Author's Note: Ok, so I decided to revamp and completely change this story. I was not satisfied with the direction of the original story, so I decided to change it. Some things I will keep the same, but this entire chapter is completely new. If you guys prefer the previous version, please let me know. I hope you guys review and tell me what you think. Your feedback will be helpful.
xoxo.
December 2015
Carli Wright stumbled into work 20 minutes late, regretting most of the decisions she made the previous night. Her head felt like elephants were tap dancing on her cerebellum. The lovely effects of tequila were quite gone, but most of the other nasty tastes remained on her tongue. She considered calling out for the day, but she actually enjoyed her job. At least that's what she was always telling people. She was a physical therapist, working in the same faculty that helped her recover from an ACL injury she suffered as a college varsity soccer player at the University of Alabama. Prior to moving back to Birmingham for her 'dream' job, Carli had juggled her shares of jobs as she worked her way through PT school, such as being a bar attendant, a waitress, and that one time she worked as a live mannequin at a retail store; all of which ended with her being fired. In the midst of her chaos, she was proud of the fact that she eventually made something of herself. Unfortunately, at the moment, she had that unpleasant feeling that her brain had been replaced with cotton balls, needles, and pins, which was why it hurt so much to think. She was also in desperate need of a cup of coffee – maybe two.
"You're late…again." Carli rolled her eyes at the deep baritone of her boss Kirk Wilks, the associate director of the sports medicine center that Carli worked for.
"Sorry, Kirk." Carli replied while trying to pull her long black hair into a tight ponytail.
"This is the third time in two weeks." Kirk stepped closer to Carli, close enough for her to smell his Old Spice cologne.
Carli huffed. "I said I'm sorry, Kirk. It won't happen again." Carli struggled to push her oversized bag deeper into the skinny locker before slamming it shut.
"What's the reason this morning?' He questioned. 'Let me guess…your cat got sick? Oh no, wait…your car broke down?"
"Kirk, I don't own a cat." Carli laughed as she stepped around him.
"I'm not laughing, Car.' Kirk gave her his best angry glare. 'If you keep this up…"
"Wait?' She interrupted, turning swiftly to face her boss. 'You're going to fire me?"
Both Kirk and Carli knew he wouldn't do that. Carli's lack of punctuality and snide attitude still wasn't enough to fire her, considering the fact that she was one of the best physical therapists the center had. Under her care, patients reported the best recovery rates. She was passionate about what she did and her patients. But she was tough. She didn't allow her patients to sulk and feel sorry for themselves during their rehabilitation. Not only did she work to heal her patients physically, but she was able to heal them mentally from their injury.
"You keep it up and I will!" This time Carli broke out into giggles. Kirk was like a second father to her. Back when she was in college, she worked as a rehab tech for him, who was her physical therapist. After she graduated and moved back home to Florida to go to PT school, Kirk had worked his way up the ranks to now associate director of the center and he was one of the first people to offer Carli a job as a full-time physical therapist after she spent over a year working as a PTA. She was just as close to Kirk as she was with her father when he was living and they argued accordingly.
"Very funny Car.' He nodded. 'You keep this behavior up. Before long, it will be out of my hands."
"Ok fine.' She conceded. 'I won't be late again. I promise."
"I've heard that before.' He rolled his eyes, becoming preoccupied with the iPad in his hand. 'Have you looked at the PT schedule for today?"
"No. But I'm sure it's the usual."
"Oh no, not today.' Kirk looked up from the iPad screen. 'You're with me today. I have this wrestler coming in today for his rehabilitation appointment."
"Wrestler?"
"His real name is Colby Lopez; ring name is Seth Rollins. Ring a bell?"
Carli shrugged. "No, why would it?"
"Didn't you say you were a fan of wrestling?"
"Was.' Carli corrected. 'I haven't watched wrestling since I graduated from high school." Carli had to admit; she used to love wrestling when she was younger. She and her younger brother Mikey used to always build makeshift rings out of old mattresses in the basement and beat the hell out of each other all day long. At one point, she even wanted to work in sports entertainment, but those dreams never took flight once she went away to school. With real life getting in the way, Carli knew she had to be practical. Getting the chance to work for the WWE was a one in a million opportunity.
