The Unexpected

Sitting in the middle of a dozen vacant chairs and with her face set in a somber manner, Eve Torres allowed escape pass her lips a deep longing sigh that spoke volumes of her current but very unusual mood; dejection.

She was feeling down, melancholy was slowly creeping into her whole being and her spirits were plain and simple at the lowest point they had been in a very long time and chances of her mood improving for the better were very limited.

She hated feeling like that because it wasn't in her to let something get her so down, but the more she thought about it the worst she felt and without being able to help it little by little she was getting deeper and deeper into full depressed mode, getting farther away from her regular cheerful self.

But like stated before, it wasn't normal to see her face portray such low spirits and if anyone who knew her passed her by, they would immediately know something was wrong with the sultry Diva.

Sighing again, the Latina brought her elbows to rest over her tights and with the palm of her hands facing up, she cradled her chin; her eyes staring off into the wall opposite to her as the world moved around her in a hurry.

"This is the worse Christmas in the history of worst Christmas-" She mumbled to herself, one manicured finger tapping repeatedly on her cheek while her soft green eyes moved down to the floor. "It can't get any worse than this."

For a long while she sat like that, her posture only changing once to straighten her back and get a bit more comfortable; other than that she remained immobile and staring down.

"Well, well, well… what are the chances of finding an Eve on the very same Christmas Eve; sitting all solita and dejected on this oh so beautiful day?"

At the sound of the familiar raspy but mocking tone, the pretty Diva lifted an eyebrow and without changing the look on her face, she looked up to meet the source of the voice, her eyes meeting his in an instant.

When looking up she realized that his tone wasn't the only thing of him that held mockery, his lips were carrying that brutal and very burlesque smile that characterized him and it took her a second to know that this was her situation getting a lot worse.

Just great.

"Not now Alberto, I'm really not in the mood." And really, the last thing she needed in that moment was him getting into her scene, in her day off and when she was feeling blue.

It was enough to be stuck with him all day long doing promos and interviews to now having his presence disturb her already shattered day.

"You are never in the mood." He said in his thick accent, sitting down on the chair next to her and with his smile never faltering. "I actually feel bad for your boyfriend; the little perro must be tired of that lame excuse over and over again."

Eve wrinkled her nose and forced out a bitter smile. "I don't have a boyfriend, but speaking of those, where is yours?" She looked around, knowing full well that she wasn't going to see the one and only 'Ricardo Rodriguez' following Del Rio like a shadow, but knowing that her unwanted companion wasn't going to like the term boyfriend once she used it to describe his partnership with the other man.

"Yeah, muy graciosa… Eve."

Like she was expecting, the mockery on his face was replaced with a more serious expression and his eyes looked away from hers; it was only for a second but she enjoyed it while it lasted, that being the highest point in her day so far.

Now, Alberto Del Rio… if truth be told she had to say that she didn't like him very much; she has been working side by side with him as of late doing some PR work and time hadn't worked in his favor. He was one of those men who was too full of himself without a reason to be so and there was nothing she liked less in a person than extreme cockiness and well, Alberto had that against him and then more.

True, he was good, but he wasn't that good and the fact of the matter was that his arrogance since wining and then losing the WWE Champion was edging in intolerable. Poor her that had to endure him during whole days.

"You know, I would laugh at your poor attempt at humor but that would break the gloominess you created in this corner and I don't want to ruin your mood."

Ignoring him, Eve grabbed the book she had on the chair at her left and opened it. She had picked it up at the airport's book store about an hour ago with the intention of passing some time, but so far she hadn't find it in her to start reading it…

"She dies."

"Excuse me?" She asked, closing the book and staring at him.

"In the book, at the end she dies." The Mexican replied with a smirk on his face while eyeing her. "Thought I would save you the trouble of reading all of it just to find out the protagonist dies at the very end."

"Well thank you for the spoiler."

"De nada."

Eve looked away from his eyes and quirked her lips, one finger marking the first page of the book while she took a deep calming breath. She waited a few seconds and there some minutes, waiting to see if he was going to disappear on his own. But he didn't, he was still there when she looked back at his way, sitting at her side and looking at her.

Pushing the inside of her cheek with her tongue, she arched an eyebrow. The truth was that his mere presence was getting on her nerves and while at any other time she would have brushed him off with whatever kind of remark, that day she wasn't feeling like dealing with him.

"What are you doing still here, don't you have things to do, other people to bug?"

Without taking his eyes away from her, the corner of his lips curved into a smile and he looked from right to left. "Yo? No I have some minutes to spare before my flight leaves."

"You got a flight?" She asked, her voice low and her interest picking. She knew he always headed to LA and that was her destination too, they were always on the same flight.

But not that day, that day her flight got delayed and then cancelled, and even after doing everything in the book she couldn't find any other plane or airline that would take her home in time for the holidays.

That was the cause of her dejection, because as things were looking she was going to spend the holidays stuck at the airport…

"Of course I did, I am Alberto Del Rio and there is nothing I can't get. Just look…"

"What airline did you get?"

Obviously annoyed at the interruption, Del Rio leaned his back to the chair and flashed her a big smile. "So that's what got you all down and sad, uh? Well don't bother, I got the last seat on that plane and in a few minutes I'll be boarding it up and heading home for Christmas, first class."

