** Okay, I know it's been quite a while since I last posted on this, but...writer's block sucks and I just needed to take a beat from this to get my thoughts in order. Plus my first born just started Kindergarten and the summer was hectic, to say the least. I'm back now and hopefully will be posting more frequently on this. I hope you guys haven't forgotten and have stuck with me through this! To those who have, thank you from the bottom of my heart! Hopefully, I won't need another hiatus! :) **
Chapter 13
Silence resonated throughout the vehicle as Jon drove Jecina and Lilianna back to the hotel. She wasn't going home tonight to be with Roman, needing time to herself. Not that he blamed her. Jecina explained to him, in plain terms, about Roman handing full control over their wedding over to his mother. What the hell was he? A momma's boy? Why didn't that surprise him to hear? Personally, Jon thought Lilianna deserved someone a lot better than the Samoan idiot and doubted he could satisfy a woman properly. Hell, it wouldn't be shocking to find out Roman had to call his momma, prior to screwing a woman, just to make sure he had her approval. He glanced over at Jecina, noting the worry on her face and squeezed her hand to gain her attention, jolting her out of whatever deep thoughts she'd been in.
This entire situation was ridiculous and Jecina wanted to slap some sense into Roman, wondering if it would do any good. This was supposed to be Lilianna and Roman's wedding; it had nothing to do with his mother other than her place as the groom's mother. Nothing more. And yet, he didn't grasp that concept and let his mother run the show. Jecina had thought, at first, Lilianna might've been exaggerating every time she complained about Lisa, but after seeing it firsthand, she could honestly say she didn't blame her friend at all. The way Lisa spoke to her was so cold and callous; the woman actually thought this was her wedding instead of her son's. Jecina cracked a small smile over at Jon and squeezed his hand back in return, letting him know silently she was alright.
"So, what happened back there?" Jon asked, breaking the silence and ignored Jecina's warning glare she shot at him. "Did someone get shot and I missed it? Damn it!"
"Don't be absurd, Moxley." Lilianna muttered, not in the mood to smile or laugh because her world was currently falling apart around her. "I wouldn't have minded shooting someone, though."
Arching a brow, curiosity burned in Jon's electric blues as he looked in the rearview mirror directly at Lilianna. "Who?"
"Jon…" Jecina held a warning tone, pursing her lips tightly together.
Once again, he had no filter and didn't care what Jecina thought. Prodding Lilianna would make her talk about what happened instead of keeping it bottled up until she exploded on the wrong person instead of people who could help her. There was always a method to his madness. Didn't Jecina realize this by now?
"Come on, whose head did you wanna pop like a tick, Lili?"
Jecina groaned, releasing his hand to bury her face in her hands, shaking her head.
"Lisa's." Lilianna practically snarled out, tears stinging her eyes and immediately blinked them away. She wouldn't cry until she was alone. "Now isn't the time to screw with me, Moxley…" Now her tone held warning.
Jon kept prodding. "What kinda gun would you use on her?"
"Excuse me?" That question caught Lilianna completely off guard. "What do you mean? Does it matter what kind of gun?"
"Not really, just curious." Jon shrugged, seemingly unfazed by the inappropriate topic and turned the radio up a bit. "I like a nice sawed off shotgun myself. Or something that makes a head explode the second the bullet hits the target…"
Lilianna blinked, her anger diminishing for the moment and tilted her head at the maniac her best friend was in love with. What the hell did Jecina see in him? "Have you ever…?" She trailed off, not sure how to ask him if he'd ever killed someone and suddenly didn't want to know the answer.
What if he had?
Would that change Jecina's mind?
Outright laughing at the slight fear on Lilianna's face, Jon procured a cigarette from the pack inside his pocket and lit it up with the vehicle lighter, taking a long drag after cracking the window. "Have I ever what? Blown a mother fucker's head off? No, but I've thought about doing it more times than I care to think about. And for the record, I DO own one, in case you wanna borrow it sometime for a certain meddlesome soon-to-be cunt-in-law."
That was a tidbit of information Jecina didn't know about and she'd stayed in Cincinnati with Jon a lot. She didn't know how to feel about guns, not against them, but they also scared her too. There was always a gray area whenever it came to Jon. So many mysteries he still held and she wondered if she'd ever truly know everything about Jon Moxley.
