Archive of Our Own

Moodboard created by reylosea

"Let's break until later today and regroup to discuss budgeting, equipment, and whatnot for this campaign. Rey, see if your team cam come up with a stronger call to action. Strengthen up that tagline. We can do some A/B testing if you come up with a few with our focus groups. In the meantime, great job everyone."

They all nodded at their VP of marketing, Luke Skywalker and finished up their note taking. After their morning roundup, Rey's team stayed a bit behind.

"I thought our slogan was catchy," Finn, the graphics designer and newest member of the group said of their team's presentation.

"Slogans and taglines are two different things, Finn," Kaydel, a fresh out of grad school and top salesperson reminded him.

"Hey boss, what did Luke say?" Jannah, Rey's assistant asked when she met up with her team after having a conversation with her boss.

"He says our campaign is fine, so don't worry there," Rey explained. This eased them since Luke didn't seem all too pleased during the meeting. "But he is right. We do need a stronger tagline. We should come up with a list of choices and take him up on the A/B testing to see what receives better with our focus groups."

"Sounds good. Do you just want to stay in here and keep working?" Jannah asked.

"No, let's brainstorm in my office, I need to multitask on my computer for a bit and answer some emails," Rey said.

Saying that, her phone had already beeped with a flood of messages.

"Okay, Jannah and I will grab all we need here," Kaydel offered.

"And I'll grab the Postmates order downstairs and we'll meet you in 10," Finn said when he got a ding from his phone. Even just being with the company for six months, he already knew Rey well enough to order their lunch way ahead of time to be more efficient.

"You guys are the best!" she praised her team.

After answering the first email on her phone, Rey started walking down the hall towards her office. Usually she'd get stopped by anyone and everyone, but today seemed to be a breeze walk from the reception desk. She took this opportunity to check her text messages because her phone kept buzzing in her pocket during the meeting. Unlocking her phone, the usual messages were there – a flooding of texts from her best friend Rose who was going frantic about how to raise a bunny after her boyfriend surprised her with one for her birthday last week; a couple of texts from her friend Poe who was trying to fly down to have a mini college reunion with her and Rose; and the last one from her special someone which made her face crack into a smile even before she opened the message to read it.

Reservations are set. I'll pick you up at 7. Happy anniversary, sweetheart. xx-Ben.

No one knew how to make her day start off right like her man. With a bright smile on her face, she shot her boyfriend a quick text back.

Can't wait, babe! Happy anniversary ;) xx-Rey

It was her and Ben's five year anniversary and what a whirlwind romance did they have. Three years her senior, Ben Solo was a graduate student while Rey was a junior in college. One evening they were both on campus studying for finals. They met by chance and from that day forward they were inseparable. Five years later and Rey was still so in love with the cute nerd she met at the student center. There was no doubt that she knew with the little things he did like turning the coffee machine on for her when he left her place in the mornings or keeping a stash of her favorite junk food in his own pantry that he loved her just as much.

Rey went about her day normally at the Skywalker Advertising Agency. She managed many accounts and had a strong team of quirky, likeable, and hardworking peers. With Jannah's brains, Kaydel's wit, and Finn's creativity mixing with Rey's bold leadership, this team was unstoppable.

Most days the team worked through breaks, usually spending lunch together in the conference room or Rey's office. Today was no different, especially since Rey wanted to leave on time to get home and prepare for her anniversary dinner with Ben. She got to her office before the others and settled at her workstation, going on auto-mode and loaded her email client. She almost didn't notice the object at the edge of her desk until she needed a pen. Curious, she reached over and picked up what turned out to be a candy bar.

Who left this candy bar on her desk? Surely, she didn't. As much as she loved junk food and sweets, she didn't usually have snacks lying around her office.

She noticed that there was a note on the treat that simply read:

Milky Way chocolate bar: 75 cents.

Did she ask someone to get this for her? Rey wouldn't be surprised. Her mind was always running and sometimes she'd forget the smallest things. Maybe she did ask someone to grab her a candy bar to fuel her up. She didn't think of it much more since the rest of her team showed up seconds later and placed the chocolate back on the desk.

Rey had a corner office with enough space to have a desk and a round four-seater table on one end of her room. Kaydel and Jannah set up the boards on easels and turned a laptop on for their presentation. Finn handed everyone their burrito bowls and they ate their early lunch for a bit before getting to business.

"So, this is the big five-year anniversary, huh?" Kaydel decided to make small talk, recalling that she had a bouquet of flowers sent by Ben that morning waiting for her on her desk.

"Mhm," Rey smiled.