"Anyways,' She continued as Kirk joined her in stride down the hallway. 'Doesn't Kevin normally work with you on the patients from WWE?"
"Yeah, well.' Kirk scratched the top of his receding hairline. 'Kevin left for Puerto Rico. His wedding is this weekend."
"People actually still do destination weddings?" Carli teased.
"Hey!' Kirk shot. 'Me and Martha had a destination wedding."
"Yeah, almost half a century ago."
Kirk pursed his lips and Carli let out a hearty laugh. "Ha-ha. Real funny, Car. You should really take this comedy show of yours on the road."
"I will if you fire me."
This time Kirk laughed as they both turned the corner. 'What time is this guy coming in?"
"At 4 in the trainers' room. Today is his last day of PT here before he heads home. Please don't be late Carli. Today is his last visit before he flies home. I'm not kidding."
"Alright! I'll do my best." She sighed loudly. Kirk sent her a grimace as he walked into his office, closing the door gently behind him. Carli had heard some horror stories about the wrestlers who came in with injuries from the WWE. Jeff Dugas was the surgeon for the majority of them, as well as being the top orthopedic surgeons and sports medicine specialists at the sports medicine center that Carli worked for. With her crazy work schedule for the rest of the day, she was sure she wouldn't have the time to look this Seth Rollins character up beforehand. She hoped that whoever he was, God let him be a decent human being to work with.
"What do you mean you're staying in Illinois? I thought you said you were going back to Iowa to meet me when I fly in tomorrow."
Colby Lopez, better known as Seth Rollins, tried his best to keep his voice down as he waited patiently in the waiting room. He had arrived 10 minutes before his rehab appointment, hoping to check in with his girlfriend of over a year. Since his surgery two week ago, she had promised to come to Alabama to be with him; she hadn't made it there yet. Now she was planning to stay in Illinois for a few more weeks, while Colby was left alone in Iowa. Sure he had the rest of his family, but he wanted Zahra.
"It's only an hour flight, Zahra." Colby had to constantly check his tone as he was receiving glares from other waiting patients and staff members of the sports medicine center.
"Alright fine.' He appeased as Zahra tried explaining her absence. 'Do whatever."
"Mr. Lopez. They are ready for you now in the trainers' room if you would like to follow me."
Colby gave a half-smile to the young PTA, who led him off to the elevator and down a hallway.
"You can call me Colby; just anything but Mr. Lopez." He frowned as they stood outside of the trainers' room.
"Well ok, Colby.' The physical therapist assistant said nervously. 'Mr. Wilks and Miss Wright are waiting for you inside."
"Wait, Miss Wright?' Colby was confused, he never worked with Miss Wright before. 'Where's Kevin?"
"Mr. Miller is on vacation as of this morning." Colby stared at the assistant a second longer before pushing the door open and walking inside the trainers' room.
"Hey Colby, how's the knee feeling?" Kirk asked, walking over to Colby as he propped himself up on the trainers' table.
"Eh.' Colby responded, removing his knee brace with Kirk's assistance. 'It's pretty sore."
"I see it's still pretty swollen.' Kirk noted, closely examining the knee. 'But it has gone down significantly."
Kirk continued speaking, but Colby tuned him out at the sight of the brunette walking in the room and over to where he was sitting. Her skin was olive and smooth, her black hair was pulled back into a ponytail; a few strands fell loosely around her face. Behind her thick-rimmed eyeglasses, Colby saw her big blue eyes, that were perfectly shadowed by long and thick eyelashes. Even though she wasn't smiling, Colby could see the warmth in her eyes.
"Ah, there she is.' Colby shot to attention. 'Colby, I want you to meet Carli. She is one of our amazing physical therapist here."
Colby's words got lost in his throat. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing would come out.
"Nice to meet you."
Colby cleared his throat and nodded. "Same." His brows furrowed as he watched Carli take a step back.
"So, Colby. I have to go pull up your treatment program that Kevin, Dr. Dugas, and I have worked on so you can take home with you and work with your personal PT. In the meantime, you can start getting warmed up here with Carli. I'll be right back."
