Author's Note: Thanks again everyone for the comments, favorites and follows. This one's a bit shorter, but it's some important information for the next few chapters. Enjoy!
At exactly eleven o' clock- not that Roman was eagerly counting the minutes or anything-, Roman stood outside Lucy's door and knocked three times in quick succession. He had his hair tied back in a bun at the nape of his neck, and wore a simple black tee shirt and jeans.
Seconds later, the door flew open to reveal a smiling Lucy, and Roman's heart skipped a beat. She was wearing fitted black jeans and an emerald green V-neck tee shirt with tiny black polka dots on it. The outfit was simple, but the color of her top made her eyes shine bright, and he noticed that one was a slightly different color than the other. Roman was floored. How could she have gotten more beautiful in only a few hours?
"Roman? Are you ok?" Lucy asked, her smile falling a bit.
Roman realized he had just been staring at her and shook his head, willing himself not to blush.
"Yeah, I'm great. I- um, I mean, you-" he stuttered, fidgeting under her confused gaze. He stopped talking for a second, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He could do this.
"Hi," Roman finally said calmly, smiling at her.
"Hi," Lucy replied slowly, "you sure you're alright? You look like you've just seen a ghost." She was the one fidgeting now, twirling a curl around her finger and chewing nervously on her bottom lip.
"I'm great, really," Roman said, giving her what he hoped was reassuring smile, "You just look even prettier today than you did last night, and it caught me off guard for a second."
"Oh, well in that case, thank you" Lucy replied, the smile returning to her face.
She reached out and ran her hand gently down his tattooed arm, a gesture that, much to Roman's surprise, instantly calmed his nerves. He placed his hand over Lucy's and met her eyes, sharing a moment silently with her.
"Would you like to come in for a second?" Lucy asked, pulling her hand from his gently and opening the door wider for him, "I just want to grab my shoes and stuff, then I'll be ready to go." Roman nodded and took the door from her, gesturing for her to go in first.
"I'll be just a minute," Lucy said, stepping into the bathroom.
"No rush, take your time" Roman replied and perched himself on the unused bed near the window, glancing at her television. Uninterested in whatever news program was on, Roman looked around and noticed that Lucy had a laptop and a few notebooks piled up on the table. She also had a couple of cardigans thrown over each seat back and several pairs of shoes and slippers on the floor. She wasn't messy, per se, but Roman was so used to the neat as pin person that was Seth Rollins that it was refreshing to see a hotel room reflect the fact that a person was staying there. As he looked around a bit more, Roman noticed the blanket on her bed wasn't the same as the one he was sitting on, and figured she must have brought it with her. Everywhere he looked, Roman saw little bit of Lucy's personality. It made the room feel infinitely more relaxed and homey then his identical one across the hall.
Roman looked up at Lucy as she walked back into the room and watched her as she made her way over to the table and chairs. She slid her feet into black flats and grabbed black cardigan, folding it over her arm.
"Ok, I'm starving. Let's go," she said cheerfully, walking the short distance between them.
"I'm hungry too," Roman said, reaching out to take both of her hands in his, "but I think I still owe you a proper hello."
Lucy walked into the space between Roman's legs and smiled down at him, placing her hands on his shoulders. His smile turned more serious and his eyes darkened as he stared into hers. Roman wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in closer, taking in the way she smelled faintly of cotton and lavender. Lucy sucked in a short breath, and Roman could feel his heart pounding against his chest. Slowly, Lucy bent down and sealed their lips together gently. Roman kissed her back hungrily, a low sound coming from deep in his throat. Lucy slid one hand into Roman's hair and parted her lips against his, and Roman wasted no time pushing his tongue inside. Lucy nails lightly scratched against Roman's scalp, which spurred him on as he held her even tighter and laid back on the bed, pulling Lucy down on top of him, never breaking their kiss.
Their bodies molded together perfectly, and Roman was finding it intoxicating. He ran one hand down her back, still holding her firm, and slid the other up around the back of Lucy's neck possessively. Lucy released a barely audible whimper and pushed her hips lightly into Roman's, making him all too aware of the tightening in his jeans. Finally, they broke their kiss but remained entangled in one another, both of them breathing heavy. Roman opened his eyes and looked up at Lucy staring down at him, her eyes sparkling and her lips now swollen.
"Well, that was certainly an improvement on the first hello" Lucy said after catching her breath, a little smile in her voice "I just hope you don't greet all your friends that way."
"Nope, Seth's beard is way too scratchy" Roman joked as he reached up to brush a piece of hair off of Lucy's face, " I can't have him scraping up my cheeks."
