Chapter 3
Unfortunately, Jecina was unable to meet Jon at the airport because she had to get to the arena to start prepping and preparing food for the night. Raw and Smackdown! were the company's biggest shows since they were on live television. And since they were returning from a grueling 2-week tour overseas, Jecina knew everyone would be starving. Plane food wasn't the greatest, especially on long excursions over the Atlantic Ocean. There weren't a lot of choices; the service had to choose food that would last a long period of time without spoiling. So Jecina busied herself with her job, playing soft country music in the background from the radio station. She had a white apron on tied around her waist and around her neck, not wanting her outfit ruined, gloves on her hands to prevent any contamination with the food. Even though people completely trusted her, Jecina took no chances when it came to food safety and it also covered her backside, protecting her job in the process.
The menu for tonight was lasagna, fried chicken, sandwiches, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, salad and a few other sides with some desserts. Jecina always made sure there was a variety since some people on the roster didn't eat anything unhealthy. For the most part, however, the variety was good with everyone and that's all that mattered to Jecina. She took great pride in her cooking, paying attention to every little detail and made sure everything was flawless that came out of her kitchen. Once the first batch of lasagna finished, Jecina slipped on a pair of pot holder gloves and took it out of the oven carefully, setting it on a nearby rolling tray. She added a plate full of sandwiches and a pan of fried chicken before heading out of the kitchen to set everything up on the table.
It wasn't a huge surprise to see Superstars were already waiting for her to bring food out, smiling at them all. Even the ones she didn't care for. Men and women, there was no difference to her. Ever since WrestleMania, the women in WWE were called wrestlers just like the men instead of Divas. No longer was there a difference just because one sex had tits and a vagina. They were all treated as equals, which was a huge accomplishment in the women's division. Hell, lately the women had put on better matches than the men – yet ANOTHER achievement. The Divas championship had been retired at WrestleMania and the company revealed a brand new Women's championship that looked identical to the World Heavyweight title. It was an amazing moment to witness and Jecina couldn't be prouder when Lilianna had been the one to capture the Women's title at WrestleMania, beating Charlotte Flair -Ric Flair's daughter-, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks – three women who had come up from NXT recently.
"Yay food!" Xavier Woods cheered, grinning from ear-to-ear, holding his patent trombone alongside his teammates Big E Langston and Kofi Kingston. Collectively, they were known as The New Day and the current WWE Tag Team champions. "By our favorite cook on the entire planet too, boys!"
"Yeah, you're not kidding!" Kofi draped an arm around Jecina's shoulders with a huge smile. "As fun as being overseas was, there's nothing like Jecina's cooking!"
Jecina rolled her eyes, shrugging Kofi's arm off of her. "You better leave some for the others or I'll kick your asses. And don't think I won't either." She playfully threatened, picking up the lasagna to set it on the table.
"Yes ma'am." All three of them said simultaneously, bowing their heads. NOBODY crossed Jecina; it would be stupid to mess with someone who prepared what they ate after all.
"And with that said, welcome back." Jecina winked, patting Big E on the shoulder and started to head back inside the cafeteria when a familiar voice stopped her.
"Cina."
Only one person on the roster called her that and Jecina shut her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath. "Dean." They hadn't spoken in months, but she remembered how their last conversation went and still felt the sting of his words.
Leave me alone, Jecina. You only hurt me every time I see you with my brother. All women just wanna break my heart and I'm sick of it. First you and now Liliya – just stay away from me.
They had to remain professional towards each other, even though all Jecina wanted to do was tell him to go away and leave her alone just as he did to her months ago. No, she was the bigger person. Obviously, he had something to talk to her about or else he wouldn't approach her like this. Jecina plastered a smile on her face and turned around to face him, noticing the slight scruff on his face from lack of shaving, his hair slicked back.
"What can I do for you?" She asked softly, lifting the fried chicken to slide it on the table. Jecina still had a job to do, so whatever Dean had to say to her, he could do it while she continued with her task. "Come on, out with it."
This was a lot more awkward than Dean originally thought and suddenly he was tongue-tied on what to say to her. She looked beautiful as ever, her hair longer hair doing wonders for the body he knew was under those clothes. From the top of her raven head to the tips of her toes, she was absolutely stunning. Dean had hoped her looks would've somewhat deteriorated overtime being with his brother, but they hadn't. Anything to make her less attractive and magnetic to him. Maybe that was a dick thing to wish for, but Dean didn't want to feel pain and rejection anymore. It killed him seeing her so happy and content with his evil twin brother, as Lilianna liked to call Jon Moxley whenever they weren't around Jecina.
