When the Stars Align: A Modern Day Reylo AU

Chapter 6

She was nervous and flustered, but also happy and excited. The next 45 minutes crept by at a snail's pace. When she finally closed the shop at 9:00, exactly, she decided she would leave her car here and walk. She thought the fresh air would be good for her. She walked the 8 minutes over to the apartment complex, got on the elevator and pushed 7. The butterflies in her stomach intensifies as the door opened. She noticed this whole floor had only 4 apartments on it. She easily found 702 and knocked on the door.

"Coming!" she heard him yell. The door creaked opened and she saw him standing there. "Come in," he said, with a wooden spoon in one hand and a spatula between his teeth.

"What are you doing?" she asked with a laugh.

"Making you a birthday dinner!" he replied, throwing his hands in the air.

She couldn't believe it. "You don't have to do that," she said.

"Well it's almost done, so come," he lead her to the kitchen. It was huge! It was a chef's kitchen for sure. It had 6 burners on the stove, 2 ovens, a separate pantry, and a massive amount of cabinet space. She couldn't fill this kitchen with everything she owned.

She pulled up a stool at the bar space in the kitchen and sat down. "Whatcha making?" she asked nonchalantly as if she wasn't blown away by both his apartment and this gesture.

"Well, I gambled on what you might like, but I decided on stuffed shells and salad. I know it's nothing fancy," he said, kind of embarrassed.

"It's perfect! No one has ever made me a birthday dinner before," she said.

"EVER?" he asked. "Not even when you were little?" he asked again!

"Nope. When my parents were around, they were kind of low lives. When I was jumping around in foster homes either I didn't want to be noticed because the homes were so bad or we just ignored each other," she replied, wishing she hadn't divulged as much as she had.

"Well then, this is an extra special birthday," he replied, plating their dinners.

He pushed a plate over to her and one next to hers. He walked around and sat down next to her. They looked at each other with a silent stare. She finally said to him, "Ya know something, I don't even know your name," she looked away.

"Ben," he replied.

"Rey," she returned and they both averted their eyes and started eating.

"This is delicious," she said, breaking the silence after a few bites. "Where did you learn to cook?"

"I'm self taught, mostly. I've been living on my own since I was 18, too." he replied.

They ate their foods with pleasant chatter until they had both cleared their plates.

"Well, that's easily the nicest thing anyone has done for me," she smiled as he cleared away the plates.

"Well then you'll love this!" he said, opening the second oven and pulling out a cake he had obviously been hiding.

"Shut up!" she said, giggling. "You got a birthday cake?"

"I stopped at the bakery on the way home," he said. "Happy Birthday," he lit the candle and pushed the cake toward her. She smiled and blew out the candle, making her first ever birthday wish. He cut the cake and they each enjoyed a large slice of cake.

After he had cleaned everything up, she said, "how about that tour you promised."

"Yes, the grand tour," he replied. "Follow me," he said, putting his hand out for her. She took it and he lead her out of the apartment and to the elevator. When they got in the elevator, they were still holding hands. When the elevator arrived at the bottom floor, they were still holding hands. When he lead her into the lobby, they were still holding hands. He took her to the front of the building. "We should start at the entrance," he said. He showed her where her mail would come, how to access the building gym, and where to go if she needed the super. He showed her the outdoor terrace and whispered to her, "it's not as nice as the balcony in my apartment though," and winked. She smiled at him. "Show me where your apartment is," he asked through a statement.

She walked through the corridor off the lobby and down a few apartments. "105, this is me," she said.

"Well I look forward to getting the tour of your apartment soon," he said.

"Well I look forward to getting the tour of your apartment now," she replied, realizing she had only really seen the kitchen.

"Why yes, I'm free now," he said and they headed back to the elevator. Somewhere along the tour their hands had broken apart. She missed the warmth of his gigantic hand around hers. They rode the elevator back up to the seventh floor in silence.