Rey stared at the sunlight filtering through the fabric of her bedroom curtains, eyes hooded and laden with sleep. Without having to draw open the shades she guessed it to be near mid-morning, knowing the sun rose late in the early winter months. Since the day was the official start of Winter Break from school she was under no obligation to leave the comfort of her bed. At least, not right away.

She allowed herself a moment or two for her eyes to shed their sleep-driven haze and then shifted to her opposite side. Groaning she reached for the phone lying on her nightstand. She pressed the home button and saw a message from Ben, waiting for her on the screen.

- Ben Solo -
Good morning sleepy head
I can't wait to see your beautiful face

She smiled at the message. Chewing on her bottom lip, she rolled onto her back and typed her reply.

- Rey Kanata -
10ish isn't so bad :P 
I can't wait for later!

Waiting for his response she put the phone face down on her stomach, palming the remnants of sleep from her eyes and yawned. When the device buzzed a few moments later she immediately retrieved it again.

- Ben Solo -
Same
It's been years since I last went skating

Nodding she had the same thought. While she had never been ice skating before, she remembered owning a pair of rollerblades once during her early teenage years. Ben had mentioned that ice skating was basically the same thing, only the skates were used on ice instead of concrete. Considering herself a quick learner, and being somewhat experienced, she thought it wouldn't be too difficult of a concept to grasp.

- Rey Kanata -
$5 that I fall first

- Ben Solo -
I'll raise you another $15 

- Rey Kanata-
Done!! haha
OH btw my aunt will be here also
Try not to let her freak you out too much

And don't you freak out either, Kanata! She chided to herself.

As much as she wanted Maz to finally meet him it also made her nervous. Fingers crossed she hoped that her aunt wouldn't embarrass her like Maz was known to do at times. But she really wanted Maz to like him and be accepting of him, as Ben was obviously older. And having Maz's approval made her think it'd be easier to confess that Ben was really her teacher and not just some random guy who she'd fallen for at a ranch. That was only if he hadn't retired from teaching by the time she meant to confess the truth.

Unfortunately, that was still a very big if ...

- Ben Solo -
I've survived some pretty bad parent/teacher conferences in the past. No worries.
I'm sure your aunt isn't that bad
I just have to remember to contain myself ;)

- Rey Kanata-
I think that's safe to say for both of us

God, that statement was so painfully true!

It was ridiculous how much she loved kissing him, loved being close to him. Before Ben, she was never the sort of person who depended on anyone for anything but now, she needed him as much as her lungs needed air. Her chest would tighten whenever he was near or smiled, eliciting a warm and bubbly sensation inside of her. It was precisely how someone felt when they were in love.

Smiling at the thought she sighed, cheeks puffing slightly. She hadn't told him how she felt just yet, fearing it was either too soon or doubting that he shared the same emotion. Or perhaps she was simply thinking too far into it.

- Rey Kanata -
Anywho I suppose that I should probably get up?

- Ben Solo -
Yes, I'll see you soon

After pulling the hoodie on that was left on the floor by her bed she got up and gave Bee-Bee a fresh bowl of pellets and some water, then made her bed and joined Maz in the kitchen for breakfast. Maz was already parked on the sofa with a fresh cup of coffee in hand, a folded newspaper so that the front was visible in the other.

"Good morning, kiddo," Maz greeted, briefly glancing from the main article to regard her niece. "I was beginning to think you would never wake up."

Rey shrugged and smiled. "Just catching up on some much-needed beauty sleep, I guess," she hummed from over a shoulder.

Maz snorted. "Beauty rest," she parroted, peering over the rims of her glasses. "That's one phrase I never thought I'd hear from you."

"Yeah, well, people can change right?" Rey asked, reaching for the box of strawberry Frosted Mini-Wheats from the top shelf of the cupboard.

"Apparently," Maz quipped, raising her brows. "This Ben fellow has certainly changed you in more ways than one."

Rey scoffed at the words and continued preparing her breakfast before speaking next. "But in a good way, I hope?"

