I've had the idea for this in my head for quite some time but never really got around to actually sitting down and typing it out until late last year. As it happened, the laptop I had used previously died and I didn't have a back-up copy so I'm typing this from memory. I'll be updating this whenever I get free time from not working, not travelling to/from work, not studying, not updating my other current fanfic and not updating websites. I'm still not 100% happy with this but it'll do for now. Feel free to read and review!
\/\/\/\/\/
Alberto Del Rio sat on the chair in the corner of the hotel room, staring at the TV, not really paying much attention to the news broadcast that was airing. In his hand was a glass of whiskey, which he was absent-mindedly swirling around, having not touched it yet. He wasn't really in the mood to be spending any time with anyone, which was why he was holed up in the hotel room.
When the news broadcaster said what the date was, Alberto let out a sigh before knocking back the whiskey, getting up to pour himself another. Before he knocked that one back, he reached into his suitcase, fishing around for the one thing that was the reason why he hated this particular date. A few seconds later, he found what he was after.
It was well worn due to all of the handling of it but the words that were written on it still held the same meaning. Many times, Alberto found himself wanting to rip up the piece of paper, not wanting to remind himself of the pain and anguish he had gone through some four years earlier but he had always folded it up and placed it back in his suitcase, knowing that while over the next year, he would still think back to the day he'd found that note waiting for him, he would only ever look at it on this particular day.
However, not today.
He knocked back the second whiskey before fishing around for his cell phone, suddenly in the mood to talk to Ricardo. He knew that Ricardo was aware of his hating this date but he didn't know why that was so and he finally decided that Ricardo should know the truth. He sent a text message to him, telling him that there was a whiskey available for him should he take Alberto's offer up, and a few seconds later, he had a reply, asking which floor he was on and which room he was in.
In due course, Alberto replied to the message from Ricardo, pouring another neat whiskey into a glass before standing by the hotel room door, all ready to hand the glass to Ricardo when he walked in.
A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door and, although Alberto knew Ricardo would be out in the hallway, he still looked through the peep hole in the hotel room door before opening it to let Ricardo inside.
As Ricardo made his way inside, Alberto made sure that he got hold of the glass of whiskey he'd poured for him before he motioned that it was fine for Ricardo to knock it back. Ricardo did just that, emitting a few splutters as the straight alcohol burned its way down his throat, which gained him a slight smile from Alberto before he poured them both another whiskey.
"I know that you know that I've hated this day for the past four years and now I feel that it's time for me to tell you why that is so. Or rather, show you why that is so."
Alberto handed the well-worn piece of paper to Ricardo and motioned for him to open it to see the words on it. Once it had been opened, Alberto turned to make his way to the hotel room window, content to sip at the whiskey as Ricardo took in the contents of the note, noting the gasp the younger man emitted.
"This was how you found out that not only was your wife leaving you but she was pregnant with your second child?"
Alberto nodded. Because of the divorce and his current work commitments, he had hardly seen his son and daughter in the past four years. His ex-wife had to be in the mood to let him see the children and more often than not, she wasn't in the mood. He had more contact with his ex-parents in law than he did his own children and he didn't think that was fair on any of them.
He could still remember walking into the house in Tampa, to find that it was eerily quiet and the more he looked around, the more concerned he got. Something wasn't right but he couldn't put his finger on just what it was.
Seeing the near empty state of his son's bedroom – where the action figures he had of his father were on display – was the first indication that something was up. Going into the bedroom he shared with his wife, he saw that it, too, was nearly empty and that an envelope with his name on it rested on the bed. Dumping his bags on the floor, he walked over to the bed, grabbing the envelope but hesitating before opening it. It was almost as if he was afraid of what was inside but knowing that it had something to do with why his wife and son weren't there to greet him.
Slowly, he removed the contents and took in the words on the first piece of paper he laid his eyes on, reading them several times, hoping against hope that somehow, the meaning of them would change. That his wife hadn't gone to stay with her parents and had taken their son with her. That his wife wasn't leaving him divorce papers. That his wife wasn't pregnant with their second child.
The last part of the note threw him. Sure, like any married man, he did enjoy having sex with his wife but to learn in the way he had that his second child was on the way upset him. All he found himself wanting to do was to sit down with his wife – rather, soon to be ex-wife – and ask her why she had told him about the baby in the way she had. Ask her why she had walked out on him. He deserved to know that, at least.
"It still annoys me to this day that that note was the way I found out about my daughter. She barely knows me as it is. I would like to get to know her better but with my ex-wife being the way she is, I'm not going to have that chance this week because she's not bringing the children here."
