Disclaimer: I don't own anyone in this story.
A/N: Recycled story warning, I first got this idea when I heard a Maria doing an interview discussing Punk. I tried it first with other pairings but here is my final take. Enjoy ;)
All I Reall Want
Lowering her head until her chin was at a level with her slumped shoulders, the WWE Diva known as Beth Phoenix chuckled under her breath and bit lightly on her lower lip, fighting hard against the urge of turning around to face the woman talking behind her back.
Apparently, the same woman she wanted to face was offering a very personal take on her life to some of her friends and the subject of the moment was none other than the woman's ex-boyfriend and Beth's very good friend, Phil Brooks aka CM Punk; and ever since the subject was approached she has been talking nonstop about him.
It went like this, her friends were asking some questions and she was answering, relieving the past, sighing over memories pass gone and things like that; she was speaking her heart out and Beth was just sitting there listening.
Now… as a rule, eavesdropping wasn't her thing, but it was just that the woman was talking too loud and she just happened to be within the hearing ratio. Besides it wasn't like she has been listening to her conversation for a long time, she just found out about her presence some scarce minutes ago so she wasn't all the way informed in the CM Punk discussion.
So there was that, but she also had to admit that curiosity won over her because after all, she was talking about Phil, one of her best friends and a guy she has been spending a long of time with as of late.
So yeah it was weird… and maybe she should make her presence known to the small group sitting behind her because if she could hear it, chances were that more people could hear it too and the kind of nonsense the woman was talking could turn to her and bite her behind.
But just because she wasn't sure of what to do once everybody knew she could hear them talking, she remained motionless, sitting with her back to the conversation.
Yeah, there was a dim sense of awareness in her that was telling her that she should be doing something other than listening to a conversation that wasn't meant to her ears, but she honestly didn't know what she should do if she all of a sudden faced her. Should she laugh at her, ask a few questions of her own or let her know that she was there listening just to see how she was going to react?
Decisions, decisions… all three of the previous options seemed appealing in one way or another and she honestly didn't know which one to pick. The last one seemed interesting because if there was something that she was sure of was that the loud woman wouldn't be running her mouth around that bunch of strangers if she knew that she was there listening; but then again, her second option seemed even more tempting…
The conversation taking place a few feet from the place she was sitting could turn out to be very informative and she would be lying if she said the subject didn't interest her. It was like a paradox, part of her knew that it was wrong to listen but at the same time she wanted to know more about what was being said.
Thinking about the awkwardness of it all and shaking her head in shame, the WWE Diva allowed herself to emit a clandestine chuckle as she kept looking down to her manicured fingers, that's how as she made up her mind; she was going to pick her fourth and last option, she was going to listen to the Q&A about Phil.
"I can't believe you dated that jerk, he's a cocky smart ass and you on the other hand are plain lovely."
Maria laughed; Beth could listen to her loud and clear from her sitting position and while sitting there she rolled her eyes. That woman would never, ever change.
"No, he's not a jerk; he's… funny and he's a great guy all around. I… what can I say? he's great in all aspects."
At that Beth nodded, silently agreeing with the former Diva. She has known Phil for many years now and even though he had the worst reputation ever she liked him just fine. Like Maria said, he was funny, he was random and he always made her laugh at his occurrences. He was also kind in his own way and he was a hundred percent loyal to those he called friends.
He was just… amazing.
"Well, the man is hot; he has this aura of being a bad boy with a loud attitude that calls to women so I totally see why you hooked up with him; and let me tell you, I never thought this was possible but he looks even hotter now with his hair cut short; he's totally fuckable." That had been the voice of a female and Beth raised both her eyebrows as he listened to Maria giggle.
How tacky. Sometimes she couldn't believe the way some women talked; she could attest to many similar conversations going around in the Divas locker room but she always evaded being part of that. In her mind she liked it better when women would leave such bold talking for when it was really necessary and to her the only necessary moment was when you were with your guy. And it wasn't like she was a prude or a saint, far from that, but to her it was all about glamour and sophistication while in public… behind closed doors it was another thing.
