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Upfront payment and no questions asked was how Rey ran her side business of sorts. As a breakup artist, It was more of a hustle really, her prices were a bit over the top but she was known to get the job done quickly and smoothly. No fuss, no muss.
She had never had a complaint before and she intended to keep it that way. Basic information, a transaction and no more contact with the client after apart from a text notifying them that the job was done. However there was an issue with this case, she’d never been given a photo to identify her, well target was a bit of a strong word, but the recipient of the break-up. She had just been instructed to go to a coffee shop at 11 am on Saturday and the only information provided was a name.
Ben S.
Ben is a very common name and S could stand for anything really. Ben Smith? Ben Stevens? Although what if Ben was short for another name like Benjamin or Benedict? The more she thought about it the more she began to stress. This could go terribly. What if he didn’t show up? What is she missed him and then she had to tell her client that she had failed. Her reputation was on the line here.
Stepping into the coffee shop she scanned the room hoping for some hint that her client’s ex to be was somewhere. Maybe he was at the counter? As she ordered her coffee she quickly peered at the rather sweet looking barista’s name badge. Dopheld. Taking a stab in the dark she asked before heading to a seat, “Is Ben working here today?”
The barista gave her a funny look, “I’m sorry, ma’am but nobody called Ben works here.”
“I must have gotten the wrong coffee shop,” She gave a forced smile, “thank you anyway.”.
She turned around, her stress level going up a notch. Suddenly she caught sight of her boss and she felt like hitting herself.
Ben Solo.
Ben S.
How could she have not realised? She sighed in relief (but also felt a pang of jealousy that he had a girlfriend and satisfaction that he was now going to be single again) before marching up to him. She wouldn’t lie, she did fancy him, she had since her first day as his assistant. She cleared her throat and waited for him to look up at her from his laptop, a surprised look on his face.
“Rey?”
“Your girlfriend is breaking up with you.” she declared.
“What do you mean?” Ben asked with a frown
Rey noted the expression of surprise at seeing her had turned into confusion. She felt a a bit of sympathy for Ben, he must’ve thought he and her client’s relationship must’ve been going strong.
“I’m really sorry but-”
“I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“Yes, you do.”
“Um, no, I don’t.”
Now it was Rey’s turn to be puzzled. She can’t have gotten the wrong person. Her client said that Maz’s is his favourite coffee shop, it was 11 am, and Ben S was clearly meaning Ben Solo. Who else could it be?
Ben gestured for her to sit in the empty seat across from him and she sat down in a slight daze. She couldn’t have messed it up. All the signs pointed to him. She never got any of her jobs wrong, not even once, not even when she had first started doing it when she was at university. This wasn’t supposed to happen like this. This was it. The end of her little extra cash earner.
It was good money too, she thought, her heart sinking.
“Are you okay?” Ben drew her attention back from her brooding, “You look upset.”
“I’m fine,” she snapped, “I don’t even know why I’m still here. I don’t need your pity.” Rey usually disguised embarrassment by brushing it off but this was in front of her boss, somebody she sees every day.
“Why would you need my pity?”
The question caught her off guard and she made the mistake of catching sight of his gaze, his expressive eyes, which made her heart react more than she wanted, keeping her firmly glued to her seat.
“Are you sure you don’t have a girlfriend?” she asked weakly.
“I am 100% certain that I do not have a girlfriend.”
“You’re not waiting for a date?” She fell back against the backrest and shoulders slumped.
“Not at all, I just come here to get out of the house.” Ben looked at her suspiciously, “Why do you ask? Want to know if I’m single?” he teased with a smirk creeping onto his face. Now that smirk was a sight to behold. She’d never seen that look before and it would definitely come in handy imagining later on.
‘Pffft, no” Rey tried to casually brush off what she was actually. A silence fell between them, only filled with a quiet chatter from the groups around them. She could see Ben thinking something over when he suddenly spoke up with a slight panic in his tone.
“Who told you I would be here?” It dawned on Rey that he was worried about a stalker and for good reason. Someone was claiming to be his girlfriend, knew his name, knew where he’d be and what time he would be there. It was no wonder he was a bit tense after giving it some thought.
“I don’t know,” Rey replied guiltily, “I can’t remember her name.”
Ben did a double-take at the shop front as he caught sight of someone and then quickly looked down at the table, “Pretend you’re talking to me.”
