Candlelight dinner with blind date

Rey clasps the tiny purse that Rose has given her, biting her lip as she nervously scans the room. It's huge and in the center of it is a big empty space, a dance floor, she suspects. Everything looks expansive and she automatically begins to estimate how many portions she could get with every item. Though nothing of this...restaurant, as Rose has called it, would be any worth to Unkar Plutt. Except maybe the serving droids whirring between the tables, carrying servers full of drinks and food. If she could sell them, she would be able to live of them half a year at least. But she digresses.

A woman with a friendly voice asks if she can be of any service and then leads her to the reserved table at a secluded corner. She sits down and huffs out a breath of relief. She is glad that whoever she is waiting for chose a quiet corner. She runs her hand over the smooth surface of the wooden table. She loves wood. There was so little of it, where she comes from. In the middle of the table stands a lit candle, casting a warm, comforting light. Though nothing could really make her comfortable now, not even the soft melody floating about the room.

She watches the door nervously and touches her hair. She is wearing it in a different style this time and the soft waves feel strange against her neck. Rose had helped her with her hair and outfit and had wisely recommended to wear her hair differently than her usual three buns. It could otherwise draw too much unwanted attention to anyone of the First Order. She had also called her hair too pretty to be tied up at the back of her head all the time. Pretty. Not a word she had associated with herself. Or anything before she left her home planet. Pretty are the trees and lakes she had seen on Takodana, shining in vibrant green and blue. Green has become her favorite color. She looks down at her dress. It's dark green and knee-length, the soft fabric gently caresses her skin, leaving a lot of space to move. This is something she would call pretty too.

She bunches up the skirt under her fists, her eyes returning to the door. When would he come? How would he look? What does she want him to look? Handsome? Ordinary? At least she knows he is human. Or at least, he is supposed to be human. You could never know at a blind date, Rose had warned her. She had told her several horror stories, not really helpful to calm her nerves. You could meet someone with bad manners, someone hideous, someone who doesn't even speak your language, you could even meet a criminal. For all she knows, she could meet her worst enemy!

Oh, why had she even agreed to this? She takes a breath and tries not to look at the door. This is getting utterly ridiculous. She huffs and switches the seat. She's now facing away from the door. Much better.

She doesn't want to stare awkwardly at her date when he enters the door and walks over to their table. She is sure that she is doing him a favor with that too. He wouldn't have to stare at her staring at him and trip over his own feet because he was too busy concentrating on the way he walks that he forgets how to walk altogether. At least, she likes to imagine him to be a little nervous as well.

When she hears confident footsteps approaching her table, her spine straightens a bit. Her heart begins to pound in her chest and she wipes her sweaty palms on her lap. She holds her breath when he's almost at their table. Here he comes.

"Please forgive my tardiness.", a deep, smooth voice says, oddly familiar to Rey but she can't quite put her finger on it. A tall figure steps into her field of vision. "There was-"

The abruptness of him interrupting himself makes her eyes snap to his face. It takes her a few moments to recognize the man, staring back at her with the same open-mouthed expression.

"- some organizational problem.", he finishes dumbly.

Her chair nearly topples over when she jumps up.

"You!", she nearly shouts and tries to take flight but iron fingers close around her wrist, halting her in mid movement. "Kylo R-"

"So pleased to finally meet you.", he interrupts her tensely, shooting her a warning glance. He shakes her hand, his grip still vicelike. "Scavenger."

She wrenches her hand away, her eyes wide open. For a moment, the only thing she can hear is the rushing of blood in her ear. She reaches for her lightsaber but her fingers close around nothing. To her chagrin, she has left it at the base as a precaution. It would have been impossible to hide it under such a dress and the purse was too tiny to fit anything in, much less a large weapon. His eyes are still trained on her, his gaze carefully guarded. She clenches her teeth and hisses at him.

„Is this a trap?"

"No.", he hesitates. "Not, that I know of."

They just stand there for long seconds, glaring at each other. Kylo lets out an irritated sigh.

