Chapter Text
“How do I look? I’m so nervous I think I’m going to faint.”
Rey stepped back to look at her best friend from head to toe, softly adjusting the curls that framed her face. She grabbed the white laced veil that sat atop her head, softly laying it against her dress so that it was set like a halo.
She took her friend’s dainty hands in hers. “Perfect, Rosie. You look perfect. Hux is so lucky to have you.”
As maid of honor, Rey was obligated to say that. But it was true; Rose was a vision in her wedding gown — a delicate lace bodice with long, semi-transparent sleeves that led downwards into a billowy skirt that floated around her legs. It was simple but elegant, which meant it was perfect for Rose.
The bridal suite had been a flurry of activity in the hours leading up to the ceremony as the bridesmaids prepared to send Rose away. Between the hairstylists, makeup artists, and photography sessions, there hadn’t been a spare moment for anyone to think. Now, as they came down from the excitement and stalled before the ceremony, an odd sort of calm had descended upon the suite as Rose prepared to walk down the aisle.
Jannah was putting the finishing touches on Kaydel’s hair while Rey handled Rose. Jessika was adjusting the bouquet per Rey’s request, shifting the baby’s breath so that it sat directly under the pink carnations.
Everything was going just as planned.
“It’s true. You really do,” Finn chimed in. As an honorary bridesmaid — they’d had many a drunken rant about the unfairness of heteronormative gender roles in weddings, and decided he was to go nowhere near Hux’s room or the bachelor party — Finn was happily planted in the bridal suite watching the girls get ready, and would stand at Rey’s side during the ceremony.
“Oh, no. Please don’t make me cry, guys,” Rose half-laughed, half-cried as she looked up towards the roof. It was a trick they had read about in one of the dozens of articles they had scoured leading up to the wedding, just one more beauty trick to add to the list. Rey laughed, grabbing a napkin to blot out any errant tears.
“And Hux will ruin me if that happens. I swear, that bloke has been more stressed than Rosie throughout this whole process,” Rey scoffed, giggling as she met Finn’s eyes.
“Not more than you, though,” Kaydel chimed in from where Jannah was sticking a bobby pin under her crown braid, causing the entire room to erupt in laughter. Rey blushed, rolling her eyes as she played it off.
Okay, so she might have made a color-coded itinerary for all of them. And added stickers to the chapel floor so they all knew where to stand during the ceremony. And it was possible that she had suggested that Rose research each of their horoscope signs for the perfect bridesmaids gifts. So what? Rey was just like that. She was a social worker slash coordinator for a non-profit, with very little separating her from insanity at the end of long workdays flying from case to case or dealing with things at the office. Organization was in her blood at this point.
“I resent that!” she laughed, letting the camaraderie of the moment rush over her. The rest of the girls except Finn were friends she’d made through Rose, and over the past few months she’d gotten to know them all pretty well. “I just want to be the best maid of honor I can be.”
Rose and Rey had been inseparable since they’d been paired to dorm together in college, and they had been there for each other through just about everything—
When Rey was freaking out about possibly losing the scholarship that kept her in the U.S., Rose had stayed up with her until 3 A.M creating a strategic game plan for the following Spring semester.
When Rose’s sister Paige had passed away while deployed, Rey had gone back to Rose’s childhood home with her for the funeral.
When Finn, Rey’s old foster brother, had reached out to let her know he might move to the States, Rose let him stay in their apartment until he’d figured things out for himself. By then, they’d decided to find a bigger apartment that housed the three of them throughout the first few post-collegiate years.
Together, they had been bridesmaids at Finn’s wedding to Poe just a year ago, joining him at the courthouse and snapping pictures. The two had opted for a more lowkey ceremony, saving their money for their plans to adopt, and Rey was already working with her contacts to help them get in touch with agencies.
It was in her nature, really, to overextend herself for her best friends.
They were her family.
Rey was much more eager to focus on being there for them than paying any mind to the nagging voice in her head that told her she’d be all alone now that her friends were moving on.
