A/N: Here I am again with another update. May we just take a moment to discuss how Raw will be in my hometown of Chicago on Monday and The Shield & Wyatt Family will have a rematch and I'll be stuck at work?! *bawls like a baby* Ok I'm done. Anywhoo hope you all enjoy the chapter :-)
Alyssa wiped the perspiration from her forehead with the back of her hand as she adjusted the Popeye's cap on her head. Her feet were hurting like hell from standing all day. All she wanted to do was go home and crawl into her bed, allowing the sounds of Jill Scott to lull her into a deep sleep. Just 30 more minutes and her dream could become a reality.
The jingle of the door chimes interrupted her daydream as did the buzzing on her headset, letting her know that somebody was at the drive thru menu. Alyssa walked over to her register and began to take the customer's order. Once she finished, she turned around and started to pack the order in the flimsy box.
"Excuse me I was wondering if you could buzz me into the bathroom?"
Alyssa rolled her eyes as she turned around, expecting to find another bum standing across the counter. Her breath got caught in her throat as she found the deep brown eyes of a handsome stranger staring back at her. Her orbs traveled over his body, taking mental snapshots of the navy blue slacks and crisp white button up shirt that adorned his body. Her gaze landed back on his face. The corners of his lips turned upward into a small smile causing butterflies to instantly appear in her stomach.
The sound of a car horn broke the two from their trance. Alyssa reluctantly turned her head to see that a line of cars was now at the drive thru. "I'm so sorry," she mumbled as she pressed the button to buzz him into the bathroom. She quickly returned her attention back to fixing the customer's order at the window, thankful that her boss wasn't there to see what just happened.
Once the last car left from the drive thru window, it was the end of Alyssa's shift. Her eyes scanned the small restaurant, disappointment settling in as she didn't see the handsome stranger from earlier. He must've slipped out when she was busy. Alyssa snatched the hat off of her head after grabbing her purse from her employee locker, stuffing the hat into her bag. After saying goodbye to her co-workers, she walked into the parking lot as she reached for her bus card from her back pocket.
"Excuse me miss?"
Alyssa's heart fluttered as she recognized the voice as the same one from earlier. She turned around to see the stranger standing in front of her. Alyssa backed away slightly, hoping she didn't smell too much like fried chicken.
"Yes?"
"I saw that you were busy earlier but I just wanted to introduce myself to you. I'm Justin," he stuck his hand out.
Alyssa glanced down at his hand before slowly mimicking his gesture. An electric jolt coursed through her body when he grasped her small hand in his. "Alyssa."
"Nice to meet you." Justin's brown orbs dropped to the bus card in her free hand, his own hand still holding her other one. "I know this is forward of me but did you want a ride? A beautiful lady like you shouldn't be by yourself on the bus." He gestured to his black Lexus that sat behind him in the parking lot.
A rosy blush spread to Alyssa's cheeks as she shook her head. She removed her hand from his. Although she hated riding the bus home she definitely couldn't hop in the car with a complete stranger. That's how people ended up on crime shows. "That's okay. I think I'll be fine. Thank you though."
Alyssa went to turn around to walk to her bus stop as Justin softly captured her elbow, halting her movements. "I don't mean to be forceful but I was wondering if I could get your phone number."
"For what reason?" she asked, raising her arched eyebrow.
"To get to know you before I take you out on a date."
A quiet chuckle escaped Alyssa's lips, his confidence intriguing her. "You sound quite sure of yourself."
"That I am," Justin replied, his lips forming into a wide grin showing off his perfect smile.
Alyssa shook her head as her bus pulled up. Luckily there were a lot of passengers waiting to board so she had a little time before the bus left without her. "I tell you what. Come back around here tomorrow at 7:30 and we'll see if you're worthy of getting my number."
With that, Alyssa turned on her heel and walked towards her bus, a goofy grin quickly appearing on her face as she looked forward to possibly seeing the handsome stranger the next day.
The sound of Justin clearing his throat abruptly ended Alyssa's trip down memory lane. Her head jerked upward, her eyes landing on him. They held the stare for a few seconds the silence seeming like an eternity. Was this really happening? Was she really standing in front of the father of the child she miscarried, the man that broke her heart? What was he doing there and how did he know how to find her?
Alyssa watched as Justin took a step towards her, a slow smile creeping onto his face. She backed away from him, slowly ramming into the vanity table. The smile on his face slightly fell at her movements, noticing the fact that she was trying to create distance between the two of them. Alyssa folded her arms across her chest and exhaled sharply. The trip just continued to get better and better.