Carli and Colby didn't speak as she stretched him out on the trainers' table. Afterward, the only sound between them was of Carli counting each rep. Almost 15 minutes had passed and the two didn't speak beyond anything concerning the warm-up. By the time they were done, Kirk hadn't returned.
"Ok Colby, I'm going to have you do some wall sits for three reps; 15 seconds."
"Maybe we should wait for Kirk to come back." He replied, using a towel to wipe the beads of sweat forming from his face.
"Why?" Carli stared. Her question caught Colby by surprise.
"I-I mean, we don't want to continue without him." Colby swallowed hard. He felt like he was on eggshells around her. She was intense.
The corners of Carli's lips curled into a slight smirk. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind. Now up, let's go."
Colby managed to get through his wall sits without any problems, but when it was time to do single leg balance on the injured knee, Colby struggled.
"Aaah!" Colby groaned as he could feel the pain in his knee building as he tried his best to balance onto a BOSU ball while catching a ball being thrown to him by Carli.
"Just push through, c'mon." Carli picked up the speed of her throws.
"I can't!" Colby caught the ball, tucking it close to his side as he stepped off the BOSU ball.
"What's the problem?" Carli's voice was laced with concern with a hint of annoyance.
"Where the hell is Kirk?" Colby asked between bated breath.
He was starting to annoy Carli. "I don't know but you're welcomed to go look for him."
Colby watched her shift from one leg to the other as she placed her hands on her hips.
"Listen.' Colby spoke. 'There is a lot of weird things going on in my knee that I'm not familiar with."
"You're only two-weeks post-opt; obviously that knee capsule is operating differently in a way that you're not familiar with."
"Well, maybe I should be calling it a day." Colby frowned.
"Or maybe you should stop being a little baby and push through this." Carli matched his increased tone.
"Excuse me?' He groaned, climbing back to his feet.
"I'm sorry but you're going to have to man up or this recovery is going to go by much slower than either of us wants." She spoke sternly, stepping closer towards him. Their faces were now inches apart.
"Do you talk to all your patients like this?"
"As a matter of fact.' She huffed. 'I do, especially the ones who are complaining the way you are." Kirk suddenly appeared, his smile vanishing as he could sense the tension in the air.
"I'm back."
Carli broke her glare with Colby. "And I'm leaving." With that, Carli turned on her heels and stormed out of the trainers' room.
"Hey, Kirk.' Colby breathed, leaning on the table behind him. 'What's her problem?"
"Well, Car.' Kirk had to think hard about the words he should use to describe her. 'Car, is a bit of an acquired taste if you know what I mean."
"Yeah, like motor oil."
Kirk laughed. "I'll admit.' He started. 'It takes a lot of patience to deal with Carli. She's as mean as a pit bull but can be sweet like candy. Whatever she said, just know that she means well."
Colby sighed, trying to relieve the agitation he felt for the beautiful brunette that just stormed out.
"She sure does have a funny way of showing it."
"C'mon, was he that bad?" Myron Neilson, one of Carli's dearest friends and co-workers asked as he looked across the table at Carli. Carli's other friend and co-worker, Kassie Wyatt, sat beside Myron, nodding her head at Carli's claims about Colby.
"When I checked him in, he insisted I not call him by his last name. Anything but Mr. Lopez." Kassie mocked Colby.
Carli had to giggle, as she glared down at her phone. "He kept asking where Kirk was like he didn't think I was qualified to work with him."
"Did he say that?" Myron asked, taking a sip of water from his water bottle.
"Myron.' Kassie interjected. 'Stop playing devil's advocate."
Myron shrugged. "I'm just saying. Car, I think you might have overreacted."
"By the way Car, who are you texting?" Myron asked as he and Kassie noticed that Carli was looking down at her phone, smiling.
"Oh, is it that hot guy you took home last night?" Kassie interjected.
"Oh god no.' Carli made a face at the both of them. 'Mikey just texted me."
"Did the guy hit you up at all?" Kassie leaned in closer.
Carli snorted. "No."
"Well damn. I'm sorry Carli." Kassie responded.
"Sorry for what.' Carli glared at him. 'He hasn't called or texted me because I didn't give him my number."
