Chapter Five: Change of heart

There was no parcel as Rey arrived at her desk on the day before Valentine's and though she had been embarrassed by the gifts and the attention they garnered, she was also enjoying being made to feel special. She checked her desk and underneath-in case it had slipped off-but there was no sign. Pressing her lips together, she took off her scarf and coat and hung them up, then went back to her desk and logged in, opening her emails and trying to ignore the others.

She could hear Poe nudging Finn and the two whispering just loudly enough to be distracting but not loudly enough for her to hear what they were saying. Zorii was tapping away and Rose was in the kitchen, returning with an emergency packet caramel latte for her. Finally, Rey looked up when her mug was placed firmly by her mouse and Rose scooched her chair closer.

"Are you okay?" she asked and Rey nodded. She gave a wan smile.

"It was nice while it lasted but let's be honest-why would anyone actually want to go out with me?" she said quietly. Rose rested her hand on Rey's arm, the grip gentle but reassuring.

"Rey-you're a wonderful person," she reassured her friend. "I'm sure your secret admirer is just late. Maybe he has something special planned. Or he'll come himself and deliver it to you."

"Or there is no parcel and that was it," Rey cut in and then she sighed. "But the gifts he gave me were thoughtful and wonderful to receive, even though I was embarrassed at how much he seems to know about me."

"Simple, girl," Jannah told her. "He's been crushing on you and has been watching you for some time." Rey considered this for a moment and then shook her head.

"Look-since I spent most of my time in this office, it would need to be someone here to observe me. And in this office there are four men-Poe and Finn are into each other, Hux is clearly into Rose and Ren..." She shook her head. "I don't think so."

"You sure?" Rose teased her. "He talks to you in sentences and actually says thank you to you." Rey threw her arms up.

"Well, there's your answer then!" she said sarcastically. "Except lover boy is in his office already and there is no gift so...it can't be him. My date with Netflix still looks like a good bet." Rose gently pushed the mug towards her.

"Don't give up hope yet," she told her friend. "I am certain it's a mistake and you are still going to have a very special Valentine."

-o0o-

"What happened?" Hux was scowled at him and Kylo tried to ignore him-difficult when he had a thumping migraine from lack of sleep and far too much caffeine. He tried to focus on his screen and the projections for the next quarter from accounts.

"I decided it was a mistake," he said briskly.

"A mistake?"

"A distraction." Hux stared at him and sat heavily in the chair, his arms folded.

"Really?"

"Yes." Finally Kylo looked up and his broad shoulders sagged. He was paler than usual and his dark eyes weren't happy but there was the determined set to his jaw. "I realised what we were doing was wrong."

"And how exactly?" Hux pressed him. Finally he sighed as he sat back in his chair.

"You are aware that Rey Smith is a human being?" he asked Hux and the man nodded curtly.

"Of course," he said.

"So don't you think that she would be hurt and humiliated if she learned that the only reason she was receiving any attention this Valentine's Day was as the result of a bet?" he asked pointedly. Hux leaned forward, clasping his hands together.

"And how will she know?" he asked. "You're going to confess?" Kylo shook his head.

"Word gets round-and don't you feel that would hurt and shame her?" he pressed. The ginger-haired man gave him an appraising look.

"You've got cold feet," he realised.

"No." Kylo's words were just a little too quick.

"Liar."

"Of course. My whole life is a lie. And that's the primary reason why I don't want anyone else involved...anyone else at risk." Focussing his serious deep brown gaze on the man sitting opposite, Hux fell exasperation roll over him.

"We've been over this," he said through gritted teeth. "You cannot keep punishing yourself for things that happened in your past. You deserve a future, a chance. Happiness."

"And Rey? Doesn't she deserve a chance with someone better than me?" Hux stared at him, hearing the veiled despair in his voice.

"Don't make me say it, Ren," he warned his friend.

"Say what? Threaten to blackmail me with my mother?" Kylo sighed. "I am willing to ensure her displeasure if it means I don't have to go forward with this charade."

"Ren-I told you before that it was impossible to make you do anything that you didn't truly want to do," Hux said in exasperation. "You started this."

"And now I'm stopping it," Kylo told him firmly.

"And Rey? How will she feel?" Hux prodded him.

"Disappointed, I assume." Rolling his eyes, Hux sighed.

"You watched her when the first two gifts arrived," he said. A small nod conceded the point. "And you saw her smile?"

There was a pause.

"I wouldn't give her any shitty tat," Kylo told him stiffly.

"That's my point, Ren," Hux pointed out to him. "You gave her gifts that were very personal and thoughtful. No matter what you have said, you have been watching her."

"She's my assistant," Kylo replied. "Of course I..."

"No, her being your assistant means you note if she tends to be five minutes late or early and when she leaves. It doesn't mean noting that she forgets her dinner on rainy days or what book she needs for her course." Hux rolled his eyes. "I don't know what goes on in that head of yours, Ren, but you do need to be honest with yourself."

