Sophie surveyed the scene in front of her and couldn't quite believe her eyes , She was standing in the VIP area of a very exclusive club in New York City. She hadn't even realised this place existed and it was theirs for the night. She took in the leather couches, the booths, private bar and their own dance floor and immediately felt out of place. Her family had struggled for money growing up and her job just about made ends meet, new clothes and lavish parties were not really her thing. AJ and Kaitlyn seemed at ease next to her , this was common for them , both girls wore clothes that barely covered them, it was what divas did ! Sophie on the other hand had opted for black wet look skinny jeans , a pink halter top and her long blonde hair was thrown into a messy ponytail. The result was elegant with a touch of sexiness. She took a deep breath and followed Kaitlyn and AJ to the bar, she could see a crowd had already formed and she felt herself tense.
At the bar several little groups had formed, a group of divas stood together by the dance floor , some of the younger talent standing near them trying to hit on them. A group of producers, including Walter , Sophies Boss sat in a booth drinking a round of shots. Right in front of the bar were the heavies as Sophie liked to call them , the top 5 superstars in the company , their wives girlfriends etc , and right in the middle of that crowd was John Cena. It was weird to see John in something besides Jean shorts and a cap, he was dressed tonight in a fitted white shirt and Tan slacks , he looked good and seemed to be in his element telling the guys some story. Next to them a group of up and coming wrestlers were rolling their eyes in John's direction. Sophie had heard about the locker room backlash against John – they believed him to be the golden boy of wrestling and a lot of them begrudged him, if John noticed their looks or overheard the things they said, he certainly didn't show it.
As Sophie stood at the bar she noticed Sheamus , the Irish born wrestler was talking to John, he caught her eye and looked at her with surprise. " You'll have to excuse me John, I see a Celtic Princess who I must say hello to" he said loudly. A few people turned to look at Sophie who rolled her eyes playfully at the red haired wrestler , John looked at Sophie , a look of recognition crossed his face and something flickered in his eyes. Sophie avoided the look and instead playfully puched Sheamus " I'm half Irish , so not a full Celtic Princess yet ", Sheamus laughed and threw an arm around her , it was a brotherly gesture and Sophie felt safe with him around . " What do you think Cena , the Irish are multiplying". John smiled at them both showing his white teeth " Except she is tan and American and you are pale and red haired. Freckles give her away though" he said and Sophie felt embarrassed that he had studied her face so much to see the freckles on her cheeks.
Before she could respond , Nikki appeared clad in the tightest blue lycra dress Sophie had ever seen , she looked amazing and Sophie immediately felt drab in comparison. She leaned in and kissed John on the cheek leaving a mark of red from her lipstick on his cheek. John offered his cheek and looked at her , and Sophie could see the lust in his face, there was no doubting he was into her. And Nikki , well she knew it , she looked like the cat who had got the cream and she wasn't going to let him go easily. The night continued on Sophie took shots with the girls , and danced on the floor . She even had a fake wrestling wrestling match with Kaitlyn and Sheamus , they showed her how to take a punch as if she was in the ring. At about 12pm she decided to leave , her apartment wasn't far and she was really tired. She said good bye to everyone and got her coat to leave. As she was going down the stairs , she met John coming up. "Hey, where is the princess vanishing to?" he smiled at her and stopped to talk. Sophie pulled her coat around tighter "Ah my castle awaits , I must get home it's already after midnight", she played along and John laughed, it was a lovely sound. "And is your castle far my lady, or should I get you a yellow carriage to take you there" he was of course referring to getting her a taxi. " It is a five minute stroll , no carriages needed . I live in NYC actually". John turned so he was facing the same direction as her "Well I need some fresh air, so how about I walk you ?". Sophie just nodded in response and they left . The night air was cool and they walked along together for a while , not saying anything. Eventually John said "So NYC eh, that doesn't sound like a New Yorker accent ?". His hands were in his pockets and he was faced forward, he didn't look at her when he spoke and she didn't dare look at him "Nope grew up in Florida, my family still lives there ". From the corner of her eye she could see him glance at her, she didn't return the look. "Florida's lovely, I have a house there actually". They talked for a bit about Florida and it wasn't long till they found themselves outside her building, Sophie tried not to feel embarrassed by how run down her building looked, it was her home and she was glad to live there. "This is me" , she said stopping , John stopped and looked at the run down building in front of him. " Cool, well see you around I guess" he said , and Sophie couldn't help feeling disappointed that was all he was going to say. She flashed him a smile and before she could stop herself she heard herself say " Maybe next time you will actually notice me". This stopped John in his tracks " What do you mean? I have noticed you around I told you that". Sophie felt like a fool " I'm Sorry that didn't come out like I meant it , it's just that sometimes you seem a little distant or something" She felt herself redden and cursed herself. John seemed to be thinking about what she had said " I guess I can see why you would think that, I know what they say you know. They think I can't hear their sly remarks or see the looks they give me. I'm the guy they love to hate, even the fans boo me at time now. I guess I have trouble leaving people in". They both stood in the cool air digesting what John had said, Sophie shocked that the champ John Cena was upset by what people thought about him and John stunned that he had revealed something so personal to a girl he barely knew. " I don't want anymore people judging me , it's not what I want or what I need". Sophie looked at him and he looked at her , " What do you need ?" she asked . He eyes met hers then " A friend" he said simply and Sophie felt moved by what she saw behind those eyes. She stood up and extended her hand " Then I guess you got a new one" , John shook her hand and laughed , the serious mood disappearing. " Ok then Buddy , see you around " he winked at her and walked back to the party. Sophie went upstairs and threw herself onto her bed. Friends with John Cena, life was going to be a lot more interesting now.