Mara stood there looking at herself in the mirror. Of course her sister would have picked out ugliest dress she could find. The full length mirror barely contained her 5'8" frame. Her dark brunette hair flowed around her shoulders, which the strapless dress left bare, making her creamy white skin look paler than it actually was. Probably Tess' whole point of the dress. The orange coloring of the dress was all wrong for Mara, probably another selling point of the dress. Mara had made a vow at the fitting that she would never put this ugly thing on again until the wedding, but when it had arrived today from the final altering, Tess all but demanded her to put it on. As she opened the door to her bedroom, her sister's fiancée was passing in the hall. His hazel eyes barely noting anyone else's existence, until he realized it was Mara.
Randy grinned as he stopped and took a step backwards to be in front of her. He looked her up and down.
"You know, I told Tess that was the ugliest dress I had ever seen when she decided on it." He looked Mara over once more. "I take back what I said. You look absolutely stunning." He said, as what he said processed in his head, he began to stumble over his words. "Not that you don't always look stunning. It's just that the dress is so ugly, I couldn't imagine thinking it looked good on anyone, especially you. No, wait." Randy stopped talking and closed his eyes. "Open mouth, insert foot." He laughed.
"You look stunning." He grinned, holding out his elbow. "I take it that the diva requested your presence?" Mara nodded, unable to speak. Randy often had that effect on her. She slid her hand through his arm and laid it softly on his bicep, trying not to blush as he flexed his muscle. They proceeded down the stairs and to the living room. Randy took Mara's hand and spun her around.
"Well?" Randy asked. Tess let out a groan, but didn't say anything. She let her face do the talking.
"What's wrong with it?" Randy asked. "I think she looks great."
"You look fine." Tess said.
"Thanks. If we're done here, I have plans tonight." Mara said, leaving the room, keeping her comments to herself.
"Why do you put up with her?" Mara's friend, Sarah asked over drinks, after Mara had told her about the dress.
"She wasn't always like this. She changed when she signed with the WWE." Mara said.
"A job she would have never gotten if you wouldn't have put in a good word for her. She owes you, but all she does is use you as her personal door mat." Sarah said. As a scout for the WWE Mara had put in a good word for her sister.
"Why do you put up with it?" Sarah asked.
Mara shrugged, but she knew why, now more than ever. She had sat by while Tess' and Randy's on-screen romance gently shifted to off-screen. The worse part was that Tess knew the feelings she had for Randy. And Mara couldn't help but question Tess' true feelings. Tess had always thought she was in competition with her younger sister. But this was different, she was letting it go too far by getting married if she didn't really love Randy.
The next week, Mara didn't get any sleep. Her whole life she had never been able to tell Tess no. She always seemed to bend backwards just for Tess to get what she wanted, but she couldn't go through with being part of this wedding. Now she just needed to grow a backbone and tell her.
They were at home, Mara had been racking her brain for the right thing to say. She was finally ready.
She walked to her sister's door, and before she could knock she heard bedroom noises coming from inside. Her hand fell, and her heart broke, it's not like she was oblivious to the on-goings behind the Tess' bedroom door, but she had never had to hear it before. She turned and ran out of the house. She stopped at the first bar she found, and ordered a drink. She had been there about an hour when a hand fell onto her thigh.
"Hey Mara." Randy smirked, slumping into the stool next to her.
"Wow, you're drunk." Mara smiled, she couldn't help it seeing him in this state. "How long have you been here?"
"A few hours." He replied. Mara gasped, but didn't say anything.
"Just celebrating my last few days for freedom, until I give my life away to your sister." Mara laughed.
"Let me get you a drink." He slurred. Mara really didn't think he needed any more to drink, but she accepted. One drink for her turned into three for him. Randy was leaning against the bar.
"Maybe I should take you home." Mara said, letting him lean against her. She drove him to his house, and was helping him in, when he stopped walking and looked at her.
"You know how beautiful you are?" He asked.
"I'm not Tess." Mara said, thinking Randy forgot who he was with.
"I know who you are, Mara." Randy grinned, letting his finger run across the feather tattoo behind her ear, making chills rise on her skin.
"I guess I shouldn't tell you this, since in less than a week you will be like my sister, but I've always found you attractive." He said.
