I took a deep breath and closed my eyes as the plane to Vegas took off down the tarmac. I was meeting my best friend Brandi there so I could pack Jon's apartment into his Bronco and drive back to Texas. He was in Europe for his first overseas tour. It had been a little over a month since the photos first leaked and, knock on wood, no more had leaked since then. He'd had Amanda and Blake drive me to the airport today. And every day that he wasn't home, one of them came to check on me and make sure my stalker hadn't shown up to chop me into bits.
I hated the sensation of taking off. I'd gotten slightly more accustomed to flying; I was never nervous at all anymore. Not since that first time when I'd met the love of my life. I smiled, my eyes still closed as I thought of the day we met, on the Southwest flight with the same destination; Dallas to Vegas, non-stop. Ironically enough, I boarded at the same gate. I had texted him to tell him but got no response. I didn't really expect one, as Texas was at least six hours behind where his show was that day. I breathed a sigh of relief as the plane leveled out, finally in the air. I opened my eyes slowly and took in the great state below me as the buildings and trees got smaller and smaller, cars now tiny specks on the highways below.
I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong across the pond, though. There was something just nagging me to death. Ever since our privacy had been invaded, my anxiety had been through the roof. I would call Jon when I landed; hoping maybe hearing his voice would soothe and calm my nervous mind. I looked forward to sleeping in his bed. I hoped that even though he hadn't been home in weeks, it might still smell like him. The flight was over before I knew it and after about a half an hour of waiting, we pulled up to our unloading gate. In no time I was heading down the escalator to baggage claim.
It was comforting to say the least when I got to the bottom of the escalator and Brandi was waiting for me at baggage claim. She was clad in a red and black plaid tunic, black leggings, and strappy studded combat boots, her fresh blonde and caramel brown braids twisted up on top of her head in two buns. Her makeup was on point, as always, so smoothly applied that you'd think she was airbrushed. I walked quickly to her and hugged her tightly, feeling my anxiety subside a bit.
"I was beginning to wonder. Your luggage got here before you did." she gestured to my bag that was at her side. I laughed, shaking my head.
"We had to wait for a gate. I guess they unloaded our luggage while we waited. At least you were here to get it," I replied. I took my luggage by the handle and fished my phone out of my purse, heading for the exit. I turned airplane mode off waiting for it to explode with text messages; hoping for one from Jon. To my dismay, only two came through; one from Brandi telling me she was waiting and another one from Amanda telling me to let her know when I got to Vegas safely. I hit reply on her message and sent a message letting her know I had made it safely and was on my way to Jon's apartment.
"You're probably right. Alright, let's go get some grub and head to the apartment," Brandi led me out to the parking lot where her green Toyota Camry was parked. She had driven the seven long hours to meet me in Vegas instead of flying; she said she could use a road trip, even if she had to drive alone.
"We should probably stop and get some trash bags and cleaning supplies too. I have no idea what we're walking into," I said.
She nodded. "Definitely GPS a dollar store or something,"
We stopped first to get the cleaning supplies and garbage bags. There were supposed to be boxes and packing tape at the apartment if we needed them, but Jon didn't think we would. I had been given one strict instruction; the coffee pot was to be strapped into the harness and ride all the way to Texas that way. I think coffee and wrestling were the only things he loved more than he loved me. And right after me was Wendy's chicken nuggets.
Brandi pulled up to the gated complex and punched in the code Jon had given us to enter. We parked in a guest parking spot as I spied his Bronco right away; backed into the spot in front of the stone stairway to his place. I fished his key out of my wallet before grabbing my luggage out of the back seat and making my way up the stairs with Brandi behind me. I unlocked the locks carefully and entered the dark apartment. I fumbled around for a light switch, fully prepared for a disaster area when the lights came on.
The apartment was as empty as Jon had described it, the white walls completely barren except for a large poster of him from his days in Florida that WWE had framed and sent to him. It was hung very crookedly on a too small nail. How it hadn't fallen, I wasn't entirely sure. There were all of the standard appliances in the kitchen. The counter tops were littered with unopened mail, protein powder canisters, fast food bags and take out boxes stacked three and four high.
