Chapter 29: Surprise!
There was an initial swell of panic when I woke up the next morning and realized I wasn't in New York with Shane. It was a few moments before I remembered the day before, all the travel and crying and the phone call with Trish, who was probably going to have the lab-coats waiting for me when I get home to lock me away. I couldn't help but feel embarrassed thinking about the phone call with Trish, and I hoped to God she'd keep quiet about everything. She's been great so far, but I'm so nervous about everything, it only stands to reason that Trish wouldn't be exempt from my suspicions. The last thing I want is Torrie and Stacy finding out about any of this. This business has a serious inability to keep secrets sometimes.
I took my coffee out on the patio, sitting down at the table to look out at the beach. It seemed like a beautiful day to take in the sights and maybe sneak in a little bit of scuba diving. I'm used to living out of a suitcase, always on the move, but it's so rare I get to stop, step back, and take in the sights around me. Sipping my coffee and taking in the beautiful view in front of me, I vowed to myself that I would start to enjoy the little things more if my career wasn't over.
The scar on my neck isn't huge, but I notice it every time I look in the mirror. It's still kind of fresh, the skin still elevated. I've been rubbing vitamin E on it in hopes to make it go down, but the reality is that the scar is going to be another unwanted souvenir from the attack. The doctor said that everything is going according to schedule, but he's being coy when it comes to the idea of me getting back inside the ring and resuming my career. As much as I don't want to think of these things on vacation, every time I look in the mirror to brush my teeth, do my makeup, or fix my hair, it's going to be there.
After my coffee was finished, I went back inside the villa to get dressed for the day. Even with all the sleep I got, I found I was still exhausted. I threw on the first bikini I could find, black with a rhinestone trim, and then threw on a pair of jean shorts and a white tank top over it. I didn't even bother brushing my hair; instead, I threw it back in a high ponytail that I pushed through the back of a New York Yankees baseball cap. There was a good chance I was going to end up in the water today, so I left my phone and my handbag behind. I quickly put some sunscreen on and gathered some money and my keys before I left the villa. I hoped to keep myself so busy that I wouldn't think of home at all.
I spent the day learning how to husk and crack coconuts, learning how to weave baskets, hiking, and canoeing, but it was impossible for me to completely ignore everything across the ocean. I wondered what Shane was doing, and if he had cooled down. I hoped to go back to the villa and find that he had returned my call. Then we could talk...well, he could talk, and I could cry and sob and apologize for being such a fucking mess and a basket case. I could almost envision the entire phone call while I worked on my basket. A few people recognized me at each activity, and I signed autographs, took pictures and dodged questions about what happened and how bad my injuries are. They winced at the scar on my neck, and I assured them that I was all right, that I would be back and good as new in no time, even though I didn't really believe it. There were a lot of handshakes and hugs and before I knew it, the sun was going down and I needed to get back to the villa to get changed for dinner.
It had been a beautiful day, but nothing I saw compared to the brilliant sunset while I walked along the beach on the way back. I saw people paddling on their canoes; some of them were coming back to the dock to get ready for the big dinner in the courtyard. The sky was such a bright orange, and it reflected off the water. It was incredible.
Walking up the grass, I looked up at my villa and stopped in my tracks.
Shane was sitting on the steps of the villa, a single bag to his left. I'll never forget it. He looked bored and exhausted, his head on his hands. It almost looked like he was dozing off. He was dressed in jeans and a white Henley shirt, a far cry from the buttoned-up corporate fashion he usually adheres to. I had to blink because I thought I was imagining things. I even rubbed my eyes.
I walked towards him. He got up, leaving his bag on the porch as he came down the steps. We met on the grass. My eyes were already watering, threatening to spill over. "I...I wasn't sure..." he started, but fell silent when I threw my arms around him and hugged him, openly sobbing like a lunatic. I didn't care if anyone else saw me making a scene. He hugged me back just as tightly, stroking my hair and trying his best once again to soothe me.
"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I'm sorry..." I kept repeating it over and over again.
"I'm sorry, too," Shane told me softly. He didn't even care that I was soaked from canoeing. I pulled back, sniffling.
"You probably want to put your bag inside. Come on." I walked past him. I didn't want to have a giant talk with him out in the open, where people who knew who we were could see. He stood to the side while I opened up the room and then it was my turn to step to the side so he could walk in. I shut the door behind us. He was already halfway to the bed, putting his bag down next to my suitcase.
"This place is gorgeous," he commented.
"What on Earth are you doing here?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning against the wall. It was a nineteen-hour flight for me from JFK, so I knew that he had to have had the same travel time. "You have Survivor Series coming up with Stephanie, and you're on the team, and how did you even...?"
