Thanks for taking the time to check out my story! Just as a disclaimer, I do not own Star Wars, I'm simply borrowing the characters. Comment, critiques and reviews always welcome!

Rey had been ecstatic to finally move into an apartment that wasn't a complete dump. Sure, it might be small and the carpet wasn't the most flattering shade of brown but it had reliable running water, a fridge that actually worked and no lingering smell of cigarettes and cat pee.

It should have been perfect and for the most part, it was. Except for one thing.

Her neighbor.

She'd only been moved in a few days so she'd hardly even see the guy. Just enough to see that he was huge, like towering over her huge, and dark haired. He didn't say anything, wasn't rude, probably a decent guy.

But holy hell, he would not let her sleep.

It quickly became apparent that his bed shared the same wall as hers, and as she laid in the dark at night in her small bedroom, she could hear every creaking toss and turn, every groan and gasp before he jolted awake and proceeded to pace around his room violently.

Tonight was no exception.

Rey huffed into her pillow as her neighbor let out a deep, pained sounding groan that seeped through the wall. The first night, she had been mortified, thinking he had someone over or was indulging in some quality alone time. But it quickly became clear that this poor guy had some wretched nightmares.

She had seen this before, staying in foster homes with other kids in the system. The ones who hardly smiled anymore and didn't want to sleep, to see the things they'd had to endure every night in their dreams. One kid used to wake up every night screaming bloody murder and scratching at an invisible assailant.

For the last two nights, Rey had been woken up by the sound of her neighbor being torn from his sleep by his personal demons. Being kept awake night after night was horrible but it was almost worse that she had to listen to something so intimate.

On the other side of the wall, he gasped sharply, followed by the distinct creak that she always imagined was him sitting up in bed.

For the tenth time, she considered getting earplugs. But after being in the foster system, you learned to sleep with one eye open. She knew that if she cut off her sound, she'd lay awake all night, too anxious to go to sleep.

Muffled cursing floated through the wall as her neighbor started pacing back and forth, from what she imagined was one end of his room to the next, the floor creaking as he went.

Rey glanced at her clock. 3:12 in the morning.

The thing was, she had a problem with caring too much and she knew it. She couldn't walk by a stray without petting it and battling with herself about bringing it home. She always carried a granola bar or water bottle in her bag on the way to work in case she encountered a homeless person.

She just wanted to patch up the broken things in the world, having seen too many already.

And this neighbor of hers… her heart ached for him. She didn't know a single thing about him except that something fucked him up badly enough he had nightmares every night. That she'd never heard another person in his apartment, no friends or family.

She knew how bitter loneliness could taste.

There was a crash and the tinkling sound of breaking glass, startling Rey. That was new. Had he broken something?

She was out of bed before she could stop herself, striding through her apartment and to the door. She'd heard a suspicious noise and wanted to make sure everything was fine, that was a good reason to knock on someone's door at three in the morning, right?

She slowed down as she entered the hallway, leaving her door ajar. What was she doing? He neighbor was a grown man and didn't need a stranger pestering him. What would she even say? Hi, I can hear you sleeping, sounds pretty rough, wanna talk about it?

Rey shook her head as she approached his door. She knew it was crazy but she just needed to see his face, to make sure he was okay. Her conscience wouldn't let her listen to someone suffering night after night and not try.

She reached out and knocked firmly on his door before she could stop herself. The next few seconds seemed to stretch on forever until the click of his lock turning broke the silence.

He opened the door and for a second, Rey was shocked.

Her neighbor was attractive. A strong nose, a full mouth that no man should be allowed to have, dark eyes that screamed intensity. His messy hair was sinfully soft looking, falling over his forehead. And holy hell, he was huge. She hadn't stood this close to him yet but he was bigger than she'd thought, his black shirt stretched across a broad chest.

Rey suddenly felt ridiculous standing at his door, in a giant sleep shirt and shorts, barefoot. And he was staring at her like she was crazy.

Oh right, she should probably say something.

