One Night Can Change Everything - Ch. 29
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“So, what do you think?” Vivi asked, sitting down at a cafe table.
Lucy sat opposite her, acutely aware of the silence that hung in the air in the usually bustling coffeeshop.
They had just done a formal walkthrough of Cups and Pages- her happy place. She glanced at the stenciled sign on the front window, remembering how much she loved the design when she’d first seen it. It was a play on the Page of Cups tarot card, featuring a woman admiring a cup of coffee in her outstretched hand.
Looking around the room, free of patrons, the smell of brewing coffee, the rustling of book pages or clacking keyboards, she felt uneasy at the emptiness. She’d closed the place down many times, but being here now, without Sydney wiping down the espresso machine or counting out the change in the register- it felt like a betrayal. Like a peak behind the curtain she was never supposed to have.
The uneven bookshelves, the stacks of art, the calendar of local events hanging on the wall- all of it might vanish. Whether she became the new owner, or someone else did, everything would be different from here on out.
Feeling a lump beginning to form in her throat, she did her best to compartmentalize, and shifted back into business mode. She gave Vivi a cordial smile.
“It’s a very nice shop, and the location is perfect,” she said truthfully, reserving any further commentary to keep her emotions in check, “how much are they asking?”
Vivi perched her leather satchel on the table and rifled through it, pulling out a thin manilla folder. She opened it to the second page, sliding it over for Lucy to see.
Her eyes widened at the figure on the page, and had to fight the bubble of hysterical laughter that threatened to burst out.
“That is, well,” she cleared her throat, overcoming the unexpected shock, “that’s quite a bit more than I was looking to spend.”
Vivi nodded, clasping her hands in front of her.
“Yes, I know that you were hoping for something that would help you stretch the money you’d saved,” she said, “but I thought that I’d heard you mention coming here a time or two in passing, so I wanted to give you the first crack at it.”
Lucy nodded her understanding, running over the sum again in her head. No matter how much she scrimped, it just wouldn’t be feasible. Not if she wanted to start turning a profit any time soon.
With a heavy sigh, she closed the folder and slid it back over to Vivi.
“I appreciate it, but I think we’ll have to keep looking.”
The two women said their goodbyes and Lucy climbed into her car, feeling dejected as she began the drive home.
As she drove, she thought back to the phone call she’d had with Sydney the day before.
“It’s not like I own the place,” Sydney said, “Nadia doesn’t tell me anything unless she’s in town for a visit, and even then it’s just basic day to day stuff. I found out about her selling the shop only a couple days before you did.”
“I know Syd, I’m sorry,” Lucy said, embarrassed to have only thought about herself, “you’re the one whose job is being turned upside down right now. I just can’t believe it.”
“Me neither,” Sydney replied sadly, “but hey, if you buy the place, I know a kick ass barista.”
“Oh, without a doubt,” Lucy said, grinning, “I will absolutely be keeping you on. I know my way around coffee, but you’re the expert.”
She’d been so optimistic after their talk, thrilled that she might be able to not only own her own place, but also work with a good friend.
A pit formed in her stomach as she grew frustrated with her own naïveté. She hadn’t even thought to question Vivi about the price before arranging a meeting - a mistake she wouldn’t make again. And now she was back to square one.
A week later, Lucy walked into her apartment, turned on the tv and flipped through the channels before settling on a Gilmore Girls marathon to keep on for background noise. She fixed herself some lunch and chuckled at the tv, pouring herself a drink before settling at the table. As she ate, her eyes fell on her Christmas tree.
The green needles were starting to brown, the best of its days clearly gone. The branches had also begun to sag from the weight of the lights and ornaments, the lowest ones dipping into the tissue paper of the presents she’d yet to put away. It still filled the room with a faint pine scent, and looked cheerful as it lit up her evenings, but in the afternoon sun it bordered on depressing.
After cleaning up her dishes, she decided that now was as good a time as any to take the decorations down. She took Skipper out for a walk and stopped into her tiny storage unit on the way back, precariously balancing a stack of empty tubs into the house. Sweating from the warmth of the cloudless day, she pulled off her Shield hoodie and draped it over the back of the couch and tucked her hair into a quick mess of a braid before getting down to business.
