Dean was determined to keep trying. But Renee wouldn't make it any easier for him. "I don't have time for you now," she kept sending him away. It didn't make a difference if she was actually busy or not. She always found something better to do. Before, she'd welcome an argument; definitely more than that awkward "conversation." It was a disaster and a huge let down by Dean. So what that now he wanted to talk about it? Even if he finally decided to tell her everything, right from the beginning, and without a single lie, Renee didn't want to hear it. Not now. Not in front of everybody.
"Just hear me out."
"No," she smiled because there were people watching.
"You don't need to act as nothing is happening." She really was. There was a smile on her face, clearly a fake one. It was so that nobody could suspect anything. Or she believed if she pretended to be happy, she would really start feeling that way.
"It's called professionalism," replied Renee.
"No. It's called not being able to face the reality! What? You don't want to make a scene?" Dean suddenly spoke more loudly. He was getting close to shouting. "Scream at me!"
In reality he was the one screaming. And Renee didn't like it at all. Moreover, a little girl appeared behind her.
"Rebecca," cried Dean. "Damn it!" he said to himself. He totally forgot about her. So much happened lately that this escaped his memory. Normally Renee would probably remind him that Rebecca would accompany them in the backstage, but since it wasn't looking very brightly for the relationship of them two, she left Dean out of this.
Dean calmed down. Now he needed to borrow some of Renee's professionalism. Joy replaced anger in his face. The mind also needed to change the approach. It was a little kid he was talking to now, not a grown-up woman. And watch your language, Dean reminded himself.
"Rebecca," he kneeled to get on her level and then called her name. The transition was complete; the child-friendly version of himself was ready to be used. "Good to see you again. How you like it here?" Dean chose not to look up at Renee because he could already see her disgusted look. Those million faces of her boyfriend . . . how she despised them; especially now.
The poor little girl didn't know how to respond. She was still in a shock of the Dean Ambrose she witnessed a moment ago.
"She's scared of you," Renee commented and made Dean look into her eyes for a brief second.
"Sweetheart," Dean addressed the girl, "you're safe here. Look around. You see those people? Every one of them is stronger than anyone you know." He soothed her, "And they won't allow anyone to even touch you. You don't need to be scared at all."
"But . . . you screamed."
"That's professional deformation," Dean smiled in hope to get that smile on her face, too. "You know wrestling. You sometimes have to raise your voice. For the effect."
"Like when you scream at Seth Rollins?" she asked.
"Yeah," Dean replied. He deliberately omitted that those two scream at each other even when there're no cameras around. But he said, "And then you sometimes forget than you're not in the ring and raise your voice anyway. And I'm sorry for that. Sorry to you . . . and sorry to you," he said to Renee. He got the most eye contact he was able to get in the past days. Then he turned to Rebecca, "So tell me, dear, who you got to meet so far?"
Somehow Dean got the girl relaxed. She answered his question without hesitation. "Randy Orton, John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, Seth Rollins . . . Seth is different now," Rebecca noted.
Dean laughed. "No, he's not."
"You're different too."
Dean thought and then said, "We all change . . . mostly on the outside. But on the inside we're still the same."
"Don't get philosophical, Dean," Renee said.
"Is she mad at you?" Rebecca was quick to notice.
"Ask her," was Dean's "clever" response. Also, he wanted to know what Renee would say now that Rebecca was there to hear her every word.
"Are you mad at him?"
Now Renee had to think twice before answering that question. Was she mad at him? Of course. But if she replied positively, another question would follow. Why?
"Maybe," she finally said. Then added, "But you don't need to worry about that."
"Are you gonna break up?" Rebecca wouldn't let Renee breathe. She knew it would be Renee who'd answer – at her the question was directed, after all – but Rebecca looked at Dean as well. She was curious to see his reaction and she'd also like to know his opinion.
After long enough waiting, the answer still didn't come. Renee didn't know what to say. For that matter, she didn't know what to do, either. This was tough, just as Seth predicted.
"No," Dean spoke.
It was hard to notice but this single word cheered Renee up a little. It showed her what Dean wanted and that he was willing to fight for it, after all. She was even tempted to say – when Rebecca kept looking at her – "You heard him." But that would be too simple. The break up wasn't out of question just yet.