"Noa, I couldn't not be here right now, and we both know it." He sat down on the edge of the bed. He looked down at his hands. He was restless; I could see it in the way his left leg moved. "I'm sorry, Noa. I'm so fucking sorry. I saw the one-way ticket with all the travel information on the counter...and with the way you've been talking lately, I freaked. I didn't handle anything well at all. I'm sorry. I thought you were leaving for good, and I got a little hot because it felt like you weren't giving me an option here. And maybe you did tell me, and maybe I have been under all of this Alliance vs. WWF nonsense, but Noa...I meant every word I said at the hospital. I'm always here." He shook his head. "If this doesn't prove it... I mean, I flew all night. I've been waiting here for hours. And I'd do this every time for you, Noa. And I know you'd do it for me, too."
I blinked and shook my head. "But Survivor Series..."
"What about it? It's on the eighteenth. Halloween is tomorrow." He shot me a smile. "I told Stephanie to cover for me for a few days, that I had some things to take care of. She gets it, so she's holding down the fort." He looked past me, out the French doors. "Unfortunately, I have to be back in time for Raw on Monday..."
"That's fine...my week comes up on Wednesday, and I was going to come home," I confessed. "I mean if I had a home to go back to..."
"Of course you do. I got a little hot, you got a little defensive, and it's okay. This has been such a fucking year. I wouldn't ever..."
"You were so mad at me..."
"It doesn't mean I would want to leave you, Noa." He sighed. "It sucks without you on the road. It sucked coming here without you. I don't ever want to be without you. Ever."
"You didn't answer my call."
"I was in the air, and then I didn't want to call back and give away everything. I had so much to do before I left, but I got here, and I did call you when I landed, but you didn't answer your phone."
"I left it here because I was canoeing today." He nodded.
"We're going to have to do that tomorrow." I nodded. He got off the bed and approached. He touched my face, rubbing his thumb along my cheek, wiping my tears away. "Please don't cry. I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry."
"I've messed up..."
"...Absolutely nothing." He shook his head. "I should have just told Stephanie to cover me in the first place when you said you wanted to go. It isn't like she didn't drop everything and go off with Hunter. I should have done that, and we could have avoided all of this." I hugged him. "I'm sorry, Noa. I'm so sorry. I love you."
I tried to speak, but I cried a little bit more. "I didn't come alone," he whispered. I pulled away from him, confused.
"What do you mean, you didn't come alone?"
"It's why I didn't get here sooner. I had to work out some stuff for the weekend with Steph and I had to do a bit of searching around the house. Turns out I'm a bit disorganized." He reached into the pocket of his jeans. "I'm not good at this at all, Noa, and I had this all worked out on my mind on the plane, and I worked out everything I was going to say and everything I was going to do, and it all flew out the window." I looked down at his hand.
I saw a small navy box.
I looked at him, surprised. "Am I reading this wrong, or is that what I think it is?"
He took a step away from me and got down on a knee. My eyes bulged. "Shane..."
"I know you probably think this isn't the right time, that I'm being impulsive and dramatic, but I have to do this. Because there is no me without you. I don't really know how I've gotten this far without you. And I know you've been through a lot, and I know you have things to work through still, but I want you to know that I'm here for all of it. I just...let's get married, Rinoa. What do you say?"
He opened the box. It was a beautiful ring, and it looked like it had been freshly cleaned. It was a modest looking ring, but the gold shone and so did the diamond. "That looks antique..."
"It is. It belonged to my grandmother," he confessed. He looked down at the ring and sighed. He stood.
"Shane..."
"I've been waiting to do this for a while now," he confessed. "We don't have to get married right away, but I don't want anyone else but you, and I..."
I burst into tears. Again. "I...yes. Of course." I placed both hands on his face and kissed him urgently. It was a move that startled us both; I haven't initiated a lot of affection with him since I got out of the hospital, but I couldn't stop myself. When I pulled back, Shane pulled the ring out and threw the box on the bed. Both our hands were shaking as he slid the ring onto my finger. He pulled me close, into a tight hug.
"I'm sorry, Noa. For everything," he whispered, giving me a kiss on the forehead. "I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you if I have to."
"It's okay," I whispered. "I'm sorry, too. I'm..."
"Let's not worry about the rest of this tonight, okay? I'm here for a few days. We have plenty of time to talk over coffee in the mornings, or while we're hiking. Tonight, I just want to spend time with you."
"Sounds good. I was just getting ready to go to dinner."
"That sounds great. The food on the plane was awful." I couldn't help but smirk. We linked arms and left together. I couldn't stop staring at the ring. Maybe, just maybe, it was time to look at the cards Hunter gave me when I got home.
