"Finally." Blake spoke to himself as he opened the door slightly, and kicking it open wider with his foot. He tried his best to tuck the bouquet of flowers he bought at the airport as he stuffed his keys back into his pockets. He looked around the house as he set the bouquet of flowers on the kitchen counter.
"James, is that you?"
Blake holds in his excitement by holding on to the grip of his luggage with both of his hands. "Hey mom." The room is silent for a bit as Blake watched his mother stare at him for a moment with a smile that grew wider for a minute. He watched as she jogged down the stairs and into his arms. The superstar closed his eyes feeling her lips on his cheek.
"Honey, when did you get in? And why didn't you tell me? Your dad would've stayed home. It's been so long. I've missed you so much." she spoke, holding both sides of his face.
"Just now. And I'm sorry, we haven't really hung out since..what is it..Christmas? I've missed you too." he replied, wrapping his mom into another hug. "Where is dad?"
"He's golfing with his buddies, he should be home later tonight. Gosh, look at you. Look at those bags under your eyes Blake, and why are you growing out your facial hair? It makes you look so old." Gretchen spoke, examining every aspect of her son's face. "And oh, let me call Kathy and tell her that I can't make it tonight."
"Mom, do what you have to do. Don't cancel your plans. I'll be here for a couple of days. We can do dinner, shopping, and whatever else tomorrow." Blake told with a small smile, as he greeted his dogs along with his parents'. "Quinn, Hunter, look at you two. I'm always scared that one day they'll forget me." he said jokingly, rubbing both of their bellies. He was always grateful that his parents were willing to take care of his two dogs when they had three themselves.
"Sweetie, can you put those beautiful flowers in the dining room?" He nodded, grabbing the flowers and walking down one of the hallways of the house and noticing a much larger bouquet of flowers already sitting on the table . He could hear his mother on the phone telling his dad of his arrival, so he took the time to skim over who they were from. He never thought that his dad was such a romantic to be showering his mom in flowers.
I hope you feel better - Maryse
His face scrunched, making sure he read that right. Has Maryse been in contact with his mother? He grabbed the card and got a closer look at them, making sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. "Mom, did Maryse send you flowers?"
"Yeah, you didn't know? I was feeling sick and me and her were going to take the dogs hiking so I had to cancel on her, so she sent me these. She's such a sweetheart. I thought she would've told you."
"Are you and her close?" he asked, still in shock that Maryse and his mom kept in contact. He knew the two always got along when they dated, but he had no idea that their friendship continued even after they broke up.
"Ryse always texts me asking how I'm doing, and she always invites me to lunch, and she always offers to take Hunter and Quinn on walks with me. Whatever happened with you and her? I know it's none of my business but I try and get her to talk about it and she always just says she chose her career over love at the time." Blake stood quietly, pretending to look for something in the fridge when in reality he just couldn't find it in him to look at his mother in the eyes. And he found it slightly weird that his mom would call Maryse, Ryse. That was his nickname for her, but honestly he didn't have the right to be possessive. Maybe his mom knew he his jaw was clenched behind the refrigerator door, so she changed the subject. "Candice sent me a gift, saying sorry for not being able to make it with you."
"That's sweet of her." Blake answered grabbing a random bottle of juice. He reappeared from the fridge and rested his elbows on the counter top, watching his mother lay out a plate of fruit in front of him. "What did she get you?"
"A gorgeous Birkin bag." Blake knew by the name of the designer that the cost of the bag wasn't light and made a mental note to thank his girlfriend for her generous gift. "How's Barbie?" Being home was nice and it was mostly his fault for not keeping in touch with his parents as much as either of them would've liked. The weekly e-mails and short visits weren't cutting it, so it was his fault that his mom had to play twenty questions with him when he was home.
"She's good, she has a boyfriend. And from what I've heard he's really good to her." he shrugged, wishing to put an end to this conversation. For some reason, Maryse and Barbie would always be sensitive subjects. He threw a couple raspberries in his mouth, seeing his mom give him a smirk. Her smirk was sort of like a 'mom knows best' look.
"I love you. I'm going to get ready for a girls' night with Kathy. We're going to dinner at Katsuya and just maybe get drunk enough to try the mechanic bull off of Sunset."
"Alright, Mom. Love you too, but that's enough information." he spoke, faking disgust but smiled feeling a kiss on the side of his head. "Be home at a decent time, young lady. Don't make me wait up." His chuckled to himself eating an slice of the apple, hearing his mom's laugh fade through the hallway and up the stairs. The young superstar lifted up Hunter, a round bulldog, on to the chair next to him and watched as the dog climbed onto the counter top resting next to his plate of fruit. Blake pulled out his phone to snap a few photos and posted one of them on his twitter before sending Candice a thank you text.
