Chapter Text
They were at it again. The guy in the next apartment and this week’s girlfriend he was railing into kingdom come. For such an expensive building, surely the walls weren’t that thin?
Rey groaned in frustration. She had an exam tomorrow, and she’d planned on pulling an all-nighter, but the guy apparently had the same thing on his to-do list, i.e., pulling an all-nighter to give this night’s girlfriend multiple orgasms.
Maybe Rey should invest on a decent pair of noise-cancelling headphones. The really good ones that would cancel all the, well, fucking noises. But she could barely stretch her monthly stipend for groceries and other necessities. Noise-cancelling headphones, while proving to be quite a necessity right now, were definitely too expensive.
Rey was happy for these girls her neighbor brought home on Friday nights. At least they were getting some. But, really, wasn’t one or two orgasms enough?
Rey shut her eyes tight, breathed through her nose, and ordered herself to concentrate on her review materials. But she was not feeling very patient and even-tempered anymore. “Oh for fuck’s sake!”
In a few quick strides, she was out of her unit and under the harsh light of the hallway, banging on her neighbor’s door. The loud sex noises stopped so they definitely heard her. She continued banging her closed fist on the door until her hand started to ache. But she ordered herself not to stop until she heard someone on the other side. The door opened.
“What is it? It’s two in the fucking morning.”
The guy was tall, and massive, and imposing. The fact that he was wearing nothing but boxers somehow made him even more intimidating. His dark hair was mussed. There was a light sheen of sweat on his neck and bare chest. As he caught his breath, his torso flexed and for a moment Rey saw for the first time an actual six—maybe even an eight—pack. Needless to say, Rey completely ignored the considerable, very considerable bulge in his boxers.
She squared her shoulders. “It is two in the fucking morning. That’s right,” she sounded slightly hysterical, but she forced herself to go on. “So I was wondering if you would be so kind as to let the other people in the floor—no, in the building—sleep.”
“Excuse me?”
“The noises?” Rey pointed out. “Can you and your girlfriend be a little quieter? I get it, you two are having the most mind-blowing sex—good on you, honestly—but I really, really need to study, and I can’t hear myself think with all the noise.”
Rey heard a woman’s silky voice call out, “Ben? Who is it? Come back to bed.” So she guessed that was her neighbor’s name. Ben. She’d moved in three weeks ago but didn’t know anyone in the building yet. Everyone seemed older, and wealthier, and above her in every way possible. Rey had never felt more out-of-place in her life.
“You’re still studying at this hour?”
“Yes.” She didn’t really hiss, but it sounded like it.
He brushed a hand through his hair, looking equal parts bored and annoyed. “It’s the weekend. You have to study on the weekend?”
“Yes, I do. In fact, I have an exam in—” she glanced at her wrist watch, “six hours, and I still have about eighty pages of anatomy to review. So will you please, please fuck your girlfriend gently so she won’t make such loud noises, and I can concentrate on my notes?”
The guy stared at her, and his right eye twitched. Rey thought she saw him glance at her lips for the briefest moment before replying, in a condescending tone, “One, she’s not my girlfriend. Two, maybe you should be reviewing anatomy in a more practical way. Three, you need to buy a decent pair of noise-cancelling headphones because I don’t really fuck girls gently.”
He slammed the door in her face.
“Do you want to stay at my place for the weekend?” Rose offered.
They were at the Starbucks near the law school library. “No thanks. Finn and Poe would be there, and honestly, I’d rather hear my neighbor fucking. At least he’s a stranger to me.” She bit into the sausage and bacon flatbread Rose had bought her as a treat for acing her final exams. Or maybe she just heard Rey’s stomach grumbling and figured she hadn’t eaten anything substantial. “Why does your library close at ten?”
“Because even law students need to sleep?” Rose ventured. “Have you had any decent sleep at all this week? For a medical student, you’re awfully nonchalant about all the brain cells you’re killing from sleep deprivation.”
“I have no problem with sleep, Rose. I love sleep. Now that it’s my term break, I would love to just sleep and sleep. But will that dickwad and this Friday’s girlfriend let me? Unlikely. They will be fucking like bunnies until Saturday morning rolls around. When the girl finally leaves, I can maybe get some peace and quiet for a few hours. Then, that jerk face will start playing loud rock music like some emo kid from the 2000s.”
