20. The Girls and The Occasion (1)

Kaitlyn was eager to take in the brisk Midwestern air as she stepped out of the airport. Admittedly, she had missed it after leaving Chicago and now being back in the Midwest felt strangely familiar to her... even if it was Davenport, and not the infamous Chi-Town.

While her hometown of Greenwich, Connecticut was dripping in wealth and made no attempt to keep quiet about it, Davenport, Iowa gave a sense of a more humble town. Although all Kaitlyn had to go on so far were the nearby surroundings of the airport car park – where she sat and waited for Ettore to come and pick her up – she could already feel how different it was. Good different, too. The type of different somebody needed when they were practically on the run.

Well, maybe that was being dramatic. If she was being honest, Kaitlyn was more running than 'on the run', but it helped that none of the friendly faces that had already popped up in Davenport would end up being Dolph Ziggler, or Kelly, or anyone she knew for that matter. There were no friendlier faces than the two that came rushing towards her through the car park at that moment.

"AJ!" Kaitlyn squealed, grabbing the pint-sized New Jersey native by the middle and swinging her around. "Big E!" The hugely-built man before her then grabbed her and did the same thing.

"I am so happy to see you!" AJ beamed once Ettore had finally dropped Kaitlyn back to her feet.

"Oh yeah she is," the Iowan chuckled. "She's practically spent the past two days crying about how much she missed you."

AJ poked her tongue out at him and linked her arm through Kaitlyn.

"What he forgot to tell you," AJ said with a sideways smirk at Ettore. "Is that he's been doing the exact same thing."

Kaitlyn looked at her two friends and grinned. "Is that so?"

Ettore put his hands up and shrugged. "Guilty."

Kaitlyn laughed and brought the two of them in for a hug, all three laughing and joking until Ettore reminded them that he hadn't paid for parking. With the ease only allowed by someone as muscle bound as him, he grabbed her large suitcase and heaved it over to his silver Sedan while Kaitlyn and AJ followed on behind him, arm in arm and already reminiscing.

Big E got in the driver seat, Kaitlyn in the passenger's and AJ slid in the backseat; all with no questions asked as this was and had been their usual car formation since college. Immediately after turning on the engine, Big E pressed play and one of their favourite songs from college began playing.

"I am in love with this," Kaitlyn groaned. "This takes me back to Jinder Mahal's birthday party back in junior year!"

"Oh man," Ettore laughed. "That was the night I finally scored with Maxine... before you two assholes got so drunk I had to practically carry you home instead of going back to her place."

Kaitlyn whipped her head around and shared a giggle with AJ. What Ettore didn't know was that the two had grossly exaggerated their drunkenness knowing that if Big E saw them in that state he would immediately drop his gag-inducing make out session with the girl both of them hated with a passion. And it worked!

"Do you remember his party the year before, after which all three of us somehow woke up in E's bed, all in our pajamas..."

"With E playing the little spoon!"

They all burst into a fit of laughter as they drove down the Davenport highway, one of Ettore's favourite rappers blasting through the speakers.

"I've missed you guys," Kaitlyn sighed, wiping a tear away. "It's unbelievable that college came and went so quickly."

"Yeah," AJ nodded. "Nobody tells you the part where your college friends become some of the best ones you'll ever meet and then you all end up split up across the country."

"Hopefully not for long," Ettore added in a sing-song voice, quickly glancing at the two women who grinned in response.

"I want to make the move before the year's up," AJ said firmly.

"Same here," Kaitlyn added, staring out of the window and watching the landscape pass.

"I'm telling you guys," Ettore said. "Davenport is where it's at. Low cost of living, great people-"

"Great jobs?" Kaitlyn chimed in, an eyebrow raised.

"Well, AJ's not doing too bad."

Kaitlyn turned around to look at AJ who grinned at her from the backseat, nodding.

"The past couple of days I've been here, apart from crying over you of course, I've been looking at postings. They've got some great opportunities for software developing."

