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“No, no, no, no,” mumbled Rey, watching as the gate agent picked up the microphone. This was not happening.
“Ladies and gentleman, due to the storm, Flight 2131 to Boston has been delayed. Our new scheduled departure time is 6:25 PM. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for flying Delta.”
Rey took a deep breath, inhaling through her nose and holding it for a count of three before letting it go with a quiet and drawn out “fuuuuuck” on the exhale. Grabbing her phone from her bag, she checked the time. 4:15 PM. They would have been halfway to Boston if they had actually taken off on time.
“We should probably start looking for rooms,” said Poe from beside her, scrolling through something on his phone.
She tried not to cringe (outwardly) at the sound of her obnoxious co-worker’s voice, his indifference to their situation getting on her very last nerve. “We are not getting stuck here.”
Poe raised a single eyebrow, looking pointedly to where the snow was swirling on the other side of the glass, burying the tarmac faster than they could clear it with the plows.
“We are not getting stuck here,” she repeated, glancing down at her phone again. If they took off right at 6:25, they’d land around 7:45 and if luck and Uber were on her side, she’d still have a chance to make it to Aunt Leia’s for dessert.
When she looked up, Poe was watching her, his eyes softer than she’d ever seen them (at least when he was looking at her). Nope, she thought, standing up with a huff. She needed to be anywhere but next to Poe Dameron.
It was his fault she was in this mess, stuck in an airport on Christmas Eve instead of stuffing herself with ham and green beans and those little fingerling potatoes that she loved at Aunt Leia’s. She could have been at the bottom of the first bottle of wine with her cousin Ben and his husband by now, giggling as her dad and Ben’s mom invariably fought over the best way to glaze the ham. Why Poe would insist she come with him to propose on this job when they could barely even tolerate each other, she would never understand.
They’d been at each other’s throats since Rey joined Holdo Design nearly a year ago as a junior architect. She had no clue why he had it out for her - he was already a senior, it wasn’t like she could take his job - but he was constantly picking apart her work, making her redo designs that she knew were perfectly acceptable.
He probably told Ami that he needed her on this project out of spite, having overheard her talking to Rose about how important this Christmas was to her.
She hadn’t even made it one step toward the Dunkin’ Donuts at the end of the concourse - coffee, she needed coffee if she was still going to be awake by the time they landed - when the gate agent picked up the microphone again.
“Attention passengers on Flight 2131 with service to Boston. We’ve just been informed that due to inclement weather, all flights out of Newark International Airport have been cancelled. Please contact Delta customer support for assistance with rebooking. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for flying Delta.”
Rey’s throat threatened to close as she swallowed back the tears that instantly sprang to her eyes. No, no, no, this was not happening--
“Told you.”
She whipped her head toward Poe, the asshole having the gall to look smug. Shooting him her nastiest look, she grabbed her roller bag and stormed off toward the main part of the terminal.
“Rey!” he shouted, slightly out of breath as he caught up to her. “Rey, wait. I snagged a room at the airport hotel earlier. Let’s see if we can get you one, too.”
On one hand, she could go with Poe and sleep in a bed tonight, though there was a high probability she’d have to spend more time with the prick. On the other hand, she could stay here for twelve or so Poe-free hours and spend the night in one of the uncomfortable seats outside their gate.
“Fine,” she huffed, following him toward the shuttle. The bed won, but only by a hair.
He spent the next twenty minutes on the phone with the Firm’s travel company while they first waited for and then took the shuttle to the hotel. Plopping herself in one of the squashy lobby chairs, she watched as he continued to talk to the agent, shaking his head and running a hand through his already messy curls every few minutes.
God, he was gorgeous. That possibly pissed her off more than the condescension, more than the micromanagement, more than the smug looks and snide remarks, the fact that despite how he treated her, she was still fucking attracted to him.
It wasn’t fair how good he looked in jeans and a blue dress shirt, the top two buttons undone to show a sliver of tan chest. He passed by her, pacing, absently rubbing the stubble dotting his strong jawline, his dark hair sticking up in several places.