"Can you take a small break and come outside with me to talk? It's about the wedding…" Dean requested, not wanting to have this conversation in front of their coworkers since the cafeteria was filling up quickly.
Jecina wished she could, but not everything was set out on the table yet and she still had a lot of work to do. "If you…want to follow me to the back, we can talk while I cook." She offered, keeping her voice quiet and tried not to sound hesitant, failing miserably.
Remembering the times he would sneak into the cafeteria to steal desserts from her, Dean couldn't help feeling nostalgic and wondered where everything went wrong. All he ever wanted was a chance to be with Jecina, but couldn't find the right time or place to tell her how he felt. Then his brother came into the picture and everything turned complicated. So complex, Dean actually agreed to have a threesome with Jon and Jecina all so he could try to show her with actions how he felt…and to protect her from his brother. He thought when it was all said and done, Jecina would choose him, but instead it was Moxley she wanted and her choice nearly destroyed Dean. His relationship with Liliya was merely a distraction from who he truly wanted to be with.
"Lead the way…"
Jecina finished emptying the rolling tray and turned to say something else to Dean, forest green eyes widening at who stood in the doorway of the cafeteria. "Jon." Her heart leapt with joy as Jecina brushed past Dean and ran across the room, jumping into her boyfriend's arms, a few tears slipping down her cheeks.
"Someone missed me, eh?" Jon murmured in her ear, holding her tightly against him and buried his face in the side of her pulled back hair, inhaling her intoxicating scent. It felt amazing having her back in his arms again – 2 weeks without Jecina was too long being apart from each other. "Jina…"
All she could do was nod, trying to reign her emotions in and tightened her arms around his neck even more. "Like I wouldn't? You're deluded if you think I wouldn't miss my boyfriend, Moxley." She mumbled, finally pulling back enough to stare into his electric blues and slid her fingers down the side of his face. "I'm so glad you're back."
"Makes two of us, precious." It was one of the only terms of endearment he used with Jecina. That wouldn't change. "I should probably put you down so you're not flashing ass to everybody…"
Jecina chuckled, shaking her head and captured his mouth in a searing kiss, not caring who saw or watched. More power to them. She hadn't seen Jon in 2 very long weeks; there was no way she wouldn't kiss the love of her life. "It's a skort." She mumbled against his lips once they had to break the kiss for air, eyes sparkling mischievously.
"What the fuck is that?" Jon rose a brow, not familiar with female clothing and could swear she currently had a skirt on.
"There's shorts attached beneath the skirt, so I'm not showing anything and even if I was, I'd still be in this position." Jecina informed him, swiping some gloss from his lips with the pad of her thumb and kept her legs wrapped around his waist. "Do you have a match tonight?"
Jon nodded, finally looking past her and spotted Dean standing there, looking either sad or angry. He couldn't tell; maybe it was a mixture of the emotions. "Unfortunately, but I think we're one of the first matches on the card tonight." A smirk curved his lips, unable to resist asking her the next question. "So what color panties are you wearing?"
"Jon…" She groaned, remembering the first time he asked her that shortly after they met and smacked his chest when he started laughing at her. "Not funny, Moxley."
"Sure it is. Anyway, do you have to stay for the duration of the show or can you duck out early?" All Jon wanted to do was take her back to the hotel and show his woman how much he missed her.
"I have to make sure everyone is fed and stop at a shelter on the way to the hotel tonight to drop off leftovers." Jecina rested her forehead against his, heaving a sigh. "Duty calls, you better go and get ready for your match. Dean wanted to talk to me about something, so he'll catch up after we talk."
"Oh really?" Unless he'd taken too many shots to the head, Jon recalled Jecina and Dean having a falling out around 6 months ago, neither talking to the other since. "What about?" He was nosey and didn't bother hiding it, reluctantly setting her back on her feet, keeping his arms around her.
