A/N: Please, if you are liking this at all, let me know.
And, of course, if you haven't read Guardian yet, and are confused AF about what's going on, definitely give that a read. It's a completed story, so I'm continuing this love story.
February 13, 2018: Les Deux Club, continued...
Liv did notice that Abby was clearly upset, the vet's confrontation with AJ Styles piquing her interest just a little bit.
Oh, to be a fly on the wall!
Sami Zayn sat at the bar alone now, watching Chara turn away from AJ, folding her arms and glancing at her feet. AJ was speaking, and although she couldn't hear it, Liv was certain that it wasn't anything good. In that moment, she realized that those three would always have some sort of drama, like a weird thread that tied them all together. Unless one of them wasn't around, they couldn't seem to break that bond.
"They really ought to just have a three-way fuck and figure their shit out," she overheard someone say. Liv's head snapped up, trying to see who would say something so vile. It seemed to come from Austin Aries, who was always in a sour mood. Austin wore sunglasses perched on the top of his head and a slightly too-tight v-neck shirt. She didn't talk to him much; he was extremely arrogant and opinionated. He'd loudly told the roster that once his contract was up with the WWE, he was hitting the "dusty trail." Liv knew that Austin was talented, but unfortunately for Double-A, he thought he was special. And maybe he was, but once the wrong people caught wind of that arrogance, they did everything they could to stifle it. In his case, Austin was put on 205Live.
All things considered, it was actually pretty likely that Aries had made that crude remark. He'd been around promotions quite a bit, and so had Sami, AJ, and Abby. Liv figured that they probably all knew each other prior to the WWE.
"What are you looking at, Jigglypuff?" Austin made a snide comment towards her, sneering. Her jaw dropped in response, her feelings wounded quickly.
Had Austin Aries just made a fat joke to her?!
Luckily, Lana had saved her from saying something that she might regret as she snaked her thin, tanned arm around her waist. "Are you ready, babe?" Lana asked, giving her a smirk.
Liv groaned. "It's time? I was hoping he forgot."
"Livvy, come on," Lana urged. And unfortunately, the deejay called the two blonde women up to the stage, telling everyone in the room that they would be singing Lady Gaga's 'Paparazzi' for everyone's entertainment. There were some woops from the crowd, and Ruby was among them, giving her a thumbs-up. Again, Liv wondered if Ruby was just trying to be an asshole.
"I'll start," Lana squeezed Liv's hand. "Follow my lead, and you'll be just fine."
Liv tried to speak, wanting to back out. But as the lights dimmed and Lana turned her back to the crowd, clearly ready to go...
It was too late.
The beats started, and Lana started out their duet. Liv couldn't keep her eyes off from the 'Ravishing Russian', she was effortlessly sexy and easily captured the attention of the entire room. She watched in awe Lana grabbed her microphone from the stand, slaying the first verse. She pranced around on the stage, sultry and barely looking at the prompter at all. She knew the words, and she knew the beat.
Lana glanced over, realizing that Liv wasn't quite ready to go, and continued on the second verse:
"Leather and jeans, garage glamorous. Not sure what it means, but this photo of us...it don't have a price. Ready for those flashing lights...cause you know that baby, I..."
Liv snapped out of her trance, the sex appeal that Lana had rubbing off a little bit and making her feel like a star, too. She stepped up to her own microphone, ready to go...
"I'm your biggest fan, I'll follow you until you love me. Papa-paparazzi," Liv purred, surprised by how loud her own voice was. Lana piped in again, and they sang along together. Luckily, the lights were so bright that Liv couldn't see the crowd. She would have definitely gotten nervous if she could see the folks out there. Wrestling for groups of people was one thing. She didn't often get nervous in front of them because she knew that wrestling was like a dance. Even if you make a misstep, all you have to do is misstep with such grace that it looks like it's just another step. For the most part, it would go unnoticed. Singing, and performing, on the other hand...that was trickier.
She danced with Lana, in tune with each other and having a good time. It seemed to create quite a stir among the crowd, their cheers getting louder with each lusty hip roll. Lana sang, slowly unzipping the front of Liv's vest, playing peek-a-boo with the top of her chest. That really got the crowd's attention, and they were ready to see more.
"Give him a show," Lana winked, holding her microphone away so that the only person who could hear was Liv. Shooting the older woman a questioning look, Lana giggled and jerked her head nonchalantly towards the better-lit part of the bar, where Liv noticed that Baron Corbin stood, leaning back against the pool table with his arms folded. He acted disinterested, which kind of pissed her off more.
Disinterested? I'll give a reason to be interested in what I've got! Liv decided, gearing up for the next part of the song. Yeah, it was definitely the drinks giving her the strong inner monologue...but whatever. Her confidence was at a high.
"I'm your biggest fan, I'll follow you until you love me. Papa-paparazzi...Baby there's no other superstar, you know that I'll be your papa-paparazzi," Liv played with the zipper that Lana had yanked down about halfway, gyrating in slow motion and keeping eye contact with Baron Corbin the entire time. She wanted to leave everything and nothing to his imagination. And maybe it was the shots from earlier talking, but she liked the power she felt right now. He wouldn't tear his eyes away. If he was appalled by her behavior, he didn't let on. And that made it even hotter.
