more than friends

chapter eleven

POE'S POV

"Poe! Rey! Special mission!" I hear Leia call. I'm already excited to spend more time with Rey. I mean, spend more time as Leia's second. Yeah. That second one. We find her by the Falcon, unloading what looks like to be the last of our supplies.
"Took you long enough," she says, and pats BB-8 as he rolls away.
"But you just-" I stutter.
"Nevermind. It was a joke. Loosen up, Dameron."
Damn I really am losing my touch.
"What's this special mission?" Rey asks, smoothing down her robes. 
"Good question, Rey. I want the two best pilots in the Resistance to fly the Falcon around the planet just to scope out the terrain. It won't take long. Probably just three days if all goes well."
Wait a second.
"When you say 'two best pilots in the Resistance,' you mean like first," I point to myself, "and second best," I point to Rey.
Rey stares daggers at me, and Leia just smiles.
"Don't make me regret appointing you as my second."
I wince, and fake solute.
"My apologies, General."
"So? Are you two up to it? Wait no. That's not a question. You basically have to."
Rey and I make eye contact for a second, and she smiles that adorable smile, and nods.
"It's decided, then. Let's go."

        We just finished final check for the ship, and we're all ready to go. I enter the cockpit to see Rey sitting in the pilot's seat. She pats the chair next to her.
"Take a seat, copilot."
Normally, if someone said that to me I'd be fuming, but I don't think I could ever be mad at Rey. I mean, just look at her. She's gorgeous, caring, and not to mention a pretty badass pilot. I must've been staring again, because she scratches her neck and coughs awkwardly.
"Uh, yeah. But don't think I'm gonna copilot you the whole time. After all, this is the Millennium Falcon."
My childhood dream was to meet the Rebellion hero Han Solo, but flying his ship, that would be a dream come true.
      
       I plop down in the seat, and she reaches for the throttle.
"Alright, Poe. This ship is ancient and the controls are old school, probably not what you're used to. So pay attention and then you can pilot it. But for now, could you press the pressure modulator?" She lectures, pressing a ton of buttons I don't recognize.
"Sure," I look around at the control panel, and it's like learning a foreign language. I'm supposed to be this amazing pilot but I can't even figure out one button?
"Which one is that, exactly?" I can feel my cheeks turning red, but Rey just smiles understandingly.
"That one."
She reaches across my chest, leaving us with very little room in between her face and mine. Am I breathing as heavy as I think I am? My heart is going a million miles an hour. I can tell Rey notices our proximity too, and she lets out a nervous smile. She finally flips the switch, and retracts her hand. I hear the hiss of the unfamiliar ship, and the amazing feeling of us lifting off the ground. We hover there, while Leia evacuates people from the area. Next to her is Finn, looking longingly up at us. Damn I feel bad for him. He's nuts for Rey and she clearly doesn't feel the same. What a shame.
         Rey pushes what I assume to be the main throttle forward, and we're up. Despite what the planet looks like below the trees, it's beautiful from this view. Rey let's out a small gasp, and I smile at her in awe.
"What?"
"My whole life was spent on the wasteland that we call Jakku. And I don't think I'll ever cease to be amazed by how much green there is in the galaxy."
I try to find words to respond, but I can't. The pure wonder and curiosity in her eyes beautiful. So, I just stare ahead.

         It's been a few hours since we left the ground, and it's been some of the most fun I've had in a while. Rey is so interesting. She told me about her time on Jakku, Starkiller Base, and even D'Qar. I still can't believe we were in the same base but we never met. She tells me about meeting the Luke Skywalker on Ach To. Compared to her stories, mine are extremely boring. I do my best to tell her about growing up with the Resistance and my mother. I even show her my necklace, which holds my mother's ring that I hope to give to someone some day. Of course I don't tell her that last part, it's probably too corny. I don't think I've ever told anyone about my mom, or my childhood before. There's just something about Rey that makes me feel like I can tell her anything.
                We're in the middle of a particularly interesting debate about whether or not X-Wings are better than Tie Fighters, when a loud bang comes from the outside of the ship.
"The main thrusters are failing!We have to land before we crash. And I am not about to crash the Millennium Falcon."
She might've spoken too soon. All of the sudden we start losing altitude, and fast. The clouds disappear above us and the trees move closer.
"Retract the wheels! Yellow button!" She orders while frantically pressing buttons on her side. I smack the button, but it's too late. With our current velocity, the tops of the trees rip the wheels right off. But thankfully, the trees are gradually starting to thin out. Maybe there's a clearing ahead.
"Prepare for impact!" She shouts. I look over and she's shaking. Her eyes close, and I can't resist the urge. I take her hand, as we plummet into a spot without any trees. Thank God for the clearing. It was almost too good to be true. The last thing I see before we smash into the ground is Rey squeezing my hand as the ship crashes into a massive swamp.

A/N
Longest chapter yet! Thanks for 800 reads! This story is doing better than I ever could've imagined. Make sure to follow. More updates will be on my instagram, @ only.bellarke.
I hope you enjoyed this semi-long chapter! xoxo