Chapter Text
Zorii tore a chunk off her banana walnut muffin and shoved it in her mouth, talking as she chewed. “You gonna go to dad’s wedding or what?”
“I can’t. Rehearsals,” Ben paused, fiddling with the spoon next to his mug. “Not like I really wanna go anyway. Is mom going?”
“Fuck no,” Zorii sneered, throwing a chunk of muffin at her brother.
“Hey, fuck off,” he hissed as he failed to dodge the morsel. “You going?”
Zorii laughed in that overly dramatic way of hers, like she was playing a villain in a Disney movie. “I wouldn’t go if you paid me ten million fucking dollars.” She paused to take a sip of her oat milk chai. “But he has a stepdaughter who’s looking to move to Brooklyn, she just needs a place to stay. She’s been with us for a few days already.”
Ben’s mouth pressed into a straight line as he tore a Sugar in the Raw packet into tiny pieces. “And?”
“You should let her stay with you. We’d keep her, but Beaumont and I are moving up to the Catskills to live on a cooperative farm. It’ll be good for Sample. Baby goats and whatnot.”
“Good,” Ben replied, ignoring the initial ask. “If you’re in the middle of nowhere, there’s less of a chance you’ll run away.”
“Fuck you, Ben!
“Fuck you, Zorii.”
Watching the scene from the front of Café Grumpy, Rey smiled at the two siblings tearing into each other as she adjusted her Strand tote bag on her shoulder.
Rey was an only child, but thanks to her mom marrying Mr. Solo, she was now going to have not only one, but two siblings. She’d heard mixed things about the twenty-somethings over the dinner table these last few months: Ben had battled alcoholism since his teen years and was now struggling to find work as an actor. Zorii coped with her mental illness to varying degrees of success and was famous for her disappearing acts. But Rey had always wanted siblings, and was determined to insinuate herself into their chaotic little world.
She was no stranger to chaos, of course. She’d learned to thrive on it in childhood, living in cars and wondering where their next meal would come from; whether she’d make any friends at her third new school of the year. But she was eighteen now, and ready to break out on her own, especially now that Mama was taken care of and no longer her responsibility. And she figured if she could make it out on the road, she could certainly make it out here in Brooklyn. She hoped, however, that Ben would at least make it a little easier on her.
Approaching the table cautiously, Rey purposely put herself in Zorii’s sightline to facilitate the introduction to her new big brother.
Her drop-dead gorgeous, insanely well-built big brother. She swallowed, her mouth suddenly feeling like it was filled with sand.
“Rey! You’re here!” Zorii exclaimed, standing up and nearly toppling her chair over to wrap Rey in her cardigan-covered arms.
“Hey,” she smiled in return.
“Yes, wonderful. Well, this is Ben. I’ll leave you to it. I gotta go home and pack.”
“Really, Zorii?”
“Shut up, Ben,” she sneered before turning to Rey with a sweet smile. “Don’t take him seriously. I’ll see you later.”
With a kiss on each of Rey’s cheeks and a blur of grabbing her bag and the rest of her muffin, Zorii was gone in a blink.
Rey shifted on her feet and curled some hair behind her ear, suddenly feeling vulnerable. What if he wanted nothing to do with her? Had Zorii even planted the seed that she needed a place to stay for a while?
Her things were still at Zorii and Beaumont’s apartment. Ben had long since moved out of that building after breaking up with his ex, and had moved to another part of Brooklyn. Her options were nearly nil if he didn’t want to accept her. And she refused to go home in defeat, especially now that she realized he was smoking hot.
But she was nothing if not resourceful.
“Mind if I sit down?” she attempted her most dazzling, toothy grin.
Ben glanced up at her and swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing in an unsettlingly tantalizing way.
She really hadn’t expected him to be so damned sexy. Not that she was complaining. In fact, it made her even more excited to insinuate herself into his life, and hopefully his bed.
“Yeah, sure. Sorry,” he gestured unconvincingly towards the recently vacated wooden chair across from him.