Maz nodded. "I never meant it in a bad way. You've just matured since you met him, and that's a good thing. But perhaps you could pay for the extra data charges on this month's phone bill?"

Oops!

Days when they hadn't been at the ranch they reverted to talking on messenger. Because if she wasn't elbows deep in homework over the prior weeks at school, she was busy studying for finals. Helping her aunt was the least that she could do. Rey had more than enough money saved from working at the ranch to cover the extra funds. She felt guilty for not asking her about it sooner.

"Sorry," Rey winced, claiming the cushion opposite of Maz with her bowl of cereal. "I can help out if you wouldn't mind upgrading to the unlimited data?"

"That could work," Maz affirmed. "As long as you're not sending messages while you're in class I have no quarrel."

Taking a spoonful of cereal Rey shook her head, brows furrowed.

"No, just during passing periods every now and then," she explained after swallowing. "I'm sorry. I guess I got a little carried away."

"Of course, it happens and I appreciate the offer," Maz replied. She set the newspaper on her lap and took a sip of her coffee, attention wholly on Rey. "But it sure would be nice to meet this young man someday. You've been with him for what - a few months now? And I haven't the slightest clue what he looks like."

"I can't help that your schedule always clashes with ours," Rey mumbled, toying some squares of cereal with her spoon. "You're either working or sleeping and if not that we're at the ranch. But he is picking me up today to go skating."

Maz gasped, truly surprised. "So you mean I'm finally going to meet him?"

"Just - please don't do or say anything embarrassing," she groaned. 

"Oh, Rey, I love you and I would be a terrible guardian if I passed up the chance to embarrass my niece in front of her first real boyfriend."

Rey gave her a pointed look, head tilted to the side.

"Oh fine," Maz chuckled, taking a smaller sip of coffee. "Be a party pooper then and ruin my fun."

"Promise?"

Maz rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes I promise. Don't get your panties in a bunch."

"Okay," Rey sighed. "Thank you."

Maz regarded her for a moment. "This Ben must really mean a lot to you if it bothers you that much."

Rey could only smile for her response and went about finishing her cereal in silence. Maz shook her head and returned to reading her newspaper. She remembered to rinse the bowl in the sink before putting it inside the dishwasher. Looking toward the stove on her right she noted the time, seeing that a few hours remained before Ben was supposed to arrive. With having some time between now and then she retreated to her room for some reading. Of course, she settled with Black Beauty .

Sadly she hadn't been able to finish the story since the beginning of the school year. Thinking back on the day when she first walked into the Agriculture classroom it surprised her how far they had come in their relationship. Frankly, she couldn't picture her life now without him. And to think that it all started with her pestering him about some silly book.

Well, and calling him a prick.

She read through a few chapters before it was time to shower. Heeding to the temperature on her phone's weather app she settled for an outfit that would be warm but comfortable enough for skating: black fleece-lined leggings, a chunky knitted oatmeal-colored sweater with a black camisole to go underneath, and a pair of ankle-high boot socks.

She kept her makeup light and simple, nearly stabbing her eye once with mascara in the process. By the time she dried her hair and straightened it to hang nice and free she received another message from Ben, stating that he'd be there shortly. She hurried to finish up and retrieved her favorite pair of Caribou boots from her bedroom, then put on her scarf and fingerless gloves from the basket inside the foyer closet with their coats.

"Just a reminder," Rey scolded, looking to Maz who had finished tidying up the kitchen, "do not -."

"I know, I know," Maz interrupted, motioning her hand in the air. "Nothing too embarrassing, I haven't forgotten about our little chat earlier."

Rey smiled contentedly and opened the door after hearing the firm knock. Her grin widened when she saw Ben, wearing a heavy corduroy jacket over red plaid and dark denim jeans, hands shoved in the coat pockets. And he had that same fucking smile on his face that never ceased to make her go weak in the knees.

"Hey," she murmured and bit her lip, motioning with a quick jerk of her head for him to come inside.

