Chapter Text
It was yet another beautiful morning in New York City where the sun shined it's brightest, for once, you hadn't slept in through your alarm so you actually had time to make it over to your favorite coffee shop. With a job like yours, an on call nurse, sleep was a gift and when it was given you took full advantage of it--which sometimes made you oversleep with how exhausted you had been. But, you loved your job and you wouldn't trade it for the world, babies were your favorite kind of people--if that even made sense--so of course you didn't dread what you did on a daily basis. What kind of life was it where you did a job you were never meant to do? A very cruel one that is. "Excuse me ma'am, are you alright?" Looking up from the book, you sniffled a bit before wiping the few tears that had escaped. "I saw you crying and wondered if you were okay?"
Nodding your, you smiled. "Oh, yeah, definitely...I was just reading this romance novel that literally killed me. Sorry if I worried you!" Shutting the book as you had reached its end, you looked at your watch and nearly panicked. "Oh, great, I'm almost late for work!" Standing up and picking up your things, you tossed the empty plastic coffee cup away along with the napkins before excusing yourself.
"It's no problem, dear, hope you don't get late to work," The older woman smiled as she waved at you.
"Thank you, uh...?"
"Maz! Maz Kanata!" Nodding your head as your eyebrows furrowed the slightest, you simply shrugged at how unique her name was.
"Thank you, Maz!" Waving goodbye, you rushed out, stuffing the book into your purse as you rue the idea of living in New York where almost everywhere you went was packed, especially when your job was in the hospital on the fifth floor rather than first. Hearing your phone ring, you grunted as you searched for it. "He-hello? Hey, Rey!"
"Hey, you sound...out of breath? You alright?"
"Fine, yeah! Totally! Just the fact that I may be late to work-"
"It's because of Soul Mate. Are you still reading Soul Mate? I swear, you've read that book a good ten times-"
"Fifteen," You corrected, dodging crowds.
"Fifteen?! Not a surprise...let me guess, you cried yet again."
"Of course! He loved her so much and she died for him! It so beautiful, Rey! Not my fault you don't have a romantic bone in your body..." You mumbled, causing her to gasp.
"I am in a relationship with Finn, excuse you!"
"Yeah yeah, look, I gotta go-"
"Wait! Are you still coming tomorrow night? You know, I'd like my best friend at my engagement party."
"You mean, excuse-to-go-drinking-and-clubbing? You know I'm not all that into drinking...or clubbing..."
"Yeah, that's why you work with babies. But hey, you're still going 'cause you love me, right? It's not like we're going to a strip club or anything..."
Sighing, you nodded. "Of course, anything for you, Rey..."
"Good! Poe will be there...wink wink-"
"Hush! I don't like him that way, I can't say the same for him about me...the flyboy is always so smiley around me. Not that I don't mind, his smile is great."
"Alright, that is true. Still doesn't beat my smile. But whatever."
"Who else is going?"
"Uh, you, Poe, Finn and I of course...Leia and Han wanna stop by...Jessika-"
"Poes pilot buddies, sweet. Leia and Han were able to get out of their busy lives? You'd think those busy people wouldn't..." You pouted the slightest. "Hmm, I guess they're not busy enough helping the air force with supplies or busy dealing medical equipment to hospitals."
"Hey, out of all of us, you see them the most. Resistance Hospital's number one supporter is Leia Organa and Han Solo."
"I do, but I don't know them that well, I mean, Leia is sweet but when do I really see her? Moms a good friend of hers but with my nursing life I'm too busy handling babies. Plus, dad is a pilot so he's friends with Han...but not that close, he's more close with Luke."
"Yeah, speaking of which, dad won't be attending because he'll be in Africa...but, he says he'd try skyping me so let's see how that goes."
"Ah, have fun with that." Seeing the hospital come into view, you looked at your wrist watch and sighed. "Thank god, I'm on time. I'll talk to you later."
"Love you!"
"Love you, too," Hanging up, you slid your phone into the pocket of your scrubs before quickening your speed. You loved your job but man were the long hours tiring, especially when you worked on only five hours of sleep with nearly twelve hour shifts. At least the doctors and nurses were nice and the job paid well for you to have a decent loft.
Swerving and darting past crowds of people, you sighed in relief as you made it out in one piece, only to have someone knock right into you and cause you to fall flat on your ass. "Hey, watch where you're-Oh, oh I'm so sorry!" Furrowing your eyebrows at the tone they had, you only raised them as they had changed it. "I didn't see you there..." Seeing a hand come into view, you instantly took it and only felt chills run down your spine.
