-1A/N
I think university has sparked my creative side. Thanks to everybody that reviewed- they made my day! As always, read and review.
Chapter 4
Uncomfortable silence.
This was definitely the last thing I was expecting out of the situation, but I thought to make the most out of it and use the opportunity to tuck-tail and run. I really had nothing to say to Dave; my childish side was really beginning to show but I didn't care at all. David Michael Bautista was keeping me from freedom, and no matter how hot he wasn't going to get away with it. I eased myself off of the brown leather couch and made my way to the bathroom, his eyes burning into me.
"Just keep calm. Nothing's gonna happen. I mean, come on- you've known him for what? A week?" I muttered to myself as I ran the cold water and splashed some on my face to disguise the red creeping up into my cheeks. I don't know why I was worrying so much anyway. In my animal print pyjamas and fluffy bunny slippers, I was far from the designer clad supermodels I'm sure he was used to dating.
"Tamsin? Everything alright in there?"
The sound of his voice made my heart rate soar, resulting in the perfume bottle on the shelf being knocked into the sink with a loud clinking noise. I could hear him get up from his seat, visualising his coffee coloured eyes darting towards the door and his brow creasing in concern.
"E-Everything's f-fine Dave. Everything's fine." I managed to squeak out nervously, grabbing at the perfume bottle and cursing for giving him a reason to patrol the bathroom. I fixed myself up as well as I could given the situation and gave myself a silent pep talk before opening the door to find a less than amused Dave stood beside it. I did my best to ignore him and kept my eyes locked on where I wanted to be.
"You know, if I've done something wrong all you have to do is tell me and I won't do it again."
I stopped in my tracks. I didn't think I could live with the guilt I would feel knowing he was feeling shitty because of me. Nevertheless, I let out a short sigh and sat back on the couch, tucking my feet under me and turning the TV on. When did I become so insensitive? I was treating Dave like a canker sore just because he evoked emotions that I didn't want to feel anymore. I felt even worse knowing that he was still in the same place, looking at me expectantly and waiting for an answer.
"I don't need your help and I don't need you around, so just go home to your perfect life Dave, and leave me the hell alone!" I sneered, my voice cold and detached even though I didn't mean for it to sound that way. I braced myself for the onslaught of words that was sure to follow, yet there were none. Instead I could see Dave advance on me, finally crouching in front of me. I continued to stare the TV, even though I had no idea what I was watching and really didn't care anyway.
I could feel my face burning up, his eye contact never ceasing. He was making me feel ashamed of myself and he hadn't said one word. Tolerance is definitely the most effective way of getting to somebody; I recollected every argument I had ever had involving a lot of shouting and verbal ping pong. Here there was none of that, and it was making me uncomfortable. I moved to get up again, my plan being intercepted when his muscular arm shot out in front of me and kept me in my seat.
"Tamsin, look at me." he said softly, cupping my chin with his hand when I refused to do so. I did everything to ensure that eye contact was avoided, but eventually I could feel my eyes stinging as I strained to keep them focused on the thousands of pixels concealed beneath the glass. In that brief moment of weakness, our eyes locked and I couldn't seem to look away. I'm guessing Dave could see the confusion and uncertainty behind them.
"What are you so afraid of?"
That one question had my mind buzzing. I wasn't even dying, yet I could see my life flashing before my very eyes. I didn't have much of a tragic childhood, not by any means. Usually, everything reverts back to that, right?
"I'm not afraid of anything, so can you stop trying to psychoanalyse me please?"
It was meant to be a statement within a question, but instead my proclamation came out whiney and immature. I forced out a yawn and covered my mouth in an attempt to feign tiredness, but Dave was having none of it.
"Jeff's asked me to look after you, so that's what I'm gonna do," he explained, taking both of my hands and placing them in his, "I'm not trying to patronise you or make you feel bad about yourself alright?"
I nodded weakly and sighed as he let go of my hands and sat opposite me.
"Where did you get the impression that my life was so perfect anyhow?" he asked with a small smirk crossing his features when he realised that I'd thought he had forgotten.
"Forget it Dave, please." I retorted harshly, feeling that I'd been treated like a child and he had no right to speak to me.