"I'm observant," he replied shortly. "Or I would already be dead."

"You like her."

"She's a good employee."

"No, you like her."

"And she despises me."

"No, she doesn't!" Hux snapped. "She was defending you." His eyes widened.

"She...what?"

"Well, yesterday evening, you were getting roundly trashed by the entire team in the bar..." Hux began as Kylo frowned.

"You went to a bar with them?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I was asked."

That stung. He shouldn't let it and a large part of Kylo told him that he didn't care, that fraternising its the team out of hours was stupid and blurred boundaries unacceptably but the smaller part of him that was human felt a pang of loneliness-and jealousy.

"Ah."

"You should try it. They really are a fun bunch."

"I'll pass-even if they asked me. Which they won't."

"Good point. Because when you upset Rose yesterday, the entire team named you public enemy number one." Kylo nodded, his face closed. "Except Rey." He looked up.

"What?"

"She explained that you wanted to apologise. It was...interesting."

"Why would she...?"

Hux face-palmed.

"You really are completely oblivious," he groaned. "You have been...nice to her. And when you treat people well, they have tendency to try to reciprocate. Or at least give you the benefit of the doubt." He sighed.

"There is no doubt...I am a disaster. A monster," Kylo told him tonelessly. Hux rose and shook his head.

"At least watch her today and see the joy your gifts brought her...and what stopping has done," he pointed out and turned to the door. "If you care anything for this girl, you will want to see her smile."

-o0o-

Though he knew that it was probably a pubic admission of weakness, he invited Rose into his office and sat down, his heart hammering in his chest as he faced the young woman. She was the life and soul of the team, so it was strange to see her looking wary. Quietly, he gestured.

"Miss Tico-please take a seat." She blinked and tightened her mouth.

"Yes, sir," she said, her eyes unfriendly. He took a slow breath and swallowed.

"I wish to apologise to you, Miss Tico," he said hesitantly. What as it that Rey had said? "I was unpardonably rude to you when you made a generous offer. I hope you will forgive me."

She stared at him, her mouth hanging open in shock.

"Miss Tico?"

She blinked and gave a nod.

"Um...of course, Mister Ren," she said in a surprised voice. "I meant no offence." He sighed.

"My background...is from an organisation that was very different to this one," he revealed slowly. "Cakes certainly never featured. I will...attempt to cut some slack in the future." She nodded.

"Thank you, sir," she said. "Is that all?" He nodded.

"Thank you," he said and watched her leave, then closed his eyes. Well, that couldn't have been more awkward. But it is what Rey suggested. And she knows the team better than I do. In fact, everyone knows them better than I do.

He tried to turn back to his work but Hux's words rolled around his brain and he found himself observing the team through the morning. And-damn him-he could see what Hux had meant. Rey had been beaming with happiness the previous two days but today...there was a wistful quality to her smile and though she was working efficiently as always, she seemed distracted.

He even ventured out of his office to make himself a coffee and as he lingered in the kitchenette, he could hear them talking.

"So...nothing?" Finn checked as Rey tapped away on her keyboard.

"Nope," she said briskly. "Can we talk about something else?"

"No. Can we just talk about the elephant in the room?" Finn retorted. "So what happened? Did you find him? Did he change his mind? Maybe he's sick? Or held up? Or..."

"I think we all know which one of those it is," Rey snapped. "Of course he changed his mind! Or maybe he just came to it. Why would anyone want to ask me out? I mean, I-I have no family or even a name to call my own. I spend almost every penny I get on my degree because it's all I ever wanted to do...so I'm working in this office for a Boss who shocks us when he occasionally says thank you or please because he's such an asshole and..."

"Hey, hey peanut," Finn soothed her, scooting his chair round so he could spin her to face him and take her hand. "What's up? You were defending him to us last night. Why are you attacking him now? Has he upset you? Because if he has..."

"No, no...nothing like that...and I did defend him because it was unfair to lay into him when he wasn't there to defend himself. There are two sides to every story...I just wish I knew what the other side of mine was." She sounded defeated.

"You don't need to..." Finn began but she shook her head.

"I mean with this...person..who sends me presents and then stops," she sighed. "I wish I know why..." And then she sighed. "I guess he heard about me at the bar last night." Kylo listened more closely, absently spooning six teaspoons of instant coffee into his cup. "I mean, why would anyone want to go out with someone who does Karaoke so badly? I literally sound like a cat being put through a mincer."

"You don't sound that bad!" Poe protested gallantly.

"She does," Zorii put in.

"No you don't!" Rose added with a warning look. "And that wouldn't put anyone off. You were out and having fun with your friends. Whoever secretly admires you didn't do it for your singing voice and has been watching you for some time. So he will be back. He must have just been held up..."

"Face it, Rose," Rey said quietly, "I'm spending this Valentine like every other: on my own."

"But surely..." Jannah put in.