"I know right, I wouldn't mind hooking with him, again…" Maria said with a laugh, probably drunk out of her little mind.
"Yeah anyway, I bet he harassed you until you had no choice but to date him." The first voice spoke again and as hard as she tried to, Beth couldn't place that voice. She probably didn't know him; the place was filled with people she didn't know and that Maria had picked to sit behind her as she waited for Phil or even Colt to come back was a complete coincidence.
"No!" Maria giggled and in her mind's eye Beth could picture her, batting her fake eyelashes and flipping at her hair with a dizzy expression in her face. "I have to admit that it was the other way around; the moment I saw him I was like wow, I'm going to marry that man. I was in awe so I asked someone to introduce us and that was it, the rest is history."
"That lucky bastard; he doesn't even know what he gave up by letting a woman like you go."
Yeah, well Beth had a pretty good idea that Phil knew; he gave up unnecessary mental turmoil because that woman was a psycho. She was jealous as she was pretty and Beth could remember how she used to freak out in the locker room if Phil did as little as take his eyes away from her; she even harassed Barbie for a long time thinking that she was trying to enamor Phil. If anything, Beth wasn't sure how he put up with her for such a long time.
True, she had to admit that the woman was pretty and sassy and men liked that, but please! Looks wasn't everything.
"Actually it was a mutual decision, we were not spending much time together and it got so bad that the best option was to break up. Yes it was horrible at first because in that moment I was sure he was the man for me and still to this day I don't think I'll ever find anyone like him."
"Sounds to me like you are still head over hills for him so I don't know, he's here so I say you should work your magic and get him back; where there was fire ashes remain and who knows, you two could have a last run in."
"I would love that, trust me; but I heard he's dating Beth and I wouldn't do that to her, she's a total sweetheart."
Beth furrowed her brows, wondering where did Maria get the idea that she was dating Phil. It was… well, it was just not true. Yeah they were friends that hit the road together from time to time but there was nothing going on between them.
"Fuck Beth," A woman said. "That freak has nothing on you; besides, she didn't come with him and as I see it he was yours before he ever laid eyes on her. You wouldn't be doing anything wrong, just getting your man back."
Tensing her jaw, Beth pursed her lips and lifted her head up high. She would be lying if she said she has never heard people calling her freak before. Hell, some even said she was a man in disguise and she has learnt not to let it bother her. In her mind no one's opinions mattered.
Did it sting? A little bit, but what wouldn't kill her made her stronger and there was no one that liked getting stronger more than her.
Back to what was happening, Maria giggled and Beth straightened her back against the folding chair.
"Enough with the nonsense, you have been talking about Phil this and Phil that and you haven't answered the big question, the one we are all wondering. So here's the deal, that motherfucker dated you, he dated Amy and he is dating Beth, so the question is this… how big is his dick that you women are all swooning over him?"
Maria laughed out loud and Beth couldn't help but to turn around and glance over to the group talking behind her, not quite believing that question was asked.
Sitting in a semi-circle there was Maria, two other women and some guy she didn't know. None of them noticed her looking at them with her lips slightly parted and her baby blue eyes big as plates. It was just… God, that question was wrong in so many levels! It was… it was… it was like a violation to Phil's privacy and as bad as it sounded she just couldn't wait to hear the answer.
"Come on," The guy said and shrugged. "There's obviously something about Punk and I can't figure out what is it. He must be hung like a horse or he provides the best lay in town because come on, I don't see anything in him so special. He dresses like a hobo, he doesn't shave, he wears the same old cap everywhere he goes and for the love of Jesus, he has a Pepsi tattoo and yet here you are, still drooling over him."
Maria took a deep breath and wiped at her eyes, a big grin on her face. "Oh boy, well he's a good size… and I won't argue about him providing the best lay in town. I mean it's not like I have a lot of experience, mind you, but Phil is by far the best I ever had."