"Promise I'll be kind, but I won't stop until that boy is mine," Liv crooned, now fully unzipping and exposing her black lace bralette. She threw her vest over her shoulder, keeping in tune with the music. She then looped it around Lana's shoulders, pulling her near. Liv teased a kiss, but let one side go, which Lana easily spun out of. That caused the crowd to yell out in excitement, all sorts of requests and derogatory words thrown out into the air. Liv paid them no mind, and neither did Lana. They were having fun, after all.
In the meantime, the pair put on a near full-on striptease. Liv, however, still trained her eyes on the Lone Wolf. It seemed that some of people realized where her focus was, as one of the grimy guys that was playing pool clapped Baron on the back, whooping at him. Baron turned to the guy, shook his head in annoyance, then went around to the pool table once again, getting the balls racked up.
Liv's confidence faltered, realizing that Baron had turned his attention away from her now. But, she was getting a huge crowd reaction that she didn't want to leave them hanging, either. It was odd, as she'd always been told that she was "so cute." This...this was different. She wondered for a fleeting moment if maybe she should incorporate something a little more sexy in the ring, rather than the "cute" chick with the blue tongue...
Lana finished the song off for them, and the applause was quite monstrous. There were folks waving money in the air, asking for more. Lana scoffed at them, waving a finger as if to shame them.
"C'mon, we want a show!"
As if our show wasn't enough! Liv thought, definitely frustrated. But then, maybe they just wanted more...?
"I'll give you a show, then, jerk!" Lana yelled at whoever the random guy was. She lifted Liv's hand in the air in celebration, then gave her a warm, wet kiss. No tongue or anything, but it was definitely enough to surprise Liv and silence the weirdos in the room.
"All right!" Some more whoops and hollering. Lana pulled at Liv's hand, bringing her towards the steps off the stage. Liv gently walked down, suddenly hyper-aware of how off balance she was.
Yep, she was really drunk.
Ruby was there at the bottom, waiting for Liv with a big smile plastered on her face. Lana pulled Liv in for a quick hug, thanking her for a great time before excusing herself to "freshen up."
"I mean, that was...that was pretty sexy," she told Liv. "And pretty much the entire roster saw you eye-fucking Baron Corbin."
Liv felt her cheeks get warm. "You noticed that?"
Ruby laughed once. "Liv, like I said, the entire roster noticed it."
"He wasn't interested anyways," Liv shrugged. "He stopped paying attention."
Ruby shook her head. "I highly doubt that. You guys put on quite a performance. Besides, Corbin probably realized that people were taking notice of that weird electrical buzz in the air. And I know I don't know him well, but he doesn't really like to be put on the spot like that."
Liv shot a glance towards Baron Corbin, hoping she'd catch him looking. But he wasn't. In fact, he was whispering in some redhead's ear, her hand stifling a giggle as he told her some sort of secret joke. It was tough; seeing Baron like that with someone else. It wasn't fair for her to be jealous, but she was.
The other night, he'd really made her swoon. Made Enzo disappear from her life-for now, anyways. But honestly, in that moment, she couldn't help but feel like his entire act of chivalry was pointless. That maybe they should have just stayed as strangers.
"Yeah, definitely looks like I made quite the impact," Liv crossed her arms, rolling her eyes. It was hard not to feel like he somehow let her down.
"It's for show," Ruby replied.
"How do you know?"
"Girl, it's not my first day. Pay attention to his body language, you'll see. He's giving a promo, just for you to see."
Liv turned back as discretely as she could, noting that he had his arms crossed. His smile was not genuine; but forced. But Red didn't seem to notice as she thrust her hips towards him, lightly touching his arm as she said something to him.
"Ugh, I can't watch this," Liv wrinkled her nose. "I'm going to step outside and cool off."
"That doesn't exactly explain why Sami is here with you, Chara," AJ Styles pulled a hand through his hair in frustration, something that Chara had seen him do many, many times before. Normally, it was when she was being impossible. And although this time wasn't much different, she felt somewhat justified. She looked down, opting not to respond.
"Why have you been avoiding me?" AJ asked slowly.
AJ and Chara had moved to their own quiet table, and so far, she'd managed to avoid crying. Instead of being upset, she was just very hurt and angry with her boyfriend now. She could feel herself shutting down, trying to make sense of why AJ would sabotage her career. She'd been under the impression that they'd come a long way, but as it turned out, he was holding on to secrets, too.
"I needed space. Time to think, feel, and understand what it was that I've been doing wrong. Both in...life and career. It's hard to explain. Here I thought that I'd upset Vince or something. Turns out, they don't have any plans for me for an entirely different reason," Chara spat her last words, hating herself for how ugly they sounded coming out. She'd pretty much told him the same thing twice already, completely ignoring the question as to why she was with Sami Zayn of all people. This time, she figured, she'd better explain why.
"Sami was a surprise, without a doubt," she continued. "I'd heard rumors that he was going to return, but not for a while. Sami has an infectious personality, and I needed that tonight. I needed to be around someone who was usually pretty positive, and who would tell me like it is."
