Tuesday, July 16th, 2019 - Worcester, Massachusetts
Today was a day that would be ingrained into the head of Cedric Harvey forever. Today marked a special day that he would never ever forget. Today was the day he would make his main roster debut. A moment he had only dreamed about as a young kid dreaming about making it to the WWE. And now his dream was truly becoming a reality. He would be lying if he said he wasn't ecstatic about the opportunity. But while he was ecstatic, he was anxious as hell about it.
In WWE, hell in Professional Sports period, you get one moment to truly debut. One moment that you get to call your arrival. A good debut and you could propel your career into new heights guys like John Cena, Kevin Owens, Kane, AJ Styles can all attest to that. A shitty debut and your career can get lost in the madness that is World Wrestling Entertainment.
That's why there was so much pressure on Cedric for tonight. Not to mention, this was still in his relative trial phase meaning if the crowd wasn't feeling him, he could be sent back down to NXT expeditiously like it was no tomorrow. And Triple H was sticking his neck out for Ced, risking a lot to even bring him up so early. Ced was in NXT for only a few months and probably had maybe 1 TakeOver match and few matches on Live Events so roughly no sample size for the fans of the main roster to truly get a feel for him.
Plus coming back after an injury like a tricep tear, while not deemed as devastating as other injuries, still devastating in its own right. All these factors just added fuel to the fire of Ced for tonight.
The past few months had been hell for Cedric Harvey. He hadn't been able to do what he loved the most and that was compete in a WWE Ring. He had to spend his birthday training and recuperating from the injury. Red and his family came down to spend a few weeks with him.
And things were kosher with Keana up until last week. An argument started over the fact that Cedric had to leave to be on the road for weeks and that he wouldn't be home for a while. That and the fact that Keana felt that Cedric was rushing in too fast and wasn't ready to return to active competition. To which he responded in a way that he shouldn't have and tensions had gotten high and they both ended up saying things that they shouldn't have.
And while Cedric wanted to apologize, he couldn't run the risk of any distractions at the moment that would stop him from being able to perform to the best of his abilities.
All these thoughts were circulating through his head as he waltzed into the DCU Center with his Beats over his ears drowning out the sounds around him. He had to get ready to go meet up with Paul to go over some of the creative plans for his character and tonight.
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Cedric emerged through the same curtain he would be stepping out of later on tonight to step foot on the SmackDown Live set. He looked around, having his head on a swivel, getting a feel for the set and for the arena for the first time. He was sporting his wrestlings boots with his knee pads lowered down over his boots with a pair of shorts over his ring trunks and a black zip-up hoodie with an WWE logo plastered on the chest of the hoodie.
His eyes set upon Paul who was leaning up against the ring apron talking to some of the talent with a woman standing beside him. Cedric walked down the ramp, meeting Paul at the ring with the mysterious woman by his side.
"Hey, I'm glad you could make it," Paul said as he dapped Cedric up and gave him an encouraging smile. Cedric's heart raced with a mix of excitement and gratitude as he stood face-to-face with Paul Levesque, a figure he admired and respected in the wrestling industry.
"Thank you for the opportunity, I promise I won't let you down," Cedric said, determined to make due on the opportunity that he was given.
"Well, I would be lying if I said this entire thing was my idea, Cedric I would like for you to meet Vanessa Canales, she's a member of our creative team and she's the one who had this whole idea to bring you in, she even knew what to say to Vince to convince him to bring you on."
Paul's introduction of Vanessa Canales took Cedric by surprise. He turned his attention to the woman beside Paul, eyes scanning her.
He had to admit even as a taken man at the moment she was a woman that captivated the attention of any room she walked into. She is a captivating figure, with an oval-shaped face that exudes grace, excellence and strength. Her warm, olive skin glistens with a natural sense of radiance, accentuating her features. Her luscious locks were a feast for the senses, flowing down her back in a cascade of richness. Her hair naturally fell in seductive waves, a deep, dark brown that gleamed with hints of midnight undertones. Cedric found himself being enchanted by his presence, something that he knew he shouldn't be paying attention to just because he was in a relationship with Keana.
"Cedric," The young superstar introduced himself with a hand out, Vanessa's eyes met his. Her eyes, almond shaped house deep, smoky dark brown eyes met his chocolate brown eyes. Naturally full and graceful in shape, her eyebrows arched above her eyes with a soft angle framing her compelling gaze.