"Maria, I'm telling you, if you don't go after him tonight I'm going to do it myself." Another of the women present said and they both laughed.
Beth turned back around, running her tongue over her lips as her mind started to operate a thousand miles per second. She couldn't help it, because as she sat there and Maria talked about the Phil behind closed doors that she would never know, she felt as if he was taking a peek into something secret, a taboo.
Something she shouldn't be listening and let alone visualizing in her mind.
Something about Punk… there was definitely something about him and Beth could definitely see it. He wasn't handsome in the traditional sense but like one of the woman said, he had a very strong magnetizing aura that called to people and he had a smile that if shown more often would make women all over the world swoon at his feet.
But there was more than that; at least on her part. To start off she admired him, that was for sure; the man was great in the ring, he was even better cutting promos and he had a passion for what he did that not many guys backstage had. He was someone she looked up to professionally and in her mind he was definitely hall of famer material.
But like someone previously stated, the one thing that really grabbed everyone's attention about Phil the man was that aura of being a smart ass bad boy with a big mouth and loud attitude.
Beth wasn't blind to that and deep inside she had to admit that she liked him more than she should.
It was really hard to explain, but Phil was basically her complete opposite and even though they had a lot of things in common that made them bond almost since they one, she could also say that they couldn't be any more different and that called to her… his intensity called to her and what could she say? She was a woman like any other and she has fallen for him.
Lowering her eyes, the blonde shook her head and dragged her hand down her face, trying to shake away the images that were forming inside her skull. Call her sick, call her a pervert, but after listening to Maria's words her mind was trying to form the image of how would Phil look in the brims of his passion.
She imagined his face flushed and his lips parted, his lovely olive green eyes darkening while his body gave into the most primitives of acts… it was… it was so wrong to think like that! She had no business thinking about him in that manner and she should be ashamed of her way of thinking.
Between them there was only a friendship and nothing more. She had to get real, she was just not Phil's type and she had made her peace with that a long time ago.
Maria was more his type…
As she thought about that, Beth lifted her face up and saw the same man she has been wondering about walking right through the door with a Red Bull in one hand and a crooked grin on his face.
As soon as she spotted him, her attention focused on him only, and as soon as Phil looked into the room he opened his eyes as wide as he could and muttered a 'Fuck'.
Beth couldn't listen to him because of the distance and the noise but she read his lips alright, and by the way he turned around and walked the same way he came in she was going to assume that he saw Maria.
Snorting and shaking her head, Beth got to her feet and without glancing back she casually walked after him, finding him near the door and apparently with the very intention of getting out of that place.
"Hey, are you going to leave without me? Since I'm your guess you could have warned me you know?" She said, smiling sweetly when Phil flashed her a stare that carried all the intensity of his olive green eyes.
Yes he was leaving, Beth got that clear when he put the Red Bull over a table and walked out the door and into the bitter cold of Chicago's streets; but because she wasn't going to be left behind she followed him out the door and walked side by side with him.
"I was going to text you to meet me out here. But talking about things we should have done, why didn't you tell me she was there?" He hissed, even though the woman was back in the house, too occupied by living in the past.
"Well, I didn't know she was there until I heard her talking about you."
"About me?" Phil snorted, his lips curving into an amusing smile as he eyed Beth over. "What a psycho."
Smiling, Beth bit down on her lips and took in a deep breath. She didn't know where they were going, only that it was too cold and that she was walking too near Phil, so near that on occasions their shoulders would bump. "So-" She breathed out. "Not that I was eavesdropping or anything, but apparently she isn't over you."
Phil snorted and kept walking, he had his hands inside his hoodie and Beth embraced herself, watching him out of the corner of her blue eyes.
"SO umm, would you ever consider going back with her? I mean you guys broke up because your schedules didn't allow you time to see each other so I guess that now that she's off the road things could work out."
"No they wouldn't, trust me."