She worked swiftly, starting with organizing her gifts and placing them on the dining room table to put away later. The tree skirt was folded up, and down came the star. Opening a large ornament tub, she pulled out a fluffy pile of tissue for wrapping. She began at the top and worked her way down, stopping short when her eyes landed on the Superman ornament. Her fingers wrapped around it, and she pulled the hook off of the branch carefully, looking down at the small figure wistfully.
Roman had flown back to work the week prior after they’d exchanged a heartfelt, drawn out goodbye. He’d picked her up the night before and they’d share a beautiful dinner at a cozy restaurant downtown, followed by a long moonlit walk on the beach before spending the night at his house. They’d stayed up until the early morning hours wearing out his headboard, with a healthy dose of cuddling and talking in between rounds.
“So…” Roman said, twirling one of her curls around his finger, “tomorrow.”
She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.
“Yeah,” she said softly, running her fingers softly over the contours of his stomach, “tomorrow.”
They’d been doing their best not to think about it, not to vocalize it, but the fact that he was headed back on the road was inescapable.
A myriad of thoughts fought to be heard in her mind, her insecurities renewed by their conversation with Sika. She wrestled with what to say, where to start, how to reassure him that she trusted in him and in them and-
Lucy took a deep breath, inhaling deeply through her nose, quieting her inner maelstrom.
Sitting up slowly, she met his eyes, his brows knitted together as he watched her with concern.
“We’ve got this,” she stated simply, pouring all of the emotions she was feeling into her voice.
And Roman, ever the quiet observer, heard every single word that she wasn’t saying.
His face split into a soft grin.
A few hours later she threw her head back, her mouth hanging open in ecstasy as he pounded into her with abandon. He had her knees bent, her legs spread wide as wide as they could go, hips hammering away as his teeth grazed her nipple.
“Fuck, so good baby,” she cried, eyes rolling back from the divine stretch of his hard cock.
His grip tightened, sure to leave bruises she’d be admiring for days, and she moaned again as he hit her spot just right.
“That’s it,” he encouraged, dragging his tongue over her breast, murmuring against her skin, “take it just like that. God, you fit so perfect around me.”
He groaned, borderline growling as her pussy began to spasm and squeeze him as she got closer and closer.
“Hey,” he said, punctuating with a particularly rough thrust to get her attention.
She opened her eyes, biting her lip as she met his darkened gaze, and he momentarily slowed his pace.
“Would you tell me again?” he asked in between heavy breaths, “I want to hear it when you come.”
Letting her eyes fall closed once again, she nodded weakly as he resumed fucking her hard and fast, moaning at the potent desire in his voice.
Grabbing her by the swell of her ass, he shifted the angle, and Lucy swore as her thighs shook, her essence soaking his cock as her climax finally hit.
“Oh my god,” she choked out in a high pitched groan, “I love you, Roman. I love you so fucking much.”
His response was a series of unintelligible moans accompanied by rapid fire thrusts, and as he spilled inside of her, Roman shifted one last time so that they were chest to chest. His hips gradually slowed as he placed a tender kiss on her forehead, another on the tip of her nose, and finally covered her lips with his. She could feel his heart pounding as she sighed into the kiss.
“I love you, too,” he finally said, his deep bass rumbling against her chest, “in case you couldn’t tell.”
She breathed out a small laugh, giving him a smirk as she got lost in his adoring deep brown eyes.
“You know, I suspected that you might.”
She wrapped the ornament and placed it carefully in the tub, determined to carry on with her task without succumbing to the urge to sit down and wallow over her boyfriend. They’d seen each other earlier in the week, but returning to their truncated time together stung more than she’d anticipated.
He’s been gone less than 12 hours, she chastised herself, get a grip.
Luckily for her sanity, there were plenty of things to keep her busy as she got back into the routine of life as usual. She was heading over to Liza’s later that evening to catch up about the holidays, and to help with wedding plans for her and Courtney. With the ceremony coming up quickly in June, there was still so much to do. She’d been truly honored when Liza had asked her to be a bridesmaid, and was eager to see the dresses that had been picked out.