"Vanessa and I know exactly who you are, I watched you down in NXT," she said as she put her hand into his shaking it, her voice sweet like honey yet powerful at the same time. The two noticed that they started holding hands after a while and quickly pulled them apart as Paul looked on with a smirk.
"Now, Ced, Vanessa and I had some thoughts regarding your presentation and how we wanna book you going forward?"
"Okay and?" He said as he folded his arms and looked on with a frown.
"Well, for one, we thought it would be a good idea to change your entrance music, something that truly captures the essence of Ced. Something that makes the WWE Universe jump to their feet and say that's the guy, that's Ced. We wanna enhance the way we introduce you, the way we present you, the idea is that we present you in a way that makes you look like a superstar, like an absolute megastar who's ready to take the WWE by storm and make it bend to his will and just flat out dominate," Vanessa said as Cedric simply nodded his head.
"I'm not gonna lie, I like that. I freaking love that idea," Cedric said as he nodded along with a huge smile knowing that his future in the WWE could perhaps be even brighter than he had imagined.
"I kinda figured you would, now let's talk about the plans for you going forward into our next Pay-Per-View," Paul said as he patted Cedric on the back making his smile grow even wider as Vanessa stood there scanning over the young man.
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Cedric stood backstage taping his wrist as he sat in the locker room with his headphones in mentally locking in for tonight's show. Tonight had the implications of make or break for him and he was determined to make it. He sported his signature black boots with the lion on the side with his black knee pads, trunks with his designs in white with the black tape that was currently wrapping around his fist and his wrists.
He would be lying if he said his mind didn't race back to the woman that he had back home. And yeah they were currently at odds but that didn't mean that he didn't care for her. She was the one who kept the fire in his soul going. She was the one that drove him to reach even greater heights.
And as much as he cared for her, he couldn't let that ruin his mental state for tonight's show. He took off the headphones, turned them off and placed them in his bag before he walked out of the locker room to go get a moment of silence, a prayer and get a stretch in.
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In the ring stood Finn Balor, Andrade and Apollo Crews all arguing on the mic over who's going to get a rematch against Jaden Sennoa for the Intercontinental Championship at this year's SummerSlam Pay-Per-View. Each men stood in their ring gear, evident that a contest would be held tonight to determine all of this.
Here comes the money! Money talks! Here comes the Money!
"Here Comes the Money"
The son of the billionaire walked out onto the stage hearing the boos from the WWE Universe in Worcester, Massachusetts wearing his usual get up of Jordans and a blazer with a microphone in hand.
"Gentlemen, Gentlemen, Gentlemen, you all are having this debate as if you actually deserve the opportunity to face Jaden Sennoa at SummerSlam when you all lost to him especially you Finn, I mean after all it was you who he beat to capture the title at WrestleMania," Shane said as the WWE Universe booed while Finn looked on with a sneer on his face.
"But I could use the entertainment tonight so I'll entertain this idea. Tonight we're gonna see Finn Balor going against Apollo Crews going against Andrade in a Fatal 4-Way match for the chance to face Jaden Sennoa at SummerSlam for the Intercontinental Championship," Shane said as the fans cheered him for once giving them a chance to see a Pay-Per-View worthy match on an episode of SmackDown. The contestants in the ring looked around confused. Apollo started to count the members of the ring seeing it was only 3 as he looked on with a puzzled look.
"In fact that match will happen next," He said once again getting another wave of cheers, "I thought I'd give you idiots a good match to watch after all because I'm the Best in the World," Shane said getting another wave of boos.
"Shane, it looks like all those years of private school have did you some injustice, it's only 3 of us in the ring," Finn said as he raised the mic up to his lips. Shane simply chuckled as he raised the mic up to his lips once more.
"Oh, I almost forgot, the last competitor in this match will be the newest signee to SmackDown Live," Shane said as he took a step aside. The crowd had gotten a little hushed as they themselves anticipated to see who it was. Was it someone new debuting? Was it a return or what?
"Icon" Hits
The lights around the arena had lowered as the lights around the stage, ramp and ring started to play in an array of colors. Once the beat dropped to the song, a number of fans cheered as the former NXT North American Champion, Ced emerged on the stage with a frown on his face looking chiseled in stone. He looked around the arena before he spat out his water in a mist-like form and started to make his descent down the ramp, eyes locked on each of the competitors in the ring.
