[an]. This is a present for a very special friend of mine, Cristi [xlighersintheair]. Thanks so much for always listening to my crazy story ideas and helping me with them. Also, thanks for being an awesome friend. I'm sorry this is so late. I hope you like it and it makes up for the tardiness.
For anyone who doesn't know Kaitlyn's real name is Celeste.I mostly refer to her as Kaitlyn in this oneshot, but there are a few moments where her admirer calls her Celeste.
What If I Told You
WWE diva Kaitlyn stuffed her ring attire into her bag and zipped it tightly. She had just lost her diva's championship to her best friend AJ. She brushed furiously at the tears streaking her flushed cheeks and sighed. She wasn't angry at AJ. AJ deserved the diva's title just as much as she did. She wasn't even angry that she had to lose the title. She just wished that the writer's had put more effort into her title reign. She had worked so hard to improve and she felt like she could have had a better title reign if creative had put in their part.
Kaitlyn sat down on the bench next to her duffel bag. She thought about joining the other divas – who were all crowded around the monitor watching the match going on in the arena, but she felt like being alone. She leaned back against the lockers and took a long sip from her water bottle. She knew there would be another opportunity, another chance at the belt, but that didn't ease the sadness inside of her.
She jolted when she heard a rustling by the door. She looked over and saw a white envelope just underneath the door. She rose and went over and picked up the paper. Her name was scrawled across the front, in unfamiliar handwriting.
She quickly ripped open the envelope, curiosity getting the better of her. Inside was a single piece of white paper. She unfolded it. The same unfamiliar writing covered the small slip of paper.
You should still be champion.
Honest.
Kaitlyn stared at the paper before reading it a second time. Who would send her this? Everyone knew she was going to lose the title that night and most people seemed to be for the title change, believing it was AJ's time. She folded the paper and tucked it into the pocket of her jeans.
How strange, she thought, as she collected her belongings and headed for the rental she shared with AJ.
-[x]-
The Next Monday, in Hartford Connecticut, Kaitlyn carried her bag into the locker room. She was supposed to have another segment with AJ, leading up to their rematch at the Pay per View the following Sunday. She made her way to the diva's locker room. She left her bag on the bench and headed for catering. She met with AJ and discussed their skit for the show. Once she had finished her salad and bottled water, she headed back to the lockerroom.
When she walked inside she found another note. This time it was lying atop her duffle-bag. She looked around the locker room, but she was completely alone. Could a diva be leaving these notes? Who else would be in the locker room? A member of the crew, maybe?
Kaitlyn seized the envelope and tore it open. She unfolded the slip of white paper and read.
Celeste,
Good luck tonight.
I'm always rooting for you.
Kaitlyn read the note a few more times before tucking it back into the envelope. It didn't sound like something one of the divas would write. Could it be a fan?
But how would a fan get backstage and would they travel all the way from Texas to Connecticut just to leave a message? She sighed, confused. It had to be a member of the crew or someone on the roster. There was no other explanation.
The only question that remained was why?
-[x]-
He watched her as she left the arena with AJ. She was beautiful, in her own way. Completely comfortable in her own skin. He leaned back against the cold brick wall and smiled. Hell, if people knew what she did to him his reputation would be shot.
He didn't care though. That was what scared him. He didn't care what anyone else thought. If he wasn't terrified about what she would do if he confessed his feelings - he would walk right up in front of everyone and kiss her.
Yet, he didn't have the nerve. He scoffed at his own meekness. He was acting like a prepubescent teenager, not a fully grown man, let alone a fully grown man with a bad-ass reputation.
He was afraid she would reject him. He didn't have the best reputation in the locker-room. He wasn't sure if she would be able to see him for him, the real him. Hell, he wasn't even sure if he wanted her to see the real him. It was easier hiding behind the bad-ass façade.
That was why he left her the notes.
-[x]-
Kaitlyn kicked the bench in the diva's locker room. She had just received the script for the pay per view. She had expected to lose to the AJ again, but some part of her had hoped she was wrong. She sighed and dropped the script into her bag. She needed to get back to the hotel room. She needed a good night's rest before the autograph session she had in the morning.
Then it was off to the Be a Star rally and a red-eye flight to Chicago for the pay per view. At least she was going to be too busy to think about the match.
She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she almost stepped on the little white envelope as she was leaving. She bent down and picked up the envelope. She tore it open and unfolded the paper without hesitation.
I just saw the script.
Don't be upset. You are amazing.
I'm always rooting for you.
She smiled and tucked the note into her bag and headed for her rental.
