Ten Years

Rey Skywalker didn’t really want to go to her tenth High School reunion, and she especially didn’t want to see her High School sweetheart-turned-heartbreaker Poe Dameron again. But sometimes the one thing you can’t stand the thought of doing ends up being the best thing that ever happened.

My September OTP Challenge fic, that almost didn't get written. I still have mixed feelings about it. Modern AU. Prompts: High School Sweethearts and "Come here." Rated Teen

Rey stepped into the banquet hall tentatively, grateful the room wasn’t dim like she had imagined it would be, like how reunions were always shown in movies or on TV. On the contrary, the lights were bright and the room was full of smiling people grouped together in small packs or lining up along the buffet table on the left side of the room. Giant poster boards were sitting on easels on the opposite wall, dotted with pictures that she assumed were from ten years ago. Familiar music was playing, but it wasn’t horribly loud. The setting was surprisingly comfortable.

She stepped further into the room, her fingers completing the process of clipping on the plastic nametag she had been given at the check-in table just outside the door. She glanced down at it, relieved they had gotten the notice of her name change in time; she had just legally changed it back to her maiden name of Skywalker three months ago, even though the divorce had been finalized well over a year ago. She swore to herself that if she ever got married again, she wouldn’t take her husband’s name.

Taking a deep breath, she moved farther into the room, looking for any familiar faces. At least she knew her ex-husband wouldn’t be here; he had graduated a year behind her. But as for her other ex…

She didn’t immediately see him, and she was almost positive she would spot him right away if he was here; she had always been drawn to him like a magnet, finding him in crowds and on the school grounds without any problem. He had been the same way with her. He had joked that they had a psychic connection and would be able to find each other anywhere in the world.

Rey had long ago learned how untrue that was.

She shook her head, trying to chase away thoughts of her High School love. Odds were good he was not going to be here, so she would not worry about seeing him again. And if he did show up? Well, she would cross that bridge when she came to it.

“Rey!”

She turned at the sound of her name. The voice was vaguely familiar, but in all honesty, she hadn’t had too many friends in High School. When you were labeled ‘gifted’ at age eight and worked your way up the grade levels faster than normal, entering High School two years earlier than most kids, your classmates tended to avoid you. But there had been a few people with whom she had befriended. Mostly outcasts like herself.

Rose Tico was one of them. She had been tiny, shy, and knew more about car engines than most boys. Her Asian heritage had set her apart from most of her classmates, the majority of whom were white. She and Rey had met in choir class their sophomore year, sitting next to each other on the first day, and they had developed an unspoken trust in each other that eventually led to them to confiding in each other. Though she was older than Rey, Rose’s lack of confidence connected them early on, and they both grew into themselves as the years went by.

It was Rose who had called her name, her voice stronger and a bit deeper than Rey remembered. But she still looked the same, Rey thought, her smile wide and her expression bright.

“Rose!” Rey smiled. If there was one person she was glad to see here, it was Rose.

The smaller woman rushed up to her and hugged her, her joy at seeing Rey genuine. Rey hugged her back, then as they parted, she glanced down and notice something about Rose’s nametag. “Wait! Sargent?” She looked up at Rose, who was grinning now. “As in Finn Sargent?”

Just then, the man in question came up behind Rose. “Hi, Rey.”

Rey felt her heart thud harder. Finn had been Poe’s best friend. “Hi, Finn,” she said a bit breathily. She looked back and forth between him and Rose. “When did you two..?” She didn’t remember them even talking to each other in High School.  

“We both ended up at Northern State,” Rose answered. “We knew each other thanks to you and we kind of gravitated toward each other because we didn’t know anybody else.” She shrugged. “It just happened naturally after that.”

“That’s great!” Rey told them. “The same thing kind of happened to me and…” She paused, not sure she really wanted to bring up her ex.

“Ben,” Finn finished. “You married Ben Solo, didn’t you?” He looked around. “Is he here?”

“Uh, no,” Rey shook her head. “Ben and I divorced last year.” She shrugged, then cocked her head. “How did you know he and I got married?” She and Ben had both ended up at Harvard, a long way from here.

Finn looked a little embarrassed. “Word got around. I mean, both of your families still live here.”

