Author's Note: Thanks again to all those who read and reviewed!

Disclaimer: I still don't own John Cena.

Pinky Promise

Chapter 3: Get Real

He was hit on the head one time too many with a steel chair; that had to be it. Did John Cena really just ask Bianca Evans to marry him?

"Are you feeling okay?" Bianca hesitantly reached forward to place a hand on John's forehead to check for a fever that was not there.

"I'm fine," he removed Bianca's hand from his forehead and held it on his lap. "So what do you say?"

"John, do you even know what you're asking me?" She raised an eyebrow at her friend inquisitively. "Marriage, John. M-A-R-R-I-A-G-E."

"I can spell the word just fine, Binx," he sighed as he rolled his eyes at her. She could be a little too over dramatic sometimes.

"You can't joke about this, John," she stood up and started to pace in front of him. "Just because we promised each other doesn't mean that we have to go through with it. Besides, that was ten years ago. We were young and stupid, and we weren't thinking right."

"I meant it," John said suddenly and Bianca stopped her pacing to frown at him. "I meant every word that I said, Bianca." Bianca pinched the bridge of her nose as she closed her eyes. John never called her by her full first name unless it was something serious. "A promise is a promise, and when I say I'm gonna marry you, then I mean it."

"Why," was all that Bianca could think of to say. "You're a fucking celebrity, John. There's a whole bunch of women out there who want you," she tried to reason with him.

"Ring rats," he simply said. "They only sleep with you and try to get with you for money. You think I wanna marry someone like that? At least with you, I know you're not after that."

Bianca glared at him. "Oh, so that's all I'm good for. Reassurance that you're not going to lose your money? You are unbelievable."

"That's not what I meant," John stood up and held her hands in his own to keep her from walking away from him. "We can make this work, Bianca."

"No," she answered sternly, yanking her hands out of his grasp. "I haven't seen you in ten years, and all of a sudden, you expect me to marry you because of some stupid promise we made back then? Get real, Cena."

"I've never broken any of my promises to you, Bianca," John said softly, in a serious tone. "Why should I start now?"

"None of your other promises involved altering my already stable lifestyle." She replied, although she knew her life was nowhere near stable at the moment.

"I'm not gonna alter anything," John made quotations out of his fingers to use around the word. "It'll be like the old days when you pretty much lived in the same house as me. It was fun. You had fun, right? We can go back to the way it used to be."

Bianca could feel her thoughts slightly giving in to John's ideas, but she wouldn't succumb completely to them. "It's getting late. Maybe you should go," she gently placed a hand on his back and started to usher him to the front door.

"Wait," John hesitated before Bianca could completely push him out the door. "Please.. Just think about it, okay?"

John had given her a soft, pleading look; one that Bianca could never say no to. "Okay, I'll think about it," she told him, automatically causing a grin to break out onto John's face. "Good night, John," she smiled and rolled her eyes as she closed the door. What a way to reunite with a best friend.

--

I hate this job. Bianca sat at the computer in an office for the LA Times. She was working on yet another editorial for the paper. It's not like they're going to post this one anyway, she inwardly grumbled. Half of her stories went out the window, and her bosses would force her to keep typing until she came up with something worthwhile. She didn't get it; why would they ask for her opinion, if they gave her too many restrictions? However, as much as she didn't want to be there, she needed the money. Beggars couldn't be choosers, right?

Bianca glanced at the clock. She would be able to leave as soon as she finished her article. Fuck it, she thought to herself as she decided to type away her thoughts regardless of those damn restrictions that they gave her. A knock resounded through the office and Bianca forced a smile onto her face. "It's open," she called out sweetly.

A large, burly man stepped into the room; one of the main editors of the paper. "Are you done with that article yet?"

"Just about," Bianca replied as she typed one last sentence before hitting a button to print it out. The large man silently took the papers from the printer and skimmed over Bianca's article. He did not look pleased and gave Bianca a long, cold stare before grunting and turning around to leave. Bianca made a face at him just as he closed the door behind him. By the look on the editor's face, her article was another flop. It's a wonder how they haven't fired me yet, she shook her head as she started to gather her belongings together.