No, it definitely wasn’t fair that someone who hated her so much got to look so good doing it. Pulling out her phone, she tapped the screen to check the time again. She really needed to call her dad and let him know she wasn’t going to make it - it was already past the time she should have landed - but she put it off again, instead opening Instagram and starting to scroll. Ben had just posted a selfie of him and Armie on Aunt Leia’s couch, Uncle Han’s monstrous dog Chewy wandering through the background of the photo. She wanted to be there so bad it felt like a physical ache in her chest, Rey quickly clicking off the app and putting her phone to sleep. There was no need to torture herself.
Poe finally hung up, walking over to where Rey was curled up in the chair. “Ok, they got us rebooked first thing tomorrow morning. They kept trying to put us on standby, but I finally got us assigned seats.”
Not trusting her voice, she nodded, unfolding herself from the chair and heading toward the front desk.
“Rey,” said Poe, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder. He looked contrite, his face serious when she turned to look at him. “Listen, I’m sorry. I should have just let you book us on the flight last night like you wanted to.”
Oh, the mighty Poe Dameron, apologizing to her? That was certainly new. Would the wonders never cease? She wished she had the energy to snap a picture (for posterity) or come back with a witty reply, but she was suddenly so exhausted she could barely muster a nod in his direction.
His frown deepened. He was probably used to being instantly forgiven, too. With a face like that, she imagined that he got away with murder. Well, she wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easily. Let him stew a bit.
Of course, Poe had booked the last available room, the woman at the front desk delivering the bad news.
“With the airport closure, I’m shocked your friend got a room at all. Consider yourselves lucky.” She handed Poe a little envelope with two key cards. “Here are your keys, you’re in room 421. Elevators are down this hall and to the left. Merry Christmas and enjoy your stay.”
They were silent on the elevator ride to the fourth floor, Poe walking a step ahead to open the door.
“Not bad,” he said, walking in to the room. Rey followed, stopping dead as the door clicked shut behind her.
Poe dropped his bag on the bed. The king bed. The only bed in the room.
Rey looked around, searching the walls as if she would magically find a second bed hidden among the desk or wardrobe or small, uncomfortable-looking sectional couch.
“Uh, Poe?”
He looked up from his phone. “Yeah?”
Shit, he was gonna make her say it. “There’s only one-” she trailed off, gesturing toward the bed. The only bed.
He laughed. “The look on your face right now. In my defense, I wasn’t exactly planning on having guests tonight. But don’t worry, I’m taking the couch.”
She breathed a sigh of relief, instantly feeling guilty. It was his room after all. She was the one who refused to book when he suggested it. “No, I can take the couch. You’re too big.” He raised his eyebrows at her, Rey blushing. “I don’t mean it like that. You’re too tall for it.”
He laughed again, the sound loosening something in Rey’s chest. “I don’t think anyone’s ever called me ‘too tall’ for something before,” he said, his smile a bit mischievous. “And if I’m too tall for it, that would mean you are too.”
Ok, so he had a point.
“Seriously Rey, I insist. It’s one night, I can survive on the couch. Even if my feet hang off.” He grabbed a few things out of his bag. “I’m gonna shower.” He disappeared into the bathroom, the shower turning on a minute later.
There was no more putting it off. Grabbing her phone out of her bag, she went to her favorites and touched the contact info for “Dad.”
He picked up on the third ring.
“Rey! Did you land already? I must have lost track of time.” He sounded happy, and maybe a little drunk, but not at all how she had been expecting. “We can come get you if you don’t want to take an Uber.”
“Hi, Dad. No, I haven’t landed. I’ve got some bad news,” she started, her chin already wobbling. “My flight got cancelled.”
“Oh no, sweetheart. When’s the next one? Should we hold dinner?”
She closed her eyes, a tear slipping out. “Don’t hold dinner. They shut down the airport because of the storm. I’m stuck here until at least tomorrow.”
Rey could hear her Uncle Han’s rough voice in the background. “Luke, is that Rey on the phone? Does she want me to come get her? I don’t trust that you-ber nonsense. I’ve seen that episode of Criminal Minds. ”
“Hey, sweetheart. Give me a sec.” She heard a little static as her dad attempted to cover the microphone on his iPhone, barely muffling the sound as he filled the rest of the family in on the situation. A door closed on the other end of the line, Rey imagining her dad locking himself in Uncle Han’s study. “Sorry, it was a little loud out there. Are you okay, honey? You sound upset.”