Today wasn’t about her, anyways.
Rose smiled, looking up towards the roof again. Rey sensed another bout of emotion coming on from the bride — it had become a sixth sense to notice even the most subtle change in mood — and ran to hug her gently. “I promise today is going to be magic, Rosie.” She would do everything in her power to make sure of it. She punctuated the words by smoothing the sleeves of her dress. “The ceremony will be over before you know it, and then we can all get piss drunk at the reception.”
Her friend sighed, calming herself down. “You’re right. As long as you don’t murder your Best Man on the way down the aisle, I think we’re in the clear,” she giggled.
Ugh. It was only a matter of time before someone mentioned Ben.
“Don’t tempt me,” Rey muttered, fiddling with the sleeves on her dress. The theme of the wedding was Secret Garden, and all of the bridesmaids were in shades of light green and baby pink.
“Ah, but wouldn’t that make for the perfect photo op?” Jessika handed Rose the bouquet.
“A wedding to remember, that's for sure,” Finn laughed out loud as he adjusted his cufflinks. “Rey and Ben, at it again.”
“Why do you hate the guy so much anyways? You two were staring daggers into each other the whole rehearsal dinner.” Kaydel asked, scrolling absently on her phone. Rose might have known all the details of Rey’s personal vendetta against Solo, but she wasn’t that open with anyone else.
The truth was, though Rey couldn’t put her finger on it, there was just something about Ben Solo that drove her up the wall. Maybe it was that he was a pompous ass who thought too highly of himself.
It also might have been the way his gaze soured whenever she entered a room, or the way every word she said seemed to offend him, or perhaps the way he seemed unable to stand being near her.
Whatever it was, she had only agreed to adopt any semblance of civility for Rose’s sake throughout the wedding process.
They had first met soon after Rose and Hux finally made things official. A dinner here, a barbecue there, the rare picnic or night out every so often. From the moment she’d laid eyes on him, Rey knew he was bad news. He worked for First Order, a BigLaw firm in the city whose cases made headlines, and not for their pro-bono work.
Hux and Ben had worked there together until Hux had finally left a year ago, though the two had remained close.
Rey could forgive a lot of things, but selling your soul to a bloodthirsty law firm for a good paycheck was not one of them. Who could blame her if she’d been a little rude the first time they met?
It had gotten worse when she’d learned he was Leia Organa’s son. Though she hadn’t worked with the renowned human rights activist personally, the last thing Rey would ever understand was how a woman like Leia could end up with a son like him.
So, yes, she might have been slightly aggressive when he'd shaken her hand the first time, asking him how it felt to work as a soulless shark after they had gotten through their initial introductions. Which had then set off a chain of events that had led to their status as notorious enemies, bickering at their worst and ignoring each other at their best. But it really wasn’t her fault.
He represented everything she despised.
Needless to say, Rose and Hux’s attempts to combine the two friend groups were not always fruitful, especially when it came to their respective best friends.
Rey rolled her eyes. “It’s a long story. Also, not why we’re here today. I promised I’d be civil. This is civil. I will not be staring anything into Ben Solo today.”
She ignored the way Finn wiggled his eyebrows, and the knowing look he gave Rose, turning to check her phone instead.
“Okay, everyone. Fun’s over. We have half an hour until showtime, and your parents are waiting downstairs for the final pictures,” Rey commanded, pointing at Rose as she took on an authoritative tone. “Any last minute errands the bride needs from me?”
Rose eyed the room, going through a mental checklist, until her eyes landed on the garment bag that held her Áo dài in the corner, eyes widening.
“Shit. Yes, actually. Can you take that to the powder room set up by the reception hall?”
The young couple had opted for the typical black-tie ceremony, while also incorporating Vietnamese tradition — which meant outfit changes for both of them.
“You got it, love.” Rey kissed her best friend on the cheek with a quick hug, promising to be back and ready for the procession before heading towards the reception hall, Áo dài in hand.