"This place reeks. How does he sleep here?" Brandi asked. She fished a can of air freshener out of one of the dollar store sacks and sprayed it in the kitchen area.
"No idea, but we've got to get rid of these fast food boxes first. I'm sure that's what smells," I spoke as I opened the box of trash bags, taking a few bags out before opening one and started tossing the take out trash into it immediately.
"You do that. I'm gonna light a candle… Or twelve," Brandi replied.
I bagged the trash quickly and unlocked the sliding glass door, sitting it on the balcony so we could take it out later with the rest of the trash we were sure to find. After we cleared all the trash off, Brandi began scrubbing the counters while I started packing all of his coffee mugs and his coffee maker carefully into a box and surrounded it all with bubble wrap and packing peanuts that were already inside. In black letters on the outside in Jon's scratchy writing were the words "COFFEE POT AND MUGS – FRAGILE – HANDLE WITH EXTREME CAUTION BABE. I LOVE YOU".
I laughed out loud, causing Brandi to look up at me from her scrub job. I gestured to the box.
"He uh, he prepared a box for his coffee pot," I said through my laughter.
"He's cute. Weird, but cute. Damn coffee fiend," she said with a shake of her head.
"He is adorable… and sweet...I love him," I said. I taped the box shut and sat it by the door moving on to the closet in the living room. There wasn't much there except for a few jackets, boots, and some unused luggage. I packed the clothing and boots into the suitcases and moved them next to Jon's precious cargo.
Brandi and I worked hard for the next hour until we were done. Jon hadn't been exaggerating when he said he didn't own much. We collapsed into his bed, both exhausted from traveling and cleaning.
"You heard from him yet?" Brandi asked.
"No and it worries me. I mean, he does have a dinosaur-ish phone. He may not have service over there. I just really miss him. I'm not used to going to bed without talking to him," I told her.
"You've got it so bad," she laughed and patted my arm, "but you'll be okay. I know it probably sucks. Just get some rest. Maybe when you wake up he'll be in a better service area and he can call."
I sighed and nodded. "You're right. I'm beat. Let's get some shut eye."
I turned over onto my side and hugged Jon's pillow close to my chest, deeply breathing in his scent. I missed him so much, but my exhaustion took over and my eyes fell shut quickly. I woke the next morning to my phone ringing. It was harshly vibrating the makeshift bedside table next to me. I scrambled for it, falling off the mattress onto the floor.
"Hello?!" I answered groggily.
"Babe! I lost my phone! I'm calling from Joe's. Did you make it to Vegas?" Jon asked.
"Yeah baby, I made it. God, I'm so glad to hear your voice. I miss you," I replied, unplugging my phone and quietly slipping out of the bedroom.
"I miss you too. Hey listen, I need you to go get me a phone and put it on your plan. You can bring it to me Monday," Jon said.
"Okay… I can do that. I'll even teach you how to use it and everything," I told him.
"You're a damn good woman. Have I mentioned I love you?" he asked.
I laughed. "Not today," I said.
"I love you. Shit. I gotta go, okay? I'll see you Monday in Philly. I love you," Jon hung up before I could respond.
I looked at the clock on the stove. It was barely after five in the morning and it was still dark outside. The only light came from the strip in the distance. I yawned, hoping I could go back to sleep. I quietly entered the bedroom and got back into the bed trying my hardest not to wake Brandi, but she was already awake.
"Was that Jon Boy?" she asked.
"It was. He lost his phone so he called from Joe's. I've gotta go get him a phone tomorrow and take it with me on Monday," I replied.
"Did he at least erase all of those photos?" she asked.
"Yeah, they're all gone. We deleted them after the first pictures leaked. I think I'm gonna get him an iPhone so we can FaceTime and such, ya know?"
Brandi nodded. "You gonna go back to sleep?" she asked.
"Doubt it. You?"
"Nope."
