The One That Got Away
Chapter 11
Disclaimer: This is fiction. It didn't really happen.
A/N: I know. I'm a douche with updating. I promise, I'm working on it. I'm also not unemployed anymore, so I may not be updating so frequently, but I promise I'll keep working on this :) Love you guys! XoXoXo
"I'm so excited for tonight," Nattie gushed, as the two women hung out backstage at the evening's live show.
"Me, too," London agreed. "I really appreciate you putting in all of this effort for my birthday celebration."
"That's what friends do," the blonde said with a shrug of her shoulders.
"Well, it means a lot to me, Nat." London paused. "I'm gonna be thirty tomorrow. I can't believe it."
"I know. It feels like just yesterday you were twenty-nine…bitching about turning thirty. Oh wait…"
The former Diva smirked. "Cute."
"So, I forgot to tell you about the gossip that I heard."
"Oh yeah?"
"Rumor has it that Wade broke up with Alicia," Nattie told her.
London froze. "Oh…"
The blonde smirked. "How do you feel about that?"
"Well, I mean…that could be a good thing. But breaking up with her doesn't mean that we're just gonna get right back into things."
"Yes, but now you can try, at least."
"I mean, we'll see what happens. I don't wanna get my hopes up."
"He broke up with her for you. We both know it."
"To be fair, she's a total bitch. So maybe he just realized that he didn't want to be with someone like her."
"Oh bullshit." Nattie nudged London's shoulder. "Don't even try to deny it. You're excited about it."
Although the brunette tried to conceal the forming smile, she couldn't. "Ugh. Fine."
"That's what I thought. So, once we get out of here, we'll run back to the hotel, get ready, and it'll be a long night of partying…to celebrate you."
"Sounds like fun to me." London thought for a moment. "Do you think Wade will show up tonight?" she asked her friend, trying to not sound too eager.
"I dunno. If he knows about it, I'm sure he'll be there."
"I hate to admit it, but I feel like a giddy teenager right now," the soon-to-be birthday girl admitted.
"Of course you do. This is the man that you've been in love with for years. You have a lot of history with him. If I were you, I'd feel the same way, I'm sure."
"I feel like such an idiot."
"You're not at all." Nattie paused for a moment. "Let's run to catering."
"For what?"
"Attention…obviously."
"Okay." London and Nattie left the longtime Diva's locker room. The pair made their way to the catering area, and while Wade wasn't there, his rumored ex-girlfriend certainly was.
Alicia glared at the woman walking into catering. She blamed London for Wade breaking off their relationship. "London. Good to see you. Can't say I'm really surprised, though, since they guy you've been hooked on broke up with me."
London rolled her eyes. "I actually didn't know about that. I'm here to hang out with my friends for my birthday," she replied.
The heel Diva also rolled her eyes. "Sure. You didn't come here to continue obsessing over Wade."
London shook her head. "You're really pathetic. What I do in my life has nothing to do with you or Wade. Get over yourself. I'm not and never was jealous of you. And trust me, I wouldn't have a reason to be either," she retorted with a smirk. She was sick and tired of Alicia being such a nasty bitch to her.
"Oh trust me, just on looks alone, you have plenty to be jealous of."
John Cena burst out laughing, upon hearing Alicia's comment. "You're hilarious, Alicia. We all know that's not true," he quipped, before pulling his good friend in for a hug, while the scorned Diva rolled her eyes and walked away. "Good to see you, Lon."
"You, too. Are you and Nikki coming tonight?"
"Uh…yeah. What kind of question is that? It's your birthday party. We wouldn't miss it for anything. I'm pretty sure a good chunk of the locker room will be there. Everyone's been talking about it," he told her.
"Yay! Everyone can see my drink too much and cry because I'm turning thirty."
"Seriously? You're talking to someone who just turned thirty-seven."
"Yeah, but you're John Cena. By the way, did you like my gift?"
"I told you…the only problem is that you spent way too much on me."
London rolled her eyes at him. "But I know you love it. You kept showing me pictures of it online. And nothing made me happier to hear how disappointed you were that it got sold, when I'm the one who bought it for you. How could I not?"
"It's a car," he pointed out.
"A car that you wanted," she shot back.
"Yes. But I know it cost you around thirty grand."
"But it's a '66 Charger that you were obsessing over. I had to act fast."
John pulled her back in for another hug. "Well, I appreciate it very much. I also appreciate the card you sent me that had a pound of confetti in it. That was a fun clean-up," he replied with a sarcastic smile.
She smiled proudly. "I do what I can for you."
He chuckled. "I'm really happy that you're here. It's nice to finally see you on my turf twice in two weeks. I didn't think that would ever happen."