"Wait a minute.' Kassie paused. 'You had sex with him and didn't give him your number?"
Carli nodded. "Exactly."
Both Myron and Kassie laughed. "Was it that bad?" Myron questioned.
Carli shrugged. "It was fine. But giving him my number would ruin the concept of a one-stand stand. One-night stand means I don't have to see you again once we have sex."
"Geesh.' Myron fanned himself with his hand. 'You're harsh. You don't think a one-night stand will turn into more?"
Carli shrugged, taking another huge gulp from her water bottle.
"Two words, Car.' Kassie added. 'Samantha Jones."
Carli glared at both of them, seriously this time, causing them to wince. "You two need to get a life."
"Yours is more interesting, Ms. One-Night Stand." Myron teased.
"Don't call me that!" Carli shot.
"Don't be mad at me, you're the one that doesn't want to settle down."
"C'mon Myron, I don't think that's what it is." Kassie came to Carli's defense.
"Thank you.' Carli agreed. 'I don't have a problem settling down, I'm just not going to settle."
"Preach sister!" Kassie interjected.
Myron arched a brow at her as he leaned in closer. "So, what's it going to take to get you in a relationship? In the last year and a half that I've known you, you've never been with anyone exclusively."
"Myron, get off my back, please. When the right guy comes along then I'll have no problem settling down."
"The point still stands, when though?"
Carli was getting ready to shut Myron down until she saw Kirk's silhouette from her peripheral. She knew that he was looking for her.
"Kassie. Myron." Kirk gritted their names through his teeth, trying his best to control his visible agitation. He squeezed Carli's collarbone so hard, she winced.
"Hi Mr. Wilks." They replied in unison.
"Can I have a word with Carli – alone." This time, Kassie and Myron didn't respond. They just got up from the table and left their friend for dead. Carli squirmed under Kirk's scrutiny, refusing to look him in the eye.
"You made a fool out of me and yourself back there!" Carli sighed, putting her head in her hands. She didn't mean to come off so harsh, but she hated a pussy.
"Kirk, I-I'm.."
"Save it, Carli.' He interrupted. 'You need to apologize."
"Honestly Kirk, what I said wasn't bad."
He placed his hands on his hips. "He said you called him a baby."
"C'mon Kirk.' Carli shot. 'That is not even close to one of the worst insults I've said. You know that."
"This isn't funny, Carli."
Carli sighed. She looked up and not only saw the frustration in Kirk's eyes, but she could tell he was disappointed. Kirk was only going to take so much of her behavior.
"Fine. I'll apologize."
"And let me tell you something else, Car.' Kirk pointed. 'I'd be careful if I was you, Carli. One day you will need someone else and that bad attitude of yours will get you nowhere."
Carli sucked her teeth. He knew her well – and Kirk knew what had previously happened to her when it came time for her to need those in her life that she cared about. Sadly, nobody was there for her, except Kirk.
Before she could respond, Kirk had turned and walked away. Carli pulled herself together before walking out.
"Can we talk?"
Carli walked up to Colby, catching him off guard. He was sitting back comfortably with his knee wrapped in ice. Colby looked up at her from his phone. His striking eyes were filled with amusement, rather than the hostility that Carli was expecting. His lips even curled into a smile.
"Oh, it's you. Here to call me out again?"
"Look, I only came here to apologize for my comments earlier. They were rude and uncalled for." Carli spoke with awkwardness; she couldn't remember the last time she apologized and meant it wholeheartedly. Her eyes filled with confusion once Colby started laughing.
"Wow."
"Wow what?" She asked humorlessly.
Colby shrugged. "That apology. Seemed like it pained you to say."
Carli rolled her eyes. 'I'm not a heartless prick. I can admit when I'm wrong."
"So, Kirk didn't put you up to this?"
Colby watched as Carli shifted her weight. "No, he didn't."
"You sure?" Colby arched a brow at her.
"Yes, I'm sure."
'So, if I call him in here right now, he's going to say that you're apologizing on your own."
Carli sighed; why was this guy so annoying? Why couldn't he just accept the apologize and move on? She was seconds away from telling him where he could take this apology and shove it.