Dean looked at his girlfriend. Finally there was no antipathy or anger. This was the right time, Dean thought to himself.
When he turned to Rebecca, he told her, eye to eye, "Wait here for a sec, okay?" And added, "And make sure Renee doesn't go anywhere either." He smiled at the little girl to settle the agreement. Then he stood up and walked away.
He came no more than a minute later, and he was accompanied by Roman Reigns. He had no idea where was Dean taking him. Roman kept saying something like, "You think I have nothing to do?" It was stupid of Dean to assume that everybody'd find time for him. But then again, he didn't care; he was sure that he had a special talent to make others do whatever he wanted them to. And most of the time it really worked.
Rebecca and Renee were waiting at the same spot. Renee was holding the girl by her hand and didn't let go even when she noticed the guys approaching them quickly.
"Rebecca," Dean addressed her happily, "this is Roman. You know Roman Reigns, right?" he asked dramatically, especially when pronouncing his buddy's name.
She nodded. Roman's height and build made her uncomfortable, even terrified – he was intimidating for sure – and she lost the ability to speak. That was when Dean realized something he had forgotten about. This girl was unable to speak the last he saw her. She didn't say a single word for the whole time he and Renee visited her at her house. Now, not that much later, she talked to Dean without any problem. Dean didn't even notice anything strange when he heard her speak; her speech was clear. Normal. As if there was never a problem. That made him glad. Rebecca got probably over the worst part.
But Dean returned to the subject; that is Roman. "He's actually a nice guy," Dean said, and Renee smiled to show agreement with that statement. It seemed odd to Dean, though, that Rebecca'd have no trouble talking to other big guys like Randy, yet getting scared of Roman. But then again, Dean wasn't there so he couldn't know what happened. Dean continued, "He has a little girl like you."
"You do?" Rebecca asked.
"Yes," Roman replied.
"So, Rebecca, what would you say if I left you with Roman, and I and Renee will go talk." Although when he started speaking Dean was looking at Rebecca, by the time he finished his eyes were set on Renee.
Roman immediately found something strange about the whole situation. Dean brought him there to look after the girl. Not that he'd mind, but why not to have the conversation when you don't have a guest here? Moreover, the way Renee was looking at Dean was out of ordinary. It wasn't hard to guess that she didn't want to have that talk. And Roman wondered, what happened between those two? And what would they be talking about? Roman gave Dean a look, letting him know that he had his suspicion. And later he'd wanna know what's going on. Maybe it was time that he start to get more interested in his friend's life.
After not being able to refuse going talk to her boyfriend, Renee told Rebecca, "I'll be back in a minute." And she smiled so that Rebecca wouldn't worry.
At the same time Roman looked at Dean, asking if it was really possible to resolve the problems in such a short time.
Dean said, out loud, but only to Roman, "This may take a while." Roman nodded understandingly. I got your back, he replied using only facial expressions.
Renee had no choice but to go with Dean. The hall wouldn't do this time. This was serious and it could get nasty. Therefore there were conditions: no witnesses. No one to bother or interrupt them. They needed to get through this; the sooner the better.
While on the search for a safe place to have a private conversation, Renee didn't feel like filling the silence with chip chat. But Dean started talking, "You could have told me about Rebecca." He opened the topic and later meant to discuss her re-found ability to talk.
"And you could have told me about Cassie," Renee struck back.
This is not gonna work, Dean told to himself, but still replied to Renee, "Those are two different things."
"Right. One you don't mention and nothing happens. The other you don't mention and you're single."
"Don't dramatize." Dean was sure she wasn't serious.
"You think you're fine? You're safe? You're Dean Ambrose, you're untouchable, right?" she said sarcastically. "Everybody wants you. I can be glad you chose me."
"Why am I the one, the only one," Dean emphasized, "acting like an adult here? I feel like right now I could have a more mature conversation with that little girl than with you."
"Dean, you don't get it? I don't know what to do. You expect me to react, right? But how? You haven't cheated on me; at least that's what you say. You also keep saying that you haven't done anything wrong."
"I said it once. And I apologized."
"No, you're right. Theoretically. If you really haven't betrayed me, I have no reason to be mad at you. But I feel betrayed and I am mad," she said. "And in conclusion, I come around as the bad one here. I don't want to be a bitchy girlfriend who forbids you to . . . I don't know, hang out with your friends. But . . . I can't accept your ex as your friend. And there you go, I am what I don't wanna be."
