Ricardo is pleasantly surprised by the turnout for his farewell event at the Dojo on Saturday. Yes, the general fans are there for the show itself, but Alex, Alicia, Sofia, and Paige are there as well. He had hoped that Alberto could be there as well, but he'd had to go to Puerto Rico to defend his championship, promising to return home in time to do something before Ricardo had to leave on Thursday. He doesn't have a match so he sits and watches his students show their skills. Some win, some lose, but he's proud of all of them, how far they've come since he joined them a year ago. Paige's head is warm on his shoulder, Sofia's hand laced lazily with his, and they all seem interested in the show, which makes him happy.
His eyes widen when they return home after the event at the dojo ends and the farewell party wraps up a little later, all of them too tired for much more than a quick toast to Ricardo's safe travels. He's greeted by a group of their friends- Mike, AJ, Alberto, John, Star. He gapes at all of them as Sofia grins at him and pushes him towards them, Ricardo going from person to person to thank them personally before they go out to the patio to eat. The grill is busy for a good hour as Mike and Alberto take turns at flipping meat over the heat. Paige kisses his cheek and stares up at him with a small smile. "We really surprised you, huh, love?"
"Yes you did," he sighs, kissing the top of her head. "I didn't know, really, how badly I wanted all of this until we walked into the house and saw everyone." She smiles up at him, kisses some ketchup off of the corner of his lip and settles back against his side. They hadn't discussed anything serious but, after weeks of dancing around each other, their nights together turning into days apart, it's nice to be together again, even if it's on the loosest of conditions. She still keeps the room on the second floor, sometimes going up there when things become too much- no matter how close they become, he's still leaving in a few days, and he doesn't hold it against her.
She does come to see him before flying out for Night of Champions, kissing him goodbye, and he smiles at her, watching from the door as she gets in the car, waves halfheartedly at him, and heads out for the airport. He has a busy week ahead, still figuring out what to pack for India and deciding to spend Monday and Tuesday at the dojo to pass time while his pre-traveling jitters eats at him. Sofia makes a hurried supper of burritos and brings it to him while they watch the PPV. Mike isn't booked, so the main match Ricardo cares about is the divas championship match. He feels bad that Paige had been cheated her opportunity, but he'd met Charlotte a few times before leaving WWE, and he has every confidence in her.
So when she wins, finally putting a stop to Nikki Bella's unending title reign a week after she'd beat AJ's record, he tweets congratulations to her, complimenting on her ability and beauty. It's simple enough to him, just showing support to a woman he'd watched beginning to blossom in developmental, the match she'd just won proving how far she'd come since he'd last seen her. He never stops to think how Paige will react. Goes on with his night, a little surprised that she doesn't call, or at least text, him but he assumes she's busy celebrating Charlotte's win with her and Becky. He's halfway through a night at the dojo when he checks his phone. Sees tweets about Paige throwing a pipebomb of her own, of which he finds a video of. The longer it goes on, her vitriol towards her partners, towards all of the other divas, leaves him shocked and uncomfortable. I haven't even left yet. What's going to happen when...?
Shaking his head, he puts his focus back on his students, watching them and guiding them through learning how best to manage one move after the other and any possible defenses. When he gets home, his worry worsens. He paces around his bedroom and stares at his phone, hoping for a text that never comes, that causes his insomnia to return with a vengeance. He'd already agreed to return to the dojo early Tuesday afternoon so he asks Sofia to alert Paige where he's at when she comes home. Upon receiving the housekeeper's agreement, he leaves for another day of teaching the art of wrestling.
He's trying to show how best to reverse a hurricarana when he sees her watching, his distraction causing the man to carry the move through and cause him to land hard on the mat, winding him. "Shit! Sorry," the guy says, scrambling up. Paige is in the ring, Ricardo can tell, her subtle bodyspray washing over him. He smiles as the student leaves quickly, her taking his place.
"Are you alright?" she asks lowly, brushing her fingers over his jaw, into the bristly hair growing from his chin.
It takes him a minute to catch his breath but finally he succeeds, cupping her hand and kissing it. "I feel like I should ask you that. What happened yesterday?"