Switching on an upbeat playlist, Lucy worked diligently to organize all of the decorations as she took them down. She was just pulling down the last of the garland when she checked the clock and realized it was getting close to when she’d need to leave. She took a shower and pulled on some comfortable clothes before heading out with time to spare.
She kept the playlist going as she drove, singing along on and off, determined to keep her spirits up.
Catching the sign for a supermarket in her peripheral vision, she swiftly switched lanes and pulled into the parking lot. Often on their girls nights she’d bake for her friends, and Liza was never one to deny her the kitchen. She quickly thumbed through her phone at the dozen or so recipe tabs she’d been wanting to experiment with. Pulling up a doughnut recipe, she typed out a text.
‘Any chance you still have that sourdough starter that you swore you were going to use?’ she asked before pulling out her grocery tote bags from the trunk.
She grabbed some bananas and mulled over a couple of apples before her phone dinged in her pocket. She smiled at the response that it was hers for the taking, and headed happily to the baking aisle.
“I told you, I like the calla lilies,” Liza said, exasperated.
“But are you sure they’re prettier than the orchids?” Courtney asked, holding up her ipad to show a centerpiece idea she’d saved.
“They’re both beautiful, but I like the lilies. I think they feel more special.”
“Orchids aren’t special? I got you one after our first date,” Courtney said with a frown.
“You also got me lilies for our second anniversary,” Liza said in a calming voice as she shifted closer to her fiancée, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
“Oh yeah,” Courtney said, looking up from the screen to smile at Liza, “I put them in that sparkly white vase that I made you”
Lucy grinned from the kitchen, watching as the pair went through every detail they could think of.
“What about Da Vinci calla lilies?” she suggested, tipping the mixed wet ingredients into the bowl of the dry, “they’re kind of like a mixture of both.”
Courtney paused and typed into her tablet as Liza rested her chin on her shoulder to read the screen alongside her.
“Ooooh,” they both said in unison.
“See?” she said as she gently mixed the batter with a wooden spoon.
“This is why we needed fresh eyes,” Liza said, smiling up at her from the couch.
Lucy tipped the combined dough into the pan, filing the first well before stopping herself abruptly.
“Damn it,” she muttered, scraping the batter out as best she could with a rubber spatula.
“Everything okay?” Liza asked, rising to approach the counter.
“Yeah,” she answered with an annoyed sigh, “I just forgot to grease the pan first.”
She wiped off what she couldn’t save with a paper towel and uncapped the nonstick spray, coating the pan easily before resuming to pour in the batter.
The oven beeped and she slid in the pan, turning on the sink to wash the mixing bowl.
“Don’t worry about it, Lu,” Liza said, “we’ll wash up later.”
“It’s fine, it’s just one bowl,” Lucy insisted, grabbing the dish soap and sponge.
Eyeing her warily, Liza returned to her spot on the couch.
“Now, for our first dance song…”
As the donuts baked, Lucy joined her friends in the living to continue mediating half a dozen more decisions. Thankfully, the one thing they all agreed on was the bridesmaids dresses - they were gorgeous. The brides-to-be decided on a blush pink color and selected five styles that each woman could choose from. With three on each side, and any luck, they’d end up with a nice variety. They were in the middle of a signature cocktail debate when the timer buzzed.
“Hold that thought,” she said as she raced into the kitchen, sliding on oven mitts and retrieving the donuts.
She set them on the counter to cool in the pan and set up a wire rack as she looked over the instructions for the glaze. As she gathered the necessary ingredients, she spied the edge of the pan hanging haphazardly over the counter, and reflexively reached over to slide it back.
“Shit!” she hissed, ripping back her hand, having forgotten that the metal tin was still very much hot out of the oven.
“Ouch, burn yourself?” Courtney asked sympathetically.
“Not too bad,” she said, running the sink and letting the cool water soothe her fingers, “I’ll be okay.”
Courtney and Liza exchanged a look, but did make any further comments.
As the donuts were left to cool, the three women ate dinner, and the subject switched over to the coffee house.