"You and Ben are the cutest couple I've ever met!" Kaydel squealed. "I love that you two have been together so long. Augh, you're going to make the cutest babies!"

"The man needs to propose to her first, Kay," Jannah and Finn laughed. "Have you two talked about it?"

"We have," Rey shared. "But we're in no rush."

"How did you two meet again?"

Finn being the newest member of the team had only known Rey for half a year. Kaydel and Jannah had been on Rey's team a bit longer and have met Ben several times.

"We met in college," she shared with him. "Over finals week."

She glanced over at the piece of candy she found earlier and picked it up. She smiled to herself and looked up at her peers.

"In fact, it all started with a chocolate bar…"

-Chocolate Bar-

Rey met Ben in the student center commons at Chandrila University. She was a third year undergraduate in business, and he was studying for his master's in communications. During finals week, the university's student center and library was open 24/7 so students could study on campus. That semester Rey had to stack up her statistics, accounting and microeconomics courses, so it was a semester full of ratios, probabilities and all things numbers. She and her friend Rose were planning on pulling an all-nighter to study together for their exams that Friday. It wasn't even midnight and Rey was already feeling drained. Rose suggested she go to the vending machine to grab herself a pick-me-up chocolate bar to raise her sugar levels. Seeing as it was a good idea, Rey headed over to the vending machine at the end of the corridor and reached the kiosk at the same time as another student. Well, more like she bumped into another person. They were both absorbed in their own worlds to even notice that they were headed the same destination that Rey found her forehead colliding with a strong, firm chest. She stumbled back a bit, but before falling on her butt, she felt a pair of large hands grabbing at her arms and pulling her so as to not fall.

"Whoa," she heard a raspy baritone voice mumble. "Are you alright?"

Though she was thankful not to fall on her butt, she was a bit embarrassed to realize that she ran into someone. As the stranger let go of her arms, she straightened up a bit and tugged at her sweater to calm her nerves. When she looked up, her world stopped moving.

He was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. Not the most conventionally striking, this tall mountain of a man though tough on the outside, his eyes told a different story. These maple brown eyes were soft compared to the rest of his build, and the way she got lost in them, Rey knew he would be someone she needed in her life.

"Um… yeah," she said timidly. "Sorry I ran into you. I've just got finals brain fart," she tried to joke. But he didn't seem to budge.

He was entranced. This alluring, sweet, beautiful woman was standing in front of him, talking to him. How he had never ran into her on this reasonably sized campus was a mystery on its own, but he was glad that in this moment they had finally crossed paths. Something pulled him to get up from his booth studying with friends to walk to the vending machine for a snack. He never ate snacks, but his mind and his stomach said otherwise that night. She could have been the reason and the universe wanted them to literally bump into one another. He was going to go with that reasoning.

"H-hello?" he heard her utter.

He shook out of his unresponsive state and brought his mind back to the present.

"Oh… um… sorry. No, it's okay. We both ran into each other," he awkwardly chuckled.

She formed a tiny smile on her lips, and he wondered how he ever lived until now to see that gorgeous expression on an equally gorgeous face.

"I guess we should give each other a break. We're all just trying to survive finals week, right?" she giggled.

Lord, that melodious laugh from her lips. He didn't even know her name but she already had him wrapped around her finger and she didn't even know.

He flashed a crooked grin, or at least he tried since he didn't smile much, and nodded his head.

"After you," he gestured to the machine, letting her choose her snack first.

"No, no. You can go first. It's the least I can do. You saved me from falling and embarrassing myself," she offered.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I mean I really shouldn't have sugar this late so you could probably coax me into not buying a candy bar by going first and I'd lose interest altogether…"

She knew she was rambling. It was a nervous tick. She just hoped she wasn't acting like a complete spaz.

"Alright," he chuckled and stepped up to the kiosk, feeding the machine a dollar and punching a combination after a couple seconds to decide.

They watched as his selection twisted free from the metal prongs and dropped to a thump at the bottom of the kiosk. He reached inside the flap and took out his snack. He stood back up and faced her.

"Did I help you decide against a sugary snack?" he kidded.

"You actually made me crave a candy bar," she chuckled.

"Well, be my guest," he offered to step aside and let her have a turn.

"Mmm…" she mumbled.

"What?"

"Ahh…" she was too shy to say.

Then he noticed she was looking between him and the machine. More specifically the item he was holding.

"Crap… You wanted this, huh? And it's the last one…" he nervously grabbed at the hair on the nape of his neck.

She laughed and shook her head vigorously.

"It's alright, I'll figure out something else to choose," she couldn't help but smile at his quirky reaction.