She lays down next to him, resting her head on his chest and listening to his heartbeat. "I'm just tired of it," she sighs. "Becky and Charlotte, I thought I could deal with it. I thought we'd be a good team against the Bellas and Team BAD, but we just... I don't know. I feel like an afterthought. And I started the Divas Revolution. I shouldn't be overlooked, ignored. But Charlotte wins, and Charlotte becomes divas champion, and I'm here, losing everything and meaning very little in the scheme of things. I need to be noticed, I need to be better than I am." She sits up and stares at him. "At least it'll give me something to focus on while you're gone..."
He stares at her before sitting up too, cupping her face. "I'm so sorry, Paige." He hugs her for a moment. "I would lay here forever with you if I could, but there's a training session going on... if you want to stay, you can..."
She shakes her head and kisses his fingers. "It's fine. I'll see you at home later." Her smile looks fake as she gets up and leaves, the students all hovering around uncertainly until he clears his throat and beckons them back into the ring. The rest of the class seems to drag on forever until he can finally call it quits, send everyone home and head back to Alberto's. Paige is laying on the floor of the living room, hugging a pillow and waiting for him.
He settles down next to her and wraps an arm around her as they watch Total Divas. He almost wishes he'd had an extra week in the States, because the season finale is next week, and as the episode progresses and Paige's clear discomfort in everything to do with her engagement to Kevin grows, he wants to see how it resolves. Especially when the cliffhanger is Paige telling Alicia she had lied, that she hadn't wanted to get married. Neither of them say anything until the episode fades to black, Paige shutting it off before the next lame reality show comes on. He kisses her shoulder and nuzzles into her neck, biting his lip as he ponders her words. "Paige," he whispers against her skin.
She sighs and closes her eyes as his hand rubs along her hip, up her back. "I never wanted to marry him," she whispers. "Even being in a fake relationship with him made me feel so low, especially when I saw how much it was hurting you. That was the last thing I ever wanted to do. I'm so sorry." Tears are pouring down her face as she grips his shoulders and guides him down onto the wood floor. "I never knew- I mean, I could imagine... how you felt, but it wasn't until you started tweeting about how gorgeous and talented you thought Charlotte was that I knew a little of how you felt, watching me talk about how much I loved Bradley, and now Kevin." Her tears pepper his flesh and he wants to reach up and comfort her but her fingers are biting into his wrists, keeping him down, and all he can do is watch as she straddles him. "Please forgive me," she pleads, her accent thick through her tears.
All he can do is nod, and then gasp, as she seizes his lips in a hungry kiss and parts them slowly with her thumbs, the hazy amount of time that follows smoldering and beyond overwhelming as she clings to him and repeats his name breathlessly. He stares at the top of her head as she dozes against him later on, her breaths soft and tickling his skin. "I forgave you a long time ago," he whispers to her before dozing off himself. He just misses the soft, wonderous smile that crosses her face.
He has no time for much on Wednesday. Alberto and Sofia are in and out, offering help or food, drinks and whatever else they think might help, but he's put off packing long enough. He's leaving late morning the next day, and he has no time to spare. Especially with the wild thoughts bouncing around in his mind. Paige doesn't move all day, laying in his bed, wrapped up in his sheets and watching as he goes from dresser to bag, closet to bag, time and time again. Sometimes he checks a list he'd made to ensure he doesn't forget anything, making off one thing after the next as time passes. By the time he's finished, Paige has ate her supper and is now curled up in bed, dozing off. He watches her for a few minutes before leaning in and kissing her on the mouth, leaving the room to get his own meal.
Sofia sits with him, neither having much to say, but just enjoying each other's company as he eats his fill of the beef tips and gravy on mashed potatoes she'd made. As soon as he finishes and puts his plate in the sink, he leans over and hugs her warmly. "Gracias, Sofia. I'm going to miss your cooking."
She half-laughs, half-cries, throwing her arms around him and squeezing tightly. "And I will miss your hugs, mi hijo."
He smiles sadly, brushing the tears off of her face, before walking into the living room. Alberto is sitting there and they eye each other, smug looks on each other's faces as he sits down next to his former employer. "Ready to watch your team get beat?"
"Pffft, prepare to be humiliated, mi hermano," Alberto chides him. By the end of the game, neither care as much as they pretend to about who's won or lost, just relieved to be able to spend the last few hours, teasing and laughing, having fun like brothers one last time before Ricardo leaves. "I told you," Alberto sneers once the game's ended and he shuts the TV off.
