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“Ben Solo is going to kiss me tonight,” Rey informs Rose as they walk into Resistance Publishing Company’s annual Christmas party.
“Wait, what?!”
Rey smirks as she reaches into the strapless bralette that she’s wearing under her emerald green party dress and pulls out a sprig of mistletoe with a wink.
“So you’re just going to walk up to him and hang the mistletoe over your head…?”
“That’s the plan,” Rey replies as she stuffs the mistletoe back into her bra.
“You’re brave. That man has never so much as given me a friendly wave, and you’re just going to march right up to him with mistletoe? He’s like…scary is too strong a word, but he’s definitely, uh…standoffish, to say the least.”
“But he’s soooo hot, Rose,” Rey insists. “I think he’s the hottest man on earth, and I have simply decided that I deserve to have my first kiss with the hottest man on earth.”
Rose stops walking. “Rey, you’ve never kissed anyone?!”
“Yeah, Rosie, I get it, I’m twenty-two and I’ve never kissed anyone. I know I’m pathetic. You don’t have to rub it in,” Rey mutters.
Rose frowns. “Rey, that’s not what I meant. I’m just surprised, is all, because you’re so hot and smart and successful and talented and charming. That’s all. And Ben Solo is one very lucky guy to have the honor of being the first person to ever kiss Rey Johnson.”
Rey’s expression softens. “Thank you, Rosie. But what if I’m horrible at it? I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“You won’t be horrible, Rey. You’ve got this. And I still think you’re crazy brave for wanting to just march up to Ben Solo of all people and do this, for the record.”
Rey shrugs. “I like a good challenge. And c’mon, Rosie, have you seen me in this dress?” she asks, gesturing at the way it perfectly hugs her figure.
Rose chuckles. “Very fair point, babe. Anyway, I’m going to go find Kaydel. But you’ve got this.”
Rose pulls her friend into a hug, and then she disappears into the party.
It doesn’t take long for Rey to spot Ben. When you’re over six feet tall and have features as striking and distinctive as Ben Solo’s, it’s hard to blend in with the crowd. Especially if you consider that he’s very much not a part of the crowd. In fact, he’s leaning against the wall with a scowl on his face, like he would rather be anywhere but here.
Rey hopes he’ll be feeling differently soon. She wishes she could kiss the crease between his brows and coax a smile out of him. She has never seen Ben Solo smile, and she feels like earning one from him would be some kind of miraculous privilege that she would never take for granted.
She stops by the bar and gets herself a shot of whiskey for a bit of liquid courage. As she sets the shot glass down she winces, her body going warm all over from the alcohol.
And then she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She takes out her phone and opens the front facing camera so she can adjust her hair and make sure her make up is all in place, before finally making her way over to Ben.
She wonders if he even knows who she is; she’s only an editorial assistant, and he’s an editor, after all. He’s a hotshot editor and the son of one of a famous author, and she’s a nobody from nowhere just trying to make ends meet until her first novel gets published.
But now is not the time for talking herself out of this. Now is the time to be brave.
Rey is going to get her first kiss. And she’s going to get her first kiss from Ben Solo.
She takes a deep breath and walks up to him.
He towers over her in his perfectly tailored white button down that highlights his broad, sculpted form. He smells like fancy cologne and expensive aftershave, and when she’s this close to him, Rey finds it hard to breathe.
“Can I help you?” he asks flatly, looking utterly miserable.
“You can, as a matter of fact.”
“Well, whatever it is you need help with, you’re going to have to find someone else.”
“And why is that?”
“I’m not the sort of person who helps people.”
“I don’t believe you. You know what I think, Ben Solo? I think you just want me to leave you alone because you’re scared to let people in. And I get that, because I’m the same way. I push people away, too. It feels easier in the moment. But you just end up lonely in the end. Are you lonely, Ben Solo?”
“Maybe I like being lonely.”
“No one likes being lonely. Not even you. And especially not on Christmas. And spare me your ‘bah humbug’ nonsense. Regardless of how you feel about Christmas, it sucks to be alone during the holidays. It just does. But you know what, Ben? You’re not alone this year. At least, you don’t have to be. If you’re willing to be brave.”
He gives her a quizzical look. “What do you mean?”
She takes a deep breath, pulls the sprig of mistletoe out of her bra, reaches as high above her head as she can and hangs it between them.
