a/n: HELLO! Gosh, it's been so long since I've published anything; SIX YEARS to be exact. I've been toying with the idea of writing again for the past couple of weeks and I finally decided to sit down and do something. I hope that in the years that I've been gone I've become a bit better at getting my stories across and that they're relatable and easy to enjoy.

For my "comeback," I'm sticking with my OG favorite pairing Randy/Maria with an appearance from John/Mickie. The song that I used to inspire this story is called "Could've Been Me" by Billy Ray Cyrus.

My Twitter is linked to my page so please give me a follow!

Enjoy! xo

Sunday, 6:30 A.M.

As he poured his first cup of coffee, he watched as the rain hit the window of his hotel room. A restless night had turned into an early morning workout session, when his internal clock wouldn't let him get some rest after a shower, he decided to go ahead and get his day started. He had a flight he needed to catch this afternoon anyway, so it was best that he get his things together. Flicking on his television he let it drown out the silence that surrounded him, he proceeded to toss his luggage on his bed. Today was definitely going to be a long day.

Buzz, buzz

New Message from: JC

Hey, meet us for breakfast in about 30 minutes. Usual spot.

Sighing, he replied that he would be there shortly. Over the course of the past few years he and John and become the best of friends. Quite frankly, other than a couple of other people on the roster, John was the only person he could stand to be around for the most part. They had both been through so much together that it would be hard not to create a bond like the one they had.

Ten minutes later he was opening the door to a hole-in-the-wall cafe he and John had found years ago when they first started traveling together. The Sunset Cafe had housed them during a terrible storm in Macon, Georgia; it quickly became their favorite and anytime that they were in town, they visited. The place held a lot of good memories, it was actually the first place John took his then-girlfriend on a date.

A smile came to his face when he turned the corner and saw John and his now-wife Mickie sitting in a corner booth snuggled up against each other. After the hellos were said, he sat across from them and scanned the menu.

"Man, don't act like you ain't gonna get the same thing you always get." John joked.

Raising an eyebrow, he looked across the table, "and just what is that?" he questioned.

"French toast with scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, and bacon." the Cenas said in unison.

"Oh and don't forget OJ and your iced vanilla latte."

"Alright, alright" he held his arms up in mock defeat, "I guess I am pretty predictable."

A few minutes later orders were made and the trio talked about the upcoming week, Mickie had to fly out to see some family, while John and Randy were due in Florida for RAW and a couple of house shows. It had been tough for the married couple to be living apart for most of the calendar days, they had been married in January 2010 and by April Mickie had unfortunately been released; instead of still traveling with her husband, she decided to enter the independent circuit. That decision caused some friction between her and Randy because his girlfriend at the time then decided that she too wanted to join another entertainment company. A decision that ultimately led to their demise.

"Earth to Randal!"

Shaking his head he brought his focus to the fingers that were snapping in his face and the woman that they were attached to.

"Yes, Mickie?"

"Are you okay? We lost you for a minute there."

"Oh yes, I'm okay… just the usual." he offered a weak smile.

"You should've come with us, if not to the wedding, then at least to Ottawa."

"And do what exactly?"

"Well that I don't know, but you know how I felt about you staying behind on your own."

"I would have probably caused a scene Mickie, so it was best that I stayed where I was." he sighed, "I did see pictures of it online though, she looked amazing."

"She really did, she did get cold feet for a while though; she almost didn't walk down the aisle."

"John! You promised not to say anything."

"Wait… really? Did she say why?"

John sighed and looked over at his wife, she mumbled something to him and he responded with, "What difference will it make now? If he wants to know, we should tell him."

Sighing, the brown-eyed woman looked back and him, "She was hoping that you would come. She wanted you to come to get her. She waited until the very last moment."

"What? Mickie what are you talking about?"

"She said that it was silly because it had already been four years since y'all had broken up. But she said that ever since Mike asked her to marry him, she envisioned how life with you would've been, she loved you so much."

"Why wouldn't she just come back to me the moment she felt that she didn't really want Mike?" he rubbed his temples, "that just doesn't make any sense, she's always been so sure of what she wants."

"Well Randy, not that it matters anymore, but she wanted you."

