Chapter Text
“You need a teacher” Rey heard as she was practicing shots on the off-field after her first game of the tournament.
She looked over her shoulder to see a male lacrosse player walking up behind her. His hair was raven black and rested just past his chin, his eyes intense and focused solely on her.
“Excuse me?” Rey asked, insulted by a random male lacrosse player telling her what to do.
“I can show you how to better that shot, make it cleaner, and harder for the goalie to stop.”
Rey decided to play along.
“Okay, and how could I do that?” she asked in her most flirty, curious tone.
It clearly worked because the guy almost smiled at her acceptance of his challenge.
He walked over to the goal and stood in it, telling her to come at him and shoot. Typically Rey would not have felt comfortable shooting at a player standing in the goal that wasn’t a goalie, but this guy had stirred her competitive spirit and was straight up asking for it.
She ran up to goal like she was going to shoot and shot one off to his right side near his hip.
He surprised her with his fast reflexes and stopped the ball.
“Do it again.” He said.
This time she went for a bounce shot hoping he’d want to protect his shins. Instead, he stepped in front of it and took the shot to the shin.
Rey grunted and turned around grabbing another ball. Her eyebrow was furrowed and she growled as she prepared another shot.
“Try a corner this time.” He said.
This idea made Rey pause. She’d always been nervous of her corner shots because of the close proximity to the goalie’s head and stick, but she still persisted.
She ran toward the goal, crossing in front of him and firing a shot into the right corner over his shoulder.
“Yes!” He cheered for her. “See, you girls have to shoot at such close proximity that the top corners are the most dangerous when done correctly.” He continued, “now I want you to do the same shot but at my left shoulder.”
Rey swallowed hard, took a deep breath and grabbed a ball. She took a powerful starting stance, and charged to the goal, firing the ball over his off-shoulder.
This continued for a few more minutes and he hadn’t stopped anymore of Rey’s shots. Rey was getting the ball past him on every shot, and not just in the corners. Her shots were faster, more crisp, and placed with precision every time.
‘She’s a natural’ Ben thought as he stood there trying to catch his breath.
He had no words for this female lacrosse player. He now looked at her in admiration.
The change in his eyes was not lost on Rey. Instead of looking intense, they had softened, almost to a look of longing, which was not a look she got often. She smirked at the thought as she picked up the ball on the ground, facing away from him. She turned and walked up to him with a ball in her stick.He met her in the middle, and she popped the ball to him,
“Thanks for the lesson,” she said, the smirk still lingering on her face as she turned to walk away.
“Anytime,” he breathed out.
He cocked his head as she walked away, noticing there was a sway in her hips.
‘Cocky little thing’ he thought. He liked it.
***
Before Ben’s next game he zoned out while stretching, thinking about the first moment he set eyes on this unique girl:
Ben had just arrived to the fields when he saw this girl wrapping her wrists, and putting her goggles on over a unique, three bun hairstyle. She looked strong, yet almost too dainty to be player at this level of the sport. She glanced to the side, giving him a shot of the sun in her eyes, reflecting a gorgeous hazel his way. Her skin was golden, almost glowing under her white uniform. Something on the jersey caught his eye: Takodana. ‘Shit, This may be a problem,’ but also an opportunity that he found himself not wanting to pass up. This girl could be worth the trouble he felt in his gut.
***
After his second game of the day, Ben found himself heading for the vendor tent with his little spitfire on his mind. As he walked past the fields, he looked for Takodana but didn’t see them playing. Many of the games had a well-scheduled gap in their playing time allowing for a lunch break.
Ben stepped inside of the shaded area and his eyes took a second to adjust. Once they did, he started walking past the sock, stick, and t shirt vendors, heading for the food and tables.
It was then that he saw her. She appeared to be sitting alone, no one yet at her table.
‘Perfect’ Ben thought.
Approaching her, he noticed that his heart began to race. He felt ridiculous letting his emotions get the better of him. He pushed down the nervousness and walked up to her table.
“Anyone sitting here?”
***
The girls had just finished their second game of the day when they headed into the vendor tent. Rey was excited to have this break to cool down, eat some lunch, drink some water, and just chill. Their next game wasn’t until 2, so they’d have at least till 1 to enjoy their break.
