Chapter 13
"Mom? Mom? Mom? Mom? Mom? Mom? MOM!" Alyssa finally bellowed, getting mildly tired of having to repeat herself just to get some attention. "Why are you spacing?" She demanded, planting her hands on her hips. "You've been in La-La Land all day now!" She groaned, taking the pen out of Nicoya's hand. "Break?"
"Good Lord, child, what do you want?" Nicoya snapped, staring at her daughter with narrowed blue eyes, and felt like her head was about to explode. She shook her head and sighed heavily, kissing her forehead, and looked into her sky blue eyes that reminded her of John. "What do you want, Alyssa?" She asked more patiently this time.
"Some love and attention?" Alyssa asked hopefully, moderately bored since she had spent the entire day playing by herself. "Can't you take a break or something?"
"Yeah, come here, kiddo." She replied with a smile, lifting her daughter in her arms, and wrapped them around her waist as she sat perched on her lap. "How's this? Is momma giving you what you want now?" She asked softly, kissing her forehead, and closed her eyes as she sighed heavily. "I'm sorry I haven't been paying attention to you lately, Aly. Vince has really been busting my chops about these scripts." She explained, knowing that was no excuse. This was her daughter for Christ sakes!"
Alyssa snuggled against her mother. This was exactly what she wanted. Five minutes where she was the only thing in her mother's mind. "Why can't ol' Vinnie just hire another person to work with you so you're not always busting your chops?" She asked curiously.
"I have no idea." She sighed heavily, holding her daughter closer to her, and ran her fingers through her hair with a smile on her face. It'd been two months since the rosters were merged together and Nicoya was hard at work everyday, trying to get them done. She hated it and had asked Vince to hire someone else, but he wouldn't budge and instead, increased her pay dramatically. It was too much money to turn down, but at the same time, Nicoya wondered how much longer she could go on before she finally dropped. "How bout we go down to the cafeteria and get something to drink?" She suggested, knowing her daughter would love that idea.
Nodding, Alyssa smiled and slipped off of her mother's lap. She took her hand and tugged her up, making a great show of her being heavy. "Whew…" Alyssa sighed, wiping off fake sweat from her forehead. "Mountain Dew?" She asked, smiling slightly.
"Sure, anything for my baby girl." Nicoya responded with a smile, walking out of her office with her daughter in tow. She was wearing another one of her skirt suits, but it was pink and brown pinstriped as her brown, closed toed heels clicked against the arena flooring below. She sighed when she seen how busy it was and lifted Alyssa up in her arms, smiling as she rubbed her nose against hers. Laughing when Alyssa wrinkled it in response.
Alyssa smiled, fluttering her eyelashes against her mother's cheek, giving her butterfly kisses. She shifted comfortably, knowing she was too big for this kind of thing, but at the same time, she wasn't about to be smashed either. "Mom, there's Mark." She waved, grinning when he waved back. "I'm hungry too." She announced suddenly. "How bout we have something fattening?"
"You know what, that sounds like a great idea, baby girl." She replied, smiling over at Mark in acknowledgement, and set Alyssa down when she seen the cafeteria wasn't that filled up. She grabbed her hand and guided her over to the pop machine, grabbing a Sprite for herself and a Mountain Dew for her daughter. Then, they went over to the dessert table and each grabbed a chocolate cupcake, grinning at each other, and sat down with Alyssa in her lap. "Okay, it's time to swap." She announced and smiled as they curled their arms together, taking a bite out of each other's, and laughed as they each got frosting on their nose.
Alyssa's eyes crossed as she tried to look at the tip of her nose, sticking her tongue out, trying to get the frosting, giggling. She finally just swiped her finger and got the frosting, popping it in her mouth. "Mmmm…" She snuggled against her mother. "I like this. I like it when you smile, Mom."
"What are you talking about? I smile!" She argued, placing her hands on her hips, and laughed when Alyssa took the frosting off of her nose, rubbing it against hers, and kissed her forehead. "You make me smile, Aly. You're the only one who can do it, baby girl. Never forget that. Momma is always going to be there for you for anything you ever need." She softly spoke to her daughter, taking another bite out of her cupcake, and never stopped caressing her daughter's head. Knowing she'd missed her over the past few weeks.