The room set up for the bride and groom pre-reception, post-ceremony was small, but not entirely cramped, and Rey set the garment down gently against the back of a chair.
With twenty minutes left, she needed to move quickly if she was going to make sure everything went off without a hitch.
She hurried out of the room, turning the corner only to run straight into a massive, warm wall.
Rey groaned, her short fuse starting to spark. “Hey, could you maybe watch —”
There he stood: the devil incarnate. Or, well, Ben Solo. His hand had come to rest on her arm upon impact, although he very quickly pulled away once she was at an arm’s length.
His long, dark hair had been swept away from his face thanks to what was more than likely an absurd amount of product, and he had shaved since last night at the rehearsal dinner, smelling slightly of musk and cedarwood.
He also wore a custom-tailored tuxedo created to hug his broad form. Of course, she’d known this was going to be the case, she’d helped Rose and Hux set up the boys’ appointments at the tailor’s after all, but it was different to actually see —
“Can you move over, please?” In his hands he, too, held a garment bag, which probably housed Hux’s Áo dài. It was a perfect coincidence, of course, that the groom and bride would send their maid of honor and best man to handle outfit changes at the same time.
Rey was running on very little sleep and her short fuse was quickly getting much, much shorter.
“How about you hurry up? The ceremony is in, like, ten minutes.”
He walked past her into the room, her back against the doorframe as he passed to place the garment bag on the table. He was so tall his head almost hit the roof.
He turned to face her, his eyes slowly taking in her braided hairstyle and pale pink bridesmaids dress all the way down to her heels. The boutonnière on his lapel was the same shade of pink to match her dress.
“And yet here you are. For such an uptight maid of honor, you’re pretty far from the chapel right before the ceremony’s about to start.”
He was referring to the night before, at the rehearsal dinner, when Rey had chewed him out for arriving late, claiming that he was going to ruin the entire ceremony if he didn't get his head on straight. The rest of the bridal party had laughed it off, and Rey had attempted to do the same, chalking it up to her nerves as the bride's second in command. The rest of the night, though, she'd been unable to look in his direction without her anger festering - especially as he joked and chatted with the other members of the group.
Rey balked at him, losing her grip in the secluded hallway. “Hmph. I — well, not anymore.”
She turned, marching away as quickly as her demure pumps allowed. What was it about him that left her senseless, like some bumbling idiot? She wasn’t sure, nor was she keen on finding out.
She was halfway to the chapel when she felt a presence beside her. Damn him and his long legs.
And that tux.
She focused on the hallway ahead, decidedly looking away from the large frame that loomed over her. They ended up arriving at the chapel together, much to the rest of the wedding party’s amusement. The girls giggled, recalling the earlier conversation in the bridal suite while the guys — Hux’s coworkers and college frat buddies — greeted Ben with a low whistle.
There wasn’t any time to dwell on that, though. Like the drill sergeant she was, the wedding planner Phasma had the entire bridal party in line and ready for the procession within seconds. Rose was with her father in a separate room, and within minutes the organ started playing in the church, the guests waiting with bated breath for the ceremony to start.
It was all coming together.
Rey had been running around for the better half of a year, driving across town after work or on Saturdays for cake tastings, dress fittings, and just about every wedding-related errand a person could think of. She’d helped Rose’s parents coordinate the traditional Tea Ceremony, single handedly planned a bachelorette weekend — which had gone off without a hitch, by the way — and held Rose’s hand during many wine-drunk rants and anxious, existential crying sessions. And now, she was about to watch her best friend finally get married to the man she loved.
Everything was fine. Great, actually. She was happy, and the voice in her head that prodded her about being left alone was quiet so long as she focused on literally anything else.
Standing next to Ben, Rey held onto her bouquet with a death grip while her arm was curled around his bicep.
He leaned over to speak softly near her ear, that same smell of cedarwood and cologne invading her senses. “If you squeeze those flowers any more, they’re going to break.”
He was taunting her.
