Roman couldn't help but smile as he walked towards Lorelei. She looked nervous. She was pulling on the long sleeves of her turtleneck as if she was afraid they would move up and reveal the smallest piece of skin between the sweater and the gloves.
"Are you ready to go?" He asked.
"Roman, I..." She started.
"Please," he cut her off. "I know you're gonna try and turn me down. All I'm asking for is this one date. I have feelings for you and they've been there for a very long time. So please, just have a bite with me and let me make a fool out of me. If you by the end of the date tell me you don't feel anything towards me, I won't ever bother you again."
"I do. It's not that," she sighed. "Fuck, this is hard."
"Whatever it is, you won't scare me away," he said.
She looked at him for a few seconds. He wasn't sure what she was gonna end up saying. All he could do was stand there in silence and await her answer.
"Pizza," she finally said.
"I like pizza," he smiled.
They walked outside and got into his car. He drove them downtown where they found a pizzeria that had late night opening hours without too many people in there. They ordered and found a table where they could talk quietly without anyone listening in on them.
"How are things for you in WWE?" He asked.
"Alright at most times. A get bullied by some but it's only a handful of idiots," she said.
"That's not alright. Give me the names and I'll make it stop ASAP," he said.
"You don't need to be a locker room leader tonight," she chuckled.
"Names," he demanded.
"Just Bayley and Sasha and a few of the backstage runners that have befriended those two," she said. "Gosh, you really are the best, Roman. So many women want you. Why are you here with me?"
He smirked and put his slice of pizza back down.
"Because I don't want all those woman. I want you," he said.
"You say that now," she said.
"Are you a serial killer or an animal abuser? Because right now you'll have to be really far out in some sort of secret life for me to not want you," he said.
"You haven't seen me," she said.
He wasn't sure what she meant until she held up her hands. She still wore those fingerless gloves despite eating. She pulled the right glove off and he stared at the back of her hand. It was scarred badly and he could see it continued under the sweater.
"What happened?" He asked.
"There was an accident in my mother's restaurant when I was a child. I got burned badly by hot oil. It hit my right side. Hand, arm, neck, shoulder, chest and stomach," she said.
She put the glove back on and looked down ashamed.
"I look bad, Roman. Really bad. Fucking horrible. I'm a monster. I can't show myself to a man. Especially not someone like you. You deserve a beauty queen," she said.
He placed his fingers under her chin and lightly pushed her head back up. She looked into his eyes, and he smiled at her.
"You are beautiful," he said.
"With my clothes on," she said.
"I wouldn't mind seeing you without it," he smirked. "I've had a lot of fantasies about you. Just saying."
His smirk turned into a grin. He was hoping his little confession would make her smile or blush. Anything to take away the heavy air around them. It didn't happen though. His grin faded again.
"So you've never been with anyone?" He asked.
"There was this one guy I was with for three years. I wouldn't call it a relationship since he always fucked a lot of other women. It didn't matter. I was so fucked up back then. I hated myself and I started abusing alcohol and drugs. I hung with the wrong crowd, and he never cared about me keeping my sweaters on or anything," she said.
She let out a sigh. She might as well tell him everything. It would probably make him run away and forget all about her afterwards. That would be for the best.
"We were both drunk the first time. We were always drunk or high or both. He didn't know I was a virgin, and I never told him. We were in a bathroom at a party. He just bent me over the sink and pulled my skirt up. It hurt like hell but I didn't let him know. It didn't matter. He was done quickly enough. After a few times the pain disappeared. It was just sex. It didn't really matter to me. It was all for him, you know. The few times it started getting good, he was done before I got anything out of it anyway," she said.
His jaw dropped. He shook his head. Not because of her but because of the guy she had been with.
"Three years and you're telling me he never made you cum? Not even once?" He asked.
"He always finished quickly," she shrugged.
"What? Three thrusts and a delivery?" He asked.
He couldn't help the boyish smile that appeared on his face. She gave him one in return. That little joke had gone straight in.
"So how did you go from being an addict to work for WWE?" He asked.
"I woke up after a party. Apparently I passed out in the bathtub. I looked in the mirror and I didn't recognize myself. It was a stranger staring back at me," she said. "I walked through the apartment where several people were sleeping on the floor. I ended in the bedroom where he was naked in bed with another woman. None of them woke up. I grabbed my suitcase and backpack that I had originally arrived with, packed what little clothes I had, and went home knocking on my mother's door."
She dried her eyes from the tears that formed from the memories. It had been a rough time for her.
"I begged her to help me get clean. She said I only got one chance with her or she would never speak to me again. I got in recovery and I never looked back. No one from my old gang ever came looking for me. People always went in and out of their lives so no one really cared about each other," she said.
"And WWE?" He asked.
"I applied for a job since I've always enjoyed writing. I never thought I'd hear back but I was called in for an interview. We were five people being interviewed by Stephanie. I walked in as number 2. After greeting me, she told me to pitch a storyline right away. I pitched the Monday night Messiah. She apparently took it to Seth afterwards, and he loved it. They called me next day to tell me I got the job although they were holding back on the storyline for the right moment," she said.
His jaw dropped again. Never had he thought that was how that storyline came to life. Seth had been pitched the idea by Stephanie, and he had loved it. They all knew Lorelei was working on it, but no one knew that was how she got the job in the first place.
"Damn, girl!" He grinned. "You got a great mind on you."
"Yeah, well, I didn't get the looks. I got the brain instead," she said.
He reached across the table and took her hand. The glove felt weird in his palm. He really wanted to take it off her and touch her skin but he wouldn't do it without her permission.
"Give me a chance to show you that I want you. All of you. I don't care how you look. I want you as you are," he said.
"That's very sweet of you to say," she moved her hand out of his. "But I can't take the chance of having my heart broken. Not by you of all people. It would hurt too much with how I feel about you."
"So you choose to break mine instead?" He asked.
"I'm sorry," she said.
She got up and hurried out of the pizzeria before he could even fathom what was going on. When he finally understood that she was really leaving, he ran out of there as well but he couldn't see her anywhere.