Chapter 3: Pax

'

Rey awoke slowly, her aching throat was horribly painful and she tried to will her body back to the sweet oblivion of sleep.

It didn't seem to work, but then she wondered if she were actually dreaming because she was cuddled up against someone warm. There was arm arm wrapped around her, the hold was firm but comforting and she realised her head was on their chest and that's why she was moving slightly - it was as they breathed.

Rey decided this was nice and snuggled in closer. They shifted, made a small satisfied noise and pulled her upwards a little, into the circle of their arms as they wrapped them both around her. Yes, this was where she wanted to be, she thought as she drifted back to sleep.

~'*'~

When Kylo woke, he found Rey in his arms, sleeping soundly with a small smile on her face. His breath caught, the weight of her on him was perfect, the feel of her body wrapped safely in his arms made him swallow. He blushed furiously as his body started to respond, this was really not the time. It was, in fact, the worst time.

He tried to will his erection away by imagining his irritating co-worker Hux dancing around in a bikini, it wasn't pleasant, but it helped.

What should he do? Should he wake her? Should he get up, but leave her sleeping? He couldn't see the clock from here, but by the light coming through the curtains, and his growling stomach, it was well into the morning.

He could get up and make her breakfast, but then she may not be able to swallow anything yet… there was ice cream in the freezer, that could work. Not the most nutritious of breakfasts, but that probably didn't matter after the night she'd had.

He gazed down at her as his tried to decide what he should do. Even bruised, with messy hair she was pretty, or more like stunning, he thought as he watched her. There was just something about her that drew him to her, as if she were the sun and he a plant… he sounded like such a prat.

He liked her name, was glad he had finally learned it, though he would have been happier if it had been under different circumstances.

Still, hopefully she wouldn't freak out waking up with him there… shit, she would, she'd think he was creepy and should have slept elsewhere. This was weird, he should get up now. He shifted, letting go of her as he tried to slowly slide off the sofa, but her arms started reaching for him and she sleepily opened her eyes. Kylo froze.

~'*'~

For a moment after opening her eyes, Rey was a little confused. She recognised that it was her neighbour she was cuddled up against, and yet, if felt oddly normal. Almost as if they had done this before.

Which was odd, because a: he had been a dick since she moved in and b: she didn't even know his name and c: he currently looked terrified.

"Hi," she rasped, wincing at the pain that caused, before giving him a small smile.

She only realised he'd been holding his breath when he started breathing again.

"Err, hi," he said awkwardly, "Do you want some ice cream?" Rey frowned and he hurried on, "For breakfast. I mean, if you want. Cos, it might help your throat. And maybe you're hungry. I don't know the time."

Rey almost laughed, he was rather sweet, and, on closer inspection, really quite striking to look at… and very good at cuddling. She had missed cuddling.

"Coffee first?" She rasped hopefully, her head was beginning to ache now she was awake and she needed to try and swallow some decent pain killers for her throat.

He nodded, his full lips curving just the tiniest bit. "Name?" Rey asked, still unable to speak much.

Now he did smile, which sent him from striking to incredibly sexy, "Kylo," he said.

Rey couldn't reconcile this guy to the one who had been winding her up since she moved here, she mentally shrugged it off, think about that later.

She suddenly realised he needed her to get up before he could and sat up awkwardly, a warm hand gently helping push her the last bit till she was upright.

He, Kylo, sat up easily, threw her a quick, shy smile and got up to go into the kitchen. Rey pulled the blankets off her and folded them up neatly then wrapped her cardigan around her more securely, she had forgotten she was just in a nightdress. Kylo was still fully clothed, just sans shoes.

His flat was very minimalistic, or perhaps bachelor pad, depending on how you look at things, everything was white, black, red or grey. Apart from the two blankets, incongruous in their lively colours and patterns.

Soon the smell of coffee wafted to her and her mouth watered, "Milk or cream and would you like sugar?" He had a nice voice, deep and slightly rough.

"Cream if that's okay? No sugar," he nodded and went back into the kitchen.

Cream in coffee? He may be her new favourite person… though considering what happened last night, he already was. Rey shuddered slightly, trying not to think of what would have happened if he hadn't interrupted Geoff. It may be a good idea to look into a restraining order. Or move. Rey frowned, she really didn't want to move, she liked it here, and it looked like the difficulties with her neighbour may be over…

~'*'~

Rey smiled at him as he handed her the coffee, closing her eyes briefly as she breathed in the aroma before taking a sip. She winced.

"Is it too strong?" Kylo asked, trying not to sound too anxious.

She shook her head, flashing him a small smile as she gestured to her bruised throat. He was such an idiot, of course it would hurt her to swallow anything.

"How are you feeling after…" he trailed off, unsure how to word the next part of that sentence.

Rey's face fell somewhat and she gave a little shrug, then looked frustrated.

Kylo remembered he had shoved a small pad of paper in his pocket and had forgotten to give it to her. He handed it over now, with a pen. Rey smiled again and carefully put her put her coffee down so she could write.

'I'm okay, throat is hurting like a bitch and my ear still stings but otherwise not too bad considering. Thank you, by the way. For helping, for letting me sleep here. I hope he didn't hurt you.'

Kylo frowned, "He didn't, I knocked him out. But why is your ear hurting?"

Rey grinned widely at that, and Kylo almost died a little as she scribbled another note,

'You knocked him out? That is the best thing I've heard all year. He bit through my ear, before you came."

Kylo felt his lip curl, "Who was he? He said he was your boyfriend but I couldn't quite believe that."

Rey gave him a chagrined look,

'He isn't now, but he was. We lived together for almost two years. I make bad life choices.'

Kylo could not wrap his head around the idea of her being with a guy like that. "Bad life choices maybe, but that doesn't excuse what he did… You can, you can always come here if you are worried about him. And we could put a notice on the board downstairs asking everyone not to buzz him into the building if he comes back."

Kylo suddenly realised he'd said we instead of you and winced inwardly as she started writing again.

'Thanks, that's a good idea… Oh, by the way, did you want your rubber snake back?'

Kylo frowned in confusion then rolled his eyes as he remembered, "That wasn't me, that was one of my friends, he also oiled your door handle and threw the water balloon. He is a massive child, sorry… Do I assume correctly that it was you who put a fish in my car?"

Her cheeks flushed a little at that.

"Yeah. Sorry, I may have overdone it there.'

Kylo shrugged and smiled, "No worries… pax?"

Rey smiled at him, then frowned and wrote another note,

'I need to go and find my phone so I can text my work to let them know I'm not coming in today, and I must be keeping you from yours?'

Kylo shrugged, "I work for my dad, who always gets up late, he probably hasn't even noticed I'm not there." That wasn't strictly true, but he really didn't want to leave while he was able to talk to her; because he may have lost the ability by the time he saw her next.

Rey smiled slightly, then finished her coffee and stood, Kylo followed her and she suddenly looked a little awkward. Should he have stayed sitting? Then his brain short circuited when she leaned in and gave him a hug.

"Thank you, Kylo," she whispered into his chest and his heart did an arrhythmic stutter at the sound of her saying his name.

He put his arms around her lightly, "Anytime, Rey… that is, I hope it doesn't happen again, but if it did, I'd do it again. Help you, that is…" he trailed off, was she suppressing a laugh?

When she leaned away she was smiling slightly, before he could chicken out, before he let her go and it all went horribly wrong again he asked, "Err, could I take you out sometime, maybe, if you want to? For dinner?"

Rey blinked up at him, he was just starting to mentally self flagellate, when she whispered, "Okay."

And he couldn't help grinning down at her.