Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm so happy that you guys like my story. I really appreciate all the reviews and follows. You ROCK!
I would like to thank InsaniaTorn for beta reading this chapter and helping me correct my mistakes.
So, please enjoy and let me know what you think :)
Chapter 9: Today's the date!
The smile on her face would probably never fade away. Roman asked her out. She would have a date with him. She was so excited that she wanted to scream it out loud for everyone to hear. But they promised not to tell anyone about it just yet.
But that was impossible. Karolina couldn't keep it to herself. She had to tell Kaitlyn. And she knew Kaitlyn would keep it secret.
As it was 1am already, she didn't want to call her anymore because she might be asleep. Or she was busy with other things. Like John, for example.
She decided to send Kaitlyn a text message instead.
Kaitlyn, you won't believe what happened tonight. Roman asked me out. Roman fucking Reigns asked me to have dinner with him. But please don't tell John or anyone else. We want this to be between us for now, you know?! He's amazing, K. And he looks so damn hot in his trunks lol I'm such a weirdo, I know. Good night xx
She sighed and closed her eyes. How was she supposed to sleep now? She was too psyched for that. You would never think how humble and nice Roman was when you first saw him. Vince McMahon wanted him to be that mean-looking monster that kicked ass. In real life he was completely different. He was charming, understanding and very obliging.
She giggled when she thought about all these encounters between them. It's funny how she once was afraid of him. Not to forget the day that she yelled at him for no reason. And she had honestly thought he stalked her…and now here they were, going out on a date soon.
Her phone beeped. Kaitlyn still seemed to be awake.
No fucking way. He asked you out? You lucky bitch. He's hot lol I won't tell anyone, I promise. Oh girl, I'm so happy for you. I want more details tomorrow, k? Sweet dreams xx
Karolina laughed at her friend's comments. But Kaitlyn was right: Roman was indeed hot.
Today had been the first time that Karo saw his full sleeve tattoo on his right arm. She'd thought it was a cool tattoo when it was just his upper-arm/shoulder, but now…wow, that was badass. That man was pure sex.
Karo shook her head smiling. She really was something else. If people knew what she was thinking right now, they would probably roll their eyes at her because she was crazy. She was acting like a 16-year old girl again.
Maybe she should at least try to get some sleep now. She desperately needed some beauty sleep if she wanted to look good on their date the next day.
Now stop thinking about him, Karolina. Get some sleep now. Period. The voice in her head was right. She really needed sleep now.
…..
"Oh my God, can we please stop now? I'm done, seriously." Kaitlyn looked at her friend pleadingly. Karolina and her had been working out for hours now and she was really exhausted.
"Come on, K. Just 30 more minutes." The gym was almost empty. Most of the guys must have been there in the morning.
"Don't you want to get ready for your date?" Kaitlyn checked her watch, hoping Karolina would finally stop for today.
"Well, can't you see that I'm getting ready for my date?" She had been on that treadmill for more than 45 minutes now. She was acting like a maniac.
Kaitlyn just shook her head and rolled her eyes. Karo was crazy. Really crazy. Kaitlyn was now standing in front of Karo's treadmill, looking at her with a blank expression on her face. Suddenly she pushed some buttons and the treadmill stopped immediately which made Karo stumble.
"What the fuck…?" Karo looked at Kaitlyn dumbfounded, expecting an explanation.
"Karo, stop it. You're amazing the way you are. You don't need to do this to impress him now." When Karo still looked at her without saying a word, she continued "Look, I know what you're trying to do. You want to be perfect for him. You work your ass off to look hot for him. But Karo, first of all this doesn't make sense now. Nothing will change today. And secondly: He likes you the way you are. I'm sure he thinks you're perfect. At least to him. So stop trying to be someone else, ok?"
Karo took her towel and wiped away the sweat from her forehead. You would never think how self-critical she was. She always looked at other women and envied them for their good looks. She honestly thought she wasn't beautiful enough. Sometimes she was wondering why she was a WWE diva after all. She didn't have the looks – or so she thought.
"Kaitlyn, seriously, I need to lose some weight. I'm really…" Karo wasn't able to finish her sentence as Kaitlyn interrupted her.
