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Chapter Six: Not too Fast, Is It?
Kate and Marissa entered their hotel room both feeling worn out from a day's hard work, but their evening wasn't over by a long shot. Instead of being able to change into comfortable clothes and lounge about for the night, the two women would soon be going out ice-skating and then for dinner with Dave Batista and John Cena. The prospect of spending the evening in the company of two of the most sought after men in the wrestling business was one that would excite any woman. However, the video tech and sound engineer actually felt a little sick at the thought of it.
Kate, who was usually out going and up for trying anything new and exciting, was dreading spending the evening with Dave Batista. Whilst he was a pleasant enough man, the brunette found him kind of stiff and hard to relate to. She had only agreed to go on the date because Marissa liked Cena so much.
Marissa on the other hand was a bag of nerves. She'd been infatuated with the WWE Champion for about a year now, virtually melting if he so much as walked past her. At first, she'd agreed to go on the date on the off chance he liked her too. Now, her insecurities made the redhead want to run in the opposite direction. The only thing that was stopping her from doing that was setting Kate and Dave up together. The video tech could see a spark between the sound engineer and the wrestler even if her friend didn't.
Falling onto their respective beds, both women let out deep breaths. They remained in silence for a few moments, relaxing and contemplating what was to come that evening. "You know, we should really start getting ready now," said Marissa abruptly, breaking the void that had filled the room.
Kate sat up, looking as though she'd been about to fall asleep, and replied, "Yeah, we don't wanna keep them waiting."
As always happened with two females sharing a hotel room, there was then a battle as to who would use the shower first. Finally, Marissa gave in when Kate threatened to tell Cena that the redhead had almost fainted watching his match earlier that night. As the other woman showered, the video tech practiced walking about in the high-heeled sandals. With a five year-old daughter, Marissa didn't get the chance to wear fancy shoes very often.
Kate returned shortly thereafter, wrapped in a towel and promptly proceeded in dropping it so that she was stark naked as she picked out some underwear. The redhead always found this quality in her friend a little overwhelming. Being brought up as a Catholic, Marissa found it hard to be that relaxed around someone, even her best friend. However, the sound engineer had grown up in foster homes, so being around others and sharing a confined living space with them was no issue to her. That wasn't to mention her confidence and comfort in her own body.
Looking away sheepishly and feeling a little embarrassed, Marissa went to take a shower. When she returned, Kate was thankfully dressed so the video tech grabbed her outfit for that night and headed back into the restroom to change.
"Cissa, have you got any mascara I can borrow, please? Mine is all clogged up," called Kate through the washroom door.
"Just a minute," replied the redhead.
The brunette, who was now fully dressed for the date, sat back on the bed and flicked through a sound equipment catalogue as she waited for her friend. The previous day, the sound engineer had managed to talk her boss into buying new speakers for the show and, to her great surprise and delight, he'd also told her to look through the brochure and see if there was anything else she thought they needed. As the brunette ringed a new soundboard in a thick black marker, Marissa emerged from the restroom.
She was now dressed in the clothes that Kate had lent her. The redhead looked very elegant and somehow managed to walk in her sandals without tottering despite the fact the last time she'd worn shoes with that high a heel was for Maddie's christening four and a half years ago. The video tech wore little make-up, just black eyeliner, mascara, a rose coloured blush and clear lip gloss.
Marissa's make-up contrasted Kate's more dramatic look. The brunette was wearing shimmering gold eye shadow, her eyes also lined in black but flicking out in the corners, along with bronzing powder and a deep chocolate lipstick.
The redhead still hadn't styled her short hair, not quite sure how to wear it for the night. "How do you think I should wear my hair, Kate?" she asked handing the other woman the mascara she'd asked to borrow.
"How about you spike it with some wax and add a cute clip?" suggested the sound engineer, taking the lash lengthening make-up from her friend.
"Yeah, that might work. What are you doing with yours? Please don't tell me you're wearing it up like that?" protested Marissa.
Kate made a face at the redhead but began to untie her brown locks. The brunette let her spiral curls fall down, which almost reached the bottom of her back, before styling it into a loose French braid with tendrils falling down her neck. Otherwise, she'd had to wet it and start all over again.
