, it’s cute!” The brunette holds the umbrella aloft as she laughs again, and Ben decides he’d do just about anything for that to keep happening. “I’m Rey, by the way, Rey Niima.”
Ben smiles and holds out his hand, “Ben Solo, nice to meet you.”
Rey shakes his hand and Ben gestures toward the front. “To the register, then?”
They make their way back to the cashier, and Ben pulls out his wallet before Rey can dig hers out of her purse.
“I’ll get it, don’t worry about it,” Ben tells her.
Rey shakes her head, her buns bouncing around in a way that Ben finds charming. “I need a new one, anyway, and let’s be honest… this one is much more me than you.”
Ben feigns insult as he hands the cashier a twenty pound note, “You think a frilly red and white polka dotted umbrella isn’t very me? You don’t even know me! My whole wardrobe could be frilly.”
Rey laughs and rolls her eyes, “My apologies, fine sir, I’m sure you have many a frilly polka dotted item at home. By all means, pay for the umbrella.”
Ben takes his change with a final thanks, before holding his arm out with a grand sweep.
“After you, madam,” he says with as much gravitas as he can muster. Rey gives an exaggerated curtsy and a grin, skipping ahead and waiting for him as he opens the umbrella and steps outside first, holding the door open for her to follow.
“You’re quite the gentleman,” Rey remarks, stepping under the umbrella with him.
“I had to be, or my mother would have had my hide,” Ben replies wryly. “She would never brook me being rude to a lady.”
Rey cackles a bit at that, a huge grin on her face, “I’m no lady, love.”
Love, Ben thinks. You could keep calling me that and I’d be more than okay with it. Aloud he merely gives a non-committal “Mmm.”
They walk along for a few minutes in companionable silence before Ben works up the nerve to speak again. “So, I’ve just moved here, as you might have guessed. Do you have any tips for a new Londoner?”
Rey steps closer to him as the rain begins to slant with the wind, getting on her shoulder. Ben stiffens a bit, pleased, but not sure how to respond to the sudden closeness but she doesn’t seem to notice. She considers her answer seriously before replying, “Well, definitely stop calling the tube a ’subway.’ People will think you’re talking about sandwiches.”
Ben laughs, “‘The tube’ is a silly name, though. It’s a subterranean railway… thus, ‘subway.’”
“It’s also a giant tube, mate,” Rey objects, glancing up at him. Then, in a passable imitation of his accent, she adds, “Or, it’s underground… thus, ‘the underground.’”
Ben can’t help but chuckle at her. “Fine, I’ll call it ‘the underground.’ Any other tips?”
“Buy an umbrella,” she says with a cheeky grin up at him as they wait at a crosswalk. “It rains a lot here.”
Ben snorts and smirks down at her, “You don’t say? I hadn’t noticed. I actually do have an umbrella… somewhere. In a box. Hopefully one that made it to this country.”
Rey nods as they start walking again, “Fair enough. I used to move a lot, so I know how things can get lost in the midst of one.”
“Army brat?” Ben guesses.
“Nah, foster kid. Got moved around a fair bit when I was younger.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Ben says, feeling uncomfortable to have forced her to divulge this to a relative stranger. “I shouldn’t have asked.”
This time she definitely notices his discomfort. Rey lays a gentle hand on his arm and he looks down at her.
“It’s all right. It’s not your fault, and I brought it up,” she tells him, genuinely not sounding upset. “I’ve had a long time to learn that you can’t change your past.”
It's increasingly difficult to ignore the tingling sensation in his arm where her hand rests, so Ben decides to change the subject. “Okay. Have any suggestions for lunch around here?”
Rey seems to take this question very seriously. “Hmm, all right, so a lot of days I’ll just bag it, but when I do go out my favorite spot is a little pub called Maz’s. The owner is a laugh and the portions are almost American-sized.”
Ben quirks an eyebrow as he looks down at her, “‘American-sized’? What does that mean, exactly?”
“I’ve not actually been, but I’ve been told by several friends that American portions at restaurants could easily feed two people. It’s not usually like that here,” Rey says, sounding almost wistful as she carelessly steps through a puddle.
“I feel like you wish it was like that here,” Ben replies with a chuckle.
“Are you kidding, mate? ‘Course I do. If ours were that big I could just do half the meal as takeaway!”
“I must admit, I usually eat all of the meals I’m served at restaurants at home,” Ben says, chagrin coloring his tone.
