A/N - This is a Two Shot that came out of fucking nowhere. Part II will be posted sometime this week. And yeah, dat smut be here. Enjoy...
Tired hazel eyes scanned the crowded room. It was packed to the ends of the walls, full of half drunken people getting lost in their past. Even he had to admit, it was an easy trap to fall into. The appeal of seeing what he hadn't seen in years was just too much to pass up. His ten year High School Reunion. A bundle of awkward remembrance for those you didn't have the slightest clue about combined with fake pleasantries for those you did. Everybody was married, divorced, with kids, without kids, dream job, unemployed, alcoholic, workaholic. The entire room was made up of a generation of hopes and dreams whether realized or not.
A tired yawn managed to fight its way out of his mouth. The flight in had been without disruption but long. He still thought he was stupid for even coming. Who the hell flew across the country to attend an event they didn't give a shit about? Apparently him. When the invitation had arrived in the mail a few months back, he initially ignored it but once again, that all too alluring feeling, that pull, to be a nosy son of a bitch had won out and here he was. He fought the urge to roll his eyes at the manufactured atmosphere surrounding him and let out a bored sigh when he saw another person he didn't recognize start to approach him. Great. Here we go again.
"I thought that was you standing over here scowling at everybody," the woman remarked jovially.
"Am I really scowling?" He had to admit that it was a pretty decent opening line. She obviously knew him even if he didn't have the slightest notion of who she was. Average height, slightly plump, brown hair, brown eyes. There was nothing remarkable about her at all. Her face looked tired but was immediately off set by the genuine smile that spread across her face as she nodded her head. Somehow it set him at ease.
"You absolutely are but that's fine. I can't say that I blame you." Her brown hair flicked over her shoulder as she motioned to the rest of the crowded room. She took a moment to study his face and saw the confusion plastered all over it. It was amusing to say the least. "You don't have a clue who the hell I am, do you?"
"Guilty," he shrugged his shoulders and smiled apologetically. Her demeanour was refreshing and he quickly decided that he wouldn't mind talking to her. She seemed to be hating this as much as he was.
"Paul Levesque you wound me!" Her hand clutched at her chest in horror but the twinkle in her eye showed that she wasn't being serious. "I'm Sarah." No response. Well this was going to be fun when he finally figured it out. "Sarah Collins?" Again nothing…..until the light bulb seemingly went off and his cheeks began to stain a nice shade of red. "Yeah, that Sarah Collins."
Paul ran his hand over the back of his head and dropped his eyes to the floor in embarrassment. Well shit. "Fuck…I mean I'm sorry…I mean….hey!" His voice squeaked out the meek reply which only brought about more laughter from her. Just great. Trust him to not have a fucking clue when one of his old girlfriends started a conversation with him. In his defence, she didn't look a thing like she did back in the day. Her youthful face had been replaced by wrinkles and her runner's body was jiggling in certain places. He cleared his throat and started again. "How are you?"
"A lot better than you right now from the looks of it," Sarah grinned, delighting in the slightly horrified expression that crossed his handsome features. And he was handsome but then again he always had been to her. "I'm only messing with you, Paul. You can stop freaking out."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I've just been fending off people all night long, you know? It's just my luck that when somebody I do actually know tries to talk to me I screw it all up."
Sarah gently patted his arm. "It doesn't bother me honestly. I was just about to call it a night when I saw you standing over here looking miserable. I thought I'd come and say hello before I take my leave."
He smiled probably his first genuine smile all night. "I'm glad you did. It's great to see you after all this time. How are you, Sarah?"
"Oh you know how it is. Get married, pop out a couple of kids and all the rest of it." She tried to wave it all off when he practically started beaming out of nowhere. A knowing smile lit up her face too and she gave his arm a congratulatory squeeze this time. "From that beamer on your face I'm willing to bet you just had or are about to have your own little one. Am I right?"
Paul couldn't contain his joy. "That's exactly right. My wife is 7 months pregnant. That's why she didn't make the trip tonight. It's our first child so….." he trailed off not needing to finish his sentence.
