14:
Elizabeth had known John Cena a long time.
They grew up going to the same schools, but John didn't really take notice until high school. He was playing football then and Elizabeth liked the popularity that came with being the girlfriend of a jock. John was also very social. He could blend in with almost any group. Elizabeth found his ability to be the life at parties to be one of his best traits.
She also saw another side to Cena. His walls were not as thick in high school, but it still took some time to really get close to him. Despite his open and socially acceptable nature, he kept his personal feelings inside of his own head most of the time. At first, Elizabeth thought that John was a typical Massachussetts male born in or around Boston: Known for their tenacity, loyalty and their ridiculously high pain tolerance rather than for their emotional range. John, like his brothers and his father, showed a high level of respect for difficult situations while using humor to alleviate the pressure. John was intelligent and had an extremely quick wit, another trait that garnered him social favor.
Elizabeth was not won over by John's wit like most others. She saw it as another barrier that kept John from truly expressing himself. There were times when she wanted a stronger response from him, but if the situation was too dire for humor, he would simply go quiet. The silence bothered Elizabeth even more. She would get angry because she didn't want to admit to herself that his lack of a response felt like little cuts across her skin.
John's obsessiveness for cleanliness was a trait that Elizabeth saw early on. After graduation, it was Elizabeth who pitched the idea they move in, together. John was incredulous, citing that his love for her was strong, but his desire for perfection may become a point of contention between the two. It took months of negotiation before John finally agreed.
Navigating his rigid structure was difficult at first, but Elizabeth found it easier when John started traveling more for wrestling. She no longer had to prepare his high protein meals for body building competitions and daily workout routines. He called her regularly and asked about the house. It seemed that the cleanliness was still on his mind even when he wasn't there. Elizabeth hired a team of cleaning ladies to make sure that it stayed immaculate.
Elizabeth enjoyed spending time with the Cena Family. They accepted her with open arms and she was often referred to by friends of the family as, "Missus John Cena." This label made her smile and gave her a sense of pride. Elizabeth wanted to be a Cena. She saw the potential in her boyfriend to make a stable life for them both. Even if wrestling didn't pan out for him, John had a college degree and he easily attained his goals. He was handsome, well-built and likeable. He came from an honorable family and he was careful with their finances. By all perceptions, he was a real catch.
But the wrestling industry was not kind to relationships. John was gone most of the time. When Elizabeth did get a chance to be with him, he was exhausted and thinking about what the next trip would bring. She found him to be distant when they went out to dinner. She tried to entice his attention by bringing up things that would frustrate him. She wanted to do some remodeling in the house. She wanted to travel more to see her friends who lived on the West Coast. She was thinking about marriage and children.
Her desires were not unreasonable. Elizabeth was a young woman with needs. She had been dating the same man for years and supporting his career choices. Although John had expressed that children was not on his mind, Elizabeth had seen his potential around other people's children and she was sure he would make a great father. Marriage was another permanent choice that John found undesirable. He wasn't afraid of commitment so much as he knew marriages didn't usually work for wrestlers. Elizabeth expressed understanding about this, though she had convinced herself that a wedding would happen once John was called up to the main roster and he was sure his career choice would pan out.
He worried a lot. Elizabeth saw it more than anyone else. John worried about his family and his friends. He worried about Elizabeth and their home. He worried about his choices and if they were the right ones. He worried about having job and financial security. He wanted to be a protector to those he loved and he carried the burden on his shoulders. He had a difficult time with change because he was always thinking of the many reasons it could go wrong.
Elizabeth also worried a lot. Her worry was based on the gossip she heard from other women who knew the wrestling industry better than she did. They whispered about groupies who stalked wrestlers for sex. The groupies were men as well as women. She heard rumors that gay sexuality was a taboo subject in the industry, but it still happened. They told her stories about blackmail and extortion. She heard stories of wrestlers being purposefully injured or even murdered to stop them from rising up.
She told herself that she wasn't a jealous person, but she was. Elizabeth had witnessed numerous women and men fawning over John. He was a brawny white male athlete with blue eyes and a dimpled smile. He liked his women short, cute and relentlessly tenacious. John was partial to the rebels who challenged him, which made it even harder for Elizabeth to believe that he would never give in to temptation.
There was something else that Elizabeth found concerning. It was something she had never discussed with John and he never brought it up. For as long as they had known each other, John never showed any bias when men gave him attention. Elizabeth thought it was just John's way of quietly supporting gay members of the community. He had a brother who was gay and John was open to the lifestyle choices of others so long as they were not harmful. As time went on, Elizabeth's perception began to shift. She saw a curiosity forming in John's expression. It started as a second glance or leaning in a little more. It slowly formed into John mentioning particular men more often, like he genuinely wondered what had become of them and why they hadn't informed him about it.
