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“Hey, so we’re Black Squadron and we hope you enjoy our sound.”
What follows is something Rey is not really sure of the exact genre. Maybe it’s ska? Or punk? Then it’s got a sick drop and a drum solo. Whatever it is, there are way more than a hundred people in this venue which means it’s kind of a big deal for them.
Though the lights are shining on the stage, as the spotlight rotates around the crowd, she catches the eye of the lead guitarist. He winks at her and she gives him a small wave. She told him she’d try to be here, but it’s been a crazy couple of months.
The song finishes and the band pauses for a drink.
“I want to give a shout out to a special guest tonight,” Poe says into the mic. “She did something really special this summer, but it’s kind of bad luck to talk about it, so I hear. Anyway, this one’s for you, Rey.”
There’s some ooo’ing from the crowd and Rey leans her head back and tries not to get embarrassed or blush. At least he didn’t bring up the medal. That’s the last thing she needs. Her sport is low-key enough that she’s not super famous. She only occasionally posts on insta. But once her Nike spot comes out… oof. She almost second guessed it, but not the paycheck.
The song is… really good. It’s got a nice harmony and Poe sings this one—and he is so hot. Sweaty curls, that voice. She rubs her hand over her forehead as he catches her eye again and smiles. Rey realizes once the audience starts singing along to the chorus that this is the song that probably got them into this opening line-up. She wonders if she’s watching their big break happen in real time and suddenly she forgets about her own problems with pseudo-notoriety. Rey claps and whoops and joins the crowd in calling for an encore.
She tries to find him after they’ve finished, but there’s things like bouncers making sure groupies don’t make their way backstage. As the main event starts up, Rey maneuvers through the crowd and finds the door leading out of the warehouse-turned-music venue. She spots Poe’s truck and a couple of his friends loading up their trailer, but there’s another big guy guarding the road.
“Sorry, honey, no pass no pass.”
“I’m Rey,” she says. “The one the song’s about?”
“Right.” The guard does not look convinced. She really can’t blame him. He might not even know the song.
She pulls out her phone and finds a picture of her and Poe. “See, this is us.”
“Aww... Is that a calico?” he asks and grins.
“What?” Rey looks and it’s a picture of her cat.
“Wait, you were at the Olympics? That’s awesome!”
Rey smiles but inwardly cringes. Her phone is cycling through all her pictures. It’s like a best of the summer. This is terrible. “Yeah, I uh, won gold.”
“Hell yeah, girl.” He gives her a fist bump. “Still can’t let you through.”
“Rey!”
Oh thank the stars.
“It’s okay, Jace, she’s cool,” Poe tells the man and slaps him on the shoulder. “I’m glad you decided to come.”
“Of course! You guys were amazing!”
“Thanks! We were all about to barf from anxiety, but yeah, it turned out okay.”
Poe takes her hand and pulls her to the rest of his crew. She’s met them before a couple times and it’s good to see them all again—Finn, Snap, Karé, and Jess. They’re all going out to celebrate and bleed out some after-show adrenaline once they put away the trailer.
“I dunno,” Poe says with a grin as he lightly hip-checks Rey. “Someone might have to do a lot of extra workouts if we go out for beers and wings.”
“I am technically in the off-season and I’m dying for something smothered in ranch dip.”
She catches him alone before the end of the night. It’s hard because everyone is buzzing from the set and the crowd and several people have asked for selfies.
“I can’t believe you wrote me a song,” Rey says and digs her fingers into his front pockets, pulling him closer to her.
“Ahh..” Poe looks a little embarrassed all of a sudden. A look she’s not seen on him. “I actually wrote you several songs, that’s just the one that kind of blew up.”
“I don’t know about stabbing you through the heart…” She grins and kisses him quickly.
“You kind of did.”
“I want to hear all the songs,” she tells him, kisses him again.
“Are you going to let me see your Nike commercial?” he teases against her lips.
“Do you know how many times I had to say ‘just do it’?” He laughs as she groans. “Let’s get out of here.”