*Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter they were greatly appreciated and thank-you to everyone that alerted and favorited the story. = )
I made my way to our hotel room and opened the door hoping John had fallen back to sleep while I was at my meeting but I had no such luck. As I walked into the room he was sitting at the small table in our hotel room reading the newspaper, drinking a coffee and eating a bagel. "Hey, Tess, how was the meeting? Are you ready to rock the world on your new assignment?" he asked before taking a bite of his bagel.
"I guess," I said. I said it with smallest amount of enthusiasm as I could as I walked over to the table and took a seat.
"That didn't sound promising," he said putting down the sports page he had been reading. "What happened?"
"Nothing," I said as I picked up the paper. I looked at the weather forecast on the back page and said, "it looks like it's going to be a beautiful day."
"Tessa, something happened. You're being avoidant and you're changing the subject. So what was it? What happened?" he asked me again.
John was good. He knew me and could pick up on anything. He could tell when I was sad, he could tell when something was wrong, when I was happy or just about any emotion. I guess that's what happens when your boyfriend has known you since you were 5 years old. He knew me better than anyone sometimes I think he knew me better than my own parents. I knew him just as well as he knew me. Just like I knew if I didn't tell him the truth about my meeting that he would keep bugging me till I did. I took a deep breath and said, "I had my meeting with Vince."
"And? How did it go?" he asked taking a sip of his coffee. "You want a sip? I didn't' know what time you were coming back so I didn't get you any."
"No thank-you," I said, "I'm fine. I got my new assignment."
"So is it good or bad?"
"Depends how you look at it I guess."
"Okay," said John, "whatever that means."
"It just means well, I guess I should tell you it first."
"What is it?"
"I have to work with Dave Batista," I said feeling the disgust building inside of me again.
"Tessa, quit joking," he said.
"I'm not joking. I'm serious. I have to work with Dave Batista." I said it as seriously as I could.
John looked at me and realized I wasn't' joking and said, "You aren't joking. Wow. I never saw that one coming."
"Neither did I. Vince blindsided me with it," I said, "and I tried to switch with people but they wouldn't switch me and gave me that look. The look that said good luck he's your problem now. He can't be that bad. Tell me he's not that bad, John."
"Well, he's not the devil," said John. "He can be difficult at times but he's not that bad."
"Okay," I said.
"I think the biggest problem is his ego. It gets a little large at times. He's going to be looking for Gold and he will threaten you about quitting to get his way. Do not give in," he said.
"It's not really my call if he gets the belt or not. That's Vince's call and if it was my call believe me he wouldn't get it."
"Dave is the guy that's all about the money and the championships. He doesn't' have a real passion for this business. I think him showing up late for shows and booking out right after the show to go out and party shows the lack of respect he has for the business," said John. John didn't usually have a negative word to say about anyone but that day he had nothing but negative things to say about Dave. Although everything he was saying was the truth.
"Yeah I know," I said.
"What I want to know is how Vince got you to do this because I know you can't stand Dave so how did he get you to do this?"
"He may have offered a promotion if I do a great job," I said.
"What kind of promotion?" he asked.
"He didn't say but it could be anything. Like possibly the vice president of the Creative team. I don't know but a promotion is a promotion right?"
"Yeah but Dave is a challenge," said John. "Are you up for that challenge?"
"I don't know. I don't even really want to work with him."
"I don't really think you have a choice now but I will be honest I don't like the idea of you working with him. I don't trust him."
"Are you trying to say he might put the moves on me?"
"Well, kind of," said John. I loved when John got a little jealous. I don't' know whatever possessed him to think if Dave did put the moves on me I would retaliate. I couldn't stand Dave and that would be the last person I would ever cheat on John with. Well, if I believed in cheating because I didn't. I believed in being faithful. It was just a thought to get the point across Dave was NOT my type of guy.
"John, he's not going to. It's going to be strictly business and nothing else. Don't worry besides Dave isn't even my type."
"I trust you," said John, "it's him I don't trust. I know how he is with women. I don't want him getting the slightest idea that he can put the moves on you. Just be careful. He's a trickster."
"A trickster, John? Really? Why do you have to talk like that?"
"Well, I didn't know how else to put it," he said. "Either way he's a womanizer and I want you to be careful. Don't fall for his tricks."
"John, I know you mean well and everything but how dumb do you think I am? I was the class Valedictorian and I went to Notre Dame graduating with a 4.0. I think I know not to fall for his womanizing tactics. And plus he will never put the moves on me.. I am not his type. I know the kind of women he sleeps with… they are bimbos and they're beautiful. I am not. I am a nerdy, plain Jane."
"I think you're beautiful," he said, "and you're not a plain Jane."
"John, I am."
"So you don't wear the latest fashions, you go with the natural look and most of your clothes are either black or white so what? You're still beautiful to me and I love you just the way you are. You have the most beautiful blue eyes I have ever seen and you have the most beautiful face I have ever seen. You're amazing," he said to me causing me to smile. "And you have a beautiful smile and the most beautiful teeth even if it took 3 years of braces to get them that way."
"Shut up," I said. I hated when John brought up my braces. They were the 3 longest years of my life and they happened to come during my middle school crisis. I had my bottle cap glasses and braces you can only imagine how that went over. It wasn't good not to mention my lack of breasts during middle school. They were the tough days but I knew I had come a long way since then. I wasn't the most beautiful but I wasn't the ugliest. I had my own plain Jane look. John hated when I described it that way but that's how it was. My mother taught me that growing up I didn't need my looks to get me by and beauty was only skin deep. She said I would go a lot further with my intelligence than my looks. She viewed the girls that focused too much on their appearance shallow. She didn't' want me to be like that which is probably why I was the way I was. She was right. Intelligence got me further in life than my looks did. I was well respected female in a male dominated business and I was damn good at what I did.
