Author's note: Ah, the one where Poe finally gets a clue. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Chapter 16

December 2017

"Poe, watch your free leg," Leia called. "It's got to be high! Rey, keep your head down, and make sure you're engaging your core!"

Poe righted his partner as several other couples zoomed past them. It was like rush hour traffic out here! "Rey, you alright?"

She shrugged. "This is just…nuts." The Pairs Finals were spread out over several days to accommodate all the couples, but now that there were only twelve, they were all competing on the same days. Nationals took place over eleven days; pairs had two days all to themselves. Some of the couples even had their costumes on, which Rey thought was excessive. It was ten o'clock in the morning; the competition didn't start until dinner time.

Poe decided this was a good time to introduce her to some of their competition. With some added commentary, just for fun. One of the more overeager couples skated past. "That's Jarrus and Syndulla," he said. "They cry on command." Rey arched a brow at him. He pointed to another couple. "The Solo twins. Don't get too close, you'll go into sugar shock."

Rey saw a familiar face. "Hey, isn't that…"

"Jannah? Yeah." She and her partner were hand in hand, working on their footwork.

Rey didn't miss Poe's tone. He didn't sound happy to see her, which made sense given how the partnership ended. "So that's the ex-wife," she joked. "Who's the new husband?"

Poe rolled his eyes. "Finn Trooper."

"Tell me how you really feel."

Poe never got the chance to respond because Jannah spotted them. "Poe, surprise, surprise."

"Hello, Jannah."

Jannah looked Rey over. "I can see why you've been keeping her to yourself."

Finn came up to Rey and held out his hand. "I don't believe we've met?"

Rey took the proffered hand. He had a nice firm grip. He seemed nice, far nicer than she expected. "Rey Kenobi."

"Finn Trooper, it's nice to meet you, Rey."

"You too, Finn."

Poe clenched his fist. "Sorry to break up the lovefest, but we've got to get back to work," he said. He made a point of taking Rey's hand; he didn't like the way Finn was looking at her.

"He seems nice," Rey said.

"He and Jannah finished second last year," Poe reminded her. "They're the ones we have to beat, remember?"

"Doesn't mean we can't be friends," Rey argued.

"Friends. Yeah, right."

"Just what is that supposed to mean?" Poe never answered her; she was getting heartily sick of his hot and cold routine. The last few weeks had been some of the hardest of her life, practicing with him every day knowing that he belonged to someone else. After the visit from his old coach, he stopped talking about Zorii in front of her, for which she was grateful. She also found out that he asked Zorii to cool it on the wedding stuff until after the Olympics. At least that's what Leia told her. Rey didn't know for sure because she and Poe all but stopped spending time together outside the rink. Movie nights ceased after Zorii complained. Rey knew she should have been happy about that—spending that kind of time with Poe was painful. But that was the one thing they had left from their friendship before feelings were involved. She missed it.

They were so close to their goal now; she just needed to suck it up and deal.

Nationals were televised live; there were a lot more TV people running around. Before going back to the hotel for their naps, they had to do some interviews and photos. Rey was more than happy to let Poe take the lead on all that. All anyone seemed to want to ask her was how different figure skating was from hockey.

Zorii's flight arrived while they were doing press; she was supposed to meet them at the hotel. That was just great. When they got to the hotel, Rey and Poe parted ways; all Rey wanted to do was get to her room. She definitely didn't want to see Zorii. When the elevator opened on Rey's floor, Finn stood on the other side. "Going down?"

He entered the elevator; Rey considered leaving, but quickly changed her mind. Poe didn't want her to be friends with the competition, but he wasn't her boss. She could be friends with whoever she wanted! She pressed the button to the lobby. "You talked me into it."

Finn grinned. "That's the spirit."

"Just because our partners have bad blood doesn't mean we can't be friends."

"My sentiments exactly." Finn studied her. "What's it like? Being his partner, I mean. Jannah's told me some things…"

Rey opted to be honest. "At first, it was a nightmare. He tried to run me out of his building."

"That doesn't surprise me."

"But I won him over in the end."

"He seems like an asshole, no offense."

"I thought that too, at first. But…" She sighed. "He's a good guy, Finn. He just doesn't let everyone see it." In so many ways, Poe was still very naïve about the world. Most of the time, she found it cute. She thought she was one of the few people who really knew him, one of the few he let in. At least, she did, until he decided to get married. "Can we not talk about Poe?"

"Fine by me." Finn gestured at her bag. "You were on the women's hockey team in Sochi, right?"

"Yeah."