“Wouldn’t you love that? I bet you’re just waiting for me to mess something up.”
“I’m just saying, you might want to ease—”
Rey closed her eyes, her patience thinning. “Thank you for your concern, but I am fine.”
Their whispering had grown louder, so much so that Hux turned around, eyeing Rey quickly before quirking an eyebrow at his friend. Rey loosened her grip on the flowers. They were both quiet after that.
Hux was best compared to a cat — sly and aggressive if need be, but friendly once you got on his good side (and cuddly, too, if Rose’s incredibly detailed stories were anything to go by). Rey had at first been hesitant to trust him with her friend, but over time she was able to understand. The two of them truly loved and understood each other.
One by one, each pair of the bridal party walked down the aisle in preparation for the bride. As the maid of honor and best man, Rey and Ben were last, before Hux followed behind. They each took their places — on Rey’s delicately placed tape — and faced the door to wait for Rose.
Rose shone as she walked down the aisle, beaming in the way only a young bride could, her father’s eyes misty as he walked beside her. Hux looked like a man born again, the way his eyes widened and hands shook as Rose made her way towards him. Between the swelling music, the tears on both her and Hux’s family’s faces, and the sudden realization that they were all truly growing up, Rey could barely contain herself.
She delicately held onto Rose’s dress to guide it onto the steps so that it draped gracefully, adjusting the veil before taking Rose’s bouquet and preparing for the ceremony to get started.
When she looked up, she found Ben’s eyes on her, only for his gaze to flick away quickly.
The ceremony was short and sweet, but very them, all things considered. The vows were heartfelt, and when Ben pulled out the rings to give them to Hux, the silence in the room was palpable. Everyone was transfixed as they watched the newlyweds seal their promises of eternal love in sickness and in health, and until death do us part with a kiss. Rey dabbed at her tears with the underside of her index finger as the crowd cheered, careful not to ruin her own makeup.
She was overjoyed for Rose. The two of them had been through a lot together — college, post-grad life, everything that came with being young and free in a big city — and Rose had experienced her fair share of heartbreaks to get to where she was now.
Rey could only hope that one day she would find that sort of happiness and belonging for herself.
Where the wedding ceremony had been subdued and simple in the early afternoon, the reception was high-energy from the moment they all reached the banquet hall.
While Rose and Hux switched into their Áo dài for pictures, the guests filtered slowly into the room decorated with pinks and greens, taking advantage of the open bar as catchy pop music played. Rey was busy acting as Phasma’s second in command and wrangling the bridal party.
“Okay, Jess, you’re over here. And Mitaka, I need you over there — no, here, yes,” Rey ordered from her spot in front of the table. Rose and Hux’s seats were separated at the head of the hall, with one long table for the bridesmaids and groomsmen off to the side, with the addition of Poe so that he and Finn could be seated together.
Rey and Ben were to sit in front of each other, but there was nothing she could do about that. It kept the table organized.
By the time Rose and Hux made their grand entrance, the buzz in the hall was excited and energetic. The two danced to “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz for the first time as a married couple while their friends and family watched, enjoying the sight of the two of them so clearly devoted to each other and each other only.
When the Master of Ceremonies announced it was time for speeches, everyone took their seats, excited to dote upon the newlyweds. They hadn’t stopped looking at each other since they’d arrived in the reception hall — Rey was almost positive the entire world could fall apart around them and they’d be none the wiser. She closed her eyes and counted up to ten, fighting away that damn voice in her head. Not for the first time that night, her heart ached.
Rey unfolded the paper she’d used to draft her speech, feeling the wrinkles as she read it under her breath. She looked up to find Ben’s eyes on her again.
She almost blushed under his intense gaze, deflecting straight to anger instead. “Can I help you? Did you want to read my speech first, point out any spelling errors?”
He worked his jaw, opening up his phone and unlocking it. She could have sworn he looked amused, like he enjoyed toying with her. “Nope. Wanna read mine?”
“Nope.” She popped the p obnoxiously, holding the paper out in front of her face.