"I know." Alyssa replied, now licking her fingers clean, having totally demolished that cupcake. She smiled, crumpling the wrapping in her hand, and tossed it at the nearby trash can, sighing exasperatedly when she missed and shook her head. Muttering, Alyssa got to her feet and snatched the paper off the floor. This time aiming and getting it. "Yes!" She danced around in a little circle, grinning at her mother. "Can I have one more?"
She was too cute for words as Nicoya just admired her beautiful daughter, nodding in approval. "Yeah, you've been an angel these past few weeks. Go ahead and have another one." She replied, folding her hands, and leaned her cheek against them, sighing.
She knew it was hard for Alyssa not to be able to spend time with her, which is why Nicoya cherished these precious moments with her daughter. She was thinking about John. The man hadn't been mean or anything to her lately. Then her thoughts went to Mark and she felt her entire body tingle all over. The man was gorgeous, sweet and treated her daughter like gold. Still, Nicoya was scared to get into a relationship with another wrestler, but that still didn't stop her and Mark from hanging out whenever Alyssa was with them.
Alyssa's eyes twinkled as she grabbed three cupcakes secretively, making a detour to hand Mark one. "It's from Mom." She said impishly, looking downright wicked.
Mark arched an eyebrow, looking down at the cupcake then to Nicoya, trying not to grin. "Is it now?" He questioned with a smile stretching across his lips.
"Yup." Alyssa giggled, skipping off to hand her mother the second cupcake. "Mark says this is for you."
Nicoya raised an eyebrow up at her daughter, staring down at the cupcake, which conveniently had a red shaped heart on the top of it in the white frosting, and smiled. "Is it really?" She asked, eyeing her daughter suspiciously, and slowly took it as she stared down at it, almost afraid to touch it. Even though she was holding it in the palm of her hand. It made her heart flutter as she eyed the heart and sighed dreamily, leaning her chin on her hand. Staring at it thoughtfully. "Thanks, Aly." She murmured quietly.
"You're welcome." Alyssa replied innocently, seeing the look on her mother's face, and smiled sweetly. She sat down at the table again on her mother's lap, resting her head against Nicoya's. "Mommy, can we go out to dinner tonight?" She asked softly, not wanting room service again.
"You wanna go out to dinner?" She asked with a smile and nodded, not able to resist those adorable blue eyes of her daughter's, and kissed her forehead gently. "Sure, after momma's done with work. We'll go wherever you want." She said, smiling softly at the cupcake, having set it down on the table, and sighed as she raked a hand through her long black hair. What was going on in Mark's head?
Alyssa kept that sweet smile on her face, her blue eyes still looking innocent, and totally adorable. "Maybe you should ask Mark to go." She suggested as if it had just struck her. "He looks awfully lonely don't you think?" She waved at Mark again, who wasn't eating his cupcake either. Instead, looking at it then at them then at the cupcake again.
Nicoya raised a curious eyebrow up at him, and then stared down at her daughter, then back at the cupcake. Repeating that around three times before finally shaking her head. "If you want him to go, you go ask him." She finally said, not sure what to think of the cupcake, and looked like she was afraid to touch it as her eyebrows furrowed together.
Alyssa didn't have to be told twice and flew over to Mark, moving so she was sitting besides him, and greeted sweetly with her teeth showing, "Hi."
"Hello again." Mark replied, peering down at her with a smile on his face. She was the only person, besides Nicoya, who could make him do it.
"Would you like to have dinner with me and my mom?" She asked without preamble. "At an actual restaurant, with real food."
"Are you trying to sell me on the idea?" Mark asked, his eyebrow cocking and his smile turning into a smirk when she nodded. "Does your mom want me to go or are you just buggin' her?"
Alyssa flashed that innocent, adorable smile of hers and replied sweetly, "She wants you to go."
Nicoya sighed heavily, staring down at the cupcake again, and couldn't believe Mark had actually sent her one. Wasn't this a little…childish to do? Even if it was, Nicoya thought it was positively adorable and couldn't wipe the smile from her face. Her midnight blue eyes were sparkling. Something they hadn't done in a long while. She sighed as she finally lifted it up, twirling it around, studying it thoughtfully.
Mark looked up at Nicoya, his green eyes twinkling as he took it what she was doing, and asked quietly, "Is she alright?"