"Yeah, I know that you are busy now and that she's like a lunatic, but it was just that I was wondering." Beth rambled on, not quite sure why she was approaching the subject.
Phil only hummed, sent her a sideway glance and smiled.
"I don't like her," She blurted out. "I mean I know she was your girlfriend and all that but there's just something about her that rubs me the wrong way. I don't know… I think I never liked her." She admitted, hoping that Phil wouldn't get mad at her for saying that.
"Seriously?" The older man asked as he arched an eyebrow, his eyes finding Beth's blue orbs to look into. "Wow… Beth, that's…" He shrugged and then kept on with his unusual silence.
Now that she thought about it, Phil has been very quiet even before she boldly told him she didn't like his ex-girlfriend and she wondered if things were okay with him. The Phil that she knew was always talking and joking around and he was not acting himself that day.
"Now don't get me wrong because you know me and I don't like to be mean, I really don't but you know-" She said with a shrug. "I don't want to be a hypocrite either."
"Don't sweat it, Maria was so long ago that she doesn't even affect me today." Phil said, keeping his eyes set on the path in front of him. "We had fun and all that but that's it, she was just not the right person for me. I'm still looking for this right person."
"Really?" Beth said a little too enthusiastically as her eyes shoot up towards his, but then she realized how obvious she was being so she looked away and cleared her throat. "Ah but don't worry, you never had problems with finding good company; I mean lets get real, women just throw themselves at you like crazy." Beth said jokingly, part of her happy that he wasn't considering going back to Maria.
Phil snorted. "Women throwing themselves at me? Wow I don't thinks that's accurate… but that's just me."
Laughing as Phil winked playfully at her, Beth licked her lips and then lifted her head up to the black skies, thinking. "Nah but seriously, you need to keep looking around, I mean until you find someone right for you."
Out of the corner of her eye, Beth noticed Phil looking at her, and if her eyes were not mistaken he was grinning. "Yeah, you never know, right? Maybe the right one is somewhere near me and it's eluding me."
"I totally get the feeling."
"You?" Chuckling, Phil halted and remained standing in his spot, forcing Beth to halt as well so he could stare at her.
"Yeah me, what's so unbelievable about that?" Despite whatever people could think she was human too and she longed to have someone by her side; someone who would look at her as something more than one of the guys. Someone who would appreciate the woman in her and someone she could get dressed up nicely to go out instead of just going to town in bikes.
"No, it's not that it's unbelievable, but it's just that in all the time I've been friends with you I've only known you to have two relationships. When we meet you were divorcing that good for nothing and then you briefly dated the not so better Cody Runnels. If my memory doesn't fail me that was what? One year ago?"
"Yeah let's not talk about that." She said, trying to decide if the best thing to do was change the subject or push it a bit more. But her mouth had a defective filter that night so she went on. "It's just that… I have this someone that I like a lot, but I don't think things will ever happen so I don't know, I got kind of stuck. I guess I need to forget about it and keep looking." She shrugged, her lips pursing as she looked at Phil looking down at her.
"Don't you hate when that happens?"
"Yes! I wish I was more like you, you are so forward in everything you do and maybe I need to get a few tricks from you. Not that I want to date girls because trust me, that's not my thing but I don't know, I should be more like you… to a certain extent. Not the swearing though…"
"Don't be silly," Phil said, standing still and looking right into one of his best friend's eyes.
"I'm not, I'm serious. If you want something you go and grab it, be it career wise or in a more personal aspect. You are successful in everything you do and I'm jealous, in a good way."
"Okay, are we going to turn all mushy here? Don't go soft on me, Elizabeth." Phil joked and Beth laughed nervously. She secretly liked when she was called by her given name by Phil and he just did it.
Rolling her eyes and biting down a huge grin, Beth sighed. "Okay, okay, I'm not going to turn soft on you."
Phil looked down to his sneakers for a second and then looked back to Beth. Beth held the gaze, still thinking that her friend was acting all quiet that night, his witty and lively persona was nowhere to be found and she wondered once again what was going on.