"It's fine, it's fine..." Looking straight ahead, all you saw was a torso. "I don't blame you, you're really..." Eyes trailing up his body, your eyebrows raised. "Tall..." Unable to see his face as the sun was blinding you, you used your hand as a visor.
"Yeah, sorry, this tends to happen when I'm walking past crowds," Trying to see his face, the glare from the sun didn't help one bit.
"Do you occasionally run into people?" You asked, chuckling.
"Uh, sort of...except sometimes I can't help them up because people get in the way and I feel terrible about it."
"Glad to be an exception," You nodded, still squinting your eyes. "I'm sorry, I can't see your face at all and it's weird talking to practically nothing..."
"Ah, right..." Shifting over, he instantly blocked the sun, your hand falling to your side as you smiled.
"Thanks," Looking up at him, you nearly gawked. He wasn't your ideal guy but boy was he good looking. You couldn't tell if it was the nice slicked back dark hair or the dimpled smile or maybe the towering height...but something about him called to you. "That's...better..."
"You seem like you're in a rush, am I in your way?" He simply asked, causing you to shake your head.
"No, yeah, I mean no...well, yeah I have work in five minutes but you're being nice and nice people are fairly hard to run into on these sidewalks so..." Smiling, you only melted at the sight of his own as his dimples appeared.
"I'll take that as a compliment?" He chuckled, causing you to smile even more. "But, honestly, I feel as if I'm in your way so, please..." Moving to a side, he gestured for you to go, "I don't want you to be late."
"Oh, oh yeah. Yeah, it's fine." Swatting a hand, you shrugged. "I should go. Uh, thank you again...what's your name?"
Grinning, he shook his head as he stuck his hand out. "I don't believe I introduced myself, what man doesn't introduce himself to the lady he rams himself into?"
"It's alright, my name is Y/N, or nurse Y/L/N..." You chuckled, taking his hand and feeling the chills run down your spine once more, only to crawl across your skin and bring goosebumps.
"Lovely name, I'll admit, especially the whole nurse additive," He nodded, "Ben, my name is Ben, or Mister Solo, I really don't have a cool add on." He teased, causing you to laugh.
"Nice to meet you Ben, hope to see you again. Or crash into you again..."
"One day, maybe." Ben laughed, waving at you before you rushed off.
"See you some other day!"
☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆
There had been a strange sense of warmth from Ben, you weren't sure if it was physical or mental, the fact that you couldn't differentiate if it were coming from the surrounding heat of the passing bodies and burning sun or if it had been radiating off of him. Was it actually body warmth or was there an unusual sense of familiarity, as if you had felt it before--déja vu kind of emotion. What ever it had been, the lingering sensation was felt the entire day, as if it hadn't had the desire to leave. "Miss Y/L/N?" Looking over your shoulder as you had been lost in thought, you gave the young man a smile. "I thought I'd come by and check on my little Daisy," Standing patiently by the door, you gave the man a nod before placing the file you had been holding onto down, gesturing for him to follow you.
Taking in a deep breath, you stopped at the little incubator the baby was lying in, picking up her files and reading them, "Little Daisy here is an angel, she barely fusses and..." Letting out a soft chuckle, you looked over to the father, "Sleeps a lot. I see you and Mrs.Lucas having no problems when she leaves our care." Giving the man a nod, you closed the files and placed them back down. "As long as she gets her feeding on time, you should be good."
Releasing a sigh, the man shut his eyes only to reopen them. "Oh, thank god. I mean, not like I wasn't going to be upset that she'd keep us up all night, but I have long shifts and I feel terrible leaving my wife alone with the baby...of course, we have our dog, but you know dogs can't do much," He snickered, causing you to let out a small laugh. "But that, that is very good to hear...and that she is healthy?" He stated, more in a questioning tone.
Nodding your head as you stuck your freezing hands into the scrubs pockets. "Well, besides the fact that she is a preemie, she has slight breathing problems. But, no worries, she will be fine in no time." Giving him a reassuring smile, he let out a sigh of relief. "She should be ready to go home in a few days," Nodding your head, the man took in a deep breath.
"Thank you, for taking care of her," Placing a hand on his chest, he bowed his head the slightest, "I'll be honest, I was worried...we were worried, my wives sister had a preemie and he had to stay in NICU for a good fifteen days."
Taking a step away, you spoke up, "It depends on the issues the baby is going through, lucky for you, Daisy isn't suffering too much. She'll be just fine, trouble with breathing is quite common for preemies."