Rose giggled.
“Glad you find my circumstances amusing."
“I’ll tell Finn and Poe to keep it quiet. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind.”
Rey shook her head. “I can’t do that to Finn. He waits all week for his boyfriend, and Poe drives for hours just to see him. I won’t be the reason they can’t have noisy sex marathons.”
Rose reached for her backpack. “I can lend you my headphones? They’re not noise-cancelling, but I think they’ll do.”
Rey shook her head. “Then you wouldn’t be able to sleep. Really, Rose, it’s fine. I can endure it. I’ve certainly endured worse. And anyway, from Monday to Thursday nights, it’s not so bad… The apartment’s nice, actually. I’m not sure how much Dr. Organa's shelling out every month for it, but my guess is, a lot more than for my previous accommodations. You should see some of the people living in this building… But she’s the one who chose it, so I guess I shouldn’t think about the cost.”
“Do you think you could ask her for extra money to buy headphones?”
“No. The last thing I want is for her to think I’m taking advantage of her generosity.” Rey sighed. “I just wish I was allowed to get a part-time job. It’s not like I’d neglect my studies if I did.” She glanced at her wrist watch and sighed again. “Anyway, thanks for letting me vent, Rose, but I should really let you go. It's late, and I know you and that redhead from last week have some catching up to do too.”
Rose rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress a grin. Apparently, everyone was getting some, except for Rey. But just as well, because these days she needed sleep more than an orgasm.
Rey woke with a start. Someone was pounding at her door. She rolled on her back and fumbled for her phone. It was only half past twelve. She’d only been asleep less than an hour. “What the…?” The pounding continued. She opened her mouth to call out and ask who it was but realized her throat was too dry. She got out of bed with a groan.
Her sleep-addled brain took three tries to unlock her door. She heard a man’s deep voice muttering, “Fucking finally,” and Rey flushed in anger instantly.
“What do you want?”
“You reported me.” It wasn't a question.
Rey cursed the building custodian in her head. He’d promised her the complaint would be anonymous. She knew he looked like a snitch. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I know you’re the one who tried to report me for—what is it again—oh, that’s right—disturbance to the peace.”
Rey’s head throbbed in pain. She rubbed her eyes with her index finger and thumb. “Listen, I’m tired, and I need to sleep for about a month.” She swallowed in a dry throat. “You have disturbed the peace, and you’re doing it again, now. But can we please shout about this some other time? I really need to get back to bed.”
She looked up at him. He was staring at her, a frown on his lips. Rey noticed how plump and full they were, his lips. Apparently, he and today’s hook-up had already partaken in a little make-out session. When he said nothing, just stared at her, eyes darting from her lips to her throat, as before, just for the briefest moment, she sighed and said, “Fine. I’m sorry for reporting you. But—” She glanced around and saw this week’s girlfriend standing by his door, arms crossed over her ample chest, looking supremely blonde and bored. “It doesn’t seem like my complaint got anywhere anyway. Also, has nobody really complained about you before? Because I find that unbelievable.”
He said nothing for a beat. Then, in a voice stinging with haughtiness, he replied, “That’s because my family owns this building. I could have you thrown out if I wanted to.”
Rey’s vision reddened. “Then try. I don’t care,” she snapped.
He raised an eyebrow. “My family owns most of the buildings in this part of the city. I could have you blacklisted.”
She felt hot with anger. Or maybe it was the beginning of a fever. “Do whatever the fuck you want, dickwad. By all means, go and contact your people, if only it would take your hateful presence away from me.”
She slammed the door in his face.
Rey sneezed. She reached over her bedside table for tissue but the box was empty. She dragged her body to the kitchen and rummaged through the many cupboards and drawers, most of them empty too, before realizing she’d run out of tissues. She’d run out of… most things, really. Good thing her monthly stipend was going to be wired in a day or two. She opened the fridge and poured herself the last of the orange juice.