Marissa rooted through her cosmetics bag, picking out a diamond encrusted barrette and her little tub of hair wax. She slicked the styling product through her red locks making it spike up. Then she attached the hair clip to the front where her fringe was slightly longer. The two women then sprayed themselves with perfume and were ready to go. Marissa put on her cashmere wrap and grabbed her purse as Kate picked up her belongings and put on a cropped tan suede jacket. Closing the door behind her, the redhead gave her friend a nervous look. "Well, we're all ready now so there's no backing out," she said.
"Technically, we haven't arrived for the date yet. So, we could just go back into our room and call them saying we're sick," replied Kate.
The redhead gave her friend a horrified look and shook her head. "No way, I'm not cancelling now," she squealed. The brunette laughed and the two women stepped into the elevator.
When they reached the ground floor, the sound engineer was about to step out and into the lobby. However, Marissa kept edging towards the doors before backing off again.
"Calm down, Cissa, you'll give yourself a heart attack," warned Kate, hitting the open button so that her friend would stop fretting. She really should give Marissa a break, she thought, realizing that this was the woman's first real date since she dated her daughter's father over six years ago. "You just said you weren't cancelling."
Both women stepped out slowly, their hearts beginning to race. Kate and Marissa approached the lobby, to find John Cena and Dave Batista already waiting for them. The brunette strode confidently towards the two men as the video tech edged closer to them, looking as though she was approaching someone who horrified her.
The reason for Marissa's hesitation was that she was finding it very hard to breath at that particular moment due to being faced with John Cena. Normally the WWE Champion reduced the woman to a bag of nerves. However, tonight that effect was amplified due to his appearance. To a passer by, the wrestler's clothes were nothing special, just a pair of casual blue jeans, a white T-shirt bearing the Nike brand logo, and a pair of sneakers. To Marissa, he looked stunning, it suited his 'street' image perfectly and the white in the top made his blue eyes really stand out.
Kate too couldn't help but notice what her date for the evening was wearing. Even though the wrestler looked good in a tight fitting red Dolce & Gabbana pullover and black pants, she wasn't falling over herself due to his appearance.
"Evening, ladies," Batista greeted with a warm smile before slowly and surreptitiously looking Kate up and down. He was very impressed with how the brunette looked when she dressed up. She obviously had a very good sense of style and what suited her. The sound engineer's shimmering make-up complemented her outfit very well. From what he knew of her in the past, long, loose, and very comfortable was her motto. "You look nice tonight, Kate," he added.
"Thanks, so do you," the woman replied, thinking that the wrestler's red shirt suited his dark hair and Mediterranean completion.
As Marissa moved into the group of people, Cena smiled at her. His fantasies of what she'd look like for their date surpassed his expectations. The redhead looked pretty and sweet wearing muted tones and her hairstyle was very cute. Usually, the WWE Champion went for women with long hair; however, he suddenly found himself thinking about running his fingers through the spiky red locks. "Hey, Marissa, you look great tonight," he said.
"Erm…thanks," she replied with a deep blush. "You look really good too."
"So, shall we head off then?" asked Batista.
"Yeah," agreed Kate, and both Cena and Marissa nodded their heads.
They filed out of the lobby together to find a cab, none of them driving so that they could all have an alcohol with their dinner later.
Arriving at the ice-skating park, they found it already busy with teenagers enjoying their weekend off from school. The two couples headed over to pay the attendant at the desk and were presented with a pair of skates each.
Making their way over to the benches beside the rink, they settled down to pull off their shoes and put on their skates. Kate unzipped one of her boots but then quickly pulled the zipper back up, seeing her opportunity. "I'm going to the restroom first. I'll be back," she stated, rising from the bench and taking the skates with her.
Damn,Dave thought, jerking his head to watch her go. That was going to be his excuse to get away. "You two go ahead and I'm gonna wait on Kate to get back."
Marissa wasn't keen on the idea about being left alone on the ice with John but said nothing to protest as John held his hands out to help her stand up on her skates. She hesitantly took them in her own, hoping he wouldn't notice how clammy they were. Had she not been concentrating so hard on staying steady and walking in the skates to the rink, she would have fainted over the fact that she was holding John Cena's hands.
