AN: I love how everyone's saying that it's great that CM Punk is in this fic. I'm apologizing in advance because I haven't seen a CM Punk match. All I know is that he is going out with Maria. I don't live in an area that gets OVW either, and I don't have any means of finding insight to his persona. If I'm totally disgracing CM Punk's in-ring character, tell me and I'll see what I can do.
And thank you to all my readers and reviewers! Hearing feedback from you means a lot to me.
Chapter 2
The crowd was intense, energy pulsing through the arena in anticipation for an appearance of John Cena. When Maria and Trish were seen talking backstage, it seemed as if their wishes were granted. Subtle hints at a growing relationship between Maria and Cena were insinuated for the past few weeks, and many fans were eagerly anticipating the direction this storyline would take. It wasn't long until John appeared in the screen to the cheers of thousands of fans.
Cena sidled up to the two Divas. "Hello, ladies," he greeted.
"Hey, John. What's up?" Maria inquired, giggling as she looked at Trish.
"I was just wondering if I could talk to you really quickly before my match." There was a sense of nervousness surrounding the Cena kid. Few would realize the fear and anticipation masked by the aura of confidence he so normally exuded.
"Sure," Maria enthusiastically replied. Her eyes twinkled with excitement and she turned to Trish, "I'll catch up with you later?" Trish nodded and bid farewell to her friend. Once out of Cena's sight, Trish turned back to her friend, secretly winking and giving her a thumbs-up sign.
"We're good, right?" John began unsurely. "I mean, we're," he paused, "friends?" He hesitantly continued, "I was wondering if maybe… you'd like to come ringside with me?"
She looked a little confused. "But I'm not in a match tonight," she said, shaking her head.
John chuckled at her innocence. "Not like that," he corrected. "I mean as my valet."
Maria perked up, as she seemed to realize what he was trying to say. "Okay, where's your car?"
He frowned a little. She still didn't understand. "No, like, go down to the ring with me to tell everybody that you're my girl."
Realization dawned on her. Maria's eyes grew wide and the weight the situation held. She wasn't sure if she was ready for such a relationship. Soon, she settled on her answer, "Ohh. Yeah, I'll do that." She smiled. The man of her dreams reciprocated her feelings.
"All right," Cena smiled. "Let's get going then."
He quickly pulled her in for a kiss. When he pulled away, Maria was still reeling from shock. John wrapped an arm around her shoulder, guiding her to the Gorilla position.
"Is it like that every time? The energy from the crowd just pulses through your body and overtakes your senses?" Maria sat across from John at a small restaurant after the RAW taping. As Cena's valet, Maria had the opportunity to enter the ring after his win and lift her hands in victory. She was recounting the emotions and energy she felt from the crowd to Cena, who felt this power all the time.
Cena appeased the young Diva by nodding. "It's overwhelming, but you get used to it. You'll have to, anyway, especially if you and I become a long-term storyline."
"Oh, I hope so!" Maria's eyes lit up in excitement. "I loved being out there! I don't get the opportunity enough, and Kiss Cam is a little unsatisfying. And women's matches don't occur often enough. I want to be out there, with the fans. I want to make an impact."
She was interrupted by a tired-looking waitress bringing them their late dinner. Silence overtook the pair while they ate, but a growing number of fans whispering noisily gathered to make up for the calm.
John pretended not to notice the good-sized crowd congregated inside the restaurant, presumably to get a picture or autograph with him and Maria. He chose not to voice his suspicions aloud and instead leaned over to whisper in Maria's ear. "Don't look now, but there's a bunch of fans staring at us. Remember to stay in character; we're going out, okay? Once I pull away, make it look like I whispered something cute to you."
He pulled away, a slight smile gracing normally hard features. Maria's head was tilted slightly downward, a grin playing across her face. She looked as if he just told her answers to all the mysteries in the world. She slowly looked up to meet his playful eyes, beaming more largely. A giggle passed, and she sheepishly looked down once again.
They opted not to get dessert, citing fatigue as a logical response. The waitress brought their check, and after paying, he grasped her hand in his, leading her to the small mob of fans.
They attempted to please as many fans as possible, posing for pictures individually and signing numerous autographs. The routine grew repetitious after doing the same thing with seemingly every fan, until one teenage girl with a heart for the business and getting whisked away from the grandeur of the storylines approached the couple.
"Can I take a picture with and of you two?" she timidly asked. "Like, one of you together, and then one with me? Please?"