We decided to go ahead and get up and start packing the truck before the sun came up. According to our phones, we had roughly two hours before that happened. I suggested a quick breakfast before we got started. I had noticed a small diner on the way in. It was about a mile up the road and recalled Jon mentioning it as one of his favorite places to get an omelet when he was at home. We quickly dressed and headed out.
We ate our breakfast, making small talk and laughing as we did. I told Brandi about how Jon had completely forgotten his own birthday and had nearly forgotten Christmas as well. I told her how he was my first ever New Year's Kiss; I had fallen asleep and he knew I'd never had one, so he woke me up at 11:59 to make sure I got my kiss. I could tell by the little things that he did that he really meant what he said. He really did love me.
Seeing Brandi become slightly uncomfortable with all my mushy lovey-dovey talk, I changed the subject to finding an AT&T store close by after we were done packing the Bronco.
"So do you think it was Colby?" Brandi asked referring to Jon's stolen phone.
"I don't know. Maybe. I mean, at least he's the one that usually returns it," I laughed.
"Have you mentioned it to Jon yet?"
I shook my head. "I don't want to point fingers. I've said that it's odd that Colby always returns it, but his comeback was that regardless of the fact that Colby's an annoying little shit, they're brothers and Colby is just being a good friend," I told her.
Brandi sighed and shook her head. "I just hope nothing else gets leaked out. For you guys sake," she said.
"Yeah. Me too. You done?" I asked.
Brandi nodded and slid out of the booth. We made our way to the register as I took a twenty out of the envelope Jon had stuffed with cash for my trip. I handed the cashier the bill and we headed back out to Brandi's car. After a quick pit stop for a few bottles of water to get us through our packing, we finally made it back to Jon's apartment. It was just barely after seven now, the sun was bright and blindingly shining over us. The morning was still cool and crisp. It felt more like fall than winter in the desert, but I had no complaints. It would be great weather for packing a truck.
Once inside, we immediately got to work, starting with his coffee maker box that I carefully carried down the stairs and placed in the front seat, making sure to strap it in per his instructions. I locked the front of the truck up and shut the heavy door. Brandi had followed, carrying the large picture frame that hosted Jon's promotional photo from FCW and slid it into the bed of the Bronco. We had found the plastic bubble wrap and box it had been shipped to him in; the box was far beyond use but the bubble wrap was salvageable. We had re-wrapped the photo for safe traveling, all whilst Brandi teased me about how well it would match my décor in my apartment back home.
"Alright. Back upstairs… Shit, we're gonna get a workout today," I said.
"Yeah, no shit," Brandi replied as we traipsed back up the stone steps. Once we reached the top, I noticed Jon's apartment door had been left slightly opened. I'd have to make sure we shut it behind us this time. I didn't want any stray critters getting in; Jon had warned me about the scorpions and lizards that would get in from time to time. I didn't do well with small rodents or reptiles. I pushed open the door and grabbed another box, sitting it outside the front door. Brandi did the same.
"I've gotta pee before we go back out. I'll be right back," she told me.
I nodded, pulling my hair back into a ponytail. "Go ahead," I replied.
Brandi's footsteps padded down the hall as I played with my ponytail in the reflection of a mirror the apartment came furnished with, trying to get the bumps and lumps out of it.
"Mich, I think you left the water running this morn-" Brandi's sentence ended with a shrill scream and then I heard a loud smack; something that sounded like a fist colliding with a jaw.
"OW! What the fuck!?" a deep male voice bellowed. I could feel my entire body start to tremble. Was my stalker in the apartment? Was I about to die?
"Who the fuck are you and what are you doing in Jon's apartment?! Fuck! Mich! Call the cops!" Brandi yelled as she ran down the hall toward me. A large, muscular man clad in jeans, a red buffalo plaid shirt on over a black v-neck and black biker boots followed her down the hall. My breath caught in my chest in fear. He was taller than Jon and much broader in the shoulders; he had to be almost seven foot tall.
"No, no! Don't do that! Fuck! Jon sent me. Look. He texted me like two days ago and asked me to help you girls pack his truck. He even told me where his spare key was. Swear to God. Please don't call the cops," the big man said, holding up his phone with one hand, his other pressed to his jaw where Brandi's fist had collided with his face.