Rey grabbed a table as Jess and Rose went over to get a burrito from the vendor that was quickly becoming one of the most popular of the tournament. Rey chose a cold sandwich with apple and bag of chips instead, not wanting something so heavy for the first day of their tournament. She was just opening her lunch container when a voice startled her.
“Anyone sitting here?” He asked, not waiting for an answer before he sat down beside her.
Rey jumped. “Shit, you scared me,” she said. “Don’t you ever spend time with your own team?” Rey asked.
He chuckled at the comment. “Yeah I’ve spent all morning on the field with them,” he said, “don’t you ever spend time with your team?” He teased. “You always seem to be alone when I run into you.”
Rey rolled her eyes at the remark. Too tired and brain-fried from her games that morning to respond.
“So..." He started speaking again, “want to meet on the off-field again before your next game? You know, so you are properly prepared.”
“Sure,” Rey responded, “if you’re okay with getting your ass handed to you again.”
“Oh really,” He responded, continuing his own game, “and what if I let you score those shots to boost your confidence and help you improve your game? Hm... maybe you could do it the whole time and you just needed that extra boost.”
“Well in that case,” Rey responded, leaning in closer to him, “then I’d say thank you, but I won’t need your extra practice, since I am already so talented.” Rey was smirking up at him, looking into his dark brown eyes.
He looked down on her, noticing many new details in her face, the hazel eyes with golden flecks, the freckles covering her nose and cheeks, the adorable dimples, and lastly the pink lips that made his mind wander to places it rarely had, especially so quickly after meeting a girl.
Jess and Rose were returning from getting their burritos when they saw this tall, dark, and handsome man leaning toward their best friend, teammate, and captain. They exchanged a quick, but knowing glance that spoke for itself. As they approached the table, they noticed that this stranger was very focused on Rey, as if she was the only person in the world. The moment almost seemed intimate between the two, but the girls were too curious to not break it up.
As Jess walked up to the table, she cleared her throat, snapping Rey back to reality and glancing away from his stare with a blush on her cheeks. He caught this and smiled to himself, knowing she’d been embarrassed by being caught.
Jess and Rose sat down across from him and Rey when Jess extended a hand out to him.
“Hi, I’m Jessica.”
He shook her hand.
“Rose”
He smiled and shook her hand as well.
Before Ben could respond, he was being patted on the back.
Finn and Poe were standing behind Ben, Poe’s hand still resting on his shoulder.
“So is this the official hotspot of the tournament?” Poe asked, sitting down across from Jess, while Finn sat next to Rose.
The boys introduced themselves to Jessika and Rose.
Ben and Rey continued to converse amongst themselves as Finn, Rose, Poe, and Jessika got acquainted.
“So are you girls new to Imperial’s team?” Poe asked cluelessly.
Rey stopped mid-sentence from her conversation with tall,dark, and handsome and looked at Poe with the same dumbfounded expression her teammates were giving him.
“What?” Poe asked, still clueless of his ignorance.
It was Ben that addressed the obvious.
“They’re wearing fucking Takodana uniforms, Dameron.”
Ben squeezed the bridge of his nose before he looked back to Rey, who was now getting up from her seat along with her teammates.
Surprisingly, Rose was the one who spoke next, “We have more respect for the game than that. We wouldn’t be caught dead on Imperial’s team.”
The girls walked out of the vendor tent, heading back to their team’s area.
Finn smacked Poe upside the head. Finn and Ben just shook their heads.
“You’re an idiot” Ben said.
“I know” said Poe.
***
The girls had just finished getting their cleats on when Holdo called them in. They would be playing a team from Corellia. They weren’t known as much for their skill as they were for playing unfairly and being very sneaky.
Rose and Rey began throwing to warm up while Jess and Connix paired up next to them.
“So who was your mystery man from lunch?” Jess asked.
“He’s nobody,” Rey responded, “I just met him after our first game this morning. He helped me gain some confidence on my shots, that’s all. He’s kind of an ass actually.”
“An ass you totally have a thing for!” Jess nearly yelled.
“No wonder your shots were so good in our second game” Rose interjected.
“So are you going to see him again?” Jess asked.
“Why should I?” Rey challenged Jessika.
“You’re kidding right?” Jessika dropped her stick to look at Rey,
“Rey, he is totally into you. You should’ve seen the way he was looking at you during lunch today.”