"That's great!" Kaitlyn beamed at her. "That sounds so awesome."

"And," Ettore continued. "If a scrub like me could find a local government job, who knows what's out there for you, Kait."

Kaitlyn nodded fervently, a smile on her face and her mind racing with possibilities. She couldn't wait to see what this city had to offer her.

"Eve, it's only one in the afternoon," Maria groaned as she collapsed onto a chair. "Tell me again why we're starting to prepare dinner now?"

Eve rolled her eyes, not looking up from her cookbook.

"You're acting like it's Christmas, or like you're about to cook dinner for the hot guy you've got a thing for... oh wait," Maria smirked. "That's exactly what it is."

This time, Eve looked up from the book and shot Maria a glare.

"This dinner is about the girls, and giving Alicia a good send-off. And cheering Kelly up."

"What about me?" Maria pouted.

"Oh yeah," Eve grinned. "It's also about getting you out of this fantasy land you've been living in ever since you 'reconnected' with Phil Brooks."

Maria protested by folding her arms across her chest and pouting even more, causing Eve to toss a towel in her direction.

"I can't believe Kaitlyn's ditched," Maria sighed as she put the towel down on the table. "She should be here for Leesh."

Eve sighed, knowing she couldn't divulge the real reason why Kaitlyn had left town. "I know. But she'd already booked the tickets and she didn't know this was happening. It sucks but it's not her fault. Anyway, that's between the two of them. Alicia didn't seem that mad when I told her, but who knows?"

Maria began fiddling with the strands of red hair that fell across her shoulders.

"Yeah, I guess. So, is this technically your first date with Roman?" She moved on swiftly.

"It's not a date. I'm inviting him here as a friend. Just like you're inviting Punk here as a friend, right?"

Eve walked past her on the way to the fridge and ruffled her hair, making her groan in protest.

"I don't get why you didn't ask Dean," Eve said as she leant into the refrigerator and brought out some of the components of her meal. "After all, aren't you taking him to this gig Punk invited you to?"

"Come on, Eve," Maria said in a matter-of-fact tone. "You know it's not like that with Dean."

Eve raised her eyebrows. "So you admit you're using him to try and make Punk jealous?"

"Of course not!" Maria defended, her voice raising several octaves. Eve shot her a knowing look as she placed a tray of chicken breasts on the kitchen counter. "Okay, maybe a tiny bit..."

"Maria!"

"What?!" She whined.

"Dean's a good guy. He's best friends with Roman and from what he's told me he's been like a brother to him for years. It's not fair to treat him like that."

"We're just friends, Eve!"

"I thought he asked you out on a date?"

"No, he said something about hanging out and doing something fun... as friends!"

Eve pinched the bridge of her nose, gripping the handle on her knife tightly. "I'm just about ready to fling this in your direction, Kanellis."

Maria let out another whine and stood from the chair, going over to Eve and hugging her from behind. Eve tried to wriggle out but the redhead's grip was formidable.

"Evie," she said in a sing-song voice. "You know I've got to focus on Punk. Just let me try!"

"He's got a girlfriend," Eve said firmly. "What exactly are you going to try?"

"Well, I would never cheat with him, if that's what you're saying! But I just want to be around him for a while and maybe see if there could be anything. From what he said, it doesn't sound like there's much of a future with him and Amy..."

"Maria..."

Maria finally loosened her grip and Eve turned to face her, a stern expression on her face. Finally, she loosened up and let out a sigh.

"Okay, fine, whatever. I'm not going to argue with you any further. But if you and your antics mess up this dinner..."

"Never!" Maria grinned and took a bite out of the carrot she had pinched from the countertop before turning on her heel and bouncing out of the kitchen. Eve stared after her, shaking her head in disbelief.

"I think this shirt would look the best on you. It really brings out the colour of your eyes."

Wade rolled the eyes in question as Alicia held yet another dress shirt up against his frame.

"It's a plain white shirt, Alicia," he groaned, taking it from her and trying it on to appease her. "I don't even know why you had to go out and buy me clothes for this thing. I have plenty of shirts."

