Chapter Text
“Explain to me again why we’re doing this,” Poe said as Jessika drug him into the coffee shop.
She rolled her eyes. “We’re doing it because you need to get out of the house once every century and we both made New Year’s resolutions to read more.”
“I was lying,” Poe said, trying to go back towards the door. “And it’s already February, Pava. That ship has sailed. Besides, I like being uncultured and stupid. It’s a good look on me. And I get out of the house.”
Jess turned, her hands crossing in front of her chest. “Name one person besides me that you’ve talked to in person in the last two weeks,” she said.
Poe opened his mouth.
“And Bee doesn’t count,” Jess said, and before Poe could ask why, she added, “He’s a kriffing dog, Poe.”
Poe opened his mouth and then closed it. “Uhhhhhh…..” He bit his lip.
“I didn’t think so.” She grabbed his arm. “We’re doing this.” Poe whimpered and she ignored it, looking around the coffee shop for the others. She then smiled, waving to two women who had commandeered a table in the back. She and Poe started towards them when Jess stopped, turning and fixing him with a deadly stare. “And I’m only going to remind you once, Dameron. You are to be on your best behavior.” She poked a finger in his chest. “Very best. Understood?”
Poe started to laugh it off and then he realized she was being serious. He looked over at the two women and something clicked into place. He leaned down and whispered, “One of those women wouldn’t be the infamous Rose would it?”
Jess frowned, but before she could say anything, Poe was pushing past her, holding out his hand. “Hi,” he said to the women in his most charming voice. “I’m Poe. Poe Dameron.”
The shorter one held out her hand with a big smile. “Rose Tico.” She nodded to the taller one. “This is my sister, Paige.”
“Nice to meet you, Rose and Paige.”
Jess came over and gave Rose and Paige quick hugs before settling in next to them.
“So,” Poe said, his fingers drumming on the table, “is this it?”
Paige shook her head. “Still waiting on two more,” she said, clearing trying to size Poe up. “Um, did Jess tell you what we’d be reading?”
Poe chuckled. “Jane Austen, right?” Paige still looked skeptical, so he added, “Don’t worry. My mama loved Austen; made me watch the mini-series with Colin Firth when I was a kid. Trust me, I know what I’m getting into.”
Poe left out the part about his subsequent huge crush on Colin Firth and the fact that he’d read Pride and Prejudice about a hundred times in the subsequent years because it did things to his sweet little heart.
Paige nodded and then turned to watch her sister and Jess both actively trying not to stare at each other. She turned to Poe, who was trying to hold back a smile. She gave him a knowing nod, and Poe made a mental note to ask her later if Rose was as gone on Jess as Jess was on Rose.
Sure looks like it.
Poe leaned back, loving that he now had something to tease Jess about. Usually it was the other way around. Plus, while Jess could claim that this book club was an excuse to get him out of the house, Poe knew that one of the reasons—if not the reason—Jess was insistent on joining it was because she currently had a hopeless crush on Rose, who worked IT in Jess’ building.
Although, if he were being honest, Poe was a bit jealous. Here was Jess with her big crush and the only romance in his life was…Poe frowned as he tried to remember the last date he’d been on. Was it last year? The year before? Never?
Poe sighed and then pushed away from the table. “I’m gonna get a coffee. Anyone else want something?”
They all shook their heads no.
Poe made his way to the front of the shop, figuring that Jess was right. He needed to get out more. But staying inside, away from any potential hurt, was so easy and comfortable. And safe, he reminded himself. And since the crash, safe was what he needed to stay sane.
He swallowed hard, refusing to think about Muran and flying and… Poe took a deep breath and stared at the seemingly endless list of coffee options. He decided on plain coffee, and as he ordered it, he told himself, I’ve got a full life. I’ve got a good job and Bee and… He sighed, realizing how pathetic he sounded.
The bell atop the front door rang and Poe turned to watch a young couple walk in, and for a moment, it was as if time stood still. Poe stopped breathing as he took in the guy. He couldn’t explain it, but something about him was mesmerizing. Poe had never in his life felt an instant attraction like the one he felt.
Marry me?
“Poe? Uh, plain coffee?”
Poe shook his head and realized that the barista was calling his name. He turned and got his coffee, taking a deep breath and reminding himself, don’t fall for guys already in relationships. He sized up the girl the guy was with. She’s beautiful and they look amazing together and…
And she looks really familiar.
Poe frowned, trying to remember where he knew her from. Then, he realized that the couple were headed towards the table in the back. Oh kriffing hell no.
Please no.
Poe wanted to scream at the universe. Why are you doing this to me?
“Oh Poe,” Rose said, as he made it back, “I’d like you to meet Rey Bridger and Finn Kenobi. Rey’s a mechanic—”
“Rey?”
“Poe?”
She ran over to him and he grabbed her up into a big hug, lifting her off the floor. “My freaking goodness, it’s been what? Ten years? Longer?”
Rey shook her head in disbelief. “I was still in middle school the last time I saw you.”
The two of them were smiling at each other and hadn’t noticed the rest of the table staring until the man who’d come in with Rey cleared his throat.
