--
The Next Week:
Dwayne headed into the arena. He noticed how quiet and deserted the halls seemed. He checked his watch to make sure he wasn't early.
"Hey, cutie," a familiar voice said. Dwayne let out an aggravated sigh and looked up to see Trish had joined him.
"Hi."
"So listen, I was wondering, if you ever want to take me up on that date offer, I'll gladly accept."
Dwayne smirked, hearing the desperation in her voice, "Well," he breathed, "I'd be lying if I said I was interested."
Trish's smile faded slightly but she maintained her expression, "What, you're not taken, are you?"
"Not necessarily, but there's someone."
Trish nearly choked on her words as she, herself, loved the reply she gave him, "Oh, you're not talking about Nora, are you?"
Dwayne raised a curious eyebrow, "And if I am?"
"If you are, you shouldn't be. 'Cause by the looks of it, Nora is already taken."
She pointed across the hall and Dwayne spotted Nora laughing and talking with Paul Levesque. His eyebrows formed an angry "V" and he walked toward them. Trish gladly followed.
Paul noticed him first, "Hey." Dwayne shrugged his shoulders, "What's going on here?"
"Oh, Paul was just showing me around this arena. He says he knows it, inside and out."
"Well, we ARE in Madison Square Garden!" Trish piped up, loving the look on Dwayne's face. He didn't bother looking at her. His eyesight was trained on Nora's hand, which was in Paul's hand and their fingers intertwined.
Trish pulled Dwayne away from the "couple", "Have fun, you 2!" Dwayne went along, a bit dazed and confused.
"Convinced?" Trish asked, slinking her arm through his. Dwayne thought for a moment longer and shook his head.
"You're in denial, Dwayne."
"No. I'm just not going to let you manipulate me."
Trish pouted, "I'd never do something like that! I just don't want you to get hurt."
"Bullshit. I'll talk to Nora. I know what you're up to."
His words stung her mind and she froze, suddenly, as if caught, "E-excuse me? You do?!"
Dwayne nodded, "Don't mess with me. Paul and Nora are just friends and you're making it sound and seem like there's something more. That won't help you in the get-go. How long will it take you to realize I'm not interested?!"
Trish pulled a sad face and took her arm back, "You're not?"
"No, I'm not."
The diva nodded, "Oh, okay. Well, I guess I'll see you around."
She waved a hand, turned and walked away. As she headed to the locker room, she grinned.
**
"Hey, Nora."
"Hi, Dwayne."
They sat, side to side, on the locker room bench. Everyone else had left. It was nearly midnight.
"Still liking it so far?" He asked, wanting to cut to the chase and ask about Paul.
"Oh, I love it. Everyone has been really nice. And Paul," she chuckled, "Paul is a total class act. He's hilarious."
Dwayne gave her a fake smile, "Really, well, he's cool. You, uh," he nudged her, "you getting a thing for him?"
Nora giggled, "I'm not sure. I'm awful at relationships. Everytime I date a guy, there seems to be something wrong with him. Nothing small, I'm not picky. Just some guys have what I want and others do too, but along with those features come disadvantages." She nudged his leg with hers, "You know what I mean?"
"Oh, yeah. Relationships are hard. Especially since we're on the road most of the time."
"Yeah. I'd much rather have a boyfriend within my work. I don't know why, but I don't think it'd be fair to my boyfriend, or my husband, to watch me on TV every week. He'd be Mr. Nora Greenwald, or whatever people will know me as, by then."
Dwayne nodded, "It's nice that you care for those kinds of people. If I had a 'little ole wife' at home, I probably wouldn't be able to spend more than 2 days away from her."
Nora looked into space and her eyes read that she was deep in thought, "Ever wonder what it'd be like to wait? Wait for your long lost love to just walk into your life and make everything around you seem . . ."
"Perfect."
Nora turned to him, smiling, "Yeah, exactly!" Her tone lowered, "Perfect."
Their eyes drew them closer. Dwayne could've sworn he left her lips against his but her cell phone rang.