There was a knock on her door. Rey’s heart stuttered. Was her neighbor really going to have her thrown out? What would Dr. Organa say when she found out? Rey was sure she would look for accommodations for her, but would she be inconvenienced by that? Would it annoy, upset, or disappoint her? The guy said his family owned most of the buildings in this part of the city. Was it just empty boasting or the truth?
Another knock. Rey sighed and tried to square her shoulders, but they sagged right back down.
It was him. Of course it was him.
“What?” The word was barely out before she sneezed violently into the crook of her arm.
“Jesus.”
“What do you want?” Rey glowered at him.
“You look like shit.”
“I am well aware. But I don’t really care how you think I look. What do you want?” Rey sneezed again. She really should stop talking—and sneezing all over the guy.
“You’re Rey Johnson.” It wasn't a question.
Did he have access to her personal information because his family owned the building? “How did you know that?”
“My mother told me.”
Rey’s brows furrowed. “Your… mother?”
He nodded. His eyes were hazel, with flecks of green, Rey noticed, as he stared down at her. Did he have to be so tall, and always looking down at her like that?
“Why would your mother know who I am?”
He flashed a smirk at her. “Because she’s paying for your apartment.”
Rey took a step back. “What?” She was confused. She definitely had a fever. “But—Dr. Organa’s paying for my apartment. What are you—”
His eye twitched. As he continued staring at her, eyes flickering briefly, as if he himself was unaware, on her chest. Rey, despite everything, felt self-conscious, because there was barely anything there. She was so unlike the blonde, curvy, leggy, well-endowed girls he took home on Friday nights.
“I’m Ben Solo. That is, Ben Organa Solo.”
Rey felt light-headed.
Her vision spotted before it blacked out completely.
Somebody was talking. Arguing. With someone.
“She has nothing.” Silence. Then the voice started again. “Yes. I’m at her place right now.” A cupboard being opened and shut. “She didn’t even have ibuprofen… She probably passed out from hunger. She’s so thin.”
Rey forced her eyes open. She knew that voice.
“How much money do you give her anyway?” Silence. “What? You do realize this is one of the most expensive cities in the country, right?” The sound of the fridge door being opened and shut. “Of course. What did you think I did?” A sigh. “Yes. I think you should.” Long silence, then an irritated huff. “Yes, yes, I promise.” Silence. “Tell Dad I will.” Silence again. “You too. Bye.”
Rey sat up on her elbows. There were grocery bags strewn on the kitchen counter. She spotted her neighbor—Ben—putting what looked like cereal boxes on one of the cupboards.
“What are you doing?” she called out.
He didn’t turn towards her, instead continued putting away groceries in various cupboards and inside her fridge. “What does it look like I’m doing?”
Rey’s voice sounded weak to her ears. “Was that Dr. Organa on the phone?”
“Yes.”
Rey felt the panic rise up. “Why did you tell her I had nothing?”
He turned towards her then. “Because you had nothing.”
“You shouldn’t have said that. She might think—” Her eyes felt watery. She hated, hated that she always started crying when she became panicked or upset. “She might think I—”
“What?”
“I get by fine with the money she gives me.” Rey tried to get out of bed but felt woozy again, so she stopped moving and closed her eyes. “She spends so much on me already. She pays for med school.” She felt the tears in her cheeks. “I don’t want her to think I’m too much—”
“Too much what?” His voice sounded closer.
“Too much inconvenience. Burden. Expense.” She opened her eyes then and looked at him. He was standing a few steps away from her, a glass of water and a packet in his hands.
He was quiet for a while, and then his voice was almost soft when he finally spoke. “I don’t know what you know about my mother, about my family, but we’re disgustingly rich. Med school, this apartment, your bills, the monthly allowance? Nothing but spare change.” He put the glass of water and the packet of ibuprofen on her bedside table. “I left some soup in the kitchen.”
He turned and walked towards the door without another word or a glance.
She slept through the night and much of the next morning since it was peaceful and quiet.
Rey stood in front of Ben Solo with the empty soup bowl in hand. Thankfully, he was wearing a white t-shirt this time and there was no obscenely large bulge in his boxers. His thick head of dark hair was tussled, his eyes soft and sleepy.