"Uh hi," she said awkwardly. This was such a mistake, oh god, what was she even doing? What had possessed her to think this was a good idea? "I'm your new neighbor." She gestured over to her door but he didn't even look at where she pointed, his gaze locked on her.

She swallowed, throat dry. "I heard a crash, like something breaking maybe, I'm not sure. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay. Like, that you hadn't hurt yourself or a murderer hadn't broken in..." She trailed off.

He looked beyond unimpressed with her. His gaze flicked over her, from her pink painted toenails to the messy bun sliding off the side of her head.

"Everything's fine," he said, his voice deep and rough with sleep. Or probably lack of sleep in his case. He started to close the door.

"Wait," Rey blurted out, so surprised that he was just going to close the door in her face. That's not how this was supposed to go. He was supposed to apologize for making noise then spill his life story so she could comfort him and offer a cup of tea or something. "Are you sure? That everything's okay, I mean? I heard some noises and I thought-"

"Do you always eavesdrop on your neighbors?" He asked, cutting her off.

"What?" she spluttered. "No- I- what? I wasn't- the walls are really thin!"

He cocked an eyebrow. "That sounds like an issue for the landlord." Then he promptly shut to door in her face, lock clicking loudly.

Red hot anger boiled in her stomach. How dare he act like she had done something wrong?

"I was just trying to be nice, buddy!" she hollered, not caring that it was three in the morning. "Excuse me for trying to have a little decency! I hope a murderer is breaking in next time!"

With that, she stomped back to her apartment and slammed the door shut. Anger gave way to mortification as she threw herself on her couch. What was wrong with her? How could she have possibly thought that was a good idea?

And where did he got off acting all superior and sneering down his nose at her? What a prick.

She grumbled to herself, grabbing a blanket off the back of her couch and laying down. No way was she going back to her room and listening to him. Bastard.

…..

"And then, he just slammed the door in my face," Rey ranted, waving her arms around, nearly knocking over a tower of cups. "Very rudely."

Poe leaned against the counter looking amused. She'd come into work this morning, exhausted and grumpy, sore from the few hours on the couch she'd rolled around, not able to sleep. She'd spent the first hour swearing at the thought of her neighbor between handing out coffee to customers until Poe finally asked her what was wrong.

She'd told him what had happened, leaving out the fact that he woke her up every night with his nightmares. He might be an asshole but she would respect his privacy.

"So you thought it was a good idea to go over to a strange man's apartment in the middle of the night, a man who you knew could easily overpower you?" Poe asked, glancing around the cafe to make sure no customers were waiting.

"Well… I mean, I hadn't really thought about that," Rey admitted.

Poe groaned. "Rey, you need to be careful. You're too trusting. One day, it's going to get you in trouble."

"I can take care of myself," she retorted. "I've taken several self-defense classes, I'll have you know."

He didn't look impressed. "Well, this neighbor of yours sounds like a jerk. Just stay out of his way and let me know if he gives you any shit." He tried to look intimidating but his face was just so open and friendly that he failed spectacularly.

Rey shot Poe a grateful look anyways. He had become such a good friend, giving her this job, helping her move. He was so genuinely kind, it sometimes threw her off. But it felt good to know someone had her back, wouldn't hesitate to help her out.

"Thanks," she said and he rolled his eyes.

"None of that now. Get back to work before I regret hiring you." He winked, tossing a rag at her, chuckling at her indignant shriek as it slapped wetly against her.

She stuck out her tongue and started cleaning the espresso machine, letting the cozy sound of chatter and smell of coffee wash away the stress of her night.

….

"See you later," she called to Poe, struggling to wave around the stack of boxes in her arms as he got into his car. He always made her take leftovers home at the end of the night, her apartment counter littered with boxes of cookies and muffins.

Work had been a great distraction and she started walking home, feeling rejuvenated. She loved her job, loved the cozy little cafe with it's battered tables and mismatching chairs. Loved the regulars who chatted with her and always tipped well.

Her apartment was only a few blocks away so she made it home quickly, arms tiring from all the boxes. Poe didn't know how to take no for an answer and claimed she needed the extra calories, always throwing a meaningful look at her flat stomach.