Brandi took the phone as I stood next to her to read the texts. Sure enough, Jon had texted the big man and asked him to help us. I just wished that he had told me he was sending someone to help so we wouldn't have been so caught off guard. I especially wished he hadn't told this guy where the spare key was so he could just let himself in. I learned from the texts that the guy's name was Tom and he worked with Jon's company in the developmental territory, NXT. He was in Vegas for the week and when Jon had contacted him to ask if he could come help us for a bit, he'd agreed.
Brandi handed his phone back to him carefully. "Here ya go, Tom."
"Thanks and uh… You can both call me Tommy, if you'd like."
"Tommy it is then," Brandi spoke for the both of us as she tried to hold back a smirk.
He nodded and tried to hide fact that he was staring a hole through her before he spoke again.
"So uh, since you jaw-jacked me, can I get some ice?" he asked with a slight laugh. He looked Brandi over again, taking in every bit of her from head to toe. He was a bit weary though; she had a mean accidental right hook. Her cheeks flushed pink as she nodded, walking away to the kitchen. Luckily Jon had ice packs galore stashed in his freezer. She handed him one and took one for her own fist.
I noticed the big man's voice soften as he asked Brandi if she was okay.
"I'm fine but you scared the shit out of me," she replied.
"Listen. I'm really, really sorry. I figured Jon would've told you guys I was coming," Tommy told her.
"No, he didn't. He lost his phone," Brandi answered.
"Explains why he never told me you guys were here. Are you sure you're okay?" he asked her again.
"Fine, really."
I watched them from the living room, careful not to interrupt. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. He looked at her like she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. And was he ever her type; tall, dark hair, dark eyes, and covered in tattoos. He had a strong build and a nice, deep voice. I had a feeling this wasn't the last time I'd see Tommy.
"I guess we better go get this truck loaded," he said after they spent a few minutes icing their wounds.
"Guess so," Brandi tossed her ice pack back into the freezer and exited the kitchen, shaking her hand out.
I gave her a small smirk. We'd have to chat later.
"No," she spoke with a chuckling lilt, shaking her head.
I laughed and picked up a box. She was totally into him whether she wanted to admit it or not. And judging by the way he looked at her, he was into her too.
After about an hour, the truck was completely packed. We were all sitting on the stone steps chatting about wrestling; though I have to admit, Brandi and Tommy had done most of the talking while I just sat and listened. After a while, it got too hot to sit outside. Brandi and I had a hotel booked for the night so we could be well rested before heading back to our homes the next morning. After handing the keys in to the office and checking twice to make sure we hadn't forgotten anything, we headed to the hotel. Brandi got into her car and I into the Bronco and we started down the highway to the hotel where we had stayed before; Tommy passed us quickly on his motorcycle, taking off to get back to his vacation.
We parked in a gated garage across from the hotel and walked across the street to get checked in. Brandi and I had both agreed on a nap before we decided to do anything out on the town that evening; packing a truck and moving was exhausting.
Our room this time was much smaller than the last; we didn't have a large suite to stay in. Instead, it was a regular room with two queen beds covered in red and gold comforters that matched the draperies over the windows. The floor was carpeted, the same color red and gold as the blanket and curtains. There was a flatscreen TV that sat atop a dresser, a mini fridge and microwave on a table next to the dresser, along with a small dinner table. The bathroom was quite spacious with a large shower and Jacuzzi tub; I for one looked forward to relaxing in that later in the evening. I laid my bag on the floor and sprawled onto one of the beds, sinking into the soft mattress and pillows as the bed seemingly wrapped itself around every dip and curve on my body. I remembered our previous trip to Vegas and how much I loved the beds at this hotel then. Brandi too sank into her bed, letting out a loud groan.
"I forgot how comfy these beds were until I just laid down," she said.
"Me too," I laughed. I rubbed my face and took a glance at the clock on my phone. It was only 2:30. We had plenty of time to nap before the night started.
