Chapter 7 – Fighting For My Sanity
Izzy and Cas sat on the large midnight blue couch in the middle of Cas' living room, snacks and junk food spread across the coffee table in front of them and Friday Night Smackdown on the TV. Keeping their promise, they were getting immersed in the onscreen action. Izzy looked at Cas and the green mess that covered her chocolate coloured skin. There was nothing better than seaweed face masks, junk food and now wrestling. Cas shuffled forward on the sofa, not once taking her eyes off the TV. Cody had just appeared on the screen in nothing but a towel.
"Whoa. My. God. Look at those abs!" Cas' mouth hung open, practically drooling. Izzy couldn't help but agree, he did have lickable abs, but she would much rather lick Stephens'. Shaking her head so those thoughts wouldn't go any further, she stood and ventured to the bathroom to take her face mask off.
"So have you and Cody spoken since last night?" Izzy asked as she wandered back through to sit on the couch.
"Yeah this morning, he's so sweet and did I mention hot?" Cas replied, eyes still glued on the TV.
"I think you may have mentioned that before." Izzy laughed at Cas as a commercial break came on and she ran to the bathroom to take her face mask off.
Again that evening, Izzy checked her phone. She hadn't spoken to Stephen since they made plans to meet up next week. She hadn't told Cas either, she didn't want her friend to turn into a crazy match maker just yet; mental preparation would be needed for that day. She was looking forward to getting to know him more considering their conversations so far had been pretty minimal to say the least. Cas returned to the room and grabbed a handful of popcorn, settling down to hopefully catch another glimpse of Cody and his abs. Cas had informed Izzy that Stephen would be appearing on Monday Night Raw, a different brand to the one Cody was on, the major difference between the brands was that Raw was shown live. After watching Smackdown, Izzy was secretly looking forward to Monday night so she could see Stephen, see him living his dream.
The weekend dragged, waiting for one particular moment in time made everything go ten times slower. Izzy not being one for waiting had already googled Stephens name thus finding out his ring name was actually Sheamus, he weighed a crazy two hundred and seventy-two pounds and his nickname was The Irish Curse.
After what seemed like hours of waiting, the titles of Monday Night Raw rolled and Izzy was glued to the TV. She finally caught a glimpse of Stephen, wearing a black shirt with a Celtic cross on the front and wrestling trunks. She knew outcomes were pre-determined, but watching him getting 'attacked' by a man called Randy Orton didn't sit well with her. In the end she was shouting at the TV for him to get up and kick his ass, but all she saw was him laying still being hit repeatedly with a steel chair and then being planted face first into the floor. She picked up her phone, maybe she was overreacting, he does this for a living she told herself, but she wanted to make sure he was alright.
Izzy picked up her phone, and not wanting to sound too over the top she sent him short a text.
Saw the show, you looked great. Looked like it hurt though, are you ok?
Knowing he would be busy and too tired to reply soon, Izzy called it a night and made her way to the bedroom, starting her mental preparation to tell Cas about her date on Wednesday.
Wanting to make a good impression for the first time since she had met Stephen, Izzy had pulled out all the stops, with Cas' help of course. When treating herself to a manicure and pedicure, Izzy opted for China Glaze Seduce Me, no coincidence at all. She didn't plan on doing any seducing. And she was now suffering a case of déjà vu. Standing on the 3rd floor of Bergdorf Goodman staring at a selection of Zac Posen dresses Cas had picked out. She knew which dress she would wear as soon as she laid eyes on it, a fabulous back and silver jacquard zigzag print dress with a hint of red and a deep V neckline, she also had a pair of simple black Louboutins at home that would work perfectly with the dress.
"It's perfect! Not too slutty, not too boring." Cas chimed in, another excellent observation from her part.
"Good, don't want him to think I'm easy now do I." Izzy stuck her tongue out at Cas, who had a witty reply dancing around in her eyes.
"You practically jumped on him and kissed him after knowing him for what, two days? And you don't want him to think you're easy? That ship has sailed girl!" Cas stood looking proud at her conclusion, Izzy on the other hand stood wide eyed, shocked at her friends revelation. She couldn't comprehend Stephen being that kind of guy, not in a million years. She looked at the dress in her hands - she really didn't want to come across as that kind of girl.
"Cas, that's like the last thing I need to hear right now." Izzy hoped she would hear the pleading tone in her voice.
"Fine, but be careful. Especially after, well, you know." Cas started much to Izzy's dismay.
"Yes, I do know, and I have come to the conclusion that Stephen is nothing at all like Sean!" Izzy stated defiantly "Now stop with the craziness and help me find the perfect accessories." Izzy dragged Cas down to the first floor.