"No, really Tamsin. Life's not a picnic for me. Not at all."
I rolled my eyes signifying the 'yeah right' that was battling to escape through my lips. I couldn't see what could possibly be wrong with his life. He had women practically falling at his feet and a job that paid more money than it was worth. He'd truly been blessed in the looks and physique department, not to mention the intelligence that lurked behind his eyes.
"Do me a favour Dave- don't try and bullshit me about how difficult things are for you to try and make me feel better. Life is going great for you and you know it, so quit with the 'hard done by' act."
I could see him shift in his seat as he prepared to give me a speech on why I was wrong. I knew I was wrong anyway; things weren't easy for Dave at all.
"Look. I spend 360 days of the year on the road which gives me virtually NO time with my family at all. I've missed my sister's wedding and the birth of my daughter for this business, and they're things that I'll never get back. My little girl won't even speak to me anymore because her mother's spending all of her time poisoning her mind and telling me what a useless father I am. Do you know how much that hurts Tamsin?"
Quite frankly, I was flawed. I knew about his wife but had never considered the fact that he may have had children or a life outside of WWE.
"I'm sorry to hear that Dave but right now you're not my main concern."
Can somebody remind me why exactly I was being so blunt? Here I had Batista telling me about his troubles in an effort to make me communicate and I was being a complete bitch.
"So what is your main concern then? Something's on your mind and I'm going to find out about it whether you like it or not."
By now he had me well and truly boxed in a corner. Literally. Whoever's idea it was to put the couch in the corner of the room facing the plasma screen TV and the cream coloured wall behind should be shot. I looked directly at him, fire in my eyes as I spoke the words I'd been wanting to get out for years.
"You wanna know what's on my mind, asshole? It's you. Not you, yet you. Fuck it, I don't make any sense…" I shook my head and berated myself as I managed to fuck up the one perfect moment to say what had been eating away at me.
"No, continue…" Dave prompted, unconsciously leaning in so he could catch every word.
"I've always been told I'm not good enough. I never got the best grades, the boys I wanted or the job I wanted. I wanted to be a model, but they turned me down because I wasn't 'what they were looking for'. When I met Jason, I was fragile. I couldn't believe that a boy like him wanted to be with a girl like me," I laughed aloud as my eyes went glassy as I recalled my teenage years, "I'll never forget my prom. Everybody kept looking at us, wondering why Jason was with a nobody. But he kept hold of my hand and refused to dance with anybody other than me that night,"
This time it was a detached smile that crossed my features, my brow furrowing in confusion as I contemplated how things went so wrong.
"Then… at the end of the night he gave me my first kiss. It was so sweet and delicate, like he was afraid to break me. He drove me right up to my front door and even thanked my mother for letting him take me out."
I collapsed onto my bed with a huge smile on my face as I recollected the events of the night. I looked at my cornflower blue silk prom dress hung up in my wardrobe and let out a sigh. Everything had been so beautiful. I rested my head on my pillow and pulled the sheets over me even though I had no desire to sleep. It was so silent and still outside, with the exception of tiny stones tapping at my window.
"What the…?" I questioned and reached for my dressing gown, my eyes squinting as I opened the curtain to be greeted by the harsh streetlights. I couldn't see anything unusual, and turned to go back to bed just as another stone made contact with glass. I fully opened the window this time and peered below, only to be met with the handsome sight of a casually dressed Jason with a smirk on his face.
"Wanna come out?" he asked simply, me shaking my head in response in an attempt to stop myself from looking desperate.
"It'll just be you and me at my house. I wanna talk to you about something." he pleaded, retrieving his BMX from the side of my wall and perching himself atop it.
"We can talk here," I replied with a smirk of my own, Jason nodding although unconvinced.
"Really Tamsin, I don't wanna ask here. I wouldn't make you come with me if it wasn't important, I promise…" he responded as I rolled my eyes and signalled 'one minute'. I made no attempt to rush at slipping some jeans on and finding a decent top to wear. When I was done I crept downstairs and ran the tap to trick my mom into believing I'd gone down for a glass of water. I reached for my keys on the wooden table top, cursing when the hit the ground with a loud jangle.