He shook his head, disbelieving. “What is your problem, Rey?”
She peeked out at him from the side, eyebrows raised. “Are you serious?”
He didn’t reply, urging her to keep going.
“Right now my problem is that you are interrupting me while I’m trying to perfect my maid of honor speech. Yesterday it was that you spent the whole rehearsal dinner mocking me from afar, and tomorrow I’m sure it’ll be something else. Leave. Me. Alone.” She slunk back behind the paper, still able to catch the movement of his arms from under it.
“Ben, is this young lady bothering you?” Finn joked from where he sat, two seats down from Ben. The rest of the table erupted in laughter, all too eager to amuse themselves over what must have looked like petty drama from the outside. Rey groaned, trying to fake a smile.
She didn’t look over to check if Ben was laughing along, too.
Instead, she focused on her speech. When the mic was finally passed along to her, Rey was prepared.
“Hello everyone,” she started, looking over at Rose, who gave her a thumbs up with the hand that wasn’t cradled in Hux’s. “If you don’t know who I am, you’re either crashing this party or you’ve viciously ignored all of my emails,” she started, inviting laughter from the crowd. Good. She could work with this.
“When I first started at Chandrila University, I was a terrified English girl that had no idea what her place was in the world. And then I got paired up to dorm with Rose. Rose and I have been through pretty much everything together, and she’s helped me through some dark moments. In return, I held her hair back every Saturday night after karaoke night at the pub.”
The audience laughed, slightly louder this time. “The truth is, I’ve seen Rose at her happiest and saddest, and I’ve truly never seen her the way she is with Hux,” she looked back over at the bride and groom, directing the last portion of her speech to them directly while fighting the tears that stung her eyes. She added stories from their spring break trip down to Florida and included that tidbit about the time Rose punched a creepy guy that had been coming onto Rey. The crowd loved that one.
Nearing the end of her speech, Rey took a deep breath. In many ways, this was her final goodbye to the Rose of her youth. Her voice was thick with emotion. “Hux, I’m sure you know this, but you’ll never find a gem like her again. Take care of her.”
Hux held up a hand, laughing as he nodded. Rey held up a glass of champagne. “So, to the sister I never thought I’d have, her new husband and their successful marriage. Congratulations you guys!”
Rey sat down to the applause, her cheeks burning as she dotted at her eyes, wiping the tears that had fallen carefully so as not to ruin the makeup.
She handed the mic to Ben while she took her seat, their hands touching for the briefest moment, ignoring the spark of heat that radiated off of his fingertips.
Ben now stood facing the audience. He had taken off his jacket sometime between arriving at the reception and sitting down. The buttons on his dress shirt fought against his chest, as though it would rip apart at the seams if he tried even the smallest stretch. She found herself focused on the buttons and wrinkles, wondering about the skin underneath, warmth rising towards her cheeks the more she did so. She blamed that on the champagne.
Rey couldn’t pretend Ben wasn’t attractive — that would have been naive. Where it might have once fueled a desire to get to know him, though, it now only made her angrier that those good looks were wasted on such a sad excuse for a human being.
The audience quieted down again to listen to his speech. “When Hux asked me to be his Best Man, I couldn’t believe it. I mean, this is the guy that fought me in college because he wanted to be president of our fraternity,” Ben started.
She looked away from his chest, how the fabric of his shirt pulled each time he spoke with hands, focusing instead on the audience as they sat enraptured by his speech.
Ben sprinkled in jokes about Hux being an Irish redhead living in America, and mentioned that if Rose hadn’t been willing to take in his cat Millicent, none of them would be here. The audience hung onto every word. As much as Rey hated to admit it, he was charismatic despite being soft spoken. It made sense that he was a good lawyer.
“Hux has his moments, but hell, he deals with me, so we already know he’s patient. At the end of the day he is one of the most hardworking, earnest guys I know. Good luck with everything, you two.” He held his glass up, and took a sip of the champagne along with everyone else.
