Chapter Text
Jyn walked quickly down the terminal scanning for her gate; she hated late night flights but her desire to get home as quickly as possible outweighed her distaste for late night flights. Arriving at the gate her whole body groaned when she saw the flight delay notification. Pulling her phone out she took note of the delay time and resigned herself to an even longer night.
Turning, she noticed a sparsely populated bar and decided it would do. Tugging her bag behind her, she settled into a corner seat, two down from the nearest occupant, and decided on a beer. The bar was quiet, the noise from the televisions throughout the terminal fading into the background. After she placed her order, she pulled her phone out fully intending on not engaging with any stranger tonight.
That was the plan.
Not five minutes into her beer, she hears a quiet voice ask her a question. She inwardly rolls her eyes (was she not showing all the signs of don’t talk to me) and looks up from her phone only to meet the darkest pair of eyes she has ever seen.
Like in the movies, her breath catches.
He is saying something, but she is not registering what the words are, too busy trying to reboot her brain. She is flustered at herself, mad that she would have such a visceral reaction to someone’s appearance. Mentally chiding herself, she asks him to repeat himself.
“I didn’t mean to disturb but I wanted to let you know your wallet is sliding out. You could lose it, or someone could grab it like that.”
His voice is soft, accent raspy and layered with nuances. She believes she could listen to him recite through a dictionary and never get tired of hearing the words. She is still staring at him, watching the lines around eyes and mouth deepen as a small smile starts to tug at the corners of his mouth. His eyes look like they have stories hidden in their depths; adventures he has lived through.
She is still staring at him when he raises a hand and starts to point down at something. Right! Her wallet.
“Oh,” Jyn flushed, turning quickly to catch her wallet and zip it into her backpack. “Thank you.”
“No problem, I know what a disaster it is to be traveling and not have your wallet.” He waits a beat before continuing, “I’m Cassian, by the way.”
“Jyn,” she says. “Thank you again. It’s been a week and I’m ready to get home.”
“Same. The longest conference I have been to in ages. I swore if one more speaker got up to repeat the same story, I was going to get up and walk out.”
Jyn tilts her head, “Were you at the civic center this week?”
Cassian nods, confirming he was. “Honestly, I can’t stand the crowds, and everyone packed together but I’m the one always sent out to go to them.”
“I was there as well. Normally, I don’t mind these events but this one seemed worse than usual.”
Jyn found herself leaning towards him as they made their way through small talk. She learned that he worked for a competitive firm, specializing in the same work that she was doing. He traveled as much as she did and found the routine of travel both exhilarating and draining. They both called Chicago home base but spent as much time outside the city as in it. His flight is leaving an hour after hers and disappointment settles over her at a small, missed opportunity.
At some point, Cassian had moved to the seat next to hers and after a while quiet settled over them as they finished their drinks. The silence wasn’t terrible, in fact, she felt the most comfortable she had in years in that moment. His quiet demeanor and careful conversation both told her nothing and yet everything. She sighed when she realized it was almost time for her to board her flight, ending this quiet hour she has enjoyed so much.
“Listen, I know this-uh…this is going to be…you can say no,” Cassian is leaning away, shifting his face down as if to avoid the conversation entirely.
Jyn doesn’t hesitate although her mind is screaming at her to ABORT!ABORT!, “Cassian, can I get your number? Do you want to meet up sometime?”
His smile makes the risk seem worthwhile and she is entranced once again by the warmth of his gaze.
“Yes, I would.”
He seems more nervous now and she gently reaches out and taps the face of his phone on the bar. “Open this and I will put my number in.”
He opens his phone and hands it to her; she quickly sends herself a text and hands the phone back letting her fingers graze gently across his palm during the exchange. She is probably imagining the small intake of his breath as she pulls her hand away.
She opens her phone and quickly returns the text to him, “And now you have my number.”
She lifts her head up as the sound of her flight number is called out, “Well, this is me.” She gathers her bag and notices Cassian standing up. He leans over to her and she realizes he has a good size inches on her, but it doesn’t make her nervous the way some people do.
“Jyn. Thank you for the past hour. I really enjoyed our conversation. I have never done this before-“
“What? Pick someone up at a bar?” Jyn blurts out to cover her own nerves.
He ducks his head before answering, “Well, yeah. But in all honesty, I just really enjoyed talking with you.”
He extends his hand and she reach out to shake it. His hand is softer than she thought it would be and is all gone all too quickly.
“Have a safe flight.”
She walks away, determined not to look back but she can feel his gaze as he watches her. She boards her flight and wonders if the last hour was real and if she would ever see Cassian again. Her phone chimes and she smiles down at his text.
Saturday at 7PM – The Peninsula?
Can’t wait.