"So what time do you want to get up?" I asked Brandi, pulling up my alarm.
"Hmm, maybe like four?" she suggested, snuggling down into the blankets on her bed.
I set my alarm and laid the phone on the bedside table, turning over on my side to nap. I heard a loud sigh from the bed next to me just as my eyes began to close. I giggled softly. This was a perfect opportunity to pick my best friend's brain and give her shit about having an instant crush.
"Thinking about the big biker man?" I asked.
"No!" Brandi replied swiftly.
I giggled again and turned to face her. "You so are! You're blushing!" I pointed out.
Brandi pulled the cover over her head and let out a long, howling 'no'. I could tell she was into him with the way she stared at him, listening attentively when he spoke. He seemed to be into her too, watching her every move; he made sure to walk just a bit behind her when we went back and forth from the apartment to the truck, watching her hips sway when she walked.
"He's… He's beautiful, Mich. Like damn," Brandi admitted, finally pulling the blanket down from over her head.
"Aww, you have your own personal creep-boy now," I said, laughing, "It's cute."
Brandi shook her head. Granted, it was a little odd that she was overwhelmingly attracted to the guy that she had punched in the face just hours before. She was just being a defensive best friend; for all we knew Tommy was my stalker.
"Think he'll forgive me for punching him in the jaw?" she asked.
I laughed and nodded. "If you saw how he looked at you, yeah. He'll forgive you. He was practically watching your every move. Did you notice how when you'd pick up a heavy box he'd rush to take it from you? Then here I come pulling the mattress and he just lets me go with it. I almost fell down the steps like eight times," I said.
"He did not rush to my side," Brandi rolled her eyes, still blushing.
"He so did. How's your hand?" I asked.
"Hurts like a bitch. I think I need more ice. Go with me?" she replied.
I nodded and threw the cover off of me, swinging my legs out over the side of the bed and stretching before I got up; napping would've been great, but it wasn't happening. Brandi grabbed the bucket off the bathroom counter and a room key before we headed out. We padded down the hall chattering about the moving session that morning; which mostly consisted of me picking on her about Tommy. We rounded the corner into the tiny room that contained the ice and vending machines. We were immediately met by none other than the near-seven-foot-tall biker that had helped us move earlier in the day. I smirked at Brandi and pretended to browse the snack options in the vending machines as he started a conversation with her.
"Oh… Uh, hey, Brandi," Tommy said. I saw him run a hand over his dark hair in the reflection of the snack machine.
"Tommy," she replied coyly.
"How's the hand?" he asked her.
"Hurts like hell. How's your jaw?"
"Hurts like hell. You guys are staying here too?" he asked.
Brandi nodded.
"You got plans tonight?" he asked. I saw her glance at me in the reflection of the plexiglass and shook my head. Our plans could wait. I could fly her out to Dallas any time and we could hang out. It wasn't every day she found a decent guy she was truly interested in that was specifically her type. I could spend the afternoon getting Jon's new phone and doing a little shopping. I'd be just fine if she wanted to go on a date with biker boy.
"No, not at all," she replied.
"Can… I take you to dinner?" he offered.
I smiled. I was excited for my friend.
Brandi smiled broadly, "Yeah. Yeah, I'd really like that. I'm in room 354, if you wanna come by and pick me up later," she responded.
I had to really try to keep myself from squealing in excitement. That would have to wait until we got into the room away from Tommy. I was sure B didn't want him to hear us acting like teenage girls.
"I'll be there at 8," Tommy smiled and exited the room with his bucket of ice, presumably for his jaw.
Once we were certain he was gone, we took a second to freak out a bit.
"Aw hell, I've gotta go get ready. It's going to take me forever," Brandi hurried out of the vending room and down the hall to the elevator, pressing the down button furiously.
"B, it's not gonna come any faster no matter how many times you push it," I laughed.
Brandi shot me a dirty look and went back to pushing the button quickly.
"At this rate we could have already been back in our room if we'd taken the stairs," I said.