A few days later he found himself back home in St. Louis. Everything Mickie and John had said ran through his mind on a loop since he left the cafe. He knew that they wouldn't lie to him, but could what they said really be true?

Opening the top drawer of his dresser he rummaged through looking for pair of socks when his fingers brushed against a velvet box. Grabbing the tiny box, he flipped the top open and stared at the violet diamond gleaming back at him. He had bought it for her in November 2010, and he had planned on proposing on New Year's Eve just as the clock struck midnight. Unfortunately, he never got the chance.

He and Maria had lost contact with each other in December 2010, just after Christmas. They had an argument about not being able to see each other for long periods of time, he had told her that if she would just quit then they could be together all the time. She argued that he could also quit and join her, which he laughed at. She told him that she knew that he didn't take her career as seriously as he took his and that maybe they needed to take a break. He stupidly agreed and stormed out of the room they were sharing. She didn't call him the next morning like she usually did, no text messages, no emails, nothing. In an effort to outdo her stubbornness, he didn't reach out to her either.

The next thing he knew she announced that she was in a relationship, then engaged, and now married. He'd been alone for four years, part of him hated her for moving on so quickly. Was he really that easy to get over?

Sighing he closed the box and threw it back in the drawer. In his heart, he knew that it was too late, regardless of what his friends had told him a few days before. He had waited too long to try and get her back and now she was gone for good.

Buzz, buzz

New Message from: 312-555-2943

Can you give me a call? I'm free in one hour.

One hour passed extremely slowly, he had messaged the unknown number to see who it was and didn't receive an answer. Part of him wanted to block the number and move on with his day, but another part of him was interested in seeing what this person wanted. Clearing his throat he typed the number in and hit the green call button on his screen. After a couple of rings a woman picked up on the other line.

"Hello?"

"Um, yeah hi, I received a message about an hour ago asking to call."

"Do you not recognize my voice? Has it really been that long?"

Could it really be? "M-Maria?"

"Yeah, it's me, listen I don't have a lot of time, I just wanted to talk for a bit."

"Oh… okay, what's up?"

He could hear shuffling on the other end of the line before she began speaking again, "Oh nothing in particular…"

"Don't make me pull out your full name… it's been four years since we last spoke, something has to be up. Is everything okay?"

"It's silly, Randy, it really is…" she sighed, "I know that John's probably already slipped up and told you about the day of my wedding. You know… before I walked down the aisle."

"It may have been mentioned…" he started, "he said that you had gotten cold feet a few minutes before it was time to walk down the aisle."

"You know Randy, I have always disliked how you beat around the bush. I know they told you why I had gotten cold feet." she sighed, "Why didn't you show up, Randy?"

"Why didn't you just walk out?"

"Answer my question first, please."

"Maria, I wasn't invited."

"What? Yes, you were! I invited everyone I used to hang out with in the WWE. Mike took all the invitations to the post office. You should have gotten them when…" she paused for a second, "he must've taken yours out of the stack. Randy, I'm so sorry. I wanted you there, I really did."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Anything."

"What if I had shown up? Would you have really walked out on Mike like that?"

"Yes. Randy, I wanted nothing more than for you to show up on your motorcycle and whisk me away."

"Why did it take four years for you to realize that? Why your wedding day?"

"I don't know Randy. Mike… he's a good guy and I do love him, but I'm not in love with him."

He rubbed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, "Do you know what position you've put me in, Maria?"

"I know… I know, I'm so sorry. But I just wanted you to know, okay?"

Before he could answer her, he heard another man's voice in the background, "Hey, I'll call you soon, okay?"

"Oh, okay… talk soon Maria. Bye."

"Bye-bye."

After they hung up, he tossed his phone on his king-sized bed. Walking over to his window, he watched as kids played at the house across the street. He had bought this house with the intention of raising a family with Maria. A dream that could've been.

But that phone call had him thinking… is it a dream that still can be?

a/n: There you have it! I did leave the ending open a bit because halfway through writing I fell in love with the concept of the story and the idea of a full-length story came into mind. I do hope that you enjoyed reading this story, please leave me a review and let me know what you thought! One-shot requests for this story ARE open but are subject to being written and uploaded when I am able to do so. I work full-time and also take college classes full-time, so I'm a bit busy, but please don't hesitate to reach out!

Thank you all for your time! xo :)