"What are you doing here?" she asked finally, her stare cold and emotionless to match her tone.
"Came to enjoy the show like everybody else."
"Never knew you were a wrestling fan."
"I brought my two nephews," Justin explained as his eyes roamed over Alyssa's body. He absentmindedly licked his lips as his eyes landed on the curves that Alyssa added to her frame within the past few years. His gaze landed back on her face and he frowned once he saw Alyssa squirming from his look over. He never thought that he would run into her at a wrestling show of all places. But there she was in the flesh. And she looked even more beautiful than he last remembered with her new curves and the new honey brown color added to the tips of her longer hair. Alyssa Stewart was definitely a sight for sore eyes.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, remembering that he wasn't aware of why Alyssa was there either. The last time he heard, she had moved to Florida for a new job and rarely came back to visit Chicago. So seeing her at the show was definitely a shock.
"Working," Alyssa mumbled before turning around to finish packing items into her train case. She definitely wasn't in the mood to play catch up with Justin and she wanted to get as far away from him as she could.
Alyssa hissed as she felt Justin's hands land on her hips, slowly pulling her body into his. Her body tensed as she listened to him inhale deeply, enjoying the scent of the coconut oil that coated her hair. There was once a time when his simple touch drove her insane with pleasure and love. A time when the mere touch of his fingertips on her skin caused a fire to ignite in her belly and a throbbing to appear between her legs.
But that moment was gone.
Alyssa pushed Justin's hands away and turned around, pushing him away from her roughly. "Don't you dare fuckin touch me," she warned through gritted teeth, her chest rising up and down. Anger and disgust flashed through her expressive brown orbs as she stared at her ex fiancee.
"I miss you Lyssa."
"Don't."
"Don't what?"
"Don't touch me. Don't look at me like that. And don't call me by my fuckin nickname. Just don't."
Justin exhaled softly and shook his head. Deep down inside he couldn't blame Alyssa for the way she was acting towards him. Hell he probably deserved more than that. He broke her heart. She was one of the best things that ever happened to him and instead of cherishing her, he treated her like shit. He constantly cheated on her and destroyed her self esteem, making her feel like it was her fault that he strayed. When in reality, it was because of Justin's greediness and insecurities that he decided to look outside their relationship for sexual attention from other women. And if that wasn't enough, he even blamed her for the miscarriage instead of taking responsibility for his part in the incident. That was definitely the last straw and before he knew it, Alyssa was gone from his life and gone from Chicago.
He fucked up.
"I'm sorry. I just been thinking about you a lot."
A wry chuckle escaped Alyssa's lips and she shook her head, staring at the studs on her brown combat boots. "What exactly were you thinking about? The time when I caught you cheating on me? Or the time when you left me in the hospital bed to mourn the death of our child by myself?"
"Alys-"
"No stop Justin," Alyssa said as she held up her hand, halting his words. "Look I don't care how much you miss me or how much you've been thinking about me. I've moved on. Do you know how much you hurt me? How much I cried after you left me? I was a fuckin mess and you left me by myself. You promised to love and take care of me but you abandoned me as soon as you could. You're a fuckin coward! It took me years to get over the pain you put me through but I finally did and I'm not going to let you waltz in here and whisper sweet nothings into my ear as if everything is alright. Because it's not!"
Pain appeared on Justin's countenance, the lines in his forehead wrinkling. He hung his head unable to stare into Alyssa's teary eyes. He knew that her anger towards him was well justified but it still stung him to hear her speak to him in such a manner. As he stood before her, listening to the pain in her voice, he realized there were a lot of things he should've done differently during their time together. He always vowed to himself that if he ever saw Alyssa again, he would make things right.
But it seemed like he would never have that chance.
The sound of excited chatter interrupted the tense encounter between the former lovers. Alyssa's head raised and the scowl that adorned her face for the past five minutes was quickly replaced by a tiny smile when she saw a group of young kids surround Roman. She watched as Roman signed autographs for each kid, even opting to take pictures with a few. He was definitely a natural around kids and that trait made Alyssa's heart swell for him even more.
