━━ CHAPTER THIRTEEN / cuddling

The sun leaked through the curtains as Eliana's eyes blinked open. But she was only met with the view of Poe's chest. In her groggy state, she didn't even question it. Instead, she closed her eyes again and let out a content sigh. His arms were still wrapped firmly around her and it felt comfortable. He was so comfortable.

And his arms were strong, protecting her from the outside world. But as the grogginess began to dissipate, she realised that she didn't remember falling asleep. All she remembered was reading data logs on her datapad and Poe still wasn't back from whatever lead he was following. She was sitting on her datapad, biting her nails and waiting for him to return.

And then she was here. There was a vague memory of cuddling up to him but she wasn't sure whether that was reality or a dream. If it was reality, she couldn't remember anything. Just the feeling of his arms around her and slipping back into sleep. This was the second time that they had woken up cuddling but Eliana didn't have the heart to care or question it.

Logically, she knew that she had to get up. She couldn't leave the hotel but she could read the datalogs. She still had so many to get through and there were more coming in every day. Mostly they were just the Investor's communications, mundane little things but she had also found a gold mine of Senator names. It was everyone that had invested in the First Order and it was right in front of her. She just had to go through and get all the name and evidence she could.

But the idea of reading endless data logs made her groan softly. She couldn't do that to herself. Her eyes still hurt from the previous night and she wasn't sure where her datapad was. And she didn't want to move to find out. Poe was warm and she didn't want to disturb him.

So, instead, she lifted her head and looked at his face. He looked so peaceful in his sleep. His face relaxed and she could see how his stubble had begun to grow back again. She was glad. He looked good whether he was clean-shaved or not but there was something she found so alluring about his stubble.

Her hand gently moved from his chest up to his face and she let her fingers run down his cheek. She traced his jawline and couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face. There was something about him. Maybe it was the incessant flirting or the way he was so effortless in everything he did but she couldn't help but admire him, adore him.

"Morning," His groggy voice shattered the silence and she quickly pulled her hand away from his face. She - instead - let them rest against the bed. His eyes were still closed but he knew that they were cuddling. His hands didn't move from around her and she didn't really want them to.

"What time did you get back?" She asked softly. His eyes opened and he seemed groggy. He still looked tired. He pushed up off the bed slightly and checked the time. His alarm would go off any minute. He let himself collapse back down onto the bed where Eliana had shuffled back from him slightly.

"Not sure but it was late. Probably 3," He mumbled in response. He forced his eyes open as he looked at her. There was something in his gaze that Eliana couldn't quite decipher. Though she always found facial expressions hard to understand. They were all such enigmas and she could never understand how people knew what others felt just by looking at their faces. It felt impossible for her no matter how much she tried to observe and understand.

"Do you need to get more intel today?" Eliana asked as she rolled over to check her bedside table. Her datapad rested there and she could only assume that Poe had put it there. It was on her lap, the last she remembered. Poe hummed in response and Eliana rolled back over. The space between them suddenly felt a lot smaller.

"Wanna get a few more hours," He mumbled. Eliana couldn't blame him, "A lazy morning for Hana and Bo while she recovers from an injured ankle." He moved closer and Eliana watched his face. She didn't know what he was trying to say but when he lifted up one arm, she shuffled right back into his arms. Despite the better part of her knowing she shouldn't do this, she wanted to. So, she did. Her face nuzzled into his chest and he let out a content sigh, "Do you need to do anything?" He asked into her hair.

"Yeah but it can wait," She mumbled. He hummed contentedly and the two fell silent again. Eliana's eyelids drooped and the longer she was in Poe's hold, the more exhausted she felt. Part of her didn't want to fall asleep again but she did. And so did he. But not before he indulged in the moment they were sharing.

His fingers ran through her hair, gently massaging her scalp to send her into sleep and it worked like a charm. It was only when he knew that she was asleep did he let himself slip into that same bliss. Though, just having her in his arms was bliss enough. He could have died happy in that moment that they shared.

They both woke up again a few hours later and Eliana felt so much more alive. Her eyes opened and at some point in their sleep, they had turned over. Eliana's back was pressed against his chest and he was scrolling through his datapad in front of her. He hadn't wanted to wake her up but he knew he had work to do. So, he had tried to keep her comfortable.

She couldn't help but grin at that. She let her eyes close for another few moments before she lifted her head up. She then turned over so she was facing him and looked up. He had a teasing smile on his face.

