I will warn you ahead of time, all problems are not solved in this chapter, but some good stuff happens and I think it'll make a number of you very happy :)
I'm attempting to finish writing this story so I can publish the last of it within the next week, two weeks tops...kind of makes me sad to end this story b/c it's like my first child that grew up and actually became successful...granted my other stories were hits, but this one got a pop that I never expected, but I'm very happy with it...
I currently have two story requests that I'm attempting to work on featuring Randy Orton, which is a brand new challenge for me, so any suggestions on how to successfully write Orton as a character (a good guy nonetheless) hook me up, all advice will be taken! Besides that I started the last (honest to God LAST) installment of the Ging and Liz saga, but I've kind of stalled on it...wanted to focus on this story...also in the works and I hope to eventually publish it a Punk/Cena fanfic (Not slash, no worries I'm horrible at writing slash) that I started two months ago and with their recent promos it's kind of brought it back to life...Once something is published I'll let everyone know so that you'll hopefully want to check it out :)
Okay...without further rambling...here is chapter 49! Enjoy! :)
The ceremony wrapped up, but the after party wasn't officially start for another hour leaving Gabby feeling incredibly antsy. Her original plan was to have Colt help her find Punk, but seeing he got very chummy with the red head next to him during the show and quickly disappeared, that plan failed. Gabby took a deep breath deciding to head through the large group of people to find the one person she was looking for, but before she could get far Adam and Beth found her.
"Hey Gab, you ready to head to the after party?" Gabby's smile faltered slightly as she realized she'd have to wait to find Punk, but nodded following the couple to the car. As Gabby sat in the back of the car, once again ignoring the mushiness of the couple beside her, she glanced out the window spotting Punk just as they were pulling away.
"Damnit!" Adam looked at his sister wondering what her problem was.
"What is it Gab?"
"Nothing…just my luck is all…" Beth placed her hand on Gabby's arm giving it a reassuring squeeze before leaning close and speaking in a hushed tone.
"It's okay, remember he's going the same place we are…this will all work out Gabby…" Gabby turned to Beth giving her a small smile, which made Adam suspicious.
"What's going on with you two? Like what's up with the whispering?"
"It's nothing Adam, just girl talk…" Beth replied giving him a smile, but Adam wasn't buying it.
"Is this about Punk? Gabby I'm not going to tell you what to do, but I think you should stay away from him. I saw the state you were in earlier, it's not good to be with someone who makes you feel that way." Gabby was taken back by what he said and hoped that the possibility of her getting involved with Punk again wasn't going to send her brother off the deep end. They'd just gotten their relationship back on track, the last thing she wanted was for him to flip out again.
"Adam this afternoon wasn't what you thought…Punk didn't do anything wrong…"
"Gabby he must have done or said something to upset you…"
"This afternoon I was upset, I wanted to blame everything on Punk, but I realized it's not just him that's making me miserable, it's me."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"I hate where I am right now, I'm not happy and I haven't done anything about it. It's too damn hot here, my hair is constantly frizzing and my job is so so. Granted I'm blessed to be able to write for a living, but I'm not challenged. I should've never stayed in Atlanta, but I gave up figuring there was nothing left for me to do. I'm also incredibly tired of pretending I'm over Punk when I'm pretty sure it's clear to everyone that I'm not." Adam reached across Beth's lap taking Gabby's hand and giving it a squeeze.
"I'll support you regardless. I respect that you're 24 years old and fully capable of making your own decisions, but if I ever see you crying like that again, I won't hesitate to knock out the guy who makes you cry." Gabby gave him a smile as he winked at her before letting go of her hand. She took a deep breath knowing that tonight could potentially flip her life upside down, but seeing she didn't have much going on, she hoped it would make a positive impact.
Gabby's antsy mood was elevated from the minute she sat down and she found herself unable to sit still. She alternated from bouncing her leg to clicking her fingernails, constantly checking the entrance hoping she wasn't looking desperate, but she knew she was looking beyond desperate at this point. Gabby checked her phone again and sighed; the after party had been in swing for almost thirty minutes and there wasn't a sign of Punk anywhere. As she began biting her nails, Adam interrupted her bringing a guest to the table.
"Gabby, this is…" Gabby stopped chewing her nails and put on a small smile as she stood to greet the superstar, who she had already been aquainted with earlier in the week.
"Dwayne Johnson, we've met."
"Yes we have, it's nice to see you again Miss Copeland. You look absolutely beautiful this evening, do you mind if I join you?" Gabby shrugged her shoulders thinking maybe having 'The Rock' join their conversation would distract her, keeping her from looking like a stalker. Dwayne sat down next to Gabby handing her a glass of champagne, which she drank in two gulps. She felt herself relax, but continued to glance at the entrance waiting patiently for Punk.