"Shut up, Karo!" She looked at her friend sternly. "This is bullshit and you know it. But I really don't want to fight with you now. Let's just have a shower and we'll get you ready for your date, ok?"
Karo nodded and sighed. She knew that Kaitlyn would never lie to her but in the end it was Karo herself who thought that she was never good enough.
…..
Karolina looked at herself in the mirror and frowned. She wasn't happy with her outfit. She wasn't happy with the reflection itself.
"You look amazing, Karo." Kaitlyn smiled at her friend reassuringly and squeezed her hand. "I think it's perfect. Not too overdressed, not too casual."
Karo was wearing dark blue skin-tight jeans with a black halterneck top which showed a few of the tattoos on her back. Her long blonde hair was straightened and her blue eyes were accentuated with eyeliner and mascara. Otherwise she did without make-up. She wanted to be as natural as she could be and not hide under a mask.
"Are you sure, K? I don't even know where we are going…I'm so nervous." Karo sighed heavily and sucked in her tummy, looking into the mirror again. When she saw Kaitlyn laughing in the reflection, she couldn't help but burst out laughing as well. She was a grown-up woman acting like a teenager. She really should be more self-confident.
Karo checked her watch and let out a yelp when she realized that Roman would pick her up in 10 minutes.
"Yeah…he's going to be here soon, Karo. I'd better get going now." Kaitlyn hugged her friend tightly before making her way to the door. "Have fun, sweetheart. And enjoy your evening."
Before Kaitlyn opened the door, she turned around again to look at Karo, saying: "And babe, don't have sex with him tonight, got it?"
Karo was about to throw something at Kaitlyn who luckily was fast enough to get out of the room before it hit her.
Karo smiled. She was happy to have such an amazing friend. Kaitlyn had been the only one who never gave up on her in the beginning. And they still stuck together.
She must have been lost in thoughts because the knock on her door startled her. It was 7pm already. She checked herself in the mirror once again, taking a deep breath.
This is it, Karo. Go get him. Slowly she made her way to the door, opening it with a smile on her face.
When she saw Roman, she was about to faint. He looked breath-taking. She looked him over from head to toe. He was wearing blue jeans and a white shirt which was slightly unbuttoned. The white shirt stood in sharp contrast to his tanned skin. Something which made Karo forget how to speak English.
"Hey Karolina." And there he was again. Saying her name in that deep voice of his. She was losing her mind. Breathe, Karo, breathe. And say something, goddamnit. The voice in her head was freaking her out sometimes.
"Hi Roman," she said shyly, a small smile on her face. She probably looked totally dorky in that moment.
"So, are you ready to go?" he eyeballed her intently and licked his lips which made her nervous. Without really answering, she turned around, took her purse and closed the door behind her.
Silently they made their way to the elevators, just glancing at each other quickly once in a while. Both of them were extremely nervous; afraid to say something wrong.
When the elevator doors closed, Roman finally took the chance to speak again.
"You look stunning," he said gently. When she looked up to him, she was greeted by that wonderful smile on his face. She loved it when he was smiling. You hardly ever see him smile on TV. Although it made him even more handsome.
"Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself," she giggled when she saw him smirking. Someone had to break the ice. Otherwise this was going to be an awkward date.
"Thanks. I try." He wanted to go on but the elevator doors opened and they both made their way to the lobby. Looking around, they couldn't see anyone they knew which was a good thing. They really didn't want anyone to talk about them.
"So, where are we going?" Karo looked at him expectantly after leaving the hotel. He was leading the way with her walking next to him on the sidewalk.
"Two blocks away from here there is a small place where you can eat Italian. I hope you like Italian, because otherwise…"
"No, Italian sounds perfect. But don't expect me to have salad. I want pizza," she giggled when she saw the confused look on his face. "You know, most women eat salad on their first date with a man because they don't want him to think that they'll beef up one day."
"You're kidding, right? Women are strange." She lightly slapped his arm after he said this, but hurt herself by doing so.
"Ouch," she yelped, making Roman laugh at her. She was cute. And sexy at the same time. He wanted that woman. He really wanted her.