On cue, Roman looked up and locked eyes with Alyssa, a crooked smirk creeping onto the corners of his lips. His grin disappeared as his stare landed on Justin, recognizing the man from the picture Alyssa showed him on her birthday. Memories of the story Alyssa shared with him about Justin's deceit and lies flooded Roman's brain as he quickly made his way over towards the two. Once he reached his girlfriend, he wrapped a protective arm around her waist, pulling her close to his body and placing a kiss on her temple. The image made Justin's heart crumble inside his chest.
"Thought you were meeting me at my locker room?"
Alyssa nodded her head flashing him an apologetic smile, attempting to ignore Justin's presence looming behind her. "I was on my way."
Roman stared in Alyssa's eyes, silently trying to decipher if she was okay. He knew that running into her ex fiancée had to be taking an emotional toll on her especially after the encounter she had with her mother the day before. Alyssa nodded her head, signifying that she was okay and that he didn't need to worry about her.
Roman moved in front of Alyssa and crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes studying the man before him. Justin was about the same height of him but wasn't as muscular. His facial hair was neatly trimmed and his hair was cut close to his head, glasses adorning his face. The warrior inside Roman wanted to snap the man in half but he knew for Alyssa's sake he would have to control his anger and not make the situation any worse than it already was.
Roman extended his large hand, which Justin shook. "Roman."
"Justin," he replied, glancing back and forth from between the wrestler and Alyssa. His eyes watched as Alyssa nervously bit her bottom lip as the two men held the handshake for a few seconds longer before pulling away. "So Alyssa this must be your-"
"Uncle Justin! Uncle Justin!"
The sound of his nephew Carson's excited voice interrupted Justin before he could finish his question. Justin turned his head to see his 6 year old nephew Carson running towards him, his other nephew Wesley trailing behind him. Justin kneeled down to his nephews' height. "What's up lil man?"
"We got Daniel Bryan's autograph!" Carson exclaimed happily, baring his smile that showed two missing bottom teeth. Carson's head peaked around Justin, his brown eyes widening. "Auntie Alyssa!" Carson greeted happily, running towards Alyssa.
Alyssa stooped low and quickly caught Carson in her arms and hugged him tightly. Although things between her and Justin ended the way they did, she couldn't help but admit that she was glad to see his nephew, a young boy that she grew quite fond of during her time with Justin.
"Hey buddy. How are you?" Alyssa asked as she pulled away from the hug.
"I'm great. I'm six now!" Carson held up six small fingers as he continued to grin from ear to ear.
"Six? Oh wow! You're a big boy to be just six! Before you know it you're going to be bigger than some of these wrestlers back here," Alyssa teased as she pointed her thumb towards Roman.
Carson's eyes followed Alyssa's thumb and an excited gasp escaped his lips. He was in the stage where he was obsessed with wrestling and was a fan of pretty much anybody whether they were good or bad. "Auntie Alyssa how do you know Roman Reigns?" he asked as his neck craned upward to stare at the wrestler.
"I work with him. We're very good friends."
"Very good friends like how you were with Uncle Justin?" Carson asked.
Alyssa swallowed nervously as she looked back at Roman, nervousness shining in his eyes as well. She looked back towards Justin who stared at her inquisitively, awaiting her answer. Little kids had a way of putting adults on the spot and make them feel as awkward as possible. She shook her head as her attention landed on Carson. "We're actually closer than your Uncle Justin and me are. We're such good friends that I'm sure that I can get him to sign an autograph and take a picture with you and Wesley. Do you like the sound of that?" she asked, trying to switch the subject.
Carson happily nodded his head. He turned to look at his Uncle, tugging on his hand. "Can you take our picture with Roman Reigns Uncle Justin?" he asked excitedly.
Justin sighed, disappointment creeping inside of him at Alyssa's answer to Carson's question, realizing that Roman was indeed her new boyfriend. Justin pushed the thoughts out of his head as he pulled his cell phone out his pocket and snapped a picture of his nephews standing next to Roman. Once Roman signed the programs they received at the entrance, Carson pulled on Alyssa's hand once again.
"Auntie Alyssa when are you coming back home? We miss you," he whimpered sadly.
Alyssa's eyes nervously glanced at Justin, her mind searching for the right thing to say. She knew Carson was too young to understand what happened between her and Justin and why it made her leave town suddenly. As far as he knew it, the simple solution would be for her to return back to Chicago.
Justin quickly moved in and picked his nephew up in his arms as Alyssa stood to her feet, wrapping her arms around herself. "Carson let's leave Alyssa and her friend alone. Let's go get some pizza from that restaurant we saw around the corner. Does that sound good buddy?"