Once he got to the ringside area, he stopped and looked around once more at the crowd soaking up the pop he was getting on his first night in the WWE. He then walked towards the steel steps and walked onto the ring apron before he entered the ring and made his way straight to the turnbuckle, stepping up onto the middle rope. He held his arms wide doing his signature pose as the cheers rolled in while Apollo and Andrade looked at him with a sense of envy in their eyes while Finn looked on, only focused on what this unexpected challenger brought to the table.
Ced's music faded away as he looked around the ring and around the arena while SmackDown Live went to commercial break.
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And SmackDown returned back from commercial break as all competitors looked ready to compete. The official looked on and called for the bell.
Ding-Ding-Ding!
Fatal 4-Way underway for the #1 Contendership for the Intercontinental Championship. Everyone in the ring had a legitimate case for a match against WWE Intercontinental Champion, Jaden Sennoa except for Ced. Each of these men had faced Jaden Sennoa at one point except for him, the young rookie making his debut had a lot to prove tonight.
All 4 Competitors circled around the ring, each man trying to get a feel for one another before lunging to attack Andrade lunging towards Finn, Apollo lunging towards Ced. Finn and Andrade were trading forearms before Andrade clocked Finn with a hard forearm making him back up to the ropes. Andrade ran towards Finn to try and clothesline him over the top rope but Finn had this well scouted and lifted Andrade over the top rope.
Meanwhile Ced and Apollo were duking it out with right hands only for Ced to get the advantage with a series of right hands that sent Apollo to the ropes. Ced ran towards Apollo and sent him over the top rope leaving the former NXT North American Champion in the ring with the former Intercontinental Champion, Finn Balor. The two competitors locked eyes with one another as the crowd cheered. Finn and Ced lunged at one another engaging in a flurry of blows. Ced seemingly got the better of this when he caught Finn with a hard uppercut that sent him stumbling back to the corner.
Ced ran towards Finn in the corner but was caught with a boot by Balor making Ced stumble out of the corner. Apollo had recovered and hopped onto the ring apron before he hopped onto the top rope and took Ced down with a Springboard Clothesline. Apollo bolted up and turned his attention to his Finn Balor who ran towards him. Apollo jumped up with his insane athleticism and took Balor off his feet with a Hurricanrana.
Balor had made it back up to his feet and was looking to go on the offense but Andrade grabbed him by his feet and pulled out of the ring to the outside. Andrade grabbed Balor and threw him into the steel steps making him collide with the steel steps, shoulder first with a thud. Andrade inspected his work looking on with a smirk before he turned his attention to Apollo crews in the center of the ring.
Apollo motioned for Andrade to bring it on as Andrade simply nodded his head before he slid under the bottom rope and entered the ring. Andrade slowly rose up to his feet, eyes still glued on Apollo Crews. Neither one of these men had won the Intercontinental Championship before in their careers and were vying for another shot at the current Champion, Jaden Sennoa.
Both men circled around the ring before they lunged forward at one another, throwing forearms at one another. Apollo was able to get the advantage as he clocked Andrade with a hard forearm that sent him stumbling over to the ropes. Apollo ran towards Andrade only for the former NXT Champion to dump him over the top rope. Apollo held onto the top rope and managed to reach a vertical angle on the apron. Andrade tried to clock Apollo with a hard right but Apollo ducked it and caught him with a forearm causing the former US Champion to stumble.
Apollo jumped up as if he were going for a springboard and lunged forward at Andrade but "El Idolo" had other plans and lunged forward rolling out of the way. Apollo rolled to his feet and hit the ropes. As he popped off the ropes and ran towards Andrade, Ced came in like a heat-seeking missile and damn near took Apollo out of the game with a hard clothesline!
Balor quickly jumped back into the contest with a patented Sling Blade maneuver. Both Ced and Balor had gotten back up to their feet. They slowly turned towards one another panting for their breath as the WWE Universe in Worcester, Massasschussets cheered.
Both men locked eyes on one another jockeying and vying for the opportunity to face Jaden Sennoa at SummerSlam for the Intercontinental Championship.
"Let's get it!" Ced shouted, getting himself pumped for the challenge ahead.
