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Alyssa straightened out her red dress while looking at herself in the mirror. It was a floor-length silk with an open back. It clung to all the right places in her body, but she still wasn't satisfied. It was that time of the month, and she felt anything but beautiful. Yet, she had this nagging thought that tonight, she had to look her absolute best. John, the face of the WWE, had asked her to be his date for the Hall of Fame. Not only will there be superstars from several generations, but it will also be a televised event. John's high profile in the business only heightened her worries. What would people think when they see her next to him? She wasn't ashamed of herself, but that didn't automatically make her feel worthy of being his plus one. The wives of some superstars weren't even going, but she was? Her nerves were impossible to tame.
Luckily, Randy invited Sam. Alyssa practically tackled him when he told her the news. It'd been nearly two weeks since his drunken escapade, where she felt forced to leave the room out of discomfort when he mumbled her name. Somehow, shortly after that, Randy and Sam began to be okay again. Sam complained a little less and Randy became less moody.
Alyssa and John's relationship blossomed even more the last fourteen days. They spent every waking and sleeping moment together. They agreed to continue keeping it a secret for now. It's not like they had an official title, anyway. They were simply two people spending a lot of time getting to know each other. Inside and out. No one needed to be informed.
Despite their growing connection, Alyssa was still flustered when he'd ask her to be his date for the Hall of Fame. She began packing her clutch to distract herself from the mirror. She didn't want to look at herself anymore. It wouldn't help. She felt her palms get clammy and she nearly jumped when a knock came at the door. Geez, why was she so nervous?
She answered the door and saw John, causing all the tension in her body to disappear. Who wouldn't melt at the sight of this man? He was looking more handsome than ever, dressed in a black fitted suit and a black tie. His smile was even better to look at.
"You're gorgeous," he told her. He couldn't decide where to look. She was the epitome of perfection. His eyes danced and finally settled on her face, framed by the soft waves of her hair.
He took her hand and kissed it, causing crimson to wash her cheeks. It was a good thing she didn't use a heavy hand on the blush today. "You're not so bad yourself, Cena."
He nodded, keeping the smile on his face. It was impossible not to have this reaction around her. "It's my pleasure to have you as my date, Alyssa. Are you ready to go?"
"Yes, I am." With her clutch secured in one hand, she linked her free arm around his as they made their way towards the elevator. "Just take me before I run away."
John pushed the down button. "Run away?"
She let out a heavy breath. "I'm a bit nervous."
"You? Nervous?" John raised his eyebrows. He was standing tantalizingly close.
She bit her lip.
"Baby, you have nothing to be nervous about."
A ping announced the arrival of an empty elevator and they both walked in.
"I just hope I don't trip and embarrass you." She peeked at her shoes and they seemed even taller than when she first put them on. They were 6-inch black suede pumps.
"If anyone's embarrassing anyone, it's me embarrassing you. I mean-" John took a slight step to the side to allow himself a better view of her. "-look at you! You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
She blushed some more, feeling John tighten his hold on her.
"Just don't tell my mom I said that," he winked before returning his proximity.
The elevator doors opened up, causing Alyssa's heart to hammer away even faster. She stole a glance at the man beside her and somehow, that got her heart lax.
"Don't be surprised if all I do is stare at you tonight," she mumbled.
"Oh trust me, I'll be looking back." John beamed.
They walked through a large crowd in the lobby, but their attention remained on each other.
Alyssa denied his statement. "But not when you have to take pictures. I'll stand by Sam when you guys walk through the carpet."
"But you're my date." John guided her through the revolving doors. "Stand by me. You'll make the pictures even better."
Before she could respond, Randy and Sam hollered their names. They were standing by the sidewalk, signaling them over to the limousine.
"Sam!" Alyssa left John's side to hug her best friend's wife. She was wearing a silver floor length gown, with her brown hair in an up-do. "You look gorgeous!"
"Look who's talking! You're a dynamite!" Sam stood back to ooh and ahh over Alyssa. Her husband right beside her was doing the same.
"Yeah, I got quite the date." John stated proudly. He placed his arm around her waist.
"Oh stop, you guys! Everyone looks great. Shall we go in now?"
Everyone nodded then made their way into the ride. Once they were all settled, John draped his arm around Alyssa and settled his hand behind her lower back. She smiled at him, seemingly nervous. He wasn't sure if it was because of his first public display of affection or because of the ceremony they were heading to. Either way, he was thrilled to have her as his date. It was an excuse to have her by his side in front of the whole world.
"You guys look good," Sam commented. Her eyes were feasting at the opposing duo.
John smiled. "Thank you."
"Together, I mean."
Randy, who still hadn't spoken a word, cleared his throat. Alyssa was too busy blushing to notice.
John, however, picked up on his silence. "You alright there, Randy? You haven't said a thing."
"Yeah, I'm just tired. Barely got any sleep last night."
Sam beamed. The mention of last night brought red to her cheeks. "Yeah, we're running on two hours."
Alyssa smiled in approval, quickly picking up on the inference. Randy's muteness didn't appear to be out of foulness this time, but as he said, out of fatigue. Good fatigue. The kind only your loving partner should inflict. "I assume you guys had a good night anyway?"
Memory forced a sadistic grin to Randy's lips. He grabbed Sam's hand and nodded. "Yes. Yes, we did."