"YES!" Carson exclaimed, raising his arms in the air.
Justin chuckled as he placed Carson back on his feet, grabbing his smaller hand. His eyes darted back and forth between Alyssa and Roman, uneasiness settling in his core as he watched the way she gripped his hand for support, a gesture she used to do with him on numerous occasions. He took note of the glare in Roman's eyes when he stared at him. It was clear that the wrestler had deep feelings for Alyssa and that she returned those same feelings. This was Alyssa's new life and he simply had no place in it despite his strong desire to be back in it. But he had nobody to blame for the fact that he was on the outside looking in but himself.
"It was good seeing you," Justin said finally, forcing a small smile on his face.
Alyssa nodded her head as she grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair. Roman grabbed her train case with his free hand. "Take care," she tossed over her shoulder after she turned on her heel, disappearing down the corridor with Roman at her side.
Once the couple was gone from his view, Justin released a breath he didn't know he was holding before making his retreat as well, thinking about the life that he could've had with Alyssa if he didn't screw everything up.
Summer Rae ducked into the locker room, a devious glint in her eyes. Dean rolled his grayish blue eyes before directing his attention back to packing his ring gear in his duffle bag, choosing to ignore the diva. He was trying his best to avoid her after their unexpected tryst to no avail. Of course since the two were involved in an alliance to break up Roman & Alyssa, Summer Rae wouldn't leave him alone since she was determined to accomplish her goal. But at the very least, Dean hoped that he would be lucky enough to be on a separate holiday tour than the dancing diva. However, he wasn't that lucky.
"Are you alone? The two toned ferret isn't here is he?" Summer Rae asked as her eyes darted around the locker room.
"What do you want?" Dean asked without looking up at Summer Rae, deciding that organizing the clothes in his bag was more entertaining than having a conversation with her.
Summer Rae excitedly paced in front of the bench Dean was sitting on as she clasped her hands together happily. "Perk up Dean! Before you know it we will get everything that we want! We're close!"
"What are you rambling on about now?"
Summer Rae stopped pacing and took a seat on the edge of the bench next to Dean, barely able to contain her excitement. "So I was walking through the hallway towards catering when I saw Alyssa talking to some man. The encounter between the two of them looked intense and Alyssa looked like she didn't want to be there. She stood as far away from him as she could and flinched when he tried to touch her."
"Okay. And?"
"Then Roman walked up and by the way he stared at this man, you could definitely tell he didn't like him at all and would tear him apart if he could. He definitely morphed into super protective beast mode."
Dean glanced at Summer Rae, confusion etched on his face. He wasn't sure where she was going with her story but he wished she would hurry up so she leave quicker. "So..."
Summer Rae scoffed and rolled her eyes. Sometimes men could be so dense and couldn't see things the way women could. That's why she was thankful she was the brains behind the operation and not Dean. "So it's clear to me that the man is from Alyssa's past, an ex boyfriend possibly. Why else would she flinch when he tried to touch her? Why else would Roman look all pissed off? This is so fuckin great Ambrose! You have no idea."
"You're right. I have no fuckin idea what you're talking about Summer Rae. What does this have to do with us?"
"It has everything to do with us. Try to keep up Ambrose. We can use this to our advantage and cause dissension between Roman & Alyssa. You didn't see what I saw but I clearly saw that the man was clearly still into Alyssa. I will never understand why men fall so head over heels for her but he definitely has some unresolved feelings towards her. He could be very useful in our quest."
"And lemme guess sweetheart, you already have a plan in that twisted, demented, airhead mind of yours?"
"Well duh!" Summer Rae exclaimed with a cocky grin, not catching on to Dean's insult. She leaned over and grabbed the t-shirt that sat on the other side of her, tossing it to Dean. "Hurry up and get dressed."
"Get dressed? Where exactly are we going?" Dean asked as he looked at Summer Rae skeptically.
"I happen to know where he's going after the show thanks to my eavesdropping skills. We're going to convince him to join us in destroying Roman and Alyssa," Summer Rae answered with a wicked gleam in her eye.
Alyssa and Roman wouldn't know what hit them.
Roman glanced up from the television as he heard the bathroom door open. He watched as Alyssa entered the bedroom, dressed in a pink WWE Breast Cancer Awareness t-shirt and matching pink short shorts, her hair gathered into a high bun on the top of her head. She sat on the edge of the bed as she plugged her iPhone on the charger.