“I still can’t believe she’s selling it,” Courtney said, “feels like just yesterday I was bribing you guys to come abuse my employee discount and keep me company.”
“I know,” Lucy agreed, still feeling bummed at having her hopes dashed almost as quickly as they’d formed.
“How did Sydney sound when you talked to her?” Courtney asked.
“Sad but optimistic,” Lucy said with a shrug, “I told her I’d hire her wherever I end up opening up shop. I just wish I could give her something definite, you know?”
The pair nodded their understanding, and Liza stood to refill all of their wine glasses.
“Do you have any other leads?” She asked.
“Vivi said she’ll call me when she finds something- my price range makes it a little tougher.”
After throwing around some more ideas for the shop, the subject returned to wedding planning. Courtney stood up from the dining room table, excited.
“Now obviously we can mail yours if you’d like, but I am dying for you to see the invitations.”
“Save the stamp,” Lucy said with a grin, taking a sip of her wine.
Courtney scurried out the room as Liza watched her with a fond stare, briefly glancing over at Lucy to share an amused look.
She reemerged quickly, holding out a glossy lilac envelope for Lucy to take.
Lucy slid out a beautiful cream linen invitation with gold embossed cursive lettering. On the back of the invitation was a watercolor painting of a bouquet of wildflowers.
“I painted that myself,” Courtney said proudly.
“And I designed the rest,” Liza said, sliding an arm around Courtney’s waist.
“They’re so beautiful,” Lucy said genuinely, holding up the matching RSVP card.
There was the usual selection of food and location information, but something else caught her eye.
”You didn’t think that giant hunk of man of yours wasn’t invited, did you?” Liza answered in a teasing tone.
A soft smile spread over her face as two of her closest friends made it sound obvious that she’d be bringing her partner to one of the most important days of their lives. Like it was only natural to include him.
A smile that faltered ever so slightly when she realized that she had no way to promise that he’d be there.
“I’d better start making the glaze,” she said, making an effort to keep up an upbeat appearance as she slid her invitation back into its envelope and placed it beside her purse.
Courtney and Liza worked together on the dishes as Lucy whisked together the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. At first, the glaze was nowhere near pourable, so she added a bit more milk. It was still a thick paste, so she tipped in some more, and after two turns with the whisk, it had suddenly become so thin that it wouldn’t even coat the spoon.
She snatched the bag of powdered sugar with a huff and dug out another teaspoon, tossing it in the bowl with enough force to send up a white puff of dust.
“Hey,” Liza said with the same tone one might use when approaching a wild animal, “why don’t you let Courtney finish that? We can sit and finish our wine.”
“I swear to god if you say you’re fine,” Liza said sharply before pointing to the couch, “let’s go sit down and drink, and you can tell me all about what’s on your mind.”
Lucy reluctantly handed the whisk to Courtney, who took it from her with a quiet “thank you.”
Feeling equally frustrated and chastened, she grabbed her glass and followed Liza into the living room as instructed.
Taking a long sip, she sorted through her thoughts, searching desperately for a starting point.
“It’s scary, you know, getting my hopes up for something that might not happen,” Lucy finally said.
Liza seemed to ponder that for a second as she poured herself a fresh glass.
“You’re talking about more than the shop, aren’t you?’ Liza asked gently.
Lucy considered the question for a moment before shaking her head, understanding the implication clearly.
“No, I don’t think so,” she said, “things are going strong with Roman. I just…miss him.”
A small smile formed on Liza’s face.
“What?” Lucy asked, perplexed.
“Nothing,” Liza said, “that was just surprisingly quick. Usually I have to beat what’s really going on outta you.”
Lucy breathed out a small laugh.
“Our little girl is growing up,” Courtney chimed in from the kitchen as she drizzled a very nice looking chocolate glaze over the donuts.
“I guess it’s also, now that I’m actually talking to a realtor and looking at places, it feels like the universe is calling my bluff,” she continued, feeling her tension beginning to release as she opened up, “making spreadsheets and running numbers, as helpful as they were, still felt hypothetical. Like just another research project.”