Alyssa followed his gaze and seen the dreamy look on her mother's face, grinning to herself. "She's trying to decide if she wants to lick the frosting off first." She told him seriously.
"Is she now?" Mark replied, mildly curious, and didn't miss the faraway look that came over Nicoya's facial features, making her even more beautiful to him, if that was possible.
"Yup, so you gonna come?" Alyssa pushed, nudging his arm, wanting an answer so she could go inform her mother.
He looked down at his own cupcake, studying it for a minute before nodding as he replied, "Sure angel, I'll go."
"Great!" Alyssa stated excitedly, standing on the bench to kiss his cheek before jumping off and zoomed over to her mother, who was still staring at the cupcake languorously. "He said he'll come!"
"Was there ever any doubt? You know that man will do anything you want, baby girl." Nicoya retorted playfully, smiling softly at her, and actually took a chunk out of the cupcake, licking the frosting off of her nose. "Here, you take a bite." She said, holding it to her daughter, and smirked when Alyssa took a nice chunk out of it. "You got more frosting on your nose." She giggled, wiping it off, and licked her finger clean of it before her lips. "Mmm this is the best cupcake I've ever had." She winked down at her daughter before finishing it off and then threw the wrapper away. "Come on, gotta get to work if we're going to get out of here early for dinner with your man." She winked down at her daughter teasingly.
Alyssa smiled sweetly, taking her mother's hand. "I think he's YOUR man." She said, not loud enough to be overheard though. "How much more work you got tonight?" She asked, sounding hopeful, praying not that much more so they could get to dinner.
Nicoya smirked back down at her daughter and shook her head as she sighed heavily, knowing it would never happen. "Not much, a few more scripts. I'll do the rest tomorrow." She responded, walking down the hallway, and passed Mark on the way, smiling down at her daughter. Once they were back in her office, Nicoya turned around to face Alyssa and stared down into her eyes. "Sweetheart, I don't want you getting your hopes up about me and Mark alright? We're just friends, you understand that, right?" She didn't want her daughter getting the false impression or anything, especially with how much time her and Mark had spent together lately, with Alyssa of course.
"I already knew that, Mom. You don't date wrestlers." Alyssa said just as seriously, repeating one of Nicoya's favorite phrases. "I just like having him around. He's fun and he makes us both laugh." She replied, shrugging her shoulders, and headed over to her low table in the corner, picking up a child sized deck of cards, and started making a castle. Though she had every intention of rectifying that little rule about the dating wrestlers. Not that her mother needed to know that little factor. "You think way too much, Mommy."
"You're right, I do." Nicoya agreed with a smile, shaking her head, and walked over, sitting behind her desk. She finished the scripts in record time, actually feeling thrilled about Mark joining them for dinner, and grinned when she finally finished. "Ready to go, pumpkin?" She asked, slipping the rest of the papers in her briefcase and stood up from her chair, packing up the rest of her things quicker than normal.
"Yup." Alyssa was packing up her toys. She slung her backpack over her shoulders, looking at her mother critically before shrugging. "Let's go get Marky." She said, tugging on the hem of Nicoya's skirt.
"Marky huh? I guess that's better than Undie." She giggled, taking her daughter's hand that was tugging on the hem of her skirt, and walked out of her office. She had her black bag swung over her shoulder while Alyssa had her backpack that had Garfield on it. She smirked and shook her head before arriving outside of Mark's dressing room a few minutes later and stepped back. "Go ahead and get him." She said, leaning against the wall.
Alyssa shook her head and knocked on the door, frowning suddenly. "I got to pee!" She yelped, darting across the hallway and into the bathroom, grinning devilishly to herself.
Mark opened the door, revealing he was just in a pair of tight black jeans that looked like a second skin on him, fresh out of the shower, a towel around his neck. "Hey darlin', ya done already?" He greeted, looking at Nicoya with a smile.
Nicoya had to learn how to breathe again at the sight of Mark. Seeing little water droplets sliding down his chest, and cleared her throat before looking down the hallway where her daughter just darted off too, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, Aly had to use the bathroom, I guess." She sounded confused and started to chuckle softly. "The kid never did know when to release her bladder until the absolute last minute." She started laughing softly and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
Mark shook his head, chuckling softly with her. "Give me a second, Nico." He said, stepping back into the room, the door halfway closing behind him. He pulled out a white button up shirt from his bag and slowly slipped it on.