"Again, thank you for everything. Will we see you when we pick her up?" He asked, curiously.
"Most likely, I work really long shifts so there is a high chance. Plus," Whispering, you leaned over, "Daisy is my favorite." Giving him a wink, he only chuckled. "But I hope so, I'd like to say my goodbyes to the little angel before she leaves."
Smiling, he nodded in agreement. "I should get going, thank you, once again."
Watching the man walk away, you smiled as you waved goodbye before placing your stethoscopes on to check on one of the babies breathing. "Okay, little Johnny, let's see how you're doing today," Sweetly speaking to the baby, you were about to check the babies breathing before the other nurse who helped you out went up to you.
"You have someone asking for you outside," Furrowing your eyebrows, you placed the stethoscope back around your neck, "Someone by the name of...Leia?" Growing wide eyed, you nodded.
"Oh, oh Mrs.Organa," Moving to a side, you aimed for the door. "Mind checking on Johnny's breathing and chart it?"
"Of course," The nurse gave you a thumbs up before you exited the room, looking down the hall, then turning the opposite way to see the older woman standing there.
"Mrs.Organa?" Looking up, she smiled.
"Oh, please call me Leia, Y/N." Walking over to you, you stuck your hand out for her to shake, only for her to pull you into a hug. "I haven't seen you in a while! You've turned into quite the lady."
Softly laughing, you looked over at her as she now held onto your hands. "Well, it's been a while, although I see you from afar...here and there. How are you? How is the business? Han?"
Taking in a breath, Leia responded. "I'm doing good, the business is fine...Han, well, Han is Han..." Laughing, you grinned. "How about you? How are you doing with being a nurse? Let alone, working such long hours?"
"I-...I'm doing fine, surviving," You stated, "I love what I do, so I don't mind the short hours of sleep, though I do appreciate my time off, they are wonderful for sleeping in or walking my dog...or catching up on the outside world."
"You should take a few days off, I spoke to a few of your coworkers and saw your records, you work the hardest out of 'em all, lots of hours...I promise you, if you don't take a day off--at least a day--I will personally take it off for you." Laughing, Leia only arched an eyebrow. "I'm serious, Y/N! Your mother sometimes worries...your health is important."
"Thanks, mom," You teased, "But I'm fine, very fine. Plus, I think I am taking off the weekend. I mean, it is Rey's engagement party tomorrow night and I'm usually on call on the weekends, so-"
"Do you work every day?"
"I mean, it's not like I have other things to do besides walk the dog, watch TV...and sleep?" You shrugged, causing Leia to shake her head.
"You don't have a boyfriend?"
"N...No..." You nervously stated, rubbing the back of your neck, "I mean, I've gone on dates here and there and they aren't the one and it's kind of hard because it's like we never click. And then when I think we do, it just flat out fails, so I've taken a break..."
Arching an eyebrow, she placed her hands on her hips, "For how long?"
Awkwardly laughing, you scratched your head, "Uh...a year-"
"A YEAR?!" She shouted, causing the passer by-ers to give her a weird look before she apologized.
"What? I've kinda given up-"
"Y/N, honey, there has to be someone out there for you, I feel it...I mean, you're a lovely, intelligent, well rounded girl...there has to be someone." Leia insisted as you pushed your hand through your hair. Truth is, you did feel like something was missing in your life, as if it had been there before but you had lost it, not remembering when or what it even was.
"Leia, trust me, I'm fine!" You stated. "I'm a-okay being single, plus, my life is too busy to have someone else in it-"
"That's because you make it busy," Leia crossed her arms. "That's it, you work tomorrow and I'm making sure you get Saturday and Sunday off." She pointed a finger before walking off, only to turn around as your eyes followed her. "Scratch that, Saturday till next Friday off. Then you can go back to on call," She winked, causing you to gasp.
"But I can't-" Calling out to her, she only left your sight as she rounded the corner. "I can't miss Daisy's departure..." You frowned, only to sigh as you went back into your 'work space'. At least you had a good four hours left before you had your take out dinner and five hour sleep.
. . .
And so those four hours had gone ever so quickly--as they always had--and you couldn't help but be the slightest of upset that you'd be leaving the babies side. You loved being surrounded by them, they were the purest things breathing and living, mind you, the sight of them made you tear up because they were that cute. It was sad to think that you were already in your mid twenties and hadn't found the one, let alone, had to see hundreds of parents having newborns. Wasn't like you envied them, although you were a tad bit jealous, but still, you were happy for them.