"What's going on down there?" my mom yawned causing me to panic.
"Nothing mom, just getting a glass of water!" I shouted back up, stuffing the keys in my back pocket and waiting a few minutes before opening the door and exiting.
"Took you long enough."
I jumped as the voice spoke into my ear whilst I locked the door. I turned into Jason's kiss, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him in closer. I could feel his tongue begging my lips for entry and they gave him permission, slightly parting as he explored my mouth- a strange sensation I must admit. We both pulled apart (albeit a little out of breath) and analysed each other's face for a moment. I gazed into his blue orbs as he searched my brown ones, taking my hand and seating me on his BMX before riding down the street a couple of blocks away.
"He asked me to be his girlfriend that night," I mused, an empty smile matching an empty heart. I could see Dave's hands cushioning his head and guessed he was recalling his high school days.
"I guess I just have a problem with feeling wanted, you know? That's what I didn't understand Dave. Why the hell are you interested in me? You've got runway models and porn stars backstage… why the hell me?"
Well, that was it. I'd put myself out there and now all I had to do was wait for Dave to shoot me down. He didn't move at all, but continued to stare at the ceiling.
"Why not?" he replied.
Why not? Why not? Is it just me, or had I not just given him a ten minute explanation as to why I couldn't understand his motives? I sighed and got off the chair, heading straight to the kitchen and opening a bottle of soda.
"You know what, just forget about it. Wanna watch a movie?" I asked.
Asshole.
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"Tamsin… Tamsin! Wake up honey, you gotta go to bed!"
My eyes shot open as I assessed the situation I was currently in. I resigned myself to accepting that I had indeed fallen asleep during the one movie I'd wanted to watch more than anything. Shit. What I couldn't accept, however, was that I had found myself rather comfortably resting my head on the chest of one David Batista, hands entwined and all. Double shit. I figured out that feigning tiredness would let him know I wasn't conscious of what was going on, but for some reason faking a yawn just wouldn't cut it.
"W-what time is it?" I uttered groggily, hoping he was buying it. My hopes were dashed when I saw a self-satisfied smile flit across his face, disappearing as fast as it had been there.
"3.20am. You're a lightweight." he commented, stretching a little but not making any effort to let me go. Seeing where things were heading I took the initiative and pushed myself off of him, doing a little stretching of my own, and began to clear away the popcorn and cola.
"Hey, let me do that. You're meant to be resting…" he said softly, taking the cans from my hand and letting them linger a little longer than they needed to. I jerked away from the sensation of his skin on mine, acting as nothing had happened and rushing to the kitchen to put the stuff in the sink. Now maybe it was the fatigue, but I was finding it harder and harder to dislike the man as time went on.
"So, you spending the night or what?"
I winced at my own words, although he seemed to find them amusing. The tension in the room rivalled that of Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie on a bad day, although exactly what kind of tension could be interpreted in a number of different ways.
Basically- I wanted to jump him. At some point during the night he'd removed his top, probably because of the immense heat being trapped in by the windows. I'm not going to lie- I'd never seen a body quite like it. On the other hand, no husband and breaking things off with Mark mean that sex was not the first thing on the agenda anymore, which was probably a good thing- at one point I made a pretty impressive whore.
"I guess I'll have to; Jeff told me to wait for him to come back, and God knows when that'll be,"
I did, and I wasn't happy. Remember this?
"What time will you be back?" I asked loosely, making sure he could hear the fact that I couldn't care less.
"Tomorrow morning,"
Good one Jeffrey, good one.
"He'll probably be back in a few minutes… look, I don't wanna waste your time over here. Why don't you go to your room and relax a little? I'll be fine on my own I swear," I attempted to convince him, although I could see he wasn't buying any of it. Truth be told I still wanted to hump that tree.
Dave stepped right up to me, looking me square in the eyes and lifting my chin so I could here every word. Wow, I didn't know my heart could beat that fast.