He complied without words, nodding to Maz when he saw her, who had joined them in the very small foyer.

"So you're the mystery man that's been in Rey's life for all these months?" Maz stated, eyeing Rey accusingly. "You could have warned me that he was a sexy beefcake at least."

Rey looked horrified, gritting her teeth. "Maz!"

Ben laughed, unable to hide the flourishing red on his face.

"And you must be Maz," he said, extending a hand to her. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Maz returned the gesture and smiled, shaking his hand firmly. "It's very nice to meet you as well, Ben. I'm sorry that it's taken this long to do so."

Did Maz just wink at him?

"Okay! We should go," Rey chimed in quickly, looking to Ben. "Just in case it's busy today?"

"I have to get ready for work anyways, I suppose," Maz added, looking to Rey again. "I'll see you tomorrow kiddo, have fun."

Rey grumbled her goodbye, slowly moving past Ben and through the door. At least he was more gracious than she and happily bid Maz a proper farewell before they left.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry," she sighed, tipping her chin to reveal the shame on her face. "I swear that I made her promise to behave before you got here."

Ben chuckled at that. Shaking his head, he took her hand and threaded their fingers together as they walked down the hall. "As I said earlier, I've been through a lot worse. I'm glad to have finally met her."

"Well, yeah but, God," she rolled her eyes. "I swear she was born with no chill."

Rey continued to ramble on about her annoyance with Maz as they walked. Ben sighed, bringing them to a stop when they neared the exit and turned to face her. Before Rey had a chance to ask what he was doing his hands were cradling her face and he kissed her deeply.

Her confusion of his actions withered away at the sudden taste of his lips and she folded her arms around his neck, rising on the tips of her toes. Lips remaining locked on hers he lowered his hands to her waist, drawing her body closer to his. He wrapped his arms around her torso then, holding her in place and kissed her until both were breathless.

She opened her eyes when his lips parted from hers, head spinning and slightly dizzy. She stared at him as he gazed back at her intently, chests heaving together.

"I love you, Rey," he whispered. He loosened his hold on her, hands moving to her waist. "I wanted to tell you later but I couldn't hold it in any longer."

Blinking she was certain she hadn't heard him correctly at first.

"Y-you love me?" She stammered, eyes wide with shock.

He nodded and swallowed heavily. "You don't have to say anything back, there's no pressure. I just wanted you to kno-."

She silenced him with another kiss. Leaving an arm around his shoulder she wound the other hand through the back of his hair. He moaned softly over her lips, not wanting it to end; however, his disappointment was brief when she pulled away and smiled.

"I love you too."

**

The air was crisp that afternoon, skies blue and free of clouds. Here it was, a week before Christmas, and not a single snowflake had fallen. Ben hadn't exaggerated when he said Indiana was stingy on its snowfall and Rey hoped that the snow drought would change before then.

But right now, aside from having one little wish that hadn't been fulfilled just yet, life was perfect. She had an aunt who she loved dearly, despite how annoying and embarrassing the little woman could be at times. She had her friends at school and those whom she adored at the ranch - and she had Ben.

Ever since Ben told her that he loved her, her head had been stuck in the clouds. The words seemed to be set on infinite replay. His voice was all she could hear above the dozens of others when they arrived at the skating rink in downtown Mishawaka. Like he was the only person living inside her world.

Yes, life was perfect.

A small variety of shops paralleled both sides of the rink. Some of them sold trinkets like Pandora charms and snowglobes for stocking stuffers, while others offered hot drinks and soft pretzels with melted cheese and popcorn for snacks, along with a rental shack where visitors were able to rent their ice skates.

Ornamental trees were planted at the center of a brick walkway between every shop, limbs bare and draped with strands of white lights that would likely shine magically at night. A row of park benches sat at one end of the rink, and a larger than life Christmas tree stood on display at the other. Rey could only imagine how beautiful and enchanting the place looked when everything was lit.

