well well well, here we are again. my vacation really healped my writer's block (knock on wood!) so i hope to be writing more. i hope.

hope you enjoy this!

Ruby

Chapter Six

The week of the kiss I was a wreck. Candice was supposed to come into our locker room, just walk right in and kiss JC, then start talking about things that he would miss from being "tied down". I'm not sure why, I know it's just acting, but the whole thing made my entire being cringe. I knew if I told JC any of these fears he would just tell me that I was creating - more like looking for - unnecessary drama. Was I? See, the way I see it, my drama was never unnecessary. I mean, look at my track record. If I hadn't gotten so fed up on the plane that one time with JC and Michelle, I wouldn't have ever talked to Jeff and realized that I was in love. If I hadn't had that little "talk" with Michelle in the parking lot, I wouldn't have made JC so mad that he realized that the reason he got so mad was because he loved me too. See? Necessary drama. My drama was completely justified and entirely appropriate. To me. Kind of. Sort of. Maybe. Sometimes.

So was it really a bad thing when I, completely coincidently, mind you, ran into Candice when she was on her way into the arena? Okay, so I was a floor away from our locker room and about a hundred feet in the wrong direction. But, I mean, I didn't realize that I was walking towards the parking lot until I got there. Like I said, coincidence.

Anyway, I saw her sitting in her car and decided that I would try to bypass the supposed dreaded drama by just talking to her about my concerns to her. Really, the decision made me feel kind of good about myself.

So, very politely, I knocked on her passenger side window and slipped into the leather seat of her 4-door sedan. "Hey, can I talk to you for a minute"

She just blinked at me for a second, a little surprised that I was sitting in her car, but then nodded. "Sure. What's up, hun?"

"You got your script last week right?"

Candice's face began beaming with a broad smile. "Oh, Ace, don't worry about it. I promise it'll be nothing. Promise."

I let out a deep breath that I hadn't realized I had been holding. "You have no idea how much better that makes me feel. I mean, it's just that..." I started, but Candice cut me off by putting her hand in the air.

"Ace, we're friends. I could never do that to you, sweetie. And you don't seem to understand that I understand what's going on. Jealousy is perfectly normal."

What? "Candice... I'm... I'm not exactly... jealous..."

"Oh, sweetie," She shot me a pity look.

"Candice! I'm not jealous. It took me forever to even realize that he was the love of my life and he was with another girl at the time. Now..." But she continued to cut me off.

"Acelynn, I get what you mean. Once a cheater, always a cheater."

What?! "NO!" Okay, maybe yelling was not the answer. I slunk back in the seat and ran my hands over my face. Maybe drama was just destined to find me wherever I went. "No, that's not what I meant."

Candice's cellphone began a William Tell overture on the dashboard. "I have to take this, but I'll see you later. Okay? And relax! I have your back, hun." She flipped the phone open, got out of the car, and waited for me to follow suit so she could lock the doors. Then she placed the phone to her ear and walked down the hall, the same blank smile on her face, "Why, heellllllooooo."

Then it hit me. The reason for all my concern was crystal clear. I completely trusted JC. I would follow him blindly, no matter what. Candice...not so much. Shit. Shit. Triple shit. And maybe a damn. A completely rational damn.

oOoOoOo

I walked back to our locker room slowly. What the hell had just happened? Seriously? All I wanted was a reassuring chat. That's it! Just a small conversation about how I was uncomfortable with the situation. I wanted to voice my concerns just so she would be aware. Totally healthy, right? Then, out of nowhere, I was a jealous bride with a cheating groom? I admit, sometimes I can be a bit of an emotional basket case and JC did technically cheat on Michelle, but... Seriously?!

One thing was certain. I did not create that drama. That shit was looking for me.

Okay, so now I'm thinking that JC doesn't need to know about this. Just like the earlier pregnancy scare, something were just better left in the dark. I'm just looking to conserve the man's sanity here. I hope.

I continued walking at an increasingly slow pace until I reached a metal door with a black and white sign that read: WWE Champion, John Cena. Acelynn. across it. The locker room was empty except for a large, plushy sofa, a 42" flatscreen, and a plastic ficus. The bathroom door was jarred open and the smell of a Glade plug-in was flowing from inside. The smell was inviting - reminding me of my Freesia Spirit shampoo - so I decided to take a quick shower to clear my thoughts.