Saying your goodbyes and clocking out, you headed down the stairs rather than the crowded elevator before hitting the lobby, rushing over to catch a taxi as walking a few blocks wasn't in your agenda at the moment. "Taxi!" You called out, seeing one stop and ready to go in, just before someone else's hand went to reach for the handle, too. "Oh, uh-"
"No, you can go, I'll just-"
"No, you can-" Looking up, you smiled, recognizing the face and towering height. "Ben? I didn't think see you another day would be the same day, but hey..."
Lightly chuckling, Ben shrugged. "At least we didn't crash, though I'm sure you were about to steal my taxi," He pointed, making your mouth fall into an 'o'.
"Uh, no, last time I checked...you were stealing mine." You pointed to yourself, only to see Ben arch an eyebrow.
"How about we just share the cab, I'll feel guilty if I took it knowing you'd stay behind waiting," He suggested.
"Are you saying that you wouldn't give up a cab for a lady?" You asked, causing Ben to nod. "Wow, rude!" Gently snacking his arm, he only laughed, the two of you nearly jumping as the taxi driver honked. "That's our cue to go in."
"Yeah," Quickly opening the door for you, you had slid in, followed by Ben. Telling the driver where to go, you looked over to Ben, waiting for him to say his address. "Oh, no, I'll just walk home when you get dropped off."
Furrowing your eyebrows, you shook your head. "W-what? No way-"
"It's fine, it's fine! I usually don't take the cab, but since it was convenient, I took it. I don't mind walking-"
"No, Ben, come on..." You looked at him with your head slightly tilted. "I'll-I'll lend you my bike, or-"
Laughing, Ben only shook his head. "I'm fine, though I could've gone for a skateboard..."
"Skateboard? What are you, fifteen?" You teased, causing Ben to stick out his tongue. "Scratch that, twelve?"
"Haha, very funny, Y/N. No, I'm actually sixteen, get it right." He winked, causing your eyebrow to raise as you lied your hand on your chest.
"Whoa-ho, so-rry. Didn't know you could be so tall at sixteen, but hey, life surprises you in many ways."
"I've been this tall since I was thirteen, actually," Ben stated in a matter-of-fact tone.
Blinking, your jaw hung loose. "N-no way! That's a lie, that tall since thirteen? How tall are you anyways?" You curiously asked. If you had to guess, he was probably six feet...easily six feet. He towered you like all the buildings in New York.
"Six-three," Nearly choking on your own spit, you gulped. Six-three? He did seem as if he were a foot taller than you, or so it felt. "My mom hates it because she only has men in her life, excluding my cousin--and even then, my cousin is tall, too. We're all tall, ranging from five-seven to six-three...then there's mom, a whopping five-one," He chuckled, making you laugh as you couldn't believe the poor lady was a damn ant to the rest of her family.
"I'm sorry for her, though I kind of feel her pain...my father and older brother are tall, my mother is of a decent height...and then there's me, I'm pretty short compared to them." You shrugged as Ben looked over to you and half smiled.
"Yeah, but it's cute," He sweetly stated, causing you to casually avert your eyes and look at your far more interesting nails as you tried not to blush--although you clearly did. "Oh god, that sounded creepy, I'm sorry..."
Shooting your head up, you shook your head. "No-no, it's fine! I'll take it as-as a compliment," You nodded with a smile, Ben letting out a small sigh of relief as he felt his own cheeks heat up from embarrassment. How could he have possibly blurted that out. Sure he was suave, but not that suave, especially around someone he had (quote on quote) just met that made his heart flutter. He'd be lying if he said you weren't making him the slightest of nervous.
"I'm sorry, I really feel like I'm being a creep..." He nervously snickered. "I mean, I'm thirty and you're probably like twenty or something-"
"Thirty? You don't look it..." You nearly gasped, only to furrow your eyebrows. "Twenty? Do I really look that young?" Looking back over to you, Ben nodded.
"I could have sworn you were twenty, or at least in your early twenties..." He knitted his eyebrows as you shook your head, fighting a smile.
"Twenty five, but close enough," You swatted a hand as Ben shrugged the slightest. "Five years isn't a big difference, so your creepiness is taken as kindness...sorta?"
Arching an eyebrow, Ben tilted his head, "Sorta? So I am being creepy?" Feeling the guilt rush back, Ben only rubbed his face in embarrassment.
