Chapter 7

Say That One Word

It relieved Adam to see Brad had finally managed to mentally recover from his horrifying ideal at the parking lot.

A week had passed since he had saved his boyfriend's life and had rekindled their relationship for the second time; Adam had made a habit of being grateful for each day he was able to hold the love of his life in his arms. It had later turned out that the crazy fangirl (honestly, some people shouldn't have the freaking right to call themselves a fan) had stalked multiple other wrestlers and Divas on Twitter, bombarding them with her undying love for her 'idols', pretty bad fanart, creepy messages, asking if they could help her becoming a Diva and often almost drowning the profiles with hysterical death threats if the wrestler or Diva wouldn't reply. Every wrestler or Diva with the right mind immediately blocked that crazy bitch, but it looked like she had decided to take her obsession with the WWE a step further by nearly killing an employee. Adam hoped they would lock her up in the loony bin for the rest of her life.

It was evident that the horrifying event had haunted Brad mercilessly throughout the entire week during his recovery. The former General Manager straight-out refused to walk through a parking lot at night unless he was accompanied by his boyfriend. Whenever the crew left the arena after a show had ended, it was obvious that the wrestlers and Divas would be awaited by a horde of devoted fans; an absolute torture for Brad at that time. Adam could see that he feared the fangirl that had nearly killed him would show up in the crowd and aim the pistol at his face again, only this time to successfully pull the trigger. Or even worse; the killer could be someone who could be talked into this by her, to do the dirty work for her while she was still held into custody. Adam watched as Brad looked around him, expecting a gun to be aimed at him at any moment, but luckily the party animal knew exactly what to do in order to calm him down. He would gently squeeze his boyfriend's hand, the calming effect almost immediately made him less paranoid. Brad would give the party animal a small smile whenever he did this; he appreciated him helping him, it made him feel a bit more safe.

But even outside the ring, Brad found it hard to feel safe.

It's almost impossible for a wrestler or Diva from the WWE to not be recognized in public. So most of the time when Brad and Adam were out to have lunch or to drink something in a club, the chance that they would be approached by people who would recognize them; just seeing a young woman approaching them to ask them to get an autograph or a selfie was enough for the former General Manager of Raw to make his heart skip a beat. But there was one thing for sure... as long as Adam was on his side, nobody would harm him. This alone made Brad love him even more. Adam was always there to support him, day and night. Literally, because let's not forget about the nightmares the former General Manager of Raw had on most nights during the week. In those nightmares it was happening all over again, but Adam was never in time to save him again. The nightmare always ended when that crazy bitch Lindsay pulled the trigger, putting a bullet through Brad's brains, killing him. Brad would sit up in bed with his heart beating in his throat, practically bathing in his own sweat and convinced that she was here in the hotel room. Adam would hug the former General Manager of Raw until he fell asleep, which would often last for hours.

But now that a week had passed since the incident, Adam had the feeling that his boyfriend had completed the long way to his recovery. It was tough, but he had finally made it. He noticed that he acted more calmer whenever they were approached by a fan, he was a lot more relaxed whenever the crew was greeted with a crowd of fans whenever they exited an arena, as if he was slowly regaining his trust in the fandom of the WWE. Adam was so proud of his boyfriend.

And it looked like things were going to get even better.

Everyone knows that the wrestlers and Divas can almost never go home due to their busy schedule, but this time the couple finally had time to go home. The house they had moved into together during this year was the kind of house everyone would dream off; it was a nice big house that was located near the beach, something which Brad and Adam loved to go to on sunny days. This morning, Adam was woken up by the sound of his cell phone receiving a text. Letting out a soft groan, the party animal carefully sat up, trying not to wake up his boyfriend who was still sleeping. Adam couldn't help but glance at Brad. He smiled from ear to ear; the former General Manager was a sleeping beauty alright. Adam grabbed his cell phone and saw on the screen that he had indeed received a text.

A text from Emily.

'Wakey wakey! I have received it! :)'

Oh dear God, finally! Adam knew that this text was enough to make his day; nothing could ruin it anymore.

Today, Brad was finally going to see what the whole thing with Emily was all about.

'Awesome! I will pick it up around ten o'clock. Thanks for everything, Emily, I owe you one!'


'So... what was the reason again you wanted us to go the beach, Adam?' Brad asked curiously.

'I already told you, silly beans!' the party animal replied with a grin on his face. 'You will see, you're going to love it!'

Today was the perfect day to visit the beach. The sun was shining bright, there wasn't a single cloud in the sky and a small flock of seagulls soared above the beach in order to find something edible to snatch. Some people had decided to take advantage of this day as well, taking a plunge in the cold sea or tanning their bodies in the sun. A toddler was building a sand castle while her mother watched her from a little distance.

Brad had no freaking idea about what was going on and he was more than eager to know.

It all started when Adam woke him up with something, asking him to go to the beach with him after breakfast. So far he didn't think anything suspicious of it; the weather forecast had predicted that it was going to be a hot day today, so it was logical that someone would go to the beach. Plus, this was one of the very rare free days they could get, so why the hell not, he thought. They had breakfast shortly after they got out of bed (seriously, Adam could cook bacon and eggs like nobody else) and after they both dressed up, they got inside the car and drove away.