AJ thought about that for a moment. "I don't understand why I can't be that for you," he said finally, letting out a low breath. "You should be coming to me for support, Chara. I'm your boyfriend. At least, I thought I was."
"I thought so, too," Chara replied, a bit of sharpness in her voice. "But there I go, trusting you, and you try to fuck me over yet again."
"Because I couldn't stand the idea of being without you!" AJ smacked the table, and it rattled just enough that a few people turned and looked their way. He lowered his voice to avoid making any more of a scene. "I couldn't stand being without you," he repeated himself, this time much quieter. "Don't you realize, if Bray moved to RAW, and so did you, we would almost never see each other? I'm sorry, but I spent too many years pretending that I didn't care about you. I'm not about to make that mistake. I'm not about to give up on this when we barely even started."
"Isn't it easier when we're not together?" Chara asked. She knew she was being a shithead.
"Are you serious right now?" AJ drawled.
"Kind of. How can you honestly tell me that your life is any easier with me in it?"
"My life is better because you're in it," AJ replied simply. "Just because it isn't always easy, doesn't mean it's not good."
"Exactly! Just because it wouldn't be easy for us to be on different shows, doesn't mean it wouldn't be a good thing. What if RAW would have been a perfect fit for me? What if it would have been the fresh start that I desperately needed?" Chara's voice rose a little bit, and she realized she'd caught the attention of two of the Riott Squad girls on their way outside. She turned away, hoping they didn't hear too much.
She watched AJ lower his eyes, knowing she'd struck something in him. His eyes slowly came back to her face, searching her.
"I just didn't want to lose you, Chara. But I'm afraid I'm going to anyways," his eyes shot back towards the bar, seeing Sami over there. Now, he was talking with Cesaro.
Chara followed his gaze to Sami. "He'll always be in my life, somehow," Chara admitted. She watched as AJ visibly bristled at her comment.
"Do you feel that you've made a mistake? Choosing our relationship over rekindling one with him? Because I know part of him still loves you. He told me."
Chara's eyebrows darted up, and she drew a sharp breath. "He told you?" Of course, this wasn't exactly news to her. Sometimes, she wondered what might have happened if AJ hadn't shown up in her Bridgeport home, professing his feelings for her. Would she have eventually gotten over that heartache, and moved on from AJ?
But Sami made it clear that he would not play second fiddle to AJ. If Chara wanted him, she'd have to be all in. And she couldn't promise that.
Yet in that moment, she wasn't certain she was all in with AJ, either. In some weird, fucked-up comparison, she knew very much how Bella Swan felt in the Twilight series, constantly choosing between Jacob Black and Edward Cullen. Actually, the parallels of her own love story were uncanny, and she'd given it more thought than she should. Of course, Sami was no werewolf and AJ was no vampire, but still.
She had to force away the urge to giggle at the last thought.
"Yeah, he did. When Corbin drugged you. You were in and out of consciousness. Sami was the only one who answered his phone that night, and he came to make sure you didn't die in your sleep while I got some sleep, too. He made a comment about how I still loved you...and I accused him of the same."
Chara quirked her eyebrow for a moment, folding her sleeves of her shirt over her fingertips. This was a bad habit she had, a nervous tick for whenever she was uncomfortable.
"So I ask again, are you unsure of your decision to be with me?" AJ asked.
"No," she responded dryly. She knew that much to be true. "I'm just hurt that you went behind my back the way you did. It's not fair of you to use your pull behind the scenes to get what you want."
"I understand," AJ nodded. "I'm sorry for hurting you. Of course, I hope you understand my reasoning. And, if I didn't think you could move forward as a solo act, I wouldn't have done it."
"Oh, come on, AJ," Chara sadly shook her head. "I had to come up with my own story because the writers were at a complete loss. But you wouldn't know that," she waved a hand towards him.
"No, I wouldn't know that, because you didn't speak to me about it. About anything. Chara, if we're going to be together, you need to trust me. I want to be the person you come to, no matter what the reason. We agreed to give our relationship a real shot, finally, after so long. Please don't push me away."
"I pushed everyone away because they weren't you," Chara responded. "I want to trust you, but I'm still afraid to. This still feels surreal," she motioned between the two of them. "If I let you in, that gives you the power to destroy me."
AJ took her hands in his. "I love you, Chara. I don't know how many more times I need to tell you this, but I love you. And until you tell me that this isn't what you want, I'm going to be whatever it is that you need."
Chara could feel a lump in her throat. AJ was too good for her, and she was excellent at burning bridges. It was just a matter of time before her burned bridges created too much distance. The realization that she could never be enough for him hit her like a ton of bricks. How could she ever, in a million years, think that things would work out between them?
She gave a small smile, deciding not to give voice to all of the negative thoughts that were invading her mind. Where was all of this bad energy coming from? she wondered. Not too long ago, she was over the moon, lucky in love, and seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses. What changed?
She looked back towards Sami, who now was making no attempt at hiding that he was watching them. His right elbow leaned on the bar, his chin in his hand, and a shit-eating smirk on his face. He gave her a nonchalant wink before getting up and sliding his stool back towards the bar.