A/N: I own nothing except the OCs, so don't sue. This is a Zack Ryder/OC song-fic written for my buddy Mel. I hope this makes you feel a little better, bud! :) The song used is "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri. She owns the song, not me. Reviews are very much appreciated. Enjoy. :)
A Thousand Years
Heart beats fast.
Colors and promises.
How to be brave.
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?
But watching you stand alone.
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow.
One step closer.
Mel watched him intently from her position on top of a stack of equipment boxes. The way he moved, how he stood, his glittering blue eyes–she noticed all this and more. She could watch him all day and still be sure of one thing:
Zack Ryder was perfect.
The only problem was, he had no idea who she was. Except for her matches and promos, she might as well not be in the WWE at all when it came to him. It wasn't that he ignored her, they'd just never spoken more than a few words to each other before. But a few words were more than enough to make her fall deeply in love with him.
Across the room, Zack laughed at something that Dolph Ziggler had just said, and Mel found herself leaning forward, captivated by his smile. Suddenly she lost her balance, and the next thing she knew, she was sprawled on her back on the cold concrete floor, staring up at the ceiling in bewilderment.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Mel had to stifle a gasp when a familiar face entered her line of sight. Zack's blue eyes were wide with concern, and she felt a flood of warmth. He was worried about her!
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," she said, trying to sound nonchalant despite the embarrassment that was coloring her cheeks. "I just slipped, that's all."
"That looked like a pretty nasty fall," Zack said, straightening up and holding out his hands to her. "Why don't you let me take you to the trainers' room so they can check you out?"
"Really, I'm fine," Mel insisted, pushing herself up into a sitting position. "I don't need to go to the trainers' room."
"Will you do it for me, then?" Zack asked, looking her right in the eyes. "I'll feel better once I know you're okay."
Shivers ran up and down her skin, and she felt her heart melt into a puddle at her feet. How was she supposed to say no to that?
"Thank you," she said, placing her hands in his. The instant their skin touched, it felt like an electric current ran through her body. What she didn't know was that Zack felt it too.
"It's my pleasure," Zack replied, pulling her carefully to her feet. They locked eyes once she was upright, and for a long moment they didn't let go of each other's hands. Mel felt some sort of connection spark to life between them, and she lost herself in his blue gaze.
I have died everyday waiting for you.
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you,
For a thousand years.
I'll love you for a thousand more.
Zack blinked, snapping out of the trance her gorgeous brown eyes had put him in. "Well, we better get going," he said. "We both have matches in a little bit. If you're cleared to compete, that is."
"Zack, I'm okay. It's not like I have a concussion or something," Mel said, a little surprised and pleased by his concern.
"That you know of," Zack retorted. He started walking down the hallway that lead to the trainers' room, tugging her along with him. "Better to be safe than sorry."
Mel shook her head a little, a small smile on her lips. Most of it was due to Zack's unnecessary worry, but part of it was because of the fact that he hadn't let go of one of her hands. He was still clutching it tightly in his own as they headed down the hall. The feel of his palm against hers was sending warm fuzzy feelings throughout her body, something that Mel was not used to experiencing. She was never one for expressing emotion, but she had to admit that she kind of liked the feeling of someone holding her hand. Especially when that someone was Zack.
They reached the trainers' room, and Zack stuck right by Mel's side, despite the trainers suggestions that he wait outside. Mel needed him, so he wasn't going to move an inch. He sat in a chair beside the bench they had her sitting on, still holding her hand. He ran his thumb lightly over the back of her hand, distracting her immensely. The trainers shot him annoyed looks, but he ignored them and kept tracing random patterns on her skin. Just having her next to him made him happy, and he had no intention of leaving the room without her. It was a strange feeling, this urge to have her near him at all times, but it was also kind of nice.
Zack had no idea what was happening to him, but he knew that Mel changed something in him whenever she was near. She made him a better person, and he wanted to be with her forever.
He swore to himself right then and there that he would never let anything come between them, no matter what.
Time stands still.
Beauty in all she is.
I will be brave.
I will not let anything take away.
What's standing in front of me.
Every breath.
Every hour has come to this.
One step closer.
The trainers finished looking Mel over and medically cleared her to compete, saying that she had nothing more than a slight bump on the back of her head where it had hit the floor. Zack held on to her hand as they left the room, and as they began to walk down the hall, Mel stopped abruptly, pulling Zack to a halt as well.
Zack shot her a worried look. "Mel? You okay?"
Mel studied his face, seeing concern and fear and...was that affection? Her breath caught in her throat.
It was now or never.
"No, Zack, I'm not okay," she said honestly.
Zack's body tensed, and he exclaimed, "What's wrong? Are you hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital?"
"No, that's not what I'm talking about," Mel told him, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze to try and calm him down. "I'm fine physically, but not emotionally."
Zack cocked his head to one side, his blue eyes glittering with curiosity. "What do you mean?"
I have died everyday waiting for you.
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you,
For a thousand years.
I'll love you for a thousand more.
"The truth is..." Mel began, taking a deep breath. "I love you, Zack. I have ever since I first met you. You were so nice and sweet, and you treated everyone with the upmost respect. You never let anyone put you down, and you help complete strangers. You're so perfect in every way, and I know that I don't deserve you and that you'd never want me, but I just had to get it off my chest." She looked up at him and waited for him to drop her hand, fully expecting him to shake his head in disgust.
But the total opposite happened instead; Zack pulled her into a fierce hug, his strong arms enveloping her and holding her tightly to his chest.
"You have no idea just how wrong you are," Zack whispered into her ear, his breath warm against her sensitive skin. "I've never wanted anyone but you, Mel. I've always loved you, I was just too afraid to tell you. I figured that as beautiful as you are, you could have anyone you wanted, so why would you want me?"
"Because you're perfect," Mel murmured, pulling her head back from his chest and tilting her chin to meet his soft blue gaze. "Perfect for me."
Zack dipped his head down and kissed her, and Mel found herself smiling against his lips.
Thank God for equipment boxes.
And all along I believed I would find you.
Time has brought your heart to me.
I have loved you for a thousand years.
I'll love you for a thousand more.
END
A/N: There you go, Mel! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Get well soon, buddy! :) And to anyone else who read this, thanks to you as well. Go ahead and leave a review if you liked it, it isn't that hard. Thank you again! :)