Rey had always had a thing for rebel pilots. Back in Jakku, she had made a doll out of an old orange flight suit material, and she also owned an old Rebellion helmet she had once found and which she grew very fond of.

She had never met a Resistance pilot before, and even though there were plenty of them at the base, Poe Dameron was the one who caught her attention for obvious reasons. He was BB-8's master, so Rey heard a lot about him from the droid when she took him to the old AT-AT she used as her home back in Jakku. BB-8 adored Poe and had spent hours talking about his kindness, his strength and his loyalty to the cause he fought for. She also heard about him from Finn, who had helped him escape the First Order in a TIE fighter. But after their ship crashed in Jakku, Finn thought Poe was dead. It had been heartbreaking to see BB-8's sadness when he learned the bad news.

It turned out Poe was alive and had led the attack against the Starkiller Base.

After their awkward introduction at the conference room, they often met at the med bay, when both of them would visit Finn. In the beginning, they would talk mostly about their mutual friend. Poe told her in detail how Finn had renounced being a stormtrooper and helped him escape the First Order, and Rey told him how she met Finn and how they had been chased by stormtroopers, escaped Jakku aboard the Millennium Falcon and came across Han Solo. At some point, they started talking about themselves, Poe telling her how he joined the Resistance, Rey telling him how was her life in Jakku, which led them to talk about their love for piloting.

They found they had a lot in common, never running out of things to talk about, so they started meeting out of the med bay, Poe showing her his X-wing, Rey bringing him into the Millennium Falcon, or just eating together in the mess hall.

It wasn't until two days before she left for her mission that Rey realized she had feelings for him. Of course, she had been impressed with him in the beginning and he had a face that she found very pleasant to look at, but she had never thought about him as anything other than a good friend. That is, until she saw him from afar talking to Jessika Pava, all smiles, before embracing her warmly and too tightly for her liking.

Rey had felt a sudden twinge in her chest, and the mix of emotions overwhelmed her. She was definitely jealous, but also confused. What the hell was happening to her? Poe was her friend, just a friend, nothing else…

The twinge in her chest would reappear every time she remembered the scene, until she noticed other people doing the same Poe did when they stopped to talk to Jessika. Later she learned it was Jessika's birthday, and she felt stupid. It didn't change the fact that she had been jealous though, which only meant one thing: she liked Poe.

Rey was glad that no one noticed her brief bad mood, so she didn't have to explain anything to anyone. Also, she made sure to act like there was nothing going on. Even around Poe. Even when they exercised together the next day, running around the base in the early hours of the morning. Rey was very proud of herself that she managed to keep a straight face when Poe took off his shirt and used it to dry the sweat from his torso and neck, even when the need to run her hands over his chest became nearly unbearable.

The next day she left for her mission with Chewbacca and R2-D2.

Rey thought her feelings were very well hidden inside her heart. From ordinary people, at least, they were; but Luke Skywalker was not an ordinary person.

In the first days she had been with Master Luke, everything had worked fine. She tried not to think too much about Poe, because she didn't want to think just yet about the implications of having feelings for him in the midst of her awakening as a potential Jedi. She knew the Jedi had certain rules… Anyway, she had been successful at keeping Poe away from her mind at first, because meeting the legendary Luke Skywalker had overwhelmed her so much that she barely had time to think about anything other than the Jedi history and the beginning of her training.

But then there was the dream.

One night, Rey dreamed about Poe. In the dream, she had come back from her mission and he had welcomed her with a kiss. She had woken up in the morning with butterflies in her stomach and she couldn't stop thinking about him all day, which didn't go unnoticed by Luke.

"You better sort this out, you know."

"Excuse me?"

"You're developing feelings for someone, and these feelings are disturbing you. Why?"

Rey sighed, realizing there was no use in trying to lie to him.

"Well… First, I have never felt this way before. Second, I don't know how he feels about me. And third… If I'm going to become a Jedi, I'm not supposed to fall in love, right?"

