Poe and Finn are both great guys. Anyone will tell you that. And they have so much in common! They both volunteer at the local animal shelter and the D'Qar Public Library; they both love the coffee at Java the Hutts, and they both have a weakness for romance novels. In fact, Poe and Finn keep running in the same circles, talking to the same people, doing the same things...
But they've never met.
Rey thinks it's time the universe stopped messing around and just let these two idiots meet and fall in love already.
And if the universe won't do it, Rey is determined to step in and do a little matchmaking herself.
Ships that Pass in the Night (idiomatic):
—persons who almost encounter each other, but never do
# # # #
Poe stretched his neck and looked at the clock on the wall: four-kriffin-thirty. He groaned. Someday, he promised himself. Someday, I'm gonna work normal, human hours. He stood up and walked to the window, staring into the darkness. The streets outside were quiet. Always quiet. He sighed and walked to the mini-fridge behind his desk. He pulled out a tiny carton of milk, opened it, and chugged it down. Just one more hour. Or so. Closer to two, but who's counting? He stretched his neck again.
It wasn't bad, really, being a Sheriff's Deputy in the small town of D'Qar. About the worst crimes they ever saw were petty thefts and the occasional robbery. Still, last year, Poe's boss, Sheriff Statura, and his wife had adopted twin girls and Poe had nobly—stupidly, Poe often reminded himself—offered to take over the night shift at the Sheriff's Office so that Statura could be with his family. So, Poe and one or two junior officers, depending on the night, manned the phones and watched the front desk and let the time tick by.
It wasn't a hard job, but it was draining, and it played hell with Poe's life. I'm basically a vampire now, he thought.
# # # #
Sheriff Statura walked in the door at 6:15 that morning. Poe smiled and got up.
"Quiet night?"
"Yep," Poe said, picking up his bag and shrugging on his leather jacket. "I left some files on your desk." He started for the door and stopped. "How are the girls?"
"Wonderful," Sheriff Statura said. "Pretty soon they're going to be running around here causing havoc."
"Well, let's hope I don't have to lock them up then," Poe said with a smile and a wave.
Poe fell into his bed at exactly 6:32am. He reached, blindly, for the alarm clock and switched the alarm on. As he let the clock fall onto the nightstand, he was already snoring.
# # # #
The alarm buzzed. Finn opened his eyes and stared at the red blinking numbers: 6:35. Just like every other morning of my life. Finn took in a deep breath, let it out, and got out of bed. He tried to keep a good attitude, but it was hard.
Finn had been working at First Order Insurance since moving to Arkanis, and while it was a steady paycheck, he hated his work. First Order despised its clients, plain and simple, and Finn's days were filled with trying to find ways not to pay out on their claims. He'd been doing it for two years now, and he was fairly certain it was killing his soul.
But it's Friday, he reminded himself as he gobbled down a blueberry yogurt on the way out the door. Tomorrow is the library and animal shelter! Finn smiled as he jogged to the bus stop.
