━━ CHAPTER SIX / coruscant

Hyperspace was always quiet. It felt so quiet and Eliana was bored. She was sitting in the co-pilot's seat, spinning around endlessly. It made her feel dizzy but she had nothing else to do. Thankfully, Poe had been silent for much of the journey. He was the one piloting them to Coruscant and he was currently sitting in the captain's seat with his datapad.

She hadn't noticed but he kept looking at her. The spinning was getting on his nerves and she didn't really blame him but it didn't make her stop. That was until he used his foot to catch the edge of the seat and forced her to come to a stop. Eliana looked up and met his gaze.

"Yes?" She asked. He tilted his head and she sighed, slouching back on the chair. He turned back to his datapad and dropped his foot. Eliana had never been so bored before and so she stood up and grabbed her datapad. She then began to pace, reading over the mission plan again. There were a few events that they were already assigned to attend but other than that, they had a lot of free time. Which meant going to the Senate and schmoozing.

She had spent most of her time as an intern doing that so she could slip into the role easily. She knew she could. It was just whether she wanted to. It would have been easy if she was alone or she was with anyone but Poe. But with Poe, she felt like a fraud. Something about him made her feel so judged, she didn't want to come off badly. She wanted to seem sophisticated and schmoozing was not sophisticated most of the time.

"Are you bored?" Poe asked as he placed his datapad down. He had turned in the seat to look up at her as she paced. Eliana looked up but didn't say anything. Her eyes returned back to the mission brief and he tilted his head, "Is my presence that dull?" His typical arrogance reappeared and Eliana didn't even bother entertaining him.

"We need to set boundaries," Eliana said as she looked up again. Poe cocked an eyebrow and she placed her datapad down on the side, "If we are going to pretend to be a couple, we need boundaries. I want to know what I'm getting myself into." Poe smirked, his face lighting up.

"What boundaries do you want, sweetheart?" He asked. Eliana sighed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Don't kiss me." It was a short statement but Poe's entire face dropped. She tilted her head slightly.

"What?" He asked and she let her hands drop to rest in the pockets of her pants.

"I don't want you to kiss me." Eliana wasn't sure why she had made this rule. It was stupid but she knew with the way he made her flush just from his words, kissing him would be a mistake. She would never willingly admit to herself that she felt something towards Poe but everybody knew that there had to be something.

"Afraid you're gonna fall for me?" He teased. Eliana's entire body went rigid. He always hit the nail on the head.

"Poe," She snapped and he stared up at her, "I'm serious." He scoffed.

"We're meant to be a newly married couple and you're not gonna let me kiss you?" He asked and that made Eliana pause. She knew it was a bad request but Poe saying it like that made it seem even worse, "Yeah. Think about how stupid that is." His words weren't malicious and he wasn't teasing or trying to get his own way. He was just being practical.

"Shut up," Eliana mumbled. She pushed her fingers through her hair and glanced around before she met his gaze again, "Just don't overstep. I know everyone on the base loves you but just don't." There was nothing else she could think to say to him. How could she tell him not to make her fall for him? She couldn't.

"Seriously?" He asked. She nodded.

"We have a meeting with a Senator as soon as we land so we need to get our story straight. Make our love believable," Eliana explained as she walked back over to the co-captain's seat. She dropped into it and pulled a leg up to her chest, resting her cheek. This would be a long and exhausting conversation. She knew that, especially with Poe's ego.

"It shouldn't be that hard," He shrugged with that teasing look on his face again.

"Poe," Eliana said, her tone neutral. He met her gaze and she finished with "Shut up." He rolled his eyes and the corners of her lips raised in quiet victory. Eliana then picked up her datapad again. She was Hana, the granddaughter of a recently deceased Senator who had always been very secretive with his private life, and Poe was Bo, her husband. They had recently got married and according to the files, were interested in investing their money in a lucrative business. Which was code for the First Order.

Eliana knew it would be a long op.

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It wasn't long until they landed on Coruscant and Eliana was so glad to be on solid ground. Immediately after getting out of the ship, the shift in gravity made her feel nauseous but it didn't last too long. By the time they had reached the hotel entrance, she felt fine. Their bags were taken from them by the hotel staff and they gave their names before they went to get their room-key from the droid at the front desk.

Poe took the opportunity - now that his hands were free - to grab her hand. He intertwined their fingers, walking close to her as they walked up to the front desk. Eliana went to ask for the key but Poe interrupted, he confirmed their booking and took it from the droid. They then headed towards the lift.

Eliana was ready to let go of his hand the second the elevator door closed but then a member of hotel staff appeared and got into the lift with them. Her whole body seemed to sag for a moment but then Poe pulled her closer. They had to remain unsuspicious and this hotel was connected to the Senate. People talked. They couldn't seem disconnected.

So, he pulled her into a hug. His arms wrapped around her waist and Eliana placed her head on his chest. Her eyes squeezed shut. She hadn't ever been this close to Poe before and she hated how comforting it was. His arms were strong and their presence around her waist made her feel protected from the outside. His cologne made her want to melt into his arms and every part of her was screaming at her to get away but she couldn't. He made her feel safe and he was so warm. Like a human furnace.

She felt herself relax further into his hold and she felt him press a soft kiss to her head. It was so easy to pretend. He then moved his head down so his lips were next to her ear.

"Is this okay?" He whispered softly. It was so quiet but his breath on her neck made her stomach flip. Her heart thump and she nodded her head. He smiled and pressed another soft kiss to the side of her head. She knew that he was only doing this because of the staff member that was standing a few inches from them.

"Are you tired?" He asked. But this wasn't a whisper. Just a question as he rested his head back against the elevator wall. It felt like it was moving at a snail's pace and they were just waiting for the staff member to get off on her floor.

"Yeah." Eliana's voice was muffled against his chest but then she lifted her chin up to meet his gaze, "But we have a meeting so I'll be okay," She added. The elevator then came to a stop but it wasn't their floor. The staff member left the lift and once it closed and began to move again, Eliana stepped out of Poe's arms.

"You're freezing," Poe commented. Eliana nodded her head, pulling her hands into the sleeves of her shirt. She felt so cold especially now she was away from Poe but she had been since they dropped out of hyperspace. Her - Poe's - jacket had been left in her bag so she didn't have anything to warm her up anymore.

Poe opened his mouth to say something more but then the elevator door opened to their floor and Eliana took his hand, leading him down to their room. They entered into the bedroom, where their bags had already been left, and Eliana's face dropped. She should have expected it. One bed. She sighed and let go of Poe's hand.

"We need to get ready for the meeting with the Senator. We're meeting him outside his office in half an hour," Eliana said. There was a bluntness to her tone, a seriousness that had suddenly appeared. The Senate was something that she had to prepare herself for. Even if she wasn't going into the actual Senate, the attitude you had to have around Senators and when you were discussing what they were was something she had to get back.

The Resistance had made her more relaxed. The Resistance had made everything easier for her but now she had to return back to that mind-set. She had to be careful with her words, her facial expressions. Everything had to be meticulously planned and if they were going out to dinner, she had to be careful about what she ordered. It was all a game and Eliana was out of practice.

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