With a pair of skates in hand, she followed Ben to one of the empty benches, gawking at a couple skaters doing butterfly jumps and other fancy moves as they traveled past. It amazed her how easy they made it look. She took a seat next to him, removing their shoes and placed them underneath the bench.

"I'll throw in another five bucks if you try that," Ben teased, nodding to those who were doing said tricks on the ice.

Rey snorted and shook her head. "You would either have to carry me home or to the hospital afterward," she quipped, tightening the laces on her skates. "Because something would definitely be broken."

"Fair enough," he chuckled, leaning over to lace his own pair of skates. "How about backwards then?"

Rey cocked a brow at him, smirking. "Does this pertain to you too or just me?"

"Just you."

"That's not fair!" She exclaimed, laughing again. "If I'm meant to get a bruised ass you're going to suffer with me."

He looked at her then, expression serious. "I'll be more than happy to take care of you."

She gave his bicep a playful swat with the back of her hand. He laughed and they finished prepping their skates. Ben was the first to rise from the bench, wobbling slightly at first and then extended his hands to Rey. She gladly accepted the help and he pulled her to her feet, kissing her sweetly.

"So far so good," she blushed at him.

"Ready?" He smirked.

She nodded, hand tightly clasping his, they hobbled toward the rink. Using the other as support, they took their first steps onto the sheet of ice. Neither could be certain of who tumbled first because both fell after attempting to glide.

"Holy shit," she gasped, looking to Ben who was also on his ass and laughing with her. "This is a lot harder than it looks!"

"The first few steps are always the hardest though," he admitted. "Okay, so here's the goal, we have to finish one lap."

"Sure," she scrunched her nose, "but at this rate, it'll likely be evening when that happens."

"Probably!"

"We can do this," she urged, raising a hand to signal him a thumbs up.

Ben regained his footing and rose to his feet, reaching for Rey's hands he helped her do the same. She took a breath and nodded, assuring him that she was ready to try again. Hands firmly gripping the other's, they moved forward together then, wavering only a little this time.

She stumbled once more when they made it halfway down the rink but Ben kept her from falling. She laughed at herself, not even the slightest bit embarrassed of how horrible she was at skating. After a few more stumbles and falls she started to get the gist of it, and they finally made an entire lap. One lap led into two more. And then another. And another. And even a few more after. By the time they were finished, Rey was able to leave the rink without his help.

The sun was almost completely settled into the horizon when they changed into their normal shoes. The temperature had dropped significantly with the sun's absence, enabling them to see their breath whenever they breathed. Every light bulb that was strung on every nearby tree immediately came to life. It was beautiful, romantic, ethereal even. Rey couldn't imagine sharing the moment with anyone else.

They returned their skates to the rental shack. Ben put his arm over her shoulders and she leaned into him for warmth, an arm drawn around his waist. Together they walked towards the enormous Christmas tree. Hidden speakers within the plaza elicited tunes and lyrics from popular holiday carols, its lights moved in sync to every beat, bringing the tree virtually to life.

She beamed with bright eyes at the display, not realizing that Ben was staring at her until he flexed his grip around her shoulders. She tilted her chin up at him and smiled, reminded of their bet from earlier.

"So, which one of us fell first?"

His head cocked at the question, lips askew in thought. "Me."

"Oh?" She asked skeptically. "You sure about that? I'd hate to be let off the hook that easy. I know I was terrible at first."

"No." He shook his head. "What I meant was, I fell for you first. Since that first day I saw you, I knew you were the one, even when I shouldn't have wanted you and I tried, God, I tried to resist. But I couldn't."

Her heart did a funny flip in her chest, and she could only stare at him with a ridiculous lovestruck expression. Did he always have to be so perfect?

"And my need to see you more probably didn't help any," she countered. "But I think as to who fell first, in that case, has a little room for debate."

He smiled again at that, unable to articulate a retort. With a hand cupping her jaw he leaned down and kissed her instead, slow and steady at first; however, the moment her tongue skimmed over his lips, he suddenly wanted more. She brought her other arm around his waist, fists clenching his coat, humming her content.