Rey wasn’t sure she accepted that answer. Yes, her dad and Ben’s parents all still lived in Aldera, but she was pretty sure neither were gossiping about their children’s love lives. “Well, we’re still friends,” Rey said about Ben. “We just wanted different things in life.” That was putting it simply. Ben had become a lawyer and was a very good one. Rey had gone to Harvard with the intent to become a doctor, but she had burned out her second year in medical school. Since she had skipped her last year of undergraduate schooling, going immediately into medical school without graduating, she didn’t even have a Bachelor of Science degree to her name.  

She and Ben had only been married a year at the time, and Rey often wondered if that was one of the reasons she had mentally checked out; it wasn’t that Ben hadn’t been supportive of her, but she had already been regretting what she had begun to realize was a rebound relationship. She had tried to make things work, but Ben had soon figured out that she really didn’t love him like she should. Fortunately, their separation had been amicable, and Rey knew that Ben was already in a serious relationship with someone else and seemed happy.

Rey herself had moved on to new things. After taking a few years to decompress from higher education, she had just started taking online classes, this time in psychology, in hopes of becoming a therapist for people like herself, who had grown up ‘gifted’ or ‘talented’ and ended up overburdened and stressed.

“I guess I always expected you to end up with Poe,” Rose said quietly, pulling Rey out of her musings.

“Rose!” Finn’s voice was sharp, as was his glare at his wife.

She glared back. “It’s true. Everyone thought that.”

“Yeah,” Rey said softly. “Even me.”

Both looked at her when she spoke, and the sympathy in their eyes made her heart ache. She focused on Finn. Might as well acknowledge the elephant in the room. “I suppose you’re still friends with him?”

He looked uncomfortable, swallowing and shifting a bit. “We’re still in touch, yeah.”

Rey nodded. “How is he?”

Finn glanced at Rose who was looking back and forth between them a bit worriedly. He licked his lips. “Retired. Just a few months ago.”

“Already?” Rey asked. Poe had dreamed of being in the Air Force the entire time Rey had known him.

“Honorable discharge,” Finn said quickly. “Personal reasons.”

“Hey, guys!”

Rey turned to look at the woman who appeared on her right, who, it seemed, had come at the perfect time.

“Kaydell!” She smiled. Another friend from choir. Another member of the geek club.

Rey eventually settled into conversation with Kay and other familiar faces, trying to forget what Finn had told her about Poe. He had left for Colorado and the Air Force Academy with such excitement, and it was while he was there that she had become forgotten. That first month they had talked almost every day, if not via phone, then text or email. But eventually his responses to those messages had become less frequent. More often than not, her calls went straight to his voice mail and return calls happened less and less. He had become distant and cold, and the promise he had made to her about loving her forever seemed to have been forgotten.

By Christmas, she was quite sure he was done with her, and when they both came home for winter break, he was in the company of a lovely woman with a funny name: Zorii. Rey, who had been determined to confront him, decided against it when she realized he wasn’t alone. Heartbroken, she had done her best to forget him. When Ben had sought her out during that break with all sorts of questions about Harvard, Rey had turned her focus on him. When she went back to school, she kept up her correspondence with him. Ben answered her calls. Ben answered her texts. Ben had been there for her.

But she never stopped loving Poe. Or hating him. There was a fine line between the two, she knew.

As the evening wore on, Rey found herself drawn to the photos on the right side of the hall. She perused the pictures carefully, smiling at familiar faces and casually wondering what was going on in some of the pictures, sure there was a story there she just didn’t know about. She found a picture of the concert choir, with her and Rose standing in formal dresses in the alto section. And she found a picture of Poe, on stage with his guitar, performing with his band Boom Sockets. Finn was behind him on the drums.

When she came upon the picture of her and Poe together, she was startled. She didn’t think she had ever seen it before. Judging from Poe’s long hair, it had to have been taken their Junior year; he had shaved it almost down to the scalp the summer before their Senior year, in anticipation of his joining the military. He was sitting on the low fence that surrounded the parking lot on the east side of the school and she was standing in between his legs. His arms encircled her loosely and she had one hand covering his clasped fingers where they sat just under her breasts. They were both looking at the camera with relaxed expressions, totally unconcerned about what anyone thought about their relationship. And there had been a lot of concern that first year. After all, Rey had only been fourteen to his sixteen when they had started dating.

