The next day Ben collected Rey as usual from the Tico's house. Rose gave him a strange smile as she left and Ben assumed Rey had filled her in on their 'relationship.' Would she keep up the pretence with Rose? Or would she tell her the deal they had made? He wasn't sure.

Rey gave him a brilliant smile as she appeared in the doorway and his mouth went dry as it always did when she looked at him like that. The girl had no need for weapons, that smile was like a bullet straight to his heart and he welcomed every shot.

'Hey.' He said for lack of a better opening.

'Hey.' She replied, just then Poe appeared and Rey looked somewhat rattled. Ben considered his options...should he? She had asked him to pretend, though hadn't she? To keep Poe off her back? What kind of a fake boyfriend would he be if he didn't oblige?

So just as Poe started down the garden path to the front door, Ben pulled Rey towards him and pressed his lips against hers. At first, she froze in surprise, but she quickly melted against him and he felt her hands creep up into his hair. It wasn't until he heard Poe clear his throat that he remembered the real reason why he had kissed her. He pulled away and looked over his shoulder at Poe.

'Hey.' He said with a smirk then turned to Rey and winked. Rey looked around him to Poe and then back up at him. Was it his imagination or did she look upset? Wasn't this what she wanted? By way of an apology for whatever it was he had done wrong he held out his hand to Rey.

Poe huffed out a breath and walked away, obviously not wanting to witness the scene before him any longer. Rey stared at Ben's hand for a moment then reached for it with her own. They started to walk together and Ben didn't know how, but having Rey's little hands clasped within his own made him feel even taller.

And for a while everything was like a dream. They were together. Whether it was fake or not, you didn't see Ben without Rey and vice versa. Life settled down and thanks to a very public break up between the head cheerleader and the schools' quarterback, Rey became old news much to her relief.

Everyday a little more of her heart transferred in ownership to Ben and she tried to ignore it as best she could. Her leaving date dangled ahead of them, a constant unwanted reminder that their relationship held a expiry date.

Rey fell in love with Ben's parents too, as a constant visitor to the Solo household she got to know them a lot better and she hoped they had grown as fond of her as she was of them.

Neither Ben nor Rey mentioned the fact that they made out even when there were no eyes on them. That they spent hours filling each other in on each other's lives, hopes, dreams, desires for future under the pretence of keeping up appearances when really, they just wanted to know each other completely.

Rey knew it was dangerous to form an attachment but it felt out of her hands. She couldn't control it any more than she could control the weather or the passage of time, and soon Ben felt more like family to her than anyone else she had ever known and the thought of having to leave him behind made her chest ache.

Neither of them mentioned Prom though Rey was dying to revisit the subject. She had thought she didn't care about the silly tradition but the thought of dancing the night away in Ben's strong arms had become such an irresistible temptation that she was resolved to bring the topic up in casual conversation as soon as she was able to.

She got her chance one rainy afternoon when they were hiding in his bedroom and Ben himself brought the topic up.

'Why don't you miss Prom? And stay here with me.' He murmured in between kisses.

Rey thought about his proposition for a few minutes before replying.

'I want to, but this is important Ben. I might never get the chance to go to an event like this again, and I've found the perfect dress! It sounds silly but I want to feel like a princess, even if it's just for one night.'

Ben smiled at her and cupped her cheek.

'It doesn't sound silly at all.'

Rey saw her opening and took it even though her heart hammered dangerously in her chest.

'Come with me.' She asked.

'No.' Came the instant response. Rey couldn't help but feel hurt.

'Why not?'

'It's not my thing.' Ben said pulling away from her and putting his hands in his pockets.

'And that's okay, but you could come anyway, for me.'

Ben chewed his lip, 'You could not go for me.' He challenged.

Rey felt anger pool in her stomach,

'Why can't you do this for me? Don't I mean anything to you? Tell me Ben, is all of this an act?'

Ben was silent and Rey felt a cold stab of regret slice through her heart.

'I guess that's my answer then.' She said in a shaky voice as she stood up and placed her backpack on her back. 'Look, why don't we end this thing now? We can just say we broke things off amicably.'

Ben's eyes snapped up to hers,

'I don't want that.' He said.

'Then what do you want?' Rey asked, refusing to take her eyes away from his.

Ben opened his mouth to speak but then closed it again,

'Just go.' He said sullenly and looked down at the floor. Rey felt as if she had been slapped in the face. Tears threatened to stain her cheeks but she fought to keep them at bay. She headed for the fort but turned back to face him at the last second.

'You know I leave in one week, right after Prom. Is this really how you want us to spent our last days together?'

'It's better this way.'

'For who?'

'For both of us.'

'You don't get to make those kinds of decisions for me Ben. If you want to make this right, you know where I am.'

He listened to her walk down the stairs and heard the front door close. He sat for some time trying to will his body into action but feeling immobilised by his own feelings. Was it better this way? No. It wasn't better. It was somewhat easier in a way. It was simpler to pick a fight with Rey and have her storm out than have her leave him knowing how he felt about her. Knowing how much his heart would break watching her get in that plane. Ben wasn't ready to admit that out loud just yet, but he needed to tell someone or the sheer force of his emotions would make his behaviour turn violent. Eventually Ben rose from the bed and sat at the small desk in his room. He took out a piece of paper and wrote down every thought swimming in his head. He wrote down all his feelings for Rey, he wrote down everything he wanted for them both. He let everything pour out of him until he was exhausted, then he crumpled up the letter and dropped in in the waste paper basket under his desk. He slumped onto his bed fully dressed and fell asleep. He fell into such a deep sleep that he didn't notice someone creeping into his room, didn't notice someone take the letter out of his waste paper basket and carefully leave the room as quietly as they had entered.