The kiss became deeper then, not caring who was near and able to see. His hand moved to the nape of her neck, the tips of his fingers teased her skin there, drawing her attention from the acceleration of her heart. She sighed over his lips and he broke the kiss, lingering close for her to hear the husky undertone in his voice over the music when he spoke.

"Let's go home."

**

They went back to his place that night, where Ben made them hot chocolate to warm up from the bitter cold. Her legs felt like she'd been running for miles all day, and her glutes seemed to have taken a vicious beating; however, every achy muscle paled in contrast to the amount of fun that she had with him.

Rey curled up next to him on the sofa, legs draped over his thighs, using the heat from her mug of hot cocoa to warm her hands. He took a few sips from his own before he set it aside, and he began to massage one of her calves. She winced slightly as his thumbs worked over a more tender spot, noting her reaction his motions turned more gentle.

"My parents took me there every year when I was a kid," he explained. "And when we got home, my mother would make us hot chocolate. My father and I would sit by the fire and read."

She studied the soft expression on his face, lips twitching a smile. "What did you read?"

He took a breath and looked at her, head reclining to the backside of the sofa. "Black Beauty."

Her smile widened. "I always wondered if that was the case."

He nodded slowly. Brows furrowed he stared at his thumbs, rubbing circles on her leg. "I miss it. The ranch. The horses. All of it."

His confession surprised her. Scoffing she sighed. "So why don't you go back?"

He swallowed heavily and grimaced. "For you. I would do it for you."

Her expression turned serious at that. Leaning over she set her mug on the coffee table and turned to him, placing her hands on his. He stopped his massaging and looked at her.

"No, not for me," she affirmed. "For you . I want you to do it for you."

His lips parted ever so slight, and for a moment she thought that he might object, figuring he'd dismiss the notion altogether, as he always did when the subject came up. But he didn't.

In fact, he didn't say anything. He just simply leaned forward and kissed her, only this time it felt different. Perhaps it was because they'd professed for their love for one another or, maybe, it was something deeper. Maybe she finally reached a part of him that nobody had been able to touch.

He kissed her deeply. His hand ascended her leg to her thigh, kneading her with his fingers, while she wove a hand through his hair, gathering locks among her fingers and massaging his scalp. He groaned against her mouth, arousing that exquisite ache between her legs, a slow building of pressure, one that only he was able to relieve her of. When his lips moved to kiss her jaw and neck, she opened her eyes, breathing ragged, her hands lowered to work on unbuckling his belt. He grunted a little at that and pulled away, shaking his head.

"Not here," he uttered.

Seriously?

She was about to protest, believing that was where it would end for the night, but his actions immediately silenced her annoyed huff. He took her hand without saying another word and moved her legs from his, pulling her from the sofa as he stood. Smug she followed him to the bedroom.

Once they reached the bedside he turned and began his assault on her lips, palms cradling her face, thumbs stroking her cheeks. She moaned softly, content with his neediness, as he was hardly ever so assertive. Her hands moved to his shirt, starting at the bottom button she slowly worked her way toward the top. Ridding him of the garment, her fingers brushed over his chest.

Breaking the kiss he proceeded to do the same with hers, hauling the sweater over her head and taking his time with the camisole underneath. They continued doing so like that, him helping her as Rey assisted him, leaving their shirts and bottoms sporadically scattered over the floor. When he finally had her down to nothing more than her panties and he in his briefs, his eyes greedily took her in, regarding her pair of navy boyshorts with tiny white polka-dots that resembled snowflakes. It was a look of hers that he'd seen many times before but it was always never enough. Each time always felt like it was the first, and every time he still couldn't believe that she was his.

"Christ, Rey," he breathed. He put his hands on her waist, hers cupping his shoulders. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," she whispered.

And God, how she loved being able to say that.

She told him just as much, admitting her earlier fear of him not loving her as she was in love with him. He kissed her again, taking her hands he coaxed her arms encouragingly around his neck, carefully gathering her into his. Supporting her legs and back, he carried her to the bed.