“And now that you’re taking actual steps forward, your nerves are getting to you,” Liza said, accepting a plate of donuts from Courtney with a thankful smile.
Lucy grabbed a donut and placed it on the small plate Courtney had brought for her, smiling to herself after taking a bite.
“Good?” Courtney asked with a proud grin.
Lucy nodded emphatically as she chewed, pleased that their combined efforts had turned out so well.
“Thanks for the save,” she said, placing her dish down as she stood, “how about I make us some coffee to go with them?”
“I don’t know if you can be trusted in my kitchen,” Liza said skeptically.
“Oh relax,” Courtney said, dropping onto the floor to do a quick yoga stretch, “if she throws another tantrum we can always call Roman to fuck the attitude out of her.”
Liza almost choked on her donut as she burst out laughing, while Lucy spun around to give Courtney an open mouthed stare, trying and failing to suppress a smile.
Monday evening after work, Lucy poked through her freezer, too tired to cook. A relieved sigh escaped her when her hands landed on a frozen tray of food Carla had insisted she take home from New Year’s Eve.
Before they’d left for the evening, Lucy had given her the candle she’d picked from the farmer’s market, and Carla pulled her into a long, warm embrace that made Lucy’s eyes go misty.
She set her dinner in the oven to heat and grabbed her laundry basket to fold, sorting out the hanging tops and dresses before folding the rest. The oven sounded as she slid the last dress into place, and she turned on a podcast as she ate with Skipper curled at her feet.
As she flipped on her dishwasher, there was a knock at the door.
She peeked through the window, surprised to find Liza and Courtney standing on her welcome mat.
“Hey guys,” she said, letting them in, “did we have plans I forgot about?”
“Nope,” Liza answered, immediately making herself comfortable on the couch, “but I’m pretty sure that your man is coming on TV soon, so we figured we’d come over and keep you company, and you can show us all of your new friends.”
Skipper rushed over to pounce on Courtney, who greeted her with kisses and belly rubs.
“I thought you hated wrestling?” Lucy countered.
”I never said that,” Liza said, “I just said if The Rock isn’t on, I’m not interested.”
“That’s right, how could I forget? Your first love,” Lucy teased, batting her eyelashes dramatically.
“Oh how things change,” Courtney said with a laugh.
“Hey, don’t be so sure about that,” Liza said, shooting her a look, “I might still go for it if I had the chance.”
“Ooh you better watch out, Court,” Lucy said, “Dwayne is Roman’s cousin- those odds just got a lot higher.”
Courtney blended together some margaritas, Lucy found popcorn in the pantry, and the three of them smushed together on the couch in front of the television. She did her best to get them up to speed on each persona and storyline, pointing out Jimmy, Jey, and Naomi throughout the night.
“And Tamina, that one there,” she said during the women’s match as the aforementioned woman slammed Cameron into the mat, “she’s related, too.”
“And the one in the corner is engaged to Jimmy?” Liza clarified, pointing to Naomi bouncing excitedly with her arm outstretched to make the tag.
“You’re getting it,” Lucy confirmed with a smile, clinking her glass against Liza’s.
She’d told them all about getting to know Naomi and Paige on tour, and they’d agreed to try for a girls day whenever their schedules all happened to align.
Suddenly, the telltale crackle of a radio signal sounded.
“Here they come!” Lucy yelled excitedly as the camera focused on the crowd, waiting for the Shield to make their entrance.
Courtney and Liza immediately made snarky comments about their opponents, which Lucy secretly recorded to send to her group chat with all three men later.
“Yeah, suck it!” Courtney yelled when Roman gave NWO the crotch chop after dragging CM Punk away from their corner by his ankle.
“Easy, babe, she’s got neighbors,” Liza said with a laugh.
They erupted into a chorus of cheers when Roman got the pin, only to get louder when the Shield hit the triple power bomb on Punk.
“Think we could do that?” Courtney asked, “it doesn’t look so hard.”
“To him? Probably not,” Lucy answered.
“What about that tiny one with the converse, AJ?” Liza said, turning to Lucy for confirmation of the name, getting a nod in response, “we could probably throw her around.”
