CONSTELLATIONS | Poe Dameron

CHAPTER IX

I sat at a table in the canteen with a coffee in my hand. It may or may not be my third cup of the day already. I stayed up way too late last night, but I can't say I regretted it. The pilot's company was actually quite pleasant. I learned a lot about him during our conversations, and couldn't deny that I felt the pull of attraction even more so than I had before based on his looks alone. He was funny, caring, reckless, stubborn, and overall just a good guy. I groaned to myself and put my head in my hands, wondering just what I have gotten myself into.

"Good morning to you too, sunshine."

I looked through my fingers to see Tash sit across from me. The dark circles under her eyes were accentuated because of her azure locks.

"Hey. How was last night?" I asked. She cringed slightly.

"Could you talk a little quieter please? I feel like garbage."

I laughed at my friend's pained expression. "Yeah I have no doubt you do. Lucky for you to have the day off today to recover."

"Thank the stars," she whispered under her breath before looking at me and raising a dark brow high. "Is that coffee? You never drink coffee." She took the cup from in front of me and took a giant gulp, sinking into her seat as she savored it before setting the cup back in its original position.

"I'm pretty tired myself actually. I stayed up way too late last night." I wasn't going to tell her why I had been up so late. It was far too early to be interrogated by a grumpy, hungover Tash.

"Let me guess, your research was just so riveting that you couldn't put it down?" She laughed at her own sarcasm, but then brought her hands up to her temples, rubbing the pressure point to alleviate her headache while closing her eyes. She opened one eye and looked up at me, ready to say something else when she sat up straighter and closed her mouth. Both her eyes open, she followed someone with them as they made their way across the room. I didn't bother turning around, figuring it was just someone attractive that had caught her eye.

How I wish I wouldn't have been right about that.

"Good morning ladies." A smooth voice heavy with sleep spoke from behind me. I immediately recognized it as the voice I had heard not too many hours ago. I turned to my right in minor horror as Poe sat down next to me and reached for my coffee cup. He brought it to his lips, taking a sip like it was the most natural thing in the world before returning it. "You better be as tired as I am, doc. I think I was over-served that wine last night." He smirked at me and I smiled sheepishly, daring a glance to the other side of the table.

Tash was sitting there with her mouth agape, her eyes darting back and forth between the two of us. If she were a droid, she'd be smoking from the ears.

I cleared my throat, "Good morning, commander. I believe you've met my friend Tash? She's a nurse in the med wing." I turned my head in her direction to see her trying to compose herself.

"Ah, yes we have met. I believe you're the one who helped me out after that burn incident a few months back. Unless there is another woman with blue hair that I don't know about," he said as he gave her a charming grin.

Tash sat up a little straighter and gave him a megawatt smile. "Yep, that was me! Good to see you again, Commander Dameron."

"Please, just call me Poe." He turned his eyes back on me. "That goes for both of you."

Tash cleared her throat causing me to look in her direction. Her eyes were narrowed at me, making me want to disappear into the floor. "So, Sienna, you were just going to tell me what you had been up to last night that made you stay up so late?"