"Randy, you've been drinking." Mara said, trying to keep her guard up.
"It doesn't mean I'm lying. You shouldn't feel this way about your fiancée's sister, but I do." He said, closing the distance between them. His lips pressed against hers, and before she could stop him, he was nibbling on her neck.
"Randy you're getting married, to my sister." Mara breathed, trying to keep control.
"I don't care. I want you Mara. I've always wanted you." Randy breathed into her ear. Suddenly Mara remembered the sounds coming from Tess' room. It wasn't Randy in there with her. She gave into to him, willingly.
Mara's brain was screaming at her to move, just run, but everything had felt so right with Randy. She didn't want to leave the comfort of his arms, until her phone buzzed, breaking her thoughts. Randy's even breathing behind her told her he was sleeping. She reluctantly moved out from under his arm, and grabbed her phone. Sarah's number showed as a missed call. She had forgotten that she was supposed to meet her earlier that night, after her talk with Tess.
Oh no, Tess! Mara thought. She had to get out of there. She began to collect her clothes. When she turned to grab her phone off his night stand, Randy was sitting up.
"Leaving so soon?" He smirked. "And here I thought that you had enjoyed yourself."
"That's the problem. You're marrying my sister in less than a week, and I don't care if you two have some kind of agreement going on where you can sleep with someone else before you get married, but I don't appreciate you toying with my emotions." Mara said, pulling her shirt over her head.
"Whoa, what are you talking about? Agreement?" Randy asked getting out of the bed. "And I wasn't toying with your emotions. I meant every word I said." Randy put his hand on her shoulder. "Mara." He said softly, making her look at him. "I would never play you. The reason I ever hung around Tess was to be close to you, but you were always so wrapped up in your work. And what do you mean about this agreement thing?"
"It's really not my place to say." Mara said, trying to wrap her head around what he was saying.
"Have you seen her with someone else?" Randy asked. "I mean I've had my suspicions, but I have never had any thing to go on."
"I have never seen her with anyone else." Mara admitted.
"You haven't seen her, then what? Something else?" He asked.
Mara took a deep breath. "I heard her tonight I thought it was you that was with her."
"She is sleeping with someone else." Randy said, turning and walking away from her.
"I'm sorry Randy, but it's not like what you have done is any better. I mean I honestly doubt she has been sleeping with your brother." Mara said, as she continued to gather her things.
"I'm sorry Randy, I have to leave. This, what we did, it's not right. No matter how my sister has treated me." Mara said, s she turned to leave the room. Randy turned and rushed towards her, grabbing her arm lightly to stop her from leaving.
"Don't go Mara." Randy almost pleaded. Mara didn't dare to look at him, she knew if she did that she wouldn't be able to leave.
"Randy, you have a lot to talk to Tess about, when you do, whether you choice to tell her about this night or not, tell her that I won't be in her wedding. I can't stand by and watch the man I love marry someone else." She shrugged her shoulder out of his grip, ready to leave the house. She stopped at his bedroom doorway.
"Whatever it is that you are looking for in life, Randy, I hope you find it." She said.
Mara used the week off to get settled into her new home. After leaving Randy's house that night she had gone to Tess' and packed the things in her room, and left without a word.
She had chosen the nicer and warmer climate of Florida to plant her roots. She had ignored all the calls from her sister. She was finally enjoying her life. She knew she would have to face things when she went back to work, but she felt herself going stronger as each day passed, and she knew she wouldn't let her sister push her around anymore.
She was finally unpacked and was fixing dinner when her door bell rang. She went to open it, figuring it was more neighbors welcoming her to the neighborhood, but she almost dropped the beer in her hand when she saw Randy standing there.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be getting married?" Mara asked.
"I drove all this way to see you and that's the greeting I get?" Randy smirked. "I mean, not even a hi?"
"Uh, hi." Mara smiled. "What are you doing here?"
"I talked to Tess, I told her everything. We're done." Randy said.
"What?" Mara gasped.
"Now, here I am, standing at your door, telling you that you are what I was looking for." Randy smiled, pulling Mara into his arms, kissing her.
DivaliciousDool, I hope you enjoyed this!