Both Gladiators lunged at one another throwing caution to the wind trading blows back and forth. Ced was able to get the advantage with a series of hard rights that caught Balor and caused him to stumble back into the corner. Ced tried to run towards Balor in the corner but got caught with a jumping Enziguri from Balor. Balor jumped up onto the turnbuckle and caught Ced with a Elbow Smash sending him down to the canvas. Balor with the first pinfall of the match.
1…
2, Ced powered out at 2 and sat up trying to regain his composure as Balor quickly popped up to his feet and ran to the ropes. As Balor came off the ropes, he jumped up and caught Ced with a basement-like dropkick to the side of the head causing Ced to roll out of the ring clutching his head. This left Balor alone in the ring or at least he thought he was. Apollo Crews came from behind who grabbed Finn and lifted him up with a Back-Suplex like position but Balor wiggled out of the hold and managed to Apollo down with a School-Boy Roll up.
1..
2, the pin was broken when Andrade kicked Balor right in the face with a boot straight to the face. Balor rolled over to the corner and leaned up against the bottom turnbuckle as Andrade walked towards him and started to put the boots to him before he ran to the opposite corner and ran back towards Balor hitting him with a running dropkick. Andrade stood up looking on with a smirk as the WWE Universe booed him.
Apollo ran towards Andrade only for Andrade to jump up and put Apollo flat on his back with a Pop-Up Ankle Headscissors. Apollo ended up rolling out of the ring. Apollo ended up standing on the outside. Balor and Ced made their way towards him looking for some type of offense as Andrade hit the ropes. Rebounded off the ropes, Andrade used his momentum to jump over the top rope with a Tope Con Hilo, taking out Balor and Apollo as Ced just jumped out of the way!
Andrade made it to a vertical base and Ced took his opportunity to push into the LED ringpost causing him to bounce off the post after hitting it face-first. Ced grabbed a hold of Andrade and threw him into the ring before he slid under the bottom rope into the ring. Ced stood in the corner waiting for Andrade to make it up to his feet. Andrade slowly reached a vertical base and Ced ran towards him only for Andrade to grab him and put him down with a scoop powerslam.
Andrade made it up to his feet and walked over to the turnbuckle. He jumped up onto the turnbuckle and jumped off looking for a moonsault but Ced rolled out of the way and Andrade this planned and jumped with a standing moonsault on Ced before he hooked the leg.
1…
2, And Balor came in breaking the hold as he jumped off the top rope and jumped onto Andrade's back with a Coup De Grace also landing on Ced in the process! Andrade rolled out of the ring as Ced rolled to the ropes. Apollo rushed inside the ring and grabbed Balor putting him down with a move he called The Chariot (Spin-Out Powerbomb). Apollo made it up to his feet and turned around only to be grabbed by a Ced who quickly recovered and put down with the Deathbomb.
Ced quickly with the hook of the leg.
1…
2…
3…
Ding-Ding-Ding!
"Icon" Hits
"Here is your winner and the new Number 1 Contender: Ced!"
Ced quickly rolled out of the ring and onto the arena floor, looking on with a smile as the WWE Universe cheered. Tonight he just pulled off a major upset in some people's eyes winning the 4-Way to face the Intercontinental Champion for his title at SummerSlam. He looked at the titantron seeing the SummerSlam logo on the screen, he pointed to the titantron with a smile on his face this young rookie just punched to either glory or damnation. Only time would time.
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Next Week - Tuesday, July 23rd, 2019 - Miami, FL
Miami, FL. The Home of the 3-time NBA Champions, the Miami Heat. Home of the Miami Dolphins. Home of the one of the most influential college football programs in the history of the sport itself, the Miami Hurricanes. Miami had a special place in the heart of Cedric Harvey. His grandmother on his dad's side used to live in Miami and he used to make frequent trips during the summer to stay with her and since then the city had been a place that he could say felt like a home away from home.
And with WWE being in Florida, that meant he was close to Keana. He hadn't seen her in weeks and they had been texting a little bit but not like before, Cedric had yet to apologize to her and since then it felt like their relationship had come to a stand still and if he wanted the relationship to progress which he did, he needed to apologize tonight after the show. And that was his plan for sure. In a short amount of time, Keana had become someone he didn't know he needed but he did.