“Sorry, I can go if you don’t want-”
“No, no,” he sat up straighter, pulling his chair in and smiling, showing off his adorably crooked teeth. His eyes were soft as he rolled his plush pink lips against each other. “Please.”
That please sent a shiver all the way down her spine and she bit her lip before hanging her tote on the back of the chair and sitting down.
“So, Ben. Guess we’re siblings now?”
He let out a hearty chuckle, all crinkly cornered eyes and dimples. “Yeah, I guess so.” His eyes darted from her face, down to her body, quickly back up again. Was he checking her out?
Good.
“Can I get you a coffee?”
She shook her head, her innate impulse to turn down favors from people she hadn’t manipulated out of them herself. “No, no I’m good. I just had some earlier. You live close by?”
“Uh, yeah.” He straightened the hem of his t-shirt, pulling the stretchy fabric taut over his nicely defined pecs. His nipples were slightly hard. She wondered if he liked having them touched.
Licked.
“Zorii said you might need a place to stay for a while?”
Bingo.
“Yeah, just for a month until I get my bearings and put some cash away. I got a job waitressing at the little French place up the street and I’ve been on Craigslist nonstop.”
“Oh, nice. I was just gonna ask what you do, but now I know.” He eyed her curiously, as if trying to see what she was all about regardless. “ You don’t have to give me rent or anything, just uh, maybe get your own groceries and stuff? I mostly eat for fuel.”
“Of course,” she smiled back triumphantly. “Thank you so much, really.”
She felt the dopamine hit her brain in waves as she delighted in how easy it was, and the prospect of keeping all of her restaurant tips for herself. Maybe she could even afford to buy coffee here eventually.
“It’s no problem. You can stay in Poe’s room - he’s staying with his girlfriend a lot so I’ll just tell him to stay put until you find your own place. You going to the wedding?”
“Oh, no. Mom doesn’t care. I think it’s gonna be one of those courthouse things with a little dinner party for their friends type deal.”
“Cool, me neither. Busy with my play and stuff.”
“Oh yeah? What kind of play?”
He smirked a little, seemingly excited by her interest. “Weird, artsy shit. You wanna come see it? It starts Friday.”
“Sure, I'd like that a lot.”
“Okay, kid.”
Kid. She couldn’t help what the word did to her, even if he meant nothing by it.
He fixed her with an approving look, his eyes squinting and darkening only slightly, but enough for her to notice. She’d seen that look from men plenty of times before. “You need help moving your stuff? I’ll text you the address.”
“Oh no, I don’t have much.”
One rolling suitcase and a duffel bag was all she had. For now.
“Great. Let me know when you’re coming over. I’ll stop by the hardware store on the way home and make you a key.”
“Great. Thank you so much, Ben.”
They stood up to leave and he held the door for her on the way out, standing close enough that she could smell his faint musk through his Old Spice deodorant. She inhaled deeply, wondering how much his apartment smelled like him. What his sheets smelled like.
At the corner, they parted ways and she nearly skipped to the subway back to Zorii and Beaumont’s place.
She’d always been willing to do what she had to do to survive—for once, she might actually enjoy it.
++++
With her meager possessions in hand, Rey trudged up the two flights of stairs to Ben’s apartment. She girded herself for the beautiful sight of him, then rapped on the door and waited eagerly for him to appear.
“Hey, kid,” he smiled as he opened the door and backed up for her to trudge in. “Let me help you with that.” His large hand slipped under the strap of her duffel and scooped it off her shoulder as he led her to Poe’s vacant room.
Rey took in the surroundings as she attempted to follow his extra-long strides: the messy workbench and the faded yellow velvet couch, the modern posters and thrift store lamps. The weightlifting bench. There were random screws and bolts and wood shards scattered along the baseboards, and she remembered that he dabbled in carpentry in addition to his more artistic pursuits.
“So, this is yours. If you don’t have sheets there’s a little place down the street that sells pretty decent ones. Or you can borrow one of my sets for now.”