Ricardo huffs and rolls his eyes, crossing his arms petulantly over his chest, and Alberto laughs again, this proving catching as Ricardo gives in and laughs as well, leaning against his best friend as Alberto squeezes his arm and presses a warm kiss to his forehead. "Gracias for watching this with me, El Patron," he says, smiling sadly before standing. "I'll see you in the morning before I go."
"Si, you most definitely will," Alberto says, watching with tired eyes as his best friend, his little brother, leaves the room.
Ricardo trudges back to his bedroom, expecting to find Paige still waiting for him, but no. His bed is empty, the light is off and he frowns, going about getting ready for bed anyway. It's late, she'll probably be in soon. Once more comfortable in one of his oversized merch shirts and some shorts, he settles into bed with his Pubjabi dictionary, trying to learn more terms while he waits for Paige to come in. He's a handful of pages into it when he starts to doze off, jerking awake when the book falls out of his hands. He grunts and glances at the clock, immediately sitting up. It's well past 1 AM and... he frowns, wondering if perhaps Paige had fallen back asleep, if... if she had decided not to spend this last night with him.
He swallows and gets out of bed, padding carefully up the dark stairs to her room. It's dim and quiet inside, the only sounds being Paige's breathing, and he stands over her, watching her sleep. Conflicted over whether to stay or go. Everything in him says to go, let her rest, that there's always the morning, but his fingers take on a life of their own. Grazing down her wrist, brushing the sheets away. He kneels down next to the bed and watches her face as he runs his fingers down her legs, her warmth enticing to him as it always had. Something tells him she's not asleep and sure enough, the longer he touches her, the more she registers it, her face tensing up before tears drip down her cheeks, soaking the pillow. He grimaces and whispers, "Paige..."
She shakes her head, eyes still closed against the tears that are staining her bedding. "Please no, Ricardo. I can't. It hurts too much, I just... I can't be the strong one right now. I know that I destroyed things between us to the point that any time anything that happens between us, I'm the one who has to initiate it, but I just... I can't... not tonight, I can't-" Then his fingers shift and she gasps, her eyes shooting open and words dying away as she bites her lip against the sensation his touch is bringing her. "R- Ricardo," she keens, his other hand easing her against the pillows before he settles down atop her, their bodies fitting perfectly together as always. He smiles sadly at her, kissing the tears away before finding her fluttering hands with his, holding them between their bodies. "Wha- what are you doing?"
"It hasn't been that long, has it?" he asks off of a broken laugh, reluctantly moving his hand off of her thigh and toying with the hem of her shirt. It's not until he pulls it up over her head that he realizes it's the shirt he'd given her from his PWtees shop. She sniffs and moans as he kisses her warmly, his hands easily melting every stress from her bones. She grits her teeth and digs her nails into the sheets when he kisses down her throat, to her collar and lower, lower, reclaiming every inch of her physically.
"Oh, love," she sighs, her body overriding every attempt she has at thinking this through- it's clear it wants nothing but to feel him, absorb his strength, his warmth, his love, the touch of his hands on her flushed skin, his lips, teeth and tongue working together to unwind her the rest of the way. So she allows it, unsure how she'll feel about things in the morning when she watches him leave. Laying in bed crying wasn't getting you anywhere, though, she just manages to remind herself before he presses his forehead to hers and stares her in the eye, their fingers interlacing at their sides as all of the walls that had built up between them the last couple of months shatter completely, and they finally become one once more.
He has tears in his eyes too when he lifts their hands over their heads, heightening the sensations pooling between them, and whispers, "I love you so much, mi fuerza."
He hadn't called her that in a long time, she can't remember when he last had, and it causes her to sob anew. "I adore you more than anything and everyone in the world, love. And I always will." She squeezes his fingers and allows her eyes to flutter shut though she's loath to lose the warm protected feeling his stare is providing her, every other sense too overwhelmed to allow her to continue on like she is.
Afterwards, she's in a sleepy haze, his arms secure and warm around her waist, when he sits up and strokes her hair with soft, uncoordinated fingers. "You're the most beautiful and talented female wrestler I've ever seen. We've been friends for years and nothing will ever change that. Just because I compliment someone else will never diminish your abilities in my eyes. Por favor, never doubt that, mi fuerza." He brushes the hair away from her neck and kisses down the column of her throat, before wrapping his fingers around hers and settles back against her, relieved and hating it all at once when sleep claims him.
