Chapter Three:

A-Ri

The coffee shop appeared to be at its busiest hours when Cristina arrived after work. It had been a great day professionally, as the manager of Pacifier Puritans called her managing editor to let him know that they found her just lovely and wanted to let them know that she was a keeper. The mistakes in her article had been small; her manager told her she was getting better and better with every day that passed. As she was leaving, she got a text message from Mike, inviting her for coffee with him and his friend Alex. Cristina felt her spirits soar when she saw his name at the top of the text message header. After a few days, she assumed he had just forgotten about her.

It was a small and cozy shop that was almost crowded to full capacity. Removing the giant circular sunglasses from her face and resting them on her head, Cristina scanned the area for any sign of Mike. He spotted her first from his table at the back of the café, waving to catch her attention. When it worked, they smiled at each other and she approached. She pushed her way through the throngs of impatient people, moving between the tables until she made it to Mike and his friend. She noted that they looked like they could have been cousins. A waitress arrived seconds after Cristina sat down. She ordered an iced coffee and a cranberry scone. Mike took in her appearance; the black pants, the white button-down T-shirt with a black ribbon tie, her hair back in a high ponytail.

"Hey – glad you could make it," he greeted, leaning in to give her a quick hug. He cocked his head towards Alex. "Cristina, this is Alex. We call him A-Ri for short. A-Ri, this is Cristina, the girl I was telling you about." The two of them shook hands. Cristina took him in; like Mike, he was muscular, but he was taller and bulkier.

"It's nice to meet you, Cristina. Mike's description of you didn't do you justice in the slightest." Cristina turned to Mike, her face crinkled in confusion. Mike shot Alex a stern look, but he just grinned at his friend. He wasn't outwardly showing it, but Mike felt a little guilty about meeting with Cristina. Maryse was out doing a photo shoot for WWE Magazine. It was the first time since she had found Cristina's number that she had left him alone. Mike was also embarrassed that he had an ulterior motive for inviting Cristina out for coffee; he needed a woman's perspective to pick out the perfect "I'm sorry" present for Maryse. He wasn't going to tell Cristina that it was her fault Maryse was so angry at him right now, though. As far as he was concerned, Cristina was just being jealous and crazy. Cristina and Maryse bore some similarities; he had hoped that Cristina and Maryse could become friends as well, but it appeared she wasn't interested.

"How did the interview go yesterday?" Mike asked, desperate to change the subject.

"Great. It was fun. The men...they were so nice. They called my boss and told him I did well."

"Who did you interview?" Alex asked.

"Pacifier Puritans," Cristina answered. "They are a new band."

"That's awesome," Mike told her. "Next stop – Rolling Stone." She blushed as the waitress came back and placed the coffee and scone in front of her.

"Have you been here before, Cristina?" Mike asked. She nodded.

"It is probably one of the better coffee places here," she told him. She looked between the two men. "What are you two doing today?"

"It's a day off before we head out tomorrow for WrestleMania week in Atlanta," Alex told her. "We've got interviews and all kinds of appearances to make before the show."

"WrestleMania...?" Cristina's eyes widened. Alex realized that Mike hadn't told her about what he did for a living, but he was surprised Cristina didn't know. She had seen a picture of his face on a poster in Italy. Her brother was a fan. They had made a stop in Milan on a European tour last year. She was getting ready to leave for America and thought nothing of it. Her brother lived in Palermo with her father, and she knew he would be excited to learn she had made friends with a wrestler.

"You didn't know?" Mike asked, legitimately surprised. It only took him a few seconds to realize how arrogant he sounded. "I didn't mean it like that. It's just...I get recognized a lot. It's really rare."

"I did not place your face," she confessed. "My brother...he is a big fan." If she was starstruck or intimidated by the revelation, Mike couldn't tell. But he could see the imprint of embarrassment all over her. He was thankful that her demeanor hadn't changed towards him. Living his dream was a double-edged sword; he loved it, but a lot of people wanted to hang with him because of his name and his status. "I am so embarrassed."