"And I have plenty of cute clothes and shoes, but that doesn't stop you from buying me things." She frowned as she watched him do up his buttons, smacking his hands away so that she could undo the last one he did.

"Ah, I get it." Wade gave her a stern look and redid the button. "So we're playing that game are we?"

"What game?" Alicia went to undo the button again but Wade grabbed her hands in mid-air.

"I think the shirt looks fine as it is. And you know what I'm talking about."

Taking a step back, she folded her arms across her chest and eyed him.

"I saw the outfit in the mall and I thought it would look great on you," she said calmly. "And so I bought it. I don't want this to be a one-way street, Wade. You know I feel bad when you constantly buy me stuff so just this once I wanted to be the one to treat you."

He raised his eyebrows, readying himself to respond, but the softness of her expression made him loosen his stance and simply pull her in for a hug.

"Thank you, love. You're right; the clothes look great and I'm very grateful that you got them for me."

Alicia nodded and smiled, although she quickly returned to fiddling with the outfit.

"But I think that's enough of the makeover for now," Wade pressed on, once again batting her hands away. She giggled and finally agreed to stop.

"Sorry," she said, winding her arms around his neck. "It's the fashion junkie in me; I can't help it!"

He chuckled and leaned down slightly to kiss her.

"Save it for the magazine, love."

She rolled her eyes and went over to the bed to once again assess her collection of potential outfits.

"This is a big night, Wade," she said, looking back over at him as he began taking off the new clothes. "The girls are about to meet you for the first time and I want to make sure-"

"I make a good impression?"

Alicia sighed. "Not like that. I'm not worried about you making a good impression. It's just that this is a big night for me – for us – and it's my last big blowout with my best friends before we move. It already sucks enough that Kaitlyn isn't coming, so I just want everything to be perfect."

Wade let out a sigh of his own and went over to Alicia, wrapping his arms around her.

"Fine, I know. Listen, seeing as this is so big for you, you just tell me everything you want me to do and I'll do it. Alright?"

She nodded gleefully and gestured towards the bed. Wade was about to get excited before realizing that she, once again, had fashion on her mind.

"Now," she said, stood with her hands on her hips. "It's your turn. Should I wear the salmon blouse with the white skirt or the teal mini-dress?"

Wade let out an exasperated sigh, but couldn't help but grin at the total concentration evident on Alicia's face. Planning a wedding with this one was going to be one hell of a ride.

"Justin, I'm glad you're home: Alicia just texted me that she's wearing the salmon blouse/white skirt combo which means that I can't wear the salmon dress that I had in mind, so what do you think of this outfit instead?"

Justin had barely even been able to step a foot in the door before Kelly had bombarded him with her latest fashion emergency, as she liked to call them. She now stood before him, twirling slightly in a short blue skirt that showed off her long, tanned legs and a form-fitting white top that had elaborate cut-outs on both of its sides and a very low neck.

"You look beautiful," he said as he pulled her in to greet her with a kiss. "But it's a little much for dinner at your friend's place, don't you think?"

She frowned and looked down at the outfit, running her hands over it as if suddenly self-conscious.

"What makes you say that?"

Justin laughed and shook his head. "Well, sort of the fact that it's the same outfit you wore when I took you to that club on Miami Beach last year."

"Oh," she said, her expression dropping and softening. Eventually, it turned into a giggle. "I guess you're right."

He let out another chuckle and dropped his bag onto the floor before dropping himself onto the sofa.

"I don't get why you're so concerned anyway," he said, switching on the television. "You must have had dinner at Eve's house hundreds of times."

"Justin," she said, rolling her eyes. She stepped out of the skirt and peeled off the blouse so that she could settle beside him on the couch. "Tonight is really important. Eve's put a lot of effort into tonight and it's our last big night with Alicia before she leaves for New York. Not to mention it's the first time the girls are meeting you and Alicia's fiancé."