"Now I feel like a jerk for getting the last chocolate bar," he frowned. "Here, take it please," He offered the treat to her.

"I can't take that," she said. "It's yours. Plus, you saved me already. You deserve the last Milky Way."

He wasn't normally this talkative, let alone with a woman, but he felt bold enough to say the next thing.

"How about we share? Call it even from bumping into each other. It was just as much my fault as yours since we both weren't looking."

If he weren't already distracting and she weren't already interested, this would've been easy to turn down. But she still felt that strange tingle inside.

"Well I can't say no to that now, can I?" she giggled. "I'm Rey, by the way."

"Ben," he smiled.

He opened the chocolate bar and broke it in half, giving her the other piece. They stood in the hallway and talked a bit more, mostly about school and their upcoming exams. She was easily invested in the conversation with him, eager to learn anything and everything about this man. He in turn was trying to make this moment last, wanting to be around her, wanting to get to know her and study the freckles on her cheeks, or the flecks of green and gold in her hazel eyes.

"Well, I better get back to my friend. Got a night full of studying to do," she gestured towards the direction she originally came from. As much as she really wanted to stay, Rey knew she needed to eventually get back to work.

"Yeah, same. My buddies don't get much done unless I'm there trying to hold down the fort," he shrugged.

"It was nice to meet you, Ben. Thanks again for the chocolate."

Rey waved at him and turned her heels to walk back to the lobby.

"Wait!" he uttered.

She stopped in her tracks and spun back around. She hoped she didn't look too desperate, but her heart was fluttering because this was exactly what she wanted. Thank god he did too.

He walked up to her and nervously fiddled with the zipper on his jacket.

"I uh… I know we're both pretty busy with classes right now. But I was hoping maybe we can do this again sometime?" he asked.

"You mean, like share a candy bar?" she lightly smirked.

"Candy bar. Coffee. Dinner. Wine. Hell, I'll eat cereal with you," he chuckled. "I just want to take you on a date, Rey. And I know it sounds crazy because we barely talked for like 15 minutes, but I just feel strangely connected to you. I don't want this connection to go away and…" he wasn't sure how to end that. Ben knew his request was bold and crazy. But he didn't want to leave her just yet.

She beamed at his words, not caring how silly she looked with this ridiculous smile plastered across her face.

"Give me your phone."

She punched her number in his cell and called hers so she would have his number as well. Then she handed it back to him.

"My last final is on Friday. Maybe we can grab some celebratory chocolate bars afterwards?"

"Oh, hell yes," Ben said a bit too eagerly. He caught himself too late and turned the darkest shade of red.

She giggled at him. "I'm excited too, don't worry. I love chocolate."

"Then I'll buy you all the chocolates to your heart's content," he grinned.

After they spent a solid two hours polishing up their presentations and tailored stronger taglines, Rey declared that her team deserved a much needed break. They all refueled in the break room with pastries and coffee. Rey sat with Finn and talked about his newly adopted cat, an orange tabby named BB, while Jannah and Kaydel talked about their plans for the weekend.

The door opened and in stepped another one of their colleagues.

"Rey?" the redheaded man in a three piece suit called for her.

"Armie, hey!" Rey walked over to him and gave the man a hug.

Armitage Hux was Ben's best friend. In fact, he was the one to recommend Rey for a marketing position four years ago, which definitely worked out since she immediately got promoted to manager after her first year.

"What can I do for you?" she asked.

"Just stopping by because I was told to give you this," he said. Then he pulled something out of his jacket's breast pocket and handed it to Rey.

"Gum?" she raised a brow. "How random. And why, may I ask are you giving me a pack of gum?" she chuckled.

"I was told to give you that and only that," Armitage said. "My work here is done," he smirked at her.

He gave her one last quick hug and waved goodbye to everyone else.

"Also, turn it around," he instructed her. "And happy anniversary, Rey!"

When he left, Rey immediately flipped it over. Yet again, another note was taped on it. This time it read:

Pack of spearmint gum: 99 cents.

"Ninety-nine cents?" Finn said behind her shoulder. He, Jannah and Kaydel had gotten up and crowded around her.

"What was that about?" Jannah asked.

"I don't know," Rey said handing Finn the pack of gum. "Armie just gave this to me and left."

"Why does it have a note with the price on it?" Kaydel wondered when Finn handed the object to her.

"That's odd," Rey said to herself after she thought of something.

"What is?" Finn, Jannah and Kaydel turned to her.

"There was a note on the chocolate bar this morning too. The one on my desk."

"Do you think Armie put it there too?" Kaydel asked.