Kate had decided that if anyone asked, she'd just claim she tripped on the way back from the restroom and was afraid of getting out on the ice. She was looking forward to seeing how well a guy of Dave's strength and size navigated a skating rink but, to her surprise, she found him sitting in the spectator stands with his left foot raised on the bench in front of him.
"You're not heading back out there?" she asked, taking the seat beside him and assuming he had already been out on the ice and back.
The wrestler shook his head and replied, "Nah, I think I'm going to sit this one out if you don't mind. I pulled my ankle earlier in tonight's match against John, and now it's acting up. I don't want to make it worse. You go out there and enjoy yourself though. Marissa and John are having a great time."
The brunette was floored since that was very similar to the excuse she was about to give. Wondering if the wrestler was lying to get out of ice-skating too, the sound engineer challenged him. "You're lying," she accused. Dave was about to protest but the woman cut him off. "I know because I was just about to use the same excuse, except I didn't do it in a match."
Batista was shocked. Not only had Kate been about to fake an injury to get out of their date, but she'd had the balls to challenge him on his excuse too. The black-haired man found new respect for the brunette and started to wonder if tonight wasn't going to be too bad after all. Chuckling, Dave answered her, "Damn, you've got me. I cannot believe we were both gonna try and worm out of going out there."
Kate laughed and shook her head. "Talk about funny coincidences. How about we leave Marissa and John to it then and just grab a coffee?"
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Besides, I don't think they'll miss us much," replied Dave, jerking his head towards the other couple.
Marissa and John were now in the middle of the rink, holding hands to steady themselves. When Kate had left to visit the restroom, the redhead didn't know how she was going to cope being alone with Cena. She was bad enough ice-skating as it was; let alone having the added distraction of having the hottest wrestler out there with her. It seemed like such a good idea when she suggested it but now she was thinking otherwise.
However, when the WWE Champion had led the video tech into the middle of the rink, still holding one hand and wrapping his other arm around her back, she soon relaxed. The couple were both as bad as each other skating, not being able to keep on their feet for more than a few minutes without falling over. When Marissa had fallen on her butt three times, she was all ready to call it quits, but Cena had held onto her insisting that she stay.
"Come on, what's the use of coming ice-skating if you're just gonna sit it out like those sourpusses Dave and Kate?" he'd protested.
"Okay, I'll stay. But I swear, if I fall on my butt one more time, I'm going to sit down," conceded Marissa.
"Don't worry, if you fall again, I'll catch you," promised John with a mischievous wink.
Holding Marissa's hand's tightly and feeling confident, the wrestler spun the redhead round and lifted her into the air, causing the woman to giggle.
"Not too fast, was it?" he asked, setting the video tech down on her feet, but he lost his footing and hit the ice, pulling her down with him.
"No, it was fun," Marissa replied with laugh, breathing deeply and falling back against John's chest.
"I still caught you," he added with a laugh, struggling to get back up on his feet. "Wanna take a break?"
"That'd be great," she answered, holding a hand to her chest.
The couple made their way over to the spectator stands where Kate and Dave were now both sipping cups of hot coffee
"What happened to you guys?" Cena asked, falling down into an available seat.
"Ice-skating isn't really our thing," replied Dave.
"Yeah, so we decided to just grab a coffee instead," Kate informed.
"You really should come out, it's a lot of fun," insisted Marissa, taking the free chair to Kate's left. The couple shook their heads in response.
"Come on, Marissa, let's go back out then and leave the sourpusses to enjoy their coffee," suggested the smaller man, jumping to his feet. The redhead was more than happy to oblige. Not only was she enjoying spending time alone with Cena but she hoped leaving Kate and Dave together might help them get to know each other better.
"They look as though they're having a good time," the black-haired man said to the sound engineer once the other couple had headed back to the middle of the rink.
The brunette grinned and nodded her head. "Yeah," she agreed, "I'm pleased for Marissa. I know she likes John a lot."
"Yeah, she mentioned it the other day when we went out for coffee. So, how long have you guys known each other?" Dave asked.
"About seven years now. We met when we both worked at the Verizon Center," informed Kate.