"I'm a little nervous," he admitted, putting his arm around Kelly. She looked up at him with a concerned face, but was secretly thrilled to hear that he was as invested in the occasion as she was.

"Why babe?" She said with a nurturing cadence to her tone.

"Because these are your best friends from childhood," he said, rubbing his beard. "If they sense there's something the slightest bit off with me, I'm sure you'd drop me in an instant."

She giggled and nudged his side. "Of course not! Granted, they are usually right about my boyfriends... But I'm sure they'll see you as perfect just like I do."

He smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"Nobody's perfect, babe," he said in a casual tone, staring at the TV.

It was just another one of those cryptic sayings he'd come out with every now and again, but they always had the effect of making Kelly feel slightly uneasy.

"Why don't you wear that blue dress I said I liked from that boutique downtown?" He suggested.

"You like that one?" She frowned, remembering her discomfort the last time she wore it due to it being just one size too small. Justin nodded. "Uh... sure. I'll wear that one."

She beamed and jump to her feet to get it out of her wardrobe.

"...And last but not least," Ettore's booming voice sounded in a local bar. "Kaitlyn, AJ; this lady here is Paige."

Kaitlyn grinned again – at this point her cheeks were sore as anything – and gave a cordial 'hello' to the extremely pale-skinned woman with long dark hair Ettore had just introduced she and AJ to. Now, they were fully caught up with Ettore's Davenport bunch: Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston were the two charismatic, smiling men he had known since diapers through the church all of their families had attended for years; Bayley Martinez who had grown up down the street from Big E and was so thrilled to meet his college friends that she enthusiastically hugged the two of them on sight; the bubbly blonde Australian Emma Tayla and finally Paige Knight, the 'terrifying British vampiress'.

"E, if you call me that again I will kick your arse."

"See what I mean by terrifying?"

Some laughs spread across the group as Ettore ushered Kaitlyn and AJ over to the booth that he and his friends seemed to call their own. He was quick to explain that The Inn was a local family-owned type pub that he and his friends had discovered back before they were even of age. Back then the owner knew the kids well enough to know to not serve any of them a drop of alcohol, but once the youngest of the group – Paige – turned 21 he was more than happy to serve his most loyal punters all the drinks in the world. Now that they were all adults with their own lives and jobs, it had gone from being the place to hit up every weekend to the place of every-now-and-then reunions. But going by the ease at which the conversation, the jokes and the drinks flowed, the Davenport crew had not missed a beat.

This ease was even extended to the two newcomers, both of whom were quickly taken in by Ettore's friends. AJ had hit it off particularly well with Xavier, Bayley and Kofi, who she discovered shared her interest in video games and comic books, while Kaitlyn got to chatting away happily with Paige and Emma as the group did the usual thing of discussing college experiences and recent endeavours. Kaitlyn, as she feared, had little to say in terms of what she'd done since graduation, but she was more than happy to banter with the others as they discussed themselves and each other.

"So," Ettore piped up, speaking to the entire group. "AJ and Kaitlyn are planning on making the move to Davenport soon."

"Good choice!" Kofi said over the top of his beer. "E's done nothing but cry about how much he's been missing you two these past few months, thank God you can finally shut him up."

"E," Kaitlyn giggled. "Why isn't this the first time today I've heard about you crying?"

"Because he's a big old softie!" Emma joked, poking him in his large – and certainly not soft – arm.

Ettore laughed and shook his head, sitting back as his friends took turns to tease him relentlessly. At some point during the roast session, Kaitlyn's phone began buzzing in her pocket. Quickly excusing herself, she went out to the front of the bar to answer the call.

"Yes, Evie, I'm still alive."

"Well thank goodness for that," Eve responded with an equally sarcastic tone. "How was your flight?"

"Not bad, although I was totally sat next to some guy who would not stop looking down my shirt. Unbelievable!"

"Gross," Eve scoffed. "See, this is why you should come to my self-defence class."