She took a shaky breath, the tears flowing in earnest now. “I just really wanted to be there, Dad,” she said, struggling through a sob. “It’s the first year without Mom and I-I didn’t want you to be alone!”
“Oh, Rey, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m not alone, I’ve got Han and Leia and Armie and even Ben, though he’s kind of being a dick as per usual.” She huffed out a watery laugh. “Are you sure you’re okay? I can stay on the phone, we can talk about it.”
“No, no, Dad. I’m fine,” she said quickly. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could make it without completely breaking down. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I won’t keep you.”
“Ok,” he said, sounding a little sceptical. “Merry Christmas, sweetie. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Merry Christmas, Dad.”
Her phone beeped three times, letting her know her dad was gone.
She let the phone drop from her hand, putting her head down and finally letting go. Her breath came in ragged gasps while her shoulders shook with sobs, the tears pouring down her cheeks and onto her shirt. All of the grief that she’d spent the past year avoiding had finally caught up to her, her carefully compartmentalized life falling apart in an instant.
“Rey? Are you okay?”
She looked up to find Poe in a pair of ratty sweatpants and a stretched-out Harvard t-shirt, his hair still damp from the shower. He was hovering just outside the bathroom, his face etched in concern.
“Of fucking course.” She shook her head. This was exactly what she needed right now. “Are you happy now? You finally broke me.” She swiped a hand roughly under her eyes, her breath hitching as she tried to calm down.
Now he just looked confused, his face screwing up as he took a tentative step toward her. “What are you talking about?” He sat down next to her on the bed, Rey trying not flinch away from him.
“Why did you even bring me here?” she asked, wiping her nose on the back of her hand. She sincerely hoped it grossed him out. “So you’d have more ammo the next time you laid into me? Or was it so you’d have someone to blame if we didn’t get the account?”
He was staring at her like she was insane. Great, now he was gonna think she was hysterical to boot. He spoke very slowly, like he was dealing with a toddler. “I brought you with me because you worked your ass off on this proposal. Those renderings? They were flawless. I thought this would be a huge opportunity for you.”
She stared at him, something not computing. “Wait, what?”
“I thought I was doing you a favor,” he said, twin spots of color appearing high on his cheeks. “You’ve been working so hard, and I thought you deserved a shot to see it through.”
“But you hate me,” she blurted, not even caring what she said to him at this point.
He tilted his head slightly, squinting his eyes at her. “What are you talking about? I don’t hate you, I took you under my wing! I’ve been mentoring you for months.”
Shock rocked through her system. “You’ve been mentoring me?” She’d officially been reduced to repeating everything he said, just more slowly and with a question at the end.
He eyed her warily. “Yeah. Rey, you’re one of the most talented juniors at the firm, if not the most talented. But…” he trailed off, not making eye contact with her.
“But what?” she asked, genuinely curious.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “You’re kind of lazy.” Ah, there was the Poe she knew. He almost had her going there for a minute. “No, lazy is the wrong word.” He struggled for a moment, trying to find the right one. “Sometimes you just kind of phone it in.”
“My work is perfectly fine!”
“Exactly,” he said, a soft smile on his face. “Your work is fine. But why would you want it to be fine, when you know it can be great. Yeah, so I’m a little harder on you, but it’s because I know you can do better. You owe it to yourself to do better.”
She blinked at him, allowing his words to set in. As much as she hated to admit it, there was some truth to what he said. She had been lazy these past few months, not even trying to do more than the bare minimum required of her. Poe was the only one who routinely called her out on it, who challenged her to do better, and she had hated him for it. Her eyes started to fill up again, Rey attempting to blink away the tears.
“Oh shit,” he said, putting an arm around her. “I’m sorry, I swear I’m not trying to make you cry.” He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “I really need to work on my pep talks.”
She let out a weak laugh, grateful for his solid warmth around her shoulders. “No, no, I’m just a mess,” she said with a giant sniff, digging a tissue out of her pocket to mop her face.