"What a small world, that's where I met Marissa too," explained the wrestler. "Do you live close to each other?"
"Very close, we actually live together in her parents' house. A few years back I found myself with nowhere to stay and Marissa suggested I should come and stop with her for a while. It was only meant to be until I found my own place. However, I got along so well with her parents that it kinda became permanent," informed the brunette.
"Ahh, that's cool. I take it you're pretty close then, kinda like sisters?" inquired Dave. He actually knew most of this from Marissa but didn't want Kate to think he had been asking about her. Plus, it was a great way to get her to open up and talk, especially if he was going to have to sit here with her…which he was finding out wasn't quite so bad.
"Yeah, with Shannon, Marissa's younger sister, in England at University, we've become very tight. But that's not to say we don't have our moments," she added with a laugh, thinking back to the past couple of days and the number of fights that had recently had.
"I bet. Being around the same person all the time can get a little claustrophobic at times. I've lost count how many times John has pissed me off on the road and I've just wanted space to be by myself," Batista went on.
"Yeah, sometimes I just want a few hours to chill on my own," agreed Kate.
"How do you get along with little Maddie?" asked the wrestler.
"Really well, she's a great little kid and just adores Xerxes," replied the brunette.
"Xerxes, he's your big dog right? I remember Marissa mentioning him," checked the man, surprised that he'd remembered the animal's unusual name.
"Yeah, he's the loveable walking garbage disposal unit around the house," chuckled Kate. "I'm actually starting to think he needs to be put on a diet because he eats that much."
Dave laughed at the mental image of a large over-weight dog. "Does 'Mummy' feed him too much?" he asked with a grin.
"No, it's Maddie, I swear. From her, dog food is an ever-lasting supply," informed the sound engineer with a giggle of her own and then began digging in her purse. "Look at this ugly mutt." She produced a picture of the canine taking a sandwich right out of Marissa's daughter's hand, just as she was about to put it in her own mouth.
"I believe you although others wouldn't," joked Dave, handing the picture back. He could get to like a woman who had a real dog rather than some yippy puppy that he'd squash if he so much as picked it up. Not to mention it was cute that she carried around a picture of the animal as if he was her own child.
"That's a bit rich coming from the man who was gonna pretend to have twisted his ankle to get out of ice-skating," Kate replied facetiously, patting Dave on the arm. The woman felt her stomach flip despite herself at the feel of his taut bicep beneath her fingers. She would have sworn he flexed it under her touch.
The wrestler let out a deep belly laugh. "You were gonna too," he reminded. "It wasn't just me."
Kate laughed, nodded and agreed, "Yeah, it seems like we're a right pair."
"So, where are we headed for dinner? I remember you saying you were picking the restaurant," he inquired.
"Yeah, John said he'd leave it to me because apparently you'd pick some 'cheesy bistro'," replied the sound engineer, making bunny ears with her fingers.
"The cheek of him," joked Dave. "Now I understand what he and Marissa were laughing about earlier. Did you manage to book anywhere?"
"No, I didn't think to phone ahead and see if they had any available tables. Just thought we'd play it by ear. Hopefully, they will though," answered Kate, wondering who decided it was up to her book reservations. It'd not like they had planned on going somewhere expensive and fancy.
"Yeah, I should think they would have. It's a Sunday evening and there's no holidays approaching," mused the man.
As Dave and Kate chatted about where in town looked good to eat at, John and Marissa returned. "Ohh, it's getting cold out there now and I'm starving. Are you two ready to head off for dinner?" asked the redhead, sitting besides Kate.
"Yeah, whenever you guys are," replied Dave.
"Well, I'm just about ready to eat now. So, do you wanna get going?" asked Cena
The other three people nodded and Kate and Dave waited until the other two had put their shoes back on. Then they returned their ice-skates and left the rink. The couples walked a few blocks looking around for an Italian restaurant to eat at that John was sure was close by. As they walked on, Marissa rushed to Kate and the two women linked arms.
"So, how did it go with you and Dave?" asked the redhead.
"Alright, I guess. We chatted a little and he seems nice enough," replied Kate. However, it was a slight lie on her part. The brunette had been surprised at how well she'd gotten along with Batista and how easy he was to talk to. "How about you and John? You looked pretty cosy out there on the ice."
