"Your next step is the championship. You're on your way to gold, kid." Paul Levesque squeezed the young woman's shoulder before him, and gave her a reassuring smile. She returned the gesture with a smile of her own. Hunter was waiting for her in the back, after her match with Brie Bella
Her hands clasped together, taking in what one of the most important people in WWE had to say. A shaky breath escaped her lips and she took off to the nearest exit. Once outside, she pulled a cigarette from her pack and placed it between her lips. The smoke soon filled her lungs, and she exhaled.
"Hey girl hey! Don't you know those are bad for you?" Nicole turned to see Ariane coming her way. Ariane gave her a side look, before giggling.
"You leaving soon?" She asked Nicole as she took another drag of her cigarette.
"Yeah, just needed some air for a minute. Where's Trin?"
"I don't know where she's at, but Jon's packing there stuff in the car. So what's this I hear about you and a certain hound of justice?" She gave her a sly smile as she leaned on a nearby crate. Nicole giggled and rolled her eyes.
"What'd you hear?" She countered.
"I didn't HEAR anything. I saw you two in the parking lot getting cozy. You know he's bad news when it comes to women. As much of a nice guy he is, he's never gonna get rid of his ex." Ariane gave another disapproving look, while flipping her long hair over her shoulder. A bit of shock over took Nicole for a split second. She soon regained her composure and shook her head a bit.
"What do you mean?" Her eyes singing a different song, then the tone of her voice.
"I'm just saying don't expect anything more then whatever it is you have now. That's all. Do what you do." Ariane put her hands up in defense. "I'll catch ya later babe." She lightly waved to the raven haired beauty and walked away.
Nicole looked after the woman that had walked away, pondering the information just fed to her. As she flicked the cigarette, she decided not to think anything of it.
Xoxoxoxo
"I need a drink." Nicole said aloud as she plopped onto her hotel room bed. As if on cue, her phone started going off beside her. Sighing, she reached over and unlocked it.
"Still on for tonight?" A slight smile formed on her lips. Johnny. Her thoughts started to fow back to Joe, and what Ariane told her earlier. Her finger tapped the back button, and she looked at Joe's name across the screen in her texts. Nothing. The young woman quickly went back to her text from a certain ballroom dancer and sent a reply.
"Of course. 2 hours?"
"I'll see you then ;)" Seconds later her phone vibrated again. She smiled down at the screen.
xoxoxo
"Shut up!" A petite brunette squeaked as the man sitting in front of her started laughing. Nicole and Johnny were currently sitting in the back of a nice little steakhouse. The night started early for the duo, and her mind was completely clear from any form of distraction.
"I'm serious! It's my favorite movie." He continued laughing when she rolled her eyes.
"No man ever likes Twilight. I don't even like Twilight." She cocked her head to the side, giving him a disbelieving look.
"Well in that case, I hate it." Again he laughed, which she returned. They calmed down, both taking bites of their food.
Nicole looked down at her plate, suddenly feeling a ping of shyness creep up on her. She twiddled her fork around in her plate, enjoying the comfortable silence they fell into. She caught him stealing glances at her every so often, which was flattering in her mind. Although she knew nothing would come of one simple date, she was definitely going to make the best of it. His cockiness, also, was not making an appearance. That made for a good night, all around. The professional ballroom dancer was definitely a charmer. Nicole finally looked up from her dish, clearing herself from her thoughts to give him her full attention.
"So, how do you like me so far? Am I all I'm cracked up to be?" A sheepish grin spread across her face as the words poured from her mouth. She watched as he studied her. He placed a hand over hers as he stared her into her eyes.
"You're beautiful. Inside and out." Her mouth slightly opened, but she soon locked it back in place. A rose color formed on her cheeks.
"You definitely know how to make a girl feel good." The honesty in her words was evident. Nervously, she looked around to avoid his gaze. He won, however, because there was no way she had the willpower to purposely look away from him. He was extremely good looking, of course.
"Stop being so shy. There's nothing to be nervous about." A surprised look formed across her features. It was like he read her mind. The younger of the two caught herself from gaping, and just giggled.
"I can't help it. You make me blush." She held her wine glass, taking a 'second too long' to sip.
"Oh yeah?" He mused.
"Yeah." A nervous laugh escaped her lips once again. She set the wine glass down, pushing her empty plate away.
"I wanna see you again." He was very forthcoming. Nicole just studied him, wondering what she got herself into. First Joe, now Fandango. She wanted to make things easier for herself, but by the looks of it, everything was about to hit the fan. And this was just the beginning. But, her physical needs over came her.
"Definitely." She smiled as she took a sip of wine, this time finishing it off.