He looks more confused than ever at this.
A smile plays on Rey’s lips. “Mistletoe, Ben,” she says softly. “Surely even a Scrooge like you at least knows what mistletoe is.”
“I—I know what mistletoe is, Rey,” he murmurs.
“You know my name?”
“Of course I do. You’re Rey Johnson. You’ve been an Editorial Assistant at Resistance Publishing for six months and sixteen days. You drink earl grey tea with a splash of milk every morning. You grew up in the U.K. and came to New York for university. Your best friend is Rose Tico. You have a gray tabby cat named Oliver. And you’re working on a novel.”
Rey’s lips part in surprise. “You—you—how…?”
Ben blushes. “I don’t talk much, but I observe a lot. Especially you. You always have insightful and interesting things to say at meetings. You are genuinely kind to everyone you speak to. Your meeting notes are meticulous and thorough, although you have messy handwriting. You don’t let men talk over you, ever, and you don’t allow anyone to belittle you just because you’re an assistant. You don’t just believe you’re going to be a published author someday, you know you will be one. You’re brave and smart and bold and beguiling and you also happen to be absolutely, completely, unbelievably drop dead gorgeous, so fact that you’re holding mistletoe above our heads—well, above your head, you can’t really reach above my head—is—it’s—I—I—”
“Ben, you’re very, very sweet, but please, my arm is starting to hurt.”
He chuckles, and her eyes flutter shut as she puckers up her lips, lifting her head upwards towards him.
She feels one large hand find her waist as he gingerly pulls her in closer to him, his other hand gently cupping her face. And then, all at once, his full, soft, warm lips are pressing against hers, and she melts.
She lets the arm holding the mistletoe collapse around his neck, and she drapes her other arm around his neck in turn.
She feels the tip of his tongue hesitantly brush along her lower lip and her eyes fly open and widen briefly. She instinctively parts her lips for him, and her eyes flutter shut again as her tongue pushes against his. She lets out a soft moan because nothing in this world has ever felt as perfect as being kissed by Ben Solo, and she’s so glad she decided to be brave tonight.
They slowly break the kiss, holding each other’s gaze as they pull back.
“Oh wow,” Rey breathes out.
“Yeah,” Ben murmurs. “I know.”
“That was my first kiss,” Rey admits shyly.
Ben’s eyes widen. “Oh my God. I had no idea. I hope it lived up to your expectations, sweetheart.”
“Ben,” she says softly, “that was the best first kiss I could have possibly asked for.”
“Really?”
“Of course. You’re so gentle and tender. I feel…I feel warm all over and like I’m floating, and it’s not from the whiskey I had before I came over here. It’s because of you.”
The blush on his pale cheeks deepens and then—
Ben Solo smiles at her. The edges of his mouth twitch upward, and then there it is, unmistakably: a perfect, soft, dimpled, adoring smile.
And she was right—being smiled at by Ben Solo is nothing short of a miraculous privilege.
“You know, Rey,” he murmurs, leaning down so his lips brush against the shell of her ear as he speaks. “I couldn’t help but notice where you were keeping your mistletoe…do need to be kissed there, too, sweetheart?”
Rey’s eyes widen and her cheeks burn bright red. “Ben,” she admonishes playfully.
He lifts his head. “Sorry, was tha—”
“Ben,” she replies firmly. “I do need to be kissed there. And everywhere else, too…”
“Fuck, Rey.”
“Come back to my flat with me?”
“No. I’m taking you to my bed and I’m not letting you leave until we go to work on Monday morning,” he replies gruffly.
“Oh—I—yes, sir,” Rey manages breathlessly.
Another small smile pulls at his lips and she melts.
“Good girl,” he murmurs.
As soon as he’s said those two simple words to her, she never wants to hear him stop saying them.
She hesitantly entwines their hands. “See what happens when you’re brave?” she whispers.
“You were the brave one here, Rey,” he tells her as they start walking in the direction of the coat check. “I was just following your lead.”
“It was brave to tell me all the things you noticed about me, and how you feel about me. It was brave to kiss me even though you were clearly nervous. And the things you said after were most certainly brave. Quite bold, even. In the best way.”
“You make me brave, I guess,” he says softly.
She looks up at him and smiles.
“Maybe we can be brave together?”
He returns her smile. “I would like that very, very much, Rey Johnson.”