"Why don't we sit?", he says, his voice too tight to sound friendly. She complies and lets herself fall back into her chair. He follows her example, though with much more grace than she did. She forgets that he is General Organa's son sometimes. A monster of a son. She eyes him. He's dressed in black. Of course. His hair falls in soft, shiny waves around his face, like he has actually put some effort in it. The terrible Kylo Ren prettying himself up for a date. The dark apprentice of Supreme Leader Snoke going on a date.

They sit in silence. Music is softly playing in the background. Kylo Ren looks everywhere but at her.

„Well, this is awkward...", she murmurs and his eyes return to her.

„Uh huh."

Very articulate. She glares at him. Why had she even bothered wearing her hair down? The biggest douchebag in the galaxy, executioner of the First Order, has found her anyway.

"I would fight you right now but unfortunately, I have no weapon with me."

"Yeah, me neither.", he furrows his brows, "Not that I would want to fight you."

She narrows her eyes. „What's that supposed to mean?"

He shrugs. „I don't wish to harm you."

„That's funny. You seemed awfully enthusiastic trying to cut me down a month ago."

„I was merely defending myself."

„Defending yourself? You must be kidding! You were trying to kill me!"

„Actually, I went pretty easy on you."

"Yes, right. Of course you would say that after being defeated like that."

He glares at her but says nothing. She gazes at his face. Something is different. He looks even younger and his skin is smoother than usual...she leans forward.

"Have you concealed your scar?!", her voice goes up. Stars, he has really prettied himself up.

His cheeks color slightly and he clears his throat. "Yes, what of it?", he raises his chin. "I'm not ashamed of it, I just wanted to avoid questions."

"Hmm.", she purses her lips.

He sighs audibly and runs a hand through his hair. "Let's talk about something else."

Rey crosses her arms and huffs. "This is not how I imagined this evening."

"I agree."

"I wanted to spend a pleasant evening with a pleasant person to distract myself from the war. I'd rather not spend my evening thinking about it."

"Yeah, me too.", he quips and she is irritated at how normal he sounds. He talks like the guys she has met in the Resistance. She doesn't know why it surprises her.

The waitress comes to their table and mercifully interrupts the silence.

"May I bring you two something to drink?", Rey likes to look at her because she doesn't have to look at him. She smiles back at the woman but doesn't know what to answer.

"I'll take a small glass of Nikta, please.", Kylo Ren says and folds his hands on the table.

"I'll take the same.", Rey says automatically and tries to hide her obvious ignorance behind a wide smile. "A big glass.", she hastily adds and his eyes widen in surprise. She tries to ignore him and brushes a strand of hair behind her ear, still smiling at the waitress. She hands each of them a menu card.

"Your drinks will be served in a moment and I'll come back to take up your orders.", she smiles pleasantly and leaves.

Kylo is still staring at her. "A big glass of Nikta?"

"Yes, I'm thirsty.", she snaps and opens her menu to hide herself behind it. She hears him make a sound but refuses to look at him. She doesn't know what Nikta even is. But she will be damned if she reveals that to him.

It takes her one look at the menu to know that she has no idea about the dishes offered there. She hadn't planned out this date properly at all. She shoots him a look from over her menu and then back. After the tenth time of doing so, he lowers the card and raises an eyebrow.

"What is it?"

She takes a moment to answer because it's so weird, seeing him raise an eyebrow. She blushes and lays down the menu.

"I have no idea what to choose.", she finally admits. She hates to rely on him when it comes to food. She hates having to rely on him at all.

He eyes her, then nods and turns her menu so both of them can see. "I take it that there wasn't much to choose from in Jakku?", he tries to converse and when she doesn't answer, he looks at her briefly. "I'm sorry, I forgot that you don't like to talk about it...", he carefully scans the menu, his brows furrowed in concentration, "I would recommend Kodari-rice with Chasuka and dates."

He points at the card with one of his long fingers and she reads the letters. She blinks sceptically.

"What is Chasuka?"

"It actually tastes really good.", he assures her, "It is a green vegetable with a very distinct flavor...it's hard to describe. At least for me...", he looks at her. She's listening carefully, even leaning forward, so he continues. "The Chasuka was especially popular during the Cold War between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire 3642 BBY."