“Oh yeah, I don’t have any of that stuff but I’ll go this weekend after my first shift and pick up a few things. Towels and whatnot.” She wheeled her suitcase into the corner as he dropped her duffle bag by the foot of the bed.
“Sure. Just use mine for now and wash ‘em. Laundromat is right around the corner.”
“Cool.”
“You need anything?” He pointed with his thumb towards the door and scratched his chest nonchalantly with this other hand as he stretched. Her eyes zeroed in on the sliver of skin that appeared above his waistband. “I gotta go get ready for rehearsal.”
Drawing her eyes up she nodded dreamily. “I’m fine, thanks. Will you be out late?”
“Uh, not too late.”
“No after party or anything?” She grinned, hoping there wasn’t.
He huffed a laugh. “Nah, not for me. I’ll be back around elevenish. You go to bed early or something?”
“No, I'll be up. Don’t worry about me though.”
He nodded and smiled, his eyes narrowing as he looked her up and down in a way that made heat bloom between her thighs. “Okay, kid. I’ll see you later.”
“See you.” She bounced on the balls of her feet, barely able to contain her excitement at the prospect of seeing him later.
Once he was gone, she flopped back on the bed, stretching her limbs wide like a starfish and staring up at the hairline cracks on the ceiling. None of this was hers, but maybe if she played her cards right, it would be.
++++
Rey made herself at home in Ben’s absence, digging through the cupboards and medicine cabinet and inspecting his bookshelves. He seemed to own mostly poetry and plays and a few hipstery best-sellers. Maybe she’d read a few. Maybe they could read them to each other...
His room was fairly spartan, with just the necessities, and everything he owned seemed to be found either on the curb or gleaned from various yard sales. Zorii had mentioned that their grandmother helped him with rent, so that must be why he wasn’t eager to take any of her money.
He seemed like a good guy. Kind, and probably easy enough to take advantage of, not that she was planning on conning him or anything. Not yet, anyway.
After unpacking fairly quickly, she decided to wash the city grime off and padded to the bathroom. He’d left her a clean, neatly folded towel on the edge of the sink and she’d brought her meager travel size shampoos in with her. Remembering his beautiful silky-looking waves, she examined the bottles in the shower: Suave 2-in1 Shampoo & Conditioner and Irish Spring soap. It was almost annoying how good he looked despite his bare minimum beauty routine.
Since she’d been staying with Zorii and Beaumont she was always third in line and the water was always cold. She relished in the hot spray, wondering if Ben would always let her shower first, and if he showered in the morning or at night.
Or if he liked to shower with a friend.
She donned her thinnest tank top and shortest pajama shorts, and then rolled them up to shorten them even more before flopping face down on her borrowed bed covered in borrowed sheets. Breathing him in, she just got the faintest scent of man through the detergent. Sheets he’d slept in and done god knows what or god knows who in.
Rolling over onto her back, she mindlessly slid her fingers beneath her waistband and into her panties, imagining they belonged to Ben. She pondered where he’d kiss her, how rough or gentle he’d be, and what positions he’d like to bend her into.
Just as she was getting close, she heard the front door swing open, and quickened her movements. As his footsteps approached, she arched her back and increased the pressure on her clit, the thrill of almost being caught quickening her release.
The hall light went on, and her whole body lit up as well as the orgasm crashed through her and she pressed her lips together to hide her moan.
Just as his hulking figure marched past her door on the way to his room, she slipped her hand out and wiped it surreptitiously on the top sheet.
He paused and turned around, ducking his head in the door. “Hey, you’re still up?”
It was only a few minutes after he said he’d be home. Honest and punctual. She sat up and leaned back on her hands, sure to puff out her chest, nipples peeking through the thin fabric of her camisole.
“Yeah, it’s not that late,” she smiled. “Going to bed already?”
“Uh, yeah,” he replied quizzically as if unused to his routine being questioned. Poe probably never cared what he did, and he had been single for a while. His eyes lingered over her body briefly before he returned his gaze to look in her eyes. “Gonna shower and probably pass out. I’m exhausted.”