"I didn't know you feel that way," Dean admitted. It was hard for him to get inside his girlfriend's head and see the situation through her eyes.
"Dean, you've asked me if I trust you. I do trust you. Maybe I'm naïve, but I believe you when you say you haven't cheated on me. Physically."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that . . . there was something between you two."
"That was long time ago," he opposed.
"I know. But you were a couple."
"For less than a month," Dean countered again.
"You felt strongly about her."
"I didn't know her."
Renee prepared for the final counter-argument, "That's exactly it. You didn't know her back then very well. But I suppose now you do. And you're friends. And . . . why wouldn't either of you want more?"
Renee believed that with that question she'd make Dean nervous, but she didn't. He was really calm right now. After all, Renee had finally spoken. And she told him what bothered her. Now it was his time to start explaining and make her see there's nothing to worry about.
"Darling," he smiled at her, and even stroked the side of her arm, "let me tell you a little story."
Renee sighed for she didn't believe she'd be interested in some story. Besides, it reminded her that Dean lacked seriousness. And at times like this, one couldn't make jokes. He need to start taking it seriously.
But Dean wanted to tell the story. "You're gonna like it," he was even sure. And he got to talking, "It all started in February. I met a girl. I liked her and she liked me. We had our fun. But there was this other girl who loved me but never told me."
"I know how that story goes," Renee said, and her unenthusiastic tone revealed that she didn't want to hear more.
"Shh," he placed his index finger on her lips. "I liked this other girl too. She was . . . good-looking, smart, very professional, but also fearless, funny, and most of all, she was my very good friend. And even though she was giving out signals that she liked me, I didn't see them; I was blind," he half-joked. "But, evidently, I was also giving out signs that I liked her . . . and this girl either didn't recognize them or didn't believe them to be true. So what happened?"
"They opened their eyes and saw?" Renee guessed. There was sarcasm in her tone.
"No. They were too stupid for that," Dean said. "They got their eyes opened by their friends. Or . . . in the guy's case, by his girlfriend."
"What?" Renee was confused; she didn't understand.
"Ha," Dean laughed. "So you don't know the story, after all. The then-girlfriend of the guy sat down to him and told him what was happening. And she wasn't mad when she realized her boyfriend had eyes for a different girl. She told him what she saw, instead. And she also told him to go after that girl."
"She set him free?" Renee asked. She got interested.
"Yes. The guy had it all arranged for him. He wasn't totally happy because he missed the best part . . . chasing the prey. He got it all served for him. It just awaited for him to take it. But . . . he soon realized that he was wrong to think that from then on it would be simple. The hardest part was yet to come. And it would be the hardest thing he's ever done."
"What exactly?"
"To be a boyfriend," admitted Dean. "He never was good at it. And although this first girl had taught him a lot, he was still pretty desperate. Some thought he was a lost case. He himself doubted he could ever improve at those things."
"So what did he do?" Renee wanted to know.
"He asked for help."
"Who?"
"The girl that has given him the best advice of his life: to go after the girl he would never stop talking about."
"Your ex became your . . . relationship teacher?"
"Shh, don't spoil the story. The girl that let him go advised him on how to keep his new girlfriend."
"That's wrong."
"Maybe it's wrong when you look at her as his ex-girlfriend. But when you see her as his friend, it's perfectly normal."
"That is not very soothing."
"But it worked. And the most important thing is, he was doing it all for his girlfriend. You know, the ends justify the means."
Renee sighed. "Dean, why you always have to have your own way of doing things?"
Dean couldn't find an answer to that question. At least not immediately. He wished to say something clever, though. And he did at last. "Nobody's perfect; at least I'm unique."
Renee successfully fought the urge to smile to that. She kept her face expressionless. "Tell me this," she continued, and this time she needed him to answer as honestly as he could, "what would you do if I now set you free and told you to go after the girl that clearly was the one that changed your life?"
"What would I say?" Dean repeated. "I'd say, Not gonna happen."
Renee smiled, finally. And it was an honest smile too. "So how does the rest of the story go?"
Disaster averted, Dean said to himself. Now there was only one more thing left to do.