Chapter 29 Another impossible choice

6 months later.

Life was pretty good. Some things had changed, other things never would. Cody and I were still together and - in a way - still taking it slow. We didn't talk future, we didn't even think future, we just enjoyed being together and tried to keep the drama to a minimum. That didn't always work out the way we planned it, but making up our heated arguments in the best way possible compensated for a lot. It worked out like this, for both of us.

Yeah... life was just as it was supposed to be, just as I planned it.

Until I got this letter.

I stared at the white piece of paper in my hands, the ABC-studio logo swimming before my eyes. For the sixth time I read the letter. I couldn't believe that this was happening to me right now. Another impossible choice. It was beginning to look like the story of my life.

Without even thinking about it I picked up my phone and searched for the number of my best friend, the only one who could help me think this through before I would even think about talking about this with Cody.

"Hello?" Mike's sleepy voice made me cringe.

"Oh... sorry, I forgot about the time difference again."

"It's okay... I'm getting used to it." He stifled a huge yawn. "Wait a minute..."

I heard soft shuffling in the background and I could just make out Eve's sleepy voice, "Who's that, Mike?"

"It's Jules... you go back to sleep. I'll be right back, okay?" A white hot flame of jealousy flared through my stomach when I heard the unmistakable sound of a kiss. No matter how much I loved Cody, Mike still owned a piece of my heart. At those times when I fought with Cody, I hurt myself with the could-have-beens and cried myself asleep from shame and regret.

"So... I'm all for you now. Tell me... you sound upset."

I sighed, "Well..., not exactly upset. Just really, really confused. I just got a letter..."

"Yeah... you gotta open it and read it. You know how to read, right?"

"Your joking is off at this time a night. I read the letter, Mikey. It is an invitation for a job interview."

"What? I didn't know that you were thinking about leaving."

"I'm not... but do you remember that I was a while ago, before I got together with Cody?"

Yeah, vaguely... So what's the job?"

"ABC has an opening for a writer with Grey's Anatomy."

He whistled. "Your dream job right? You always wanted to write television shows. So what's the problem?"

"The job is in LA... and Cody hates LA. Last time we were in LA he said he'd rather eat his own hand than live in that hell hole packed with brainless fakes."

"That sounds like Cody, he probably means me by that. But LA is not that bad, if you know the right places to go. I love it here and I know you do, too."

"I know, I know... I went to college in LA and I would never have left if it wasn't for the WWE. But Cody is more of a small town guy, the place where everyone knows everyone."

"Boring and so not like you."

"Also true... I've been putting off this conversation with Cody. I didn't want a fight about something that might not happen for a long time."

"Are you still fighting that much?"

"Kind of, we learned how to avoid those subjects that we disagree on."

"I'm not gonna give you relationship advise, Jules. You know my opinion about this. The main question is whether you love him enough to give up your dreams."

"If you really love someone, you won't ask them to give up his dreams, right?" I softly sniffled, feeling incredible sorry for myself.

"You can answer that question yourself. But it's also the other way around. If you really love someone would you ask him to do something that makes them unhappy? I'm sorry, Jules, but it seems like you have to make a choice. Have you even talked to Cody about this?"

When I denied this, he snorted. "Why doesn't that surprise me? Talk to him, but I tell you this; you would be crazy if you didn't at least go to the job interview and honestly if you get the job you would be crazy not to take it."

I pouted. I hated it when he was right and didn't just tell me what I wanted to hear.

"I have to choose between the love of my life and my dream... great.

Mike chuckled. "Love of your life? Really? Come on, I used to think that Maryse was the love of my life. I know you hate it when I say it, but you are still so insanely young and you still have to learn so much about yourself. Your problem is that you try to live your life like it's a book and you're looking for that one prince charming. Well, Jules, prince charming doesn't exist, there's just us regular guys who try our best to please our girls and fail miserable most of the time."

"I hate you, you know that."

"Yeah I know... sweet dreams, Jules... and talk to Cody. The guy might surprise you."

"Bye."


Mike

I sighed when I hung up the phone. It might have been bad of me to say it, but at times like this I was glad to be released from the drama that was her life. Not everything was her fault, but one way or another everything always turned into trouble. It would be a full-time job to steer her away from it and once I had gotten over her, I had never looked back. Knowing Jules, she pondered over what could-have-been, but I always stayed clear of those conversations. She made her choice and in the end, I was better off for that.