However, Adam wasn't planning to go to the beach right away. Without telling Brad about this, he took a turn to the right and stopped the car near a jewelry store. When Brad questioned him about this, the party animal replied with a reassuring smile that he just had to pick something up and that he would be back in a minute before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek and leaving the car. Brad watched Adam entering the jewelry store, wondering why he would possibly go in there. Through the shop window, which was decorated with the golden, graceful letter font that spelled out the name of the store, the former General Manager could see his boyfriend talking to a young woman with short red hair, who standing behind the counter. She smiled and nodded a couple of times, then she walked to the back of the store and came back a few moments later, handing over something small to Adam. Brad couldn't exactly see what it was. He saw Adam giving the woman a firm handshake, turning around and leaving the jewelry store. He got back inside the car and the couple drove straight to the beach.

Now that Brad thought about it... was the visit to the jewelry store all part of the surprise?

While they were holding hands, the couple walked over the beach, enjoying the sun and the smell of seawater. There was no need to rush the romantic walk; today, they had all the time in the world.

'Hey, Braddy... how are you actually holding up?' Adam asked. 'Is it still bothering you?'

The former General Manager of Raw knew exactly what he was talking about. He stared at the sand, thinking about the answer. 'Well... you could say that the worst part is over, I guess. God, Adam... I don't think I have ever been that scared in my entire life.'

Adam briefly nodded. 'Yeah, I sure as hell can believe that.' To this day, he was still so damn glad that he had managed to save Brad in the nick of time.

'Can I ask you something, Adam?'

'Sure, what is it?'

'How long do you know Emily? I mean, I had never heard of her before until I read your texts with her that night.'

'Well... I got to know Emily after I moved to the U.S.A when WWE decided to sign me. She too wanted to become a professional wrestler, but at the last moment she decided to abandon that goal and start a business for her own. As time went on, we kinda grew apart... but when I needed help with the surprise for you, she was the first person I thought of. And I have to say, she was a really great help.'

'So that's why... damn, now I understand.'

Gently squeezing his boyfriend's hand, Adam couldn't help but look at the former General Manager of Raw. This man right here was the love of his life, the man he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He was absolutely sure of it. The party animal had thought a lot about this, for many months, but he was ready to make that one big step. He loved Brad with all his heart and he wanted him to stay on his side forever.

This was the perfect time to ask him the most important question he would ever ask.

'Say, Braddy... I didn't manage the kind of business Emily started on her own, right?'

Brad shook his head. 'No, you didn't. Why?'

'Well, I should mention that... Emily owns that jewelry store we went to a while ago.'

Brad blinked his baby blue eyes in surprise. 'Wait, hold on... so she was that girl who was standing behind that counter?'

The party animal smiled and nodded. 'Yup, you got that right, Braddy!' he cheerfully exclaimed.

This was it. The perfect moment.

Adam let go of Brad's hand, walked in front of him, faced him for a second and went down on one knee. He would never forget the look on his boyfriend's face; his eyes widened with surprise as he slightly dropped his jaw. Smiling from ear to ear, Adam stared at him with a loving look in his eyes.

'Brad Maddox...' the party animal softly spoke. 'From the very first moment I laid eyes on you, I fell in love with you. You are the most beautiful and loving man in the whole world, and I am so blessed with you. I love you more than anything else. I know I have messed up many times, but know this... you are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me and I wouldn't do anything to hurt you or break your heart. I want you to stay in my life forever, so that's why I'm asking you, Brad Maddox...' Adam put his hand in the pocket of his jeans and retrieved a small, dark blue, velvet box. Opening it, the party animal received a beautiful golden ring. 'Will you marry me?'

Complete silence.

Brad stared at Adam, completely speechless. Adam was still staring at him, full with hope. But then, he saw something he hadn't expected to see. Brad's eyes, those baby blue eyes he loved so much, slowly filled with tears.

'I... I'm sorry, Adam...'

In a split second, Adam could feel his stomach dropping to his feet. Oh my God... was he going to reject his proposal? After everything they went through together?!

'I'm so sorry...' Brad said as the tears rolled over his cheeks. 'I feel so ashamed for not trusting you in the past. All this time I thought you were having an affair while you were actually preparing to do this. I should have had more faith in you. I can never forgive myself for thinking this way about you, but I hope you can forgive me. Adam... you have opened my eyes. You have changed my life forever. You have always been there for me, you are the reason why I decided to stay with the WWE. If I had left, you would've disappeared out of my life for sure... and I don't think I could ever live with that. Hell, I don't think I could live without you. You are everything to me, my entire world. So...' Brad smiled from ear to ear. 'Yes. I do want to marry you.'

This day had just become the best day of Adam's life.

The love of his life had said yes.

He pulled the ring out of the black foam it was put into and carefully slid it onto the ring finger of Brad's right hand, sealing the engagement. The party animal got back up on his feet and immediately pulled his fiancé in for a loving hug, locking lips with him the very next second. Brad wrapped his arms around Adam's neck, deepening the kiss.

He was more than willing to spend the rest of his life with this wonderful man.