Marissa blushed and giggled. "Yeah, we had a great time. He's so much fun and easy to get along with," she replied.
"Hopefully, this might be the start of something then?" suggested the brunette, secretly hoping it would so that her friend would stop fussing and so that she wouldn't have to go on another date with Batista.
"Fingers crossed. However, I'm still a little unsure. There's Maddie to consider too," mused Marissa.
Further along the street, Cena and Batista were having a similar conversation of their own, leaving the two women to have theirs in private. "So, did you have a good time with Marissa tonight?" inquired Dave.
"Yeah, she's a nice woman. Still a little shy though," replied John, shocked that it was the truth. However, upon thinking about it, he realised he'd had a really fun night with the video tech. "How about you and Kate? You two seemed okay chatting all evening."
"Yeah, we get along okay. She's easy enough to talk to," answered the bigger wrestler. Truth be told, he was slightly fascinated by her now that they'd chatted for a while and eager to get her to open up about herself more. She wasn't quite as weird as he expected her to be.
The two couples arrived at an Italian bistro and were shocked to find the establishment was already fully booked. All four people had neglected to remember that the school holidays were about to begin and therefore families had come out for a meal. They could wait an hour or look elsewhere. They tried two other local restaurants but, unfortunately, they were all fully booked too. With the hour now getting late and all four people very hungry, Cena suggested trying a burger bar as a last resort.
"I dunno, I'm not really a fan of fast food," protested Marissa. She was very careful about what she ate, especially with her daughter as well.
"Come on, Cissa, and every where is booked and we're all starving," insisted Kate.
However, the redhead wouldn't agree until finally Cena sweet-talked her. "Please, Marissa. I promise, to make it up to you. I'll take you out to dinner the next time we're off work," he begged. With the promise of a dinner alone with John Cena, the redhead soon obliged and the four people headed to the closest burger bar.
The two couples ordered their meals and then chatted, mostly about work, as they ate. When they'd finished, they found a cab to take them back to the hotel.
"Wanna stop off for a drink before we call it a night?" suggested Cena as they all gathered in the hotel lobby, nodding towards the hotel's bar. Both Dave and Kate nodded and started to head for the bar. However, Marissa declined.
"Actually, I might just head straight to bed if everyone else doesn't mind?" replied the redhead.
"Okay, I'll walk you up to your room," offered the WWE Champion, purposefully leaving his friend and the sound engineer to be alone in the hotel bar.
When Kate heard her friend decline, she stopped and wondered if she should go up with her. Marissa looked liked she hadn't been feeling well recently anyhow and maybe she needed the brunette. But when John offered to walk her up, she smiled to herself and decided the two needed to say 'goodnight' to each other alone. "See ya later, Cissa," she called and Dave added, "'Night," before the couple headed on into the bar.
When the two people reached the video tech's door, both fell silent and became embarrassed. Saying goodnight at the end of a date was always awkward and something Marissa seriously disliked. It had been so long since she had done this, especially with a guy she liked. Cena too seemed a little confused by the situation. Usually, at this point in the night, he'd go in for a kiss. However, he found the redhead hard to read and was unsure what her reaction would be. Finally, breaking the tension, the video tech spoke, "I had a really good time tonight, John. We should do it again."
"You bet we will. I still owe you dinner, remember?" he replied cheekily.
Marissa blushed and giggled. "Thanks for a great evening," she whispered.
"You too, Doll. I guess I'll catch you in the morning," the wrestler said and then leaned forwards to kiss the redhead.
Their lips brushed for a second before the woman pulled away. "I'm sorry," she hurriedly said, before opening the door and disappearing without another word.
Cena stood staring at the spot Marissa had just vacated, feeling utterly confused. He thought that they'd had a good night and that she liked him. Hell, what am I worrying about? I only agreed to the date to get Dave out of the hotel, he thought. However, the wrestler had to wonder how much truth there actually was in that statement. For a moment, he considered heading back down to the bar to hang out with Kate and Dave but decided against it. The whole point was to get his friend out, not him. So, instead, he disappointedly headed for his room.