Chapter 39:
The next morning, while Dave carried the luggage out to the rental car and brought it around to the front of the hotel, Haley found herself at the front desk, checking them out of their hotel room. She was a little exhausted around the edges, having spent more time last night 'celebrating' than actually sleeping, but there was still a friendly smile on her face as she conversed with the concierge.
"Okay, so we're all set then?" Haley slid the two room keys over the counter.
"You're all set, Ms. Mariano. We hope you enjoyed your stay at the Mariott and that you stop in again the next time you're in town." The Concierge recited politely.
"Thank you." Making sure her purse was securely over her shoulder, Haley turned to walk across the lobby to the exit, only to bump into the expansive torso of John Cena.
"Hiya Hales." He greeted her cheerfully. "I was hoping I'd catch you before you left this morning."
Haley glanced down at her watch, which read eight-thirty in the morning, before shooting her former flame a dubious look. "John, it's before eleven, how are you conscious?" She teased, knowing the former WWE Champion's motor functions didn't work properly until later in the morning.
"Well, you always like to give yourself plenty of time to travel to the next city and Dave's not too heavy a sleeper, so I figured you'd be checking out by now and I guessed right." He shrugged. "You got a minute?"
Seeing that Batista hadn't returned with the car yet, she nodded slightly. "I suppose so, what's on your mind?"
He led her over to a more secluded corner, away from the bustling early risers. "You cheered me on last night." He pointed out.
She frowned quizzically at him. "I don't get the point?"
He sighed. "My point is that you cheered me on, in a match that your boyfriend was also in, that means a part of you still has to care."
She rolled her eyes. "John, seriously?" Letting out a breath of slight irritation, she looked him dead in the eyes. "Yes, a part of me still cares; a part of me will always care. That and I highly dislike Kane and JBL so I would have cheered on anyone kicking their ass. But to be honest, yes I care; I loved you very much not too long ago."
"Then I don't understand why we can't work this out. You know how much I care about you." John pleaded. "I made a huge whopping mistake, I can admit to that. I was the biggest idiot on the planet, but everyone deserves second chances, Hales. I know we deserve one."
"If you had come to me sooner, then yes, I would agree with you. But my key word there was loved, John. I'll always love you for the man you are, but my love is that of just a friend now." She reached for his hand when he flinched away. "It's not an insult. If the timing was different, maybe we would be too, but it's not. He makes me happy, John; he filled the part of me I was missing when you left. I'm sorry that it hurts you but I love him."
He stared down at their joined hands. "Why can't I let you go?" He mumbled.
"Because you haven't tried hard enough yet." She smiled ruefully. "You know how stubborn you can be when you want something. I will always be your friend, John. I'm here when you need me, but I can't be your girlfriend anymore." With a final squeeze on his hand, she let go. "I'll see you in Atlanta okay?"
With a heavy heart, she turned away from him, hoping it would be the final time she'd have to keep hurting him that way. She hated doing it, but nothing was going to stand in the way of her relationship with Dave. She had worked too hard to get up the nerve to admit her feelings and progress with him as things were.
When she looked up, her eyes met Dave's curious brown ones, from where he stood besides the doors, the Lincoln Navigator they had rented parked right out front. "Everything okay?"
Haley looked over her shoulder to see John staring after her with a forlorn look on his face. "I don't know." She murmured. "I hope so."
"I think it's a great script." Mary Sutherland thumbed thorough the pages of their latest movie proposal. "As your agent, I think it's a great career move, as your friend, I think it would be good for you to spend the next couple months in Australia, away from the house and all the publicity right now."
"That's eight months away from Simone." Dwayne Johnson cast the script a disinterested glance. "This divorce is just getting started and she's confused enough. I'm not going to abandon my daughter."
"Dwayne." Mary sighed resignedly. "You can't just mope around Miami. It's starting to affect your work, we're lucky that the performances of Steve Carell and Ann Hathaway got Get Smart as far as it did."
"How did you expect me to pull off kissing another jabroni?" His eyebrow rose. "You want something more believable, call Jake Gyllenhaal."
"Dwayne, don't get huffy." Mary rubbed her temples, trying and failing to keep the migraine at bay. "Your performance was adequate but not your best. I know it's a lot to ask of you with everything that's going on, that's why I think doing this shoot in Australia will be good for you. You can clear your head."
"So basically what you're saying is I need to travel?" He mused, rubbing a hand along his chin.
"Not just travel, but work too. If you keep busy in new locations, I think your acting will improve, as will your mental state." Mary gave him a sympathetic look. "I worry about you, Dwayne. You're taking this very hard."
"Did you expect me to jump for joy when my life fell apart?" He eyed her incredulously. "Dani and I didn't separate because we dislike each other, or one of us was cheating or something like that. It just broke."
"Isn't there something out there that will make you happy? A friend you can go stay with, or at least talk to on a regular basis?" She asked. "We can go through scripts later. Right now, I want you to do something that's positive for you."
He opened his mouth to come out with some sort of sarcastic retort. Over the past few months, he hadn't been the friendliest of clients to his agent, but Mary knew he was going through a very rough patch, having gone through a bitter divorce herself several years ago. But now, she made sense. He couldn't just sit around the house anymore and brood about the way things have been.
The thing was, his other option, besides doing movies was a big step, a huge commitment. He had made it before, without any doubts in his mind. In fact, he hadn't wanted anything more at that time. But back then, it was only him he had to worry about. This time around, it would affect his daughter, his soon to be ex-wife and it would greatly affect his sister in everything but blood.
"I don't know." He shook his head. "There is one option, but…" He trailed off as his mind pondered the idea a little.
"What, Dwayne? Mary leaned forward in interest. "What is it?"
Was he ready to take that chance, make that kind of commitment again?
A/N: Just when I was really starting to like John Cena again, like love him again, he gets injured. WTH? I'm not one hundred percent convinced it was Dave's powerbombs that did it either because the next night he was wrestling in a handicap match against Dibiase and Rhodes. If you have a severely herniated disc, I don't think you'd get through a handicap match. But I'm no doctor, nor am I John Cena, so I can't really be taken seriously lol. I just hope he comes back soon, though I am excited for the return of Rey Rey.