Alyssa strolled out of the bathroom, walking over to join her mother, and peeked into Mark's room through the gap. "Mom, are you watching him dress?" She whispered, her blue eyes gleaming wickedly.
"No, I am not. He left the door cracked open." She informed her daughter calmly, though she wished she would've watched him dress, and immediately shook herself mentally. This man was a co-worker and had became a good friend of her. Nothing more. She raked a hand through her black hair and turned away fully from the door. "Is this better, Alyssa?" She asked patiently, sighing exasperatedly at her daughter.
Alyssa started giggling, looking first at her mother and then behind her as she greeted sweetly, "Hiya Marky."
"Hey angel." Mark sounded amused, his shirt buttoned up, leaving the top three open to leave just the slightest bit of chest. His hair was brushed back and his black duffel bag was slung over his broad shoulder. "Nico, what're ya doin'? That wall interestin'?" He asked, not able to keep the hilarity out of his tone of voice.
"Proving a point to my daughter, Mark." She responded swiftly before turning around to face him, a cool smile on her face, and thrusted her bag over her own shoulder again. "We better feed this little tyrant before she goes hungry." She joked, grabbing Alyssa's hand, and guided her down the hallway, Mark grabbing her other tiny hand when she reached for it, and that made Nicoya smile. "Which car are we taking?"
"Um…probably yours. I'm riding my motorcycle and didn't bother gettin' a rental." Mark replied, grinning when Alyssa going on about motorcycles. "Unless you'd rather I follow ya?"
"No, ride with us!" Alyssa said brightly, her teeth showing, her eyes sparkling. "Mom doesn't mind, do you Mom?" Mark just shook his head, laughter clearly in his emerald green eyes.
"If it makes you happy, baby girl then I don't mind." Nicoya replied softly, shaking her head, her heels clicking against the gravel once they were outside. Nicoya instantly peeled off her cardigan, wearing a midnight blue tank top that was silky underneath, and shook her hair out a little from having it up in chopsticks all day. "Wow, it's a nice night out here." She commented, smiling down at her daughter, and lead her toward the car, knowing Mark would follow. "Just put your bags in the back, Mark. We'll get your motorcycle when dinner is finished if you want."
Mark shrugged, placing his bag in the back when she unlocked the car. "Don't worry bout it, I'll just have it dropped off at the hotel or somethin'. This way, ya ain't gotta go outta yer way, Nico. "He said, winking down at Alyssa when she started giggling. He bent down and picked her up, tossing her into the air before catching her again. "And just what is so funny?"
"You do know this car is small right?" She pointed out the obvious, that impish smile on her face even though she looked like an innocent angel.
Smirking wickedly back at her daughter, Nicoya shook her head and slid in the driver's side, unlocking all the doors, and allowed them to fight over the front seat. She turned on Breaking Benjamin, one of her favorite bands, and turned it on her favorite song before cranking it. She tapped her fingers against the wheel and started moving her head back and forth to the beat before turning the ignition on. Mark finally planted Alyssa up front before taking the back, having to sit sideways just so he'd fit, hunching down. "Aly, stop that gigglin'." He growled playfully.
"I can't help it! You're all scrunched up!" She laughed, fastening her seatbelt. "You look like one of those clowns in a teeny tiny car at the circus!" Mark busted out laughing at the visual he got in his mind, agreeing fully with her.
Nicoya busted out laughing along with Mark, that visual going through her mind, and looked over at her daughter. "Sweetheart, let Mark have the front seat. He's too big back there and if Mommy gets pulled over, she could get in a LOT of trouble." She smiled when her daughter more than complied, shaking her head, and watched as Mark slid in the passenger seat. "Underneath you can push the seat…" She jumped when he did it and put her song on repeat. "Back."
Mark grinned over at her, looking still a little cramped, but much more comfortable, snorting when Alyssa started calling him Bozo. "Girl, soon as we're outta this car, I'm gonna get ya." He threatened playfully, knowing it wouldn't scare the little girl. Alyssa was fearless.
Alyssa settled back as the car took off. "Oooooohhhhh I'm soooooo scared, Undie!" She put her hands on her cheeks, mocking him. Again, the little eight year old girl was fearless and wasn't scared of hardly anything.