But that was something that he could take care of later right now, his mind rested on tonight. A promo that would give him the opportunity to hype up the match between him and Jaden Sennoa on August 11th in Toronto for the Intercontinental Championship, his first ever Pay-Per-View match and first ever Championship opportunity on the main roster. And he was determined to win both.
Cedric sat in catering sporting a simple pair of black Athletic pants with a pair of Jordan 13 "Lakers" and one of his shirts that he wore back in NXT, getting ready to meet the WWE Universe and let his intentions and ambitions be known. He watched meticulously on the TV as he watched the Shinsuke Nakamura and Apollo Crews match in detail. While he was a wrestler at heart he was a wrestling fan so being this close to action, being able to watch the show and whenever he did watch a wrestling match he always picked it apart looking for little things, little nuances to add to his repertoire and evolve. Adapt or Perish, so to speak.
Cedric watched as Shinsuke clocked Apollo with the knee putting him down for the count. He folded his arms, leaning back into his chair watching on.
"Enjoying yourself?" he heard, making him turn his head in the direction of the voice to see Vanessa Canales walking towards him in a pair of black slacks with a yellow blouse and black Christian Louboutins on her feet.
"Absolutely. I'm a fan-first," he said as he continued to lean back.
"Great to hear, I know some guys lose their love of this business fast especially when they're on the road away from their families. Do you have any family?"
"As far as…?" He asked, looking for more clarification.
"Kids? A wife?" She asked as a frown snaked its way onto his mug. He was wondering why she was asking him specifically this question but he thought nothing of it and just proceeded to answer the question.
And before Cedric could even answer the question a stagehand came to his table at catering making him shift his attention over to him.
"Ced, you're needed for your segment," said the stagehand making Cedric nod his head as he stood up.
"Duty calls," Cedric said before he walked away leaving Vanessa standing there, watching as the young star walked off to take care of his business so to speak.
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The WWE Universe in the American Airlines Arena were cheering enjoying the episode of SmackDown Live they were being presented with so far but there still was some ways to go and right now they were about to be graced with the presence of the man who will face Jaden Sennoa at SummerSlam for the Intercontinental Championship, Ced.
"Icon" Hits
The lights around the arena had lowered as the lights around the stage, ramp and ring started to play in an array of colors. Once the beat dropped to the song, the former NXT North American Champion walked out to a much bigger reception than he received last week. He emerged on the stage with a smirk on his face. He looked around the arena before he spat out his water in a mist-like form and started to make his descent down the ramp, eyes locked on each of the competitors in the ring.
Once he got to the ringside area, he stopped and looked around once more at the crowd soaking up the pop he was getting here in Miami. He then walked towards the steel steps and walked onto the ring apron before he entered the ring and made his way straight to the turnbuckle, stepping up onto the middle rope. He held his arms wide doing his signature pose as the cheers rolled in. He jumped down and walked towards the ropes being handed a microphone from a member of the ring crew.
Ced's music faded away as he looked around the arena while the lights around the arena lowered till there was a singular spotlight on Ced in the center of the ring. He raised the mic up to his lips, eyes looking around.
"Miami!" He said on the mic getting a cheap pop from the WWE Universe as he chuckled.
"In just a few short weeks, I will go one on one with a man who had been undefeated since the moment he arrived on the scene. I will go one on one with a man who has made it his mission to destroy every single challenger that has been in front of him. I will go one on one with the Intercontinental Champion…. Jaden Sennoa," Ced said as the fans booed hearing the name of the man who called himself "The Left Hand of Pain".
"Now, most people would say that I am going into a dangerous, nasty situation going up against a man who had been undefeated and dominant since the moment he arrived in the WWE. They would say I'm going into a match where I have absolutely no chance in hell of winning. Essentially I'm the underdog. The odds are stacked against me. My back is against the wall," Ced said on the mic as he scanned around the crowd.
"And most men when their backs are against the wall would crumble and fall and succumb to weakness. But I am not most men," Ced said as he looked up, facing the hard cam with a frown on his face as he got a light pop from the WWE Universe, "When I'm cornered, when my back is against the wall, I tap into a different mode. I become someone else, I become something else. And that something else is going to be the one that Jaden Sennoa faces at SummerSlam."
The crowd popped as Ced looked on.