Bianca heard the door open again and she inwardly groaned. Her boss was probably going to force her to stay and type out a better article. "Want me to type out another one?" She asked, not looking up at the door.

"Uh, what?" Bianca snapped her head up at the sound of the familiar voice.

"What are you doing here?" Bianca frowned in confusion at the sight of John Cena leaning against the doorframe.

John merely shrugged. "Just wanted to visit you, I guess," he answered, running a hand over his scalp.

"Uh huh," she raised an eyebrow at him. "Back for round two?" She asked, referring to the previous night when John had tried to persuade her to marry him. She stood up from the desk and made her way to the door.

"You hungry?" John asked, ignoring Bianca's accusations.

Bianca simply grabbed his hand and led him out, not wanting to be in that building any longer. "You're buying. Let's get out of here."

--

If Bianca knew John as well as she thought she did, she guessed that he would take her to a breakfast place. And sure enough, John pulled his rental into an IHOP. "Figures," she chuckled knowingly as they got out of the vehicle and made their way into the diner.

Aside from ordering their food, nothing was said between the two friends as they sat in silence while they ate. Bianca could tell that John was dying to say something, and she waited patiently for him to start. But he said nothing, and Bianca let out a sigh as she could only take so much quiet. "If you have something to say to me, then say it."

John looked up, surprised at Bianca's slight straightforwardness, and then looked back down at his plate again. Bianca gazed at him expectantly. "So.." He started awkwardly. "Did you think about it yet?"

Bianca shook her head and smiled. She knew that was what John wanted to talk about. She shook her head. "No. I'm not going to marry you."

Although he was still rejected, John relaxed. At least she's calm about it. There was still time for him to change her mind. "Why not?"

Bianca smiled at his persistence. They could argue all day about this if they had to. "Because," she started, matter-of-factly, "getting married is a sacred thing. There are a lot of marriages that don't work out. And I'd like to be married only once, thank you very much."

"And our pinky promise wasn't sacred?" John challenged, raising an eyebrow at her.

"No," Bianca retorted. "It was childish. John, you're being childish. You can't marry me just because we made a promise that we would. You're supposed to marry someone that you love."

"I love you," he defended. "Don't you love me too?"

Bianca sighed, but smiled softly. "Yes," she admitted, and John's face broke out into a wide grin. "I love you as a friend," she made sure to put emphasis on the last word and laughed as John's grin slightly wavered.

"Friend or not," John started, "the point is, we love each other. And if we love each other, then we can make it work," he reasoned.

"Whatever you say, Cena," Bianca waved him off, taking a sip out of her drink. "Whatever you say."

"So you'll marry me?" John asked with anticipation, taking Bianca's last words as a positive answer.

"I'll think about it," Bianca replied smartly. John ginned, showing his dimples; it wasn't a yes, but it definitely wasn't a no either. Satisfied with Bianca's answer, he finally dropped the subject, and the two friends ate and talked in peace.

After dinner was over, John drove Bianca back to her condo and walked her to her room. "Before I forget," John started once they stopped at the front of her door. He fished into his back pocket and pulled out a ticket. "RAW is tomorrow, and I figured you'd want to catch it," he explained, handing the ticket to her.

Bianca gratefully took the ticket and examined it, her eyes widening with realization. "Backstage VIP?" She looked up at John, then back down at the ticket to make sure that she had read correctly. John simply smiled and nodded, and Bianca moved forward to give him an appreciative hug. "Thank you." She was never able to catch a live show before, and now here she was with a backstage pass. Not only would she get to see what it was like behind the scenes, but she would also get to meet her favorite wrestlers.

"Any time, Binx," John said as he hugged her back. He pulled away slowly and smiled down at her, leaning forward to place a soft kiss on her forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Definitely," Bianca beamed, clutching the ticket in her hand as she watched John walk away. What started off as a bad day had somehow turned into something much better, and now she could only wait in anticipation for the next day to come.

--

Author's Note: You know what to do.. Read and Review!