They took their time over dinner, neither of them seeming to be in a hurry. The food was good, the service pleasant, and the company absolutely perfect. Of course, Rey had decided she was biased on that front. The more she got to know this man, the more she craved his company. It wasn't just a girlie crush on an equestrian hero anymore. Poe Dameron was an amazing man beyond his talent and fame, and she was going to enjoy every bit of time she could with him, whether at the barn or away from it. And she had to admit, she hoped there would be plenty of moments away from it after this.

While she loved their shared devotion to horses and dressage, she felt that if there was any chance at a real relationship, they needed to find common ground elsewhere. So far, they had similar tastes in music, which was eclectic to say the least. They also liked many of the same books, although Poe did read more biographies while Rey was unashamed to delve into straight romance every once in a while. Their taste in movies was also similar, though again Rey would rather watch an emotional, angsty romance over a war movie, but she could still enjoy the war movie.

Long after their table had been cleared and they felt they should probably give it up to other diners, Poe suggested they take a walk by the river. Feeling almost giddy, Rey agreed. Obviously, Poe didn't want the night to end, either. He led her to the rest rooms on the way out, and Rey had to use her cane for the first time in order to navigate the unfamiliar (but thankfully small) ladies' room. Poe was waiting for her when she was done, and once more she folded up her cane and happily took hold of his arm. Together they walked out into the soft, muggy Savannah night. The restaurant was located along the Herb River, which was a branch of the Wilmington River, which was a branch of the Savannah River. You were never far from water here in Savannah, with the ocean itself just a few miles away.

"No cane tonight?" she asked as he directed her down the steps to the parking lot.

"I took it easy today, and so far, my back feels good," he answered. "We'll see how it is tomorrow," he added wryly. He often complained that good days seemed to lead to extra bad days.

There was no walkway by the river, but the road the restaurant was on was fairly quiet, with a residential neighborhood on the other side, and marshland found in between the few houses that stood along the riverbank. Rey breathed deeply the smell of the water and marshland, listening to the many crickets, frogs, and cicadas that sang. She tilted her head. "Has the sun set completely?" she asked her companion.

"Mostly," he informed her. "You can still see a bit of light in the west. The stars are brilliant tonight."

"Not so many unnatural lights on this side of town, huh?"

"Yeah," Poe confirmed after a slight pause. Rey was pretty sure he had nodded, then remembered she couldn't see him. "Too much marshland down here. More houses than businesses."

"Amilyn's place is just a couple of blocks away," Rey mentioned. That was how she had discovered Pearl's. She had boarded BeeBee with Amilyn for a couple of years before moving him to a smaller facility closer to Jakku, but even then, she had still trailered him up twice a week for lessons. "She wasn't too thrilled when I left her for you," she mused.

"I bet she wasn't," Poe grumbled.

"You don't like her any more than she likes you, I take it?"

"Don't get me wrong," Poe disclosed. "I think Ami is a great trainer and I'm glad you were able to ride under her for as long as you did. But yeah, she and I will never be on the same wavelength."

"How come?" Rey pushed. When she heard Poe sigh, she almost took her question back. It was too personal. But then she reminded herself that if they were going to be more than friends, 'personal' was going to have to become shared. She waited.

"She and I slept together, several times, while she was training me."

Poe's answer was not what Rey had expected. She was struck speechless for a moment.

"It's the main reason I have such a strict policy in my own operation," he continued. "Amilyn didn't have that kind of guideline and I was too young and full of myself to care." He paused again, and Rey could feel his gaze on her.

She swallowed nervously, but tilted her head in his direction. "How old were you?" she asked quietly.

"Not a minor," he told her. "Barely." He took a deep breath. "She was located in Wellington at the time. I had a horse named Artie then."

"Arts and Letters," Rey confirmed. "I remember reading about him. He was a Thoroughbred, wasn't he?"

"Yeah, and you know how much Ami doesn't care for Thoroughbreds." His voice was wry. "Ami helped me find Dee and imported him from Germany. It was the start of our journey together, and I'll always be thankful to Ami for that. But in the end, she was just using me, and when I figured that out and left to ride with Justin Hardin, she got vindictive. Threatened to accuse me of sleeping with her in exchange for training."

"Oh, my God!" Rey gasped.

"She didn't, of course," Poe quickly emphasized. "It was just a threat because she was hurt. It would have ruined her reputation as well as mine. I think she really cared about me, but I was so far from committing back then, even honesty from her wouldn't have gotten me to stay." He huffed another breath. "The fact is, Rey, I fooled around with a lot of women in those early days. It was easy. There aren't that many straight guys in the dressage circuit, and dressage girls are always hot for a guy who can ride."

Rey felt her face heat, but she also couldn't help but laugh. "I'm not going to deny that," she muttered.

Poe laughed with her.

"Is that why you're not married," Rey asked suddenly. "Because you can't commit? You… you don't believe in it?"

"I've grown up since then, Rey," he explained. "When I started competing internationally, I focused more on my riding and less on women. Not to say I was chaste, but it wasn't a priority. And since the accident… I'm not-" He paused, and Rey felt his hand cover hers as it rested on his arm. "It's not that I don't believe in marriage or commitment. It's that I believe in it so much that I don't want to make a mistake. I don't want to be a statistic in an article on divorce. I want the real deal, and I've never met a woman that I felt could give me that."

Rey felt her throat get thick as she struggled for a humorous reply, but then his fingers tightened on hers.

"Until you."

Rey stopped and felt Poe turn to face her as she dropped his arm. She blinked rapidly, feeling tears of both relief and fear fill her eyes. Poe cupped her face with both of his hands. "Does that scare you?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, almost hard to hear over the sounds of the night around them. "It scares me, but in a good way."

Rey took a deep breath, still unable to respond.

Poe continued. "I know you're young, Rey, and are probably thinking you shouldn't have to be making this kind of commitment at your age…"

"No!" she finally said, finding her voice. "It's the opposite, actually." Taking a deep breath of her own, she continued. "I feel I've waited my whole life for you. And it's just hard for me to comprehend that you might be feeling the same way."

"I am," he confirmed. "But we don't have to rush it," he stated. "We still have a lot to learn about each other outside of the barn and arena." She could hear the smile in his voice.

Rey laughed. "So, we're gonna try this?" she asked.

"Yeah," he responded. "We're going to try this!" Still holding her face in his hands, he moved in to kiss her, slowly, letting her know what he was doing before he actually did it.

Rey didn't need the alert. She happily accepted his kiss, opening her mouth greedily and meeting his tongue with her own. She brought her arms up and slid her hands over his shoulders and around his neck while he dropped his hands down and wrapped his arms around her back, squeezing her in close.

They kissed, under the stars, with the night sounds loud around them, for an indeterminant time, until a car came upon them. Rey didn't see the headlights, but she felt Poe pull back and could hear the car coming. The driver gave a short little 'honk' that made them laugh.

"I better get you home," Poe told her as they turned back toward the restaurant. "Now we've got to come up with a plan to ensure your father doesn't kill me."

Rey laughed.

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