“Full disclosure: I heard you talking to your dad a few minutes ago. Is everything okay?”
She sniffed again, taking a second to wipe her nose. “Not really.” He looked at her expectantly. Normally, she wouldn’t talk about it - especially not with a ridiculously handsome co-worker who maybe didn’t hate her after all - but at this point, what did she have to lose? “My mom died last year around this time.” His eyes widened, obviously not expecting that particular confession. Apparently, this night was full of surprises. “We didn’t really do Christmas last year because of it, so this is the first year without her. And I really, really wanted to be there for my dad. And honestly, I wanted to be there for me, too.” She was weeping openly, her breath starting to hitch in her chest. Poe tightened his arm around her, the tiny bit of comfort making her lose what little control she had left. “I-I’m having more trouble with it than I thought.”
“Hey, it’s okay,” he said, both arms wrapping around her while she sobbed into his chest. One hand rubbed circles on her back. “It’s okay.”
They stayed like that a while, Rey finally letting out the months of tension and grief as he held her and Poe continuing to whisper comforting nonsense into her ear. She swore she felt him press a soft kiss into her hair at one point, but it was over so quickly she must have imagined it.
Slowly, she cried herself out, hiccuping slightly as her breathing returned to normal. She didn’t immediately let go of him, allowing herself to enjoy the warmth of his broad chest under her cheek for a moment or two longer while he softly pet her hair.
When she finally pulled away, he let go of her reluctantly, looking oddly lost despite the fact that she had been the one crying for ten minutes.
“Jesus, Rey. I’m so sorry. I never would have insisted you come along if I had known-”
She put a hand up, stopping him from going any further. “There was no way you could have known. I don’t talk about it.”
He nodded, accepting the absolution she was offering him. There was a moment of awkward silence before he clapped his hands once. “Okay, room service. What do you feel like?” He crossed the room and started paging through the menu. “One of everything?”
She rubbed her hands on the tops of her thighs, an old nervous habit. “Isn’t that expensive? We can grab something cheaper.”
“Nope,” he said, Rey desperately trying not to notice the way his threadbare sweatpants hugged his ass as he brought the menu to her. “We’re stuck here on Christmas, the Firm can spring for room service. And a bottle of wine.” There was a slight crinkle to his eyes when he smiled down at her.
The realization that she hadn’t eaten anything since last night hit her as she paged through the menu, suddenly starving. One of everything actually sounded pretty good right about now. “I’ll have a cheeseburger. Medium.”
“And…” He looked at her expectantly.
“And fries.” She thought about it for a second. “And onion rings.”
His answering smile threatened to blind her. “That’s more like it. Red or white? Or you want something a little harder?” One eyebrow quirked up.
Oh, she definitely wanted something a little harder, but that had nothing to do with alcohol. Her face flamed at the thought, instead replying with a much more respectable, “Red is good.”
Grabbing both her hands, he tugged her off the bed. “Perfect. I’ll order, you go shower, and by the time you get out, the food should be here,” he said, pushing her gently toward the bathroom.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” She dug her heels in to the carpet. “Can I grab my bag first?”
“Of course.” he said, the smile never falling off his face. “I’m gonna call.”
She dug through her suitcase, grabbing her PJs and toiletries before heading toward the bathroom. “Hey, Poe?” He looked up from the menu, already on the phone. “Order me something sweet.” He gave her a thumbs up while he told the person on the phone their room number, the door to the bathroom clicking shut just as he ordered her burger.
She ran the water so it could get warm, stepping in front of the mirror. Her face was a mess - mascara smudged, lips and eyes puffy from crying, nose red and runny. Putting her hair in a high ponytail, she scrubbed the makeup off her face, peeling back her layers until she was just Rey.
She felt cleansed, like she’d purged some toxin she’d been carrying around for months. Despite the raw eyes and aching chest, she felt better, possibly better than she had in years. She couldn’t even muster up a little embarrassment for breaking down in front of Poe.
Condensation gathered on the mirror in front of her, the water finally warm enough. She stripped quickly, stepping in to the scalding stream. Rolling her neck under the hot water, she felt muscles pop and loosen, the tension leaving her shoulders. She stayed like that, allowing the water to run down her body until her skin was pink and pruny.
