Chapter 3

Emilia had retraced her steps for three times already, but she still hasn't seen her I.D. If she doesn't find it tonight, it will be lost forever and she can't get inside the next venue. Before walking down the hallway, she stopped walking and thought about all the possible places where she could have dropped her I.D.: outside her and Josh's hotel room, the hotel's elevator, outside the hotel. But if she dropped it on one of those places, an employee of the hotel would've called her already. She looked everywhere in her and Josh's rental car but it wasn't there. She looked in the parking lot and in all the places she had to go to before she could get to the production room. Emilia took a deep breath and wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her right hand. She was pacing back and forth, trying to figure out where she had lost her I.D. Everyone in the production room must be looking for her now, because she has been gone for a long time. She told them that she'll just go to ladies room to freshen up.

Dean was standing outside of the production room, smoking. He heard footsteps at the end of the hallway and saw Emilia pacing back and forth. She looked stressed; she had sweat on her forehead and it was dripping down her rosy cheeks. Some of her hair had fallen out of its ponytail and it framed her face. It wasn't Dean's fault why she's like this, or maybe it was. He knew that she was looking for something, something very important.

Emilia spent five minutes thinking and pacing back and forth before walking down the hall to go back to the production room. The show will go on a commercial break soon and she was thinking of retracing her steps for the fourth time – this time with Josh, because she couldn't find it on her own. She was about to open the door of the production room when she caught the awful scent of cigarette smoke. She was so busy looking for her missing I.D. that she had forgotten that Dean frequently stayed outside of the production room, just standing there, smoking a cigarette. She was aware that he was there all the time, she just pretended that he wasn't so that she wouldn't be distracted while working. Why he decided to hang out there if he could stay at another place, she didn't know and she wasn't sure if she'd like to know.

Emilia frowned – she hated smoking. She coughed for a few times before covering her nose with her left hand. When she turned around, she found Dean staring at her with those clear, intimidating bluish-gray eyes of his. She took her hand off her face and tried to ignore the scent of the smoke, though she found it really hard to do so.

"You do know that this is a no smoking area, right?" Emilia told Dean in a stern voice.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, I do. But I'm not good at following the rules."

Emilia laughed humorlessly. "I could see that."

When Dean took a step towards her, Emilia wanted to take back what she said. There was a little space between them but it's like there wasn't, because she could almost feel his torso against hers and she could hear his heart steadily beating. She suddenly found it hard to breathe – maybe it's the smoke, or how close Dean was to her. Or maybe both. She silently prayed repeatedly that he wouldn't get closer to her, but he took another step towards her. Emilia felt her knees getting weak and her stomach turning. Emilia coughed and decided to speak, because the silence between them was making her feel uneasy.

"Have you seen a laminated card on the floor? It's my I.D. It's missing and I think I dropped it here somewhere." Emilia said, looking at the polished floor.

The right corner of Dean's lip curled upward. Her I.D. fell off from the waistband of her jeans when she stepped out of the production room a while ago because she didn't clip it properly. He took it and put it in the left front pocket of his pants. He could just take it out and give it to her, but he wouldn't do that. He can't return her I.D. without getting anything from her.

"What if I told you that I had it?" Dean asked her as he took a short drag from his cigarette, taking in the smoke and blowing it out to his right. His eyes were on her and he couldn't take his eyes off her.

It took Emilia several minutes to answer his question. He may or may not have her I.D. He sounded like he was just toying with her, but Emilia wanted to get her answer right, in case he had her I.D. She looked up and their eyes connected. "Then I'd ask you to give it to me, because its mine."

That wasn't the answer Dean was hoping to hear and he felt a little disappointed. "What if I don't want to give it to you?"

Dean was definitely toying with her. Emilia had no time for this. She narrowed her eyes. "Do you have my I.D. or not, Dean?"

Dean was delighted to hear his name coming out of her glossy cherry red lips. The look on her face amused him – it was a mix of annoyance and determination. She sounded and looked sexy, it was hard for him not to get turned on.

Instead of verbally answering her question, Dean decided to answer her using actions. He dug into the left front pocket of his pants and took out her I.D. Emilia's eyes widened when she saw her I.D. in his hands. Dean waved it in front of her face before raising it over her head. Emilia raised her feet and tried to reach for it but she failed to get it. Being short was a disadvantage in situations like this.

"I'll give it to you if you go out with me tonight." Dean said. He looked and sounded serious.

"Normal guys don't ask girls out on a date like this." Emilia replied. There was no emotion on her face, but Dean saw the nervousness in her bright blue eyes.

"Sorry sweetheart, but I'm not a normal guy." A small smile appeared on Dean's face. His smile sent chills down Emilia's spine. "So yes or no?"

Emilia thought about what happens if she says yes or no: if she says no, she could just get a new I.D. and take a few days off. But she will hear from Vince, her salary would be deducted, and her work will get piled up. If she says yes, then she'll have to go out with Dean tonight, a man she didn't know well and she'll get her I.D. back. She should say no, but desperation was taking over her.

"Yes, I'll go out with you tonight." Emilia said in a low voice and looked down.

Dean couldn't believe it – she said yes. He firmly believed that she would say no, but she didn't. He wanted to throw his fist up in the air. He put her I.D. back in his pocket and lifted her chin with his fingers. His eyes connected with hers. Her bright blue eyes looked dark and her lips were quivering. "Meet me at the parking lot after the show. There will be consequences if you don't show up."