"Here we are", he said as they were standing in front of a house with a 'Bella Italia' sign. He opened the door for her and let her enter, following closely behind. Well, what a nice view. Roman thought to himself when he checked out her back side. He was so distracted by her beautiful behind that he didn't realize that she was leaving with the waiter for their table. He followed quickly, not wanting to make it too obvious that he was somewhere else with his thoughts.
They both sat down at a table next to a window while the waiter lit up a candle. This was really romantic. She would never have thought that he was that kind of men but she liked it.
After ordering their drinks, they both studied the menu in order to decide what to eat.
"Well, I guess I go for a salad." Karo slowly lowered the menu, her eyes wide open – in shock. Roman was going to eat a salad? No way.
"You've gotta be fucking kidding me." She put down the menu and looked at him inquiring. She stared so long until he finally burst out laughing.
"You should have seen your face. Oh my God…I can't…" While Roman laughed his ass off, Karo blushed. God, why did she always have to make a fool of herself?!
When Roman realized that Karo was embarrassed, he immediately stopped laughing.
"Now come on, Karolina. It was just fun, ok?" He took her hand and squeezed it, making her tremble.
They looked deep into each other's eyes, not saying another word. He was still holding her hand, not letting it go. It was another magical moment between them. A moment where nothing else mattered but Roman and Karolina. Until…
"Have you decided yet?" No, it was not Dean who interrupted them, it was the waiter. Roman quickly let go of her hand and ordered his meal. No salad. A pizza. Of course.
"So tell me about yourself," Roman said after the waiter left. He wanted to know everything about her. Every single detail. He thought she was fascinating.
"What do you want to know? I'm not that interesting, to be honest," she shrugged her shoulders and pulled a duck face.
"Oh, I bet you are," he said and then continued. "Why does such a beautiful young lady decide to beat up other women for money?"
She smiled at him. Now that was another way of describing her job.
"Well, I've always been a wrestling fan. When I was six, I was in love with Bret Hart. I never stopped watching it and always wanted to be a part of this. So I started training in the only wrestling school in Germany. And I more than once wanted to just chuck up. I was asking myself why I was doing this. All the pain, the training, the hard work…and you are losing at least 15 matches before you finally win one. It was depressing."
Roman nodded understanding. He knew what she was talking about.
"But you kept going and now you are here. A WWE diva. I really respect you for that. I mean, it's really difficult to get into this business. Particularly as a woman. But you've made it. You came here from Germany and you are kicking ass."
Roman looked at her and saw her blushing again. She really was humble, having a hard time accepting compliments. That made her even more special.
"Thanks, but what about you?" She didn't want to be the focus of this conversation. She hated talking about herself.
"Well, what can I say? I'm a lucky man. Not sure if I would be here if it wasn't for my dad," he sighed heavily, frowning.
"Oh hush, Roman. You know that's not true. Maybe it helped, but look at you. You are an amazing wrestler. Do you think Vince would push you if he thought you were no good? I don't think so."
She was probably right. But sometimes Roman was questioning his career. He was thankful that his dad opened the door for him in WWE, but it was a lot of pressure sometimes. His father was a Hall of Famer after all.
"I'm sure that one day you will be the World Heavyweight Champion. And I mean it." She looked at him with a serious look on her face. Apart from the fact that she really liked him, she honestly thought he would be a great champion one day.
"Yeah…right. But only if you'll be my Diva's champion then," he chuckled while thinking about it. He was sure the belt would look good around her waist.
…
They had a wonderful evening. They really enjoyed their dinner and talked about everything under the sun. He made her laugh and she felt comfortable with him.
"So, now that I showed you my romantic side, how about we're going to a club for a few drinks?" Roman probably didn't seem to be a party animal, but he wanted her to have fun. And maybe he could get a little closer to her when dancing with her.
"Really? I mean…there could be some people we know." Karo was looking for excuses. She loved spending time with Roman. But she really didn't want to run into some of her colleagues.
"I know. And I also know that we didn't want anyone to know that we're having a date. But who cares? Come on, Karo. Relax and allow yourself to have a little fun without thinking about the consequences." He looked at her hopefully and was happy to see that she nodded in agreement. That was going to be fun.
….
Roman and Karolina were sitting on barstools next to the counter, sipping at their drinks. He was still waiting for the right song, so that he could ask her to dance with him. He was thankful for the loud music as this gave him the chance to move closer to her in order for her to understand him.