Whatever worries Alyssa had were alleviated as the atmosphere in the car continued to improve. The ice was broken and the four of them felt normal again. She looked between John, Randy and Sam, seemingly all on friendly terms. They conversed, laughed, and joked. What more could Alyssa ask for? She continued to enjoy herself on the ride. Then, the car stopped and the door opened a few seconds after. They were here.
Alyssa felt her breath catch, and John noticed. He looked at her comfortingly as Randy and Sam took their exit.
"You okay?" he asked her. They were alone momentarily.
"Yeah," she smiled. It was half-forced, but it was a smile nonetheless.
Then, to her surprise, John kissed her. It wasn't just a small kiss, either. It was full of passion, sending a surge of blood to pump through her veins. She felt like she'd touched a live wire. Randy or Sam could've seen this, but John, oh John, he was so tantalizing, it didn't matter.
She cupped his cheek and smiled. "Thank you. I needed that."
He winked at her. "No problem. You have nothing to worry about. Let's go."
She followed him out of the car and was met by a sea of people. Fans, held back by railings, filled the space. There were reporters, photographers, and superstars on the walkway. There was so much noise, it was hard for Alyssa to think. She stole a glance at John before taking a deep breath. He looked at her too, and together, they walked the carpet. They were stopped several times for photos and comments. John didn't take his arm off of her for one second. In fact, he was more attentive of her despite all the people that wanted his attention.
Why were they hiding their budding romance again? This was fun.
Alyssa looked over and saw Randy intently gazing at them. Oh. That's partially why. Her best friend was quite the over-protector and she didn't want him to pry in before anything started. Granted, a lot has started for her and John, but she wanted to keep it to herself a little longer. It was special. Besides, John was adamant about being on the down low, too. This mutual agreement was working for them, so why change it? For now, outsiders could see them as good friends and nothing more.
After several minutes, they finally made it into the auditorium. The place was massive. Walls were stretched up so high, the ceiling felt like a mile away.
"It's a nice place, huh?" John admired the venue with her.
"Nice doesn't even cover it," Alyssa mumbled as her eyes continued to dance. Muted colored lights bounced all over the walls while nude curtains framed the stage.
John took a few more seconds to look around before finally settling his eyes on his favorite view: Alyssa. "Let's find our seats?"
She smiled and nodded.
The two made their way towards the front, passing by thousands of seats. Some were occupied, and some were not. They got to the front row and saw their names in the center. Alyssa looked at John reluctantly. She knew this was where the camera would pan most often.
"Don't worry, baby. I'll be right next to you."
He guided her towards their seats and when they got there, Alyssa realized Sam and Randy were assigned to sit beside them. Thank goodness. Her and John sat down, taking the time to admire the stage.
Randy's voice emerged a couple seconds later, forcing Alyssa to look his way. He was holding hands with Sam, a big smile plastered on his face. He was talking to a woman with brown hair. She looked out of place in her short pink mini. Alyssa continued to stare as Randy gave the brunette a hug. Then, the married couple made their way towards them.
"You won't believe who I just saw," Randy said.
John and Alyssa looked at him intently.
"Who?" John finally asked.
"Your ex-girlfriend."
The words took awhile to register.
Then, all the blood drained from Alyssa's face. John's ex-girlfriend? But before her, he said his career made it difficult to date. This didn't make sense.
John appeared to be caught off-guard, too. He didn't say a word. His eyes looked around nervously, trying to see who the hell Randy was talking about.
"Mickie James is here," Randy announced. "I guess firing her didn't keep the WWE board from inviting her to this event."
"Oh," was all John could say. His head dropped.
Randy shrugged nonchalantly as he took his seat in between Sam and Alyssa. He clasped his wife's hand, oblivious to what a momentous revelation he just made.
Alyssa stared off in space as she tried to wrap her head around what she just heard. John has an ex-girlfriend from the WWE? Why is this the first time she's hearing about this? Maybe they dated before her and John met. But that would've been over ten years ago. John wasn't even in the WWE ten years ago. She struggled to find a logical answer. Her mind was going haywire.
John touched her arm, brining her right back to earth. She hadn't realized she wasn't breathing.
"Are you okay?" he asked her.
She looked at him. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Because of Mickie James," he whispered closely to her ear.
"What about her?" she asked, unsure if she even wanted to know.
"You must be shocked to find out I have an ex from the WWE."
Alyssa looked straight ahead, her lips formed into a hyphen. Damn right she's shocked. But is this something to worry about? Ex means she's in the past. Surely, this doesn't change anything about the present. Right?
John continued to whisper. "Look, I should've told you, but Mickie and I agreed to keep it a secret-"
Alyssa's head snapped, forcing John to stop mid-sentence. Her eyes pierced into him.
We agreed to keep it a secret.
God, why did that sound disgustingly familiar? John and Mickie agreed to keep it a secret, just like her and John? How many times has he done this before?
Alyssa looked away. It felt like the floor had been pulled from under her. She had spent the last several days giving away a part of herself she never gave to anyone, but she willingly gave it to John. Now she learns that he couldn't even tell her the truth about his past? He deliberately omitted facts. He never corrected her when she'd mention him never having a girlfriend from the WWE.
"Alyssa…talk to me," John urged. "Do you wanna go outside? The ceremony isn't starting for another ten minutes."
He seemed so adamant to talk now that he'd gotten caught.
She shook her head. "John, this isn't the place nor the time."
And frankly, she wasn't sure if she could handle hearing any more right now. The past has passed, but as Alyssa looked over at John, she couldn't deny the guilt in his eyes and that terrified her.
Damn. No wonder she'd been nervous about tonight.