"Kirk might be my boss. But he knows and now you know, nobody can make me do anything I don't want to do."
"Is that right?" Colby smirked. He wasn't intentionally intending to get her all worked up, but he couldn't help himself.
"Look.' Carli was ready to go. 'If you need anything else, just let us know. Good luck with your recovery."
With that, Carli turned on her heels and walked away. "Asshole."
After 30 minutes of filling out paperwork, Carli decided to call it a night. It was Friday night, which meant she had plans to meet Kassie and Myron for drinks at their favorite bar. But first, she had to go home and change clothes. She quickly walked to the parking lot she could almost feel the tequila running through her veins. Once seated comfortably in her car, Carli turned the key in the ignition, nothing.
She turned the key again, nothing.
"Shit!" Carli screamed, slapping the steering wheel hard. Can this day get any worse? She got out and lifted the hood, staring aimlessly at the car parts in front of her. Carli knew nothing about cars; she slammed the hood back down, leaning on it.
She pulled out her phone to call Myron, he didn't answer. So, she called Kassie – she didn't answer. So much for needing people. She tried calling her roommate Jada who was due for her night shift in an hour, she too didn't answer.
Carli proceeded to call the tow company before getting herself an Uber. At this point, Carli wasn't even sure she wanted to go out with her friends tonight, especially with the day she was having. All she wanted was peace and quiet.
"And so we meet again."
She glanced up from her phone – Colby was staring at her, wearing a wide grin. Carli rolled her eyes so hard she could have picked up a stiff wind.
"Not right now. Please." She returned, turning her back to Colby.
"You having car trouble?"
"What does it look like?"
"Whoa, I just asked a question. Maybe I can help."
"Help?' Carli repeated. 'You want to know how you can help me; you can leave me alone. I've had enough of you for one day."
Colby let out a hearty laugh which Carli sent him a perplexed glare. Why was he laughing?
"First time a woman has ever told me that."
"What gives.' Carli folded her arms along her chest. 'Why are you so annoying?"
"Now wait a minute.' Colby protested. 'I wouldn't use those exact words to describe myself."
Carli tried not to smirk, but she couldn't help it.
"That's the first time I've seen you smile all day, I almost thought you didn't." Colby continued.
"Very funny.' She smirked. 'For your information, I smile all the time."
"You should."
An awkward silence fell between them.
"So, um, are you waiting for someone to come pick you up? Maybe a boyfriend." Colby broke the silence.
"I don't own one of those.' Carli smiled playfully. 'I'm waiting for the tow truck."
"Ok, well I'll wait with you."
"You really don't have to."
"I don't mind."
"I mean fine. But you'll only be waiting for a few seconds."
"Why is that?"
"Because the tow truck is right there." Carli pointed as the tow truck crossed the light and turned into the parking lot.
Once Carli filled out the necessary paperwork and the tow truck hauled her car away, she turned her attention back to Colby.
"I should probably get going now." Carli retorted, pulling her phone back out of her pocket.
"If you don't mind, I can take you home or wherever you need to go." Colby offered as Carli hesitated. Carli bit her lip as she considered her options. She had already been enough of a bitch to him for one day that she didn't want to turn him down. And if he did try anything, she was sure she could take him considering he only had one good leg.
She noticed Colby staring at her, intently waiting for her response. "Sure why not," she said with some difficulty.
Colby gave a crooked smile. He was amused by the uneasiness of her response. "Come on."
He walked over to his rental car and opened Carli's door, holding it open for her as she climbed inside.
"You can put your address into the GPS." Colby remarked as he buckled himself in. Carli did and Colby watched her closely.
"You're not going to become a stalker or anything, now that you know my exact address?"
"No thanks, princess. I'm not the stalker type." He said as he started up the engine and pulled off into traffic.
"Are you from around here, Carli?" Colby was taking a shot at small talk.
"No. I'm from Florida."
"So, how did you end up here in Alabama?"
"I moved here a year and a half ago when Kirk offered me a job to come out here. So, I packed up and came."
"What did you do before this?"
Carli slightly turned in her seat, to stare at Colby. "You sure ask a lot of questions?"
"And you don't say much do you?"
Carli shrugged. "What do you want me to say?"