Jecina didn't hear a hint of jealousy in his voice, feeling relieved since Jon was unpredictable when it came to his moods. "He said the wedding. Something tells me Lilianna gave him a tongue lashing while you guys were overseas for the tour. She did the same thing to me before you guys left and said we had to work shit out or else there would be hell to pay. Not that I blame her; it is her wedding after all and she doesn't want any problems or drama. So I'll talk to him, see what he has to say and hopefully we can make amends." One thing she never did was lie or keep anything hidden from Jon. He could read her like a book, so there was no point doing it. "Does that bother you? And be honest with me."
If this is what Jecina wanted to do, Jon wouldn't stand in her way. "No." Granted, he would never be friends and close with his brother, but he trusted his woman and she would remain his unless she kicked him to the curb. If Jon had it his way, that would never happen. "Do what you gotta do, precious. I'll see you later on." He dropped another lingering kiss on her mouth and walked out, grabbing a piece of fried chicken on the way.
There was an overwhelming urge to follow Jon, but Jecina had responsibilities she couldn't ignore or walk away from. "Okay Ambrose, follow me and let's talk." She felt more upbeat now that she reunited with Jon, walking past Dean with the rolling tray and could feel him follow.
Watching her jump into Moxley's arms and their disgusting reunion turned Dean's stomach to the point where he no longer had an appetite. He was tempted to disobey Lilianna's orders to make things right with Jecina and face her wrath. Just because they were the Best Man and Maid of Honor at their wedding didn't mean they had to be friends or converse with each other. It killed Dean not to be friends with Jecina and to be away from her, however. Going 6 months barely speaking hadn't done him any favors and only made Dean feel worse about everything in his life.
"So, what about the wedding did you want to talk about?" Jecina broke through his deep thoughts, glancing up at him while frying more chicken up. "Lili have a talk with you, I'm guessing?"
How did she know? Did Lilianna demand the same thing from her as him? It made sense considering their roles in the upcoming prenuptials. "Yeah…" There was no point denying or trying to hide it as Dean rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I suppose I owe you an apology…"
"You suppose?" It was Jecina's turn to raise a brow and she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Don't bother. I know you won't mean it anyway." Why was he here if he planned on spewing ridiculous half-ass words? "I did nothing wrong. That's why I don't understand why you just blew me off and told me to leave you alone when you and Liliya split up. You were mean and cruel to me when you said you couldn't handle seeing me with Jon. I thought we were past all of that nonsense and could get back to being friends. Because that's what we were prior to…what happened." She referred to the threesome, unable to say that word aloud without bursting into flames of embarrassment.
Friendship was never on the agenda when it came to Jecina, but she didn't need to know that. It was Dean's problem, not hers and he'd figure it out somehow. "I know…" He didn't realize how badly his words hurt her until now, feeling like a complete dick for pushing her away the way he had. Maybe if he'd stuck around… "I'm sorry, Cina. I never meant to hurt you." He stepped up to her, closing the distance between them and took her hand in his since she took the gloves off temporarily. "I just…"
"I love your brother and I won't apologize for it. I chose him because I can't live without him. Did it hurt not talking to you for the past 6 months? Yes, but I can live without you in my life, Dean. I can't live without Jon. Just so you know where I stand." Jecina was blunt, knowing what she said hurt Dean, but he had to hear it. "If you want to be friends again, I'm willing to give you another chance. Just know, if you hurt me again, I'll cut you completely out of my life. And for the sake of Lili and Roman's wedding, we need to get along. I'm bringing Jon though." It took some convincing, but in the end Lilianna and Roman agreed Jon could come so long as he minded his attitude and tongue.
That was news to Dean. Why hadn't Roman told him his brother was invited to the wedding? "Okay, I understand and thank you, Cina." He didn't expect her to reprimand him for his actions, but at the same time it shouldn't have surprised him. Jecina was never one to hold her tongue when someone betrayed or hurt her. "I really am sorry for what I did and I'll prove it to you."
"Stop apologizing. We're friends again, just don't screw it up. Now get out of here, I have work to do and you have a match to get ready for with your brother." Jecina ordered, walking past him to start the next batch of lasagna. "Oh and, if I were you, I'd make amends with your brother before the wedding. You guys are working together, might as well give it a shot and see if you can at least be friends."
Dean highly doubted that would happen, but nodded anyway to satisfy Jecina and snagged one of the small cakes off of a nearby tray to pop in his mouth. "I'll leave you to it. Just make sure you tell Lili that we're cool with each other, okay?"
"Will do."
Jecina watched him walk out and shook her head, wondering if they would be able to develop a friendship after everything that happened between them.
Only time would tell.