At first the conversation was a welcomed distraction, but gradually Gabby became extremely bored as Dwayne shared his stories of Hollywood, trying to crack the occasional joke which sent everyone else at the table into a uproar while Gabby rolled her eyes. Clearly everyone was trying to make him feel important, but Gabby wasn't having it as she let out a deep yawn and caught site of the WWE Champion she'd been looking for out of the corner of her eye. Even though she'd been waiting to see him, to hopefully talk to him all night, now that she had seen him all dressed up, she couldn't move. She'd always found Punk attractive, but seeing him dressed in a suit made her fantasies run wild; he was the American James Bond and by any means necessary, Gabby was more then willing to be his Bond girl.
Punk had taken his time getting to the after party figuring the longer he'd wait, the drunker everyone would be, which would provide a better source of entertainment for him. It also didn't help that he'd had to track down Colt, who he found in the coat closet with a random red head, which reassured his thoughts that Colt was a horrible date.
Walking into the room, Punk took his time talking to old friends, aquaintances and laughing at his tipsy colleagues. Walking up to the bar, he ordered a Pepsi and caught a glimpse of Gabby sitting at a table with her brother, Beth, Jay, his wife and Dwayne…at first he was annoyed to see the main person he hated sitting next to his girl, but the jealousy faded as he saw her yawning and rolling her eyes. He laughed to himself seeing that clearly Gabby was not impressed with Mr. Hollywood and then debated if he should save her now or just watch her for a while. She looked absolutely beautiful in a dress that suited her prefectly, her short brown hair was curled with one side swept back exposing her neck. Punk chewed his lip ring thinking about her sweet spot located right below her ear, what he wouldn't do to kiss her there again…or anywhere for that matter. In the midst of his gawking, he noticed her staring back with a surprised look on her face and he couldn't determine if it was a good surprise or bad. Turning back to the bar, Punk took a deep breath thinking that it was now or never, if he wanted to get Gabby back, he needed to talk to her now. Besides he figured she wouldn't mind being saved from Dwayne, so she wouldn't turn him down.
Punk loosened his tie and started across the room taking notice that Gabby's eyes hadn't looked away from him. In a way it helped his confidence, she'd seen him and hadn't ran, that was a plus on the day, but she still looked a bit like a deer caught in the headlights.
Gabby's inner thoughts kept telling her to stop staring, close her mouth and walk away, but she was still frozen in place. She'd watched Punk walk from the bar and he was currently heading in her direction…this was really happening, but she still felt the need to pinch herself. Before she could, Dwayne nudged her. Gabby looked away from Punk briefly making eye contact with 'The Great One,' but quickly found her eyes wandering back to Punk as he got closer. The feel of a big, warm hand on hers was the only thing to bring her out of it.
"Hmm…"
"I asked if you'd like to dance…" Gabby tried to smile thinking of a polite way to turn him down, but before she could, Punk was standing by her and she was once again staring into his hazel eyes, slowly finding herself getting lost.
"Actually Dwayne, I think you'll need to take a number because Gabby promised me the first dance." Punk sent her a wink, which made Gabby smile as she felt a giddy school girl feeling wash over her.
"Is that so?" Gabby suddenly noticed Dwayne was wasting his breath talking again and caught site of Jay, Adam, Beth and Denise looking on wondering what was going to happen, which made her laugh even more.
"Ahh…yeah, that is so…sorry Rocky…" Before Gabby could think about moving, she felt Punk's hand take hers pulling her out of her seat. She didn't know how her legs managed to move, especially since her knees had been knocking together, but she was relieved. Punk settled in the middle of the dance floor resting his right hand on her lower back as Gabby placed her left on his shoulder.
When I was younger I saw my daddy cry
and curse at the wind.
He broke his own heart and I watched
as he tried to reassemble it.
There was nowhere to look but at him and she hoped the eventual onset of awkwardness wouldn't ruin the moment. As much as she'd tried to fight her feelings for him, she felt home in his arms, that she couldn't deny as she felt a shiver go down her spine as he moved his hand ever so slightly.
And my momma swore
that she would never let herself forget.
And that was the day that I promised
I'd never sing of love if it does not exist.
Gabby wasn't sure if now was the right time to talk, or if that would ruin the moment. Her mind was telling her to just get it over with, while her heart told her to just go with the flow, there was plenty of time to talk later. Gabby decided to shut down her mind and just give in to her feelings as she moved closer to Punk wrapping both arms around his neck and resting her head on his chest. Taking in his scent she closed her eyes as a smile graced her lips.
But darling,
You are the only exception.
You are the only exception.
You are the only exception.
You are the only exception.
Maybe I know somewhere
deep in my soul
that love never lasts.
