a/n: I'm showing a little love to the Dean/Nikki shippers, as per the request of 'lovelyambroses'. This is my first time writing them, so I hope that y'all enjoy!
{disclaimer: as per usual, I do not own any of the characters in the story; only the idea}
interstate
"Are you freaking kidding me, Brianna?!"
She sighed as she threw her ring gear into her suitcase. Her sister, who was supposed to be her ride to the next town, had taken off with her husband. Since she and John had taken yet another break, she had decided to carpool with them. To make matters worse – as if that were possible – everyone else that she'd usually ride with, had already left the arena for the night.
Adjusting her duffel bag on her shoulders, she then pulled the handle out of her suitcase and walked out into the parking lot. The place was bare, only a few maintenance workers, and the companies 18-wheelers remained. She was going to kill Brianna whenever she saw her again, she really had some nerve doing this. Sighing, she knew that she really only had one option; no matter how foolish she looked doing it.
The highway was – thankfully – very calm at this point. All the fans had left, so that spared her some embarrassment at least. Hearing the honking of a horn, she stopped in her tracks and turned her head. A black SUV had pulled up next to her, a few moments later the tinted windows rolled down.
"Need a lift?"
Adjusting her eyes, she saw who was behind the wheel, "Um… no, I'm fine."
"I, uh…" the man put his vehicle in park and exited, "I assume that you're going to the next town? That's 300 miles away, Nicole."
"It'll be good cardio, now if you'll excuse me."
He sidestepped her and let her pass, "Whatever, I'll just let Vince and Steph know that we won't be seeing the Divas Champ for a while, then."
Hearing his car door slam, she watched as he took off down the road. Why did she have to be so stubborn? Just then, she heard a crackle of thunder and rain drops began hitting her face. Could things really get worse?
Seeing the taillights in front of her light up, she watched as it was put in reverse and pull right next to her once again.
"Don't be ridiculous, get in." when she didn't move, he exited the vehicle again and walked over to her, "Damnit, Nicole, just get in!"
"Ask me."
"What?"
"Ask me to get in."
He threw his head back and got his sopping wet hair out of his eyes, "I don't need this… I'm just trying to be a good person."
"Good people ask, not demand."
"You know what? No." he sighed and started walking back to the driver's side, "No wonder John left your psychotic ass."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me… now this is your last damn chance. Are you getting in or not?"
Rolling her eyes, she reached down to pick up her bags, "Fine."
=0oo0=
For a majority of the ride, the two sat in silence, with only the radio to fill it. Dean busied himself with the driving, while she focused on fixing herself up a bit. Thank goodness for waterproof makeup. Once she was done, she flipped the visor up and relaxed in her seat. Using the darkness to her advantage, she glanced over at him; his jaw was clinched, as it usually was for some reason. Every now and then, his fingers would drum along the steering wheel.
She had heard through the grapevine that he and Renee had decided to call it quits a couple weeks ago. The couple were really private, so no one really knew why. Thankfully – for them – no one sat around creating reasons either; much like they did in her and John's case. People could be so rude.
"I didn't mean what I said about the whole John thing."
"It's fine, it's probably true anyway."
"Well," he said as he tried to merge onto the Interstate, "John can be an idiot sometimes, sure you and I aren't BFFs by any means, but you seem… eh, I don't know."
"Is Dean Ambrose trying to be sweet?" she joked.
"Trying and failing." Against the dim lighting, she could see a small smile start to form on his face.
"Well, thanks, for whatever it was you were trying to say."
"No problem."
"I know that this is kind of personal," she sighed, "but what happened between you and Renee?"
"Nothing too exciting, we just grew apart."
"Really? Hm…"
"What do you mean, hm? Is every breakup supposed to be dramatic?"
"Oh, of course not! It's just that all of mine were."
"So, I take it that this latest one was as well?"
She sighed, it was. She had never gotten in that big of an argument before, her temper had really flared. So did John's, for that matter. It was an ongoing battle for the two of them, she wanted more, while he was content with what they had. That wasn't good enough for her anymore, so she made the decision to leave him.
"Sort of. The usual, you know."
He actually did know, he and Renee were witnesses to numerous fights. She had even stayed with them on the few occasions that her sister wasn't on the road with her. Sometimes the two would stay up talking, he could really be a sweetheart when he wanted to be.
"He's an asshole, Nicole, you deserve to be with someone who would be more than happy to give you what you want, and more."
"Thanks, Dean, who knows? Maybe someday I will."
"You will, trust me." He reached over and patted her thigh, "now get some rest, we've got a long ride ahead of us."
=0oo0=
She wasn't sure how long she had slept for, but when she felt a nudge on her shoulder; she opened her eyes and saw that they were in a hotels parking lot. After rubbing her eyes, she looked over and saw Dean collecting his things from the front console.
"Are you bunking with Brie?"
"Nope, Brian is in town, so fingers crossed that there's an open room." Exiting the vehicle, she followed him to the trunk to get her things.
"You could always bunk with me… if that's not weird. I can take the couch."
"Thanks, but you shouldn't have to sleep on the couch of your own room."
He shrugged as he grabbed her things, "I don't mind, but it's up to you."
Following behind him, she couldn't help but smile. Sure these two weren't exactly best friends, but he was being so good to her. Better than most people she had known her whole life. She was truly grateful.
"Okay, but you aren't sleeping on the couch."
"Why are you so stubborn?"
She shrugged, "It's a personality trait, I'm sure that the bed is big enough for the both of us."
"Nicole…"
"It's happening, okay? You've been too good to me, I can't allow you to sleep on some uncomfortable couch, got it?"
Once they got their room key, they took the elevator up to their floor and walked to their door. Taking the key out of its sleeve, she unlocked their door, very much aware of the few co-workers that had just spotted the two. Not that it mattered anyway, they were all very opinionated about her love life; she was sure that they'd think of something to pass around the locker room. No matter how innocent her current act was.
"I can't sleep with a shirt on, is that okay?"
"Oh my gosh, yes, it's fine!" she smiled, "I'm going to change, I'll be back."
Whenever she came back into the room, her roomie for the night was already laying down, scrolling through his phone. Going over to the opposite side, she slid under the covers and tried to get comfortable. She had to admit that Dean looked pretty good shirtless, she was built but not overly built. If that makes any sense.
"Your phone has been going off like crazy over there."
Glancing at it, she saw numerous texts from her family, as well as a certain ex of hers. Knowing what they were probably about, she silenced the device and placed it inside of her purse. She would deal with all that drama tomorrow.
"Goodnight, Dean."
"Goodnight."
She smiled and she reached over to turn the bedside lamp off. Their bodies touched a bit once they both got comfortable, he was so warm. Snap out of it, Nicole. Leaning over, she placed a soft kiss on his cheek.
"Thank you Dean, for everything."
She smiled when he sleepily replied that it was no problem. Placing her head on his chest, she let the steady beat of his heart lull her into a deep sleep.
a/n: There we have it! I actually enjoyed this a lot, I may write them again sometime soon. I hope that y'all enjoyed this, especially you 'lovelyambroses'! =)