"I bet you have some stories there."

She smiled. "Maybe one or two." They got off the elevator and went to the little coffee stand for some drinks. Rey knew she was supposed to be napping, but she wasn't tired, and Finn was fun to be around. He was down to earth and funny. In other circumstances, she might even find him attractive. Unfortunately, all her heart wanted was someone it couldn't have. Still, she could use a few more friends.

"So, there's Connix at one end of the table, surrounded by members of the Swedish men's team, challenging them all to a game of beer pong!" she exclaimed, mimicking her teammate's stance.

"Did she do the challenge?"

"Of course, she did. She was the champion drinker on our team. Which is hilarious given how tiny she is. Anyway, she takes them all down one by one, then promptly passes out! Those Swedes were tripping all over themselves to catch her!"

Finn roared with laughter. Rey laughed too, then finished her tea. "This was fun," she said, picking up her bag.

"Yeah, we should hang out again."

"I should probably start getting ready." Finn gallantly walked Rey back to the elevator, where they ran into Poe and Zorii.

Poe seemed startled to see them. "Oh, hey."

"Hey," Rey said, putting on an air of false cheeriness. "How was your flight, Zorii?"

"Fine. Making new friends, I see."

Rey introduced Finn to Zorii; Poe just stood there, looking confused. "You were supposed to be napping," he said finally.

"Oh, I know. I wasn't tired." They still had a couple of hours to go before returning to the arena. There was still a chance for her to nap if she really wanted to. She didn't know what Poe's problem was.

"See you there!" Finn called as the elevator opened.

"Thanks for the tea!" Rey replied, waving. Finn was nice; if being friends with him bothered Poe, well, that was just too bad. Their rooms were on the same floor, but no one spoke on the way up. Rey turned left to go to her room; Poe and Zorii went right. Poe meant to tell his dad that Zorii would need her own room, but he'd forgotten. Now it was too late; the hotel was full of skaters and coaches. He would just make the best of it.

"Oh, this is nice," Zorii observed as they entered. Poe threw his bag down in the bed a bit harder than he intended. The bed creaked as it bounced. Zorii wrinkled her nose. "Though the bed looks less than sturdy."

As she put away some of her things, Poe ignored her. He kept thinking about Rey, about how happy she seemed to be hanging out with Finn. She hadn't smiled at him like that in a long time. Of course, she was free to do whatever she liked, but did she have to make friends with that guy of all people? Had Jannah put him up to it, to try and psyche Rey out? That didn't seem like Jannah, but how could Poe be sure? Had he ever really known her at all?

Rey hadn't seemed happy lately, period. Everything was about the work. Given the stakes, Poe couldn't really blame her, but he missed her playfulness. She helped make practice more fun than it should be. Weren't they still friends? Or would she rather have someone like Finn as her friend?

"Poe, are you okay?"

"Fine," he snapped. He reached for his necklace, as he always did when he was troubled. But it wasn't there. Where the hell was it? He didn't remember taking it off. Had he already put it in his costume? He didn't remember doing that either. Shit. He needed that ring! Skating without his mother's ring was unthinkable! He jumped up and started tearing the room apart. He started in the bathroom, yanking open drawers and cabinets, terrified he'd left it unattended.

After practically stripping the bathroom bare, he moved into the bedroom. He turned his bag inside out, breaking a few of the zippers in the process. "Poe, what are you looking for?"

"Nothing," he said absently. "My ring." It wasn't in his bag; it wasn't on the nightstand. It wasn't under the bed. Poe moved into the front of the suite, yanking out cushions from the couch where Zorii sat, reading the newspaper. "I don't believe this!"

"Would you calm down?"

"No, I will not calm down!" he yelled. "I spent four years working back to Nationals and now Rey's making friends with one of our rivals! I'm skating to weird music with a partner who can't follow the simplest of instructions!"

"Maybe she's got a problem sleeping."

"The only problem she has is making googly eyes with the first guy who turns her head!"

Zorii grinned. "I thought they looked good together."

Poe was on his hands and knees now, looking under the chairs, couch, and tables. "You think this is funny? We have to skate tonight! Now is the time to rest!"

"Like you, huh?"

Just like that Poe's control snapped. "That is it! Call the front desk and get a room of your own! I knew this wouldn't work out." He huffed. "I can't even concentrate! I can't even find my lucky ring!"

Zorii leaned forward, looking resigned. "This doesn't have anything to do with skating, does it?"

"What the hell does that mean?"