"No kidding," she replied. The elevator finally dinged and opened its doors for us to enter. We stepped inside and she began wracking her brain as to what she would wear on her date. She hadn't really packed anything appropriate, so a quick shopping trip was in order. I searched the internet for the closest mall and found that one of the hotels a few blocks away had a Forever 21 inside. We hopped into her car and sped off down the strip. We looked for the closest parking spot possible and practically sprinted to Forever 21. Luckily it wasn't too far of a run for us.
"God, I hope they have something I can wear," Brandi said as she began shuffling through the clearance racks.
"Where are you guys even going?" I asked, moving to the next rack; with both of us looking maybe we'd find something quicker. Brandi threw up her hands and shrugged.
"Hell if I know. He didn't say. But he's a biker, so I need to look like I fit with him. Ooh! Slipknot tee, all slashed up too," Brandi held up a cut up, faded band tee. The back had slashes all the way from the neck to the bottom hem, the neck cut to widen the top so that it would hang off the shoulder, and the sleeves completely gone. It was faded and had tiny holes in it so that it truly looked vintage and it was clearance to boot.
"Your size?" I asked.
"Yup. So I've got a top, done. I have my black skinnies in my bag. I need something to go over this and a pair of shoes," Brandi replied.
I held up a pair of black moto boots that had been sitting on top of the rounder.
"What size?" she asked.
"Yours, they're a ten," I replied.
"I know they'll fit then. Get 'em. Oh, and this," Brandi slipped on a black faux leather jacket with studded shoulders and silver zippers over her t-shirt and did a turn. She was going to look so amazing for her date with Tommy.
"That's banging, dude. I love it," I said.
"Then we're done. Let's go, because it's gonna take me like two hours to get my face on," she exaggerated.
We ran into a bit of traffic getting back but not enough to delay Brandi's process. She quickly showered and started priming her face; after her foundation was evenly applied she began working on her eyes, firstly applying a line of deep black liquid liner, drawing out the ends and giving them a dramatic cat eye effect.
"Wings so sharp they could cut a bitch," I joked.
"Yeah, no shit," Brandi laughed, tediously applying glue to a set of fake lashes. I was quiet as she applied them so I wouldn't break her concentration. Our conversation picked back up when she was finished. She curled her new false lashes to her natural ones and finished them off with a thick coat of black mascara, carefully removing any clumps that may have collected.
"Alright. What color lip should I do?" Brandi asked digging in her makeup case. There was a vast array of colors from black to purple to coral. This time, we decided on Heroine by MAC, a nice purple shade with pink undertones.
"Alright, B. Your outfit is hanging on the back of the door. I'm gonna step out and let you get dressed," I told her.
"Thanks boo. Really, thank you. I'd have had a meltdown if I didn't have you," she replied.
I smiled softly and stepped out, closing the door behind me so she could get dressed for her date. I didn't mind being left alone, really. I could probably get Jon to FaceTime me on his iPad I had gotten him for Christmas and make a trip to the AT&T store I'd found when Brandi and I went to the mall to get his new phone. Then when and if Brandi made it in before sunlight, I could hear all about her date. I was genuinely excited for my friend; she had been single as long as or longer than I had. We both gave up at nearly the same time and now here we were with me in a committed relationship and her readying for her first date in many years. Vegas had been a good city for both of us.
Brandi exited the bathroom dressed head to toe in the outfit we had picked out for her date. She looked so badass and beautiful at the same time. She was going to fit right in with Tommy. And I'm sure wherever he took her, they'd fit in with the crowd. She was sure to stand out, though; her beauty was striking and though she didn't see it, everyone around her did. She was gorgeous. I couldn't wait to see Tommy's face when he came to get her.
I didn't have to wait long to see Tommy's reaction; it was nearly 7:30 by the time Brandi was done getting ready and he arrived five minutes early to pick her up, dressed simply in dark washed blue jeans, a black v-neck t-shirt, a destructed customized denim vest and black shit-kicker motorcycle boots completed his outfit.
"Hey Brandi…" He eyed her from head to toe and back up again. "Uh… Mich," Tommy waved, making an effort to be polite.