“No other plans tonight? No hot dates?” She teased him, eager to hear anything at all about his life outside the apartment.
Learn about him. Know him.
“Yeah, no. Not lately. Been busy with the show.”
“Oh, of course,” she sat up and turned her body towards him, keeping her legs pinned together demurely and leaning forward. “I don’t do much either. Still haven’t made any friends yet.” She shifted her legs, opening and closing them and toyed with the blanket. “No dates either.”
He gave her an empathetic pout of his cushy lips.
“Ah, well there’s gonna be a party on opening night that I have to show my face at. You can come if you want. I’ll get you tickets by tomorrow and you can meet me by the stage exit, okay?”
She smiled, looking down and then back up through her lashes. “I’d like that a lot.”
“Cool,” he slapped the door frame in two sharp bursts and backed away. “Gonna go rinse off.”
She leapt up and grabbed her toothbrush off of the nightstand, seizing the opportunity. She followed him straight to the bathroom before he could close the door behind him. “Mind if I brush my teeth first?”
“Uh, no problem, I’ll go wait-”
“Oh no, I don’t need privacy. I’ll be quick. Do what you need to do and I’ll be out in a sec.”
“Okay...” he responded dubiously and folded his arms over his chest.
“Oh nuts, I forgot my toothpaste at Zorii’s.”
Ben uncrossed his arms and stepped towards her, stretching his muscled arm over her head. She was slow to move out of the way as he opened the medicine cabinet. Relishing in the heat radiating off of his body and his proximity, she couldn’t help but press her thighs together.
“Here,” he held it towards her, angling his chin down to meet her eyes, their faces only inches apart.
“Thanks.” Her voice was low and husky, nearly a whisper.
Before she could move closer, he backed up and resumed leaning against the opposite wall. He nonchalantly kicked off his shoes as if urging her to hurry up.
As hard as it was to take her eyes off of him, she turned around and continued her routine. In her mind, she imagined him undressing as she squirted the paste onto her brush, taking care not to squeeze the tube too hard.
She began brushing, and opened the cabinet once more, standing on her tiptoes and leaning against the sink in a performance that was just on the cusp of desperate for attention: wiggling her bottom as she stretched to reach the highest shelf from whence he’d grabbed the toothpaste.
“Here let me.” Ever the gracious host, he leaned forward and took it out of her hand, fingers brushing hers.
Holding her ground as he leaned over her again, she took advantage of the proximity and pushed her ass back into the front of his jeans.
“Oh, sorry,” she feigned contrition, catching his gaze in the mirror as she resumed brushing her teeth, white foam gathering at the corners of her mouth.
He gave her a loaded look and backed away, lips working in a nervous rolling motion as he feigned a preferential interest in the bath mat in front of the shower.
She took her time brushing her teeth and kept her eyes locked on him in the mirror as he attempted to look everywhere else, occasionally catching her staring at him. He was either a tough nut to crack, or was completely oblivious to what flirting looked like.
With an exaggerated spit, she bent over and turned on the faucet, scooping cold water into her mouth and washing away the foam that had dripped down her chin, leaving it wet and gleaming.
“Can I use this towel?” she asked, letting the water drip onto her modest cleavage.
He appeared to mouth the word fuck as his eyes followed the droplets, before gathering himself and glancing over at the small towel hanging on a ring next to the medicine cabinet. “Yeah, it’s fine.”
She pulled the towel all the way off the ring and turned around, slowly wiping her mouth and chin before dragging the terrycloth down her throat and over her collarbones.
“Thanks, Ben. I’ll get out of your hair now.” She smiled sweetly and hung the towel up before bopping out of the bathroom and down the hall, sure that she could feel his eyes follow her until she disappeared around the corner.
Smug as a cat, she closed her bedroom door behind her and leapt into bed, eager to touch herself once more at the thought of him wet and soapy in the shower. It was too soon to join him there of course, but all in due time.
She always got her way.