Elizabeth wasn't biased against gay men, but she didn't want to believe that her boyfriend was bisexual. It would mean changing her perspective of how John really worked. It would mean that marriage would be put off in order for him to explore this notion, should he decide to become more aware of it. Elizabeth was relieved when she first went to Ohio Valley Wrestling and John introduced her to much of the roster. He showed no keen interest in any of the men around him, including trainers and assistants.
She knew that John would be called up at some point. He was talented enough and Mr. McMahon was already showing a lot of interest. Elizabeth convinced herself that John's curiosity would be crushed once he was on the main roster. Gossip was a major sticking point in wrestling, and John would do whatever was necessary to keep his nose clean and avoid any setbacks. He wasn't the type to cause scandals.
There was only one man John brought up more than once. He wasn't a man that John liked, but more of a potential threat to John's future. Elizabeth had seen the two of them match up against one another in OVW. They had great chemistry as opponents. When John did mention the man, he spoke of him as a descendant of great wrestlers who had a natural talent that was impossible to teach. He spoke of the man as someone who could beat him on the rise to the top. He also spoke of the man as a self-destructive asshole who would more likely crash and burn on his own.
The man's name was Randy Orton, and he was a rebel who challenged John.
:-:
"Did you hear Batista is calling me disrespectful?" John told Randy as soon as he found him.
The show was over and the arena had gone dark. When it came to closing up for the night, some arenas were more prone to rushing talent out the door than others. It wasn't as prominent in the future, but Cena was reminded of the past when turning off the lights meant hit the bricks.
Randy glanced over his shoulder. He had a deep frown on his lips, but he said nothing and turned back to grab his gym bag. The locker room was quiet and John glanced around to make sure there were no other wrestlers to overhear him ragging on Batista. Their surroundings appeared to be empty.
Randy was dressed out in jeans and shoes but he left his t-shirt off. John thought this was an odd decision, but not a bad one. He gave Randy a once-over and asked, "Did you lose your shirt?"
He was teasing him, but Randy didn't seem to be in the mood for games. He lifted his bag over his good shoulder and said, "We should go."
"Why? Is Batista still around?" John asked.
He was still trying to joke, but Randy snapped at him, "Enough with that shit!"
John put his hands up in defeat, but he had a wry grin on his face like he wasn't planning on being completely serious. Randy threw his gym bag against the lockers. It made a loud CLANG and thudded against the floor. Randy came right up to John's face and screamed at him, "You know why he's pissed at you?!"
The closeness made John's features blur against Randy's rage-filled vision. John took a step back and replied softly, "Because I kissed you."
For several long seconds, the only sound in the room came from Randy's heaving chest. He resembled a gorilla attempting to establish dominance. His anger subsided slowly as he repeated thickly, "Because you kissed me."
Randy collapsed on the nearby bench and put his face in his hands. He looked legitimately defeated in a way that sent John's head spinning with a series of questions and observations. John chose to ask the most obvious one, "What did Batista say when he rode with you?"
When Randy removed his hands from his face, he kept his eyes on the floor and replied, "He's telling me to stay away from you."
"Do you want me to stay away from you?" John asked.
Randy's gaze lifted up to find John's. He answered with certainty, "No."
John considered why Randy was taking the situation so seriously. John stated his conclusion out loud, "You think he'll go after me instead of you."
Randy nodded. There was a moment where John's mind came up with a reason for Batista's hold over Randy. John wasn't going to say it out loud, but he couldn't help asking, "Is Batista your ex?"
Orton set his jaw. He seemed frustrated and almost ashamed to hear the words. He answered after a long silence, "He's not my ex. We were never dating."
"Just sex," John did not say it like a criticism.
Randy shook his head and confessed, "You don't understand how bad I want you, John. I'm infected. I thought I could pass it on to someone else and be rid of it."
John countered quickly, "And you couldn't pick a lesser asshole than Dave?"
Randy stood up straight and shouted angrily, "Why you gotta do that?! Why is everything a big joke to you?!"
"It's not," John replied calmly.
Randy rushed at him. John braced himself, expecting Randy to wrestle him to the ground so he could kick his ass. Instead, Randy slammed John's body against the lockers and mashed their lips together.
The kiss was wet and sloppy and completely unexpected. John felt the instinct to push Randy away. He didn't like being caught so off-guard in such a vulnerable position. He placed his hands on Randy's chest just as Randy brought his left hand down the front of John's jeans.
Some laughter from the hallway brought the two men to a complete stop. John was suddenly exposed to the cold and stale locker room air after being immersed in Randy's body heat. John wiped the saliva from his lips and blinked a few times to remind himself of where he was. He stared at Randy with a sense of surrealism, like the two were in an erotic dream being conjured in someone else's mind.
Footsteps followed the laughter as two people engaged in conversation continued down the hallway. They passed the locker room door but didn't walk in. Randy and John waited until the sounds had long since faded away.
"You're the asshole," Randy accused him.
John replied with a chuckle, "You've got me there."