Kaitlyn laughed. "Okay, thanks Sensei." She then sighed and glanced back at the pub behind her, thinking about the good company that awaited her, and then thought back to Connecticut and the good company that she was missing out on tonight. "I'm still really sorry," she said sadly."

"It's okay," Eve sighed. "I understand. We all wish you were here but it's whatever."

"I called Alicia last night to tell her and I think she's pissed at me. She said it was fine, but I can tell when she's mad. Could you tell her sorry again from me?"

"Tell her yourself," Eve said simply.

"I will. Me and Maria have been texting all day and according to her you've been up since the early hours putting this shindig together."

Finally, Eve cracked a laugh. "Yeah, and meanwhile that useless redhead's been sat around drinking my wine and complaining about everything under the sun. And then Kelly texted me a little while ago and said-"

Eve stopped in her tracks and cleared her throat.

"Just out of curiosity, have you told her you're out of state?"

Kaitlyn's hesitation in answering was enough for Eve to assume the answer herself. But instead of arguing, she just sighed to herself.

"Don't worry about it; I'll talk to her later."

"You're the best, Evie."

"Yeah yeah yeah," she said, although her tone was light-hearted. "But in all seriousness, we all miss you and can't wait for you to get back."

"I miss you guys too."

"Okay, I should get going. I ended up inviting Mike and Maryse – I know, crazy right? – to dinner tonight to fill in your spot so I've got to make this place look extra fancy I guess."

"You invited Mike?" Kaitlyn blurted out quickly.

"Yes, Kait," Eve replied dryly. "He's my friend and since the friend I wanted here is out of town..."

"No, no, sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I'm just a little surprised."

Eve chuckled to herself. "Yeah, me too. But whatever. I'll leave you to it; talk to you soon Kait."

"See ya Eve."

The phone clicked and stood on the sidewalk, biting her lip nervously. Her mind was busy racing in a million different directions when she ended up colliding with a tall figure as she turned to step back into The Inn.

"Shit, sorry," the man said, holding on to Kaitlyn's arm to steady her. When he looked up at her properly, he began chuckling to himself. "Nice hair," he commented with a smirk.

Kaitlyn frowned and was just about to let out an 'excuse me?!' when she looked up at him and understood.

"Nice hair yourself. Very original."

He laughed and ran a hand through the half-blonde, half-dark mop in question.

"It was before you walked into this place," he protested. "I don't think I've seen you here before. This place is usually frequented by the same faces year-in, year-out."

"Oh, that's because I'm not really from around here. I'm just visiting a friend."

He nodded.

"That's cool. Well, I definitely recommend this place for whenever you're in the area. Great drinks, great food, and I've heard the owner loves this damn pub more than he does his own son."

Kaitlyn grinned. Discreetly looking back over him, she could tell instantly that he was a certified pretty boy. Tall, tanned skin, long hair pulled back into a ponytail and covered with a backwards baseball cap, and then dressed in skinny jeans and a hoody. He wasn't particularly her type, but she couldn't deny that he was an aesthetically pleasing young man.

"That is a sparkling recommendation. I'll take your word for it. But anyway, I'd better head inside before Big E sends out a search party for me."

The man opened the door for her, went in after her and started laughing at her joke before stopping with a frown.

"Big E?"

"Yeah," Kaitlyn rolled her eyes to herself. "It's a nickname, it would make sense if-"

"No," he interrupted her. "I mean, you're friends with Big E Langston?"

Kaitlyn frowned, taken aback.

"Kaitlyn!"

To her surprise, the two-tone haired man began grinning and following her back to the table.

"Oh man," Ettore said with a grin of his own, looking over at Kaitlyn and this mysterious man heading towards the group. "Kaitlyn, I see you've met Seth."

"Seth?" She looked back in confusion at the man behind her and the group of friends in front of her; all with matching grins on their faces. She looked over at AJ, who seemed just as lost as she was.

"Yeah, Seth Rollins," Paige said, standing up and approaching the man, wrapping her arms around him and planting a kiss on his cheek. "The irritating punk who's daddy owns this joint."