"That's just fantastic! I love hearing news like this, I really do. I wish you the absolute best," Sarah beamed right back. His excitement was infectious.
"And what about you then? How many kids do you have?"
"Three. Two girls, Anna and Sandra and my little boy, Joseph. The lights of my life."
"And your husband?" Paul's face screwed up into a light frown when she began to laugh again.
"Would you believe me if I said I'm married to the guy I dated right after we broke up?"
He grinned and shook his head in disbelief. "I guess I'm gonna have to. Good for Derek. Nothing better than a good old fashioned High School sweetheart's story at a High School Reunion, right? Speaking of which, is he here?"
Sarah rolled her eyes and nodded her head. Her husband had disappeared for some drinks and hadn't returned since. "He is although God knows where."
As if on cue, a short red faced man came to stand between the reminiscing friends, his eyes sceptical of the male of the two. "I finally got that beer, hun. Here you go." He passed the plastic cup to his wife not once taking his eyes off the larger man.
Sensing her husband's inferiority complex setting in, she playfully swatted his arm. "Stop staring at him like that, Derek. We're only talking. God!"
Paul was getting a right laugh out of the dirty looks thrown his way and eagerly stuck his hand out. "Great to see you again, Derek. Man, it's been years now….obviously." If this was the way he greeted every man who ever spoke to his wife then God help the pair of them. Seeing the same confusion written all over his face that he himself had experienced not too long ago, he flashed the guy a grin. "I'm Paul. Paul Levesque."
It took him a minute but the other man's name was finally met with some recognition in Derek's brain and he almost spilled his drink. His wife was standing there chatting up her old boyfriend, her old boyfriend who had pretty much doubled in size and by all accounts was a much more attractive looking man than he was.
"Relax, relax!" Paul simply chuckled. "We're only talking. You got nothing to worry about." He held up his left hand and wiggled his fingers for effect, the shiny gold band catching the lights overhead. "See?"
Derek visibly relaxed and released a nervous chuckle. "Paul…..good to see you again."
The two men shook hands with Sarah standing between them amused beyond her wits. To say this was a pretty surreal moment would be an understatement. She couldn't help but think what her life would have been like and how it would have turned out had she stayed with Paul. It was a funny feeling to say the least. It was almost as if her seventeen year old self was facing off with her twenty eight year old self and her respective man of the moment. She couldn't stop the little chuckle from escaping her as she thought that her seventeen year old self was probably getting the better end of the bargain in the looks department. She was happy in her marriage but that didn't mean she couldn't look.
"Why don't you come sit with us and share a few beers?"
The question surprised everybody, mostly Paul who couldn't help but think that that sounded like the most awkward thing in the world. Sure, he'd love to go have some beers with his high school girlfriend and her fucking husband. He politely shook his head no. "I think I'll have to pass on that one, sorry Derek. I think I'm just going to make the rounds, see if there's anybody here worth talking to and then split for the night. It was great to see you guys again though. Sarah…" He kissed her hand and offered a wink. "All the best." The words carried over his shoulder before he quickly headed for the restrooms. Talk about avoiding a shitty situation. He was just going to hide in here for a few minutes to give Sarah and Derek some time to settle before he could disappear into the crowd again. The night was quickly becoming a bust. Maybe he should just go back to his hotel room or better yet, ditch this place, go find a bar and get drunk without having to put up with constant interruptions every ten seconds. His big hand rested against the back of the cubicle door, his forehead quickly following. What the fuck was he doing here?
Stephanie McMahon retouched her makeup in the mirror, her fingers expertly reapplying some mascara and eyeliner. She finished it all with some lip gloss and a shrug through her hair. Her chestnut strands sat slightly messy atop her head but it was exactly the look she was going for. Then there was the fact that it matched her mood. Messy. Truth be told, she didn't drink that often but here she was on her third glass of wine this evening. It was starting to take effect. She didn't even know why she had come in the first place. Her High School Reunion and she was borderline smashed. How cliché. Glancing a quick look at the clock on the wall behind her and satisfied with her appearance, she turned and made her way out of the restrooms. They were at the back of the crowded hall and for whatever stupid reason; several groups of drunk ass people seemed to have congregated there. Of all places to stand and talk, outside the toilets didn't seem like the logical choice in any establishment, Hilton Hotel or not.