Lucy giggled and rolled off of Roman, landing next to him on the bed. They both sat up and straightened their hair and clothing.
"So" Roman said, turning to face Lucy, "do you like Thai food? I saw a place not too far from here that looked pretty good."
"Yeah, that sounds perfect!" Lucy said, nodded enthusiastically.
Roman smiled and stood up, reaching his hand out for her to take. Lucy happily accepted it and stood up as well.
"All right, Thai it is" Roman said as the two of them headed out of the room.
Lucy closed the door behind them and walked with Roman, hand in hand, towards the elevator. As they passed by the small room with the vending machines, Roman glanced over at it and smiled to himself, thinking about their meeting less than twenty-four hours ago.
They arrived at the elevator and Roman pressed the button going down. As they waited, a comfortable silence washed over them and Roman's mind drifted to the encounter between them in Lucy's room.
One of the downsides of avoiding serious relationships was that it left Roman to handle his physical needs himself. He had never been one for ring rats or one-night stands, so it had been a long time since he'd had sex. Roman hoped Lucy hadn't noticed how excited he got just making out with her, but at the same time she seemed to be getting turned on just as much. Roman didn't want to push her any faster than she wanted to go.
The chime of the elevator's arrival brought Roman out of his thoughts, and he followed Lucy inside the small car.
"Are you a sushi girl?" Roman asked as the doors slid closed, his mind coming back to the present.
"I like California rolls," Lucy replied with a shrug "but I've never really tried anything beyond that and a vegetable roll. I've always wanted to, I just never knew where to start."
"How adventurous are you feeling today?" Roman asked, an excited smile growing on his face. The elevator halted and the doors opened out to the hotel lobby. "I happen to be a sushi enthusiast."
"Oh, so you did more in Japan than sing karaoke?" Lucy asked with a smile and quirk of her eyebrow, as she and Roman passed the check in area and walked outside onto the sidewalk.
Roman chuckled and shook his head. "Remind me to kill Seth next time I see him."
"Nope, no killing until I hear the rest of that story" she said, wagging a finger playfully at Roman.
As the pair wandered down the street towards their destination, Roman looked around and appreciated the view. He was glad whenever he got to spend some time in Florida, which was rare even though he lived in Tampa. Orlando was always nice to visit, although it wasn't near the ocean, and being November it wasn't hot or cold. It was just perfect.
Lucy seemed to notice what Roman was looking at and smiled up at him.
"It's nice here, isn't it? I love the weather this time of year. We don't get much of a fall, but it doesn't get freezing cold so I'll take it."
"So, you live in Florida, too?" Roman asked as they arrived at their destination. He opened the door for Lucy and followed her inside. The restaurant was small, but beautiful. Four booths lined two walls, each with a sheer woven canopy overhead. The carpet was a deep burgundy, the lighting was dim and there was soft harp music playing in the background. A hostess greeted them and sat them in booth. Their waitress immediately arrived and took their drink order, then left them to peruse the menus.
"I just realized I never answered you before," Lucy said, as she looked over the items available for lunch, "I live in Tampa."
Roman's smile immediately lit up. Today keeps getting better and better.
"No way! Really?" he asked her, looking up from his menu.
"What? Think I'm trying to throw you off of my scent?" Lucy asked, a teasing tone in her voice.
"No, it's just I live in Tampa, too. Ever since FCW" Roman answered her with a small laugh.
The waitress reappeared with their drinks and took their order. Roman ordered four different sushi rolls for the table, as well as an order of garlic chicken for himself, and Lucy ordered chicken Pad Thai.
"Well, that is good news. Guess you can't get rid of me too easily then" Lucy said after the waitress left to put it in their order.
"Nope. I've got you now" Roman replied, reaching his hand across to take hers. She intertwined their fingers and grinned. His heart fluttered at the touch. Not bad, Reigns he mentally congratulated himself.
"So, do you have any plans after Raw tonight?" Lucy asked. "I know you'll be exhausted, but-"
"If you want to see me, I want to see you" Roman interjected, which earned him an appreciative smile from Lucy. "What did you have in mind?"
"I was thinking just hanging out? Maybe watch a movie? Get to know each other a bit more?" She replied, a hopeful tone to her voice.
"Sounds like a plan" Roman replied, giving her hand a squeeze. The waitress arrived with their sushi and placed it down in front of them, handing them each a set of chopsticks.
As they began to eat, Roman smiled to himself. Even though he was sitting across from her, he couldn't wait to spend more time with Lucy. Tonight couldn't come soon enough.