Woohoo. Done with the second chapter. I have finally figured out how I'm
going to have this story play out. Just to make sure everyone knows, again,
these characters are not mine, and no credibility belongs to me, other than
for the story and writing itself. This takes place Saturday, March 20. I
guess that's sort of important to know.
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Chris sat at a small café table, a tall mug on the countertop in his right hand. He stared into the contents of the mug, and watched ripples play across the liquid as the table rocked while he gently shook the glass. The bells on the door of the café jingled softly as people entered. It was considerably late in the evening, a strange time to be at a café, even if it was a twenty-four hour business. People in this city seemed to have a ritual to visit the café late at night rather than a downtown bar. Chris had never been here before, so he had opted to visit the well-known café instead of getting drunk like he'd done the past four nights.
He hadn't been scheduled to work any house shows that week, even though it was the last week of Raw as he knew it. He had almost considered this roster shake-up a blessing. The further he got from Christian, and his accomplice... that slut, Trish... the better.
He raised the mug to his lips, feeling the hot seem on his face before he tasted the beverage. I was obvious why the café was so popular. He took several more thin sips before placing the mug back on the glass tabletop. He looked outside into the streetlights. It was raining slightly, and the whole city seemed to be in solitude.
The bells on he door softly rung again, and Chris looked toward the entrance to find the redhead Diva, Lita. He hadn't spoken to her in quite a while, and he didn't plan on starting now. As far as he knew, she was still Trish's closest friend, and she had come to badmouth him. He shifted his gaze back down toward his drink.
Lita bit her lower lip and cautiously walked toward Chris. He had his head turned, and Lita knew he probably wanted nothing to do with her, but she had been up and down the street that their hotel was on, looking for him.
"Hi, Chris... I saw you through the window." She hesitated and took a deep breath before walking closer toward him and sitting in a chair beside him at the table. "I need to talk to you."
Chris felt no need to respond, even though Lita's tone was warm and she seemed agreeable enough. He had too much on his mind. He glanced at her for a few short seconds, noticing that she seemed tired and worn out. She must have just gotten back from the house show that night.
"Listen, Chris..." The Diva swallowed hard before continuing. "I had nothing to do with Trish. Nothing. I didn't... I didn't even know. If I had known she was going to do this to you, I would have said something. I would have told you." Lita almost felt tears forming. She felt guilty for not knowing, or not even noticing any signs that this was going to happen. She felt like she was obligated to do more than explain, as if it was her fault that Chris had gotten his heart broken.
Chris turned back toward Lita. His mouth was a straight line, his face was expressionless, but Lita could tell he was listening, and he was understanding her. She spoke in the most sincere and sympathetic voice. He couldn't ignore what she had to say.
"Honestly, if I had know she was going to.... that she was gonna do this to you, I- I would not have let it happen. There's no way, after me being so involved from the beginning, that I would have stood for that. I know how much you loved her, Chris. I still don't understand how she could do it. I just... I feel like I should have been able to tell, and I could have stopped it, I could have told you. Chris, I'm so, so sorry."
Without delay, Chris leaned toward Lita and wrapped his arms around her. Lita had such a great way of reassuring him. She always went out of her way to care for people, and let them know she was there, and where she stood. Her image on camera was contradicted by how sensitive and caring she was. The hug let Lita know that Chris believed her, even in his fragile state, and she hugged him back.
"Thank you, Lita. I can't believe I thought you might have been behind it, too." These were the first words Chris had spoken to anyone since Monday night.
Their embrace broke. Lita smiled and looked into his eyes. "Never. She was hiding this from everyone, I guess."
"I'm sorry about Matt." Chris looked downward, reflecting on last week. He hadn't considered how Lita would feel about that. He didn't expect things to go that far, but Matt, and everyone around him, had enraged him so much, rubbing WrestleMania's events in his face.
"It's okay. I talked to him today, and he's doing fine. He was just doing his job and it got personal. He shouldn't have said those things to you, and he knows it. He brought it on himself." She clutched Chris's beverage off the table and handed it to him. "It's getting cold."
"Thanks." Chris took a few more sips, and looked back up at Lita. "Do you think you could apologize to him for me tonight when you go back to the hotel?"
Lita nodded, and stood up. "Well, why don't you do it yourself?" She pulled lightly on Chris's hand encouraging him to stand. He pulled away, and leaned back in his chair, with a heavy sigh.
"I'm not going back to the hotel tonight. I think I'll just stay here a while, maybe drive around the city afterwards. I'll go back tomorrow and sleep in before the show on Monday."
Lita sighed, and sat back down, acting as if she weren't going to leave him alone. She looked concerned, but more frightened. "Chris, how much sleep have you gotten this past week? You need to go get some rest. Don't dwell on this forever. She... she let something wonderful pass her by, and SHE should have to pay for that, not YOU."
Chris rested his forehead on the table, and shook his head violently, thoughts rushing to him, and an angry chill flowing over his body. "She's not paying for anything. She got what she wanted. She accomplished what she set out to do. No matter what, I'm going to have to pay for it. Everything is win-win for her. She's happy, I'm miserable, there's nothing I can do to change it or to ignore it."
"Chris, hun..." Lita rubbed her hand over his back, and patted his shoulder. "Chris, it's okay... don't kill yourself over someone who's not worth it. She's not worth you. Even if she gets what she wants she'll have to live knowing she gave up someone so devoted to her, and so genuine. Christian can't give her that, I know it personally. No one can give her that, and she'll realize it, and hate herself for it sooner or later."
She stood up, grabbed both his shoulders, and pulled him up straight. She grabbed his mug and urged him to stand. "Come on. You can't stay here all night. Get some sleep."