Knocking back the whiskey, Alberto turned around and saw that the second whiskey he'd poured for Ricardo had barely been touched so he walked over to where the younger man stood, taking the glass from him and knocking back the contents.
"El Patron, some of the others have asked me to see if you would join them in the hotel bar for a few drinks. I said I'd ask but if you don't want to, they won't make you go."
Alberto thought about it for a few seconds and the look on his face told Ricardo that he'd made up his mind.
"If they've asked me to join them, then I will do just that."
Picking up the matching suit jacket before putting it on, Alberto picked up his wallet, making sure his key card was in it before turning his attention to the nearby mirror, making sure that he looked presentable enough. With a quick adjustment of his hair, and placing his cell phone in his pants pocket, Alberto determined that he was ready.
A few minutes later, he and Ricardo made their way into the hotel bar, walking up to the bar itself. Alberto peered at the bottles on the shelf for several seconds, knowing that he didn't want another whiskey – also knowing that he wasn't quite in the mood to socialise with anyone but Ricardo just yet – but he was having trouble deciding just what he wanted. Just when he was about to give up, he found a bottle of tequila on the top shelf and motioned to the barman who quickly got the bottle and a couple of shot glasses. The tequila would be fine for the next while, Alberto decided.
He and Ricardo sat at a table for a while, knocking back shots and talking with some of the other superstars who were surprised to see Alberto with them. After all, he did refer to them as peasants but that was only when he was in character and he wasn't now. As much as he had looked forward to drinking himself into oblivion that night then spending the following day in bed feeling sorry for himself, Alberto found that spending the time in the bar was probably the best thing for him. In their own way, everyone did look out for everyone else.
A couple of hours later, Alberto decided that he'd had enough tequila and thought he'd go for some Coronas. If he was "Mexico's Greatest Export" and just consumed some of Mexico's second greatest export, he might as well complete the trifecta.
Just as the barman placed the Corona in front of him, he felt someone bump into him and stay where they were. About to throw an insult or two at them, Alberto turned his head and immediately thought better of it when he saw that the girl who had bumped into him clearly looked upset and frightened, placing an arm around the girl's shoulders and glaring at the group of five guys who had been hassling her, daring them without saying anything to try something on him. They all saw the look Alberto was giving them and held their hands up in surrender, backing off and disappearing into the bar crowd.
Alberto felt the girl let out a big sigh and he immediately pushed the Corona in front of her, motioning for her to drink it. She whispered her thanks before grasping the bottle and quickly knocking back half of it, surprising Alberto with the speed that she was drinking the beer. She placed the beer back on the bar before turning slightly towards Alberto to speak.
"Thank you for that. I was beginning to think that they weren't going to leave me alone."
As she got a good look at him, Alberto saw her eyes widen and knew that she knew who he was. He removed the arm from around her shoulders to grasp her hand and bring it to his mouth, placing a kiss on her fingers.
"My name is Alberto Del Rio." He followed that up with a wink and watched as she blushed, looking away briefly from him before focusing her attention on him again, seemingly smirking.
"But I already know that."
That told Alberto that that she had obviously seen the vignettes he'd done which had aired on Smackdown for a few weeks before he made his official debut. He watched as she reached for the Corona again, knocking back the contents and holding up two fingers to the barman as an indication that she wanted two more.
"So, have you…?"
"Del Rio fan since day one. I admit that. My older brothers would give me crap about it, especially when you kept going on about destiny and all that. As for the winks, how I reacted before isn't how I'd normally react."
Now, he was curious. He wanted to know how she normally reacted but first, he needed to know her name.
"Now, if you don't mind me asking, my dear, what is your name?"
Alberto watched as she bit her bottom lip a little in hesitation before replying.
"Gabriela, kind sir."
"In that case, Gabriela, do tell me how you'd normally react to one of my winks."
The barman placed the two Coronas that Gabriela had asked for and she had a swig from one of them before replying. Dutch courage, Alberto surmised.
"It's easier if I show you. I'll be running the risk of making a fool of myself in front of everyone here but that's a risk I'm prepared to take."
Alberto nodded that he was fine with that and Gabriela looked around before jumping up and down somewhat, flapping her hands a little also. She was lucky in that no one was really paying the two of them much attention.
"I also let out a little squeal too so be thankful that I didn't do that."
Taking another sip of the Corona, Gabriela nodded towards the other one.
"Drink up. Because if you don't, I will."
Alberto picked up the other Corona without hesitation and held it out in Gabriela's direction. In turn, she held her one out in Alberto's direction and they clinked them together before both having a swig of the contents.