Colby rubbed the back of his neck, shifting gears. "I dunno. Just trying to make small talk." Carli nibbled on the inside of her cheek. "Any other suggestions?"
"Let's listen to music." Carli said before reaching for the car radio and turning the volume up.
"You just don't want to hear me talk." Colby shouted over the music.
"You said it, not me." Carli grinned.
"You're breaking my heart, princess." He pouted, turning the volume down as she giggled in response, undoing his action. Taylor Swift began blaring through the speakers.
"Oh no, absolutely not." Colby turned the radio down.
"C'mon. Don't tell me you don't like Taylor Swift."
"I didn't say I didn't. But I can't be seen blasting that from my car."
"Seen by who. Nobody knows you."
Colby tried to repress his smile. "You do know I am a professional wrestler. A very popular one."
"Good for you.' She retorted. 'So where are you from?"
"Oh, so now you want to talk to me?" Colby teased.
"I just asked a question."
"I'm from Davenport, Iowa."
"Iowa?' Carli snorted. 'Never thought I'd meet a person from Iowa."
"Hey, what's wrong with Iowa?"
Carli shrugged. "Nothing. I just think of small-town country living when I think of Iowa."
"In a nutshell, that's basically what Iowa is. I still live there too."
Carli paused as she watched a smile appear on Colby's face. "As a big-time wrestler for the WWE, wouldn't you want to live somewhere else?"
"No.' Colby frowned. 'All my family and friends still live in Iowa, so I have everything I need right there."
Within a couple more minutes, they had arrived successfully at Carli's home.
"Whoa, this is your house?" Colby asked as he pulled up in front of the two-story Mediterranean house.
"This is mi casa.' Carli retorted, unbuckling her seatbelt. 'Thanks again for the ride. I guess you're not so bad."
"I knew you'd like me, princess."
"Don't push it.' She snorted. 'And stop calling me princess. I'm far from one."
She stared at Colby for one long second as he smiled at her. She opened her car door but before she climbed out of the car, Colby's voice stopped her.
"It was nice getting to know you, Carli."
She smiled, closing the door behind her. "Goodnight, Colby."
Colby sat and watched her enter the house. The minute she was in the house, he hopped out and walked behind his car, releasing the pee that he had been holding for far too long but didn't want to say anything. He didn't want to miss a moment spent with Carli. Colby couldn't explain it, but her smile was mesmerizing. He wanted to be around her and in her company. But he knew he was moving into dangerous territory, considering he had a girlfriend.
"Seriously Colby."
Colby's trance was interrupted, his heart sinking to his belly at the sight of Carli re-emerging from her house. He jumped, quickly shoving his penis back into his boxers, his face morphed into a mortified expression.
Carli's full lips curled into a wide grin as she busted out into laughter.
"Never thought I'd see the day where I'd catch you with your pants down." Colby's cheeks started to flush immediately.
"I thought you went in the house." Colby gritted, readjusting his shorts.
"I was until I looked out the window and saw you taking a piss outside my house."
"I'm sorry."
"You know you could have just asked to come in and use the bathroom." She blinked.
"I didn't want to intrude."
Carli stepped back, continuing to laugh. "Did you at least finish?"
Colby sucked his teeth. "Not necessarily. But I can hold it the rest of the way back to my hotel."
Carli continued to laugh, amused by his embarrassment.
"Glad you find this hilarious."
"I do!' Carli's laugher seized as a calm silence fell between them. 'You're more than welcome to come inside to um, finish what I interrupted here."
Colby thought about her invitation. He did really still have to pee and he didn't want to risk it having to drive back across town to his hotel room.
"Thanks."
Colby followed her inside, looking around her living room once he was completely through the threshold. She had a very nice house; big and clean with fancy comfortable looking furniture and pictures on the wall and on the mantel over the fireplace. For a woman who came off as pretty cold sometimes, her house was cozy and warm.
"Bathroom is down the hall, first door on the right." She explained, kicking her shoes off in the foyer.
Colby didn't respond, he just staggered down the hallway to the bathroom, finishing what he started.
When he emerged, he spotted Carli in the kitchen. She had changed clothes where she was now wearing yoga pants and a sweatshirt.