I discarded my, now trademarked, look of my oversized hoodie and ripped jeans. In my birthday suit, I wrapped a terrycloth towel around myself and turned on the shower. Waiting for the water to get warm, I took a seat on the counter of the sink and stretched out my right leg for inspection. A large, pink scar ran from the bottom of thigh and jutted straight down my kneecap, stopping just above the shin. It was all accentuated by three little dots of pink scars from my very first surgery. There was one dot on either side of the line, and a third on the outside of my knee. Rubbing my hand over the raised skin, remembering exactly where every stitch had been, I bent my leg back. I could hear the small 'click' of the mostly plastic and metal fixture now posing as my joint. It was just a little reminder of how my career had ended before it could every really start.

JC came bursting through the door, his chest falling in disappointment when he saw me just sitting there. "Damn! I was hoping to catch you in the shower."

I laughed, "Sorry."

He walked over and planted a kiss on my forehead. His hand quickly covered mine, one still clutching my knee and the other holding my towel closed. I watched his gaze fall to the hand on my knee. "It's ugly," I whispered, drawing his gaze back to my eyes.

He shook his head violently. "No! No, Ace. Nothing about you is ugly."

In that moment, I knew he loved me. When he made those types of comments, I couldn't help but feel tingly just south of my belly button. I laughed again, "You're an idiot."

"Ah!," He moved to kiss me, then lingered for a moment before dropping to one knee and continuing to make his lips dance across my scars. It was cute at first, then just turned sexy as he glided his tongue up my thigh until I couldn't help but shiver. He was about to give me the ultimate form of comfort, but I couldn't help but push him away. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just..." I gripped my towel closed even tighter, "I was just going to take a shower and now..."

He seemed to understand even though I didn't, nodded, and left the bathroom.

oOoOoOo

If I was going to watch their scene live, I was going to have to watch from the hall. Tina came up from somewhere behind me and wrapped a comforting hand around my neck. "Don't worry, huh? It's just acting."

I nodded, really wondering if it was or not. On Candice's part, I mean. "Yeah." It felt good to have her here. It made me think that I had someone to explain my drama to. So I told her about my earlier conversation with the vixen. Then about what had happened in the bathroom. "I don't know, Tina. It would have felt so go to just forget it all and lose myself with him but... I just couldn't bring myself to it."

She nodded as she slipped another supportive arm around my front. "You're feeling vulnerable right now. It's cool. I'm sure he gets it."

JC spotted us standing there and gave me a weak smile, and an even weaker wink. I winked back just as pathetically. "I just love him so much."

"Well what Candice said was completely uncalled for. If I was you, I'd kick her ass." And with such a simple statement, Tina made me laugh. I could always count on Tina for a good laugh.

The microphone guy held up a finger to us, telling us that they were about to start and that we should be quite. I watched as Candice sauntered through the door, her steps long and sure. JC smiled at her, saying hi and making eye contact. She continued her advance on him. First, although he wasn't supposed to, JC back away from her. She kept coming, though, until she was able to place her hands on his chest. I felt a strong urge to scream, but I held it back. Then she wrapped her fingers around the back of his head and guided his mouth towards hers before he could protest.

I closed my eyes, remembering that she had assured that it was going to be a small kiss. One Mississippi. Two Mississippi. Three Mississippi. Four Mississippi. Five... and I opened my eyes to see them still locked together, Candice leaning in closer than comfortable. JC's eyes shot open, looking kind of angry yet not stunned, then nudged her away slightly so it looked like she stepped back naturally. "You know," Candice smiled, continuing like nothing happened, "I just wanted to let you know what you'd be missing once your tied down to the ol' ball and chain."

Cena just stared. I think he was supposed to say something witty back, but he seemed to be at just a loss for words.

Candice took the hint to cut it short, "Good luck in your match tonight, stud." She added a wink, then walked out into the hallway. I just watched her walk by, smiling at me and nodding. "See, hun. That wasn't so bad." But she continued down the hall before I could reply.

I was about to follow her and create some drama of my own - WELL needed drama - but Tina wrapped her unusually strong arms around my waste and held me in place. "Yeah... try explaining that to John," she snickered. Really, I think she wanted to kick Candice's ass, too, which made me stop fighting.

The microphone guy was getting annoyed that we were still talking while the camera was still on. JC was still standing where Candice had left him, his mouth open. And, dare I say it, I think I saw his lips curl just a bit. I swear, for a split second, it was there. Then, as I blinked in disbelief, it was gone. Had I imagined it? Definitely not.