Rey listens to his lecture and can't help but be impressed by his knowledge of culture and history. Ever the scholar, she thinks amused and is remembered of their first force-connection. When she has just thrown insults at him, while he was trying to find out how it worked. She remembers how infuriated she was that he was trying to figure it out together with her, almost as partners.

The whirring of a server droid interrupts his history lesson to place their drinks on the table. Kylo tries to keep his face neutral when she eyes the drink in front of her. Her glass is big and round and filled with an orange liquor. She would have enough to drink for the rest of the night. Kylo's glass is much smaller and she begins to wonder whether she has made a mistake...shaking the thought off, she takes a gulp and is simultaneously disgusted and delighted by the taste. Kylo utters an amused sound.

"I honestly have a hard time to decide if you're suffering or thrilled."

A small laughter bubbles out of her before she can stop it. "I don't know either!", she lets the liquor swirl in the glass, "It tastes wonderfully sweet and at the same time, there's this horrible aftertaste."

"Alcohol, probably.", he says dryly and Rey frowns when she remembers the drunks she encountered sometimes on Jakku, especially at night. They would stumble around at best, if she was unlucky, they were aggressive or wanted some favors from her. She looks back at him, concern written all over her face. He suspects what she's thinking.

"Don't worry, I'm not that kind of a drinker. And after all, I ordered a small amount."

She shakes her head. "No. No, I'm not worried about you. Or in that case, anyway."

He shoots her an incredulous look. "What? Are you worried that you will behave like an aggressive bastard?"

"Well, how should I know? I've never drunken alcohol in my life before!", she throws her arms in the air.

"I will stop you before that happens.", he tries to calm her.

"What, by making me unconscious with that force trick you used on me on Takodana?", she says. She doesn't know why she feels the need to provoke him. Maybe she is an aggressive drunk…

One of his eyes twitches slightly and he clenches his jaw. "It was necessary. I needed that map."

Rey leans forward. "But you will not get it. The Resistance will not give it to you and I won't do it either. You will not touch Luke.", she hisses and clenches her fists.

Kylo's eyes darken and he leans forward too. "You have no idea what you're talking about. Skywalker is not who you think he is."

Rey can feel the darkness around him. Her first instincts tell her to run but she leans in further, their faces mere inches away from each other.

"I will not let you touch Skywalker.", she repeats, then sits back slowly. She lets out a slow breath and takes a sip of her drink. Kylo backs away too, his eyes blinking. He averts his eyes and takes a sip of his drink as well. Rey puts her drink down and sighs.

"Lets not talk about our...work."

Kylo's gaze snaps back to her, the darkness already gone.

"Work?"

"Yes, work."

He leans back, a half amused expression in his eyes. "All right."

Before they have to think of a new topic to discuss, the waitress returns to their table.

"Have you two made your choices already?"

Rey glimpses at the menu. "I'll take the Kodari-rice with Chasuka and dates.", she says with confidence and hands her back the menu. The waitress smiles and turns to Kylo.

"The same, please."

Rey looks at him.

"What?", he asks and Rey waits until the waitress has left before she answers.

"Same drinks, same food, if we're continuing like that, the waitress might think, we're dating."

He's taken aback. "Excuse me, but you were the one to start ordering the same."

"Only because I didn't have any idea about any of the drinks!", she clamps her mouth shut but it's too late. She didn't want that to slip…

"Ah, so you finally admit it?", a sort of smirk works its way across his face as he watches her blush. That's the closest she has ever seen him smile. A strange flutter in her stomach makes her pause for a second. It didn't feel like hunger. Hunger feels different. She knows it too well. No, the feeling almost felt...pleasant. And it seemed to be sparked by the man sitting opposite of her. She dismisses the thought. It must have something to with the alcohol in her drink. Her face and neck also feel warmer. She looks back at him. She can still see the ghost of a smile on his lips and crosses her arms.

"You don't have to feel so smug about it.", she murmurs and he bites his lip. Rey chooses to look at the candle instead.

"I recommended the dish to you because it's one of my favorites.", her eyes snap back to him. He makes a gesture with his hand, "Of course I would want to eat it as well.", he looks at her. "And besides, we are on a date."