“Oh, Finn!” Rey waved him over. “Finn, this is Poe. His dad and Papa Han are old friends and…”
Finn. The most beautiful man in the world’s name was Finn.
Poe laughed, remembering himself. “And I used to babysit Rey when I was younger.”
Finn raised an eyebrow at that.
“Much younger,” Poe added.
Rey said, “Finn’s my roommate. We went to college together and now he works over at First Order.”
Poe winced.
“Exactly,” Finn said, chuckling. “Good to meet you, Poe,” Finn said, reaching out and shaking Poe’s hand.
Poe was pretty sure he was going to die. “Good to meet you too, Finn.”
Finn nodded to a seat and Poe took it. Finn slid in next to him. He leaned over and whispered, “I thought I was going to be the only guy in the group.” He bumped his shoulder into Poe’s. “So I’m really glad you’re here.”
Poe tried to ignore the small thrill that shoulder bump gave him. He took a quick sip of his coffee. CALM DOWN, DAMERON. “Uh, yeah, I love Austen.”
Finn raised an eyebrow.
“Well, I mean, Pride and Prejudice at least.”
Finn looked at Poe for a moment and then asked, “Colin Firth or Matthew Macfadyen?”
Poe laughed, nearly choking on his coffee. “That obvious?”
Finn said, “For me, it’s Macfadyen. That last scene in the early morning, with his shirt open and…” Finn sighed.
Poe wanted to melt. Seriously, marry me.
Finn turned to him. “And you?”
And me what, sweetheart?
GET IT TOGETHER, DAMERON! “Uhhhh,” Poe said, using his coffee as an excuse to catch his breath and get his brain back online. He took a sip. “I’m afraid I’m a Firth man myself.” He smiled. “Wet Colin Firth coming out of that pond,” he shook his head, “Well, that was a life-changing moment for me.”
Finn laughed. “Fair enough.” He looked out at the rest of the table, where Rey, Rose, and Jess were animatedly talking about something and Paige was watching with an amused glint in her eye. “Although to be fair, I’ve never read any of it.”
“I’ve read Pride and Prejudice, but that’s it,” Poe said.
“That far gone on Mr. Firth?”
Poe smiled. “Figured I should see if literary Mr. Darcy was as hot as mini-series Mr. Darcy.”
“And was he?”
“Hell yes,” Poe said.
Finn chuckled. “So, I have that to look forward to.”
“Yep,” Poe said, taking a sip of his coffee and trying not to get lost in Finn’s big brown eyes.
Paige leaned over and added, “For my money, none of the men in Austen’s books can beat Captain Wentworth.”
“Wentworth,” Poe asked.
“Persuasion,” she said.
“Wait,” Rose said from across the table. “Are we already talking about Austen crushes?”
“Elizabeth Bennet,” Rey said at the same time that Jess called out, “Elinor Dashwood.”
Paige rolled her eyes. “Uh, now that we’re all here, maybe we should figure out how this thing is going to work?” She looked around the table. “Like, is one book a month going to be okay for everyone?”
There were murmurs and head nods around the table.
“And we each take a different book,” Rey said, “and lead discussion.”
Poe saw Finn shift uncomfortably. “And I say that Finn gets Pride and Prejudice,” he said, winking at Finn. “Since he’s an Austen virgin.”
Rey gave Poe a strange look before smiling. “And what book do you want, Poe?”
He thought for a moment and then said, “Persuasion. I have it on good authority that I’m about to fall in love with Captain Wentworth.”
Jess snorted at that.
“So that leaves the rest of us,” Paige said.
“Northanger Abbey,” Rose said quickly.
“Scared someone was going to scoop that one up,” Rey asked, playfully shoving her friend.
“Yes,” Rose said.
“She just wants it because it’s the shortest,” Paige said.
Rose rolled her eyes. “I want it because I want to lead the discussion on the gothic and early influences on Austen’s writing.”
Paige leveled an unimpressed stare at her sister.
“And because it’s the shortest,” Rose added in a squeak.
Rey and Jess laughed.
“Can I have Emma,” Jess asked, looking at Rey and Paige.
“Sure,” Rey said. She looked at Paige. “Any preferences?”
Paige shook her head.
“Then, I’ll take Mansfield Park and you’ll take Sense and Sensibility?”
Paige nodded.
“Uh,” Jess groaned. “Mansfield Park.”
“What,” Rey said. “I’ve never read it.”
“I just…Fanny Price is a bit much.”
“I like her,” Paige said.
“Of course, you would,” Rose said.
“Do you feel like they’re talking about a bunch of people who go to the rival high school,” Finn asked, leaning in towards Poe.
“And we’re just the A/V geeks who never get out of our basements?”
Finn laughed and slapped Poe on the back. “Exactly!”
“You two want to let us in on the secret,” Rey asked.
Finn shook his head. “Just trying to decipher what you guys are saying.” He stuck out his tongue at her.
She stuck hers out at him.
“So, I guess this book club thing is in business,” Jess said.
Rose’s nose crinkled. “We’ve got to have a better name than that.”
Paige looked around the table, hopeful.
Rey smiled and raised her coffee cup. “To the Austen Appreciation Society.”