"It's okay, it's okay," Alex assured her.

"You are The Miz. It makes sense now..." She shook her head. "I am a fool."

"You're fine," Mike assured her. "Don't feel bad."

"How is your scone?" Alex asked, hoping to change the subject and wash away her embarrassment. She looked at him, sheepish. She shrugged.

"The coffee is good. The food...not so much."

After coffee, the trio made their way to the mall. Mike had to stop and pose for some photos and sign some autographs. It was Cristina's first time seeing this side of Mike's life, and it struck her as odd. People asked her to take photographs, which she willingly did with a laugh and a smile. Everyone assumed that she was with Alex, since it was an open secret that Maryse and Mike were together. Alex, Cristina and Mike wouldn't confirm or deny the fan's questions about Cristina. After a while it became amusing to Cristina.

Alex went to get himself a bottle of cologne, leaving Mike and Cristina alone in the jewelry store. Cristina's eyes scanned all the colorful and sparkling gems, captivated by the way they sparkled through the glass. Mike had filled her with some information about his girlfriend, how she was another employee.

"What is she like? Your girlfriend," Cristina asked, staring at a ruby ring surrounded by diamonds.

"She's very...confident," Mike informed her, trying to choose his words very carefully.

"What about this?" she asked, pointing. Mike walked over to her and looked through the glass. He blanched.

"Oh, no. No rings."

"Why?"

"It's complicated. How about we stick to necklaces, earrings, bracelets, that kind of thing," he told her. She nodded, but he could tell she was a little stung that he had outright rejected her first suggestion. They moved over to the earrings. Cristina studied them.

"Your girlfriend. She is very lucky to have someone who does this for her." She flashed him a smile. He offered her a smile back, but he didn't feel all that great. Mike sometimes had his suspicions that she got mad at him just so he would buy her gifts. He didn't understand her logic, because he bought her things to say he loved her anyway. Money seemed to speak the loudest to Maryse, no matter the mood.

"I wish she saw it that way," he murmured. He thought it was low enough, but she heard him.

"Are you unhappy, Michael?" she asked. He blinked, surprised at how direct she was.

"It's complicated," he confessed. They settled on a diamond necklace with emeralds. Mike paid for the necklace and they left together.

"You seem very complicated, Michael," she observed.

"I guess. It feels that way these days." He looked at her, sheepish. "I'm sorry. You probably think I'm nuts, giving out every detail of my life to someone I just met."

"Not at all. I seem to have that affect on people," she said. She looked at her phone. "I should leave."

"Are you sure?" he asked. She nodded.

"I have some articles to finish tonight."

"I should probably head home, too, now that I have a sacrifice for the White Blonde Goddess," he snorted. Cristina giggled. All afternoon, she had listened and watched Mike intensively, taking in his outgoing personality and his sarcastic sense of humor. She was in awe of his confidence, the way it radiated from him like a halo. Being around him made her feel more confident, more open.

They turned as Alex approached. He looked between the two of them, his eyes narrowing. He sensed something different in the air between the two of them. "Hey...what's going on?"

"I need to go home. Work," she explained. She thought Alex looked a little sad that she was leaving.

"That's too bad," he commented. In a flash, his eyes widened, like an idea had hit him out of nowhere. "Before you go, though, Cristina, and I know you might find this weird, but can you do us a favor?"

"What?"

"Can I hear you say something in Italian? It's such a beautiful language," Alex pressed. Cristina smiled. She had enjoyed her day with Mike and Alex thoroughly. She thought about something nice to say to them.

"Grazie per un bel pomeriggio, I regazzi," she said to them, feeling a hot blush burn under her skin.

"I know what grazie means, but what does everything else mean?" Mike asked.