She stepped out of the bathroom right as Poe tipped and thanked the attendant, their feast already spread out on the small coffee table. The bottle of wine was uncorked, Poe handing her a full glass as she dropped herself down on the couch.
Rey took a healthy sip of the wine, relishing the velvety smooth liquid as it played on her tongue.
“This is good,” she said, swirling it around her glass a bit. She knew nothing about wine, generally just grabbing whatever was on sale when she was at the store, but she knew she liked this.
Poe smiled, tilting his glass toward hers. “To making the best of a shitty situation.”
“Here, here,” she answered, smiling as she lifted her glass to clink against his.
He pushed her food toward her. “These are yours. I wasn’t sure what you liked dessert-wise, so I just ordered one of everything.” Sure enough, there were no less than six desserts laid out on the table, ranging from a ridiculously large piece of chocolate cake to a hot fudge sundae that was calling her name. It’s a Wonderful Life was just ending on TV, the swelling music capturing her attention. “White Christmas is on next. I can change it if you want to watch something else.”
He was taking care of her, she realized with a start. For the past year or more, that had been her job by default. It had been her job to talk to the doctors. It had been her job to make all the funeral arrangements. It had been her job to make sure her dad ate, slept, and left his bed an acceptable number of times per week. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had taken care of her - probably sometime before her mom got sick - but here was Poe, doing it even though he barely knew her.
“Why are you being so nice to me?” she asked. There was no heat or sarcasm behind her words this time. She was genuinely curious.
He shifted in his seat, a hand pulling through his curls. “My mom died when I was eight,” he said so quietly Rey had to strain to hear it. “It was a long time ago, but I know how hard it is around the holidays. Especially at first.”
Rey looked down into her wine glass, fighting the urge to start crying again. Poe reached over, his hand tentative as he placed it over the hand she’d balled up in her lap. More gently than she had expected, he worked her fingers out of the fist. She looked up, recognizing the look in those soft, brown eyes. It was the same one she saw every time she looked in the mirror or caught her reflection in a window.
His thumb ghosted over the top of her knuckles. “It does get easier, I promise.”
She nodded, swallowing thickly before taking another sip of wine. Trying to look anywhere but at Poe, her eyes settled on the two men half-dressed as Santa dancing on the screen.
“This is my favorite,” he said, dropping her hand to grab his wine. He sat back. “Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney, you can’t find a more iconic duo than that.”
“Never seen it,” she replied with a shrug.
“You’re joking.” He sat up, the wine in his glass sloshing dangerously. “This is a classic! Sisters? We’ll follow the old man?” Her face must have said enough, Poe taking the remote and turning up the volume. “Sit back, because you are in for a treat.”
First grabbing the sundae she’d been eying earlier, she did as he told, Poe laughing when she stifled a moan on the first bite.
“So, I guess we’re eating dessert first?”
“It’s gonna melt, otherwise.” She took another bite, her eyes falling closed when the warm chocolate hit her tongue. “You have to try this.” She lifted a full spoonful, Poe’s full lips parting to accept it.
Oh. She hadn’t thought this through. It was more intimate than she imagined it would be, Rey feeling something stir low in her gut when his plush mouth closed around the spoon. He took everything she gave him, Rey nearly fainting when his tongue darted out to clean a smudge of chocolate off his lip.
This close, he was so gorgeous it almost hurt to look at him. It had been one thing to resist his charms when she’d hated him, but now, after he’d somehow made her like him, it just wasn’t fair.
“Whoa, hold on a second there.” He grabbed her wrist as she started to pull the sundae away. “You are definitely gonna need to share that.”
Laughing, she waited until he grabbed a second spoon to continue demolishing the ice cream, the two of them hitting the bottom way too soon. They moved on to their burgers, Rey generously sharing her onion rings while Bing and Rosemary counted their blessings on the screen. After a slice of cheesecake and three bites of the chocolate cake, Rey leaned against Poe, a food coma rapidly approaching.