It was a heaven of handbags and accessories, every girls dream. Izzy couldn't help but stick her hand out and stroke a Bottega Veneta napa hobo bag, liking the feel of the leather beneath her fingers. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the sparkle of the Diane von Furstenberg Philomena clutch - it was calling out to her. She walked over to it, picking it up and assessing its quality, however it was Diane von Furstenberg so really she didn't need to. She held it against the dress she had already chosen, deciding it would work wonderfully.
After a very long afternoon at work, Izzy finally made it home with her new outfit in hand. She couldn't wait to see the look on Stephens face when he saw her in the dress - she would settle for a jaw drop and gasp.
When they had arranged to meet up, Izzy though it would be best for her to decide where to go seeing as Stephen had little knowledge of the city. She knew exactly where she was going to take him. Instead of hitting AZYA Wine and Chocolate bar like she usually would with her friends, she was going to take him to P.J. Carney's, an Irish pub on 7th Avenue across from Carnegie Hall. She hoped he would appreciate the thought and effort she was putting into this, and see that she was thinking about him. After getting a quick bite to eat, Izzy started to get ready for the evening starting with a long bubble bath. Stephen would be at her door at eight, so she had plenty of time to enjoy the process of getting dolled up.
With twenty minutes to spare, Izzy had finished getting ready and was wearing the outfit she had picked out at work. Before she left her bedroom, she sprayed a small amount of Thierry Mugler's Alien perfume into the air and walked through it, coating her skin and hair in the fragrance. She picked up her clutch, popped her phone, keys, lip gloss and wallet inside, and then wandered through to the living room.
She was early - something she didn't like because this gave her time to think and worry. The last time she saw Stephen she was pushed up against his body kissing him, and even though he didn't seem to object she knew the act wasn't mutual. Usually she would wait for the guy to make the first move, but she was drawn to Stephen and he did something to her that she couldn't quite put her finger on.
There was a knock at the door, Izzy looked at the time on her phone then back at the door, confusion clearly set on her face as it wasn't eight just yet. She hoped it wasn't Cas as she really couldn't deal with her and her crazy ways right now. Walking over to the door and checking the peep hole she saw Stephen glancing around the hallway, hands in his pockets. Thankful she was ready early, she slowly opened the door. Stephen turned in her direction watching intently as she appeared. He studied her quickly, taking in her appearance, licking his lips as he locked eyes with her. Izzy did the same, he was wearing a blue dress shirt, waistcoat and grey pants - he looked just as delicious as he did the last time she'd seen him.
"Sorry ah'm early. Yeh look stunning." He smiled whilst fiddling with the watch on his wrist, Izzy thought that might be a sign of nervousness, but the thought of Stephen not being cool, calm and collected couldn't be possible in her mind.
"Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself." Izzy smirked back at him, "Do you wanna come in, or we could go now if you want?"
"We can go now, if yer ready?" Stephen asked, not wanting to be pushy.
"Sure, let me just grab my purse." Izzy turned back into her apartment and walked towards the living room where she left her clutch on the couch. She glanced over her shoulder just in time to see Stephens eyes travelling down her legs. He quickly brought his eyes up to meet hers, knowing he had been caught, though she couldn't see any sign of guilt in his features as he leant against the doorframe. She picked up her purse and made her way back to Stephen, smiling as she approached him.
"Now where exactly are we going?" He asked, suspicious of what she had in store for him
"You will just have to wait and see!" She teased as she locked the door to her apartment and walked down the corridor with Stephen following close behind her.
They made it down to the lobby and out onto the quiet New York street. Their building The Majestic was situated on Central Park West, and after deciding a stroll through Central Park would be too romantic, Izzy hailed a cab to take them to their destination. They made small talk throughout the ride, Stephen asking Izzy about work, and Izzy asking about wrestling and where he had been travelling.
The cab pulled to a stop and Stephen paid the driver however not without an argument from Izzy first, but he insisted he would pay. He surveyed his surroundings as he got out of the cab, joining Izzy on the side walk, she was grinning as she watched him.
"It's an Irish pub," she stated proudly, "and you're, you know, Irish." Izzy mentally kicked herself for sounding so stupid, but was soon relieved as she heard Stephen laugh from beside her. He didn't say a word. Instead he placed a hand on her back and led her towards the entrance, opening the door for her as a true gentleman would.
They made their way to the back of the pub, Izzy had been here a few years back, and quite frankly not much had changed. It had a friendly, comfortable vibe. Huge LCD TV's sat on the walls showing the latest football and basketball matches. As they were seated a waitress came to take their order - Stephen ordered a Guinness and Izzy opted for a Tequila Cosmo.