"I'm just speaking the truth," he said. "Anyway. How about we go out to have a nice brunch and then enjoy the day together? It's Tuesday and I'm off. I really want to spend some time with you outside the wrestling world. How about that?"
"All right," I said with a smile.
"Perfect," said John as he folded up the sports page. "I'm going to go take a shower and then we can go."
"All right," I said.
"Be right back," he said as he got up, walked over and kissed my lips before grabbing some clothes and heading to the bathroom.
Once he was showered and ready to go we headed to a near by restaurant for a lovely brunch. It was a beautiful restaurant. The truth about John is he spoiled me and gave me the best. We were seated in a private location so that we couldn't be bothered and enjoy our crepes, French toast and eggs with Orange juice in peace. When John and me were both off work we preferred not to talk about it. We always set it separately from our personal lives. It's not that we don't like our jobs because John loves what he does and I love what I do it's just because sometimes we need a break from the world of wrestling. "So," John said to me, "Matt and his wife are having a baby."
"That's great!" I said before taking a bite of my crepe.
"Isn't it?" he asked. "He told me yesterday but with everything going on with the draft I forgot to tell you."
"It's okay. We were both really busy. Not really much time for talking. So when is she due?"
"Matt said the middle of January. He is so excited."
"I bet," I said, "I'm really happy for Matt and Carrie. They have been trying for so long." Matt was John's older brother and he and his wife had been married for about 3 years and since their first year of marriage they were trying to have a baby but they weren't succeeding so they went to a fertility doctor to help them out. Carrie was getting treatments to help with the process. I was incredibly happy for them but there was something about John's look when he told me about his brother having a baby that I didn't like.
"Yeah," he said. "I'm happy for them too. They deserve it," he said picking at his French toast.
"What's wrong?" I asked knowing I probably wouldn't like where the conversation was headed.
"Nothing it's just do you ever think about that stuff?"
"What stuff?" I asked. I knew exactly what he was talking about. He was talking about us getting married, having babies and all that stuff. I just wanted to hear him say it.
"Having babies," he said.
"John, not really. Do you?"
"Sometimes," he said. "I want kids someday."
"I see," I said. "With our line of work we don't really have the time for children. I'm not really interested in having them."
"If we were to have a child together I would give up my job or at least work part time. And we could always take the baby with us on the road."
"John," I said, "no offense but being a mother isn't my thing. I like my life the way it is."
"I know," he said. "It's just. Never mind. I don't' want to talk about this today. I just want to enjoy the day with you."
I felt a tremendous amount of guilt even a little bit selfish because I didn't want to have kids. I thought my life with John was fine the way it was. Just the two of us. I didn't think we needed a baby besides he should probably introduce the topic of marriage before the topic of having a baby. Although John would probably do better at convincing me to have a baby than to get married. In all honesty I wanted neither. I didn't want to get married and I didn't want kids. Call me selfish but I liked my career too much to give it up for that type of life. I didn't know what John was thinking but we weren't the get married have kids kind of people in my opinion. We were fine just the way we were so I thought. "Now you're mad at me."
"Tess, I'm not mad. I'm fine. Anyway, I just thought you would want to know about Matt and Carrie."
"I do," I said, "And I bet your mom is ecstatic too. Her first grandchild."
"She is," he said with a smile. "I am too. It's going to be my first niece or nephew. It is going to be spoiled like crazy."
"I bet," I said as my cell phone started ringing.
"Really?" he asked as I grabbed my phone.
"It's Batista. I have to take this."
"Can't it wait?"
"I have to set up a time and day to meet up with him about this stupid assignment. It won't take long I promise."
"All right," he said as he went back to eating.
"Hello," I said.
"Tessa, It's Batista. I was told I'm supposed to get in contact with you so you can work with me."
"Okay," I said.
"I'm in contact. When do you want to meet up?" he asked. I couldn't handle the attitude already.
I took a deep breath and said, "how about next Monday afternoon before RAW?"
"That works for me," he said. "I'm sure I can be there. What time?"
"How about 2:00?"
"That's fine," he said.
"I will see you then," I said.
"See ya then," he said. I hate when people say ya instead of you. It's a big pet peeve of mine. "I'm sure it's going to be a pleasure working with you," he said. There was something about his tone that disgusted me as he said this.
"Yeah. I said. I will see you on Monday then. Have a good week. Goodbye," I said hanging up the phone before he responded. "See? That wasn't too long."
"I know," said John, "I am sorry but I just can't get past you working with him. I really don't like this idea."
"John, relax. You have nothing to worry about. It's just an assignment like any other and hopefully at the end of it I get my promotion."
"Okay. I'm sorry, Tess. That's just my protective side coming out in me."
"That's fine," I said with a smile. "I like when you get all protective and jealous. It's pretty hot. I love you."
"I love you too," he said as he took my hand and we continued eating so we could go out and enjoy the day in Arizona. Everything was perfect for us. I know there is no such thing as a perfect relationship but I think John and me were the exception because we did have the perfect relationship.
*Please review and tell me what you think and thank-you for taking the time to read!