DISCLAIMER: I have gotten a couple a messages regarding the character "Zander." The story "Then, now and forever" gets into details on who he is. I definitely could've wrote it better. Onto the story...
REY
"Me and you are gonna be best buds." Zander said, giving him a good haymaker to the gut; the goon "Ryan" had almost barfed over us with the heaviness of Zander's punch.
"What do you want from me?" He cried out in a normal voice.
"Just give us what we want man," I answered, his scared, tired eyes looked at me. "Why does Seth want my daughter?" I almost raged at the hear of his name. Disgusting...
"Ok...I'll tell you," I sighed in relief. "He wanted your daughter, make an exit weak point for your family. Make her a piece of bait and lure you into a trap. All of you...Then it changed and he just wanted to cripple her and you.
My stomach dropping, my fist tighten. Seth was dead. He better say his prayers because they sure as hell won't save him, Zander flipped a pocket knife out before the kids eyes widened, he waved it in his face before dropping it and cutting the rope, he pulled a fifty dollar bill and handed it to him. "Go home kid, I don't want to see your face again; stay in school.
He cowered and with that, he ran off towards the land. We turned around to see Murphy and Aalyah linger in each other's embrace, holding each other; laughing and talking. "That fucker-"
"Rey stop. They just holding each other." Zander defended him, I looked at him bewildered. "They obviously like each other-"
"She's not even legal to drink!"
"You know how many celebrities are married to other celebrities thirty or more years older than them?" He defended, he seemed to have accepted it. But that was my babygirl.
"What if it were Hazel?"
"Hazel has a boyfriend who's a year older than her." He retaliated back, I opened my mouth but I couldn't think of an argument. Zander knew damn well how protective of Aalyah I was, I was glad Murphy had gotten there in time to grab the asshole who got her because trust and believe a dead body was gonna be in the morgue.
We walked up towards Murphy, who saw me and slowly unwrapped his arms around the her hips, she looked up before locking her eyesight on me and a much taller Zander walking towards them, I had to be careful that I didn't completely ruin my shoes by sinking into the sand, the water crashed into itself making the shore wet; before leading to the dry sand. Now would be a good time for a relaxing swim, but I had a pool at hom; and Angie looking for somewhere for us to stay.
"I see you two are enjoying the moon." I started a conversation, she's probably still mad at me. Shit.
"Just got a text from Dominik, they found us a place to stay." Zander said, I was tired and just needed to get some rest; finally something goes right.
"Where?"
"A motel, couple blocks down. A mere jog to there." Murphy and Aalyah led the pact. Both sharing laughs and giggles.
"Reminds me and Kayla." Zander smiled, I looked up to him, and he had a face of an old man.
"I was thinking you were gonna say the one before her." I tell him, he looked at me before worh a confused and a puzzle look on his face before he brightened his emotion up.
"Aaliyah." He said in a low tone. Shit, that was a weak point. Him and That RB singer were love back in the day, no doubt. How they kept it a secret or how HE kept it a secret considering she now is no longer alive was a miracle. He reminisced before opening his mouth. "She was truly one in a million, loved that women with every muscle I ever had in my body."
"I always wonder;" I say, "What would people who passed away about 15-20 years ago would say if they saw our old versions of us?" He chuckled, before looking at the moonlight. We crossed an empty crosswalk, Murphy watching every curve and corner for any suspicious activity of Seth or anyone he may have sent to harm Aalyah.
"For one, she'd tell me I got old as fuck, and hopefully she'll be proud that I didn't quit on WWF/WWE when things got hard. Man, 20 years big dog...only feels like yesterday."
Amen to that...Amen to that...
"What you think happens after we did eśe?"
"I don't exactly believe in heaven/hell. I have two theories. We either restart life and make different choices or," He fixed his rumpled coat and continued. "What if people that were meant to live to an old age accidentally die and then in another universe it never happened and that's why we're ourselves are conscious and alive...?"
I didn't exactly know how to answer to that, and it was quite mind boggling. The motel Angie was talking about could be seen, and through my mask I could see the car parked. We approach it softly before Dominik opened it and saw us. I sighed in relief; Angie opened the driver door; and closed it.
We shared a gigantic hug before circling up. We were silent, and Murphy was on the intimate of death glares he was receiving.
"Well, we brought three rooms," Dominik informed. "Me and Zander. Mom and Dad...Murphy and Aalyah..."
"What?" I seethed darkly at him.
"Jesus Rey, give it a fucking break! The hotel looks like it's on its last stand, you couldn't even look at the hotel without flopping on the bed and the whole building collapsing ontop of you." Zander said.