Zorii chuckled mirthlessly. "You know, Poe, I'm not as unobservant as you think. This," she gestured toward the destroyed room, "doesn't have anything to do with your ring or me. You're jealous."

Poe blinked. "What? That's absurd!"

"Is it? You've been in a foul mood ever since we saw Rey with that guy. You're always like this when it comes to her. I held out some hope that it was my imagination, but it's not. You're in love with her."

Poe's jaw dropped. He stared at Zorii like she was from outer space. "That's…well, that's just stupid."

"Is it?"

"You're insane! You've seen us together; we're always fighting." When they were around Zorii, they always fought. There had been a time when Zorii was in London where they got along pretty well, but that disappeared the moment Zorii came back.

Zorii smirked. "Foreplay."

Poe couldn't even muster a comeback. The idea that he was in love with Rey sounded too crazy to be real. Wasn't it? They were friends, at least, they used to be friends. They spent an absurd amount of time together, but that was because they had to! Movie nights, dinners, board games, his traitorous brain reminded him. No one forced you into any of that. Hell, he made her dinner! He thought about her smile, the way her hazel eyes lit up when she was happy, her determination and drive. She consumed most of his waking thoughts; she had for a long time.

Oh my god.

Zorii plucked a chain out of the debris on the coffee table. "If you really wanted to marry me, Poe," she said sadly, "would you still have this?" His mother's ring hung from the end of the chain.

Poe snatched it back, looping the chain around his neck. He couldn't look Zorii in the eye; now that he'd had his eyes opened a bit, he was sorry for the way he'd treated her. "Look, Zorii…"

"It's not anyone's fault, Poe. I knew from the moment I met her; I was just too stubborn to admit it. I thought by forcing you into a commitment, you'd get over it."

Poe blinked. "Wait, you what?" She ambushed him on purpose? He wondered, but he couldn't believe she was capable of stooping that low. Anger swelled in his chest; god, why had be been so stupid? He fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. "I think you should go."

For once, she didn't argue with him. She gathered up her things and left. Poe watched her leave; the moment the door closed he felt lighter. He knew he should be more upset at the ending of a relationship that had once meant so much to him, but instead, he just felt relief. He didn't know when he'd fallen out of love with her, or if he'd ever been truly in love with her to begin with.

Rey was right about one thing. He didn't know shit about the real world.

But what was he supposed to do now? His feelings for Rey—while strong—were still so confusing. He cared about her. He could admit to himself now that he was attracted to her. Did he love her? After thinking he loved Zorii, did he even know what love was? He wanted to believe that he did, but what if he was wrong?

How did Rey feel about him? Could she love him after the abominable way he treated her? She seemed to be able to forgive him and settle into friendship easily enough. Or was he too late? Suddenly, her recent behavior made more sense. She started to withdraw from him when Zorii started demanding more of his time. He vividly recalled her face the moment Zorii announced the engagement. She was devastated. What if she hated him now and that was why she flirted with Finn? Was she flirting with Finn?

He didn't know and it drove him crazy.

Still, he had no one to blame but himself. He'd been too blind to see what was right in front of his face.

The question was: what was he going to do about it?

Poe followed his dad out to the waiting limo. Kes was fuming, but he tried to hide it. Telling his dad that he and Zorii broke up was not a fun conversation, especially right before Poe was due to compete. Kes believed upsets to the routine would affect his performance. Poe didn't dare mention Rey; she didn't deserve to face Kes' wrath for something she had no control over.

Rey and Leia were waiting as Poe and Kes slid in. "Okay, we're all in," Kes said to their driver.

Leia frowned. "You're not waiting for Zorii?"

"She's not coming. She had to go back to Boston. Business problems."

Why is he lying? Poe wondered. Before he could say anything, Leia spoke. "Is that okay with you?"

This wasn't the time or the place to explain anything; they were due to take the ice in a couple of hours. He needed to focus on skating, not his love life. "If you want to worry about something, worry about the rookie over there."

"Who me?" Rey asked. Poe's eyes clashed with hers; hers were unreadable. She did seem offended that he called her a rookie; they had been through two competitions so far. He really needed to start thinking before he spoke, but old habits died hard.

The drive to the rink was quiet. Kes disappeared into the crowd of spectators, then the car took Rey, Poe, and Leia to the athletes' entrance. Poe kept opening his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. The truth was, he didn't know what to say. His entire world had been rocked; he was still figuring things out. He desperately wanted to do this right. Rey deserved that. She deserved a lot for putting up with his stupidity.

Short program. Focus.