"Well, there was this rule, and the truth is it never worked. Otherwise, you would not be talking to me right now. My father was a Jedi; neither Leia nor I would be in this world if he had not broken this rule."

Luke paused for a moment, as if trying to find the right words.

"Love is not something we choose to feel or not to feel consciously, it just happens," he finally said. "There's no use in trying to forbid something that is not ours to control."

"What should I do then?"

"You can fall in love, Rey, this is up to your heart. I only advise you to keep things balanced. If it is a healthy relationship and it makes you happy, it will do you no harm. However, if it becomes a source of pain, anger, then you will need to have the strength to step out of it. Otherwise, it will lead you to a dangerous path."

"I understand… Well, I can't even call it a relationship, really. He doesn't even know how I feel about him, and I have no idea how he feels about me."

"You will have to find out. This doubt disturbs you. You need to get rid of this feeling, otherwise you will not be able to fully concentrate on your training, especially when he's around."

"Are you telling me I'll have to ask him how he feels about me?"

"Not necessarily. I sensed your feelings, didn't I? You can do it too."

Two weeks later, Rey and her companions finally went back to D'Qar along with Luke Skywalker.

The first person she talked to when she stepped out of the Millennium Falcon was Poe. She was happy to see him again. She had missed him so badly in those last two weeks!

He welcomed her, and she thought she might have sensed something coming from him, something that matched her own feelings, but she wasn't sure whether it was really him or it was just her imagination. When she was about to concentrate a little more, BB-8 came rolling happily at her direction, and she was so happy to see her little friend that she quit trying to focus on Poe's feelings for now. She talked to the droid a little bit before Leia approached them, requesting Rey to come with her and Luke inside de base.

Rey spent nearly the whole day with Leia and Luke. They spoke about the events that led Rey to join the Resistance, the beginning of her training and the base's upcoming move to a new planet.

Rey felt there was something else that both Leia and Luke wanted to talk to her, but for some reason they didn't. Something inside of her told her that they knew about her family. In addition, she had felt she knew them, since the first time she saw both Leia and Luke actually. She tried to search her memory but it failed her. Curiously, she didn't remember almost anything from her childhood. But she decided to leave it be, for now. She knew they would tell her everything eventually.

After being dismissed by Leia, she had gone straight to the med bay to visit Finn, only to find him still unconscious. At least there were good news. They expected him to wake anytime now.

It was already dark, when Rey finally headed to her quarters. She took a long and relaxing shower, and she sprawled on her bed afterwards. She wasn't ready to sleep though, just wanted to rest a little bit and think about what she was going to do next.

Poe.

Her heart fluttered as soon as he appeared on her thoughts.

Rey always wondered what it would be like to fall in love, to be physical with someone. She had never felt sexual attraction to anyone – which was only natural, having lived in Jakku most of her life. Poe was the first man who caught her eye, and she was eager to act on her feelings for him.

Only she still needed to find out how he felt about her. She decided she would waste no more time.

In a fit of courage and determination, Rey got out of the bed and left her room. She wasn't sure of what was going to happen, but she needed to find out.

She wasn't afraid of a heartbreak. Of course she didn't want to have her heart broken, but she didn't want to waste time wondering either. If he didn't feel the same way about her at all, she would just get over it and move on.

When Rey got in front of Poe's door, she stared at it for a moment. Actually, she didn't know whether he was inside or not, but his room was the closest place where she could start looking for him.

Rey took a deep breath and knocked. The door opened right away.

"Uh… Hi, Rey," Poe said, and Rey's heart skipped a bit. His hair was a bit wet, and she guessed he had just taken a shower.

"Hi… Hum... I was wondering if you wouldn't like to join me for a walk?" she asked expectantly.

"Oh, sure! Is everything okay? Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I just want to relax a little bit, but I'd like some good company," she smiled.

They walked towards one of the grassy mounds that hid the hangars and made themselves comfortable under the stars. The night was pleasant and there was a soft breeze kissing her skin.