“Well, you are the size of a redwood, love, I think your eating a lot can be forgiven. I eat a lot and I’m a snack-sized person.”
Ben chuckles outwardly, but inside he’s thinking that he knows it’s not a term of endearment here, not really, not how he would use it, but hearing her call him “love” again sends a thrill through him. He knows that he needs to try harder not to be so obvious about his growing infatuation with Rey, but he can’t stop thinking that lightning won't strike twice. He hopes he won’t spoil this chance the forces of nature have blessed him with.
Ben ducks a bit to look up from under the rim of the umbrella only to see that they’re nearly at The Gherkin (though he’s pretty sure he’s always going to call it ‘the egg building’ in his head). With no small amount of regret, he realizes their walk is nearly over and he’ll have to let her go.
He’s not ready for that.
Ben glances at his watch, and notes that, while he’s not yet late, he’s not going to be as early as he’d hoped on his first day. And yet, all he wants to do is continue talking to Rey.
“So which building is yours?” Ben asks, secretly hoping it’s one that is past his, so he can walk a bit further with her.
Rey nods toward a gray building just across the street from the egg building, a little further down, and says, “That one there.”
“I’ll walk you to the door, then doubleback to the eg— The Gherkin,” Ben tells her, breathing an internal sigh of happiness that he doesn’t have to let her go just yet.
Rey slants a sly look up at him and stops a few feet from the doors to Ben’s building, forcing him to stop as well so as to not leave her in the rain. Rey squints and throws a teasing smile at him. “Ah, I see, so you can keep the umbrella. Knew I shouldn’t have let you pay for it.”
Ben feels his face heat and hopes his ears aren’t also turning red. “No, I mean, that’s not why, I just wanted to—”
Rey cuts him off with a grin, “Save your excuses, Ben Solo, I can see through your cunning schemes. I have a better idea, though. Why don’t we share custody of the umbrella?”
“Share custody?” Ben asks, hoping this might mean she wants to see him again.
“Yeah, so you keep the umbrella this week, then I’ll have it next week. We can swap it back and forth on Mondays.”
Ben can’t help a snorting laugh, “Seems like it might be an issue on weeks where it’s raining and the other has the umbrella.”
Rey sighs, dramatically, “Well, I could just keep it, then, and you can find your sad boxed up one, I suppose.”
Ben’s face lights up with a sudden idea, and he decides to leap with it. “I did purchase the umbrella, technically, but I could let you have it in exchange for something...” He trails off, the sentence lingering.
“Oh?” Rey asks, quirking an eyebrow up at him.
“Go to dinner with me after work? I can meet you out here, with the umbrella,” Ben offers, heart in his throat, hoping his impulsive offer won’t be met with indignation.
Rey bites her lower lip as she considers him for a moment from under her lashes, then her mouth curls into a grin. “You know what, that seems like a fair trade. I really do like that umbrella, after all, it made the walk very pleasant.”
“It’s a beautiful umbrella,” Ben replies, not able to suppress his grin or take his eyes off of her. “So what time should I meet you out here, then?”
“Half five sound all right?” Rey asks.
“I have no idea what that means, but it sounds perfect,” Ben replies with a laugh.
Rey rolls her eyes, “Bloody Americans. Would half past five PM be all right?”
“Yes, that makes sense and sounds perfect. You can teach me more Britishisms at dinner, perhaps?” Ben is pretty sure he’d take her correcting him over talking to pretty much anyone else he’s ever known. He’s already looking forward to making her roll her eyes and laugh at him again at dinner.
“I’m sure I’ll have to, since you apparently didn’t even watch an episode of Doctor Who in preparation for moving here,” Rey replies. “Did you do any research into the country you were moving to?”
“Nope,” Ben tells her, without a hint of embarrassment. “I figured I’d just meet a pretty Londoner who could teach me everything.”
“You’re a cheeky one, now, aren’t you?” Rey laughs. “Anyway, I must be off, or we’ll both be late.”
Ben walks her to her building, eyes scanning the companies listed on the glass door as she moves under the awning. “So where exactly do you work, anyway?”
“I guess you’ll find out tonight, won’t you?” She winks, and saunters into the building.
Ben laughs as she disappears, then makes his way over to the egg.
He garners a few amused looks for his unusual umbrella, but as he makes his way inside, still dripping a bit, he can’t help but think how grateful he is for the English rain.