"You must be a very lucky man."
"Obviously."
"I can't believe she's in New York," the Undertaker growled to his wife.
"She's with Natalya. It's her birthday. She deserves to have some fun in her life," Michelle replied.
"She's also near that asshole Wade Barrett."
"You're being ridiculous. She's turning thirty. She's old enough to make her own decisions."
"Michelle, you don't understand. You weren't with her after he had hurt her. I have every right to be mad."
She rolled her eyes at her husband. "I get that. She's your daughter, and you love her. But she's not stupid. She can make the best decisions for herself."
"No, she can't. Because her brain gets all scrambled when she's around the British bastard, and she makes bad decisions because she wants to be with him, and they love each other, or whatever shit she believes is true."
"No, you're being overbearing. You have to trust her decisions. Besides, she's with Natalya and John and Randy. This isn't about Wade. It's about her finally trying to have a social life after all of this time," she argued.
"I swear, I'm not dealing with this bullshit again. I dealt with it once, and that was more than enough for me."
"You have to stop. I know you're just being on overprotective father, but you need to relax. London isn't a little girl anymore. She's a grown woman. She's a lot smarter than you may realize. You can't act like this because she won't come to you when she really needs you. Just stop flipping out, okay? And calm down. Trust in London. She's gonna make the right decisions for herself. You have to respect what she chooses to do with her life."
The Undertaker rolled his eyes. "I can't handle this."
"You need to think rationally and stop losing your cool over it. I understand your concern, but you need to be a supportive father, not an authoritative one. She's thirty, not thirteen. So, please, stop it."
He sighed. "I just don't want her to end up hurt again. You don't know what it was like, Michelle. It killed me to see her like that…she was so heartbroken and sad all of the time. She's my firstborn, and I love her so much. I don't ever want to see that happen again," he told his wife, his tone softening.
"I get that. One-hundred and ten percent. But London has grown a lot in the last three years. I haven't known her forever, but I see a huge difference in her just since I've been with you. She's much more strong-willed now and isn't going to put herself in a bad situation that she can't handle. She'd much rather make him suffer for what he did than let him hurt her again. Besides, if she loves him, let's be honest here, you're not gonna be the one to keep them apart. And unless you want her to be with him and hide it, again, you need to rethink your attitude about this whole thing. I know for sure, she's not secretly sleeping with him or secretly dating him. But if she decides at some point that she wants to try again, you'll want to be a little more supportive of her. If you're not, she won't tell you and will probably hide it from you, and it won't be a pleasant situation for either of you," Michelle tried to reason with him.
He remained silent for a few moments, before speaking again. "You're right…as much as I hate to admit it," he replied. "I just hated seeing her like that. I couldn't handle it again."
"I know," she empathized with her husband. She wrapped her arms around his body. "I don't want to see that happen to her either. London and I have gotten really close in the last two years. But she's so smart. You have to let her make her own decisions, as much as you might not want to."
"Yeah. I just hate knowing that she's probably going to see him tonight, and they'll be drinking…and anything can happen. He obviously still has some interest in her."
"I know. But it's her life."
"I hate that part," he admitted, wrapping his arms around his wife. The Undertaker kissed the top of her head. "I'm lucky that I have you. You've really helped me have an even better relationship with London. She can talk to you about anything. And you filter the important stuff to me…and you calm me down…like this."
"I love the both of you. You just need to relax a little bit. Your daughter is far from being stupid."
"Unless Wade Barrett gets involved."
"Seriously?"
"Sorry. Sorry."
"Yeah. Watch it, pal."
"Okay."
He leaned down and gave his wife an affectionate kiss.
"Oh my God. You look so amazing," Nattie breathed, as her friend walked out of the bathroom in her hotel room. London had on a Herve Leger Ari Metallic bandage mini dress with a pair of Giuseppe Zanotti metallic leather sandals. Her hair was in a low bouffant, with the long straight hair cascading down her back. Her makeup was flawless.
A smile tugged at London's lips. "Are you sure?"
"Oh my God, yes! You seriously look so incredible! If Wade is there, he is going to kick himself for ever losing you."
"Good. I hope he shows up," she admitted.
"Of course. So do I. It's your birthday celebration. He should give you all of the attention that you deserve. It's your night."
"We're gonna have so much fun tonight…regardless if he shows up or not."
"Yes, we are. And I hope Alicia sees how hot you look and is insanely jealous."
"Oh God. I can't deal with her. She's a complete bitch."
"Preaching to the choir."
London grinned. "This is gonna be a good night."
"We're gonna get crazy!" Nattie declared.
"Yes, we are," she agreed.