"I've no idea," Rey said. "It's a possibility though since he obviously knows to give me this," she pointed at the object that now made it to Jannah's hands.

"But why gum?" Finn asked.

"I don't-"

Then Rey suddenly realized something. She knew what the significance of it was, the chocolate bar too. She broke into a smile and laughed to herself.

"Rey? Boss, are you alright?" Jannah asked on behalf of the group.

"Yeah, I am," Rey chuckled. "It's Ben."

"Ben?" Finn cocked his head to the side.

"Mhm," she nodded. "He's sending me little things for our anniversary."

-First Date-

On their first date, Ben took Rey to a steakhouse on the bay front called Garlic Jo's.

"What are you planning on doing after graduate school?" Rey asked Ben about his studies.

"I'm hoping to go into publishing."

"You mean, writing a book?"

"No, but working for a publishing company and help push paper form novels back out there. I mean, kindles are nice and convenient, but there's just something nostalgic and cathartic about picking up a physical book and brushing your fingers past the pages."

"That's beautiful," Rey smiled.

Ben grew flustered by her reaction.

"So, what makes you interested in marketing and advertising?" Ben asked.

"Well, the purpose of advertising is to win people over," Rey explained. "I'm a bit of a competitive person so it's a fun challenge for me to see if I can convince someone to agree with me about something."

"Ahh so you're competitive, duly noted," he chuckled. "I'm not good at much but I am pretty darn good at board games."

"Oh reeeeally?" Rey drawled. "I don't know, I've been known to wipe everyone out in Monopoly, Clue, Risk, Life – you name it," she teased.

"Is that an invitation for me to whoop your butt, Niima?" he smirked.

"Bring it on, Solo," she challenged. Her straight face only lasted a couple seconds before they both broke out laughing.

"You're not going to be one of those people who just markets anything even if you don't like them, right?" he asked.

"Nope," Rey shook her head. "That's why I'm hoping to find the right company who understands that you're selling an experience or an emotion more than wanting to sell for the numbers."

"Well those are certainly hard to find," he replied. "But I admire that about you."

"Thanks," she blushed. "What I really want to do is head a marketing team at an advertising agency or something."

"My buddy Hux is interning at an ad agency," Ben shared. "You two should talk. Maybe he can get you in," he suggested.

"Seriously?"

"Well, okay. He got in because my uncle works there. I'm sure I can ask him to put a good word in for you after you graduate."

"I mean, I don't want to impose," Rey said trying to contain her excitement.

"I feel like I need to mention that Hux is currently in a committed relationship with his longtime girlfriend and is not available," Ben lightly joked. "Not that I'm not jealous of how bright your smile became…"

Rey gaped at him for a moment then laughed. "Don't worry, Ben. I'm interested in someone else."

"Oh," he almost said dejectedly.

She looked at him and continued to giggle.

"I'm talking about you."

"Oh!" his smile returned. "Oh. Good."

If she didn't think he was already cute, his blush made him even more charming.

After sharing a chocolate lava cake dessert and finishing their bottle of a 2011 Napa Valley Malbec, the pair fell into a comfortable closeness. Ben had traveled from the opposite side of the booth to be sitting right next to Rey on her side of the bench. They were staring into each other's eyes when Rey sent Ben a signal that she was ready to be kissed. However, even before he thought to lean in, Ben grew wide-eyed and pulled back.

"Oh… um-" Rey hesitated. Did she miss the signs? Did he not want to kiss her?

Immediately, Ben got up from the bench and pulled out his wallet. He pulled out two hundred dollar bills – more than enough to cover their steak dinners – and grabbed his jacket. Was he really going to ditch her? Rey felt mortified.

Before thinking of the absolute worst, she felt Ben's hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and he held his hand out.

"Come on," he simply said.

She wasn't sure what he was doing, his behavior was erratic. One second Ben was showing interest, the next he acted like he was on the worst date ever. But one look at his smile, she didn't think anything else but to trust him.

She gave him his hand and they rushed out the door. He pulled her down the block to a small newspaper stand.

"Okay, Ben. Hold up," she finally caught her breath and they stopped. "What is going on?"

Before he answered her, he pulled a dollar from his pocket, handed it to the cashier and picked up a pack of spearmint gum from the stand. He popped a couple pieces out of the package and tossed them in his mouth, offering her a piece as well. Rey was still confused but took a piece of gum and popped one in her mouth. Ben was chewing nervously while she slowly chewed her piece, trying to figure out if she really was interested in this enigma of a man.

"Ben?" she asked after a minute.

"Yeah?" he asked in between chews.

"What's going on?"

