"Yessir, I completely understand your frustration. Yessir, I will have them there in time for their matches. Yessir, my word is gold; I am a Lesnar, sir, every word of mine is gold… for about eight matches, right. Very funny, sir. Goodbye," Bryony hung up quickly, stuffing her phone back into the pocket of her track jacket. She looked around at the waiting area nearest their terminal, refusing to lock eyes with Cody as she passed over her. Sheamus was sitting down beside her with his feet up extending across two seats. Ted was in the row seated behind him, fast asleep. It was an hour until the next plan to San Jose International, and they'd already been here for 45 minutes.
"Boss, I'm hungry. Can we get a bite?" Sheamus said. Bryony looked down at him, judging his trustworthiness. She was treating them like criminals, and their every move was documented and under scrutiny. She was truly unhappy to have had to turn back and pick up three hung-over superstars, and Cody had a feeling that little blonde one-nighter hadn't made things any more cheerful for her.
"What would you like to eat, Mr. Farrelly?" she asked, reaching for the clutch under her arm and pulling out a shiny black Am-Ex card.
"A juicy double cheeseburger. Make it two. And a burrito for Teddy bear back there," he answered, lying back against the seat a little. Bryony shook her head slightly.
"If the three of you move from this spot while I am gone, I will rip your tickets to shreds and you will be stuck in this airport-shaped hell for six more hours," she said, taking off down towards the food court. Cody took the opportunity to tag along.
"I thought I said not to leave the waiting area," she said after attempting to ignore him for a few feet.
"I wanted to help and… to apologize," he replied as they got into the line for food.
"Apologize for what, Mr. Runnels?" she asked dully. It wasn't as though she didn't know, it was that she didn't seem to care.
"For… being late and making you come back here, for drinking so much last night that I took some girl back to the hotel… that you had to contain," he added hastily, trying hard to sound neutral. She looked directly at him, her arms folded and an eyebrow raised.
"Listen to me, and listen to me clearly because I do not ever repeat myself. Change is not a process I have ever found to be easy. And I will not pretend to be some martyr who came forth valiantly to rescue you from all of your demons. You can drink if you want to. You can have sex with disgusting trashy women if that is your desire. But I," she paused and placed her order. When they had stepped aside she continued, "I will not allow you to make a fool of me or the business I run. When those boundaries are crossed, we have a problem. Now as for last night, in the locker room," she stopped, feeling the pocket of her track suit and fishing out her phone.
"Excuse me," she said quietly. Cody was slightly grateful that she had to step away, and slightly anxious about what she'd been about to say. He thought for a moment she would've completely ignored their little encounter. She quickly hung up and turned back to Cody.
"I apologize. As I was saying-" their order number was called. Cody went and picked up the two large bags of food and looked to her, but she was already heading down the hall back to their terminal. He caught up with her.
"I'm sorry," he said again. She looked at him.
"You need not be," she replied, taking one bag from him so they were equal.
"But I am. I crossed the line last night with you. It's just that I felt bad, and you were crying and I just… I wanted to make you feel better. I wanted to kiss you." Admitting what he had seemed to finally make her stop.
"I know, and I did too but…" she trailed off, not able to find satisfying words in her immense repertoire that could possibly express what she wanted to say.
"There you two are! I was about to pass out from hunger! C'mon, look at what I drew on Teddy bear's face," Sheamus said joyously, snatching the bags from both of their hands and making off back to the waiting area.
"We've got a flight to catch. This can be discussed after the show," she said, following Sheamus. Cody stood there for a moment. She had wanted to kiss him too. But something was keeping her back. What she'd said to him earlier was echoing in his head.
Change is not a process I have ever found to be easy. And I will not pretend to be some martyr who came forth valiantly to rescue you from all of your demons.
He'd been this way for so long. And she'd seen him in the crux of it. And until the glorious moment in the hotel lobby today, she had not judged him for it; even seemed to care for him despite it.
You can drink if you want to. You can have sex with disgusting trashy women if that is your desire.
It was not his desire to sleep with trashy woman. He didn't want to spend the rest of his days tied up in one night endeavors he couldn't remember in the morning. The way she'd said it, the disgust in her articulate manicured words made him feel just that much more ashamed of himself. He did not want her to look down on him like that.
I will not allow you to make a fool of me…
And that was truly what it was about. As he was now, why would she want him? Just to be disappointed when he stumbled in early in the morning smelling like other women? That was not what he wanted for her. And if he wanted her, he needed to clean up and show her that he would never make a fool of her.
"Oh Codes, you shouldn't have," Ted mocked Cody as he entered the locker room with a bundle of roses.
"They're not for you, jackass," Cody answered, ducking past Ted and checking himself out in the mirror.
"Who are they for? McMahon? You're not going to butter him up with any flowers," Ted replied. Cody had indeed earned himself a meeting with Vince McMahon this evening, as well as Bryony; but he was not as concerned as he probably should have been. Bryony, however, had been a wreck when she'd gotten the news.
"None of your business, Ted. Just shut up and tell me I look good," Cody replied, fixing his hair so it spike perfectly. Ted shook his head, pushing Cody out of the mirror playfully.
"You look like you always do, except sober for once," Ted said, leaning down and lacing up his boots.
"And that's the way I'm going to stay, Ted. No more drinking," Cody had decided this the minute they'd taken off on the plane. When she'd sat beside him and fallen asleep on his shoulder for a little while; it had been the most comfortable time he'd spent on an airplane in his life. How safe she'd felt beside him, how cute she looked fast asleep by his side. It made him smile to think about, and the genuine little blush crept up on his cheeks.
"Who the hell are you and what have you done with Cody Runnels?" Ted replied, taking a rose from the bundle and taking a whiff of it. Cody snatched it back and put it in the bunch carefully.
"I think I've fallen in love, Ted," Cody replied honestly. If there was anyone he could tell, it had to be Ted.
"With who? Not that squeaky little stripper you slept with. Our boss swept the floor with her, it was embarrassing."
"No, you idiot. With our boss, with Bryony."
"You're not serious," Ted stood, shaking out his boots, "I mean, I stand by all your usual crazy decisions and I definitely stand by your newfound sobriety. But trying to date Bryony Lesnar is the absolute craziest thing you've ever asked me to stand by."
Cody looked at his longtime friend. Ted had been by his side through it all, the come-ups, the stardom, the failed relationship with Kelly Kelly, and the aftermath of his fall from grace.
"I haven't been right since things with Kelly ended, and Bryony is… too damn good for me. But she makes me feel something that for once, I don't want to numb with booze. And that's something worth trying for in my book."
Ted let his speech sink in a little before nodding.
"Then I've got your back, buddy. Now, you should get to that meeting and make sure your back isn't being tossed out of here by the big boss," Ted said, fixing Cody's collar a little and patting his shoulder. Cody smirked at himself in the mirror. They did call him dashing for a reason...