He changed into his costume, combed his curls, then mussed them with his fingers. Rey liked them that way. He carefully tucked Shara's ring into the pocket; it was only noticeable if you were looking for it. He felt better, having it on him. After lacing up his skates, he moved out into the backstage area to do his stretches and get ready.

Rey was already there, going through her own routine. She looked absolutely stunning in her costume. It was a deep blue, sleeveless, with silver beading sewn into the bodice to look like the night sky. The skirt was sheer, almost knee-length, and asymmetrical. With her dark hair braided and twisted into a knot, she looked like some fairy princess without the wings. Poe's was relatively simple in comparison; black slacks and a collarless shirt, open at the neck. The colors darkened from white to various shades of blue until it matched Rey's at the wrists and waist.

Stop staring, he scolded himself. It wasn't like he hadn't seen her before. Of course, he had. But seeing her now, feeling the way he did…it was almost like he was seeing her for the first time. She was so beautiful it made his chest ache.

Still, he needed to focus. Regardless of how he felt, they'd worked too hard to get to this moment. He refused to be the reason they failed.

The pairs standings from Finals were used to determine the order of skating; they were fifth from last. Poe kept watching Rey for signs of nerves. Since that first short program, she hadn't puked, but this was in front of a national audience. She stretched, she paced, she practiced a few jumps in stocking feet. She seemed calm. Still, he saw her wring her hands a few times and muttering to herself.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

Rey blinked like she was surprised to see him. "Yeah, I think so."

"This is just like before, Rey. We're gonna go out there and do our thing. We've got this."

"What about me being a rookie?"

"That was thoughtless of me. Sorry."

She arched a brow at him. "What's gotten into you?"

"Let's just say I'm clearheaded for the first time in a while."

They were called to take their places a few minutes later. Rey glanced at all the TV cameras and techs and assistants; her face grew pale. Poe instantly took her hand. She was shaking. He twisted his hand a little so he could thread their fingers together. "Hey, look at me." He squeezed to get her attention; her eyes flickered to his. He could see the nervousness in her eyes, but he also saw her trust. She trusted him. He took her other hand. "This is our rink. We own this place, yeah?" She nodded. "Breathe, Rey. Just breathe." Their eyes held as they took several deep breaths; he felt her relax. "Trust me, okay?"

Rey nodded. "I trust you."

His eyes dropped to her slightly parted lips; he fought the urge to kiss her. That would not be a good move right now, not when he was still struggling with his feelings. At least now, he could think it without feeling guilty.

Their names were announced; Poe didn't let go of her hand as they skated to center ice. The lights dimmed as they got into position. Once the music started, everything was automatic; they'd done this routine hundreds of times. Only this time, Poe wasn't fooling himself. They were—perhaps for the first time—completely in sync.

At the end, they skated off the ice to enthusiastic applause. People threw flowers. Leia greeted them with a hug when they reached the boards. Rey took his hand while they waited for their scores, which surprised him. He smiled at her and squeezed it.

"It's happening!" she cried excitedly. Their scores were announced over the loudspeaker;for the moment, they were in first place! Rey threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. "We're halfway there!"

Four couples had to skate after them; when all the scores were in, they dropped down to third. But the gap between second and third was small. Finn and Jannah took first, but even that couldn't bring them down. They were still talking about it when they got to the hotel.

Rey wasn't sure where this new attitude of Poe's had come from, but she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Man, this overnight thing is brutal," she complained. "Why can't it be a doubleheader? Short program, long program, then boom, we're outta here? Know what I mean?"

Poe fumbled with his key card to his room. "Yeah, I know exactly what you mean."

"It's like enough already! It's like…what's the word?" She frowned. "Do you know the word I'm looking for?"

She was very close to him and suddenly, Poe couldn't think. "I don't know. Expectation?"

"No, no. It's when you…"

"Anticipation? Excitement?"

Rey knew exactly what word she was looking for. "Foreplay."

Poe swallowed. "Foreplay?"

Rey grinned; he had that cute, flustered thing going on. She'd missed that. She couldn't resist teasing him. "Yeah, you know. Foreplay."

"Yeah, I know what it means." He looked like a deer in the headlights.

"Well, wouldn't you rather just get right to it?"

"What?"

Rey laughed. "Long program? San Jose? Nationals?" She held up the bouquet in her hand. "Flowers?"

God, he was such a coward. But this was too much for him right now. "Sleep," he said. "I'd rather sleep." He unlocked his door and stepped inside, shutting it firmly behind him.

"Sleep?" Rey asked the empty hall.