A/N: I know I owe you guys an apology, I haven't been updating any of my fics recently, since I have been really busy, with my ex-roomie's wedding and stuff… I just came from my high school reunion and I just realized that 5 of my friends there are getting married this year… oh well, maybe Randy's gonna propose soon… hehehe! (hey, I can dream, can't I?) Anyway, on with the story and as always, I own nothing…
I sat at the crowded airport lounge with Dawn Marie. It was still a good thirty minutes before our Sydney flight. Dawn was buried in a magazine she was reading while I drank my coffee absentmindedly. My mind was on Alex and well, Randy too. Randy had decided to convince his mom to stay with him in his townhouse for the three days I was gone. He felt he would need his mom's help to handle a baby. His mom's a nurse, so she had to take a leave from work, but Randy said his mom welcomed the opportunity to get to know her grandchild, when I told him that I wasn't sure if that was a good idea.
I had met Randy's mom only once and it was a very awkward experience. Although Randy might have dispelled any notion that I tried to make him marry me, as I hadn't insisted on marriage just because I was pregnant, still Randy's mom didn't like the idea of her eldest son being a dad first before becoming a husband. But she was reasonable enough to have blamed us both—and not just me—for not being careful. Though she seemed like a nice lady, she wasn't so easily won over. She didn't ask to see the baby nor did I hear anything from her after Alex's birth. In any case, I know things would work out all in good time. If she chose to be a grandmother to Alex, then that would be great. If not, well then it was going to be fine as well.
As for Randy, I didn't know what was going on between us. After that night, nothing seemed to have changed. He didn't talk about it nor did he ask me how I felt about him. Well, thank God. I wouldn't know what to say anyway. I couldn't exactly say I loved him though I knew I cared about him, especially now that he had been so good to Alex. I was attracted to him probably because he was a very attractive guy. I knew he loved Alex but did he love me? I really didn't have a clue.
But as with that fateful night in Japan, the night we recently spent together was better than nice. Before the sun was up he had gotten out of bed to take a shower and get dressed. He had a lot of promos, appearances and rehearsals scheduled for that day, he told me, and that he also needed to talk to Vince about the vacation leave he was gonna take for him to be able to take care of Alex. He told me he was going to clean up what was left of our dinner. It was the least he could do, he said, after the great meal. I had nodded my thanks, too sleepy to get up. I heard dishes clinking and some singing, not unlike the kind one would do in the shower. Without shame or embarrassment, Randy sang his version of "When I Fall In Love", in the goofiest manner imaginable, at the top of his voice. I didn't know if I should laugh out loud or cover my ears. He's hot and all, but his singing was horrendous.
In a few minutes, Randy popped his head in the room, smiled and told me that he was leaving. "Call me," I remembered him saying before he quietly closed the door.
"OK," I mumbled before drifting off to sleep. And that was that—until I gave him a call a couple of days prior to my flight to remind him about his three-day duty with Alex. I made a list of every possible thing Alex might need, including numbers of the pediatrician, my OB, my hotel in Sydney. I also left him a lot of frozen breast milk, to be warmed when needed.
I was wondering how Alex was when my phone rang. It was Adam. "Hey, are you busy right now? I was just wondering about you."
"Hi Adam. Actually, I'm at the airport waiting for my flight to be called."
"Are you sitting in front of Gate 2, drinking a cup of coffee?" Was the guy psychic? I started to look around me to see if he was at the airport. "I'm right behind you. I wasn't sure if it was you so I decided to call first."
I turned around and there was Adam, standing above seated people, waving his right hand at me while holding his phone with his left. "I'll be right over," he said. And we both turned off our phones as Adam walked over to where I was and settled his large frame next to me. He gave me a peck on the cheek before dumping a black knapsack on the seat next to him. "Hi. I completely forgot that you were also traded to SmackDown. So I guess you're joining us for Sydney, huh?"
"Yep, we're just waiting for our flight to be called."
"Well, my flight's not yet due in another hour. Too bad we're not on the same flight."
"Yeah, but we are in the same show and we are staying in the same hotel so I guess I'll be seeing more of you, huh?"
"Definitely," Adam smiled as our flight got called.
"That's us," I said as I stood up and gathered my backpack. "We'll see you at the arena then?"
"You bet."
As soon as we arrived and checked in, Dawn and me changed into comfortable clothes before proceeding to the arena. I felt depressed as I went through my clothes; I still felt that my body was nowhere near to being sexy. I finally settled for a hot pink halter-top. I looked at Dawn who was wearing a yellow tube top that showed off her flat stomach. The joys of being single and without having gone through a pregnancy. I sighed as we went out of our room and proceeded to the arena.
I didn't realize that I was so out of shape. After rehearsals, I felt that I was ready to collapse when I entered the women's dressing room. Jackie sure didn't give me a break when she slammed my body against the mat. I guess she forgot that I was out of action for almost a year.