Karo's phone vibrated in her jeans. Who would text her at that time? It was late and she was sure that Kaitlyn wouldn't disturb her date with Roman.
She opened the text message and was surprised about its content.
'Your ass looks nice in those jeans, Karolina. Makes me want to grab it. I want to make you moan again.'
He didn't have to mention who he was. She knew it was Drew. She looked around while putting away her cell phone, but couldn't find him anywhere.
"You ok?" Roman looked at her suspiciously. She seemed to be annoyed and uneasy after reading the message.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She gave him a fake smile and sipped at her drink again. Relax, Karo. He's not going to ruin your date. Nobody could imagine how much she regretted having sex with Drew. He was making her life a living hell. You would think it was satisfying enough for him to show everyone what a 'great' guy he was, but no, he kept going.
Her phone vibrated once again which made her sigh in frustration.
'I bet sucking his dick isn't as much fun as sucking mine, right Karolina?'
Again she looked around, seething with rage. Who in the hell did he think he was? She hated him. She really hated him. Why can't he just leave her alone already?
Suddenly Roman grabbed her phone, reading the text message and trying to retain himself after doing so.
"Where's that asshole?" His voice was even deeper than it normally was. It was actually kind of scary. "Where is he Karolina?"
She just shrugged her shoulders. How was she supposed to know? She was trying to find him herself. Without saying another word, he made his way through the dancing crowd, looking around until he finally spotted Drew in a corner. He wasn't alone. Heath and Jinder were with him but Roman didn't care. He would finish all three of them all by himself.
He took him by the throat, shoving him against a wall.
"You think that's funny, asshole?" Both Heath and Jinder tried to get Roman away from Drew but Roman pushed them away to have a few seconds to tighten the grip on Drew's throat.
"Listen to me, because I will only say this once: Leave her the fuck alone!" He was furious. That guy made him see red.
"Roman, please stop…" Karolina was now standing behind him. She didn't want him to get in trouble because of her. But she was actually the one who did. Because of her distraction, Heath was able to kick Roman in the midsection, making him gasp for air.
Karolina tried to get between the men but Jinder pushed her away, making her stumble. Roman slowly recovered from the punch only to knock Jinder out.
"Oh God…please don't do this, Roman. Please, let's go." Drew and Heath took care of Jinder who was laying on the floor which gave Roman enough time to look at Karo.
"Shut up, Karo. I've got this, ok?" he yelled at her which shocked her. There was so much hatred in his eyes. And she didn't even care if the hatred was aimed at her or not. When he turned around again, he was punched in the face by Drew which made his nose bleed.
Karo stood there frozen, not able to say anything. After a few moments, she slowly walked away as if in a trance. She left Roman alone. She didn't want to be with him as long as he was acting like a maniac.
She walked back to the hotel in the middle of the night all by herself. She was thinking about Roman. Who was he really? The fact that he yelled at her scared her to death. Did he always have a bad temper? Was he the aggressive kind of men? She was shocked to see him like that. She didn't even recognize him anymore. Did she want to be with someone like that?
As soon as she closed the hotel room door behind her, she threw herself on the bed and started crying. It could have been a perfect date. It felt so good to spend time with him. But in the end he ruined it all. All because of Drew. She cried even harder thinking about the fact that it was Drew again who destroyed it all. He ruined something between Roman and herself before it even started.
Suddenly someone banged on her hotel room door. She was startled, afraid to open the door. She tried to be as quiet as possible, chocking down the sobbing.
"Karolina, open the door. I know you're in there." She held her breath when she realized it was Roman. He kept on banging on the door. She was afraid he wouldn't leave and stand there throughout the night. She didn't want to see him now.
"Please…I need to talk to you." He sounded desperate and she felt her heart break in her chest. But she wouldn't move. She wouldn't let him in. What if he was still out of control?
"I really don't know what I did to make you mad at me. All I wanted was to defend you. But whatever…I get the picture."
It was quiet for a few seconds and she hoped he was gone. She allowed herself to cry again. This was a nightmare. She just wanted to wake up and know that it was just a dream.
He must have heard her sobbing as he pounded the door one more time, silently cursing himself and finally leaving. He fucked up. He fucked up big time.
