Riana Meier sat up and closed her book with a loud huff. Her focus shifted to the television. Tempted to change the channel when she saw the news on, she reached for the remote. Something caught her attention on the screen before she could touch any buttons. Chris Jericho's sweet figure stood beside a reporter, his modest smile bringing one to Riana's own face. Below him, a bar across the screen read "WWE Wrestler in Town for Two Days". Anna's heart leaped, as she turned up the volume, intent on finding out what he was doing in her town.
"An old friend of mine just recently died. He was a part of this town growing up. I came to see his parents since I missed his funeral." Chris hung his head, showing obvious sincerity at the thought of his late friend. Riana's heart sank at the bad news. Chris was hurting. She understood the pain of someone hurting. Her own heart was heavy, full of pain nobody could understand.
The sharp feeling in her gut told her she still wasn't okay. Everyday she spent with her boyfriend was another day she would face the pain. The nights he hit her were bad, but the nights his words lashed at her mind were the worst. Even in the intimate moments, where he was calm and loving, Riana was scared of what could make him snap.
Her attention switched back to the television when the pain got too unbearable. Chris nodded his head at something the reporter had asked.
"Yes, I will be signing autographs at the YMCA tomorrow afternoon. I'm leaving tomorrow evening, so autograph signing will only last about two hours, hopefully, unless you catch me on the street." At that, Jericho winked. Anna's heart melted, her mouth hanging wide open. Reaching for the phone, she quickly dialed her best friend, Chelsea's, number.
"Are you watching Channel 8?" Her friend asked the minute she picked up the phone.
"Yes!" Riana exclaimed. "Are we going to the autograph signing tomorrow?"
Chelsea's frustrated groan proved it wasn't good news. "I have a client coming tomorrow afternoon and by the time we're done, Chris will be gone. If you go, can you please get me an autograph?"
Riana sighed, regret automatically pushing it's way towards the surface. "You know I can't go without you. I'm terrified of things like that!"
"I'll be with you in spirit! Please, Anna? I want this autograph so bad!" Chelsea pleaded. Anna could almost see her pout on the other end of the phone.
"Fine, Chels. I will go. But you owe me big time, okay?"
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I owe you a big hug!"
Riana laughed and hung up the phone after a quick goodbye. She sat back on the couch and rubbed her temples. Her fear of public places made her scared to go out without a friend near her. Chelsea and her worked together, so it was easier to go to work than it would be without her. Tomorrow was going to be tough.
A knock at the door startled Anna. Her heart stopped when she realized who it was. Quickly, she answered the door. She widened her eyes when she saw Mark, her boyfriend, with a bouquet of red roses.
"This is to apologize for yesterday. I shouldn't have gotten so angry. Can you forgive me?" He raised his eyebrows and offered the roses to her. He smiled sweetly. Riana hesitated, but reached for the roses as she gave him a quick hug.
"Of course, Mark. I shouldn't have agitated you so bad anyway." Her tense chuckle clued Mark in on her hesitance.
"You do understand why I did it, right?" He took the roses from her hand and set them on the kitchen counter. His rough hands rubbed Riana's cheek. Her breath caught, and she pulled away.
"Of course. Like I said, I shouldn't have agitated you. I just brought all the problems from work home with me and took it out on you." She smiled, her hands fidgeting.
"I did it because you needed to learn to respect me. I didn't like the tone you used with me yesterday. Today it is much better, though. Good job, honey. What do you say we go out to dinner tonight?" He tried to rub her cheek again, squeezing only a little.
"I'm kind of tired tonight, Mark. Can we take a rain check? It was another long day at work and I think I should get to bed early. I've got to go in early tomorrow so I can take a longer lunch." Riana gulped when she mentioned tomorrow afternoon.
"What're you taking a longer lunch for? I don't remember planning to eat with you tomorrow. Are you and Chelsea doing something together?" His voice got rougher, questioning her.
"No, um, there's a guy coming into town tomorrow that I want to get an autograph from. It's no big deal. It'll only take a short amount of my lunch, so I guess we can go out tonight."
"What do you mean there's a guy in town you want to see?" He raised his voice, clenching his teeth.
"Just a famous wrestler. Like I said, it's no big deal. Where do you want to go to dinner?"
"I don't want to talk about dinner right now. I don't want you to seeing that wrestler tomorrow either. I don't need some man flirting with you and signing your arm or something. I want to have lunch with you tomorrow. Forget about dinner tonight."
"But Chelsea really wants this autograph and she can't get it herself. Can I please go just to get this autograph for her? I promise it won't take long. We can still go to lunch together, too!" Riana's voice cracked when she saw the anger flash in his eyes.
"No, Riana. I said no. That's final, and you know that." He grabbed the roses and filled the vase with water.
Carefully, she approached him, her arm around his waist. "You can even come with me, Mark. I promise nothing will happen except I'll get his autograph and leave."
"I said no!" He turned sharply and knocked Anna to the floor. "Don't make me say it again!"
"Okay." Tears stung her eyes. She rubbed her cheek and felt the hotness of her flesh. "I'm sorry, Mark. I'm so sorry."
"God, Anna, I'm tired of your attitude! You realize how much you disrespect me? Why do you question my authority? I am the man in this relationship. I am the one who makes the rules. You're worthless. You don't even deserve to speak to me unless you're spoken to. Stop apologizing because I'm tired of your excuses." Before walking out the door, he kicked her side and threw the vase to the ground beside her. A piece of glass sliced her face.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled over and over, even as the door closed behind him.
~XXXXXXXXXXX~
"Riana? Honey, where're you?" Chelsea's voice sounded from the front door.
"I'm in here, Chels." Riana put the remainder of the dishes into the dishwasher and turned it on.
"Hey, why didn't you answer your phone when I called? I got worried." Chelsea hugged Riana and pushed her fingers through her long, blonde hair.
"Oh, Mark was here and I was distracted. Sorry." Riana responded quickly, fighting her urge to cry. "By the way, I meant to ask you earlier what clients you're meeting with. Do you think they'd let you get the autograph or end the meeting early? I don't think I'll be able to make it out there tomorrow."
"Aw, Riana, you know I can't leave a client like that. Are you sure you can't get there? It'll only take five minutes of your time!"
"I know, but Mark-." Anna stopped. "Mark and I are going out to lunch and I forgot about that."
"Oh, I see. Mark again. He's taking over an awful lot of your life, you know? I haven't gotten to spend time with you in so long."
"Oh, things are getting pretty serious between us. The more time we spend time together, the more we fall in love. Chelsea, he's like my dream guy!" The lie came easily, she'd told herself it many times before.
"Right. And I'm engaged to Johnny Depp. Seriously, Riana, it hasn't been that long. Are you sure you're not taking things a little to fast?"
"I don't need your opinion about my relationship with Mark, okay? I think I can handle anything that goes on." Riana angrily turned to Chelsea. "I think it's time for you to leave."
"Anna, I didn't mean to upset you like that! Can you just listen to me for a second? I'm worried about you. You've been distant and panicky lately."
"I'm always panicky. You know that. It's not a big deal anymore. Nothing's wrong with Mark and my relationship."
"Okay. I'm sorry. I'll stop now. Just be careful." Chelsea turned to leave, slightly waving. The frown on her face showed her concern. "I love you, Anna."
"I love you, too, Chels."