Finn shook his head, laughing.
“What?”
“No, it’s great, peanut.” He lifted an imaginary cup in the air and looked at Poe, who quickly lifted his.
“To the Austen Appreciation Society!”
# # # #
From there, the meeting had quickly devolved into local gossip, and Poe had learned that Finn had moved to D’Qar about three months earlier, that he hated his job at First Order, but that he couldn’t afford to quit. Between trying hard not to give Finn full-on heart-eyes and learning his life story, Poe snuck glances at the other end of the table, and he realized that he couldn’t get a clear read on the whole Rose-Jess situation. It really looked like they were into each other, but they both seemed scared to death of each other too.
And then, there’s Rey, Poe thought, as Jess drove him home, Rey and Finn have this…thing going on, right?
But he was flirting with me.
Poe looked at his hands. I mean, I’m rusty but I’m not that rusty, right? There was definitely something going on there.
Right?
“Urgah,” Jess said, her grip on the steering wheel tight. “You’re thinking way too loud, Poe.” She chanced a quick glance at him. “What is it?”
“Ummmm, so, Finn and Rey?”
A smile spread across Jess’ face and she looked up at Poe. “Hmmmmm?”
“Oh, don’t play coy with me, Pava! What’s their deal?”
“Interested in Finn, are we?”
“Interested in Rose much?”
Jess cuffed him on the arm.
“Ow!” Poe rubbed his arm. “That hurt.” He pretended to pout.
Jess laughed. “You know that doesn’t work on me.”
Poe stuck his bottom lip out and fluttered his eyelashes at his best friend.
Jess looked over and shook her head. “Fine,” she said. “They’re just friends. Well, roommates. I think they tried dating once and it didn’t work out. And in case you were wondering, Finn is bi.”
“Good to know,” Poe said. “Very good to know.”
Jess chuckled. “I told you book club was a good idea.”
Yes, it is.
Poe caught Jess’ self-satisfied look out of the corner of his eye and added, “I mean, it’ll be good to read books and expand our horizons and such.”
“Right,” Jess said. “Expand our horizons.”
# # # #
Finn leaned back onto the couch and propped his feet up on the coffee table. Rey came in with two glasses of water and raised an eyebrow.
“Fine,” Finn said, dropping his feet to the floor. He waited until Rey sat down to say, “So, that was Jess and Rose, eh?”
Rey’s forehead bunched a bit. “Yes,” she said.
“Hmmmmmm,” Finn hummed. “They seemed nice.”
“Yes,” Rey said, closing her eyes, waiting for Finn to tell her she was an idiot.
“I think your little matchmaking plan might work, peanut.”
Rey blinked. “Really? You don’t think I’m just imagining things?”
Finn cocked his head. “Well…maybe?”
Rey’s face fell.
“I mean, okay, they seemed into each other, but…”
“But I have my work cut out for me?”
“Yeah,” Finn said.
Rey sagged back against the couch. “Yeah. That’s what I figured.”
“Hey, for all I know, Jess is sitting on a couch with Poe right now telling him how amazing Rose is. I’m a terrible judge of character!”
“That is true,” Rey said.
“Hey,” Finn said, mock hurt in his voice.
Rey smiled. “Speaking of Poe…”
“Poe? We weren’t speaking of Poe. Not really. I mean…”
Rey started giggling.
Finn let his head fall to the back of the couch. “Was I completely obvious?”
“No more than he was,” Rey said.
Finn snorted.
“Finn, he didn’t take his eyes off you the entire time.”
“And he is into guys,” Finn said, mostly to himself.
“He told you that?”
“Not in so many words, but that’s what I figured the whole Colin Firth thing was about.”
“And you’re more of the Matthew Macfadyen type,” Rey said.
Finn reached over and hugged her. “See? You just get me, peanut.”
Rey put her head on Finn’s shoulder. “So, when are you going to ask him out?”
“I don’t know. When are you going to ask someone out, stop it with all of this crazy matchmaking?”
“Never.”
“Well, then, there’s your answer.”
Rey swatted Finn’s chest. “You should ask him out!”
“Nope.” Finn shook his head, reaching for the remote. “Isn’t there something about having to wait until your older sister is married before the younger one can? I’m sticking to that.”
“I’m younger than you,” Rey said. “And this isn’t marriage, it’s a date!”
Finn clicked on the tv. “Don’t bother me with details.”
“Chicken,” Rey said.
“Damn right, I am.”
# # # #
Paige turned to her sister before they split up at the next block. “Before you ask, I think she’s into you, and the two of you should just sit down and have a talk, like the competent adults I know you can be.”
Rose’s blush was so red, she was sure you could see it from space. “Paige!”
Paige shrugged. “I just don’t want this to explode into a thing, you know? You like each other. You should be happy.”
“But…”
“No buts, Rosie. You know I’m right.” Paige leaned over and kissed her sister’s cheek. “See you tomorrow.” She turned and left before Rose could respond.
Rose stood there for a moment before crossing her arms over her chest. She makes it sound so easy. She scowled at her sister’s back and started towards her apartment. Just wait until you fall in love, Paige.