"Everywhere else was booked out." Angie said, she wrapped her hand around my bicep.
"Fine, don't try anything púta." I made haste towards the room, Angie in pursuit behind me.
"Why are you acting like this?" She asked, I took the mask off revealing my severely injured eye.
"I don't trust that shithead with my daughter, what if this is all a work? What if he's still on his side!?" I scolded quietly.
"Well; he proved that when she got grabbed." Point goes to Angie. But if he is working with Seth, it'd be a better performance than Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight.
We slipped into the bed, and started at each other. Angie...mí amor, the one who's been on this journey since 1996. I knew her longer than Zander, who I met a year later in 1997 right before Dominik was born.
"You've always looked better old than younger." I laughed, her comment damn near made me blush
"You've always been been great, no makeup. No anything, infact; take all that off." Her gorgeous laugh; it was contagious. A peck on her lips, and her eyes became heavy.
"Hey."
"Hey."
"I love you doofus."
"I love you more." I said back making her giggle. I lived for moments like these.
DOMINIK
I couldn't sleep, at all. It was dark, and my so thought "girlfriend" cheated on me. How did I find out?
Let's just say I know someone who can hack into Instagram account. They were thinking of playing me, can't believe I actually loved that bitch. "Tío?"
"What's up kid?" Zander said deadpanned, he was quiet that I didn't even think he was awake, and the sound of his voice was relieving.
"You ever love a girl so much; that you'd do anything to get her back?" I asked, I felt my voice crumble. A couple minutes passed and I thought he had fell asleep; I heard a soft chuckle.
"I don't think you know the story. I was in love with the RB singer Aaliyah."
"The one who died in the plan crash?" I asked, I got a yes grunt. The light turned on, and he sat on the bedside. I pulled myself up, facing him. "What happened?"
"Timbaland introduced us back in 96'. A couple months or a year before I met your pops. She was beautiful, but she was a baby. I was 20 at the time and I didn't turn 21 until later that year considering it was February, she had an early birthday in January. She was 17."
He signaled me out the room, the lit Motel was bright enough to relax outside. He sat on the curb, back relaxed on the structure of the motel. I sat next to him, he chuckled before looking at the starry night.
"We clicked instantly, we'd always hang out. I'd give her and others tickets to the show. Good seats, hell sometimes even suite seats for WrestleMania." He wiped the tiredness of his eyes.
"Throughout 1999 we had a loving, and great relationship. We were in the studio, My moms had just died, and right after we broken up. We could never keep up with our schedule; so she just wanted to be friends or hopefully things would get better in the future and we'd be back together. We had broken up, after dating from April to September. We had sex; for hours in that studio, something we both needed."
He whipped his phone out and showed me a picture. Him and Aaliyah.
The photo was old, and it was from 1999. He was younger, a clean taper. An afro that was taped at the side of his head with the best hairline I've ever seen. He seemingly chill in the photo. Aaliyah had her arms wrapped his bold shoulders, her face pressed against his; with a more than gorgeous smile, and beautiful eyes beaming at the camera. His face looked like he truly did love her; they would've been the best couple. Shame she died, and young.
"Does Kayla make you happy?" I ask.
"Of course, but Aaliyah was a different. She made anyone happy that came across her. Her fans, family. You should've met her, dude. I wanted to marry her, but if we dated long enough; I was going to. But then I met Kayla and she met Damon Dash. The sex stopped, and resumed into great friends."
"You seem broken man." I tell him, he laughed. Pressing me against him, he wrapped his muscular arm around my shoulder, pressing me against him. "What happened?"
"August 25th 2001 happened. That fuckin' plane crashed. Then she wasn't on Earth anymore; she had just...perished. After we told her not to get on the plane. I hated myself for awhile after that and luckily; if Kayla and Hazel weren't there, I'd go crazy trying not to kill myself over her death." He sniffed, before spitting a hunk of spit. "It doesn't get easier, even 19 years later."
I listened intently, a man whose was sometype broken from someone he cared deaths long ago, something you never got over. I rubber his back before he looked at me; then laughed and gave me a nuggie. The loose headlock, shared us a hug. Uncle had always loved me and Aalyah. Always play wrestling with us, when we were younger. Now I was living my dream, and making it the best of it; with the advice he and Dad had been giving me.
"We talk in my daydream and dreams. She always tells me, I got old and aged well. Boosts my confidence."
He got up before I followed him into the room, he flopped on the bed.
"Kid, your young. There's plenty of them out there. Just find the right one, it'll get you there. Keep her tight. Your gonna need it."