Rey stays silent and nips at her drink. What is she supposed to say to this? He is right. They are on a date. The dark, broody prince and the scavenger. She surprises both of them when she giggles into her glass. She carefully places it back onto the table, small giggles still bubbling out of her.

"It's funny.", she says and makes a sweeping gesture in the air, "This.", she almost says us but that would have crossed a line.

"It is."

She places the jar back to her lips and watches him over the rim of the glass. His glass looks even tinier in his hand because it is so large. Everything is large about him. His broad shoulders, the way he towers over people, his aristocratic nose, even his ears. He always hides them behind thick layers of hair but she has stolen a glimpse or two of them and was surprised at how big they were every time. His lips are too big as well. Too plump and too soft. At least, she thinks that they are soft...stars, where was she going with this?

She screws her eyes shut and takes another gulp. The liquid burns down her throat, warmth spreading to her face and belly. You should probably stop drinking that., a voice tells her in her head and she firmly puts the glass down.

She opens her eyes to find him watching her. Again. Or still. She tries to meet his eyes but his gaze is too intense to hold it for a long time. Everything about him is intense. Even the way he walks or rather strides is intense, dressed in these endless layers of dark fabric.

She leans back in her chair. "Let me guess.", she says and gestures in his general direction, "Black is your favorite colour."

"Black is not even a color." he shoots back and Rey rolls her eyes. "Besides, my favorite color is green."

She looks down at her dress, pressing her lips together. She didn't expect that. Is he only saying this because her dress has the same color? And why the hell does she think he would he even do that? Kriff, get a grip! She runs her fingers through the fabric.

"What's yours?"

She looks up at him and raises an eyebrow. "Are we really asking each other what our favorite colour is?"

He simply shrugs. "It's a safe topic, at least."

No. No, it turned out it isn't. She guides the conversation away from favorite colors to more interesting topics like ships and technology in general. She finds out that his knowledge is quite decent though hers exceeds his by far. She talks about it with pride, her cheeks red and her eyes shining. He listens intently and comments or ask questions every once in a while. When their conversation turns to different planets and their respective cultures, he turns into a teacher and excited student at the same time and Rey can only be fascinated by the change. She's also eager to learn as much as she can about different systems and ways of life. She watches him with her elbows on the table, her head resting against her hands. His voice is deep and soothing and she notices that he tends to gesticulate a lot. It seems like he's talking with his whole body, as if words were not enough to express the meaning properly.

Rey is startled when a serving droid appears out of nowhere, their dishes ready. She blinks, removing her elbows to let it place her plate on the table.

"Finally.", she says and stares at the steaming plate in front of her.

"Hungry?", Kylo watches her, amused.

"Starving."

He watches her, fascinated and slightly horrified as she digs into the rice with a fervor of someone who hasn't eaten the whole day. His eyes soften and turn sorrowful before he picks up his fork. Rey, remembering what Finn had taught her about not speaking with a full mouth, looks up, her cheeks bulging and her eyes shining. Kylo almost chokes on his food at the sight. He emits a strange noise, sounding half strangled and laughing.

"It actually is delicious! You didn't lie about that!", Rey says enthusiastically once she has swallowed.

"Of course I didn't.", he quips, then turns serious. "I never lied to you."

He looks at her, his dark eyes searching. Rey stuffs a full fork of rice into her mouth. His attention eventually returns to his plate and she almost sighs with relief.

"Force, I'm full.", Rey groans when she finishes her plate and lets herself fall back into her chair, "Like reaaal full."

"Well, I'm glad.", Kylo says fondly and she smiles, content. She has never eaten so well in her life. "You know what, ", he continues after a while and touches his lips slightly in an attempt to hide the smile threatening to take over, "I have never seen anyone eat as enthusiastically as you before."

Rey's eyes grow wide and her jaw drops, almost scandalized. "You...", she splutters, her face red, "...you bastard!"

Snorting, she reaches for her glass but it is empty. "And apparently, you haven't seen anyone drink as eagerly as me, right?"

"Ha. That's true.", he says and takes a sip of his drink.

"And I'm not even drunk!", she says almost too loudly but her red cheeks and glassy eyes tell a different story.