Rey talked a little about the conversation she had with Luke and Leia earlier, which included their plans to move the base to another planet. She also told him about the beginning of her training at the Jedi temple.

"So you're really becoming a Jedi..."

"Yes."

Poe sighed and laid down on the ground beside Rey. She instantly felt something coming from him, a mix of sadness and regret. Her heart raced.

"Luke said I don't need to follow the old Jedi ways though," Rey said, tentatively.

"The old Jedi ways? What do you mean?" he asked.

"I can have a relationship if I want to." She didn't have to look at him to know that his eyes were fixed on her now. His feelings were a complete mess, but she didn't quite understand why. She still had a lot to learn. "Not that I asked him about it," she continued. "I didn't need to. He read my feelings."

"Are you in love with someone? Wait, sorry. I shouldn't ask you that. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

That was when it clicked. He doesn't think it's him. Rey took a deep breath.

"Actually, I-"

She couldn't finish her sentence though; BB-8 appeared from out of nowhere, and from his behavior she could tell he was pretty excited about something.

"BB-8, where have you been?" Poe asked, pushing himself into a sitting position.

The little droid didn't answer Poe's question; instead, he broke some very important and long awaited news.

"WHAT?! FINN IS AWAKE?" Rey shouted, getting immediately on her feet.

"That's great news, buddy!"

"Let's go see him! NOW!" Rey said, grinning from ear to ear, and they all ran towards the base.

BB-8 had interrupted her moment with Poe, but Rey couldn't bring herself to be mad at him, not when the reason was Finn being finally awake.

Rey and Poe had spent nearly the whole night with Finn, until Dr. Kalonia gently asked them to let him rest. He was still weak after all.

She lost count of how many times she said she was sorry for what happened to Finn, but he had none of it.

"Finn is right, Rey. Kylo Ren is the only one to blame," Poe said as they walked back to the sleeping quarters. "Finn will be fully recovered soon enough, and we all will get our chance to make that monster pay for everything he did."

"I know…" she said, stopping as they reached her room's door. "It's just…"

"I know, Rey."

She stared at him, confused.

"What do you know?"

"I know how you feel about him," he said, and Rey could hear the melancholy in his voice. Suddenly it made sense. "Well, I should go. You must be tired. See you tomorrow," he said and turned around to take his leave, but Rey couldn't let him go like this, not when he was feeling so sad and heartbroken. Rey knew exactly what she needed to do.

She grabbed his hand, and he turned to look at her, confusion all over his face.

Poe made to speak, but Rey didn't let him; summoning all her courage, she closed the space between them and planted a kiss on his lips.

It was a brief kiss, and even with all the butterflies dancing in her stomach, she could sense when Poe's melancholy turned into something else entirely. When she broke the kiss, he stared at her in a kind of confused joy.

"I do love Finn… That's what you're thinking, isn't it?" Poe blinked in confusion. "But I love him like a brother. He's the brother I never had. What Luke sensed back at the Jedi temple were my feelings for you," she said softly. She felt her cheeks burning, but she held his gaze firmly.

Poe bit his lower lip before bringing his hands to both sides of her face, his lips meeting hers again. They kissed deeply this time, and Rey nearly melted into his arms. She buried her hands through his hair and moaned against his lips, and a spark of desire ran through her entire body.

They eventually broke the kiss for air, resting their foreheads on each other's.

"Do you need to be up early tomorrow?" Rey asked, her voice merely a whisper.

"No, I have the morning off."

"Good," she said with a grin.

Then she grabbed his hand and, without breaking eye contact, pulled him towards her room.

As soon as they were inside, Poe captured her lips, pressing her gently against the closed door. The kiss was soft and sweet, and he soon broke it to look at Rey.

"I missed you," he said with a tender voice, caressing her face with gentle fingers. "When you left, I didn't think I would miss you so much, you know. Then I remembered there was a chance you'd become a Jedi, and it felt so wrong missing you like that… I was so confused."

"So was I. I missed you too, and I didn't know what to do. Even before leaving I knew how much I would miss you."