"I'll keep that in mind." Lilianna actually smiled and reached over the seat to squeeze his shoulder. "Thank you."
Jon smirked, waved her off dismissively with his hand and took another drag of his cigarette, flicking ash out the window. "Don't mention it. At least you calmed down and now you can think with a clear head. For the record, and I'm only saying this once, you deserve better than Reigns. You can crucify me for it, I don't care. Just an observation from a member of your wedding party."
It was…unnerving to see Lilianna and Jon, of all people, getting along. What the hell happened to Lilianna despising the ground he walked on? Jecina was thankful for it in a way, but it also didn't set right with her either. Maybe Jon was finally breaking her walls down and Lilianna saw him as a good man instead of an arrogant nuisance.
"Why would I crucify you when what you say is the truth?" Lilianna clasped her hands in her lap and lowered her eyes, heaving a sigh. "I love Roman, I really do, but…if this shit continues with his mother, I'm gonna have to call it quits with him. I don't want to do it, so I hope he gets his head out of his ass soon."
Jecina frowned, sharing a quick look with Jon and knew Lilianna meant everything she said. "You two need to talk alone without anyone else involved, especially Lisa. Then you can get to the bottom of things and see if you guys can work everything out."
"And what if we can't?" That question came out in a mere whisper full of pain and heartache. "What if I'm making a mistake by marrying him? Hell, I got left at the alter once and now it's bound to happen again…" Randy had emotionally scarred her with their wedding fiasco and it looked as though the past was coming back to bite her yet again. "That's why I just wanted to elope instead of having a wedding…"
"Wait a fucking minute…" Jon stopped at a red light and moved the rearview mirror to where he could clearly see Lilianna's face. "You told that Samoan mother fucker you wanted to elope and he DENIED you? What kind of shit is that? If it was me, that's exactly how I'd wanna do it and, given your history with failed weddings…"
"Jon…" Jecina's tone held warning, her eyes flashing at him to tread carefully with what he was about to say next.
Once again, Jon wasn't deterred and continued without missing a beat. "That big Samoan bastard should've told his mother to fuck off and eloped with your sexy ass."
Lilianna raised a slow brow that went nearly up to her hairline, meeting Jecina's eyes in the rearview mirror to silently ask if she was angry Jon just called her sexy. "Umm thanks…" This was awkward to say the least and Lilianna felt completely drained in every way possible. "Maybe calling the wedding off, or at least postponing it, is my only option right now."
Why would Jecina be mad at Jon for voicing his honest opinion? Calling her friend sexy was a little…shocking, but then again, Lilianna was a beautiful woman. She knew it as well as every man on the planet. Roman was a lucky man to have her and, if he lost her due to his meddlesome mother, he would have nobody to blame except himself.
"Sexy isn't a strong enough word to describe her, baby, but I'm sure she appreciates the compliment nonetheless." Showing it truly didn't bother her, Jecina slid her fingers up and down his arm in a soothing caress and winked at Lilianna through the rearview mirror. "So, since you're staying with us tonight, how about we order some takeout, rent a couple movies and chill out? Worry about everything else tomorrow."
"No threesomes, I know how you two work." Lilianna smirked, laughing as Jecina's face turned four shades of red while Jon laughed out loud at her joke.
"LILI!"
"Your loss, sweetheart." Jon shrugged once the laughter died down and groaned at Jecina pinching his nipple through the t-shirt he had on. "Hey! No abusing the driver, precious unless you want me to pull over and give your bestie a show she'll never forget."
Lilianna groaned, shaking her head repeatedly. "Please no, I really don't need to see you two go at it." Jon Moxley had zero shame and now it was Lilianna's turn to have flaming cheeks.
The rest of the ride back to the hotel was made in small talk, the radio playing soft classic rock music. Jecina did her best to get Lilianna's mind off Roman, his mother and the wedding, even for a little while. Once back at the hotel, Jon changed their room from a regular to a suite with two separate rooms so Lilianna could have privacy if she chose. Jecina smiled at his thoughtfulness and kissed him, silently thanking him for thinking of her best friend. He merely smirked, shot her a wink and guided the women to the elevator that lead up to their suite after making sure their luggage would be moved. Once inside, Lilianna excused herself to use the bathroom and shut the door behind her, flipping the lock on it. Luckily, there were two bathrooms in the suite along with a jacuzzi tub Jon planned on using during the time they'd be in Pensacola.