“I am talking to you” Rey trailed off as she glanced at where he had been looking. A well dressed middle-aged woman was strolling into the coffee shop, her greying brown hair done up elegantly in a complex sort of braid. However, unfortunately, just as Rey had been about to look away, the woman looked in her direction and spotted her and Ben. The woman smiled and confidently approached the pair.
“Hello Ben,” she greeted the man, who was hunched over, focusing a ridiculous amount on the laptop screen in front of him, warmly.
He grunted a half-hearted reply and Rey tried to place the woman’s voice.
It sounded very familiar but from where? She was certain that she’d never seen this woman in her entire life. “Aren’t you going to introduce me?”
“Rey this is my mother, Leia.” he muttered before petulantly frowning at his mother, “There, happy?”
“The Rey? Oh, well, it’s lovely to meet you. This boy barely ever talks to me, although not for lack of trying on my part,” Leia sent a reproachful glare at her son before continuing, “but Ben is always talking about you when he does.” Leia reached to shake Rey’s hand and Ben’s cheeks grew pink as he pretended to ignore Leia. Rey couldn’t help but feel pleased to hear this piece of information.
“Good things I hope,” Rey laughed.
“He couldn’t speak more highly of you.” Leia beamed at her, “I’m so glad to be finally meeting his girlfriend. Workplace romance is always-.”
“We’re not dating” Ben interrupted as Rey demanded, “Girlfriend?” at the same time.
Leia frowned, “I just assumed from the way Ben spoke about you…”
“No, no, she’s not my girlfriend.” Ben’s face was glowing red and Rey could see the tips of his ears, ever so adorably poking through his hair, now pink. Rey felt butterflies in her tummy, how did he speak about her to his mum? She would love to have been a fly on the wall for those conversations.
“I swore the last time you came for dinner you mentioned you had a crush on-”
Ben now looked horrified and furious at the same time, “I said that to Dad in private! Why am I not surprised you eavesdropped, you always do this!”
“Ben!” Leia scolded him as if he were a child, “I didn’t listen to a private conversation.” she sniffed before adding, “Your father told me.”
Rey couldn’t keep a smile off of her face throughout Ben and Leia’s exchange. Ben had seemed to have forgotten that Rey was even and hadn’t even denied that he fancied her.
Rey had a sneaking suspicion that he favoured her over the co-workers but not that he had a crush to the point of telling his parents about her. She had noted the little ways he’d go out of his way to touch her whether it be a brush of the hand when she handed him his morning coffee or a gentle palm on the base of her back as he guided her out of the meeting room. She had always assumed it was wishful thinking that it felt more than platonic. The fact she was the only one he didn’t snap at and if he did he always apologised later she attributed that to her first day when he had a go at her for getting something wrong and she bit back.
“Rey?” Leia’s voice finally grounded her again.
“Hm? Yes?”
“I said it was nice to finally meet you, even if you aren’t Ben’s girlfriend.” Leia shot a glance at her son who was intensely twisting his fingers nervously.
“It was nice to meet you too, Mrs Solo.”
“My last name is Organa, dear. I never took Ben’s father’s surname. But, please, call me Leia.” Leia chuckled. She scrutinised the pair, “I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you often.”
She breezily glided away as Ben grumbled, “Didn’t even get a coffee. Why’d she even come here in the first place.”
It was really bothering Rey that she couldn’t figure out where she knew Leia’s voice from. The name Leia is rather uncommon so surely it would be an easy one to remember.
Leia Organa.
Leia O.
L. O.
The voice, the initials, it all clicked.
Rey gasped, “Fucking Hell.”
‘What?”
“It was your mum!” Rey exclaimed, “She was my fucking client! I recognise her voice from her call and the only name she gave me was her initials.”
Ben nodded as if it made pure sense, “It’s a new low, even for her, but I’m honestly not surprised.”
“Coffee to go for Rey!” Dopheld the barista called.
“I should probably leave,” Rey said reluctantly getting up, “Places to go, people to break up.”
“Right, okay.” Ben replied disappointedly, “I’ll just carry on finishing up here then.”
Rey grabbed her coffee and headed for the door when she felt herself being whirled around by Ben. He ran a hand through his hair. God, what I would do to be able to do that Rey thought wistfully
“Do you want to have a coffee with me?”
Rey felt her heart beat faster and a delighted blush spread as Ben anxiously awaited her reply.
“Aren’t I already?”