Roman knocked on the door to Zayna's hotel room and smoothed down his shirt. For some reason it felt important that his shirt didn't look out of place this morning. He heard the lock click and started smiling before she even opened the door. She stood there in a short, orange dress that looked amazing on her.
"Wow!" He said.
"A good wow or a bad wow?" She asked.
"Very good," he smirked.
"Who's got a dirty mind now?" She asked.
He laughed and she joined in. Everything was just so easy with her. It might be a weird way of flirting that most people would feel was a step too far but it felt natural and right between them.
"Ready to go?" He asked.
"Yes," she answered.
She grabbed her suitcase and followed him down to the lobby to check out. They walked out in the parking lot to their cars that were parked side by side.
"You know, if you bring the same woman to your locker room two days in a row, people might start talking," she said.
"I don't care. They can talk all they want. Besides, if someone thinks I got you as my girlfriend, I won't correct them. That's a fucking flex," he said.
She blushed and he grinned at her. She pointed at him but couldn't find any words to say. Instead she got into her car fast which made him laugh. He got into his car too and she followed him to the arena. They got inside and found his private locker room. He went to catering and fixed two plates of breakfast for them. He went back to her and handed her a plate.
"Vegetarian sausages," he said. "According to Zelina, they're really good."
She took a bite and smiled.
"So good," she said.
"Aw man, I should have taken some too instead of normal sausages. Mine are plain and boring," he said.
She grinned at him and he moved his fork over to steal a sausage.
"Nope!" She moved her plate out of his reach. "All mine."
"Mean!" He pouted.
He took another bite of his own sausage and she chuckled. She continued eating and for a few minutes they ate in silence.
"My mother's name is Shameka," she sighed. "It means pure at heart. They couldn't have missed the mark more when they named her. There's nothing pure about her."
"You're right about that," he said.
"My father's name is Kyle. That means narrow, strait, confidence, reliance and trust," she sighed again. "Fucking trust. How can I ever trust him again after what he did? I used to trust him with all my heart and then I found out what kind of a monster he is. I grew up loving a monster."
"It's not your fault," he said.
"It sometimes feels like it," she said.
"Tell me what your name means," he said.
"Beauty and grace," she said.
He flashed a toothy smile and leaned closer.
"They were spot on with that," he said.
"Stop!" She giggled.
"I mean it," he said.
"There's nothing graceful about me," she said.
"But there sure is a lot of beauty," he said.
She blushed and that made his smile grew.
"You're cute when you're blushing," he said.
"If this was a date, this would be the part where you would kiss me," she said.
"Do you want me to kiss you?" He asked.
"I feel like that's a trap no matter what I answer," she said.
"It's a simple yes or no answer," he said.
"One I do not care to answer," she said. "I still have food left and I will return to my plate now."
He chuckled and finished his own plate. There was something so endearing about her that he wasn't sure about himself anymore. He was supposed to be her friend and a helping hand while she navigated these new waters of her life. He couldn't begin to imagine what she was dealing with inside.
"I'm driving home tonight after the show," she said.
"Have you talked to Taker?" He asked.
"He keeps calling and texting. I texted him to give me some space but that didn't stop him. He really wants to be my father and I know I should let him. He is my real father," she said.
"No one is entitled to another human being regardless of what DNA they might share," he said.
"I wish he would understand that we have two very different experiences of what happened. He's been mourning for 34 years. I only just started, and I don't mourn the same loss as him. I mourn the loss of two parents that turned out to be evil baby snatchers" she said.
"Want me to call him and tell him to back off?" He asked.
She smiled at him and reached over to squeeze his hand.
"You're too kind," she said.
"You deserve kindness," he said.
"Don't call him. I'll handle it," she said.
"Are you sure?" He asked.
"Yes, I'm sure," she patted his hand. "I'm very grateful for letting me hang out with you but I need to face my life at some point. I'm an adult. I can handle it."
"If not, I'm only a phone call away," he said. "I'm your friend, Zanya. Call me if you need me."