Jecina frowned, staring at the bathroom door and wrapped her arms around herself, her heart breaking for Lilianna. "She's going to be okay…right?" She asked quietly, hearing Jon shuffle around behind her until his warm calloused hands gripped her shoulders gently.
"Can't answer that, Jina. Something tells me she'll pull through, though. She's strong."
Jon slowly turned her around until watery emerald met his electric blues, his finger trailing down her cheek just as a single tear fell. He sucked in a sharp breath and pulled her into his strong embrace, stroking the back of her neck lovingly. If there was one thing that drove Jon to his knees and made him feel helpless, it was whenever Jecina cried. He HATED crying women and didn't put up with them usually, but Jecina was different. Yet another change she'd instilled in him over the past 2 years.
"Don't cry, you know it kills me when you do." He muttered in her hair, hearing her soft sniffle and groaned, not bothering to hide it. "You're killing me, precious…" All he wanted to do was take her pain away and make her smile again.
"I-I'm sorry…" Jecina whispered, trying to stop the tears from falling because she knew how much they bothered Jon, but it wasn't possible. Not when her best friend's world was unraveling and she was completely powerless to stop it. "I can't imagine what she's going through and I can't stop what's about to happen to her. I just wanna help her somehow, someway and I can't." Burying her face in his chest, her tears soaked through the fabric of the t-shirt and Jon immediately tightened his arms around her body.
Jon was at a loss for words on what to say to make her feel better and lifted her to where her legs wrapped around his waist, backing up toward the door to their room. Sinking down on the bed, Jon rubbed her back and felt her face bury in the side of his neck, breathing her in. He missed her far more than he'd ever admit over the past 2 weeks being overseas apart. While holding her, Jon started thinking back to what his twin said and felt his blood boil, shutting his eyes somewhat tightly.
It makes me wonder why you guys are living in separate states still. I mean it's been how many years?
As much as Jon didn't want to admit it, Dean had a valid point, which is why he had been planning on asking Jecina to move in with him on their 2-year anniversary. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible since he was a jackass and missed it. Still, he could ask her anyway since missing their anniversary didn't bother her. Why was that? Jon figured a woman was usually angry whenever a boyfriend/husband would miss the day they came together. Not Jecina though. Jon didn't know why that bothered him so much, but it did and he couldn't shake the feeling in the pit of his stomach something wasn't right with her…them.
"Jina…"
"I'm okay." She had calmed down while Jon soothed her and slowly pulled back to wipe her eyes with the back of her hand. "I know you hate crying…"
"Yeah, especially when you do it. You feel better now?" Jon asked somewhat gruffly, trying not to let Dean's words get to him and could see the questions swirling in her eyes. Sighing, he lifted her off of him and set her on the bed, standing to walk over to the phone on the nightstand. "I'm hungry. I'll order something from this place. Why don't you go check on your friend?"
His sudden chilly demeanor had Jecina worried, the alarm bells ringing in her head. "Jon…" Catching his arm, she felt how tense he was and immediately let go. "What's wrong? You were just fine a couple minutes ago…did my crying really bother you that much?"
"Yes." That was a flat lie, but Jon couldn't let her know what was truly bothering him. "Crying shows weakness, Jina. You know how I feel about it. I don't mind consoling you, but…" Wow, he was sounding like a complete dick to her. "Nothing's wrong, I'm just tired and hungry. Been a long day. You should go check on Lilianna. Food will be here shortly."
Jecina wasn't born yesterday and pursed her lips tightly together, already knowing Jon was lying to her. She could always tell when he did, which wasn't often. After he finished ordering their food and hung up with room service, Jecina decided she wasn't letting him off the hook easily.
"Fine. When you're ready to tell me the truth, you know where to find me. I'm bunking with Lilianna tonight, she needs me. Go enjoy your food you're so eager to eat instead of being honest with your girlfriend." Storming out of the room, she slammed the door behind her with authority and went to check on Lilianna, hoping her friend wasn't completely drowning in sorrow.
"Fuck." Jon growled, slamming the phone down and pulled his pack of cigarettes out of his back pocket, lighting one up instantly. "Goddamn you, Ambrose…"