You're the best. Mom loves the Birkin bag, I don't even want to know how much that costs. I hope you're having fun at work!
He stared at his iPhone, throwing it up and down playfully. Blake was debating giving Maryse a call, just to thank her for hanging out with his mother and taking care of his dogs, and he also wanted to know why she never mentioned it? Oh, shit. He hadn't even realized that he had pressed 'call'. The phone was ringing now and he didn't want to hang up. That would be rude.
"Blake?" the oh so familiar accent greeted from the other end.
"Hey, Ryse. It's Blake." he spoke nervously.
"Yeah, I know. I have caller ID."
"Oh, yeah. Of course." he answered, wanting to smash his head against the wall feeling incredibly stupid. But hearing her laugh at him made him feel kinda better."So what are you doing?" Blake didn't know why he was feeling nervous, and whenever he would get nervous on the phone he would walk around the entire house.
"I just got home from the nail salon, why?"
"Well I'm home, not home at my house, but at my parents'. And I planned on surprising them but I guess they both had plans tonight, and I would really like to talk to you. So you should come over, not that you have to cause I'm not forcing you or anything. I just-"
"Okay. I'll be there in fifteen, you're cooking." And with that the conversation was over. Blake looked at the clock and back to his phone a few times, did she say he was cooking? What kinda games is she playing? She of all people should know that Blake was a horrible cook, had she forgotten all those times Blake would overcook bacon or undercook eggs for them in the mornings?
"Blake, I'm leaving now. Are you staying in your old room tonight?" Gretchen asked, walking down the stairs to see Blake ruffling through the food cabinet.
"Yeah."
"It's good to have you home, honey. And what are you looking for?" she asked, giving him another kiss on the cheek.
"I don't really know. Something that can pass for dinner?" he scratched in head in confusion.
"Well we have a bunch of frozen foods, and leftovers from our dinner last night. Sweetie, why don't you go pick up some food?"
"I don't have time. I called Maryse to come over, to say thank you for being so sweet to you and she said she'll be over in fifteen and that I'm cooking and then hung up." he explained, throwing back a box of pasta in the cupboard. His blue eyes locked with his mother's green ones as she eyed him curiously.
"Sweetie, I love you but you're a horrible cook. Remember you were in charge of the turkey a few Thanksgivings ago, and we ended up eating Chinese. And that's nice of you, it might be good for you two kids to talk." And for the third time that night his mother kissed him, and somehow her motherly love was assuring and was much needed. "And I'm sure she's teasing you about the cooking, because I'm sure she knows how great of a cook you are. But seriously, I've gotta get going."
"Love you too." he yelled out, hearing the door close. "I give up, Quinn. Daddy's a bad cook isn't he? What do you think Ryse wants to eat?" he asked playfully, seeing the dog's tail wag uncontrollably. He then turned his head hearing another one of the dogs bark, and Quinn running towards the door. "Hey, what's the barking for?" He followed the dogs through a hallway leading to the front door, only to see Maryse petting one of them.
"I'm sorry, I caught your mom leaving so she opened the door for me. She said you were busy preparing food?" she greeted, her brown eyes were soft and her smile were warm.
"Ugh, yeah. Well, I actually have nothing prepared for you. I'm sorry, maybe I can order something?" he asked nervously, hoping to not disappoint the blonde. "I was going to try and throw a sandwich together but you came much earlier than I expected. I mean, mom told me there was leftovers but I didn't think you would like that too much."
"Did you honestly think I expected you of all people to cook a meal? I know better." she laughed, before standing up to face her ex-boyfriend. Blake could feel his face turn red as he greeted her with arms wide open. He hugged her tight placing a quick kiss on her temple, "Do you notice the giant box of frozen pizza I have in my purse?"
"Is that sushi I see as well?"
"Yes, do you at least know how to cook a frozen pizza?" she smirked, handing him the frozen box as she set out the sushi right in front of the television. Blake carefully read the directions a few times over, he was gonna do everything in his will power not to burn this. "Grab some wine while you're at it too." He carefully set the numbers on the oven and slid the pizza in, and grabbed a bottle of wine from the counter and two glasses before joining Maryse at the couch who was scrolling through the channels.