The morning comes much too soon and he kisses her eyelids before gently uncurling himself from her, wrapping the sheets around her body before padding into the bathroom. His flight is in five hours, giving him just enough time to shower, eat breakfast, decide one last thing, and then leave. His stomach is doing flips but as he stands under the hot spray, he's reminded of her hands on his lower back, along his chest, and he smiles, growing minisculely more confident. Finishing quickly, he dries his hair and body before returning to his bedroom and slipping into the clothes he will be traveling in. Jeans and Paige's latest merch shirt, that still smells like her somehow. Hesitating for a moment, he scoops something out of his drawer just in case, still weighing it.
He walks back to the second floor bedroom, not that surprised to find her sitting blurrily on the edge of the bed, watching him approach. He sits next to her and she sniffs, wiping sleep and tears out of her eyes. "Five hours, huh?" He nods and she stares at her hands. "I don't know what I'm going to do without you. Without your voice, and your touch, and... just everything..." She stares at him. "Even when things were bad between us, it was... enough to keep me going. I don't know..."
He quiets her with a slow, passionate kiss that causes her toes to curl against the wooden floors as she clings to him, hoping for a repeat of last night, of one more moment that she can hold onto for the months that he's gone. Instead, she gets something else as her words had made his decision for him. He pulls away and smiles sheepishly at her. "Do you remember, mi fuerza... when Alberto collapsed? And I went to England with him?"
She struggles to keep up with this, still lost in pain and sadness at his leaving so suddenly after the beautiful perfection that was last night. "Yeah," she whispers. "Of course I do. You were so worried about him. What-?"
He takes her hand and rubs it between his own. "I was very worried about him... but I had another reason for going to England." He traces the lines marking her palm, grinning as she gasps and twitches under his hold, ticklish there. "Between Alberto's events, we traveled to Norwich." Her fingers tense under his and he smirks, wondering if she's guessed it yet. "I had a very important question to ask your parents. I knew I was probably jumping the gun a little bit, and so did they, but for some reason, they agreed to support me in whatever choice I made..." He looks up at her. "I'm aware of what you've been saying the last few weeks on Total Divas. That you're not ready, that you're too young, and I know all of this. But I've been awful to you the last few weeks, and I'm so damn sorry about that. I was hurting and I didn't want to hold you back, make you wait six months for me to return, and maybe risk missing the chance at being happier with someone else..."
She tries to protest, choked in tears and shaking over what she thinks he may be about to do, but her words fail her and she sobs hard until he presses his forehead to hers, stroking her hair and murmuring to her until she calms down. Her eyes are still wet and red rimmed when he reaches into his jeans pocket and pulls out a ring box, her eyes immediately locking on it. "Oh bloody hell," she keens, wiping her eyes and facing him.
He releases a breath at the look on her eyes, the wide eyed wonder mixed in with the horror of the little girl she still is deep inside, who never had a real childhood because she'd always been wrestling in her parents' company, traveling here and there for the rush of being in the ring, taking and dishing out damage day after day. He takes her hand and lifts it to his lips, kissing the shaking fingers softly. "This isn't a proposal," he tells her softly. "Not yet. I just want you to know... I love you so much that some day, when we're both ready, I want to put this ring on your finger. It could be six months from now, when I'm back from India, or it could be six years from now, either is perfectly fine with me. I will not push you into it like Kevin did, I want you to live your dream without feeling hindered by a husband at home." He runs his fingers through her hair, watching as she digests this.
She nods slowly, resting her hand on the box. "Let me see it." Moving her hand away, she watches as he opens it, revealing the ring. Trapped somewhere between fresh tears and laughter, she shakes her head. Kevin's ring had been a large, black stone on a gaudy band, and Ricardo's is painfully similar. "Oh, Ricardo..."
"I noticed last week that his looked uncomfortably like mine," Ricardo says with a grimace. "So I searched for a way to keep my ring but yet have it be noticeably different from his."