Dean's fingers gently brushed against her chin before he let go of it and walked down the hall. Emilia was breathless. Her chest was aching and her heart felt heavy. She was planning to not show up but now she couldn't because he said there will be consequences. He wasn't kidding and Emilia had no choice but to stay true to her word.

"You're kidding, right?"

Josh looked at Emilia, trying his best not to laugh. He knows it's a bad idea to laugh right now – Emilia looked like she was going to cry and he didn't want to upset her even more. He found it hard to believe what Emilia just told him. It was all for an I.D. He felt bad for her.

Emilia shook her head. "No, I'm not. Josh, what have I gotten myself into?"

Josh stroked Emilia's back, trying to calm her. "Maybe going out with him tonight isn't such a bad idea."

"I should've been more careful." Emilia sighed. "I don't want to go out with him."

"But you already said yes. You shouldn't have." Josh replied, shaking his head.

"I had no choice! I don't want Mr. McMahon to think that I'm stupid." Emilia buried her face into her hands.

"It's just a date, pretty baby. Nothing to be nervous about." Josh told her in a soft voice.

"But I haven't been on a date ever since Mike and I broke up, and we broke up a few years ago." Emilia took her hands off her face and covered her mouth.

"Mike? As in Mike Mizanin?" Josh grinned. "You dated him?"

"I shouldn't have told you that, damn it," Emilia slammed her fists down on her lap. "Yes, I did. We met in Cleveland. I was a freshman in college. Don't tell anyone."

"I won't, pretty baby. I promise." Josh replied and quickly squeezed her left fist. "You and I need to talk about that and other things soon."

Emilia nodded and put on her headset. Work could help her take her mind off things.

Emilia was in the ladies room, staring at her reflection in the blurry oval mirror. She took a deep breath before taking down her high ponytail. She ran a hand through her hair and soft dark brown waves landed on her shoulders. She took the end of her black polo shirt out of her skinny jeans and stretched it out. She stared at herself in the mirror again before getting out of the restroom.

She looked at her wristwatch - the show has been over for fifteen minutes. Dean must be in the parking lot now, waiting for her. She wondered if he was alone or he was with Seth and Roman. If he was with those two, then it's not a date.

Emilia was walking towards the building's back exit when the door of the men's locker room opened. It hit her a little hard, so she fell down on the cold concrete floor. She saw stars and her head was spinning. For a second she felt like throwing up. She heard men talking and laughing, and then they stopped. Emilia put a hand on her right temple and gently massaged it - she could feel a headache coming. She was about to stand when she felt someone on her side.

"Hey, are you okay?" The man asked her.

Emilia nodded as she grabbed her bag. "Not really."

The man took her hand and helped her get up from the floor. When she was on her feet, Emilia saw the face of the man who helped her. She must've gotten hit by that door pretty hard. She probably passed out and now she was dreaming.

"Emilia?" Mike said. He sounded so startled and looked like he just saw a ghost. "What are you doing here?"

"Mike," Emilia replied. It felt strange hearing herself say his name. "I work here."

Mike nodded slowly. "I see."

Emilia needed to end this conversation now. "Thanks for helping me, I guess. Good night."

She put the strap of her bag over her right shoulder and walked away, but Mike grabbed her hand and spun her around to face him. She almost bumped her head into his hard chest. She took her hand away from his grip and crossed her arms. She looked down to avoid his eyes. "It's good to see you, Emilia."

Emilia looked up and her eyes instantly met his. The pupils of his blue eyes were dilated. He had a soft smirk on his pale pink lips. He looked good, better than the last time she's seen him, which was a couple of years ago. When they were still young and foolish. "It's good to see you too, Mike."

"We should catch up soon, over coffee." Mike suggested, looking hopeful.

Emilia nodded with a smile. "We should. You know my weakness."

"I do." Mike chuckled and so did Emilia.

"I have to go now. Good night, Mike." Emilia said and quickly turned around.

"Take care. Bye, Emilia."

She heard Mike say as she opened the exit door and got out.

When she got to the parking lot, Emilia looked for Dean. There wasn't enough lights in the parking lot and the light coming out of the lampposts was orange. She hated orange-tinted light bulbs. She eventually found Dean sitting on the hood of a silver Nissan Versa. Seth and Roman weren't with him and Emilia's heart started beating fast. His arms were crossed and there was a smirk playing on his lips. She took a deep breath before walking towards him. He looked so casual: he was wearing a black t-shirt, a gray hoodie, jeans, and sneakers. He looked like a normal guy, but Emilia knew that he wasn't a normal guy - he said it himself. She doesn't know what he means by that. How is he different from all the other guys? She didn't want to know, but a little part of her was dying to.

Dean couldn't see Emilia well, but he didn't need to - he had already memorized her lovely face. A warm feeling washed over him when he saw that her hair was down and it had waves in them. He wanted to feel it in his hands, between his fingers.

"Here I am, Dean Ambrose. Let's go." Emilia said. In her head she added, let's get this over with.

The warm feeling intensified when Dean heard Emilia say his name. The heat went straight to his manhood. Dean didn't say anything; he just stood up and uncrossed his arms. Emilia was about to open the passenger side's door, but Dean opened it for her with shaking hands. She slowly got inside the car and when she was in, Dean closed the door and jogged to the driver's side. He got in the vehicle and drove out of the parking lot.

Emilia knew it was going to be a long night.

Author's note: You guys are awesome! But you probably know that already, hahaha. I hope this chapter isn't too long, I don't want you guys to get bored. Anyway, thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows! If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to send me a message and I'll reply to you as soon as I can. - C x