"Excuse me," she muttered absently under her breath as she sidestepped the person in front of her. Much to her chagrin however, the solid lump didn't move and she walked right into it, or rather, he, as she quickly ascertained upon looking up. And then her breath caught in her throat when she realized just who exactly she had figuratively and literally just bumped into. An all encompassing silence engulfed the two of them as they simply stood there and looked at each other until finally Stephanie found her voice again. "I can't….Paul…is that you?"
"The one and only," Paul grinned back. He just couldn't believe it. Not a minute ago he was just about to bang his head off the cubicle door for even coming here and now it somehow all made sense. He knew why he had come here. The reason was standing right in front of him.
"I don't believe it," Stephanie breathed, still in shock. She felt heat, a soothing warmth at either side of her body and looked down to find that it was his hands. He had obviously reached out to grab her but hadn't let go yet. It was sending tingles up and down her spine. In fact, this entire encounter was affecting her in ways it probably shouldn't. She hadn't seen this man in ten years. Hell, he wasn't even a man back then, he was a boy, but looking at him now you certainly wouldn't know it. His frame had more than filled out. He was no longer the lanky half built teenager he used to be, not by a long shot. The feel of his touch slipping from her waist brought an end to her daydream and she cleared her throat, trying desperately to keep her brain on the right side of things.
Paul smiled at her reaction to him. She was the last person he expected to see here but he wasn't going anywhere, not now that this had happened. "I would ask what you're doing here but that would be a bit stupid."
His smile brought her back ten years. It was the same smile he flashed her direction across the classroom many times, the same smile that made her teenage heart flutter and the same smile that broke her heart. "Yeah….I suppose it would," she managed to reply before it dawned on her that they were still standing in the middle of all the weird toilet dwellers. Before she knew what she was doing, she grasped his forearm and dragged him back out into main hall. The party was in full swing with the majority of their classmates on the dance floor or at tables talking. "So…..you wanna grab a drink and catch up a little bit?"
"I'd love to," he smiled again. He let her lead the way to a nearby table and discreetly slipped his wedding band into his pocket. It was an unconscious action. He didn't even know he had done it. He didn't know why he had done it.
"This OK?"
"Sure."
They both sat down at an empty table near the back of the room and an awkward silence descended around them. Paul just didn't know what to say to her after all these years. They weren't close friends back then. But there had always been….just…something special between them. He couldn't describe it. Like an intangible connection. They were too young to understand it at the time but ten years later it was very apparent to both of them what it was. That's why they were sitting in an uncomfortable silence, a forbidden silence. They shouldn't be sitting together, not when both of them were having the same thought…..what if?
"So….how have things turned out for you, Stephanie? Last thing I can remember is that you were going to Boston for college, right?" Paul finally spoke, unable to bear the silence or his thoughts any longer. Underneath the table his knee began to bounce up and down impatiently, like he was waiting for something.
Stephanie was thankful that he was brave enough to start a conversation and eagerly nodded her head. "Yep. I graduated from Boston with a degree in Communications then went to work for my dad. I'm still there actually, will be forever. How about you? You went to California?"
Paul found a sick amusement in the fact that they were both pretending not to know what the other wanted to do with their lives at eighteen. Of course they did. They both kept tabs on each other back then. He slowly nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah. Graduated in Graphic Design. I live in LA now, working on branching out and starting my own firm actually."
"That's great."
More awkward silence. He was so tempted to ask if she had a family, if she was married, if she had a man in her life but was afraid in case he didn't like the answer. What the hell was he thinking anyway? He was married for fuck sake. He was the man in somebody else's life. A combination of guilt and self loathing rushed through his body. Why was he thinking like this? His cautious eyes blinked hard before he caught her gaze and he was gone again. Their stare was heated and full of lost promise. What if? What if they had truly known what was going on between them back then? What if they had understood it? What if they had acted on it?