“Hi.” She smiled a little. “Thank you. It was good soup.”
He took the bowl from her, their fingertips brushing for the briefest instant.
“Look.” She took a shaky breath. “I—”
“There’s no need to apologize.”
“I wasn’t going to.”
“You were.”
“I was going to thank you,” Rey mumbled.
“You already did.”
“I wanted to thank you for the groceries,” Rey insisted. “I should—I should pay you back.”
“There’s no need.”
“But there is. Dr. Organa gives me money for groceries. Please—” She took her phone out of her pocket. “I can transfer the money online. Actually, Dr. Organa wired me a lot more than she usually does. I emailed her explaining it wasn’t necessary. She gives—”
“What’s your deal?” he interrupted.
“My… deal?”
“I already told you—you don’t have to feel like you’re taking too much money. It was ridiculous how little she was giving you in the first place. Don’t return the additional money, and write to her when you run out.” His voice was stern, commanding.
“I can’t do that,” Rey said. “Look… If I needed extra money, I would work part-time, but she wouldn’t allow it. She wrote it specifically in the agreement… So if you really wanted to help me, you could maybe try to convince her to let me get a job… And also, please give me your number so I can transfer the money for the groceries.”
His brows furrowed. “You’re in the upper percentile of students in one of the most exclusive medical schools in the country. You’re working hard enough as it is, you don’t need to add a part-time job on your to-do list.”
“I—how did you—” she stammered, flustered at what sounded like a compliment.
“My mother told me about you when—when I called her complaining about the—” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, I got an earful about it. Which reminds me. Stay here.”
“What?” But he was already gone.
Rey tried to ignore the annoyance she felt at how bossy he sounded. The guy helped her once, and already he felt comfortable ordering her around?
He had left his door ajar, but Rey stood where she was. She couldn’t see much of the inside of his apartment, but from the little she could it seemed identical to hers. Except his was cleaner, maybe.
She heard footsteps padding back.
“Here," he said, holding out a shiny shopping bag.
“I don’t—what is it?”
“Noise-cancelling headphones.” He shrugged. “They’re supposed to be the best.”
“I can’t accept that. It already seems like you’re not letting me pay for the groceries.”
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” he muttered. With his other hand, he leaned forward and reached out and grabbed her. Rey registered how delicate her wrist looked encircled in his large hand. “Just take it. I really don’t want to hear any more lecture from my mom about my personal business.” He looked at her, his gaze intense. “This way I wouldn’t be disturbing your Friday night study sessions.” He was so close Rey could see the green flecks in his eyes. She could swear his eyes lingered just a bit longer on her lips. “I told you. I don’t really fuck girls gently. So you will be needing those.”
He didn’t exactly slam the door in her face this time. But Rey wished he had, just so she could explain the raging blush on her cheeks as anger rather than what it really was.
It was Friday again. She was on term break now, so she didn’t have to study. She had gone out to jog earlier in the day, dropped by one of the campus libraries to borrow some books, got home and did meal prep after showering, then did two weeks’ worth of laundry, before scrubbing the kitchen and the bathroom clean, and finally getting around to solving the sudoku book Finn had gifted her last Christmas.
But Rey was still not exhausted. Her body felt wired and her mind was wide awake. Maybe doing sudoku wasn’t such a good idea.
In the silence of her apartment, Rey heard a woman’s voice. Then a giggle. So it was that time of the night.
She didn’t talk to Ben Solo anymore after the last time, when he gave her the noise-cancelling headphones… Right, the headphones. It seemed like it was time to finally unbox those.
Rey reached under her bed for the shopping bag and took out the box. She palmed her phone out of her sweatpants pocket and did a quick Google search. Her eyes bulged seeing the retail price for the headphones.
She almost jumped when she heard the keening moans. It sounded like this Friday’s girl was already on her first of many orgasms. That was fast.
Rey put the headphones on and gasped—they really were like a vacuum for sound. Which was good, because now that she had a face on the guy responsible for all these women’s seemingly life-changing orgasms she’d been hearing for weeks, she really didn’t need to hear any more.
She grabbed one of the library books piled on her bedside table and started reading. She hadn’t read erotic fiction before, but there was always a first.