Meet me

That morning, Kylo Ren’s studio apartment was bustling with activity. Rey arrived early, carrying a backpack full of sketching supplies and several cans of primer. The faint morning sunlight filtered through the large windows, illuminating the dust that danced in the air of the usually cold, dark room.

Rey studied the black wall that would be her canvas, measuring its size with the eye of an artist ready to work. She pulled out a measuring tape and began jotting down dimensions, sketching out rough sketches in her notebook of how she would transfer her vision onto the expansive surface.

Before arriving at the apartment, Rey had stopped by the Art Supplies Depot near her Marina Del Rey apartment. She had picked out several colors of acrylic paint that she thought would contrast with the black of Kylo’s wall, several brushes of various sizes, and a simple wooden palette. She still remembered the confused look from the cashier as she paid with the cash she had saved up from painting murals on Venice Beach. She hoped this project would provide her with the funds to pursue her dream of going to art college.

She decided to start by cleaning the walls, wiping off any dust and dirt that might have settled on them. As she moved around the room, something out of place caught her eye in the corner near the steel workbench. A small trash can, usually empty the night before, now held a few crumpled-up papers. Rey's curiosity, growing stronger since her encounter with Kylo Ren, prompted her to take a closer look.

With some hesitation, she reached for the trash can and slowly opened it over a piece of old newspaper she had found. A few crumpled papers rolled out. Most were just meaningless scribbles and scraps of scrap paper. However, among the trash, Rey spotted a dark brown document folder that looked familiar. Her heart beat a little faster as she reached for it. The folder felt heavy and tightly closed. There were initials embossed faintly in the corner: O.S.

With her heart pounding, Rey opened the folder. Inside, she found several sheets of paper. The top one was a document with a bold title: "Proposal for Voluntary Severance of Familial Ties." 

Below it was the name of "Benjamin Solo" as the party requesting the termination and "Leia Organa" as the party to whom it was addressed. 

The document looked like an early draft, not yet stamped by a notary, but there were several marginal notes written in the same hand as the other letter she had found. 

In the United States, while there is no single legal document with that exact name for voluntary termination of family ties, such a proposal could serve as the basis for a more formal legal agreement, especially regarding the release of responsibilities and inheritance rights.

Below the proposal, Rey found a letter that looked more personal. The letterhead bore the elegant logo of "Organa Security." 

The letter was addressed to "Benjamin" and signed by someone named "Leia Organa." 

However, the signature section of "Leia Organa" appeared to be torn roughly, as if it had been deliberately torn out. 

Above the torn part, someone had scribbled in thick red marker, leaving large, irregular writing: "MEET ME."

Suddenly, the sound of the elevator doors opening outside the apartment made Rey jump. Frantically, she quickly gathered the documents and letters back into the folder, and hid them behind a pile of paint cans in the corner of the room. Her heart pounded as she tried to appear calm, pretending to be examining the walls as footsteps approached the apartment door. Kylo Ren had returned.

—

Kylo Ren stepped into the apartment with calm but wary steps. His dark eyes immediately swept the room, as if searching for something out of place. He paused for a moment, watching Rey as she stood facing the wall, a rag in her hand.

"Have you started?" he asked, his voice as flat as ever.

Rey turned around, trying to hide her nervousness. 

"Yeah, just cleaning the walls first. So the paint will stick well." 

She tried to smile kindly, hoping Kylo wouldn't notice her still-pounding heart.

Kylo nodded slowly, his gaze shifting to the corner of the room where the pile of paint cans were. Rey held her breath, afraid that Kylo would notice the brown folder hidden behind it. However, Kylo said nothing and walked into the kitchen, setting his car keys on the steel table.

"What about the budget for supplies?" he asked as he opened the refrigerator, which Rey knew was very sparsely stocked.

"Oh, yeah," Rey said, trying to control her voice to sound normal.

"I've made a rough estimate. I'll show you later after I'm done cleaning this up." He pointed at the wall with his rag, hoping this conversation would end soon.

—

ir.

Kylo took a bottle of mineral water from the refrigerator and took a few sips. He then looked at Rey again, his gaze more intense this time.

"something strange?" he asked suddenly, making Rey flinch.

"Strange? No... nothing strange," Rey answered quickly, trying to convince her.

 "Why do you ask that?"

Kylo Ren studied her closely, as if trying to read her mind.

"You look... tense."

Rey tried to laugh a little.

"Just nervous because I'm going to paint on someone's luxury apartment wall," she said, hoping her reasoning sounded reasonable.

Kylo didn't look entirely convinced, but he didn't press her further. He walked over to the large window and stood there, looking out. After a few moments of silence, he suddenly asked without turning his head, 

"You said you grew up in an orphanage, right?"

"Yes," Rey answered, a little surprised by the sudden change of topic.

Kylo was still looking out the window.

"Do you... remember your parents?"

—

The question stabbed Rey. She shook her head slowly, though Kylo didn't see it.

 "No. Not at all. They left me when I was very young." There was a bitterness in her voice that she couldn't quite hide.

Kylo finally turned, fixing Rey with a look that was hard to decipher. There was something different in his eyes this time, not just disbelief or wariness, but... curiosity? Or maybe even a hint of softness?

I see," he said quietly, before turning his gaze back out the window. "Very well. Let me know if you need anything."

Kylo's question about her parents triggered a whirlwind of vague memories in Rey's mind, blurry flashes that she rarely touched because they were too painful and unclear. 

Suddenly, an image came into her mind more vividly than usual. She saw herself, maybe three or four years old, being carried aloft by a man. They were in a vast meadow, a gentle breeze blowing. The golden grass stretched as far as the eye could see, much like the savannas she had seen in movies about California.

The warm afternoon sunlight embraced them, and she vaguely remembered his soft laughter as he reached for a butterfly that fluttered around them. His face was blurry, without any clear details, but the warmth and safety she had felt in his arms was so real, so strong that it stabbed her heart with a deep sense of loss. The memory disappeared as quickly as a flash of light, leaving Rey with a sense of emptiness and unanswered questions.

She shook her head slightly, trying to shake away the painful remnants of the memory. Kylo still stood with his back to her, oblivious to the emotional turmoil that had just hit her. The man's question, though brief, had opened old wounds.

She stared at Kylo's back, and now, there was another layer to her curiosity. Not only about Kylo's past, but also about her own lost past that might be connected to the strange familiarity when she first met this man.

Her determination to find out the truth, both about Kylo and about herself, was now burning even more. As long as she worked here, she would find out more about Benjamin Solo and his relationship with Leia Organa.

The words "MEET ME" written on the letter kept spinning in her mind,

and Leia Organa.. the last name "Organa Security" on the letterhead felt familiar, reminding her of news about a large security company based in California. Was this Leia Organa someone close to Benjamin Solo? Why was there a proposal to sever family ties submitted by Benjamin Solo to Leia Organa?

The rough tear marks on the signature and the red marker writing “MEET ME” hint at deep, unresolved conflict. Rey’s curiosity grows. What happened between Benjamin Solo and Leia Organa? Why would she want to break up with this person? And what does all of this have to do with the cold, mysterious man now standing by his luxury apartment window?

—-

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***