"It means, 'thank you for a beautiful afternoon, boys,'" she replied. They smiled at her. "Now, I must go. Have a good night." Mike watched her leave. Alex watched Mike, noting that he didn't take his eyes off Cristina until she was completely out of his sight.

Her contact with Alex didn't end after going home. They had exchanged numbers at the coffee shop, and she was surprised he was willing to spend the night messaging with her. They talked about music, the two of them surprised with each other at just how far-reaching their knowledge went. Every genre, every decade. She thought he was a rap fan, but he had shown her otherwise. She was listening to Antichrist Superstar, dancing to "The Beautiful People" while she did her dinner dishes, stopping every now and then to message Alex.

She thought about Mike and Maryse, about the kind of relationship they had. Cristina would be the first to admit she knew very little when it came to love and relationships; she had read in books that love was a passionate and all-consuming fire, but she had never known it. She sensed Mike wasn't feeling it about his girlfriend. Cristina wondered if she was ever going to meet Maryse. It had taken her a while when she got home, but she had found a picture of Maryse online. She was a beautiful woman, but she looked like a snobby woman.

Cristina smiled. Mike was a wrestler; that explained why he traveled so much. She thought about sending a message to her brother to gloat that she had made friends with some wrestlers because she knew he would be jealous. He was older by two years. The thought of getting under his skin and teasing him made her smile. She missed him.

On the DVD player, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby was waiting to be played. Mike and Alex had both recommended the movie to her, telling her it was one of the funniest movies they had ever seen. She stopped by the video store on her way home and rented it. She was in the mood to laugh; she was making great friends, with a job she loved. Every hour that seemed to pass she felt more and more blessed.

The necklace had soothed her seething ego a little, but not much. They had made love, but once it was over, she wouldn't allow him to touch her, turning her back to him and shutting him out once again. She wore the necklace while they were intimate. Now she fingered the diamonds with her long, manicured nails, a soft smile tugging at her soft pink lips. She could feel Mike's eyes on her, but she didn't turn back to acknowledge him. Mike bit back a sigh; they were together, but he felt so alone. He had no idea how that was even possible. Mike was beginning to wonder if she really loved him. He was also beginning to wonder if he was still in love with her.

When they first got together, he had been head over heels in love with her. She was the kind of woman he never dreamed he would land. After eight months it was beginning to feel like a relationship of convenience, a relationship that messed with his heart and hit him in his wallet. He didn't know why she was around if she was never happy with him. He hated the constant back and forth they seemed to be trapped in.

It had been magic in the beginning, starting with some on-air teasing that became so much more behind the scenes. For the first few months, a few of the guys had been jealous of Mike, until the months dragged on and everyone realized how much work it was to be in a relationship with a woman like Maryse Ouellet. Mike's friend Eve Torres despised Maryse; she never understood why Mike stuck around. She was the good friend who wanted what was best for him, wanted him to be happy.

After the incident with his phone, Mike found he kept it on him at all times, even taking it into the shower with him. He had learned his lesson. Mike really wanted to keep his new friendship with Cristina; she could really use the friend. Eventually, he knew Maryse would probably give him an ultimatum and he would have to choose between them. Mike wasn't sure what he would do when the situation arose, but he decided he would cross the bridge when he got there.

After leaving the mall, Mike and Alex had talked. Alex was taken by Cristina, raving about everything from her beauty to her warm nature to her overall shyness with the two of them. Alex was impressed by her in every facet. There was a fleeting thought in Mike's head that Alex could be potentially interested in Cristina, and he was surprised at the surge of jealousy he felt running through his veins.

He looked over at his girlfriend. She was asleep, her breathing slow and even. Mike sighed; he was getting used to this, the constant hot and cold. Tomorrow they were set to leave for Atlanta for WrestleMania week. He hoped that things would be better between the two of them in the morning; he really wanted to have a good week. Even though he had dropped a fair amount of change on the necklace Cristina picked out for Maryse, it still felt like it wasn't good enough. Nothing every seemed to be good enough for.