“I like these,” he said, rubbing the fabric of her pajamas between two fingers. They were a matching set, a little vintagey with a wide collar and piping along the neck. Looking down, Rey realized they looked similar to what the leading lady was wearing in the movie.
She looked up at Poe, the smile on his face telling her he’d noticed the resemblance. “Thanks, they’re my favorite.” Picking up the bottle, she split the remainder of the wine between their glasses, clinking one final time before she leaned back again.
As the end of the movie approached, Rey heard a sniff to her right, turning to look at Poe from where she’d slowly melted into his side as the night wore on. He smiled apologetically at her as he mopped at his face with a tissue. “Sorry, this movie always gets me.”
She could see his point, already a little misty-eyed herself as the entire cast sang “White Christmas” amid the falling snow. Emboldened by the past few hours, she grabbed his hand and squeezed once, Poe twining her fingers with his before she could pull away. The credits rolled, Rey struggling to keep her eyes open.
The next movie started, something even older in black and white. “We should probably go to bed,” murmured Poe, already sounding half asleep. Rey could feel his breath in her hair, her eyes falling closed. “That flight is ungodly early.” Neither made a move.
“You’re right,” she mumbled, nestling further under his arm. His arms automatically wrapped around her, her head pillowing on his chest. “We definitely should.”
Poe’s breathing evened out beneath her cheek, Rey’s following a minute later as she drifted off.
Rey opened her eyes, blinking in confusion as she slowly regained consciousness. An alarm was blaring somewhere in the dark room, the headache forming behind her eyes pulsing in time with the sound.
They were still on the couch, Rey face down against the Harvard logo on his shirt, their legs tangled and half on the floor. Her shirt had ridden up during the night, leaving one of Poe’s hands to rest on the bare skin of her lower back while the other was still twined with her own. His heart beat steadily under her ear, keeping time with both the headache and the alarm. She tried to remember the last time she’d woken up in someone’s arms, drawing a blank.
“Shit!” came Poe’s voice from above her head. He sat up, forcing Rey to do the same. Grabbing his phone, he silenced the alarm. “I didn’t reset my normal alarm. We’re boarding in less than an hour!” He was already up and digging through his bag, coming up with the same jeans he wore yesterday.
“Wait, you get up at 5:30 every day?”
Poe stopped mid-step, turning toward her with an incredulous look on his face. “That’s your biggest takeaway from what I just said?”
It finally hit her. “Oh, shit!” She dove for her bag. “Are we gonna make it?” She waited until the bathroom door clicked shut to strip off her sleep pants.
“All we can do is try!” he shouted through the bathroom door. Rey stepped into her leggings, not bothering to dig around for a bra before throwing her sweatshirt on. “You decent?”
She pulled down the sweatshirt. “Yup. Do I have time to brush my teeth?”
“If you hurry.” He was already across the room, tossing his sweatpants into his bag.
She brushed her teeth in record time, throwing her toiletries into her bag and zipping it shut. Her hair went into a messy ponytail on top of her head, a few strands falling out immediately.
It hadn’t even been five minutes since they’d woken up when Poe walked out of the room, the heavy door clicking shut behind him. She was just about to walk out when a soft beep issued from the other side, Rey forced to take a step back as the door swung open.
“You forget something?” she asked as Poe walked back into the room, his hair standing on end like he’d been running his hands through it again.
“Yeah, I did,” he said, closing the distance between them. “This.” His hands went to cup her face and then his lips were on hers, Rey quickly overcoming the shock (and the voice inside her head that unleashed one long, continuous squee) to kiss him back. His lips were so soft on her own, she was almost surprised to feel the heat curling low in her core. It had been so long since she’d been kissed, she couldn’t remember what to do with her hands, finally settling them on his waist just as he broke off the kiss.
“I’ve wanted to do that for almost a year,” he panted, brushing a stray hair behind her ear.
She blushed. “Well, I definitely thought about it last night.”
He laughed, the sound spreading the warmth through her chest. “I’ll take it,” he said, his thumb stroking her cheek.
“Uh, Poe?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t we still have a plane to catch?”
His face fell. “Shit!” He grabbed her hand, Rey giggling as he dragged her all the way to their gate.