So the plan was to hold off updating until the weekend, but I've been offered tickets to the Pirates vs Cubs game Sat and I'm taking it :) (Keep it mind I'll be working a Pirates shirt b/c it's in Pittsburgh, but I'll secretly be cheering on the Cubs...love the under dogs :D)
Anyway, jumped forward this chapter and got right down to some Wrestlemania action (my dream Wrestlemania mind you)...
Thanks so much for the reviews last chapter, love getting them...
Gabby looked at herself in the mirror flipping back and forth between two blouses. While she was looking for something professional, she wanted to look fun and flirty too; it was never a bad thing to mix the looks together. Besides looking fun and flirty would give off the vibe to others that she was perfectly content even though it couldn't be further from the truth. Granted she was beyond the miserable mood she'd experienced during her first month in Atlanta, but she still wasn't happy. Her job was a good one and she poured her heart into every column, but Atlanta didn't seem to offer anything else worth while, which drove her to keep going so that she could succeed with her two year plan and live happily ever after in New York.
The past month she'd spent every waking hour working on her column and researching for her Wrestlemania feature. The week long event would be kicking off bright and early Tuesday morning and Gabby had convinced herself she was ready. Her itinerary was jam packed with superstar interviews, plus she wanted to interact with the WWE Universe as much as possible. She'd also planned a sit down interview with the McMahon family, which could be nerve racking for anyone, especially a young writer, but the day she was dreading was Saturday. Her last interview of the week was with the WWE champion and she wasn't looking forward to coming face to face with Phil Brooks at all, even though it happened on a nightly basis. Ever since finding out she'd been selected to write the feature, she'd had nightly dreams about Punk. Some he'd come in and sweep her off her feet leading them into a happy ever after scenario, while others had him turning his back on her again. They left her feeling confused and torn, but the only relief was she wouldn't have to worry about him through the week.
Upon picking out her outfit, she grabbed a random T-shirt and yoga pants from her pajama drawer only to sigh upon realizing it was one of Punk's T-shirts. When Kat and Carla had brought down her things from Chicago, she'd discovered there were quite a few things that were Punk's mixed in with her stuff and she wasn't sure if it was truly accidental or if her friends had done it on purpose. Most of it she'd gotten rid of or gave back, but she'd some how missed his Cubs T-shirt. Gabby debated for a minute if she should put it on or toss it aside, but a knock at the door had her throwing it on.
Beth and Adam greeted her with a smile, but luckily everyone was so exhausted they went to bed rather then catching up. Gabby curled up in bed with Mr. Bear and took a deep breath. Wrestlemania week could make or break her career, but she was determined to succeed. It was no secret to her that Vince McMahon had been told about her by a certain champion, but that wasn't going to stop her from showing him just what she had to offer, that she was worth every penny he'd comped on her, but mostly she wanted to show Punk she was okay without him…even if it was a lie.
Adam was up early the next morning making pancakes for breakfast while chatting with Beth about their schedules for the week when Gabby emerged looking a little frantic, but trying her best to play it off.
"Hey good morning Gab, you ready to go for your first day in the crazy WWE world?" Gabby sat at the breakfast bar giving her brother a small smile.
"I…ahhh…yeah I'm totally ready…do I seem like I'm not?" Adam pursed his lips before quickly shaking his head hoping his sister wouldn't pick up on his blatant lie.
"Nah, you look like you were born ready for this! The wardrobe choice is great, that frilly shirt looks fantastic on you. What color is that, salmon?" Gabby felt her herself relax a little as she raised her eyebrow at her brother.
"Nice try Adam, but I know you're lying. It's okay though, as long as I have my game face on when I walk into Axxess then I'll be fine…"
"That's a great attitude to have, now let's get you some breakfast. I couldn't find any chocolate chips, but figured you'd be perfectly content with blueberry pancakes." Gabby's smile faltered slightly as she remembered blueberry pancakes were Punk's favorite, but she quickly shook the thought out of her head mentally slapping herself. This is not about him Gabby…this is about you showing him and everyone else that you can do this…you're an ass kicker…maybe not, but you're a damn good reporter!
"Thanks for the gesture Adam, but I'm going to head out. I need to stop by the office and take care of a few things before heading over to Axxess, but I'll see you there at ten right?"
"Yes, I will be there, wouldn't miss it for the world." Gabby gave him a smile before blowing him a kiss and waving goodbye to Beth. As long as Adam was in the same room she knew she'd be fine, he had a way of keeping her calm even if he was across the room. Getting in the car and starting her early morning drive, she reminded herself that she was doing this for her and she couldn't risk messing up.