"Do you want a drink for the road? I have water, Gatorade, Pepsi, and some weird fruit juice my roommate always buys." She asked, turning her attention to him.
'I'd take a water."
Colby made his way back into the living room where he found himself examining the photos on the wall.
He made his way over to the fireplace, staring at the photos along the mantel. There was a picture front and center in a silver frame of who Colby presumed was Carli as a little girl, sitting on the bended knee of St. Louis Cardinal pitcher David Kile. He was a baseball legend, best known for winning 20 games in his first season with the Cardinals and his sharp, big breaking curveball.
"You know David Kile?" Colby asked, pointing at the picture.
Carli snorted as she handed Colby his water, plopping down on the couch, the stress of the day sitting next to her. "Oh yeah, we go way back."
"Hmm.' Colby limped over to the sofa, sitting down next to her. 'How far back we talking? You look kinda young in that picture."
"Yeah, it was taken in '98 I think."
"Is David related to you?"
Carli sighed. "He's my dad."
"WHAT?!" He blinked.
She nodded, shrugging.
"But you don't have the same last name."
"I, unfortunately, use my mother's last name. They were never married." She explained. Colby stood to his feet, staring at the rest of the pictures on the wall and mantel. There was one with David and Carli with her in a cap and gown on as a tiny kid and another where Colby presumed was her as she sat on top of her father's shoulders.
"He passed away in 2002, right?"
Carli sighed. "Yup, basically when my life turned to shit."
"How come?" Colby turned his attention to her and silence descended in the room. He re-joined Carli back on the sofa.
"He was my best friend. I lost not just my dad but my friend." Carli's revelation shocked Colby. Not the fact that she was close to her father, but the fact she was actually opening up to him.
"I'm sorry for even mentioning it Carli." Colby tone was filled with concern and sympathy.
"No it's fine.' She stared, trying not to cry. 'I know he's still with me every day."
"And he's probably really proud of you."
Carli let out a weak laugh. "Yeah. If he was around when I was a teen though, he would have kicked my ass."
"Oh, you were a wild child, huh?"
"The worst of its kind."
Nevermind that Colby was acting as her therapist, Carli couldn't believe that she was actually opening up to him. This was unheard of for her, yet she felt comfortable with Colby. No matter how annoying she found him.
Colby slinked over closer to her on the couch. He placed a gentle hand on her thigh, not even realizing what he was doing.
"If you're planning on staying for a while, you might want to elevate that." Carli reminded, pointing to Colby's knee which was protected by his brace.
He lifted an eyebrow at her. "I'm actually a welcomed guest in your house. Who would have imagined."
"You sure know how to kill a moment when you open your mouth." Carli joked, before placing a pillow on her coffee table and helping Colby adjust his leg on it.
He squeezed her thigh tighter as she moved around his very sore knee.
"I can get you some ice if you want."
"No, I'm ok. Thank you."
Absentmindedly, Carli rested her hand over Colby's hand, which still gripped her thigh. She made the mistake of looking into his big brown eyes as their eyes locked. Carli could feel the electricity between them, but she was fighting that demon.
"Did you used to have your nose pierced?" Colby smiled, rubbing his thumb over the spot on her thin nose where an earring use to be.
"I went through a phase."
Colby smiled. "I'm pretty sure we all did. I had the whole spike-haired thing in high school. And when I got to WWE, half my hair was brown and the other was blonde."
"As a grown man, what possessed you to wear two-toned hair?"
Colby shrugged. "Every guy around me at the time, wrestling, had long dark hair, so I just wanted to be different. People might not remember all the guys with the long dark hair, but they'll remember the guy with the two-toned hair."
Carli nodded. He did make sense. "Nobody wants to be forgettable."
"Exactly, especially not in my profession."
"Colby.' Carli broke the banter. 'Your hand has been on my thigh for the past 10 minutes."
"Why you just now saying something then." Colby sent her a smirk, removing his hand.
"I was waiting for you to notice."
"Liar. You just wanted me to fill up on you." Colby teased.
"Whatever."