Shaking your head and waving your hands, you corrected yourself. "No, no! I mean, I'm saying it's sort of kind? I-I-"
"We are here," The taxi driver interrupted, causing you to slouch as you nervously turned away to give the money, only to have Ben stop you.
"What are you-" Seeing him pay, you tried pulling his hand back. "Ben, it's fine, I can-"
Pushing your hand down, Ben thanked the driver before turning to you. "It's enough that I nearly ran you over today and almost stole your ride, it's the least I can do."
"But I-" Watching him get out of the car, you placed your money back into your wallet, tossing it into your purse as the door next to you opened. "I can pay you back-"
"Don't think about it," He pointed a finger as you got out of the cab, shutting the door as you turned to face him. "It's no big deal."
"But I-"
"Y/N..." Crossing his arms, you only let out a deep breath.
"I seriously-" Hovering his index finger over your lips, you frowned.
"Like I said, no big deal. Honestly, a few dollars doesn't bug me, I work y'know," He shrugged.
"I work, too! I could've-" Turning you around by your shoulders, Ben guided you around the cab and to the entrance of the building. "Look, that's very kind of you, but-"
"The cab is gone, Y/N, you can't do anything about it." Shrugging, Ben dug his hands into the pocket of his jacket as you turned around. "Say it's my treat...of some sort."
Pouting, you crossed your arms. "I feel terrible."
"Fine," Ben sighed as he took his hand out of his pocket in order to push his hair back. "You can pay me back another time, but not in cash...anything but cash. I seriously don't need it." He insisted, causing you to narrow your eyebrows.
Nodding your head, your hands fell to your side. "Alright, fair enough. What can it be?"
Tapping his chin, Ben smiled, "I'll let you know...eventually."
"What if we don't see each other again?"
"Oh, I'm sure we will." Taking a few steps back, as if to walk away, he gave you a wink, "After all, we did see each other again today!"
Letting out a breath, you waved goodbye as Ben had been waving to you before he had turned around and jogged off. Sitting on the seats of the steps, you lied your chin in the palm of your hands, taking in a deep breath as you looked up to the darkening sky.
You promised yourself you wouldn't fall for somebody else, but the way Ben was making you feel by just being a kind gentleman didn't help at all. Something about him was so appealing--and it wasn't just his looks nor his persona--it was something else, something you couldn't physically hold onto or point out. And it was bothering you--big time.
Entering your loft and being greeted by an eager pup, you knelt down and pet him as you tossed your keys and purse onto the counter of your kitchen, "Hey, Astro," You smiled, getting a sufficient amount of licks as a representation of the dogs love for you. You wouldn't lie, at the time, all the love you needed was from your dog. "You're the only boy I need in my life, right?" Watching the pup tilt his head, you only let out a huff as you stood up, patting your thigh for him to follow you as you went over to add more food to his bowl. "Jeez, you eat so much..."
Microwaving food rather than ordering take out, you plopped yourself onto your couch to watch the endless amounts of shows hogging up your DVR, only to finish your food and knock out there and then. Sure, you loved your job, but man were the hours long--at times, you tend to find yourself falling asleep in places other than your bed.
Running into you wasn't a coincidence, and he knew that for sure. The feeling that ran through his skin after coming to contact with your own earlier that day only hovered in the back of his mind, it was a feeling he hadn't felt in so long. Your touch was unique and only you made his body feel such sort of way. Throughout the day, he couldn't help but subconsciously touch the hand that had held your own.
It was a shame he had known you, yet, you hadn't know him.
Lying back on his bed, an arm crossed behind his head as the other had been holding onto a book, hand shutting it as he placed it on his chest, Ben let out a sigh. This must've been Ben's fifteenth time rereading the romance slash science fiction novel and each time he had, he only grew more anxious. It was a shame he had to read a damn book to relive the moments you two had once shared in another life. "Fifteenth time? Really, Ben?" Grunting, he rubbed his face, a sudden wave of images overflowing in his mind.
You were standing in front of him with wide eyes full of surprise, Ben towering in front of you as he searched them. The silence had waved over the two of you, the words 'Because, I love you that much' echoed in his head before Ben had shot his eyes open. It pained him knowing only he had remembered it all.
He hoped. He had hoped that maybe, just maybe, you had dreamt about it. That maybe they felt like a faint remembrance, a recollection of some sort that had been stowed away in the deepest parts of your brain where they had been hidden for as long as forever.
Putting the leather book onto the nightstand, he quickly shut off the lamp before finding himself lost in the darkness. Why did he have to suffer this way? It was enough that he had lost you then...maybe this was a second chance?