Ben sighed, running a hand through his wavy locks.

"Sorry, I kind of panicked…" he admitted. "We were getting really close and I just… I chew gum when I'm nervous."

"Nervous?" she giggled.

"Yeah!" he exclaimed. "You're so pretty and awesome and smart and I wanted to kiss you, but I panicked. So, I just needed to buy some gum to gather some courage," he admittedly blushed. "I didn't want to seem like I was ditching you, so you know, I had to take you with me. I'm sorry…"

"So, you need gum just to kiss me?"

"Well, you can't ever have too much fresh breath, right? We did have garlic too… And chocolate cake," he rambled.

"Ben are you done talking?" she chuckled.

"I mean, I also ramble when I'm nervous..."

"Okay well if gum won't shut you up, then I will," she said.

Before he could comprehend what she meant, she smiled, went on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his confused adorable face.

"Wow," he said still breathless from it.

"Yeah, wow," she smiled. "I just hope you don't need gum every time we kiss," she teased.

"If I do, I'll buy a lifetime supply of spearmint gum," he said.

"Lifetime, huh?" she smirked.

"Oh… Er… I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

She cut him off again with another kiss.

Rey didn't mind a lifetime so long as it was with Ben.

The team made their way back to Rey's office and continued to work together to finalize their presentation. Rey's earlier revelation was still the hot topic of conversation.

"So, you're saying that Ben's the one giving you chocolate bars and gum today? Geez, you'd think the man who owns the largest publishing company would get his girlfriend of five years pearls instead of vending machine products," Kaydel joked.

"No, it's sweet what Ben's doing," Jannah pointed out. "He's sending her things of sentimental value."

"Exactly," Rey agreed.

Finn appeared at Rey's door after coming back from a brief restroom break and was holding a package under his arm.

"Did you go shopping while you were away?" Kaydel pointed at the box in question.

"No," Finn walked up to Rey and handed her the square amazon delivery box. "On my way back, Mitaka handed this to me. The delivery guy just dropped it off. It's for you, boss."

Jannah and Kaydel got up from the round table and crowded with Finn around Rey's desk.

"It better not be like a liter of sprite or something, otherwise I think you should dump him," Kaydel teased and they all laughed.

Rey ripped the package open and found a scrabble game. Sure enough, a note was taped on the top right corner:

Scrabble game: $20.

She laughed to herself and placed the board game on her desk for the others to see.

"Scrabble?" Kaydel said plainly. "Wow, the most boring of the board games."

"Kay, there's got to be a reason for Ben to gift Rey with this game," Jannah giggled.

"Well he and Rey are pretty smart," Finn pointed out. "It's no surprise that they like such an educational board game."

His comment made the ladies laugh along.

"So, what's the significance of Scrabble, then?" Kaydel probed.

"Actually, it's really sweet…" Rey began.

-Triple Word Score-

Rey had been dating Ben for almost three months and they were very crazy about one another. Their friends saw it, no one could miss it. They were perfect for each other; a match made in heaven.

The thing was, they didn't even need to go over the top when they were together. Sure, their first date was at a fancy steakhouse and Rey soon discovered Ben was the son of some prominent people in society, and not to mention his uncle who worked at the ad agency was actually the CEO... But when it was just Ben and Rey, cuddling on the couch and watching sci-fi flicks were the most romantic date nights.

One evening, Rey invited Ben over to her place to cook dinner for him. She prepared a roasted chicken and wild rice dinner, while he supplied the wine and brought over some board games to play with her. After their meal, they settled on the floor of her living room and played a couple rounds of connect four and battleship. They started a rousing game of Scrabble, and the academics in them were one-upping each other after every word.

On one of Ben's turns, Rey briefly got up to refill her wine glass.

"You better not cheat again and switch letters!" she hollered from the kitchen.

"I didn't switch letters," he defended. "I accidentally took more blocks than I should, so I returned one to the pile."

"Right, before you looked at all your options and chucked the reject letter," she said.

"I've got the best word, don't worry, babe," Ben chuckled.

"Sure. Let's see if you can catch up to my score then, sweetie," she hollered.

A moment later, Rey returned, taking a quick sip of her wine and placed her glass on the coffee table. She sat crossed legged back at her spot and turned to Ben.

"Okay I'm back. Is it still your turn or mine?"

Ben was tallying up his score carefully.

"Yours. Just adding my points up," he said slowly concentrating. "I landed a triple word score too, so I'm in the lead!"

"No way!" she didn't believe him. "Where's your word?"

He softly smiled and pointed his pencil to the spot on the game board.