-[x]-
The next two days went by quickly. She had fun with the kids and at the autograph signing. She was so exhausted by the time she got off of her red-eye flight that she went straight to the hotel and fell asleep. Then after breakfast and a good workout she went over the match with AJ.
She was backstage getting ready for the match when the butterflies set in. She was nervous and upset. She knew she had not right to be upset, but she was none the less. She couldn't help being nervous. No matter how many times she went out to the ring she would always be nervous. Once she reached the ring, the crowd cheering and the lights shining down on her, she would relax.
She ran her fingers through her two-tone hair and adjusted her attire. She took one last look in the mirror, when she noticed something slide underneath the door. She glanced at the white envelope before yanking the door open. She looked up and down the hall, but saw no one. She frowned. She had hoped she would be able to catch a glimpse of her secret admirer.
Celeste,
Good luck tonight.
I know you will do great.
I'm always rooting for you.
And I love you.
Kaitlyn read the note over again, Love?
A loud knock sounded at the door. "Kaitlyn, you're needed at Gorilla."
She tucked the note into her bag with shaking hands. Now she needed to know who was sending these notes.
-[x]-
He watched her match, a proud smile curving his lips. She always stole the show. At least, that's the way he saw it. It didn't matter if she won or lost the match, she always looked right at home in the ring. He leaned back against the sofa in the locker room. When the match ended he watched as Kaitlyn sat in the ring, tears rolling down her cheeks. She had deserved to keep the title longer, to have a real title reign, but AJ was red hot. So, creative had her drop the title. It wasn't fair, but it was the way the industry worked.
He shook off the need to meet her at Gorilla, the need to wrap her in his arms, to comfort her. He sighed and cracked his neck. He needed to prepare for his match.
She wouldn't want comfort from him anyway. He was just a monster, nothing more.
-[x]-
Kaitlyn lay awake in her hotel room, the mystery of her secret admirer keeping her up far too late. She sighed and grabbed her cell phone. She needed to know who he was. She needed to know if it was real or just a joke. She opened up her twitter and began to type. She hit the send and inhaled deeply, hoping to calm her nerves.
She glanced at her tweet as it appeared on the timeline.
I wish I knew who you were…
She hoped she had made the right decision.
-[x]-
"Come on man, you need to tell her."
He raked his fingers through his hair. He should have known better than to have confidence in anyone. He shouldn't have told his friend – one of the few he actually had – about the notes.
"She deserves to know. She wants to know." His friend thrust his iphone in front of his face, showing him a tweet from the night before.
I wish I knew who you were…
He shook his head. "I can't. She won't be happy if I do. She won't like it. It's better off this way." He turned and left the hotel room, slamming the door in his wake.
He had a note to deliver.
-[x]-
She got out of the shower and slid on a pair of leggings and a zebra print tank top. She pulled her damp hair back into a ponytail. She had the night off and planned to spend it relaxing. With her workout done and no plans until dinner with AJ and her boyfriend Phil Brooks, she decided she would catch up with some of her favorite tv-shows on hulu.
She grabbed her laptop out of her bag and was just about to lie down on the bed when she noticed the white envelope under the door. She walked over and picked it up. Had he seen her tweet and decided to tell her his identity? Why not just knock on the door?
She ripped it open, feeling more nervous than expected. She hesitantly unfolded the paper. The note was longer this time.
Celeste,
You don't know what you are asking. You will not be happy if you find out who I am. I'm sure of it. I'm not the type of person you want to be around. I'm not the type of person you would love. Not the way I love you. I wish I had the nerve to tell you. I do. But I wouldn't be able to stand the disappointment in your eyes when you found out who I was. I'm sorry.
I love you, always.
Kaitlyn stared at the paper for what felt like an eternity. At first, she felt nothing, and then a wave of disappointment washed over her.
Then the disappointment melted into white hot rage. She crumpled up the note and threw it. It ricocheted off of the wall and landed on the floor in a mangled heap. She resisted the urge to scream and instead kicked the wall. Who was he to tell her she didn't want to know. Who was he to decide that she would be disappointed? He didn't know her. He didn't know how she would feel.
She made her way across the room, determination etched across her face and flooding every step and picked up her cell phone.
I still want to know.
-[x]-
"You need to tell her. You can't keep playing this game."
"She won't want me once she finds out."
"How do you know that? Have you even given her the chance?"
"I don't need too. She buys into everything everyone says. I know she does. She'll never be able to see past that."
"I did."
"That's different. It's easier, you're a guy and we're just friends."