"Well the instructions were kinda fuzzy, but I think I got it handled." he joked, throwing a piece of California roll into his mouth before spitting it out a few moments later. "Wait, please tell me there isn't avocado?"
"You're eating my plate, moron. Your special sushi is over there, princess." she pointed at the plate she set aside for the California native. After spitting the chunk of food on a napkin, he bit into his special piece with a big goofy smile causing the former diva to laugh. "So what's the reason for inviting me over? I don't even remember the last time we hung out."
"I saw the flowers you got mom. I asked her about you, and I guess you guys have been hanging out. So this little get together is a thank you for just being so sweet to her without me knowing, and for taking care of my babies." he smiled, handing her over a glass of red. "Seriously, that's really nice of you since you obviously are a busy girl and you still manage to make time for mother when her own son is a jackass and can't find more than twenty four hours at a time."
"It's not your fault, you're a busy guy."
"Being busy is never an excuse, Ryse." he spoke, taking a big gulp of the wine. They weren't at a restaurant so there was no need to take little sips. "Holy shit, when was the last time I consumed alcohol?"
"You're such a lightweight." she teased, picking up Hunter and placing him on the side of her.
"Really? Cause back in the day, you would get so drunk I had to tuck you in bed." he teased, feeling a bit flushed. "And don't try to brainwash Hunter into loving you, Hunter come to daddy." Blake patted on his lap repeatedly hoping for the round bulldog to walk over to Maryse but the dog never did. He laughed with the blonde for a while before deciding to bring up a serious subject. "So I had contract negotiations a week back."
"How did that go?" she questioned, leaning over to grab the bottle of wine to pour herself a second full glass.
"Honestly I flew out to fucking Stamford for nothing, I could have done that over the phone. But Shane offered me the company jet, to pay for my travels, and offered me a huge raise. I told him to give me a little time to think about it. I have about two months left in my contract." he spoke nonchantly, barely paying attention to whatever movie or show they were watching. Before Maryse could respond the oven timer went off, alerting Blake that their pizza was ready. He hopped off the couch that had sunk him in and walked over looking into the oven.
"Put oven mitts on, Cross. I don't need you burning yourself." she yelled from the couch. And good thing she did, cause Blake was just planning on pulling that sucker out. He searched around not feeling familiar with all the drawers in the kitchen and dug around until he found a pair. He placed the steaming pizza on the kitchen counter top and found a pizza slicer and sliced the giant circle into eight pieces before bringing it to the couch and setting it on the little table. Blake gives her a smile seeing her grab a slice, he notices her blonde locks are now contained in a bun and he can't help but to think how pretty she looks right now.
"Stop staring and eat." she says, grabbing another slice and handing it to him. Blake was slightly embrassed and gives her a small smile before taking a bite of the pizza. "So how long are you gonna take off?"
"Well, I haven't really told anyone this but I have two weeks of my contract left after Wrestlemania, so after that I can maybe get those weeks off and truly just sit at home and think. Cause I honestly have thought about my life with and without the company."
"Which sounds better?" she questions, dapping a napkin at the corner of her couch.
"I don't know you tell me." She puts the down the wine being caught off guard with his question. His tone wasn't a curious tone, it was something else. She just couldn't put her finger on it. Her breath hitches seeing Blake lean in closer to her.
"I miss it, but I made the right choice. Now I have all the time to work on my modeling, and my fashion line is finally getting up."
"That's great, Ryse. You're dreams are all coming true." She nods. His smile is so warm and caring. "You're dad would be proud." Blake knew how much her father meant to her, his blue eyes stray down to her left wrist where the tattoo of her dad's name was. Before he could stop himself, he holds on to her hand and give it small squeezes. The blonde opens her mouth to speak, but instead she stares down at Blake's hand over hers. She smiles at him, this isn't awkward for some reason. Maybe because she's feeling a slight buzz, but it's peaceful.
"Thank you." She allows Blake to hold on to her hand, as she uses her free hand to fill glass number three. "And you're too good of a wrestler to quit. Seriously, the WWE needs you." Being modest, Blake instinctively shrugs off her compliment. He turns his head and faces the television in front of them. "Is that why you came home?"
"Sorta. I knew I've been lagging on some quality time with my parents, so this should be the perfect time to discuss with them the current path of my career. I mean, my dad and I used to be so close." she nods, knowing exactly how much his family meant to him. "We would go golfing, work out together, during high school he went to every single one of my football games, wrestling matches and baseball games. And now? Two, three times a month? What the fuck is wrong with me? My poor mother."