The bar was starting to fill up with people and Alberto made sure that the guys who had been hassling Gabriela earlier didn't bother her again. He figured that most people would think what he was like in the ring was what he was like outside the ring but he could be protective when he needed to be. Now that he had talked to Gabriela a little, he felt that she would be someone he'd want to get to know a lot better and that she needed someone to look out for her, because he had a feeling that she was there by herself, which was probably why those guys had been trying to hassle her.
Ricardo came up to the two of them and Alberto motioned to the barman for another Corona. Without any hesitation or prompting from Alberto, Ricardo introduced himself to Gabriela, wanting to know where she was from and what she was doing there. Alberto figured that she was Mexican because everything about her screamed that from the moment he first laid his eyes on her. However, when she said why she was there, that floored him.
"You're going to Wrestlemania? And by yourself?"
"I am 24 years old. I don't need a chaperone."
Alberto cast Ricardo a look that Gabriela didn't catch and he knew what that look meant. Whether she wanted a chaperone or not, she had unwittingly gained not one but two of them.
"That may be so but think about what could've happened if those guys didn't stop hassling you. If you didn't bump into me here at the bar."
Gabriela paused, the Corona partway to her mouth. Gosh, she hadn't thought about that. Five guys, one girl. The odds definitely would've been against her. In a way, she was lucky that she happened to be at the bar where the wrestlers were, seeing that Wrestlemania was only a few days away.
"Anyway, how about we forget about that and just sit back and relax? Ricardo, can you see if our original table is free?"
Ricardo nodded, grabbing the Corona that Alberto had ordered for him before heading into the sea of people to see if he could get their original table. Gabriela felt comfortable next to Alberto and found herself resisting the urge to pull out her cell phone and take a photo of herself with Alberto, wanting to show off to her family and friends. Alberto noticed the somewhat sly look on her face and wondered what she was thinking.
"The look on your face reminds me of…me. What are you planning?"
Not missing a beat, Gabriela reached into her pocket to pull out her cell phone.
"I'm planning a photo op. I mean, here I am, in a hotel bar, having a Corona with my favourite wrestler. Have to show off about that, you know."
Alberto looked back at Gabriela with a sly look of his own, showing in his own way that he was agreeing with what she was saying.
"I think you should. In fact, how about I get Ricardo over here so he can take the photo? Or photos because I think you'll want more than one of them."
Gabriela nodded her agreement and Alberto motioned for Ricardo to come over to the two of them. As he got closer, Gabriela handed him her cell phone and Alberto asked him to take several photos. Alberto rested his left hand on Gabriela's hip as she rested her hand on his hip, the two of them changing positions slightly for each photo that Ricardo took.
However, Alberto then acted on an impulse that he would normally keep in check, although it was probably something that could be put down to the amount of alcohol he'd consumed. Without thinking, he leaned down and kissed Gabriela. Ricardo stopped taking photos when he realised what Alberto was doing and looked around to see if anyone was looking in their direction, wanting to say something to Alberto on one hand but on the other, not wanting to say something. In the end, he didn't have to.
Gabriela was the one to break contact and she took a couple of steps back before turning to face the bar, a hand to her mouth, a surprisingly calm expression on her face. She had to have been tossing up between staying at the bar and have everyone talk about what Alberto had done or slapping Alberto and leaving the bar, which would still result in people talking about her and Alberto. Slowly, Ricardo made his way up to her, casting the briefest of looks towards Alberto, holding out her cell phone.
She cast a glance towards Alberto before taking her cell phone from Ricardo's outstretched hand, whispering a "Thank you" to him before bringing up an app. She pressed a few buttons, scrutinising her handiwork before her finger hovered over one button in particular and, out of the corner of his eye, Alberto could see that it was the "Share to Facebook" button. A few seconds later, the button was pressed and she turned to face him.
"I'm not taking that back. Nor am I taking back what you did to me just before."
Alberto was still in a state of disbelief that he had kissed Gabriela when he hadn't known her for that long. He was also surprised that she hadn't slapped him either – he knew that he deserved that.
"I truly do mean it when I say that I normally wouldn't do that sort of thing. Especially when I haven't known you for very long. The amount of alcohol I've had is no excuse for that. And yet, you haven't slapped me."
Upon hearing Alberto's words, Gabriela laughed. Just as she did that, she received notifications from Facebook and loaded the program on her phone, smiling when she saw the amount of likes and comments on the photo already. The smile on her face grew when she turned to face Alberto.
"Trust me, I wouldn't be slapping you here," she said, cupping Alberto's cheek. "I'd be slapping you somewhere else."