"Jaden, I am not here to simply challenge you; I am here to dethrone you. I am here to prove to the world that even the mightiest can fall. So, Jaden Sennoa, mark my words, the reign of "The Left Hand of Pain" ends at SummerSlam and it ends with me."
Ced threw the mic down as he looked on with a frown as his music started playing on the sound system after his emphatic declaration of victory at SummerSlam. Ced feeling the bravado about himself didn't acknowledge the cheers coming from the crowd as a warning as the Intercontinental Champion, Jaden Sennoa came rushing into the ring from the crowd in an all-black ensemble consisting of a hoodie and sweats with the title in hand. He dropped the title as he slid in and grabbed Ced from behind, locking on the Kona Klutch.
The crowd booed loudly as Ced waved his arms around frantically as Jaden locked on the submission hold. As Jaden Sennoa cinched in the Kona Klutch, Ced's expressions morphed from triumphant to sheer agony. The once confident wrestler now found himself trapped in an unyielding grip, the cheers of victory drowned out by the resounding boos echoing through the arena.
The crowd roared with disapproval, their allegiance swiftly shifting as they witnessed the unexpected turn of events. Ced's arms flailed in desperation, his attempts to break free from Jaden's hold proving futile against the champion's relentless technique.
The atmosphere crackled with tension as Jaden's dominance asserted itself in the ring. The Intercontinental Champion's calculated ambush had caught Ced off guard. After mere seconds feeling like an eternity everything for Ced started to become blurry and fade as Jaden dropped to the canvas and wrapped his legs around Ced's body holding him down.
Once Jaden felt Ced's body become limp, he released the hold and stood up looking at the crowd with a smirk. He walked over to his title, grabbing it from the mat and lifted it up into the air as the fans booed while he chuckled looking at the chaos he just caused.
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Next Day - Wednesday, July 24th, 2019
The next day rolled around in the young WWE Superstar found himself in Tallahassee, Florida just mere hours removed from his appearance in Miami. He found himself standing outside of the dorms of his girlfriend, Keana, with a bouquet of roses looking to make an effort to apologize and get their relationship back to normal. They hadn't been in a good position for weeks now and it was time to mend it and get back to a good spot as a couple.
When Keana opened the door, her expression was a mix of surprise and guarded curiosity. It was almost like the breath left his body seeing her in an oversized t-shirt that he recognized as his own with her hair up in a messy bun with a natural face, free of any make-up. She was a sight to see. An example of perfection in his eyes.
"Ced, what are you doing here?" she asked.
Ced hesitated, the weight of his intentions hanging in the air. "Keana, I… I want to apologize. I know I haven't been the best partner lately. And you've been nothing but the best and you wanted to just make sure that I was okay and that I was 100% and I wanted to go back so bad that I didn't listen and I lashed out on you and said some things that I shouldn't have."
Keana listened, her gaze softening as she took in Cedric's words. The vulnerability in his voice cut through the tension that had built up between them.
"Ced, it hurt when we last argued, we both said some things that we shouldn't have. It felt like I was talking to you and you just ignored everything that I said and treated me like my opinion didn't matter. Like I didn't know what I was talking about. Look, I understand that you want to prove yourself, you're in an industry where you have to show up every week in order to stay relevant, in order to be successful. I get it. I know you have dreams and goals but you need to understand that when I agreed to be your girlfriend and you agreed to be my boyfriend, that made us a team and that means we face everything together, the good and the bad. I need to know that you value my input, that you respect me and our relationship enough to listen and consider my feelings too," Keana expressed, her voice a blend of firmness and vulnerability.
CJ took a deep breath, his eyes meeting hers with a newfound sense of clarity. "Keana, I'm sorry. And you're right, we're a team, and I should have treated you as my equal. I promise to do better."
"Good, now give me a kiss, I've missed you."
Without a word, a smile spread across his mug. He closed the distance between them wrapping his arms around her waist and leaned down pressing a tender kiss to her lips as this marked a chance for them to fix the cracks in their foundation and build an even stronger.
A/N: So it's been a little minute since I updated this story and I apologize for my disappearance. I've been dealing with some stuff in my life and trying to get closer to actually achieving the goal of getting a degree and becoming the man I ultimately want to be. But enough with that mushy stuff, hopefully I can get the next chapter out in a span of 2 to 3 weeks.