Rey looked down and did a double take at his 'word'. The top right corner spelled the words "I Love You".

She darted her eyes at Ben and his gentle gaze proved that he meant it.

"What?" she was surprised at the turn of events.

"Rey," he put his pencil down and reached over to grab his girlfriend's hands. "I know it's been barely eleven weeks, but from the moment we bumped into each other and I looked into your eyes, I've been a goner since. I'm so in love you that you have no idea how much I've wanted to tell you."

"Ben," she said teary-eyed.

"You don't have to say it back right now, I know this may be rushed. But if I didn't tell you sooner, I'd have exploded," he chuckled. "I just… I love you, sweetheart. So much."

She leaned over the table and kissed him passionately, eventually ending up on his lap. When they broke apart, she slapped his chest playfully.

"You know you cheated with three words, right?"

"I still won the best thing though," he grinned.

"You sure did," she rolled her eyes as she agreed. She kissed her boyfriend once more before retreating to her spot across from him and continuing their game. "And by the way… I love you too."

"That has got to be hands down THEE CUTEST story I've ever heard," Kaydel squealed. Jannah and Finn agreed, laughing at their coworker's reaction. "I take it back girl, this one's a keeper!"

"I'd sure hope so," Rey laughed. "We've been together for so long. I don't plan on leaving him any time soon."

The afternoon went by quick; Rey's team was making such good progress. Luke stopped by and approved their campaigns for A/B testing and was better impressed with their solid presentation. He concluded they were ready to present to the board the following Monday and praised the team of a job well done.

Rey decided to treat her team to iced coffees at the café across the street from their building. On their way back to the office, Rey was welcomed once again with a surprise on her desk.

"What did Mr. Lover Boy get you this time?" Finn speculated another amazon package waiting to be opened.

"And what makes you think this is from Ben?" Rey kidded.

She already knew it was from him. She texted him at the coffee shop to confirm those random gifts were from her loving and thoughtful boyfriend, only to be sent a winking emoji in reply.

"Girl, please. You can't pretend you don't know. We're all fully invested in your anniversary today," Kaydel said.

"It's true, Rey. So open up that box and let us see what your man got you!" Jannah cheered.

Rey rolled her eyes at her colleagues and once again began to tear the box open. She pulled out a pair of Oakley goggles. There was a tag with familiar handwriting on the note:

Snowboarding Goggles: $290

It only took her a couple of seconds to recall the sentimental value and she started to laugh once again.

"Okay… you're going to have to explain this one to us, boss," Finn said. "I mean, the others were random, but cute. But a pair of goggles?"

"Maybe they went snowboarding on a date?" Kaydel guessed.

"Did he like introduce you to his parents or something?" Jannah guessed as well.

"Maybe it was their first year anniversary?" Finn took a stab at it too.

"No, Kaydel's sort of right," Rey acknowledged.

"Yay," the blonde fist bumped her almost correct guess. "But what's so important about a snowboarding date?"

"Well, we've only went snowboarding once and only once," Rey said. "So, it wasn't hard to forget that."

"Makes sense," Finn said. "Why just once though? Snowboarding's fun?"

"It's only fun if you're not clumsy like us," Rey chuckled.

"So… what about that one that Ben needed to remind you?" he asked her.

"Well…" Rey cheeks started to tinge pink.

Jannah, Finn and Kaydel exchanged smirks and started to pester their boss incessantly.

"Okay, now you have to tell us!"

-Hot Tub-

A week after their love confession Scrabble game, Ben opted to take Rey away for the weekend to celebrate a milestone in their relationship – their three month anniversary and their 'I Love You's. He suggested they take a trip to the snowboarding lodge since they both have never tried the sport before. They figured it would be a fun thing to try together, plus they'd get to have a romantic backdrop of a winter wonderland.

To say that their snowboarding experience was memorable, it was definitely one they would never forget. They were horrible at it. They barely left the bunny slopes. Ben was toppling over with his tall uncoordinated physique and Rey kept falling on her butt because she was scared of going so fast. They laughed it off and ended their day soothing their bruised limbs at the lodge's hot tub.

Funny thing, Ben had forgotten to pack a pair of eyeglasses. It was fine when they were heading to the lodge since Rey opted to drive, and while they were doing their snowboarding lessons, Ben paid extra to buy a pair of prescription grade goggles in order to be more comfortable and be able to see where he was going. Dinner was a struggle since the man had horrible vision, so he stubbornly decided to wear his goggles out at the hot tub because he didn't want to be 'blind' the whole time with Rey. Plus, he wanted to read a book while they relaxed.