Eve hummed and crossed her arms over her chest, pouting her lips and looking straight ahead. "Good for you."

"Yeah, I'm very lucky overall, can't complain"

"Yeah well why don't you take your luck elsewhere?" She mumbled, her rotten mood getting the best of her.

"Awww why so edgy, chamaca? It's Christmas Eve, be merry and enjoy the good company while you can. It won't be long until I'm gone and then you'll be all alone."

"Alberto, I'm really not in the mood right now so please, for one time only just let me be ok?" She snapped, her jaw firm and her teeth clenching.

The last thing she wanted to hear was him rubbing it in her face about the fact that she had no choice but to wait for the next flight at six o'clock, five hours away and too late for her to get home in time.

"See, for someone who's always preaching about positivism you are a very negative person; and this is without me giving you your first Christmas present, you'll feel bad when you see it."

"Save it, I don't' want or need anything from you."

"De veras?" He asked in his native Spanish while raising an eyebrow.

"Si, de veras." She replied also in Spanish even though hers was a little rusty.

"Well, I'll give it to you anyways and then you'll judge." With that said, he took a white envelope out of his bag and put it on her lap. "Merry Christmas."

Eve took it and threw it over his own lap, looking away and wishing he would just leave her alone. She really wasn't in the mood for his little games and if he kept at it she was going to snap on him big time.

"Okay, I'll open it for you since you are all reluctant."

Eve shrugged, not caring, and she wasn't looking at him directly but out of the corner of her eye she could detect his movements. He was opening the envelope and when he took out her 'present' he put it on her face, right in front of her eyes.

Letting out an annoyed groan, she was going to slap his hand away, but then her eye caught what it was and what it meant and she had to look straight into his eyes… "You are kidding me…"

"No I'm not, take it if you want it."

Eve's hand rose about two inches from her side and then she let it fall back down. "No… I know you too well, you just want me to think you are going to give it to me but you won't. This is one of those sick little games you like so much and I won't fall for it."

"Have I ever tried to pull a sick little game on you? No, so what makes you think this is one? In fact I don't think I've ever pulled a 'sick trick' on anyone, have I? You must be mistaking me with another one handsome guy."

Eve eyed him, not knowing what to believe. The Alberto she knew wasn't a very giving person, he struck her more as a taker; and what he was giving her… it was priceless. "Okay so what's the catch?"

Rolling his eyes Alberto puffed out a breath. "Do you want it or not?"

"I want it." She said, yanking it away from his hand and staring at it. It was precious, it was... it was perfect and just what she wanted. "But, what about you?"

Del Rio shrugged, his eyes never leaving hers.

For a moment she was very tempted on giving it back to him, but then she thought of home and her family waiting for her and she just couldn't let it go, so she gripped at it the hardest and smiled weakly, afraid that he would take it away from her. "Are you sure?"

"Just take it before I change my mind."

"Alberto… I owe you big time for this." She said biting hard on her lips, trying to suppress the grin that wanted to break on her face.

"Whatever." He said with another shrug.

Letting emotion to take over her, she grinned and sprung forward to hug him. It wasn't something she would normally do with him but what he was doing wasn't usual on his part either, so she just hugged him, wrapping one arm around his neck while his hands settled on her lower back momentarily. "Thank you."

For a moment she remained like that, sniffing on his strong masculine scent and smiling; but then, uncomfortable with the position and feeling more than a little awkward, she pulled away from him and went to kiss his cheek. But just when she was about to do that he moved his face to hers… and she halted.

If it wasn't because her reflexes were good she would have ended kissing him full on the lips… thankfully she didn't and stopped right in time. "What was that?"

"Oh vamos, I'm going to spend Christmas stuck in this airport just so you can go home so what's a little kiss to you?"

"So there was a catch in this, ha, I knew it."

"Okay never mind, just go before the plane leaves you and we both end up stuck here." He said, looking all dejected…

Eve couldn't help but smile. Dejected was a look that didn't settle with him and well, it was Christmas Eve and she was going home so why the heck no? So, with that in mind she leaned forward and ever so lightly pecked him on the lips.

He didn't respond at the kiss nor did he even try to prolong it, maybe because he wasn't expecting it. But she wasn't going to repeat so she jumped to her feet and smiled, her mood improving all the way from rotten to excellent. "Thank you Alberto, I really appreciate this."

He brushed her off with a gesture of his hand and on the other one he rested his chin, looking up at her while she stared at the plane ticket that meant home for her and airport for him.

"Yeah whatever, just go before the plane leaves."

Without waiting to be told a third time Eve, turned and grabbed her suitcases, the smile on her lips reaching up to her eyes. She was just beyond happy.

She has been looking forward for that day for such a long time and even though she was going to be a little late she was still going to make it, she was going home with her family.

It was all she ever wanted and it was all thanks to Alberto, who would have thought it...

Once she had all her stuff gathered together she turned back to the WWE Superstar and bit on her lips. He was just sitting there, staring at her with a weird look on his face. It was funny and kind of cute… especially since he wasn't talking for a change. "Feliz Navidad."

He tilted his head and smiled back. "Merry Christmas, Eve…"

~*TBC?*~