"Ugh," she said, pulling it from her pocket, "Give me a sec."
Dwayne turned to his things and made sure he had everything but he took his attention away from his belongings when he heard what Nora said.
"Oh, hi, Paul!"
He heard a mumbling speaker on the other line. Nora's smile seemed to widen, "Saturday? Hmm, no, I don't think I'm booked."
Paul spoke again and Dwayne heard him laugh. Nora laughed as well, "Okay, I guess I'll see you then!"
"Bye," he heard Paul say.
"Bye." Nora hung up and turned to him, "Sorry."
"You guys getting together?"
"It's not like it's a date," Nora laughed, "WWE is going to Las Vegas Saturday. Paul wants to take me to the Grand Canyon. I can't wait! I've never seen it!"
"Oh, you're in for a treat. It's really beautiful."
Nora sighed, lovingly, "It must be romantic, too. All alone, echoes being the only thing surrounding you."
Dwayne stood and pulled his gym bag strap over his shoulder, "I'll head out. You'll be going out okay?"
"I'll be fine. I have a few friends waiting for me."
As Dwayne left the room, he shook his head. Paul and Nora just didn't seem right. Something bothered him but he couldn't put his finger on it.
~Later~
"Did you talk to Paul?" Trish asked, smiling maniacally at Nora. They were heading toward the parking lot, trying to find Trish's rental.
"Yeah. We're going to the Grand Canyon."
"Oh my God!" Trish breathed, as if it were a surprise to her, "That's so sweet of him!" She whispered, "Do you like him?"
"I'm not sure. There's someone else on my mind." As soon as she said that, Nora regretted it. There Trish was, trying to help her, and she'd been having feelings for Dwayne, Trish's almost-boyfriend.
"Aww, I'm sure Paul loves you. He might've told me a thing or 2 about you . . ."
"What? What'd he say? Tell me!"
"Nah, I don't think I will."
"Oh, please, Trish! I want to know!"
"Don't worry about it! I'm sure if he wanted you to know, he'd tell you. Which is exactly what he might do."
--
The Next Week:
Dwayne headed into the arena. He noticed how quiet and deserted the halls seemed. He checked his watch to make sure he wasn't early.
"Hey, cutie," a familiar voice said. Dwayne let out an aggravated sigh and looked up to see Trish had joined him.
"Hi."
"So listen, I was wondering, if you ever want to take me up on that date offer, I'll gladly accept."
Dwayne smirked, hearing the desperation in her voice, "Well," he breathed, "I'd be lying if I said I was interested."
Trish's smile faded slightly but she maintained her expression, "What, you're not taken, are you?"
"Not necessarily, but there's someone."
Trish nearly choked on her words as she, herself, loved the reply she gave him, "Oh, you're not talking about Nora, are you?"
Dwayne raised a curious eyebrow, "And if I am?"
"If you are, you shouldn't be. 'Cause by the looks of it, Nora is already taken."
She pointed across the hall and Dwayne spotted Nora laughing and talking with Paul Levesque. His eyebrows formed an angry "V" and he walked toward them. Trish gladly followed.
Paul noticed him first, "Hey." Dwayne shrugged his shoulders, "What's going on here?"
"Oh, Paul was just showing me around this arena. He says he knows it, inside and out."
"Well, we ARE in Madison Square Garden!" Trish piped up, loving the look on Dwayne's face. He didn't bother looking at her. His eyesight was trained on Nora's hand, which was in Paul's hand and their fingers intertwined.
Trish pulled Dwayne away from the "couple", "Have fun, you 2!" Dwayne went along, a bit dazed and confused.
"Convinced?" Trish asked, slinking her arm through his. Dwayne thought for a moment longer and shook his head.
"You're in denial, Dwayne."
"No. I'm just not going to let you manipulate me."
Trish pouted, "I'd never do something like that! I just don't want you to get hurt."
"Bullshit. I'll talk to Nora. I know what you're up to."
His words stung her mind and she froze, suddenly, as if caught, "E-excuse me? You do?!"