Punk had just showered after an early morning run and was getting dressed for day one of meeting the WWE Universe. Besides being busy with Axxess, he had a ton of press to do with the opening press conference, a few phoners and some stuff before his evening meet and greet with the fans. As much as he wanted to see Gabby, even if it was across the room, he doubted it would happen today. She'd be long gone by the time he hit Axxess at 7PM, but it was possible he could catch a glance of her at the press conference. Their sit down interview wasn't until Saturday afternoon and even though there were a number of other things he should be worrying about, mostly his match with The Rock and John Cena, he'd been thinking about what to say when they finally saw each other. He was determined to get her back and possibly have her as his date to the Hall of Fame ceremony and after party, but he had to say and do the right things before that could happen. Once he was dressed he put in a quick call to his newly hired assistant Celeste to see if she'd managed to accomplish her short to do list, and to remind her to grab him a coffee.
"Good morning Mr. Brooks."
"Celeste you've been working for me for almost a month now, how many times do I have to remind you to please call me Phil, or Punk; anything but Mr. Brooks! Mr. Brooks is my father, I'm not that old yet!"
"My apologies Phil, it's a habit…anyway what can I do for you?"
"I was just checking in to see if you'd managed to take care of those little tasks I asked you to do."
"Yes, everything is done…also I'm picking up your coffee as we speak." Punk smiled to himself wondering why he hadn't gotten an assistant years ago.
"Way to be one step ahead Celeste! Anyway I'll meet you in the lobby in fifteen minutes and then we're headed to the press conference."
"Sounds great Mr…Phil…" Punk shook his head as he hung up the phone and grabbed his bag that held the coveted championship title. As he left the room, he couldn't help but smile knowing that for the first time in three months he and Gabby were in the same city and were about to be in the same room. He was determined to get her to forgive him because when it came down to it he couldn't live without her, or at least he really didn't want to.
Gabby was running late after the line at Starbucks was longer then expected. It hadn't helped that the WWE personnel were jumping the line picking up coffee for their oh so important clients, which brought Gabby to roll her eyes. After getting her caramel frappachino with an extra shot of anything and everything, she went into energizer bunny mode knowing she was going to be on the go until at least 10PM. Kicking off her day was the official Wrestlemania press conference, followed by some planned fan interviews at Axxess as well as photo ops, a quick lunch, a late afternoon interview with John Cena and she was going to make an attempt to wrap up her day with another stop at Axxess to check out the WWE '13 video game tournament that superstars played in for the chance to win money for their favorite charity.
Gabby ran through the halls smiling and giving quick replies to "good mornings" but stopped everything when she got to her office. Sitting on her desk was a huge bouquet of sunflowers that made her smile. Assuming they were from Adam, Beth and her mom, she was taken by surprise upon reading the card and immediately felt the need to remove them from her office. Gabby, Good luck this week, I know you'll do great and I'm looking forward to seeing you Saturday for our one-on-one, just try to be nice and don't make me think too much. Punk
Gabby let out a sigh plopping down in her chair forgetting what she even came to the office for, instead all of her thoughts went to Punk and the flowers before her. Was he messing with her on purpose? Gabby don't be silly…he's trying to be nice…I just wish he wouldn't try at all! A knock at her door brought her back to reality and she saw Josh, the photographer assigned to work with her, standing with equipment in hand.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"Huh…yeah I'm good! Are you ready to go? Today is going to be a doozy…"
"Bring it on! I've been looking forward to this for the last month and a half since Joe assigned me." Gabby looked at Josh wanting to ask him a question, but based on his excitement, she knew the answer.
"Are you a big WWE fan?"
"Yeah! I've wanted to go to Wrestlemania since I was a kid and now I get to go, ride VIP and I'm hanging out with Edge's sister!" Gabby rolled her eyes, but smirked a little.
"Please call him Adam when you meet him today, that's what he prefers." Josh's eyes got wide as a big smile broke out on his face.
"Wait, I'm going to get to meet your brother today?"
"Well yeah, he'll be at Axxess, in fact he's hanging out with us a lot this week."
"Oh wow, this is awesome…oh wait, I'm sorry for my immaturity, but this is a great opportunity for me."
"No need to apologize, I get it Josh. This is the big time for both of us, so we need to show everyone around here and the WWE that we can do this on our own…"
"Yeah…anyway I know our schedule is super busy today, but I wanted to see if you would be interested in grabbing lunch together. I know of a small café near the arena where I know the owner and he promised to have our lunch ready in advance so we have plenty of time to enjoy it…I mean if that's okay with you…" Gabby smiled feeling flattered by the invitation. Even though she worked with a lot of attractive men, she hadn't even thought about dating, but with the opportunity presented to her, she couldn't refuse.
"Actually that sounds great…thanks for thinking about me Josh." Gabby gave him a big smile getting one from him in return before she noticed the time. "Shit! It's almost 8:30, the press conference starts at 9…we've got to go now!" Josh nodded jumping into action as Gabby grabbed a few papers off her desk and hurried out the door to follow him.
Chapt 45 Preview: Wrestlemania press conference brings about some interesting moments including a speechless WWE champ and Gabby plays off their break-up as mutual...Look for an update Sunday, Monday at the latest :)