“Well, she’s dating Punk, so that’ll make for a nice matching set,” Lucy joked, “but maybe we'll bring Naomi or Paige with us, just in case.”
The three of them continued chatting as the show went off the air, with Courtney and Liza agreeing that they’d love to go to a show next time they came to town. It was nearly midnight by the time they were getting ready to leave, and Lucy wrapped both of them in her arms, her heart full.
“Thanks for coming over,” she said emphatically, “I think I really needed it tonight.”
“We’re here for you, Lu,” Liza said with an affectionate smile, “always.”
They made plans to watch Raw again the next week, with Lucy promising to cook dinner for all of them.
As she settled into bed, Lucy texted the video she’d taken of her friends to Roman, Dean, and Seth before she quickly drifted off to sleep.
The next morning she woke up to a flurry of replies - laughing emojis, thumbs up, and an insistence for all of them to get a drink next time the guys stayed over at Roman’s.
‘I’m buying ;-)’ added Dean.
‘I don’t think you can seduce a pair of lesbians, Deano,’ wrote Seth.
‘don’t get jealous. I just wanna get all the dirt on Lucy,’ Dean said.
‘Maybe you two can get Liza to call off her hitmen lol’ Roman chimed in.
Later that evening, she revisited their conversation, a much needed balm for a long day at the office.
Her articles continued to do well, and she’d been assigned a couple of new cafes in an up and coming part of town. Normally these were some of her favorite pieces, as she could do her research and then spend a few hours editing at the shop. But with her hopes to end up on the other side of the counter currently stalled, she felt a pang of frustration with her assignment.
Laying in bed that night, she tossed and turned, but no matter what she did, she couldn’t fall asleep. When she glanced at the clock around midnight, she resigned herself to the fact that getting any sort of rest might be impossible.
________________________________________________________________________________
“Thanks man, take it easy,” Roman said, rolling his bag behind him as his car service pulled out of the driveway.
He turned his key in the lock and dropped his bag in the living room, making his way up the stairs to take a shower before falling into bed. He’d skipped out on staying overnight after Smackdown and caught a last minute red eye, wanting to soak in as much time at home before the insanity of Royal Rumble weekend kicked in.
He pulled off his shirt just before he got to the bedroom, and it landed on the ground as he stopped short. Taking another cautious step into his room, Roman was stunned to find that the bed that he’d made before leaving for the week was currently occupied. He crept quietly to the edge of the bed, smiling softly when he recognized the sound of her gentle breathing, and saw soft brown curls peeking out from the comforter.
Though he was road weary from the week of flights, fights, and media, he felt himself light up like the sun. He couldn’t have asked for a better surprise than his girlfriend fast asleep in his bed, just waiting to be swept up in his arms.
It wasn’t lost on him that her coming over to his place unannounced was unusual, but he couldn’t bring himself to care when he was beyond thrilled that she was treating his place like her own.
He almost hated to wake her, but curiosity won out, and he slid under the sheets as quietly as possible, stretching out on his side to face her. Her arm was wrapped around one of the pillows, holding it against her chest. Roman gently ran his index finger across the back of her knuckles.
“Hi, my love,” he said, keeping his voice low, “I’m home.”
As she was roused from sleep, Lucy’s brow momentarily creased before her eyes slowly blinked open, and recognition dawned on her face. She gave him a warm, sleepy smile.
“Mmmm, hi babe,” she whispered, blinking her eyes a few times, “you’re back early.”
“I wanted to sleep in my own bed,” he said with a nod, tapping his foot playfully against her calf, “I didn’t know I’d have to get in line.”
“Sorry, I know I probably should have asked,” she said, looking sheepish, “I was just missing you. A lot. And I thought being here might make me feel better.”
Roman leaned forward and ghosted his lips over her forehead before laying back down, meeting her tired, apologetic gaze.
He looked fondly at her cocooned up in his sheets, feeling a tug in his chest as he imagined coming home from every loop this way. It felt so normal, so right– like this was how it was supposed to be.
“You never have to be sorry for being here,” he said truthfully, scooting closer to her and entwining their legs, “I gave you a key on purpose- I want you to use it. And I will always be happy to see you.”