Dwayne nodded, "Don't mess with me. Paul and Nora are just friends and you're making it sound and seem like there's something more. That won't help you in the get-go. How long will it take you to realize I'm not interested?!"
Trish pulled a sad face and took her arm back, "You're not?"
"No, I'm not."
The diva nodded, "Oh, okay. Well, I guess I'll see you around."
She waved a hand, turned and walked away. As she headed to the locker room, she grinned.
**
"Hey, Nora."
"Hi, Dwayne."
They sat, side to side, on the locker room bench. Everyone else had left. It was nearly midnight.
"Still liking it so far?" He asked, wanting to cut to the chase and ask about Paul.
"Oh, I love it. Everyone has been really nice. And Paul," she chuckled, "Paul is a total class act. He's hilarious."
Dwayne gave her a fake smile, "Really, well, he's cool. You, uh," he nudged her, "you getting a thing for him?"
Nora giggled, "I'm not sure. I'm awful at relationships. Everytime I date a guy, there seems to be something wrong with him. Nothing small, I'm not picky. Just some guys have what I want and others do too, but along with those features come disadvantages." She nudged his leg with hers, "You know what I mean?"
"Oh, yeah. Relationships are hard. Especially since we're on the road most of the time."
"Yeah. I'd much rather have a boyfriend within my work. I don't know why, but I don't think it'd be fair to my boyfriend, or my husband, to watch me on TV every week. He'd be Mr. Nora Greenwald, or whatever people will know me as, by then."
Dwayne nodded, "It's nice that you care for those kinds of people. If I had a 'little ole wife' at home, I probably wouldn't be able to spend more than 2 days away from her."
Nora looked into space and her eyes read that she was deep in thought, "Ever wonder what it'd be like to wait? Wait for your long lost love to just walk into your life and make everything around you seem . . ."
"Perfect."
Nora turned to him, smiling, "Yeah, exactly!" Her tone lowered, "Perfect."
Their eyes drew them closer. Dwayne could've sworn he left her lips against his but her cell phone rang.
"Ugh," she said, pulling it from her pocket, "Give me a sec."
Dwayne turned to his things and made sure he had everything but he took his attention away from his belongings when he heard what Nora said.
"Oh, hi, Paul!"
He heard a mumbling speaker on the other line. Nora's smile seemed to widen, "Saturday? Hmm, no, I don't think I'm booked."
Paul spoke again and Dwayne heard him laugh. Nora laughed as well, "Okay, I guess I'll see you then!"
"Bye," he heard Paul say.
"Bye." Nora hung up and turned to him, "Sorry."
"You guys getting together?"
"It's not like it's a date," Nora laughed, "WWE is going to Las Vegas Saturday. Paul wants to take me to the Grand Canyon. I can't wait! I've never seen it!"
"Oh, you're in for a treat. It's really beautiful."
Nora sighed, lovingly, "It must be romantic, too. All alone, echoes being the only thing surrounding you."
Dwayne stood and pulled his gym bag strap over his shoulder, "I'll head out. You'll be going out okay?"
"I'll be fine. I have a few friends waiting for me."
As Dwayne left the room, he shook his head. Paul and Nora just didn't seem right. Something bothered him but he couldn't put his finger on it.
~Later~
"Did you talk to Paul?" Trish asked, smiling maniacally at Nora. They were heading toward the parking lot, trying to find Trish's rental.
"Yeah. We're going to the Grand Canyon."
"Oh my God!" Trish breathed, as if it were a surprise to her, "That's so sweet of him!" She whispered, "Do you like him?"
"I'm not sure. There's someone else on my mind." As soon as she said that, Nora regretted it. There Trish was, trying to help her, and she'd been having feelings for Dwayne, Trish's almost-boyfriend.
"Aww, I'm sure Paul loves you. He might've told me a thing or 2 about you . . ."
"What? What'd he say? Tell me!"
"Nah, I don't think I will."
"Oh, please, Trish! I want to know!"
"Don't worry about it! I'm sure if he wanted you to know, he'd tell you. Which is exactly what he might do."
--