After Midnight
Songfic based on "Love is a Losing Game" by Amy Winehouse
Also mentioned is "After Midnight" from the musical Chicago (instrumental)
Almost midnight at Billie's Suite, the vintage-themed jazz and blues bar in Tampa, Florida. Glass clinked and warm laughter filled the blue-lit bar. A small jazz band played at the right of the stage, but the majority of the crowd had their eyes on the enchanting creature in the middle of the spotlight. Her mellow, classically trained voice drifted out into the audience with the help of a silver 1940s microphone. A vintage yellow cocktail dress skimmed her narrow curves, and her sparkling green eyes, framed with black liner and a multitude of lashes, and graceful hands accented every nuance of her song.
Adam watched her closely, studying her reflection in the patinaed mirror lining the wall behind the bar. He leaned casually against the counter drinking the last drop of scotch in his glass. He was hardly alone, the room filled with other WWE Superstars including his former tag team partner Randy Orton in the seat beside him, but he stood in silent contemplation.
The slightly balding bartender stopped wiping the counter and picked up his empty glass. "Nice to see you Mr. Copeland, I didn't know you'd be in town tonight. The usual?"
"That'll be fine Ernie. What time is she off tonight?" Adam replied.
Ernie finished pouring his drink and answered "Midnight as usual Mr. Copeland. I'm sure Coco will be glad to see you sir" before moving on to help two waiting customers at the other end of the bar. Adam shook his head, smiling at Ernie's ability to stay in character down to the last detail, even referring to her by her stage name without a pause.
"Sounds like you're here often" came the voice of the man beside him.
Adam shrugged and grinned. "You could say that." What he couldn't explain was that here, and her, were the reasons he found himself rushing home to Tampa every chance he got, no longer avoiding life outside of wrestling. What he had found here in this pretentious little club was more than he could conceptualize.
A head of fiery red hair hopped up on the plush velvet barstool on his other side. Amy. This wasn't her style of joint, but she had willingly gone along with the group after the taping of Smackdown was over. She had been conned by Vince McMahon, like so many other retired wrestlers, to make a rare onetime appearance on the show.
He still didn't know what to think every time he was near her. They were still close friends right? Yeah, that was true, but there were always the what ifs? running through his brain. What if things had gone differently? What if they had made different choices? What if they hadn't given up?
"Hey good lookin', I like yer hair!" she teased in her smoky voice, and he turned to smile at her and sit down. They chatted a little, mostly about the latest Will Ferrell movie, but Adam went quiet and raised his eyes again as the piano player began to speak.
"Ladies and gents, you know what time it is. It's midnight here at Billie's and it is time for the lovely Miss Coco to bid us all goodnight. But first, one last farewell…" he then began to play her final number for the night, and, as the rest of the band joined in the opening strains, Adam stood and held his hand out to Amy.
"How about a dance with me Ames?" She was taken slightly aback, he wasn't normally a dancer, but something compelled Amy to take his hand and follow him onto the dance floor in front of the stage.
Ignoring the obvious scrutiny of some of their colleagues, she put her arms on his broad shoulders and the memory of what it felt like to be in his arms came flooding back to her.
For you I was a flame,
Love is a losing game,
Five-story fire as you came,
Love is a losing game.
One I wish I never played,
Oh, what a mess we've made,
And now the final frame,
Love is a losing game…
They had been swept up in the flames…flames of their own desire, of the backlash from their closest friends and the fans that had once loved them, of the pressures of their careers. And she regretted every minute of it, knowing they could never change what had happened. She regretted everything, everything but the feeling of being in his arms. But she had walked away from it all—out of the ring and out of Adam's life.
She smiled faintly, knowing that while she was enjoying this moment, it wasn't a place she wanted to stay. There was too much pain here, and she could only cut her losses, knowing that love sometimes has too high of a price.
Played out by the band,
Love is a losing hand,
More than I could stand,
Love is a losing hand.
Self-professed, profound,
Til the chips were down,
Know you're a gambling man,
Love is a losing hand…
It had been so hard for him the last few years, compounded by watching Amy, one of his best friends, the woman he had thought he was in love with, in utter misery because of what they had done. How quickly it had fallen apart when things got rough.
Time and time again Adam had told himself that it had been love, that they had no other choice, but he finally saw through his own lies. How unlike love it had been. He could no longer lie to himself to justify his actions. They had made a mistake, a big one, and they had paid dearly. And then she walked away. He had taken a gamble, rolled the dice, and lost.
For you I battled blind,
Love is a fate resigned,
Memories mar my mind,
Love is a fate resigned.
Over futile odds
And laughed at by the gods…
Her voice nearly faltered in the middle of the verse as she watched the man she had been falling in love with dancing with her greatest fear. She had entered their relationship expecting nothing, but he had been changing her world, piece by piece, each time he walked in the door. She had given in wholeheartedly, resigned to the fact that she could never really know all of his heart. Even more, that he might not be hers at all.
Mixed with the memories of her romance with Adam were the ones she had watched from her living room sofa only a few short years ago. Moments that had revealed all that he had done to be with Amy. Feelings that she feared had never truly gone away. She had accepted that perhaps she only temporarily filled the void that Amy had left behind, but she couldn't fight the feelings she had for him. Despite how ridiculous it seemed, she knew she would be unable to avoid her own love for Adam.
He raised his head, locking eyes with her over Amy's shoulder. His gaze said more than words could ever begin to verbalize.
And now the final frame,
Love is a losing game.
The music eased into a piano interlude as the audience clapped and the piano player thanked the crowd and announced the appearance of the harmonizing duo of Maggie and Molly Weatherly after a short break. Adam and Amy stopped dancing and looked at each other once more, but Adam's thoughts remained on the stage 20 feet away.
"It really is over, isn't it Adam?" She smiled, only the slightest hint of sadness in her eyes, knowing that he had finally let go of the past.
He could only nod. This was his final farewell to the what ifs? that had been holding him under waters of guilt and regret. She would forever be his friend, they had gained and lost so much together, but his heart never belonged to her.
He released her and strode quickly to the front of the stage, lifting Coco high into the air by her tiny waist. She smiled and laughed as he set her down and placed a tender kiss on her perpetually waiting lips. He pulled her close as the band played After Midnight, unable to take his eyes off of her. They easily dipped and turned, moving in perfect rhythm with the sweetly seductive strains, as if the song had been written only for them.
Adam had lost so much in the games he had played, but her eyes told him what he hadn't been able to comprehend, that he had finally found what he had been looking for: he had found love.