And we've got to find other ways
to make it alone.
Or keep a straight face.
And I've always lived like this
keeping a comfortable distance.
And up until now I've sworn to myself
that I'm content with loneliness.
Because none of it was ever worth the risk.
Punk felt like he had stopped breathing as Gabby moved closer to him taking her hand from his and wrapping both arms around his neck, resting her head on his chest. He pulled her closer wrapping both arms around her waist, something he'd wanted to do for months, and kissed the top of her head. There was so much they needed to talk about, work through, but for this one moment he just wanted to keep her in his arms and never let her go.
Well you are the only exception.
You are the only exception.
You are the only exception.
You are the only exception.
You are the only exception.
I've got a tight grip on reality,
but I can't let go of what's in front of me here.
I know you're leaving in the morning
when you wake up.
Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream.
Gabby felt Punk's grip tighten around her waist and prayed the song wouldn't end. Since the day he'd left her at the airport, this was the only thing she had wanted and she couldn't believe that it was happening. Without thinking, Gabby pulled back locking her blue eyes with Punk's hazel ones and made the irrational decision to kiss him. What started out as a simple peck, turned into a moment of passion as Punk returned the kiss and Gabby welcomed his tongue into her mouth. She'd only dreamt of kissing Punk like that as of late and to actually do it gave her heart the upper hand winning over her inner thoughts.
You are the only exception.
You are the only exception.
You are the only exception.
You are the only exception.
You are the only exception.
You are the only exception.
You are the only exception.
You are the only exception.
And I'm on my way to believing.
Oh, and I'm on my way to believing.
As the song ended and the DJ turned on something fast paced, the dance floor became overly crowded forcing Punk to take Gabby's hand leading her to the coat closet. He didn't know what had just happened, granted he liked it, but he had no idea what it meant. Was she still in love with him, or was it a moment of weakness? Regardless he needed answers; if there was any hope of him focusing on his main event Wrestlemania match, he needed to sort things out now.
Gabby could tell by the look on Punk's face that he wanted to talk to her about what had just happened, but that's not what she wanted. Granted he deserved answers, and so did she, but for now she wanted to end the evening on a positive note. Thinking of their dance, his scent, those eyes and that kiss…especially that kiss.
"Gabby, we need to talk about a few things even though honestly I don't know where to begin."
"Then don't…"
"Don't what?"
"Don't start…" Gabby walked over to Punk taking his tattooed hands in hers. "We both owe each other an explanation, and there's a lot to sort through, but for tonight I don't want to bring up the past. When I think back on this night, all I want to remember is you in a suit…" A smirk graced Gabby's lips before she continued, "that kiss isn't exactly forgettable either…" Punk couldn't resist smirking as well getting the feeling that she didn't regret what had just happened, but he still thought things needed to be sorted out now.
"Gab I understand where you're coming from, but I still think we should talk things through…" Gabby placed a finger over his lips before shaking her head.
"Tomorrow after the show we'll talk and figure out where we stand. Until then you need to focus on beating John Cena and that jabroni that considers himself a comedic genius. I thought he just acted like an idiot, but he really is one." Punk couldn't resist letting out a laugh, but not before taking notice of the bright smile on Gabby's face, the exact smile he'd fallen in love with.
Before he could respond to her offer, Gabby pressed a kiss to his cheek, near the corner of his mouth, before pulling away. "You should get some sleep so you're well rested tomorrow. I'll be there, cheering you on, and after we'll figure things out…" Gabby turned to leave the room, but stopped at the door looking over her shoulder, "Good night Punk…"
"Good night Gabby…" Punk watched her leave and shook his head. As much as she thought it would help him focus on his match if they talked later, his thoughts were running rampant and they were all about Gabby.
Forgot to mention I threw in another song to this chapter b/c I liked how Snow Patrol and Kelly Clarkson added to my previous chapters...plus they're supposed to be dancing, so the idea of music is a must...Gracias to Paramore for writing the beautiful song "The Only Exception"...I found it fitting and I really dig that song and the band...any band with a female lead singer is an A+ in my book :)
Chapter 50 Preview (Holy Cow, up to 50!): While Gabby is overjoyed and can't stop thinking about the happenings of the Hall of Fame as well as what's to come, Punk finds it to be a huge distraction...Will he be able to clear his head and focus on his main event match against Cena and The Rock?
AN: This is random, but everyone keeps saying all storylines point to another Rock vs Cena at Wrestlemania 29, which I do not want...I didn't think the first one was that fantastic, so I don't care to watch the sequal...However, a 3 way dance w/ Punk, Rock & Cena would be legit, which means creative will never make it happen ;/
Anyone who is ordering Night of Champions tomorrow, enjoy it! I know I will :) My apologies for all the rambling, but feel free to review! :)