Now imagine seeing a grown man wearing nothing but swim trunks and bulky snowboarding googles, perched at the corner of a hot tub attempting to read a novel. Rey couldn't help herself. She grabbed at her sides and laughed almost the entire time they sat at the pool. Ben barely made it through one chapter of his book before giving up altogether. He crossed his arms and tried to scowl at her, but it wasn't helping his case at all.

"Babe, stop it. You're killing me," she doubled over laughing at his posture.

He splashed a bit of water towards her.

"I feel the love, sweetheart," he grunted.

"Come on," she continued to giggle. "You don't think if it were the other way around you wouldn't be laughing at how funny I'd look wearing snow goggles as reading glasses, while sitting in a hot tub?"

She floated over to him and straddled his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing," she smiled. "You're still sexy under all the elastic and polarized glass."

"Oh yeah?" Ben started to feel a bit better. It helped that his girlfriend was showing some intimacy sitting on his lap.

"Mhm," she smiled into a kiss.

She bumped her nose on the edge of the goggle when she tried to press her lips closer, giggling and breaking their connection.

Ben grunted, missing the feel of her lips on his.

"Here," she said. She lifted the goggles from his face and pulled them off his head, placing them on the edge of the pool next to his book. "You don't need a prescription to see me this close."

"No, I don't," he grinned. "Plus, I've got your beautiful face ingrained in my head already."

She bit her lip seductively before grabbing his face and kissing him deeply. Things started to get hot and heavy when Rey started nibbling Ben's left ear.

"Baby," she whispered. "Make love to me."

Ben stopped his trail of kisses along her jaw and pulled away from Rey. He looked at her, making sure he heard right. Of course he wanted to sleep with her ever since they got together, but he had been taking it slow per her request. Three months into their relationship and the furthest they've gone in intimacy were these intense handsy make out sessions. And now… now that they confessed their love to one another, it seemed that Rey was finally ready for them to take the next step in their relationship.

With a simple nod of her head, he found permission.

He kissed her one last time deeply on the lips and smiled at her.

"I love you, Rey."

"I love you too, Ben."

The couple got out of the hot tub and wrapped themselves in their resort robes, grabbing his book and goggles. They made their way up to their hotel room and made love to each other for the first time that night.

"Okay, now you're just making that up," Kaydel couldn't help but chortle loudly. "Ben wearing his goggles in a hot tub is all it takes to get you to bed? Lord, I'll tell him the next time he stops by here."

"I don't think he'd go and buy prescription goggles just to bed his girlfriend, I'm sure he can do that a bit easier now," Jannah joked.

"Hey!" Rey blushed madly.

"Jeez, the man spent nearly $300 on goggles and took you to a lodge for your romantic weekend? I really got to step it up before my girl leaves me," Finn joked.

"We haven't gone snowboarding since. We both were horrible at it," Rey admitted. "No need to throw so much money down like that if it's not something you two will enjoy," she told her coworker.

"But one good thing came out of it," Jannah winked.

They all laughed.

"I hope Ben actually gets your something though," Kaydel said. "Like Jan said, this is sweet, but it's your fifth anniversary. Shouldn't that warrant at least a nice necklace or pair of earrings?"

"I don't know, Kay," Jannah said. "Sometimes there are things you can't buy with money."

"Try telling that to my girlfriend," Finn joked with them.

Rey laughed along, then figured something out with what Jannah had said.

"I think I know what he's doing…"

"What is he doing? I thought this was for your anniversary?" Kaydel asked.

"It is, yes," Rey nodded. "But… Ben's reenacting one of my favorite commercials."

"Your favorite commercial? Girl, you two are such nerds," Jannah said, prompting Finn and Kaydel to laugh.

"And you think it's romantic?" Finn wondered.

"It certainly is," Rey said. "On one of our first dates he asked me since I wanted to work for an ad agency, what my favorite commercial was. It's that old Mastercard commercial."

"Oh, I know what you're talking about," Jannah recalled. Then she put the pieces together. "Aw that's actually really sweet," she and Rey smiled.

Finn and Kaydel exchanged confused glances. The younger ones in the group, they had no idea what Rey and Jannah were referring to.

"It's basically a commercial from the credit card company that shows how things we buy come with a price, but 'experiences' shared don't have a price tag to it because of the memories you make," Jannah explained to them.

"It's priceless," Rey smiled.

"So, is Ben trying to build this all up to a memorable experience?"

"Duh, Finn. It's their anniversary today. He's probably taking her out to a fancy dinner!" Kaydel said. "Oh my god, are you pregnant?!"

"What? No," Rey shook her head. "Why would you think that?"