"What do you think of….the party? I wasn't even going to come," Stephanie trailed off, forcing herself to break their lustful gazing. This was wrong on so many levels but she'd be damned if it wasn't lighting a fire inside her that she'd never felt before. Was it fate that they were both here, seemingly alone? Perhaps it was. Perhaps they were being given a second chance to do what they had failed to do the first time around. She didn't want to know what that meant. Fuck. She needed wine.
"Me neither actually but I changed my mind. I'm glad that I did." His statement was heavy and left the air around them thick with tension. He was glad he had come. He was glad he had come because he had run into her. He was glad that his wife wasn't here. He was glad because for one night he could be whoever he wanted to be.
Stephanie swallowed hard at his statement. She could feel it pulling them together. Their knees bumped under the table, making her jump at the contact. The feel of his warm hand seeping through the fabric of her dress to her thigh was almost too much. His eyes never left hers as his fingers began to trace delicate circles over the curve of her knee and back. She let herself get lost in him, her legs subconsciously spreading to his touch. A dangerous spark flashed from the depths of his hazel pools and she felt it all the way to her stomach. His hand slowly moved higher, dipping under the hem of her dress, setting her skin alight. They never broke eye contact, both of them getting hopelessly lost in the other until the spell was broken.
"Paul Levesque as I live annnn breathe! Fuck it's so gooooood to see you, bro."
Paul tried not to growl at the drunk idiot who interrupted them. He didn't even know who the fuck it was. "Yeah. Nice to see you." His answer was short and rude in the hope that the man would go away but it was to no avail as he sat down in the seat next to him. Paul subtly drew his hand from under her dress and placed it back on the table.
"Seruzzzly man, I aven't seeeeen you in…yearrrrs," the man slurred with a merry slap on the back, completely oblivious to the other man's displeasure. "What the fuck are youuuu doin wiv yourself then, huh? Lasssstime I saw you…..you were packin up your shit for the west coast. Do you live there now, man? You gotta tell me….what are the fuckinnnn chicks like in Cali-for-NI-A."
Paul watched him for a minute in disgust before he suddenly burst into uncontrollable and obviously drunken laughter. It was only when he saw her walking in the distance that he realized she had left. Not even bothering with the bumbling idiot in front of him, he quickly got to his feet and ran after her. He followed her out into the hotel foyer and stopped her before she could get to the door. "Stephanie wait!"
"I don't know what you want from me, Paul. I don't know what this is. I don't know…" She began in a flurry but pulled up at the look on his face. She couldn't describe it if she tried. It was all things confused, dark and forbidden. For just a second she let her mind run away with itself, visions of clothes half open and bodies heaving. But only for a second before it was replaced with a different image all together. Her husband. Her son. She couldn't do that to her family, not even if she wanted to. That fact alone was bad enough. Just five minutes ago he had his hand up her damn dress under the table. "I'm married."
Two words that should have stopped him in his tracks but they didn't. He simply held her gaze and nodded his head. "OK. So am I. But my wife is over two thousand miles away. And seeing you tonight has awoken something inside me that I haven't felt for ten years. I don't know what it is. I'm just as confused as you are. But I can't lie to myself, Stephanie. And if you want to…talk about it, I'm in room 480."
He did not just proposition her. A married man, asking a married woman, to come to his room to 'talk' about things. She didn't even know what to say and in the end just turned on her heel and walked away. If she stayed she might have done something she would most definitely regret.
Paul stood there glued to the spot. What the fuck just happened? He felt like he was floating, like he wasn't him. He wasn't even sure what the hell he had just said to her. He was such a fucking idiot. A sharp pang grabbed at his chest as an overwhelming feeling of guilt washed over him. He had a pregnant wife at home. A fucking pregnant wife and he was halfway across the country almost cheating on her. What kind of bastard was he? With sullen shoulders, he headed back to his room to face the night alone, just like any married man should.