She made it up the two flights of stairs and to her door, shifting the boxes to one arm and holding the stack with her chin as she dug around in her purse for her keys with her free hand. They had sunk to the bottom, managing to wiggle under everything else, as usual.

Heavy footsteps sounded behind her just as she managed to free her keys. The back of her neck prickled.

Please no, please, please. She glanced over her shoulder and caught a flash of a black jacket, dark hair. Of course, of fucking course, this was happening right now. She could feel his eyes on her as he walked over to his door, the soft jingle of his keys.

Just open the door, she told herself, trying to peer around the edge of the boxes to see if the key was anywhere near the lock. After a second of struggling, she got it in but her dumb lock always stuck. She had to jiggle and twist it just right to get the door open, sometimes taking her a full minute. And that's if her hands were free.

She hadn't heard him open his own door but she refused to look over, to see if he was watching her struggle with a satisfied smile. The thought made her grind her teeth.

"Goddamn stupid piece of shit lock," she muttered under her breath, trying to wedge her shoulder against the door without dropping her food which was starting to tip precariously.

She was so focused on her door that when the weight of the boxes disappeared from her arms, she nearly lunged, thinking they were falling.

It was a good thing she didn't or she would have plowed right into her neighbor. She blinked at him dumbly, standing a foot away, holding her food. It took her brain a second to put two and two together.

"Oh… uh, thanks," she said, wincing at the apparent confusion in her own voice. She shouldn't judge him from just one encounter but she totally was. Why was he being nice? Maybe he was trying to make amends for last night.

He just looked at her expectantly and she realized he was waiting for her to open the door. "Sorry," she muttered, turning back. "This stupid lock is broken or something, it's nearly impossible to open."

"I'm sure the landlord would fix it if you asked," he said. He sounded uncomfortable but Rey wasn't sure if it was because he was bringing up the landlord so soon after last night or just because he wasn't good at talking.

"I mentioned it when I first moved in." She shrugged. "I think he forgot and I don't want to be marked as the annoying tenant if I bother him about it again."

She smiled triumphantly as the lock finally turned and she swung the door open. "There we go."

He was staring at her with a strange look in his dark eyes. "I don't think he'll be annoyed you're wanting something basic fixed. I'm pretty sure it's a safety issue."

Rey let out a small snort. He was actually talking to her about safety after she knocked on his door at three in the morning. "I could probably fix it if I looked at it, I'm pretty handy but I haven't had time. It's no big deal, I'll get to it eventually."

"But what if there are murderers in the building?" he asked, his lips curling in the corner. He was actually teasing her about last night. She was so surprised she almost didn't respond.

She briefly considered making a snarky remark about hopefully having a neighbor who would help her out if she was in trouble. But she bit her tongue, not wanting to ruin the moment, not when he was obviously trying.

"Then I guess the landlord is going to feel really bad he didn't fix my lock," she joked.

He frowned at her but didn't say anything.

"Oh god, sorry, let me take those." She realized he was still holding her stack of boxes. His hand brushed hers as she took them and an involuntary shiver rolled down her spine.

He glanced at the logo on the boxes as he passed them over. "You must really like their muffins."

She laughed. "They are pretty good but I actually work there. My boss likes to push all the leftovers on me."

Silence fell between them. He wasn't very good at making small talk but Rey found that she didn't mind. There was something refreshing about speaking with someone who wasn't trying so hard.

"Well anyways, thanks again." She took a step towards her door, smiling. It seemed they weren't going to talk about last night but that was fine, she got the impression he felt bad and was trying to make up for it. She had caught him at a bad time, after all. She shouldn't have been quick to judge.

"Kylo," he said suddenly.

"What?"

"My name. It's Kylo." The way he looked at her was strangely raw and she felt her mouth go dry.

"Thanks again, Kylo. I'm Rey." She offered him one last smile before going in her apartment and closing the door, throwing her food on the counter.

She starting making dinner, trying to keep her hands busy but even an hour later, she couldn't seem to wipe the smile off her face.

In the morning, she was woken up by a knock on her door. It was the landlord, there to fix her lock.