I went back to bed and looked at my beautiful girl who was curled up in a ball at my side of the bed. Eve opened her eyes as I sat down on the bed and smiled that radiant smile that still made me feel a little giddy whenever I saw it. She might be just as young as Jules, but so much more level-headed, stable and simply more mature.

"What was it this time? Another fight with Cody?"

I shook my head while I climbed back into bed and pulled her close against me. "No, but there probably will be." I quickly explained what was going on. I had no secrets for this girl.

"So she'll dump Cody and move to LA?"

"When she gets the job, she probably will. Not that she already knows that herself, but in the end she'll always choose herself over others."

"You want her to do that, right?"

I sighed, "I dunno... I think she can do a lot more than writing for the WWE."

"That's not what I meant, Mike."

I searched her eyes for a clue of what she meant, frowning at the hint of uncertainty I saw there.

"Then what do you mean, Evy? You're not jealous or something? I've no intention to run back to her if she decides to dump Cody. She's my friend, but you are the one I love."

That bright smile lightened her face again and I couldn't resist brushing a kiss on those sweet lips.

"You always know the right thing to say, don't you Mike?"

"Of course I do, I'm awesome." I chuckled before I was serious again. "I mean it, Eve. I'm not with you because I couldn't be with her. I'm with you because you are an amazing woman and you made me fall head over heels for you. What I felt for her is nothing compared with what I feel for you. With you I see a future, I wanna grow old with you, have a family with you." I blushed slightly after I said this. We hadn't been together for that long and we hadn't talked future yet.

Eve cupped my face and made me meet her eyes. "I love you, Mike." Our lips met for a sweet kiss. When we pulled away there was an amused sparkle in her honey-coloured eyes. "So, how many kids do you want?"

I chuckled. "Six! I was an only child and I always wanted to have a big family."

"Six?" Eve giggled. "That's a lot. We'll just take them one at a time. But not yet, okay?"

I nodded, "In five years or so, when I'm securely in the main event and can afford to take some time off."

"You really thought this through already."

"I did... that's what you do when you turn 30 soon. I wanna start my own wrestling dynasty. But right now, I thought that maybe we could practice a bit, you know, for those six kids we need loads of practice."

I winked at her, before kissing her passionately. Her protests that it was the middle of the night and that at my age I needed my beauty sleep were ignored. Yeah, I was more than happy with my life.


Cody

I sat on my bed with my head in my hands. Julia had just left for a meeting and I was glad to have a few moments to myself. Last night she had heard she got the job with ABC-studios. She had said she wouldn't take it if I wanted her not to; she said there would be other jobs and that I was more important than some job. But I saw how her eyes shone when she talked about it, I had seen her excitement when she answered the phone and got the news. She wanted this, this was her dream and no matter how much it hurt, I stood in the way of that.

I could never live in a city like LA or New York. I didn't mind spending a few days there. Well, I didn't mind spending some time in New York, but LA? I hated it there. I hated the city, I hated the people, I had no particular love for the entire state California and most of all I had no intention of moving away from my family. In all honesty, I was a small town guy and I never had found a reason to change that.

If it would be temporally, I could have tried. Maybe, for a few years... if I had too. I rarely spend more than two days a week at home anyway. But I highly doubted that this would be something temporally for Julia. This was her dream job and there would always be new shows or new movies to write. There would always be another challenge. Not to mention that Julia loved Los Angeles.

Six months ago I had believed that after what we had gone through, we could survive everything and now it looked like a simple change of jobs would drive us apart.

I hated how fate always managed to come between us and force us to make a choice. For most people, this wouldn't be a problem. Take Evan and Sarah. If Sarah had the same opportunity, Evan would simple move with her. Same went for Randy, for Ted, for most of the guys I knew. Why did it matter so much to me where I lived? Was I really that narrow-minded?

Maybe we could try. I wanted her to take the job and breaking up with her because I didn't like the city she would have to move to, was immature and not to mention really, really stupid. Because in the end I loved her like crazy.

So we would try and we might even make it.

THE END


I'm really glad I finished this. And most of all i'm really proud that I didn't give up but that I finished it after all. Thank you all for staying with me along the way and I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'd really appreciate if you let me know what you think about the ending. So even though it's over, please review this last one :)