Despite the price tag and quality of the champagne the Hux-Tico’s had chosen, it tasted slightly bitter as it made its way down Rey’s throat.
Rose was a very particular sort of bride. She wanted everything her way, and wasn’t afraid to ask for it — which is exactly how she had convinced the catering company to provide a balanced menu for the evening, consisting of crisp roast pork, vibrant Xoi gac rice, and Gỏi cuốn rolls with fresh, pink shrimp. Luckily, all things considered, there were no complaints about the menu from anyone — except for the person sitting right in front of Rey.
He was eating a roll of bread and butter and caesar salad with a side of roast pork, pointedly refusing anything else.
Rey had her fork halfway to her mouth, stomach rumbling at the sight of the red sticky rice, when she noticed the way his plate screamed “third grader with a peanut allergy.”
“Did you not receive my email on the menu asking about dietary restrictions? You knew what the caterers were bringing.”
“Believe it or not, I didn’t find it necessary to bombard my friends with my personal preferences.”
“So you’re just not going to eat? You’re huge. You won’t make it past ten.”
He quirked an eyebrow, rolling his eyes as he pulled a protein bar out of his pocket. “I’m fine. Rose and Hux know how picky I am.”
A protein bar? What was wrong with this guy?
She eyed her own forkful of rice, jamming it in her mouth with all the grace of a wild animal, looking pointedly at him as she ate.
Peeking over to look at her plate, he sat back down and chewed on his bread roll. “No shrimp?”
She narrowed her eyes, taking a sip of her wine. “I am allergic, I’ll have you know. Unfortunately. So, just sticky rice and pork for me, thanks.”
He hummed as though he didn’t quite believe her. She was ready to crawl out of her own skin if she had to sit through any more conversation with him.
As soon as Rose and Hux took their pictures by the cake, the dance floor opened, and Rey jumped out of her seat. It would be much easier to ignore Ben and celebrate Rose from there.
The rest of the night panned out exactly as Rey had expected: Rose and her bridesmaids all danced their hearts out, drinks were flowing, and eventually Rose and Rey took to the stage and stole the mic from the DJ to sing their own version of “Mamma Mia,” their favorite karaoke song.
Rey was giggly and happy by the time the end of the night rolled around, eager to get back to her hotel room and hopefully avoid a hangover. The last slow songs of the night were playing, and she stole one last glance at the dance floor.
Rose had her arms around Hux, the height advantage she’d gained with her heels gone once more since she’d slipped into flats for the reception. They looked made for each other. As did Finn and Poe, their arms wrapped around each other as they swayed to the music.
The voice in Rey’s head became too loud to ignore as reality settled in. There was no wedding planning or coordination to keep her busy now.
Rey hadn’t dated in months, and even when she tried she was hopelessly disappointed with the men she met. She had no family, her friends were moving on to start their own, and there was nothing she could do about it.
She swallowed thickly, turning to the bar to grab one last glass of wine before they closed for the night.
When Rose waved her and the bridesmaids over to toss the bouquet, she could barely muster a smile when it landed in her hands as everyone fawned all over her, drunk and giggling.
“Lucky you!” Jannah hugged Rey, examining the bouquet in her hands. “Looks like you’re next!”
“I better be a bridesmaid!”
“I wonder who the lucky guy will be?”
Rey played along, fighting down the emotion in her throat as she tried her best to laugh.
Luck.
Rey had never been lucky in her life — from barely surviving the slums of London’s foster care system, to shipping herself off to school in the U.S. and working her ass off to become a coordinator for Maz’s Kidz, luck had never been a part of it. It definitely wasn’t now. It was all just a sad coincidence that the loneliest girl at the wedding was the one to catch the bouquet.
The universe must have been playing some sick joke on her.
Rey slipped out of the reception hall shortly after that, kissing Rose’s cheeks, now red and vibrant from a mixture of alcohol and newlywed giddiness. The ceremony and reception had been held at a hotel just outside of town, and everyone in the bridal party had rented rooms to avoid driving home.