"I tried to get out of bed but you kept dragging me back." The teasing lilt to his tone was unmissable and she scoffed.

"Whatever you have to tell yourself. You enjoy cuddling me," She bit back. It wasn't as strong of a come-back as she had hoped but it got the point across. She felt his chest vibrate as he chuckled at her words. He then turned his gaze back to the datapad as Eliana snuggled up to his chest again.

"It kept the housekeeper content so I would say it was successful." Those words made her heart pang but she couldn't understand why. They were only doing this to make everyone else believe them. There was no other motivation for this. There couldn't be. That's what she told herself as she looked up at him, admired his eyes in the daylight.

This was all for the mission. The housekeeper had walked into their room plenty of times without them realising so sleeping together, cuddling, it was all part of the facade. The fact that they did it all night was irrelevant. It was all just to make sure that they weren't caught, obviously. Though the more Eliana tried to convince herself that was the truth, the less it felt right.

"I need to look through the data-logs," She mumbled softly. Though it was obvious in her tone that she didn't want to. She was only looking for an excuse not to go to work. Poe didn't move his arms and so, she told herself that she was trapped. She couldn't get any work done.

"Have they been of any use?" He asked curiously as he turned over. He placed his datapad on the bedside table and shuffled so that he was looking at her in the eyes. They were facing each other now and Eliana adjusted to be a little more comfortable.

"Yeah," Eliana then rolled over and grabbed her own datapad from the side. Poe watched her stretch over and he couldn't help the way his lips tugged up. But the second she was facing him again, he forced the smile away. There was no way she could see it, the way he completely adored her. They had to keep it somewhat professional.

Eliana flicked through her datapad as she began to explain, "It's a log of all his communications and there's been some interesting communications. And a lot of names. Senators and a few other business associates. I actually made a list of military commanders who you might want to check out since I thought that could be helpful but I don't really know what you're looking for." She flicked through the datapad and dragged up the list of military men she had found so far. She turned it towards him and he glanced over the names.

"Send me the list," He mumbled. Eliana nodded and then she flicked back to the datalogs. Another twenty entries at least had been put in and she let out a sigh. There was no way she'd ever make it all the way through the data-logs. There had to be a better way to filter them but the technicians on D'Qar could help her with that.

"I don't really need anything else from here. I don't need any more meetings because this has everything I could possibly want. So, whenever you're done, we can leave. There's some business I need to wrap up but otherwise... I'm fine with leaving whenever." The prospect of going back to D'Qar was both an exciting and terrifying one. If anyone ever knew the extent to her and Poe's activities here, the gossip would be endless and the rumours would be worse. But she wanted to be back with her friends.

Eliana found herself missing Maymie and their late night conversations and as exhausting as Dow and Nettie were, she missed them. Their little quips as they went through patrols and test flights and their endless teasing over the rivalry she had with Poe. She thought that the familiarity of Coruscant would drag her back in but she just missed home. She missed D'Qar and the Resistance.

"Is your business with Relya?" Poe asked. He sounded bitter, not that Eliana picked up on it. He sounded almost annoyed at her but she tried not to take it personally.

"No. I really just wanted to sit and watch the sunset," She mumbled softly. It was the truth. It wasn't really business. It was just something that she realised she had yet to do. It used to be the staple of her life here and it had been so long.

"Oh..." He trailed off and Eliana smiled softly. She let her datapad drop between them and closed her eyes. She was exhausted. Her eyes were still desperate to close and to make her drift back to sleep but she couldn't. She had things to do.

Poe lifted his hand up and gently tucked some of Eliana's hair behind her ear. His hand rested against her cheek and she felt her whole body set ablaze. His touch made her feel alive, electric. But she couldn't admit it.

"The housekeeper isn't gonna walk in again," Eliana mumbled. She hated that she said it but she couldn't take it back. And he was the one who had brought it up first. They had to keep it professional now, especially if they were going to return to D'Qar soon.

"You love it," He responded. He was being cocky and he was flirting again but she couldn't deny it. He was right and the way he caressed her cheek made her even more exhausted. He smirked and she felt herself slipping back into that blissful state, "I've got another lead to follow up so I won't be here when you wake up." It was the last thing she heard before she slipped back into sleep for the second time that morning,

Poe's presence was always so calming.

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