"Honestly you're over thinking it. You're parents are very proud of you, trust me. They tell me all the time."
"Can I ask you a question? But promise me you won't get mad." he asks slowly, feeling the palm of her hand getting a bit heated. Blake knew that Maryse didn't really enjoy getting too personal. She rather not talk about certain things and throughout the years, he has learned to accept it. But that has never stop Blake from asking, he was truly the only one that always called her out when needed. She nods, biting her bottom lip. "Okay, so how did you and um...how did you tell Mike that you were leaving? Did you guys discuss it or did you decide for yourself?"
"I made up my mind, then I told him. It was selfish of me, but I had to." Maryse was now a bit annoyed, she really hated talking about Blake to Mike. Blake nodded at her, before taking the final bites of the last piece of pizza. He leans over to pour himself some more wine but all he got were a few drops.
"Ryse. I just finished my first glass." He holds his empty glass to her face, making her playfully push him away. She's about to say something but a click is heard from the door. "Dad?" Blake lets go of Maryse's hand and gets off the couch to greet the older man that just walked in.
"Blake. Son, look at you!" James exclaimed. He hugs his son once more to make sure he's actually here. "That company of yours is working you hard, huh? You look like you need a full day of sleep. A vacation will do you some good." He teases him and that's how Blake likes it. Even his own father knew he needed a vacation and could see that he was worn out. "Ryse, hey! If I knew you would be home I would've left the golfing trip earlier." he tells, after kissing Maryse on the top of her head.
"Yeah, I told mom to let you golf. I'll be here for at least a couple days. Maybe we can go golf soon."
"I would love that, hitting some with my boy. Have you guys eaten yet?"
"Yeah, Ryse and I took down a box of pizza and some sushi. Tell him what a great cook I am." Blake nudges the blonde once he sits back next to her on the couch.
"I was scared he was going to burn the frozen pizza and that we were going to strave to death, James." she laughs, seeing Blake stare at her with his mouth slightly opened, acting offended. "Oh wow, it's almost 2 AM. I should get going." The blonde stands up and wobbles a little bit as she took a few steps before falling on Blake. Their faces are kinda close and he laughs.
"Do you seriously think that I'm going to let you drive home after drinking an entire bottle of wine?" Blake asks with a small smirk, placing his hands around her waist to help her off him.
"Ryse, just take the guest room. Blake help her up there." James offers, but his tone is more instructional. He always consider Maryse to be a daughter.
"No, it's really okay. I don't live too far."
"Come on, you've spent nights here before. You two need to get over this awkward thing you got going." James says not realizing how much of a impact his words just made. "I'm going to put my clubs away. Make sure to wake up for breakfast tomorrow you two." The older then walks away to the opposite direction of the house.
"He's not going to take no for an answer, and neither am I." Blake tells her, surprisingly scooping her into his arms. The superstar leans down to grab her purse before carrying up the stairs. He walks through a familiar hallway and asks Maryse to open the door that they were in front of. He kicks the door wide open before setting the blonde on the mattress. Blake knows that if he lays in the bed with her, things could happen so he opt for the chair instead. "You know where the bathroom is, and my room is right across so if you need anything just open it."
"Blake...wait." she muttered, shifting around on the bed. He laughs knowing she's a bit tipsy.
"Yes?"
"I love you." she says with her eyes closed and a goofy smile.
"Good. Cause I love you too." he smiles at her. He's not sure if she means it cause she did drink at least half a bottle of wine. He turns off the lights and laugh knowing she probably won't remember this tomorrow morning. He closes her door before walking downstairs to get his luggage he left at the doorstep.
"Even though you're my son by blood, I've come to love Ryse as a daughter. So don't do anything stupid." his dad tells him, walking past him probably to go to his office. It's not a strict tone, it's sorta casual and it confuses Blake a little bit. The superstar makes his way into his room and smiles seeing that his mom has kept the clothes he left here in the closet. Most of the stuff in his room were from his high school days. Blake looks around and spots multiple trophies for athletic achievements covered by a small blanket of dusk, his football and baseball jersey from his high school days were sitting pretty on the wall. He throws off his clothes, and walks into the bathroom in his boxers to wash his face and brush his teeth. He turns off the lights and make his way to the guest room across the hallway. She's asleep or passed out but either way she's a beauty. He gently grab for the blankets at the edge of the bed and tucks her softly.
"Goodnight blondie." Blake leans in and pressed a soft kiss on her forehead before going to back to fall asleep on his childhood bed.
It turned out to be a little 4,000 words , jeez. please review xoxo
