━━ CHAPTER FIFTEEN / negotiations

When Poe returned, Eliana didn't say anything about the datalogs. She didn't even know where to start and she didn't want him to know that he was right. But she couldn't be sure if he was right. For all she knew those communications - at least the early ones - weren't here at all. It was a different comm number so it could be a misunderstanding.

Surely Relya had not invested in the First Order while they were together. It would have just been selfish. Eliana would have noticed or see or suspected something if she had. Almost all of Relya's communications were sent through Eliana. She was her intern but she hadn't noticed. She hadn't seen and she felt so incredibly stupid.

Poe had filled her in on some bits of information he had acquired while he was out but he had noticed how quiet she had become. So, he managed to convince her to get out of the hotel. He had learnt about a back entrance that nobody used so they could sneak out without her having to pretend that her ankle hurt. And it was only that reassurance that made her leave.

They snuck out the back entrance and Eliana blindly followed him. She wasn't sure where he was taking her but she didn't have the heart to care. The day was coming to a close and she wanted to go to sleep. She wanted to just forget the day had happened at all. Her head was spinning with all the information she had found out and she almost felt sick from it all.

And then Poe began to lead her up to the top of one of the taller buildings on Coruscant. She wasn't even sure how he had found the back entrance but they were soon sneaking into the lift to the top floor and using the maintenance door to sit on the roof.

He led her towards the edge and the two of them sat down. He was quiet for a few minutes as he tried his best to get comfortable. She was wearing his jacket again and he couldn't help but admire her. It had always looked so much better on her than it ever did on him.

"You said you wanted to see the sunset before we went back to D'Qar," Poe mumbled after a few minutes. She turned to look at him and her lips tugged up into a smile. Everything else up until that moment had been a blur of sadness and annoyance but this. Him in this moment was perfect. The evening sun shining in his eyes and the grin broke out across her face without her even really wanting it to.

"I saw Relya on my way out this morning. Did she come to see you?" He asked softly. Eliana nodded but she didn't really feel like talking about Relya. She didn't really want to talk about anything at all. She just wanted to sit here with him.

"I think you were right about her," Eliana mumbled. It just came out. She didn't want to tell him what had happened but he almost deserved the bragging rights. Relya was the enemy. The traitor. Almost definitely. Eliana wanted to kid herself and try and pretend that she wasn't but it would be a hell of a coincidence.

"I'm sorry." There was a genuinity to his tone that she hadn't expected. She looked up into his eyes and he had an odd look on his face. She couldn't decipher it so instead, shuffled closer to him. She rested her head on his shoulder and he shuffled around, wrapping an arm around her waist. They sat there, pressed against each other in comfortable silence as the sun set.

The last rays of sunlight disappearing behind the horizon. The artificial lights of Coruscant brightened the night sky. The neon reflecting off of windows and the durasteel structures. It was a new sort of beauty that they had never seen on D'Qar. Coruscant was a concrete jungle and once the sun had set, life filled in the gaps that were left behind.

"Relya said something to me today," Eliana said, breaking the silence. Poe lifted his head up slightly and they met gazes, "It was odd. It was like she expected me to fall for her again." Poe gently shook his head and opened his mouth to say something but seemed to stop himself. He then opened his mouth again.

"You can do better," He said. Eliana chuckled softly. There was nobody better than a rich Senator. Relya was perfect for her bar her views on the First Order. Relya had a stable job, made Eliana feel listened to, treated her like a princess. Relya did everything right and yet Eliana wasn't happy with that. Eliana couldn't settle for it.

"I suppose," She mumbled in response. Her gaze moved back to the horizon where the sun had been. But then Poe took her chin in his hand and forced her to look at him again. She looked into his eyes and in that moment, she realised she wanted to kiss him. She really wanted to kiss him. He looked perfect. The artificial lights of Coruscant lighting up the side of his face. Just the two of them on this rooftop away from everyone.