I nodded and gave a friendly wave in return.
"Hey," Brandi was nervous, I could tell; she joined him in the hallway slowly. She looked unsure of herself but I gave her a small smile, assuring her everything would be just fine. If Jon trusted him, he couldn't be all that bad.
"Bring her home in one piece, Tommy," I instructed.
"Yes ma'am," he replied, and they were gone.
As soon as they were out the door, I readied myself to go pick up Jon's new phone. Along the way I stopped into a few stores, searching for something to wear when I was up north the following week with my boyfriend. It never got cold in Vegas, but I wanted to have a nice outfit in case we decided to go out with any of his coworkers. Part of me wanted to find something ultra sexy to wear for Jon, but he honestly couldn't care less about lingerie or if my bra and panties matched. He once told me that the sexiest he had ever seen me was in a t-shirt of his and my underwear. He could barely keep his hands off of me that night.
Once back in the room, I checked the time in Scotland and sent a FaceTime request to Jon's iPad. After a few rings, he finally picked up, clearly fresh out of the shower. He was in his hotel room, his hair soaked and matted to his head. He looked absolutely exhausted and I hated it because I knew he didn't sleep well to begin with. Being in a different country in a whole different time zone was hell on someone with insomnia like his. It was his day off though; he had the entire day to just relax. It was rare that on an overseas tour he even got a day off. He was going to take full advantage of this one and sleep as much as he could.
We chatted a bit about Tommy and Brandi and he offered an apology for not letting us know that Tommy was coming to help. He asked three times if his coffee pot was okay and I couldn't help but laugh at how silly and protective he was over the damn thing.
"I miss you," I said, lying down in the bed. Jon was snuggled down into his bed in his hotel room, barely awake.
"I miss you," he mumbled back; his sleepy voice was in full effect and it was honestly one of the sexiest things I'd ever heard. There was something about it that made me just want to ravage him.
"Baby, let me hang up so you can sleep," I said.
"No," he protested. The iPad was propped up against the lamp on the bedside table in his hotel room; his body too tired to even hold onto it. My eyes were getting heavy as well, hours had passed since Brandi and Tommy left. It was now nearing midnight in Las Vegas and the day was catching up to me. This wouldn't be the first or the last time Jon and I would fall asleep together on FaceTime, of that I was one hundred percent sure.
I told Jon goodnight sleepily and we ended our call. I wasn't expecting Brandi until well into the night, so I allowed myself to fall asleep; closing my eyes and falling deeply into a much-needed slumber. I woke before the sun and glanced at the bed next to me. Brandi still hadn't made it in, but my last text from her was just an hour old; letting me know she was alright and that they were at a diner having breakfast. I clicked on the message to reply.
'Is he having you for breakfast?' I texted.
I got no response; instead the door opened and I heard Brandi and Tommy exchange goodbyes softly, first with words and finally, I could hear the soft sounds of them kissing goodbye. I was giddy with excitement. I lied still so they wouldn't notice that I was awake; it was somewhat awkward at times having your friends or family or both stare at you as you kissed your boyfriend. I didn't want to make this awkward for Brandi at all. After they finally broke their kiss, Brandi said goodnight and shut the door behind her. I first heard two soft thuds as she removed her boots and the sound of fabric dropping as her jacket was dropped on top of her suitcase. She sighed a loud, giddy school girl sigh before face planting into her pillows and letting out a stifled squeal.
I laughed out loud. I'd never heard or seen her like this. I couldn't wait to hear the details.
"Shit. Did we wake you? I'm sorry," Brandi apologized.
"No, I was awake. So, how was it?" I asked, sitting up in the bed. I turned and sat facing her direction, turning on the lamp on the table between our beds.
"Perfect, we went to the House of Blues and Stone Sour was playing," she started.
"Well, I meant the kiss, but go on about the date," I smiled.
Brandi's cheeks flushed pink at the mention of the kiss; she threw one of the hotel's pillows at me, narrowly missing my face. Both of us laughed uncontrollably for a few moments afterward.