The bouquet fell squarely on the floor of Rey’s hotel room when she chucked it there upon arriving, taking very little care to do anything except take off her dress and undo the hairstyle that had been so delicately placed on her head. Within minutes, she was asleep, with dreams of flowers and bouquets and a man with a head of dark hair ruining it all.
An alarm started ringing in Rey’s dream, a loud, blaring sound that had her squeezing her pillow. Slowly, she realized she was awake, and that the ringing was actually coming from her phone.
Half-asleep, Rey blindly felt around the bed for her phone, pressing it against her ear. “Hello?”
“Rey?” It was Rose, her voice high-pitched in a way that immediately let Rey know there was trouble.
Rey sat up, immediately worried. “Rosie? You okay?”
“There must have been something in the food, Hux and I, we can’t — babe, go to the bathroom before — Rey, I think we have food poisoning.” Rose whined. “We got to our hotel room and haven’t stopped throwing up.”
“Shit. Are you sure it wasn’t the alcohol?”
She groaned. “I wish. Hux barely drank, you know how he is. I’m pretty sure it was something in the food.”
“Do you need me to grab you anything? I have some medicine in my bag I can bring you guys.”
“Can you just drive us to urgent care?”
“Of course. I’m on my way.”
Rey pulled on the first t-shirt she found in her overnight bag, throwing on her sweatpants before flying out the door to get to Rose’s room.
Rose and Hux were both keeled over when she arrived. The two of them tried to get as much of it out of their system before they made their way out the door.
“Hey, wait up!” Ben was approaching the room at a soft jog just as they were leaving.
Rey’s grip tightened over her keys. “What is he doing here?”
Rose, who was leaning on Rey’s shoulder, groaned. “Hux called him over to help. Please be nice, Rey. We need to move or I’m going to—” she heaved, stopping herself before it got too messy.
“Okay, okay. Got it.”
Just her luck. Ben approached them in his pajamas, his loose grey sweatpants slung low around his hips.
“Can you grab Hux and help me get him in my car?”
Together they walked to the lobby, placing the newlyweds in the car before Rey drove them over to the closest Urgent Care center. The drive itself was fraught. Rey could feel Ben’s eyes on her the entire way there, and it took everything she had to bite her tongue and not call him out on it.
When they arrived, the four of them sat in the lobby, waiting for the doctor to let them in.
“Did it happen to anyone else? Do we know? You guys leave for your honeymoon, like tomorrow.”
“Rose texted in her family group chat, but we haven’t heard from anyone yet. And, yes, we are set to leave two days from now, thank you for the reminder.” Hux was green in the face, his hand clasped firmly in Rose’s.
“Didn’t you guys win an all-inclusive package for free?” Ben asked, his elbows resting on his knees.
Rose groaned. “Yes. And now it’s all ruined. Oh, those caterers are going to get it from me tomorrow.”
Eventually the doctor called the couple in, leaving Rey with Ben out in the lobby, the glaring bright lights and hum of the TV playing cable news in the corner leaving her disoriented. She was starting to get a headache, what she supposed was her hangover from the night rearing its head.
She leaned against the wall, willing her eyes to close, ignoring the looming presence sitting two chairs down from her and waiting for her friend. Neither of them spoke while they waited, as time seemed to stretch on forever.
Poor Rose.
It was 3 A.M when they finally made it out of the Urgent Care. The doctor had classified it as vibrio vulnificus infection, from a bacteria found in shellfish, most likely the shrimp.
Which had been Rose and Hux’s favorite part of the menu.
Which neither Rey or Ben ate.
That explained that.
Unfortunately, the two of them were not going to be any better within the week, much less within two days when they were scheduled to leave on their all-inclusive honeymoon to Maui. Rose had scoured the internet for months looking for the best possible deal, landing on a sweepstakes that Rey helped her fill out dozens of entries for.