"I don't want to keep you out too late. Lets get you back." As Johnny stood up, he extended his hand to the young brunette. She accepted, standing up as well.
"I had a great time tonight. I'll repay you somehow." Nicole turned and smiled up at the man in front of her.
"Don't worry about it. It was my pleasure." He returned her toothy grin with one of his own.
"I'll see you Monday." And with that, before giving him one more glance, she closed her hotel room door.
A loud sigh escaped her lips as she plopped down on the bed. As if on cue, her phone started to go off, indicating a text message. She started laughing as she stood back up and snatched her phone out of her purse. She pressed the home button to see Johnny had texted her. It brought a playful smile to her lips.
I had a great time. She smiled down at the phone and plopped back down on the bed.
I did too, thank you. (: She hit send and tossed it beside her. A minute later, it went off again. She laughed to herself.
Lets talk? Her blood ran cold when she saw the name and text that was on her screen. She'd done a good job in not thinking about the situation she left back in New York in hopes of completely forgetting about it, but she knew this day would come. A hand raked through her hair as she decided she would jump in the shower before she would deal with him. Tossing the phone back on the bed, she grabbed a towel and slammed the bathroom door.
An hour later she emerged from the bathroom, refreshed of any mind numbing thoughts. Knowing she'd have to face facts sooner or later, she picked up the phone from her bed. A text from Johnny was the only new item on her screen. She decided to ignore it and went to the perp's name in her recent messages.
What's there to talk about? She hit send and waited for a response. Almost immediately, she received one.
A lot. It was simple, yet full of meaning. Her phone buzzed again.
I'll be in Canada next week while you'll be there. She read the second text.
I'll talk to you whenever I see you. I'm busy. She hit send and laid the phone on the nightstand.
"Fuck you, I'm not on your schedule." She thought vehemently. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she walked over to her luggage. She pulled out a pair of yoga shorts and a sports bra, along with a pair of black Nike's. The gym would definitely help out the anxiety. Not bothering looking at her phone again, she walked out of the room and down to the gym.
Nicole was in the middle of her first set of squats when the gym door opened. She didn't bother looking, in case it was someone she had no desire to see. Continuing her focus in front of her, she set the weights back on the bar. Her water bottle called her name once she noticed sweat dripping from her face. After a nice long swig, she made her way over to the treadmill.
"No hello?" Once she realized it was Joe Hennig, she turned to face him. She watched him as he ran a hand over his beard and walked over to her.
"You shouldn't have been using the weights without somebody in here with you. You could have got hurt." His voice was filled with concern.
"You came in too late. So I blame it on you Hennig." She laughed at his expression.
"So you and Fandango, huh?" It was his turn to laugh at her expression. She closed her eyes and gave him a sarcastic smile.
"It was one date, thank you. I'm sure he didn't like me anyway." In the back of her mind she knew that the last part was a false statement.
"How could he not?" He gave her a look of confusion along with his question.
"Trying to be a charmer, huh?" The young brunette decided to play along with the flirting, as she leaned her hip against the wall.
"I can't help it." He offered a sly smile.
"You're something else, ya know that?" Nicole shook her head and laughed. "Why don't you turn your charm up a bit more and take me out sometime, then?" She raised her eyebrows waiting for his response. He looked at her and licked his lips.
"You couldn't handle me." He winked as she burst out laughing with him.
She calmed herself and said, "Oh so you're turning me down huh?" She put her hands on her hips and walked closer to him. Nicole watched as the man in front of her smiled and shook his head.
"I don't let women control me." Joe said jokingly as he whipped the towel he was holding, at her bare arm.
"Asshole!" Turning to grab the water bottle that was on the treadmill in order to throw it at him, a pair of arms wrapped around her to stop her.
"I don't think so little one." She struggled against his grip, losing her breath, as she was laughing so hard. The tears started rolling as he tickled her down to the floor.
"St..stop! You…you win!" letting out another laugh she rolled on her back once he let her go.
"Say it again." He looked down at her, jokingly threatening her with his eyes.
"You win!" The woman on the floor rolled her eyes, testing the waters.
"Oh really? Eye rolling?" Before he could do anything, she pushed his chest and made a run for the pool area. He was hot on her tails.
"Oh my God, Joe. Stop acting like a little kid." Nicole whined when she finally stopped running and turned to him. She was standing on one side of a beach chair, Joe on the opposite.
"ME?" He lowered his head and cocked his eyebrow with curiosity. Like a snake going for their prey, he slowly walked over to her.
"You better not. I swear I will kick the shit out of you." She said warningly as she glanced at the pool, knowing what he was going to do.
"I'm warning you." For every step closer he took, she took one step back. But soon enough, she hit the wall that was behind her. She was cornered. And with one swift movement, he threw her over his shoulder and went toward the ledge. She kicked and screamed.