For the millionth time in one night, their eyes locked. This time, they couldn't look away. Both of their hearts started racing as they both leaned in closer. Carli hoped he couldn't hear hers.
Colby lightly kissed her lips, electricity jolted through his veins. He then tried to pull away, but Carli closed the space between them as she pulled him closer. Their lips fitted perfectly with each other as he deepened the kiss, leaning in further, forcing her down onto her back.
Colby pulled away once he realized he couldn't move his knee the way he wanted to. If he could, he would be on top of her right now. Colby suddenly felt incomplete without the feel of her lips. Followed by a feeling of guilt, especially when the image of Zahra popped into his mind.
"Carli I-I." Carli stopped him by placing a lone finger to his lips as she sat back up. She straddled him, pushing him back into the sofa and kissed him again. Colby moaned into her mouth, gripping her hips. He knew he should have pulled away, but he couldn't.
Carli cradled his face, surprising Colby by how dominant she was. He could feel his penis hardening in the mesh of his shorts and he was sure Carli could feel it too. Carli pushed his hoodie down his shoulders, sliding them down his arms, tossing it aside. Her fingertips gripped the ends of his shirt, pulling it over his head. She could feel his arousal pressing against her vagina, and all doubt left her mind. He wanted her.
Colby followed her movement, removing her sweatshirt and then her bra. In a matter of minutes, Carli was able to step out of her yoga pants, now only wearing a lacy black thong. She pulled his penis out of his shorts, stroking it gently. Colby was already on the verge of combustion.
"Your roommate." He murmured, between breaths.
"We're making out and you're thinking about my roommate?" Carli pulled away.
"No, no.' Colby realized he was ruining the mood. 'Is she here?"
"You trying to make this a threesome or something?"
"I mean.." Colby smirked when Carli playfully punched his chiseled pec.
"Where's your bedroom?" He asked, trying to reset the mood.
"You afraid of getting caught, Mr. Lopez?" She mocked.
"Lady, I'd take you right here on this couch if it wasn't so uncomfortable for my situation." He growled, motioning down to his knee.
Carli pulled herself off his lap and stood to her feet, helping Colby up and grabbing his hand. She guided him to the bedroom but before they crossed the threshold, she swiftly turned around to look him in the face.
"This would be the time to back out, Mr. Lopez."
He should have - he knew he should have. But he couldn't. He swallowed the lump of guilt he felt in his throat before closing the space between their lips. He pushed Carli backward into the room, slamming the door shut behind them.
Opening his eyes, Colby was surprised by how dark the room was. He soon realized that he wasn't sleeping in his hotel bed or in his hotel room. He looked over to see thick black hair spread across the pillow, next to him slept a peaceful woman. Then it hit him. The brunette next to him was not his girlfriend - it was Carli. He realized that he hadn't been dreaming. Carli was real and so was the mistake he just made. Seeing the layers of his clothes sprawled out on the floor, he became instantly aware of what took place last night. He and Carli had sex - wild and crazy sex. Some of the best he'd had in his life. As careful as he could, he climbed out the bed and tiptoed around the room, collecting his clothes quietly as he tried not to wake Carli. His knee brace was also missing as he found it on the floor, next to his shorts. He suddenly heard a buzzing noise and realized it was his phone in his shorts pocket. He reached his lanky arm down to grab it, hoping to stop the noise before Carli woke up. He caught a glimpse of the caller ID - Zahra. Colby instantly felt sick to his stomach. He looked up to see that Carli had turned over on her side, she was facing his direction. But she was still sleeping peacefully. He quickly and quietly got dressed, hoping that Carli wouldn't wake up. He bolted for the door, making sure there was were no signs of Carli's roommate outside in the hallway. The entire house was dark as he sprinted to the front door, closing it quietly behind him.
Once Colby was safely in his car, he cursed and cried to himself. Tonight was beautiful - Carli was beautiful. But it was wrong. It was only a matter of time before Colby would have to come clean about what happened tonight. Or maybe not?
In a few hours, he would be getting on a flight back to Iowa, going back to his life with Zahra; hopefully never having to come back to Alabama again and hopefully never seeing Carli again. He could pretend this night never happened. He took one last look at Carli's house, before pulling off.
"Goodbye, Carli."