"Hey, you ok Trish? That was a pretty nasty fall," Dawn said as she entered the room.
"Yeah. I'm used to it," I replied as I wrapped myself in a towel, about to step in the shower.
"Hey, some of us are grabbing a bite to eat after we change. Want to come with us?"
"Sure. Give me a few minutes."
After I stepped out of the shower, I heard my phone beep. I went to my bag to check my messages.
Adam: You know, I can down 10 shots of tequila and still sing the Canadian national anthem… backwards.
Was he daring me? I know we shouldn't be out partying tonight as our show was the next day, but I couldn't resist. Anyway our show wasn't until tomorrow evening.
Trish: You know in some circles I'm also known as Tequila Jane but I'm done with that. I'm a good girl, I only drink beer in baby-friendly amounts.
After a few seconds my phone beeped again.
Adam: See you at Cocomangas in a couple of hours then. Bring Dawn.
I told Dawn about Adam's invitation and she was more than happy to come with me. Since we had already made plans for dinner, I turned down Adam's invitation to have dinner with him and his friends. I called Amy about Adam's invite to Cocomangas.
"Sounds like you're working really hard," Amy commented.
"Hey, it's just a couple of drinks. Besides, I'll be with Dawn."
"OK, just take care, girl. Tell me all about it when you get back," she said.
I changed into a white halter dress loose enough to make me feel comfortable and white strappy sandals. Dawn tossed her wrestling attire for a black bandeau, which showed her tight abs and a belly ring. We were ready to party, in moderation, of course, as we had work the following day.
Even before we arrived, we could hear the music that blared in the background as people milled about, some with beers in hand. Adam saw us from the bar over the people playing billiards. He waved to us.
"Hi," Adam said over the music. "Of course you guys know John Cena." Adam threw an arm over the shoulders of the Dr. of Thuganomics. "You know Trish and Dawn, right, John?"
"Hey I would be living in a cave if I didn't know these two lovely ladies," he said.
I smiled back and looked at Adam. It was pretty obvious that he was setting up Dawn with John. He winked at me.
"We reserved a pool table. We're next after those guys," Adam pointed to a group at the pool table. "How's your billiard IQ?"
"Average," I said as I took the beer Adam offered me. I figured since I wouldn't be breastfeeding Alex in the next couple of days, I could safely drink a couple of beers.
"How about you, Dawn?" Adam asked Dawn.
"I'm a hustler at the pool table," Dawn told Adam without blinking.
"Well, John here is a pool shark."
"Don't believe anything he says," John joked. "If there's a hustler here I'm sure it's Adam. And I don't mean in pool."
"Yeah, right," Adam said. "Be careful with this guy, Dawn. OK, those guys are paying up. The pool table is ours. Get ready to get creamed, John."
"Whoever loses pays for the drinks," John declared.
"You sound pretty sure you're not buying," Adam said.
"I've seen you play man, and I'm ordering the most expensive thing in the house," John was laughing now.
"This sounds like serious rivalry," Dawn said.
"You bet," John said. "But don't worry, Adam's ahead in years if not in anything else."
"He's also ahead in the ego department, obviously," Adam said as he put an arm around me as we walked over to the pool table.
We played doubles, Adam and me teamed up against John and Dawn. We played for a couple of hours, with John and Dawn ahead by a couple of points. Both of them were really good at the game, with John doing show-off moves like shooting the ball with his cue stick behind him. The game was so uneven in John and Dawn's favor, the only reason me and Adam weren't creamed because Adam was playing so well himself. John and Dawn seemed to be getting along equally well, too. There was a moment, when it was John's turn and Adam was figuring out the shot, that Dawn went over to where I sat and asked me what I thought of John.
"I think he's great," I told Dawn. "He's really interesting to talk to and he plays a mean game of billiards."
"Great!" Dawn exclaimed. "Because I think I'm going to ask him out for coffee after we play."
"I take it you want to be alone with him."
"Yup."
"OK. I'm going to feign a headache," I declared.
"Thanks, Trish."
"You got it."
At that, Dawn hopped over to where John stood as Adam took over the pool table. When Dawn stood beside John, I saw his hand snake around Dawn's bare waist. He whispered something in Dawn's ear that made her giggle like a schoolgirl. They would make a nice couple.
At the end of the game, Adam fished out his wallet and signed for the bill—drinks, nachos and a pool game. "Great game guys," he said after he signed the check. "I want a re-match tomorrow, after the show."
"That was really fun. I hate to be the party pooper but I think I have to head back to the hotel to… uh, prepare for my match tomorrow," I announced. Dawn threw me a grateful look.
"I'll drive you back to the hotel," Adam said.
"We'll just get some coffee before heading back," John said to no one in particular, his hand already holding Dawn's in a tight grip.