"Ill put you down if you apologize for rolling your eyes."
"You're the biggest baby ever! But yes, I apologize." She heard him laugh as he set her down.
"See you have no balls. I knew you wouldn't do it!" Her eyes went wide as he went to push her in. they laughed for a minute trying to get each other to fall in.
At one point, the petite brunette almost did, but Joe grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back. She hit his chest and relaxed, catching her breath. Her body soon stiffened as she felt the mood in the air change. Knowing she would regret what she was about to do, she turned to face the man who she was up against. Still flush against him, she looked up at him. First into his eyes, then his lips. Joe leaned in as if he was going to kiss her, but to her surprise, it was a different response.
"I'll see you at Mondays RAW." And with the parting words, he left her standing outside wondering what the hell just happened.
xoxoxo
Nicole walked into her room with a smile on her face. She knew she was playing with fire, but she was a single girl. She could do what she wanted. She stripped her clothes off and decided to take another shower. Once she had emerged from the bathroom, she threw on a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top. The raven haired beauty climbed into bed and grabbed her phone.
Come by in the morning. I wanna ride with you. Need your expert advice! Nicole gave a slight smile as her Samoan beasts' name came on to her screen.
Sounds good. Haven't heard from you since this morning. Everything okay babe? She replied just as quick as she read it.
Yeah Jessica called me today. Wants to try and work things out. That's actually what I need advice on. She was in town. Surprised you didn't see her tonight at the show. Nicole's blood ran cold as she kept rereading the text over in her head. (A/N: I have no idea what his fiancé's name is.)
"I need a drink." She said aloud as she slipped a hoodie on with a pair of UGGS. Looking at the time, she decided it wasn't too late and walked out the door. Making the treacherous walk to the elevator, her mind started to wander. They weren't together anyway. Why did it matter? Hell, she had a date of her own tonight AND almost kissed Mr. Perfects son.
Deciding she wasn't going to let it bring her down, she straightened her hoodie out and entered the elevator. She got in and hit the 'doors close' button. A shaky breath was let out once the doors closedand she knew she was surely alone. A thousand thoughts flooded her mind as she was carried down 15 floors. The once special friendship she had with the man she thought she would have a relationship with was ruined. There no way it would go back to how it was. There was something there that couldn't be defined by words. The stopping of the elevator brought her out of her thoughts. She stepped off into the lobby, looking around to find the bar. As she walked through the doors, she spotted a couple of Superstars. Randy Orton, Bryan Danielson, John Cena and Nikki and Brie were off in a corner. She offered a slight wave when they noticed her.
"Double shot of Fireball." Sitting alone at the bar, she pulled out her phone and glared at it. Joe's text was still fresh in her mind and she was trying her hardest not to let it get to her. The bartender set down the glass and the brunette thanked him. As she was taking a sip, she heard a voice call her. She turned to see Brie waving her over. As she picked up her beer, she groaned inwardly. These weren't her favorite people in the world.
"Nice clothes." John joked when she walked up. She groaned again, looking down at her attire.
"Long day. Plus we're leaving early tomorrow." Nicole shrugged as she responded. The brunette took a seat as Randy Orton scooted over for her. Again, she groaned inwardly.
"Were you really gonna sit over there by yourself? We don't bite." Randy said as he took a swig of beer. Buying herself time from answering, she did the same. Luckily Nikki cut in as if taking a hint.
"Leave her alone Orton." She gave him a grin and went back to talking to John. Looking around the table, the two couples were in a conversation, leaving her with the Apex Predator. She looked over at him. He was intently looking at his phone. Nicole decided it would be a good idea to down the rest of the alcohol in her glass and high tail it out of there. She raised the glass to her lips and let the fiery fluid go down her throat until there was nothing left. As she set the glass down, she felt a pair of eyes on her. Her face turned a rose shade as she looked over to Randy. He had an amused expression on his face. That was the first ounce of human she'd ever seen in him.
"Never seen a female do that." He mused.
"And you'll probably never see it again." Putting a hand on his shoulder, she stood.
"Thanks guys. I'll see you all Monday. I needa get some sleep." She bid her goodbyes to the group as she placed a $10 bill down for her drink. A hand stopped her.
"I got it." A surprised look crossed the brunettes face once she realized Randy offered to pay for her drink.
"It's on me next time." Smiling at the older man as she replied to him, she bid her goodbyes to the group and walked out of the bar.
A/N: This one's a tad bit longer! Thank you all so much for all of the positive feedback! It means a lot! 3 I'm sorry if there are any mistakes. I'm exhausted, but wanted to post this!