Rey’s father had refused to let her see Poe at first, but Poe’s insistence and his father’s assurance that his son was trustworthy had finally won Luke over. He had allowed them to date, but only in the presence of friends or with either Kes or himself acting as chaperone. By their Junior year, Poe had earned Luke’s trust and they had been allowed the freedom to be with each other on their own terms. And Poe had never broken that trust. While cuddling and hugging and brief kisses were common between them, nothing more intimate than that ever took place during their first two years together. Poe was determined to wait until they were married, and that wouldn’t happen until Rey was at least eighteen.

During their Senior year, things got a little more heated between them on occasion. A little more touching. A lot more tongue. But they never went too far. And that was something Rey often regretted. To this day, she wished it had been Poe who had taken her virginity, even if their relationship had still ended the way it had.

“Doctor Rey Solo, I presume?”

Rey immediately tensed at the voice, spoken in a wry tone behind her. She stiffened her spine, took a deep breath, and turned to face the very man she had just been thinking about.

“Not a doctor,” she said firmly as she turned. “And not Solo anymore.”

She faced Poe Dameron and her breath caught. He looked the same and so very different. His hair was as thick and as dark as ever, styled in a way that showed off his natural curls but still trimmed neatly. He wore a five-o’clock-shadow, which made him look like some hot movie star, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were more pronounced that when he was a teen. His rich brown eyes were as beautiful as she remembered, but his gaze was much more intense. His brows furrowed at her words and he cocked his head. “Not a doctor?” he queried.

The fact that he had focused on that more than her ‘not Solo anymore’ gave her mixed feelings. He had always been so proud of her wanting to be a doctor, claiming she was going to cure cancer and dementia and heart disease, so his being disturbed that she had not become one shouldn’t surprise her. But at the same time, she wanted him to show a reaction to her being single again, too.

She shrugged. “I had… issues,” she told him. Then she cocked her head. “But I understand from Finn that you aren’t in the Air Force anymore?”

“I had issues,” he told her wryly. “Mainly with my direct superiors, but also with the current administration.” This time, he shrugged. “I’m running a charter business up in Kijimi now.” Kijimi was a mountain town about an hour away that they had often talked about wanting to live back in the day.

“So, you’re still flying?” Rey was relieved. He had loved to fly more than he loved to play guitar. More than he had loved her.

He nodded, then his brows furrowed again. “So, not a doctor and not a Solo,” he started, glancing at her nametag. “What are you up to?”

“I just started taking some online classes. Psychology. I’m currently living in Denver, but I have thought about moving back here to be closer to my dad.” She glanced around the room, noticing that Rose and Finn were watching them carefully from across the room.

Poe looked over his shoulder to see what she was looking at, then turned back to her. “Want to get some fresh air?”

She nodded, suddenly overwhelmed with a claustrophobic feeling. “Yes. Please.” There were too many eyes on them. Too many people knowing their history and wondering why they weren’t still together today.

“Come on.” They both headed for the door, Poe reaching out to place his hand at the small of her back, something he had always done back when they were a couple. Something that had always thrilled her as much as it comforted her. It sent a shiver up her spine tonight, and she tried to shake it off, reminding herself that he had been the one to end their relationship ten years ago.

Once outside, Poe directed them down the sidewalk that ran alongside the hotel all the way around the building. It was a warm night, and the air smelled of wet grass freshly watered by automatic sprinklers and petunias from the gardens that lined the hotel. They walked silently for a while. Poe was the first to speak.

“I’m sorry about Ben.”

Rey shrugged, not looking at him. “It wasn’t meant to be. We both jumped in a little too fast.”

“I remember when my dad told me you had married him.” He scoffed, as if laughing at himself. “I was so pissed. Jealous. But I wanted you to be happy, too.”

Rey looked at him. “You had no right to be jealous,” she snapped.

“No, I didn’t,” he agreed. He glanced at her. “But I was.”

“Weren’t you still with Zorii?” Rey pushed. “Was that her name?”