"See you guys," Dawn waved at Adam and me as they made their way out. She looked like she just won the Women's Championship Title, her expression of pure joy made Adam and me laugh as soon as their backs were turned.
"You did that on purpose," Adam accused me as he watched our two friends walk out the door.
"You set them up," I countered as we walked towards Adam's rental.
"Well, I knew John had a crush on her for ages, and then I found out that she was rooming with you," Adam looked at me. "Do you really have to turn in? I mean, it's still early. It's such a clear night, I wouldn't go indoors yet if I were you."
"OK," I nodded. We drove to our hotel and proceeded to the pool area. He was right. It was indeed a lovely night; the stars dotted the evening sky in a blanket of twinkling lights, making the evening almost seem magical. I walked over to the edge of the pool.
"Hold on a sec," I said as I put a hand on Adam's elbow. I bent to untie my sandals and sat down to dangle my feet in the cool water. Adam followed, sitting beside me.
"C'mon, tell me something more about yourself," he said. "I've been thinking about you lately."
"There's not much to tell," I said as I stared blankly in the water. I wondered how Alex was doing and realized how much I missed my daughter and I had only been gone for a day.
"How is Alex?" Adam asked, looking at me.
"She's growing so fast," I said. "The other day her pediatrician told me to try giving her solid foods mixed with milk. I was feeding her with a baby spoon when she grabbed the spoon and tried directing her towards her mouth. Most of the food went to her cheeks. I don't think she'll have an unhealthy relationship with food at all." I laughed but wondered if Adam was totally bored with baby talk. "Sorry, I find myself rambling on about my baby whenever I get the chance."
"You sound like you're going to do a good job bringing her up."
"I can only try." I smiled at him. "Stop me when you've had enough."
"That's all right," Adam said as he leaned back to his hands, which were resting close to mine. "Sometimes I wish my ex-wife and I had a child although most people say it's better we didn't. It would be difficult for the baby. Maybe it is for the better, I don't know though. I look at you and see that you're so happy with your kid. Maybe it would've been nice to have a baby."
"It's not too late, you know," I said. "You're going to marry again eventually, have a family. I mean, surely you live for something more than your career."
"I don't know," he answered truthfully. "I've tried it once and I've realized it entails much more than love and romance. I don't know… like when things weren't going too well it seemed more like a decision to stay put and fight it out. I guess that's where the commitment part comes in, the part where you say, 'in sickness or in health, till death do us part.' In our case, it was till the court declared our marriage off." He laughed, but I thought it sounded hollow and sad.
"Would you recommend it to others? Marriage, I mean," I looked at him expectantly. I wanted to know from someone who experienced it first hand.
"Definitely," Adam said immediately. "I think it you're married to the right person, it's the greatest thing. In that case, the word 'forever' is a promise that's not hard to keep. I imagine everyday to be pure bliss even when you're fighting or not having such a great time. I think that's the way it ought to be."
"How do you know if you're marrying the right person?"
"You know, I haven't got a clue. I used to think you just know it, like it would just feel right."
"Yeah," I agreed. "I was under the same impression. That your heart will tell you, like a contestant with the right answer, your heart will press on a buzzer to point out to your brain that that's the right one."
"It felt right for me when I married my ex-wife. I thought the search was over. But apparently, I made a mistake. We're not even talking. It was a clean cut, right down to the equal division of properties. Instead of kissing each other goodbye, we shook hands like business partners closing a deal. It felt strange."
"Hmm. If I don't find the right one I think I'm going to be a spinster by choice," I laughed.
"No, you just keep looking. Like me, I keep looking." Adam smiled at me, his eyes warm and incredibly wise. "If you find the right one, you get married and after a couple of years you stop thinking about it as a fairy tale that happened to you so you don't expect things to be absolutely perfect. Instead, you think about it as a decision you happily made and work on the marriage."
"Thank you master," I said, faking a Buddhist monk's accent.
"Go now, my little grasshopper and meditate on the teachings of Buddha." And his laughter was so infectious that I couldn't help but join him.
"It's getting late. We have a big day tomorrow." We got up and walked back to the hotel. He walked me up to my room. When we got there. Adam stopped, took my hand and gave me a kiss. It was a nice, sweet kiss. I closed my eyes and felt his lips linger a while, like a question probing for an answer. I listened to my heart, waiting for the sound of the buzzer, waiting to be told that Adam was the right one. But it didn't, and I knew in my heart that it didn't beat for Adam, and though I was a single mom I realized that there were many options for me to take, as many as the fish in the sea, as many as there were days to be spent with Alex. When Adam stepped back, I smiled at him and bid him goodnight.
"See you tomorrow," Adam said.
"Yup, see you tomorrow."
A/N: I hope you guys liked it…this is the best I can do for now, since I am in a daze lately… Please review! And thanks to all those who reviewd this fic so far… you guys are my inspiration! :-)