"Because what else can build up to this? You're not engaged but that could still be it. But if it's not I'd think a baby on the way would be the surprise," Kaydel said.

"She's got a point," Finn nodded in agreement.

"Guys, if this is Ben's surprise, don't you think it would be difficult to announce they were expecting when Rey would be the one carrying the hypothetical child?" Jannah pointed out.

"Oh, that's a good point too," Finn agreed with her.

"Finn, I thought you were on my side?! Traitor!" Kaydel stuck her tongue at him.

Rey couldn't help but laugh at her colleagues.

"Well whatever it is," Jannah said to Rey. "You're one lucky girl."

"I know," Rey smiled.

-Priceless-

At the end of the workday, Rey was ready to go home, take a relaxing bath, and get ready for a romantic dinner with her boyfriend. She must admit, her day albeit busy, had been a good one. Not only was she happy to find those sentimental gifts from Ben throughout the day, but her recalling and retelling these memories with Kaydel, Finn and Jannah were a lovely trip down memory lane.

Rey was so lucky to have Ben. He never once disappointed her and even in their little fights, they immediately apologized and made up. Having been together five years seemed so short since she felt like she'd known him her whole life. She couldn't even remember a time without Ben. She didn't need to though since she knew she'd be with him for a lifetime.

When Rey got home, she placed the items Ben gifted her on her kitchen island, hoping to say thank you to him in person for his thoughtfulness when he picked her up for dinner. She was ready to head straight to the shower to start getting ready when she passed by her nightstand in her bedroom and something small caught her eye.

She froze.

Could what Jannah, Kaydel and Finn teased her about really be what was happening?

There was a velvet box atop her nightstand, a tiny white envelope resting beside it with her name on it. Her heart was racing. Maybe she should pop a few pieces of that gum to calm her nerves like it did with Ben on their first date. Deciding she only had the guts to read the note first, she picked up the envelope, pulled out the slip and read it.

My dearest Rey,

There are many things in life I can buy to make me happy. Tickets to my favorite concert, a jersey of my favorite baseball player, or the zesty lobster claws at Tom Ham's Lighthouse when I'm craving a fancy brunch. But nothing makes me happier than you, Rey Niima. I can be the poorest man in the world, but you'd be my most invaluable treasure.

Answer me this and I'll buy you a lifetime supply of milky ways, spearmint gum, board games, snowboarding goggles, and all the junk food in the world. Answer me this and make me the happiest man in the world.

Yours, Ben

That was the end of his note. She was a tad confused. She flipped the note over. Blank. Checked the envelope. Nothing. What was she supposed to answer? She even picked up the velvet box and anticipated what she would see. However, it was empty.

Just then, she had an incoming text message.

There are some things money can't buy... xx-Ben

That was the slogan to her favorite commercial. She smiled at the meaning.

Darling, where are you? xx-Rey

Look outside your window, sweetheart. xx-Ben

Rey walked to her double doors and opened them, stepping outside to her second story balcony. Sure enough, it was as if time rewound five years prior when Ben had made a day for Rey to get a bunch of tiny surprises, only to show up at her door with a sign telling her that being his girlfriend would be priceless. Now, this time instead of saying "Being your boyfriend: Priceless.", he held up a sign that read:

"SPENDING A LIFETIME WITH YOU: PRICELESS. WILL YOU MARRY ME?"

She smiled brightly, ran downstairs to the lobby and ripped open the double doors, leaping into Ben's awaiting arms.

"You didn't answer my question yet, sweetheart?" he asked after an abundance of kisses.

"Is it really priceless to be with me for a lifetime?" she asked him.

"It's priceless and a privilege to be yours for a lifetime," he smiled.

They kissed once more, passionately. It didn't matter that the rest of the world was going about the rest of their days, with moving traffic on the street and random passerby's on the sidewalk in front of her apartment building. Time had stopped and, in this moment, Rey had never felt more loved by Ben.

"Who would've thought all this started because of a chocolate bar?" she recalled.

"And who would've thought the most romantic thing I can do is turn my marriage proposal into a marketing campaign," he teased. "It's the way to your heart, love."

"You really do have a way with words, Ben Solo."

She tugged him towards her building, and they stepped inside the lobby.

"So… Is that a yes?" he asked her, realizing she never gave an answer.

She turned to him and smiled.

"It's a hell yes."

They shared a passionate kiss to seal the deal.

"Happy anniversary, sweetheart," Ben whispered lovingly.

Rey smiled at him and kissed his nose.

"Happy anniversary… fiancé."

There certainly are some things money can't buy…

The End.