Ever since he saw her talking with Justin, an awkward silence surrounded them. They barely talked while they grabbed a bite to eat in catering and the car ride to the hotel was equally silent. Roman honestly didn't know what to say. He didn't know whether he should bombard her with questions about how she ran into her ex-fiancee and what they possibly could've been talking about. Or maybe he should allow her to tell him on her own when she was comfortable. But Roman couldn't help but admit he wanted to beat the shit out of Justin when he saw him. After hearing what Justin put her through, Roman couldn't believe that he would have the nerve to even approach Alyssa. And Roman couldn't believe how calm Alyssa seemed to be with the entire interaction.
"So are you gonna continue to be quiet all night or ask me the question that's been on your mind since earlier?" Alyssa asked, pulling Roman from his thoughts. He glanced to his side and watched as she rubbed her berry scented body cream on her body, her back facing him. The smell of the body cream invaded his senses and caused him to get heady.
"Only if you want to tell me."
Alyssa turned around to face Roman, placing her foot underneath her. She reached forward and pecked him softly, her mouth slightly opening as her arm wrapped around his neck. Roman groaned at the feel of her soft lips against his, his fingertips brushing the nape of her neck. Alyssa pulled away and traced Roman's plump lips with her fingers.
"He claims he didn't know I worked for WWE. He was at the show with his nephews. He tried to worm his way back into my good graces and tell me he missed me like it would change how we ended things. But I promptly informed him that wasn't the case and that I was finally in a good place. I let him know that he didn't have any place in my life anymore."
Roman grabbed Alyssa's hand and squeezed it, pulling her closer to his body. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder as she placed her head on his arm. "How do you feel? You know after seeing him after 3 years?"
Alyssa bit her bottom lip pensively and sighed. "It was a shock. But the same goose bumps that appeared on my skin whenever he touched me or looked my way didn't appear. All I could think about was that I didn't want him touching me or calling me by my nickname. He doesn't have the right to tell me he misses me and that he's been thinking about me after the hell he put me through. That privilege is only reserved for you handsome and nobody else," Alyssa assured Roman as she cracked a small smile making him flash her his signature grin in reply.
Alyssa leaned up and captured Roman's lips in another sweet kiss, the sweet taste of her cupcake flavored lip gloss dancing on his tongue. His fingers traced her soft skin lightly as her nails sunk into his biceps. Alyssa's body fell lax in his embrace, loving how protected she felt in his arms. He pulled away, staring into Alyssa's eyes. "I'm glad to hear that. I was surprised at how calm your interaction with him was. Especially after everything you told me and how things transpired yesterday."
"Trust me you showed up after I called him a coward. I could've snapped on him Roman but he's not worth it. If this were to happen a few months ago, I probably would've snapped. But now I've moved on. I'm not allowing that anger get the best of me anymore. The way I see it if he didn't break my heart, I wouldn't have found you. I just want to be happy with you and only you Roman. Justin isn't worth my time, tears, or energy," Alyssa told him. "This trip just reminded me of how lucky I am to have you in my life handsome. You comforted me when I needed you and gave me my space when I wanted it. You stood by my side and remained strong throughout everything. I don't know what I did to be so lucky to have you in my life but I'm glad you're here. I hope you never leave." Alyssa bit the bottom corner of her lip nervously as a small smile appeared on Roman's face.
"Thank you for giving me the chance to be there for you and not pushing me away, trying to handle things yourself. I told you I'm in your life as long as you want me here and I mean that sweetheart. I'm here for the long haul no matter what gets thrown our way."
Roman placed a kiss on the edge of Alyssa's hairline, his arm tightening the hold that he had her body in. Roman exhaled slowly as the two of them cuddled in the bed, biting the inside of his jaw. Although he knew that Alyssa loved him with every fiber of her being, he could tell by the way Justin gazed at Alyssa earlier that day that he wasn't over her. Roman could completely understand because Alyssa was the type of woman that could make you fall quickly in love with her but that you wouldn't be able to remove from your life with the same speed. She was a gorgeous, charming, caring, and self sufficient woman that any man would be lucky enough to have on their arm. But she was also Roman's woman and Justin would have to understand that.
Or Roman would make him understand it.
A/N: Uh oh, Roman is NOT giving up Alyssa without a fight! I wonder how this is going to play out? R&R :-)