"Tamsin," he almost murmered, the deep baritone of his voice easing me into the sentence. I gave him a small nod so he knew that he had my attention, "I'm not… going… anywhere. So you can stop trying to get rid of me and get used to the fact that I'm here until Hardy gets back, alright Sweet Cheeks?"
Then, he kissed me.
On the head.
Like I was a fucking child. I was partially stunned by the move, unable to say anything. Even when I eventually managed to open my mouth all that could form were a string of inaudible sounds. Dave ambled back to the sofa, moving the remote control out of the way and taking a seat, his eyes transfixed on the screen like I wasn't even there. I was so wound up, I didn't quite know what to do with myself. So I settled on one thing and stuck with it. Taking in a deep breath I swallowed any nervousness that remained on my tongue and stormed over to him, smacking him around the back of the head and launching into my verbal attack.
"Dave. You need to fucking understand a few things before you try and patronise me, ok? I've been stuck inside for the past 6 days because I happened to make friends with an overprotective rainbow haired… child," I spat out the last word as the image of him kissing me on the head came into full view, "I've hardly had contact with the outside world and all I wanna do right now is walk outside, pick a flower and inhale some fucking fresh air! But can I do that? No! I can't!"
"Tamsin, all-"
"No! Shut the fuck up Dave, I'm not done yet!" Man, I was frustrated. Even I didn't know how shitty I was feeling until I opened my mouth, "All I've had for the past few days is people coming in to visit me and make sure I fucking eat. Eat eat eat eat EAT!"
Ok- open mouth, insert foot. I'm pretty sure I was coming off as a complete nutcase, but I needed to get some things off my chest and it was going to happen whether he liked it or not.
"I'm not fucking bulimic. I was just a little stressed out, and now I'm all better. See?"
Ok, not the best time to try and make that point but hey! I was desperate alright…
"So Dave, don't try and fucking tell me what to do, because you don't know what this feels like. You don't know at all."
My last words were quiet and resigned. Maybe I was having a nervous breakdown? Dave sat and listened, simply nodding his head as he took in everything I'd just got out of my system. It felt good to finally tell someone- it really did. Don't get me wrong; Jeff was probably one of the nicest people I'd ever met, but he was so nice that it was difficult to tell him what was wrong for fear of upsetting him. He's very 'in touch' with his emotions, which means that me telling him all this probably would have broken his young heart. I was so lost in my thoughts I completely missed it when Dave had risen from his seat to stand in front of me, me lifting my head to meet his gaze.
"You don't have to tell me about being stuck inside Tamsin, it sucks! I know that- I do fight for a living don't forget. I can't tell you the number of times I've been laid up because of some stupid injury… the only difference is I didn't have people wanting to help me like you do."
He could see I couldn't really understand what he meant so he continued,
"When I ripped my triceps, I had to go home to a wife that didn't really want me around. She spent the whole 8 months telling me why I shouldn't wrestle anymore and reminding me that every day I was sat down on my ass I was slipping further away from my daughter. That hurt. Consider yourself lucky lady."
He finished with a dismissive laugh, if it could even be called that. His head was completely transfixed on the ground- I guess he was reflecting in what he'd said or something. I'm not the best when it comes to body language or reading emotions.
I didn't really know what to do… I just stood there thinking of something intelligent to say. When I couldn't think of anything, I did the next best thing.
"Dave?"
I heard him sniff and swipe at his nose with his index finger. He still wouldn't look up.
"Dave, if you don't look up now I'm going to make you look up." I threatened. As soon as he lifted his head my lips caught his in a slow, sensual kiss. My hands softly grasped at his forearms as our tongues entwined, not once fighting for dominance. Even though it wasn't the most ferocious or heated kisses, we were both left trying to catch our breath wondering what had just happened. We studied each other's features; I could see the hurt and pain concealed within his eyes, and it broke my heart.
"Don't ever let her make you feel like that again. You're better than that." I whispered, giving him a kiss on the cheek and going to bed as I swiped at the tears sliding down my face.
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Another chapter- DONE!
I'm happy with this one. I can't tell you how important reviews are to me. PLEASE tell me what you're thinking. I've never written a fic like this before and I want to know if it's working or not or if there's anything I could improve on.
Lil' Miss Cena