"Well, you definitely succeeded," she breathes, running her fingers over the stones. The band had been widened, more stones delicately placed to surround the black jewel. To the left, ruby, jade and goshenite stones and to the right, garnet, topaz and the purest white opal she'd ever seen. "The Mexican flag, and the British flag."
He nods, eyes lighting up at her recognizing the meaning behind the colors. "Si, our origins. What brought us here, to each other. I, I hope you don't think it's cheesy..." He is quieted as she throws her arms around him, the ring held safely in her hand.
"I love it," she breathes, pulling back to stare at him. "I love you. And when the time comes that we're both ready to take that step, I will be honored to wear this ring on my finger for the rest of my life." Over the past month and ahalf, she had grown weary of always initiating whatever intimate moment they'd had since he'd broken up with her but this morning, she feels like she has a second lease on life. And time is slowly getting away from them, his flight now three hours away, and she doesn't have the patience for him to go beyond kisses and light touches on his own so she starts to pull his shirt up over his head, kissing every inch of skin that she reveals as she goes.
"Hey, I just put these clothes on," he pouts, just to devolve into soft groans as she returns the favor from earlier, multitasking with her teeth and tongue and leaving him a muttering mess.
"I don't care," she says simply, throwing it somewhere over her shoulder and cupping his jaw before kissing him intensely. "I am deeply madly in love with you, Ricardo Rodriguez. And don't you forget it."
His breathing alternates between deep and gentle to hitching and rough, which makes his voice sound deeper when he mumbles against her skin, "It'd be impossible to, mi fuerza, because I feel the same way. You're a part of me, and you always have been. No matter how long I try to deny it, or fool myself..." He moans into her throat as she moves just so, his mind blanking on everything but the feel of her. "You're in my blood... a piece of my soul..."
That's all she needs to hear. She flips her hair over her shoulder and arches down against him, grinning when his fingers dig into her back in response. "It's about time you admit that, love."
Breakfast with Sofia and Alberto is much too rushed, and then the four of them are off to the airport. Ricardo looks flushed and Paige looks much too pleased with herself, so neither bother asking why, but Sofia's happiness for them combats Alberto's crankiness at not getting to spend more time with his best friend. When they're at the gates, Ricardo steps forward and buries himself in Alberto's arms, lingering for as long as he dares. "I love you, hermano," he says. "I'm sorry time got away from Paige and I..."
Alberto grunts and cups Ricardo's face, searching his eyes. "As long as you're happy, mi hermano. Call, skype, I will even try to text you. We will be in contact a lot, si?"
"Of course we will," Ricardo promises, leaning in for another lengthy hug. Sofia's turn is next and she clings to him, crying into his shoulder as he strokes her back and whispers to her, sometimes in Spanish, sometimes in English.
"Be safe," she pleads with him. "Eat, sleep, take good care of yourself. I won't know what to do if something happens and I'm unable to take care of you." She frets, she kisses his cheeks, his forehead. "Promise me, mi hijo."
He smiles and hugs her. "I promise, madre." Her eyes light up, fill with even more tears, and he presses her back against his chest. "I love you, Sofia. Gracias for everything. I would be lost without you in my life."
"The feeling is mutual," she cries out, finally pulling away and leaning on Alberto as Ricardo turns to Paige, his lips twitching miserably.
She has to fly out next, for Smackdown, so they had really cut this all short. She had to delay her flight and sorts of madness just to see him off. But it doesn't matter to either of them as she holds her arms out to him and he walks hurriedly into her embrace, kissing her neck and collarbone. If only we had more time, he thinks, closing his eyes. "I love you so much, mi fuerza. No matter what part of the world I'm in, that will never change."
She cups his face and kisses him slowly, softly. "I feel the exact same way." They stare into each other's eyes, remembering this morning, the night before. The ring that is patiently waiting for them to catch up with its existence is laying in a corner of Alberto's safe, Paige painstakingly memorizing the code for those cold, lonely nights when she wants to hold the affirmation of Ricardo's love for her in her hands and imagine what their wedding might be like, their life together.
When Ricardo's flight is called, both pull away painfully, tears tracking down their faces. "I love you," he mouths to her as he lifts her bags. With each step backwards, he watches his family become further and further away, the words falling from his lips again and again until he turns the corner to board the plane and can't see them anymore. Here we go, he thinks bittersweetly.
"India, here I come."