"Really?"

"Yes… Then I remembered there was a chance I'd become a Jedi …" she smiled, mimicking his words, which made him chuckle.

Then Poe leaned down and kissed her again. Rey wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, and this time the kiss was long and lingering. Poe's hands were on her waist now, and soon they started moving up and down her sides, slowly. Rey shivered under his touch and deepened the kiss even further, her hands clutching at his hair.

When they broke the kiss, they were both panting. Rey leaned her head back against the door and closed her eyes, trying to catch her breath, only to feel Poe's lips suddenly on her neck. She moaned loudly, feeling weak on her knees. He took his time suckling on a sensitive spot she didn't even know she possessed; his ministrations were driving her crazy. The next thing she felt was Poe's hand moving from her waist and closing over her breast. She gasped, jumping softly at the unexpected sensation – a damn good sensation by the way.

Poe stopped immediately and studied her face, seeming concerned.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have gone that far," he whispered, and she knew he was feeling ashamed.

"Don't be sorry, I liked it," she said sheepishly. "It's just… I've never done this before, this is all new to me… but I'm enjoying every second."

"Are you sure? I don't want to push you into anything you're not ready for," he said in a serious tone, and Rey could feel how much he cared about her.

She looked deeply into his eyes.

"Look, I may be unexperienced, but I know what I want. What I'm feeling for you, Poe, I've never felt for anyone. I always wondered how would it be to be with someone like I'm with you now. I always wondered how would it be to be touched like you've just touched me, to be kissed like you've just kissed me. I don't want to waste anymore time of my life wondering. I don't know what our future holds, but it doesn't matter. I want to live the present, I'm free to do that. And right now I want you."

Her words seemed to have quite an effect on Poe, because his eyes darkened in such a way that she felt weak on her knees again, but Rey could feel he was still unsure. She took his hand, brought his fingers to her lips and kissed them lightly. Feeling bold, she brought his hand back to her breast and gave it a squeeze. Poe kissed her again at once, and when he fondled her breast, she kissed him back fiercely.

Next thing she knew, Poe was carrying her to the bed.

When Rey opened her eyes hours later, she found herself cuddled against Poe's bare chest. He was still sleeping, so she moved carefully, propping herself up on her elbows. She took her time watching him, as she remembered last night.

She felt her face burn as she recalled his touches, his kisses and the way he used his fingers and his mouth to pleasure her before finally entering her for the first time. It had hurt in the beginning, but Poe had been gentle and caring enough to wait until her winces of pain turned into moans before losing himself inside her.

As if sensing he was being watched, Poe opened his eyes.

"Good morning, sweet," he smiled at her.

"Good morning. It's almost noon actually," she informed him, while tracing patterns on his chest with her fingers.

"Is it?"

"Yes. Don't you have work to do?"

"Why, are you trying to get rid of me already?" he asked with a smirk, pulling her to him.

"Of course not, I just don't want you to get in trouble because of me."

"What I have to do can wait a little bit, don't worry." He studied her face. "Are you okay? I mean, after last night..."

"I'm more than okay, actually," she grinned.

"Good," he grinned back. He watched her quietly, his face getting serious. "Where do we go from here?" he asked softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Where do you want us to go?" she asked back, half-smiling.

"I want to be with you," he said almost shyly. "I want you to be my girlfriend. If you want to, that is…"

"Of course I do," she said with a broad smile before leaning down to press a quick kiss on his lips. "I thought my body language had made that clear last night, though," she said with a laugh.

"Well, I had to be sure you weren't only seducing me and taking advantage of me," he said jokingly.

In response, she moved on top of him, straddling his hips and placing her hands on the bed on either side of his head.

"Do you have any problems with me seducing you, Poe Dameron?" she asked boldly.

"Not at all," he grinned, before pulling her down into a kiss.

Poe knew he was already late, but the temptation to stay a little longer in bed with Rey was too strong.

She will be the death of me…

He didn't mind, though. He didn't mind at all.