The next day Ben didn't pick Rey up and she was ashamed when her heart broke a little. Had their relationship really meant so little to him? Was he really going to let something trivial like not wanting to go to Prom with her keep them apart? If that was true then it probably meant he didn't feel as deeply about her as she felt about him and that made her heart hurt even more. Nevertheless, she held her head up high and jutted out her jaw as she walked past Ben in the hallway on her way to class. She wasn't about to show him how much his actions upset her. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

At lunch Rey was irritated by her own pouting. He hadn't even come to sit with her! Hadn't picked up her pencil when she had purposely dropped it near the water fountain when he was taking a drink. He hadn't even bothered to wave at her! Was it really over? She held back tears as she swirled her spoon in her pudding cup never bringing any of the chocolate dessert to her lips.

The days passed and neither one of them spoke, each having so much to say but not knowing how to convey it. Each being afraid of the level of emotion they felt for the other but having too much pride and not enough maturity to confront the issue between them.

Prom night came and Ben has sunk into a despair of his own making. He sat in his room sulking when Han uncharacteristically entered.

'I got you this.' Han threw a suit down on the bed covered in plastic. Ben glanced at it then back to his notebook.

'I'm not going.'

'Yes you are.'

'No, I'm not.'

'Listen kid,' Han said sitting down on the edge of the bed. 'I know you two care about each other and I know you're scared about what that means. That's normal, but if you don't do this, if you let her walk away without at least seeing her one last time, you'll regret it. So, you're going kid. If I have to drag you myself.'

Han stood up and left before Ben could respond.

Ben paced the floor wondering if he should go. Listening to his parents start up an argument about him was the clincher. He pulled out the tux his dad had given him and put it on. He felt like a prize idiot but he knew his father was right. He would regret not seeing her one last time.

As Ben came down the stairs, his parents voiced quietened.

'I'll see you later.' He murmured, staring at his shoes.

'You look lovely son.' Leia said.

'Go get her.' Han said with a smirk.

So here he was waiting for her. Not knowing if she would talk to him but knowing that just seeing her once more would be better than nothing. Ben fiddled with his bow tie and ran his hands through his hair. He glanced continually at the entrance as he twitched and fidgeted the minutes away.

Then there she was, a picture of perfection. Her brunette hair cascading down her back in soft waves, her pale blue dress skimming the floor, the colour complementing her alabaster skin perfectly and the off the shoulder style making his insides knot together. He wanted to go to her, but he wasn't sure she would have him….then their eyes met across the room and it was as if everyone else had disappeared and there was just the two of them. She started to walk towards him and his heartbeat fell in time with her steps.

'Hey.' She said. She didn't seem mad….it made him curious but also relieved.

'Hey.' He replied, 'I want to say I'm sorry. I want to say that I didn't mean any of it….'

'I know.' Rey said gently.

Ben frowned, 'How?'

Rey reaches into her small bag the same colour as her dress and produced a note. His note. The one he had written for her that night.

'Where did you get that?'

'Your dad said I should see it and I believe he was right. Do you mean it? Do you mean what you wrote in this letter?' She looked hopeful.

'I do.' He answered, and then she was pressed up against him with her arms around his neck and he closed his eyes and buried his face in her soft hair. Inhaling the sweet smell of her shampoo and nudging his nose gently along the smooth bare skin that resided underneath.

She was whispering something but he couldn't hear what she was saying so he whisked her onto the dance floor just as a slow song was beginning, encircling her waist with his hands, Rey instinctively placed her hands on his shoulders and the look she gave him told him everything he needed to know. They danced until they were the only couple left on the floor, then they left the gym hand in hand both happy and sad at the same time, knowing they were truly in love but also knowing their time together had sadly come to an end.

When they reached Ben's car Rey grabbed his hand and held it against her chest. He could feel her heart beating wildly beneath his fingers.

'Will you write to me?' She asked, 'Will you?'

'Of course. If you want me to. I will write to you every day, though I see little need for it.'

Rey's face fell and she dropped his hand.

'But I thought….Have I misunderstood?'

Ben laughed at her confusion. He came towards her and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

'You don't understand and that's okay. I didn't explain. I see little point in my writing to you because I plan to move to England with you and see you every second of every day.'

Rey was quiet and Ben began to doubt himself.

'That is...as long as you want me to?' He asked carefully.

Rey looked down and Ben put a finger under her chin to tilt her head back up towards him. She smiled at him then, with watery eyes and jumped forward wrapping her arms around his neck and forcing him to catch her quickly before she sent them both hurtling to the ground below.

'Yes, I want you to. I want you, Ben Solo. I love you.' She replied wrapping her arms tighter around his neck.

Ben let out a deep breath, 'That is so good to hear, because I love you too.'

They kissed gently and Rey laughed when she saw how high Ben was holding her.

'Well then it's settled.' She said beaming up at him and pushing a lock of his hair behind his ear, 'You're stuck with me.'

'And you're stuck with me.' He said with a crooked grin.

'I wouldn't have it any other way.' She said with a smile before leaning in to kiss him once more.