"Right."

"I'm not! I-", she has to giggle again. She covers her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking.

"Totally not drunk."

She lets her hands fall from her face. "Well, screw you!"

Rey takes in a deep breath and wipes her eyes. She relaxes in her chair and sighs. Maybe she is drunk. The sensual music weaves a soothing net around them and she feels pleasantly warm.

"Do you dance?", Kylo suddenly asks and Rey blinks.

"What?", she says dumbly, then shakes her head. "Not really, no."

"Never?", his eyebrows jump up.

She grimaces. "I guess, the opportunity never arose...why?"

Kylo shifts nervously in his chair and suddenly seems fascinated by the wood grain of the table.

"Would you like to?", he says after a while, his eyes jumping to her and back to the table. Blood rushes into her face.

"What, now?", her voice goes up a bit. He doesn't answer. "With you?"

He looks back at her, a guarded expression on his face. "Why not?"

She laughs nervously. "I'm a terrible dancer."

"How can you be so sure about that? You have never danced before."

"Exactly.", she says.

"How will you ever learn it, if you never try?", he challenges her. Rey laughs and shakes her head.

"Just because I'm a little bit drunk doesn't mean you have to take advantage of that for your own little fun.", she pauses and throws him a look. He holds her gaze. "Besides, this music is not good for dancing."

"Oh, but it is. It's perfect for dancing. I don't know what you and your friends are used to but I can assure you that whatever it is, it can't be any good."

"Arrogant jerk. You truly are a pompous prince."

"Well, if it means that I'm a good dancer.", he shrugs and then looks at her expectantly. "So?"

"Stars, you're really serious about this, aren't you?", she exhales visibly and then looks back at him. "Well, why ever the hell not?"

She rises then, a bit too quickly, and has to lean on her chair until the world stops spinning. Why did her pride make her finish that drink?

"Are you alright?", Kylo's deep voice suddenly so near startles her. He's standing next to her and Rey nods.

"Yes, I'm okay."

He offers her his hand but she is already walking toward the dance floor and he lets his hand sink to his side. He follows her to the floor, already occupied by a few couples, slowly swaying to the music. Their bodies are in close embraces and Rey slows down, swallowing. She starts to think that this is a bad idea.Calm down, it's not like you haven't been in close proximity of others. It's just a little dance. Nothing more.

The music gets louder as they approach the dance floor and her heart begins to beat faster. And then they stand in front of each other. Rey doesn't dare to look up into his eyes. Instead, she stubbornly stares at his chest, which isn't a good idea either.

Kylo tentatively steps closer to her and Rey is forced to tilt her head to look at his face. It's close enough now to count the moles arranged in patterns that remind her of the stars in a clear night sky. Her gaze wanders up over his nose and then to his eyes, almost black, framed by thick eyelashes. Her lips part and for a moment she can't tear her eyes away from them, those dark hypnotic eyes. She lowers her head again to hide the blood rushing to her face. Too much alcohol, too much alcohol.

Kylo holds up his palm to her then, an invitation. Her heart races and she swallows, suddenly feeling dizzy. This is Kylo Ren, Master of the Knights of Ren. Member of the First Order. Your enemy. Her hand twitches and she licks her lips. What are you doing? Her breathing is shallow and her eyes start to burn.

"Are you sure you're okay?", he asks, his voice full of concern. Rey finally steps back.

"I- I'm just tired. That's all.", she's grateful for the distance between them but she still doesn't look at him.

"That's okay. Let's go back to our table and I'll ask for the bill."

They stand in the cool evening air outside of the restaurant and take in the view. The sky is clear from any clouds, sprinkled with glittering stars. Rey breathes in deeply, the chilly air clearing her head. She turns to Kylo.

"So, this is it then.", she shrugs helplessly at his questioning look, "We go back to our respective work."

The corner of his mouth twitches at that. "Yeah, work...", his eyes take on a somber look then and Rey forces herself to look away. She looks to the small ship in the distance she has taken to get here. She clutches her purse close to her body and takes a deep breath.

"Goodbye, Kylo."

"Goodbye, Rey."