So, she kissed him. Whatever words he was going to say were lost in the kiss. Her lips pressed against his and he melted into it. His hand moved to her cheek and he deepened the kiss, slanting his mouth against hers. A soft noise of content left her lips as she moved into his lap, straddling his waist. He pulled her against him and they only pulled away when they were breathless.

But it didn't stop her. Between pants, she pressed kisses along his cheek and jawline. His stubble had come back and it was prickly but she didn't care.

"Eliana," He said softly as she moved to kiss his neck. But then, he grabbed her chin and forced her to look into his eyes, "You don't have to. There's nobody-" His words made her face fall and she stared at him.

"Do you not want to?" She asked. He scoffed and she furrowed her eyebrows. It was confusing. She wanted to kiss him but now she wasn't sure if he wanted it.

"I want to." He responded and he watched as her face shifted between confusion and happiness, "Eliana, kiss me again." So, she did. Her arms moved to wrap around his neck as she let his tongue into her mouth. He was such a good kisser. His lips were addictive and his touch was comforting but also set her body ablaze.

Her face was flushed red and she knew by the end of this her lips would be kiss-swollen but she didn't have the heart to care. She just wanted him and maybe she'd regret it in the morning but all she wanted was to kiss him, feel his hands on her body. She knew they couldn't do more than kissing. She wouldn't let herself but she could indulge in this for now.

And they sat on that rooftop making out for much longer than she had expected. By the time they were walking back to the hotel, the streets were loud with the Coruscanti nightlife. Thankfully, the darkness of the streets hid the hickeys that he had sucked onto her neck but she felt content. For the first time in weeks, she felt truly content.

Their hands intertwined as they headed up to the hotel. They took the back entrance and Eliana was glad to get back to bed. She threw the jacket onto the dresser and stripped off into pyjamas before she collapsed into bed. She was exhausted. Despite how much she had slept in, the day had worn her out.

Between Relya and Poe, she felt elated but also tired.

Much to Eliana's dismay, Poe didn't join her in bed. He pulled his chair out and took his datapad. It seemed he still had work to do and she hated it. She just wanted to sleep with him at a normal time without worrying that he would leave in the middle of the night. But she tried not to let it bother her as she lay down with her eyes closing.

"Eliana," Poe said after a few beats of silence. She opened her eyes and lifted herself up to look over at him. Her hair was already ruffled from her trying to get comfortable on the bed and her sleepy look made him grin even despite him trying to hide it.

"I have one more formal dinner tomorrow night before we go back to D'Qar and I need to bring you with me," He informed. Eliana sighed and flopped back onto the bed. The thought of having to be diplomatic for one more day made her feel so much more tired. She was exhausted with politics and after everything with Relya, she didn't even want to think about the First Order.

She felt the bed dip beside her and when she reopened her eyes, Poe was lying beside her. He was still dressed in the same clothes which meant he wasn't sleeping yet. She waited for him to speak.

"I just need to strike a deal with him. He thinks I'm interested in funding some military projects that seem to be First Order related. You'll be valuable," Poe explained as he looked into her eyes. She sighed and rolled onto her back. She knew that she had to be there. It was all part of the mission and she'd be cruel not to go with him and help him but she was tired of it all.

"If you come to bed now, I will," She negotiated, "You need the sleep as much as I do." He stared at her for a long moment before he sighed. He nodded his head and she grinned victoriously. He then changed into his pyjamas and slid into bed. They both knew that this was far from what they should be doing.

Bartering sleeping in the same bed was so far from what they should be doing. It was meant to be fake but the more time Eliana spent with Poe, the more she realised that she adored him. She didn't want to say it and she would never truly admit it but she did. There was something about him that had always allured her and he was an amazing kisser.

Unlike Eliana, Poe could admit to himself that he adored her in a more than professional way. He tried to cover it up but the mission had only made it worse. The undercover op had only made him adore her more and he hated it. He had never felt like this with anyone and being able to kiss her - and have an excuse to do so. It all just made it so much harder for him to hide how he felt. But he didn't say anything.

He didn't think he needed to. But, oh, how wrong he was.

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