Jess caught a pass from Connix before it hit her in the head while she was distracted. Her reflexes were definitely some of the fastest on the team.
“Rose, back me up.”
“It’s true, Rey.” Rose agreed. “He looked taken with you, like you were the only one under that tent.”
“You guys are ridiculous,” Rey shot back, “he’s a complete stranger. I just met him today.”
“Oh! So you’re telling me, that you don’t feel anything for Mr. Tall, dark, and dreamy? That is the ridiculous thing, Rey! Look at him! Actually, I’ve seen you look at him, and there is definitely something there.” Jess continued to challenge Rey on the matter. Rey finally reaching her limit just decided to mutter whatever and gather with the team to take a lap and stretch.
Jess and Rose exchanged yet another knowing glance when they lined up next to each other to take their lap. Whether their friend wanted to admit it or not, they knew something was going on and they were going to push her and her buttons to get her to pursue it.
If anyone deserved this, it was Rey. They always believed that.
***
The girls went on to beat Corellia and another team from the outer rim. They were officially wiped as they loaded up the van to head to their hotel. Rey was sitting in the back of the triple seater van against the window when Rose spoke softly to Rey.
“Hey, what did you think of Finn?”
“He seemed nice. Kind of quiet and definitely not as outspoken as his friend.” Rey answered, glancing at Rose.
“Oh god. Poe, I think. He was so arrogant, and clearly just full of hot air.” Rose laughed.
Rey gave a bright and light laugh and rested her head on Rose’s shoulder. Though Jessika was the gossipy one that always seemed to have something to say, Rey enjoyed every moment she had with Rose. As they continued onto the hotel, Rey thought about what the girls had said about her Mr.Tall, dark, and handsome, taking more into mind what Rose had to say than Jess.
They pulled up to the hotel and grabbed their bags. Rey tossed her duffle over her shoulder and followed Holdo into the hotel, standing just behind her in the lobby, as the girls filed against the wall and crashed onto the benches.
Holdo handed her the room keys with her, Jess, and Rose’s name on it- 407 it read.
As Rey went to back up and turn around to usher the girls up to the room, she felt like she ran into a wall.
“Ooof! I am so sor-” her words stopping dead in her tracks as she looked up into those familiar brown eyes.
“Are you stalking me?” Rey asked him defensively.
“Stalking you?” He responded, “ excuse me,but you are not the only lacrosse players in town right now, and this is the hotel that the tournament recommended staying at.”
Rey ducked her head in embarrassment, clearly too tired from the long day to think straight. Plus, how the hell was she supposed to know that her Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome would be staying at the same hotel and she’d see him for the third time in one day after not knowing him when she got up that morning.
“But, seeing that we have run into each other yet again,” he started, nervously running his fingers through his raven hair, “ what do you say we grab dinner tonight? Do you have plans with your team?”
Rey turned to look at Jess and Rose, intently staring at her and trying to hear the conversation over the two teams now flooding the lobby. Rose could tell how nervous Rey had become and walked up to her.
“Hey, so Holdo has released us for the night and just told us to eat something and get a good night's rest, so it looks like we’ll be on our own for food.”
Rey looked back up at him and then Rose. “Actually I am going to have dinner with-” Realizing she hadn’t gotten his name yet so she just gestured over her shoulder to him.
“Great” he and Rose responded at the same time. Rose smiled as she looked up at the tall lacrosse player. He seemed to tower over Rey, and Rey towered over her, so he was almost twice her size.
“So, I’ll meet you down here like 7?” he asked, thinking an hour plus should give them each enough time to get ready and settle into their rooms.
Rey flashed him a smile, “perfect.”
“It’ll be nice to officially meet you.” he said as he turned back to a ginger man as he was handed his room key.
Rose looped her arm through Rey’s and guided her to the elevator. Jess was waiting with the door open, they walked inside and headed up to the room, sharing nothing with Jessika.
The girls got into the elevator and headed up to their room on the fourth floor. The elevator ride was quiet: a mix of exhaustion and hunger had set in on the girls. Rey, though she was hungry and exhausted, was fixated on the fact that she never got Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome’s name. How did she go all day, saw the guy three times, and not manage to get his name?