"Jerk," she laughed, continuing, "But no, for real Mich. He was such a gentleman, when we were walking to his bike—"
I held up my hand to cut her off. I couldn't picture her on a motorcycle.
"You rode on his bike? Weren't you scared?" I asked.
She shrugged, "Of course I was scared. I tried to talk him into taking my car but he convinced me otherwise; I told him I was down to try new things and have new experiences so he made me really comfortable. He talked me through the whole thing. He gave me his helmet to wear and fastened it on me," Brandi said. If emojis were real, B would have been the one with the hearts for eyes at that moment in time.
"Go on," I encouraged her.
"So, he got on and helped me on behind him. And he reached back and wrapped my arms around his middle and girl… He's so damn built. His arms are rock hard and his chest is so solid. He's the perfect height for me too, but I noticed that way before we got on the bike. The whole time we rode, I held onto him so tight," Brandi was full-on swooning now over Tommy. She seemed happier than I'd ever seen her and I hoped this worked out for her.
She took a breath, letting it out slowly and continued.
"So, we get to the House of Blues and I tell him that I've never been here before and that it's really cool. So he tells me that he has a surprise for me before dinner. So of course, you know me, I'm like OK… What is it? He's like nah, it's a surprise. So he leads me through the restaurant and the gift shop into the concert area and I'm like okay… Who's playing? So we wait around a bit and there's music playing while the bands are changing out. So I start dancing around being silly, ya know? Bumping him with my hips and swaying along to the beat. He's just grinning the whole time, like this stupid shit-eating grin. So, the lights go down and the curtain pulls back, it's Stone Sour. Fucking Stone Sour! So I asked him, how the hell did he know I was into them? And he gives me that shit-eating grin and shrugs like, oh, it was a lucky guess. And ya know, we're headbanging and singing along and I keep bumping him with my hip until he finally pulls me in front of him and just puts his hands on my hips and holds me there. Eventually, we ended up standing towards the back of the crowd with his arms draped over my shoulders. Like, his arms were folded, but his front was still to my back. I don't even know how to describe that feeling, Mich. Like… Is this how you feel?" she asked me.
I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it is. Keep going. I like hearing about this," I told her.
"So after the show, we waited for the crowd to clear out some then we went to get food in the restaurant. He held my hand the whole time. I mean like while the crowd was clearing out, while we waited to be seated and even through most of the meal. And speaking of the meal, we had the most delicious food. The jambalaya was so good dude; so good. And then we went for a long ride down the strip, nice and slow. Just enjoying the scenery, ya know? We stopped at the Bellagio and watched the fountain show. And… He kissed me. That was our first kiss. It felt like… Like something I had been missing was momentarily found. I was so good, but so fucking weird." She chuckled at the end of her sentence.
"Aww, tell me more," I said.
Brandi continued on until we both started nodding off; both of us unable to hold our eyes open a second longer. I had already set an alarm for 10:30 so we could be checked out by noon. It was going to be a long, lonely drive back to Dallas. I was going to miss my best friend. I'd have to do some sweet talking to Jon and get her some comp tickets the next time WWE came to her town for sure. For now, it was time to say goodbye though; time to get our sluggish, exhausted asses out of the big, white fluffy cloud beds and drive home. I wouldn't even get an entire day at home before I had to leave again. Luckily my sisters would be waiting with strong manly-male friends to help unload the Bronco when I got back to Dallas.
I rolled out of bed when the alarm went off and began to pack my things away and readied myself by dressing in comfy clothes for the eighteen hour drive; leggings, a soft t-shirt of Jon's, and my most comfortable combat boots. I put on my glasses and pulled my hair up into a loose ponytail. There was no way I was getting dressed in jeans to drive for that long. This would be the longest drive I'd ever made, the longest prior being fifteen hours. I hoped I could make it all in one shot so I didn't have to spend more of Jon's money to get a hotel room. Brandi and I said our goodbyes and went our separate ways after we had lunch at the buffet in the hotel. I had no idea how Jon did it every day; day in and day out he was in a different city, running on fumes – powered by coffee and chicken nuggets.