Thoughts raced through John's head. Should he allow the picture to be taken? Would Maria be okay with it? It would kill the storyline if he and Maria refused; he didn't want Vince mad at him because of such a trifling incident. Before he could acquiesce, the young Diva wrapped her arms around his waist, smiling brightly for the camera. He masked his shock quickly with a comfortable grin.
"Um," the girl began in trepidation, "could you maybe kiss?" She paused. "Or are you not really going out?"
Not to be outsmarted by a seventeen-year-old, John was quick, though not so quick as to arouse suspicion, to pull Maria in for a deep, sensuous kiss. He pulled away slowly, a soft smile to the girl in his arms, eyes still closed and reeling from the kiss.
John gained a sense of normalcy first. "I'm sorry, guys," he apologized, "but we have to get going. We've got to sleep before we head off to the next city." Maria joined him in apologizing. He took her hand in his, kissing it, then led her to the rental car parked not too far away.
He made his way around the car and sat in the driver's seat. What from outside the car looked like a romantic moment between the two was actually an unsure rapport. Sure of the direction their storyline was taking, both were confused about what they felt inside. She had a commitment to another man; he was going through this with no strings attached to any female. She thought she felt nothing but friendship to the man sitting next to her; he knew that he liked this girl as more than just a friend.
"Does it still feel weird?" he began, "Kissing me?" A pause. "I could ask Stephanie to cut the storyline now, before people are too much invested in it."
"No, it's okay," she replied. Though she was unsure herself, she spoke a little confidently. "I think I'll be all right. I'll just have to tell Phil (CM Punk) about it; he'll probably be overprotective and ask me to narrate whatever the night's segment will demand of us."
He mentally shook his head. He knew how overprotective Phil Brooks was of Maria. It was a little overwhelming, and he got to hear about it every week when he and Maria hung out before RAW. He wished that Phil would
"Okay, so we're good now. Let's get going. I'm tired," he yawned. They headed to the hotel in comfortable silence.
The girl who took a picture of John and Maria's kiss quickly uploaded the pictures to her computer then to an image hosting website. She logged in to LiveJournal and clicked the link to CM Punk's Live-Journal. Taking the link to the picture of the kiss, she made to post a new comment on Punk's LJ.
Punk, she began typing, I was at a WWE event and saw John Cena and Maria after the show in a compromising position. Thought you'd like to know. With the html coded to post the picture as well, she posted the comment in hopes that CM Punk would see what was going on when he wasn't around.
She smiled at her handiwork.
The "Lords of Pain" website boasted a new headline soon after RAW. "John Cena and Maria" was all it took to draw in people browsing the website.
Having clicked on the link, one would be able to find a blurb about the kiss after RAW. John Cena and Maria Kanellis were seen kissing at a restaurant after last night's RAW taping. They had dinner together and left together. Their status is unsure. Maria was last linked romantically to OVW developmental wrestler CM Punk, and Cena had no girlfriend to speak of. It is unsure if this scene was a shoot or a work, especially since WWE has chosen to blur the lines between fantasy and reality.
A few lines below the blurb was a link to a pro-wrestling pictures website. "John Cena and Maria kiss" was displayed in bold letters, inviting one to click and see pictures of post-show Cena and Maria. The pictures seemed to be submitted by someone at the restaurant, as Cena and Maria were seen having dinner, conversing, kissing, and ultimately leaving together.
Phil Brooks woke late the next day. Quickly checking his email before heading off to the gym, he found a full inbox of Live-Journal comments. Clicking on one, he saw:
Punk, is saying that Cena and Maria are together! They kissed last night after the show. The website is even putting a link to pictures of them from last night, and it wasn't from the show. Are you and Maria still together?
Is that what all these comments are about? He wondered. He reassured himself that Cena and Maria were together for the storyline. Maria told him so before she left to go back on the road. He'd be able to ask her soon anyway, he rationalized, when she came to Kentucky for an OVW taping.
But he couldn't help but wonder if the kiss wasn't a work. He sensed something in Maria whenever she talked about John; she was freer, more energized. She felt like a different person when she talked about John. Sure, she talked about the other boys, her brothers, she would say, but the spark in her when she talked about Cena wasn't there. He couldn't help but wonder if he was losing his girl to the WWE's main man.
AN: OK, how was it? Review, please. Chapter 3 should be up soon. –Kiora Storm