The two walked a few blocks to the hotel, and Lita saw Chris to his room. He finally managed to settle in, but barely got any sleep that wasn't filled with nightmares of Trish and himself. And Christian. Their past, present, and future, and how blind Chris was not to see it all coming.
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Chris sat at a small café table, a tall mug on the countertop in his right hand. He stared into the contents of the mug, and watched ripples play across the liquid as the table rocked while he gently shook the glass. The bells on the door of the café jingled softly as people entered. It was considerably late in the evening, a strange time to be at a café, even if it was a twenty-four hour business. People in this city seemed to have a ritual to visit the café late at night rather than a downtown bar. Chris had never been here before, so he had opted to visit the well-known café instead of getting drunk like he'd done the past four nights.
He hadn't been scheduled to work any house shows that week, even though it was the last week of Raw as he knew it. He had almost considered this roster shake-up a blessing. The further he got from Christian, and his accomplice... that slut, Trish... the better.
He raised the mug to his lips, feeling the hot seem on his face before he tasted the beverage. I was obvious why the café was so popular. He took several more thin sips before placing the mug back on the glass tabletop. He looked outside into the streetlights. It was raining slightly, and the whole city seemed to be in solitude.
The bells on he door softly rung again, and Chris looked toward the entrance to find the redhead Diva, Lita. He hadn't spoken to her in quite a while, and he didn't plan on starting now. As far as he knew, she was still Trish's closest friend, and she had come to badmouth him. He shifted his gaze back down toward his drink.
Lita bit her lower lip and cautiously walked toward Chris. He had his head turned, and Lita knew he probably wanted nothing to do with her, but she had been up and down the street that their hotel was on, looking for him.
"Hi, Chris... I saw you through the window." She hesitated and took a deep breath before walking closer toward him and sitting in a chair beside him at the table. "I need to talk to you."
Chris felt no need to respond, even though Lita's tone was warm and she seemed agreeable enough. He had too much on his mind. He glanced at her for a few short seconds, noticing that she seemed tired and worn out. She must have just gotten back from the house show that night.
"Listen, Chris..." The Diva swallowed hard before continuing. "I had nothing to do with Trish. Nothing. I didn't... I didn't even know. If I had known she was going to do this to you, I would have said something. I would have told you." Lita almost felt tears forming. She felt guilty for not knowing, or not even noticing any signs that this was going to happen. She felt like she was obligated to do more than explain, as if it was her fault that Chris had gotten his heart broken.
Chris turned back toward Lita. His mouth was a straight line, his face was expressionless, but Lita could tell he was listening, and he was understanding her. She spoke in the most sincere and sympathetic voice. He couldn't ignore what she had to say.
"Honestly, if I had know she was going to.... that she was gonna do this to you, I- I would not have let it happen. There's no way, after me being so involved from the beginning, that I would have stood for that. I know how much you loved her, Chris. I still don't understand how she could do it. I just... I feel like I should have been able to tell, and I could have stopped it, I could have told you. Chris, I'm so, so sorry."
Without delay, Chris leaned toward Lita and wrapped his arms around her. Lita had such a great way of reassuring him. She always went out of her way to care for people, and let them know she was there, and where she stood. Her image on camera was contradicted by how sensitive and caring she was. The hug let Lita know that Chris believed her, even in his fragile state, and she hugged him back.
"Thank you, Lita. I can't believe I thought you might have been behind it, too." These were the first words Chris had spoken to anyone since Monday night.
Their embrace broke. Lita smiled and looked into his eyes. "Never. She was hiding this from everyone, I guess."
"I'm sorry about Matt." Chris looked downward, reflecting on last week. He hadn't considered how Lita would feel about that. He didn't expect things to go that far, but Matt, and everyone around him, had enraged him so much, rubbing WrestleMania's events in his face.
"It's okay. I talked to him today, and he's doing fine. He was just doing his job and it got personal. He shouldn't have said those things to you, and he knows it. He brought it on himself." She clutched Chris's beverage off the table and handed it to him. "It's getting cold."
"Thanks." Chris took a few more sips, and looked back up at Lita. "Do you think you could apologize to him for me tonight when you go back to the hotel?"
Lita nodded, and stood up. "Well, why don't you do it yourself?" She pulled lightly on Chris's hand encouraging him to stand. He pulled away, and leaned back in his chair, with a heavy sigh.
"I'm not going back to the hotel tonight. I think I'll just stay here a while, maybe drive around the city afterwards. I'll go back tomorrow and sleep in before the show on Monday."
Lita sighed, and sat back down, acting as if she weren't going to leave him alone. She looked concerned, but more frightened. "Chris, how much sleep have you gotten this past week? You need to go get some rest. Don't dwell on this forever. She... she let something wonderful pass her by, and SHE should have to pay for that, not YOU."
Chris rested his forehead on the table, and shook his head violently, thoughts rushing to him, and an angry chill flowing over his body. "She's not paying for anything. She got what she wanted. She accomplished what she set out to do. No matter what, I'm going to have to pay for it. Everything is win-win for her. She's happy, I'm miserable, there's nothing I can do to change it or to ignore it."
"Chris, hun..." Lita rubbed her hand over his back, and patted his shoulder. "Chris, it's okay... don't kill yourself over someone who's not worth it. She's not worth you. Even if she gets what she wants she'll have to live knowing she gave up someone so devoted to her, and so genuine. Christian can't give her that, I know it personally. No one can give her that, and she'll realize it, and hate herself for it sooner or later."
She stood up, grabbed both his shoulders, and pulled him up straight. She grabbed his mug and urged him to stand. "Come on. You can't stay here all night. Get some sleep."
The two walked a few blocks to the hotel, and Lita saw Chris to his room. He finally managed to settle in, but barely got any sleep that wasn't filled with nightmares of Trish and himself. And Christian. Their past, present, and future, and how blind Chris was not to see it all coming.