“Zorii was never serious. She and I were never… real.” He sighed. “She was just a distraction.”

“From?”

“You.”

Rey huffed. “Why did you need a distraction from me?” she asked angrily. “You’d obviously already decided I wasn’t what you wanted.”

He stopped suddenly, closing his eyes and lifting his face to the night sky. “You were always what I wanted. But I wasn’t what you needed.”

Rey turned to face him, frowning as he opened his eyes and looked at her. “I just wanted you to be happy, Rey. I felt like I was a distraction to you. I felt that you would be more focused on me and our future than school. And I so wanted you to reach your potential. To become the doctor you always dreamed of becoming.”

“Yeah, well, that didn’t happen,” she said sharply. “Not having you to talk to, to vent to, to know you were waiting for me… that just stressed me out more.” She shook her head. “Ben helped for a while. But even when I let him into my bed, I was always comparing him to you.” She brought her hands up to her face, rubbing her cheeks, trying to prevent the inevitable tears from forming. “I had a break down my second year. I ended up in the hospital pumped full of drugs. Ben told me later I was asking for you. That I knew you would make it all better.” She focused on him. “I don’t remember that.”

Poe was looking at the ground, blinking rapidly. “You always pushed yourself too hard,” he murmured.

“And you’re the one that always pulled me back,” she reminded him. “Kept my feet on the ground. Ben didn’t know how to do that.”

“Fuck,” Poe whispered harshly. “I’m sorry. I thought I was doing what was best for you.”

“Well,” Rey shrugged again. “It’s over now. In the past. And maybe for the best.” Poe looked at her, one eyebrow raised in question. “I hated medical school,” Rey told him. “Hated it.” She laughed softly. “I think I’ve always been more interested in the human mind than the body. I just went with what people expected of me, I guess.”

“So, you’re going to be a psychologist instead?” Poe’s question sounded hopeful.

Rey nodded. “I’d like to help people like me. Those that are gifted and pushed too hard they break. Maybe even help some before they get to that point. Slow them down. Let them learn at a measured pace, so that they aren’t pressured to be the best at all times. Help schools learn that just because someone has a high IQ doesn’t mean they need to always be challenged with something new all the time. That maybe they can just… be… for a while.”   

Poe nodded, a soft smile on his lips. “I like that.”

“Not everyone has someone to take care of them like you took care of me,” she said quietly.

“Until I didn’t.”

“You didn’t know,” Rey assured him. “We were both so young.”

“We still are,” Poe declared. “But we’re older. Wiser. Ready to start over.”

Rey looked at him, surprised. “Start over?”

“Me with my charter business. You with psychology.”

“Oh,” she breathed. “Yeah.” For a moment, she had thought he was talking about them.

Poe sighed. “And maybe..?”

“Maybe what?” Rey pushed when he stopped.

“Are you seeing anyone?” he asked, his eyes wide. Curious.

She scoffed. “No. I haven’t been interested in a relationship since the divorce.”

His expression fell. “Oh.”

Rey peered at him, but he refused to look back at her. “If I were to move back here…”

He finally looked up. “If you were to move back here…what?”

“I’d welcome the support of an old friend.”

The corner of his mouth quirked. “Even one that failed you?”

She shrugged. “I’d like to think he learned his lesson,” she smirked. “After all, he thought he was doing the right thing.”

Poe took a step closer to her. “You know, he made more than a few mistakes all those years ago.”

God, he smelled good, Rey thought. “He did?” she asked, leaning toward him.

He nodded, humming an affirmative.

“Like what?” she whispered. His lips were so close now.

“Like not doing more of this.” He leaned in, pressing his lips to hers with an insistent pressure.

He pulled back too soon, and she followed him, wanting more. He obliged, this time opening his mouth over hers, encouraging her to open for him. Immediately, arousal filled her as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pressing her body close to his. His arms squeezed her tight in return. It was that same feeling as it had always been, and yet it was brand new.

Finally, they had to come up for air.

“Well, that certainly is an incentive to move back here,” Rey whispered.

Poe laughed. “Just tell me what you want, Rey,” he said with a smile. “I’ve got ten years to make up for.”

“I still want what I wanted ten years ago,” Rey whispered.

“You.”

THE END