When they had found out she won, the two of them cheered, eager to cross off that section of the wedding budget, giving them more room for everything else. And now Rose wouldn’t be able to enjoy it at all.
On the drive back to the hotel, Rose and Hux were slumped over each other. Hux was asleep, but Rose was patting her fingers absently against her stomach, eyes closed with exhaustion.
“So, you guys, Hux and I were talking…” Rose started, her eyes closed in the backseat.
“Hmm?” Rey firmly avoided acknowledging Ben next to her, her hands gripping the wheel and eyes flickering between the road and the rearview mirror where she could see her best friend.
“We think you two should go on our honeymoon for us.”
Rey was glad for her alertness and dedication to safety, because otherwise she would have definitely run into a tree.
“No way, Rose.”
Ben chimed in from where he sat next to her, almost at the same time. “Absolutely not.” On this, at least, they were on the same page.
“It’s non-refundable. I can call to change the names and transfer the package, but I can’t change the dates. All you guys have to do is pretend to be married—”
“Rose, no.”
“Just hear me out. For better or worse, be it luck or coincidence or whatever, you two didn’t get sick.”
Ben spoke up. “Rose, I don’t think—”
“Hux and I already agreed on it and called the customer service reps,” she said firmly, her voice hoarse with exhaustion and her patience depleted. “The suite is set up for a Mr. and Mrs. Solo. Take it or leave it.”
Rey groaned, ignoring the odd streak of something — disgust, maybe? — that ran through her chest at the mere image of her and Ben together.
She couldn’t act surprised, though. If Rose wanted something, she’d get it. But this was a lot.
“How did you get a hold of them? Isn’t it 12 A.M. in Hawaii right now?”
Rose shifted, nuzzling Hux’s sleeping form, her voice groggy. “24-7 customer service, baby. This is the future.”
Though Rey was decidedly not looking at Ben, eyes very focused on the road ahead, she felt him shift uncomfortably in his seat. He turned to face Rose from the space between their seats, his dark hair coming dangerously near her face. “Are you sure? You’re not thinking straight, you’ll probably want to change that back in the morning.”
“Ben, you could use the vacation and you know it,” something in Rose’s tone indicated there was more to that statement than there appeared to be on the surface. “Rey, you were the best maid of honor I could have asked for. Despite all of this,” she gestured at her and Hux, “today really was the wedding day I’ve dreamed about since I was a girl. All thanks to you — both of you.”
Neither Ben nor Rey replied, leaving the car in silence until Rose spoke up again. “Hux and I will survive, so, please? Sleep on it if you need to. We can talk more tomorrow.”
Rey focused on the sound of the tires against the gravel as she drove them all back to the hotel.
The maid of honor and best man helped the newlyweds settle back into their hotel room, ignoring the lingerie that had been thrown across the chair next to the bathroom.
Rose grabbed Rey’s face as she was put to bed, her voice groggy. “Rey, seriously. Think about it. A free vacation.”
Her head dropped to the pillow, officially lost to exhaustion — at least, until the next bout of vomiting.
Rey and Ben placed trash bins near each side of the bed, with towels and bottles of water. It was the least they could do, at this point.
Rey barely said goodbye to him as she left, walking back towards her hotel room in disbelief as she wondered what the hell was happening.
A free vacation was at her fingertips, if she could get over the guilt. She’d probably be able to ask for the days off easily. She hadn’t had a full vacation in years. Plus, it was already in her name — well, the fake name.
Shit. She’d have to pretend to be married to Ben.
But was that slight discomfort not worth the chance to spend a week basking in the sun on the beaches of Hawaii? For free?
On her nonprofit salary, vacations were few and far between, and often only to the nearest city. She hadn’t left the contiguous states since she’d first moved here.
Rey didn’t believe in luck, but she might believe in coincidence. This wedding had led to a lot of those.
If Rose was offering, what was the harm?
As she tucked herself back into bed that night, she wondered if taking advantage of this one thing — and paying Rose back somehow, of course — could really be so bad. Maybe it was just the sort of reset she needed.