"Nope," Rey said briskly, turning back to her work. "Why would anyone at school want to go out with that weird kid with hand-me-down clothes and work boots? No one cared to ask me then and it's the same now. It's okay. I'm okay."

The eavesdropping Kylo grimaced, a shaft of guilt stabbing through his chest as he lifted the kettle and managed to splash boiling water over his hand as well as into his cup.

"SON OF A BITCH!"

In a moment, Rey and Rose were in the kitchenette, staring but Rey was quicker, grabbing his hand and shoving it straight under the cold tap. She flipped the water onto full and stared at him.

"Rose-can you get the burn cream from the first aid kit please?" she said, never taking her eyes off his face. He had gritted his teeth at the flash of pain but he wasn't fighting her as she held his hand in the icy stream. If anything, there was a hint of chagrin in his dark eyes. "You should have asked if you needed a drink," she told him in a low voice. Surprisingly, his lips tilted into a small smile.

"I can hardly accuse you of slacking and wasting time when I pull you away from actual work to make me a drink," he replied in a low voice.

"Well, clearly you need help there-and a personal assistant ought to assist,' she retorted, shoving his hand a little deeper into the freezing water. "Kriff, you've got big hands." Then she started. "Sorry-I didn't mean to make a personal remark..."

"I believe that was a statement of fact," he replied, sounding amused and then winced. "That really is freezing."

"You need to keep it under the tap for a good five minutes to take the heat out," she told him. He cocked an eyebrow.

"Personal experience?" he asked and she looked away briefly.

"Yes," she said softly and then glanced past him. "Thanks, Rose." The shorter woman handed over her tube and cast a look at the tall man.

"Anything else I can do?" she checked.

"I got this," Rey reassured her. "Go out there and stop those idiots jumping to any sort of insane conclusion."

"Such as...?" Kylo asked thoughtfully as Rose returned to the office. Rey chuckled.

"Well, they have noticed you seem to make more of an effort being civil with me," she pointed out. "What with it being Valentine's Day tomorrow, they will start putting two and two together and making twenty two." She released his hand. "Keep it under the tap for two more minutes," she said and glanced at his hand. "I'll get a dressing."

He watched her leave and spent the next few seconds silently cursing himself for his clumsiness. He hadn't wanted them to realise that he was eavesdropping or that Rey's words had affected him. The fact that he was secretly courting her for Valentine's as a result of Hux's prompting and a wager made him feel worse-not because he disliked Rey, for he actually did-but because she was clearly vulnerable at this time of year and he hated the idea that anything he was doing may cause her pain. And of course, there was her opinion of him...

I'm working in this office for a Boss who shocks us when he occasionally says thank you or please because he's such an asshole...

He shook his head, flexing his fingers. His hand was so numb it was almost painful though the skin was still burning and he missed Rey returning. She smiled and gently switched the tap off.

"Let me see," she murmured and gently took his hand, her brow furrowing. Kylo noticed her nose wrinkled a little as she frowned. Quietly, she grasped his hand and gently soothed the cold cream over the reddened patch of skin. "Hmm...you need to be more careful. Keep this covered." And she expertly put a clear film plaster over the area, smiling as she handed him the cream. "When the plaster comes off, put some more cream on." He nodded.

"Thank you," he said, nodded and then grabbed the cream and his coffee and hastened back to his office. Rey stared after the black-clad shape watching the door close firmly behind him. He had looked guilty and she guessed that he had overheard some over her rant. She groaned, closed her eyes and let her head drop back.

"Could this day get any worse?"

-o0o-

She was just leaving when Kylo called her into his office. He still had another hour of work to do but as she walked in, he rose. She smiled.

"How is your hand, sir?" she asked brightly and he nodded, instinctively curling it into his side.

"Much better thanks to you," he said honestly and then frowned. "I must apologise. This was handed in to me this morning when I arrived and I completely forgot to hand it on to you. I hope it isn't anything too urgent..." He glanced behind him and fished out a cream envelope, marked with very familiar gold calligraphy.

To Miss Rey.

Her eyes lit up and her lips parted slightly, her whole expression changing. She glanced up and suddenly she looked so much happier.

"Oh thank you," she said and grasped it carefully. "Sorry-you said it was handed to you. May I ask by who?" He sighed.

"One of the cleaners," he said. "It was on the floor, apparently."

"Oh." Then she looked up and smiled. "Thank you. And...have a good evening, sir." He nodded absently.

"And you," he said as he watched her close the door. Then he sat back on the desk.

She had smiled. Giving her the gift had made her smile...and damn him, that smile had caused something to warm in his chest.

He was going to kill Hux. It was official.

Stone. Cold. Dead.

Because he was now going to have to go through with this. Somehow, there was a part of him that would do anything to see her smile again. He shook himself. He knew he was insane and it was risky and dangerous...but he had to do it.

He was going to proceed with the plan and be her Valentine.