"She's a good person. She'd give you a chance if you would just let her. If you love her as much as you say you do, you'll give her what she wants."
"She doesn't know what she wants."
"Yes, she does. She wants you."
-[x]-
Kaitlyn returned from the restaurant about eight thirty. She had had fun with her friends, but spending time with the couple had grown tiresome and she declined the invitation to join them for a movie.
She unlocked her hotel room door and stepped inside, with intentions to have a hot bubble bath and the curl up with a good book, but stopped when she found a note beneath her leopard print, platform shoe.
She picked it up and ripped it open.
Her heart began to race as she read the message
Alright, if that is really what you want.
Meet me out back of the hotel. Nine o'clock.
She glanced at the clock. 8:42; she had just enough time to fix her makeup. She rushed to the bathroom, ran her fingers through her hair, applied a fresh coat of lip gloss and dabbed the smudged eyeliner from the corner of her eyes. She grabbed her phone, purse and key-card, before exiting the hotel room.
-[x]-
Kaitlyn stepped out into the cool night air. It was eight fifty-nine. She had just made it out in time. She was afraid she might miss her admirer. She had trouble getting an elevator.
She looked around, but saw no one.
Maybe it was just a joke?
She felt her stomach plunge. She had hoped there would actually be someone waiting for her. Her shoulder's fell, deflated. She turned to head back inside, hoping to get out of there before someone showed up laughing, and ran into someone. She stumbled.
The man caught her elbows and steadied her. She looked up into a familiar pair of grey eyes. Her heart began to race. If the notes were from him it had to be a joke and she was never going to live it down.
"Celeste," he whispered. "Did you change your mind?"
"I figured no one was coming."
"I told you I'd be here." He reached out and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. The gesture was nerve-wracking and comforting all wrapped up in one large dose of confusion.
"It's you?"
"I told you, you didn't want to know."
His arms fell to his sides and she noticed a glint of sadness in his eyes. It wasn't a joke. He wasn't going to laugh at her or tell all of the guys in the locker room or tease her incessantly for the remainder of her days with the WWE.
"I did and I'm glad I do."
He looked at her confusion etched on his face.
"If you liked me, why didn't you tell me?"
"I don't like you, I love you," Dean Ambrose corrected, raking his fingers through his shaggy hair.
"Okay, why didn't you tell me?"
"Because, I know what the people in the locker room think about me. They think I'm crazy."
"Are you?" It amazed her how relaxed the conversation was. How comfortable she felt with the 'lose canon' of the Shield so close to her. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and shrugged.
"No more than anyone else, I'd say." He said.
"Then why do you let them talk? Why do you act the way you do?"
He took a step back, looking abashed. He stood silently for a moment and then wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer, "Do you think I act crazy?"
"Only when you slide notes under people's doors instead of telling them how you really feel." She willed her heart to stop racing. He was just a man, just an ordinary man. She needn't be so nervous.
"It's easier to let them believe what they want to believe and play the monster than to try to convince them otherwise."
"So you were afraid to tell me because you were afraid I thought you were a creep or something?" She laughed, suddenly feeling much more comfortable with the situation. She pushed him away and doubled over, laughing.
"What is so funny?" He questioned. He probably would have looked hurt if he didn't seem so intrigued by her sudden fit of hysterics.
She took a few deep breaths and wiped at the tears rolling from her eyes. "Well, it's just… look at me," She held out her arms with one of those ta-da gestures and he obliged, "I'm not exactly normal myself."
"You're perfect," he scoffed.
"I know."
"Then what are you getting at?" He looked at her, his head slightly tilted.
"I'm perfect because I am comfortable with who I am."
"Yea, you're perfect and I'm some crazy person… I still don't see what you are getting at." He moved closer to her.
"No, you are comfortable with who you are so you don't care if other people think you're nuts."
"The difference being?" He fished for an answer, his arms wrapping around her waist again.
This time she sank into his embrace and pressed her lips against his.
"You're perfect too."
[disclaimer] I still check my bank balance on a regular basis.
[an]. Okay, I had a completely different oneshot planned for you for your birthday Cristi… but this one came to me and that was is. I really, really, really hope you like it. I'm so sorry it so late. I hope you had a good birthday. I also hope this was a good couple to write for you.
To everyone else: I hope you enjoyed this. Reviews would be greatly appreciated, but favorites are also appreciated. Summer is coming up so hopefully I will be able to write and update more. Love you all and thanks for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing my work. You have no idea how much it means to me.
-Danie.
