Chapter 2

While security helped to usher any straggling fans left in the bookstore, Tyra tried desperately to keep a low profile. After about an hour, the book signing was finally over and soon John Cena would be gone. He would go on with his life and Tyra would go on with hers and for Tyra that was perfectly fine. After embarrassing herself in front a celebrity like John, she had almost wished she never met the man in the first place.

"So you sure you okay?" A deep voiced man asked Tyra while she had her back turned, busying herself with dusting off books.

When Tyra turned toward the man she was shocked to find herself looking directly into the eyes of John. Immediately her heart fell to the floor. She had no idea what to say and she could hardly believe that a guy like him went out of his way just to check on her. Surely he had a busy schedule and needed to get back to his superstar lifestyle.

Little did Tyra know that even though John Cena had finally made it as a professional wrestler and was now making millions of dollars, he was still the same guy who grew up only a few blocks away from Ray's bookstore Not only that, but there was definitely something about Tyra that intrigued him. Maybe it was the fact the she seemed to be totally oblivious to who he was. Maybe it was the fact that she was so down to earth, much like himself. Or maybe it was the fact that he found her ill at ease smile to be not only one of a kind, but beautiful as well.

"Oh I'm fine. It was no big deal really. I fall all the time." Tyra replied nervously, but then wanted to kick herself for the last comment.

John laughed to himself. The way Tyra tried to cover her nervousness amused him.

"Okay then, I better let you get back to work. Thanks for the water." John said, and then just as quickly as he came, he was gone.

Tyra followed him with her eyes as he left. She couldn't help but to notice his awesomely cute butt, and if her skin wasn't as dark as it was, her face would have been redder than a stoplight.

"Yo Ty, I think my boy Cena likes you." Anthony said laughing to himself as he walked by her.

Tyra immediately turned in his direction and hurled a book right at him. It was obvious Anthony was getting a kick out of her awkwardness.

"Not funny Anthony!" She called out to him.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The following day, Tyra arrived at the bookstore early. Her boss Ray was sick and it was her responsibility to open up the store and get it ready for the day.

Since she was the only one at the store, she grabbed her headphones and placed them on her head deciding that sweeping the floors would be way more enjoyable with a little funk playing in her ears. So she grabbed a broom and cranked her portable cd player up to seven, and thus the broom jam began.

Bopping her head up and down with the beat she was totally oblivious to the fact that someone was tapping on the window. As she kept her sweeping in time with the music, head bopping up and down, she moved closer to the front store windows where the tapping was coming from, but still she did not notice the young man outside trying to get her attention. Then suddenly, she raised her eyes and saw someone staring right at her.

"Holy Shit!" She said as she flung her headphones off her head and held her chest. She thought she was literally going to have a heart attack. Never in a million years did she expect to see anyone standing outside the window. It was seven o'clock in the morning and freezing cold outside. No one in her neighborhood was up before nine on a day like this.

John stood outside in the cold laughing his ass of. His intention was never to scare Tyra, but regardless, it was funny as hell to see her almost jump right out of her skin.

As Tyra walked over to the front door to let John in she tried hard to control her breathing. She wondered if she would ever recover from the scare she just received.

"Mr. Cena, hi, did you forget something?" Tyra asked, once again completely embarrassed. She was now two for two.

"Nah, I came to talk to you." John confided.

"Me?" Tyra asked.

What in the hell would he want with her she wondered?

"And by the way, don't call me Mr. Cena. That's my dad. Call me John." He told her and then extended his hand out for her to shake it.

Tyra looked at John and then at his hand. She had now fallen into a state of, "this can't be happening can it?"

"Sure, Mr. Cena, I mean John." Tyra responded full of anxiety.

"I still feel bad about you falling yesterday, so to make sure you put it out of you memory, I wanted to see if you could be my date tonight for the show?" John asked.

Truth be told, Tyra had left a lingering impression in John's mind. To him, she was a mystery that he wanted to uncover. That fact that she was black, and poor made no difference to him. There was just something about her he felt needed to be discovered.

"A show, what kind of show? I guess I'm just a little confused." Tyra asked.

She honestly had no idea what he was asking her to attend. For all she knew he was inviting her to the circus. It was the Greatest Show on Earth after all.

"Raw. We tape Raw tonight here in Boston. I'd love it if you could hang out with me backstage." John replied.

Tyra didn't know what to say. Was he asking her out on a date? Is that what 'hanging out backstage' means?

"Well, I don't get off until four, so I..."

But before Tyra could finish her sentence, John cut her off.

"Perfect. I don't have to be at the arena until five. I'll pick you up here at four." He said with a huge smile on his face.

Tyra was speechless. A million thoughts ran through her mind: what should she wear, what should she say, was this really happening, what would she tell Gram?

"Nice moves by the way. You'll have to teach me how you do the cabbage patch with a broom someday. I've never seen that before." John teased. "See you at four." He finished and then turned to leave.

Tyra stood motionless for about a full minute. She had just been asked out by one of the sexiest men she had ever seen. It was almost like winning the lottery. Things like this just don't happen to people like her she thought to herself. Who knows, maybe this was God's way of giving a little back for all the crappy things she's had to go through in her life. Whatever it was, Tyra was now the happiest woman in Boston, or anywhere for that matter.