"You know… sometimes you just need to let things happen and hope for the best." He shrugged and kept walking.
Beth remained standing at the side of the alley, something deep inside of her telling her that she should save the day by saying something half silly half lighthearted. "Well I could always go back to Cody, last time I saw him he was making pretty eyes at me."
"And what happens to this person you like? Are you going to give up without trying?" Phil asked, walking closer to her.
Beth smiled a nervous smile. "That is not going to happen, it's complicated… I can't reach for the unreachable, you know."
"Come on Beth, you are better than that. Nothing is unreachable."
"Yeah, it's easy for you to say it because let's face it, you are…"
Phil didn't let her finish and before whatever she was going to say spilled out of her mouth completely, the tattooed man took a step towards her, reached for the back of her head and pulled her in his direction, making their lips clash together.
To say that he took Beth completely by surprise was the understatement of the year; she was awestruck, her lips taking in the feeling of having Phil kissing her but her mind not quite registering it.
Oh but it was happening, right in the middle of a dark alley of the streets of Chicago, two friends united by the lips as the world moved around them.
It didn't go beyond that, but by the time Phil pulled away Beth could feel her face burning as her lips resented the void left.
"See, good things can come out if you just let them happen."
Beth had no words for him and she just stared at the older man as he bit on his lips. "You just kissed me."
"I know, is there something you want to about it?"
God, did she ever! Biting on her lips she looked down to her shoes and scratched her forehead. Her mind wasn't registering yet what just happened and when she looked up to find Phil standing inches away from her she felt even more confused.
"I…" She shrugged, feeling stupid.
"You don't learn, Beth." Phil said before putting his hands into his pockets, then he began to turn around.
That was when her mind told her to react and before Phil could go away she reached for his arm and made him turn around. "Phil… I want to do something." She mumbled, a warm feeling of nervousness washing over her.
The green eyed Chicago native smirked, making Beth feel even more nervous than what she already was. "And what's that?"
Timidly, Beth closed the distance that separated her from the warmness of her friend's lips and kissed him, a gentle but lingering kiss that allowed her to get familiar with the new feeling.
Phil's lips were soft and warm against hers, that was how he felt to her, and when the older man parted his lips into the kiss she did the same, their breaths mingling together.
Placing one hand to her waist, Phil caught Beth's lower lip between his teeth, nibbling at her tender flesh and thus provoking the younger woman to sigh. It was unreal, actually, almost magical and the romantic part of her couldn't help but to feel all warm and cozy inside.
It was just that Phil was kissing her, a forbidden fantasy she's been having since the longest time and it was now becoming reality.
Not knowing what to do with her hands, Beth raised them and placed them to his back, her body trembling lightly because of the cold weather. But that was secondary to her in that moment; she couldn't waste time thinking about that when Phil was kissing her.
And oh boy, after a while into their kiss the veteran wrestler took one step further and brushed his tongue to her lips, testing the waters before going deeper. Eagar to participate, Beth tilted her head to the side and brushed tongues with her friend, marking the beginning of a more deeper kissing where both of them explored, savored and enjoyed.
It felt great, it made her feel warm all over and her body was starting to react to the way Phil kissed and pressed against her; but as much as she loved doing that with him she suddenly realized that they were making out in the middle of the street.
Pulling away and feeling her breathing to be more than a bit ragged, Beth ran her fingers through her hair and laughed nervously. "Okay, that was interesting; it really was, but um… I think we should… you know, probably… don't do this in public, not that I didn't like it, but we could…"
Phil licked on his lips and smiled. "Have I ever told you that you talk too much? Because you do."
Beth's eyes got wide in her face and she blinked. No, actually no one has ever said that to her because in reality she didn't talk too much. "No, not really."
"Well you are right now. Come one, let's get out here."
After saying that, Phil took her hand in his and together they started walking down the street. Two friends, maybe even more making a new journey… together.
~*Fin*~