Whilst waiting for their drinks, Izzy proceeded to tell Stephen about her life in New York. Graduating from Fashion Institute of Technology with a degree in Visual Presentation and Exhibition Design, interning at Niemen Marcus before gaining a job at their subsidiary Bergdorf Goodman. She had climbed her way up the corporate ladder in a pair of Jimmy Choo's - which wasn't an easy process. Her life however turned out to be rather dull compared to Stephens no, but they had both worked extremely hard to get to where they are today. She loved hearing him talk about his life back in Ireland, a glint of admiration appeared in his eyes as he spoke about his father and how much he had inspired him.
Izzy glanced around the bar as she took a sip of her Cosmo, a group of men in work suits sat drinking bottles of Stella Artois, occasionally looking their way. She was currently sat next to Stephen who had one arm draped across the back of the booth behind her. Izzy saw the light around them get a little darker and looked up to notice one of the men had approached the table, a napkin and sharpie in hand. The man must have been in his mid-thirties, however that didn't stop the childlike look of amazement and awe on his face.
"I don't mean to interrupt," he spoke loudly enough so they could hear over the buzz of the bar then glanced at Izzy then back to Stephen, "but can I have an autograph?" The man held the napkin and pen in the direction of Stephen who sent Izzy an apologetic look.
"Sure thing, fella'. What's yeh name?" Stephen asked the man as he took the napkin and pen.
"Ed." The man answered, his voice now a pitch higher than it was the first time he spoke.
Izzy smiled as she watched the man strike up a conversation with Stephen, something about a wrestler named Triple H. Izzy found this the right opportunity to 'powder her nose' then signalled to Stephen that she was visiting the bathroom and he sent her a quick nod in response.
When she left the bathroom, she saw Ed now sat down opposite Stephen pressing him for answers. She weaved her way through the punters and tables, back to where the two men were seated. A wolf-whistle from the bar made her turn her head to see the bartender raising his eyebrows at her. She sent him a glare, and then turned around just in time to walk straight into the oncoming waitress, who happened to be carrying a full tray of drinks in her hand. The world around her blurred and spun into slow motion, she saw half of the drinks fall onto the floor, smashing in the process. The other drinks fell onto the lap of Ed who quickly shot up out of his chair, suit drenched in beer. The waitress had quickly grabbed a cloth and was now attempting to dab Ed dry.
"Oh god, I'm so sorry." Izzy mentally blamed the waitress and bartender for this, and if she didn't sound too crazy she would have claimed that she had been set up. "I will pay for your dry cleaning!" Izzy shouted towards Ed who was now walking in the direction of the men's bathroom.
She couldn't believe something like this was happening to her again, never before had she suffered this much embarrassment in such a short amount of time. She couldn't take it anymore so she tucked her tail between her legs and grabbed her purse from where she had been sat, threw some money onto the table and looked at Stephen. "I have to go." She mumbled before making her way to the entrance of the pub and onto the sidewalk.
Marching down the street, she didn't once looking back, leaving a disaster in her wake. She had chosen to run this time instead of facing the situation - it was much easier this way. She carried walking up 7th Avenue towards Central Park and now knew why Stephen was nicknamed The Irish Curse. She had encountered nothing but bad luck with him. Maybe this was Gods way of telling her to stop trying and give up.
She heard her name being called and knew it was Stephen as his thick Irish accent travelled through the New York air. She carried on, quickening her pace as she made it to the entrance of Central Park on West 59th Street. Goosebumps formed on her skin as a cool breeze swept across her, she had just missed being hit by a Central Park bike tour - thus continuing her streak of bad luck. Maybe there was a huge hole she could jump into. She even considered hiding behind a tree. That was until she looked down at her shiny patent leather Louboutins - she just wasn't that cruel. Her name being called got louder and she could hear Stephens' footsteps now.
"Izzy, wait!" She didn't stop. She didn't want to face him. Not now, not ever.
Stephen had had enough. He grabbed her arm, pulling her to an abrupt stop then turned her around to face him.
Izzy couldn't look at him, instead she stared at his wide chest, slipping into a trance as she watched it rise and fall. He placed both of his large hands on the side of her face and tilted her head back, making her look at him. She placed her hands over his attempting to move them away from her face so she wouldn't have to look at him.
"What's wrong?" He asked earning a scoff in reply. Maybe he was the stupid one.
"What's wrong? What's wrong is that right now I'm the unluckiest girl in Manhattan, you think I'm a complete and utter idiot that can't function normally in any kind of social situation. But it's okay, I will leave you be and you can get on with your life." Izzy spilled out unable to contain her emotions anymore.
Stephen watched her as she had her little tirade, brushing his thumbs across her cheeks. He leant forward pressed his lips against hers, catching her in a soft but heated kiss.
Izzys' heart raced. There he was, kissing her. In the middle of Central Park.