Though the room was nearly pitch black, he could swear he saw a blush blooming on her cheeks.
“I was just surprised, that’s all,” he explained, rolling on his back as she curled into his chest.
He wrapped an arm around her shoulder as she pressed a kiss to his pec, and he waited a beat before he asked, “did it help?”
Lucy made a noise like she was considering the question, before finally he felt her shrug.
“A little bit,” she said, her words cut short by a yawn, “the bed felt so big and empty without you, though. I’ve never slept in it by myself.”
He hummed his acknowledgment, thinking over how he’d started to notice the same thing now and again.
He’d slept in this room hundreds, probably even thousands of times; he’d put effort and care into making it his sanctuary. But now that Lucy had been joining him more and more, he’d started to feel her absence when she wasn’t around. More than once he found himself migrating from the center of the bed to stay on the right side, even when the left remained open and cold.
“You could have brought Skipper,” he suggested,
Somewhere at the back of his mind was a reckless voice in his head screaming at him to invite her to move in.
Let’s take it easy, he coached himself mentally.
“I didn’t want her furry butt shedding all over your bed,” Lucy said with a laugh, “she’s with her aunts for the night.”
“It’s nice that they’ll take her whenever,” Roman said, knowing that she was referring to Courtney and Liza.
“Courtney’s a night owl, so she didn’t mind me dropping her off late. They love having her. I actually got her a few months before I moved into my own place, and was still living with Liza,” Lucy explained, “a mutual friend of ours adopted a dog who turned out to be pregnant, and needed to find homes for the puppies fast. I’d been planning to get a dog anyway, and Liza agreed, so I brought her home. We were puppy coparents.”
“Ah, so she’s getting her visitation in,” Roman joked.
“Exactly,” Lucy said with a giggle, “I think she missed Skipper more than me when we moved out. Minus the chewing, I’m sure.”
She told him a few stories about the puppy stage, her words growing softer and more drawn out as she fought to stay awake. When she finally drifted off, Roman smiled to himself as her gentle breath tickled his chest. He closed eyes and succumbed to his own exhaustion. The shower could wait until morning.
The shrill beep of Roman’s alarm made Lucy bury her face deeper into the pillow as Roman rolled over and hit the snooze button. He’d made sure that it was set so that she wasn’t late for work before he went to sleep the night before.
“Too early, too soon,” she complained quietly.
“I know,” he hummed, turning back onto his side to spoon her, “but how about I make us some breakfast while you’re in the shower?”
Lucy rolled over to face him, laying her head on his bicep, eyes still closed.
“I was hoping you’d join me in the shower,” she said, sounding impossibly sexy in her scratchy morning voice.
Roman let out a tired groan at the temptation, wanting nothing more than to do exactly that. He grinned down at her as she slowly opened her eyes to meet his, her mouth turning into a tired but sly smile.
“Now we both know that if I take you up on that offer, there’s not a chance of you getting to the office on time.”
She’s just opened her mouth to argue, her formerly seductive expression now verging on a pout, when she let out a resigned sigh as she was interrupted by the alarm sounding once more.
“Don’t worry, baby girl,” he said, letting his voice dip into a deep register that he knew made her squirm, “I’m all yours tonight. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
___________________________________________________________________________________
Batista’s music blared through the speakers, pyro rattling his ears as Roman walked up the ramp, the raucous crowd still buzzing from the main event.
He made his way out of gorilla after a round of back slaps and handshakes, and he unbuckled the clip of his vest as he headed back to the locker room. He was pouring sweat and dying to get into the shower, his heart pounding as adrenaline continued to course through him.
On a normal night he felt that post match high, but tonight it was far more potent. There was a little puff in his chest, an extra swag in his step - he’d be a liar if he said he wasn’t proud of his showing. Hearing the chorus of boos as he was thrown over the top rope was music to his ears, especially after he’d broken the record for eliminations.
Everything had gone off just as they’d rehearsed it. Seth was thrilled to open the match one on one with Punk, and Dean and Jimmy had spent some time getting their spot just right. The only last minute curve ball had been how Dean and Seth were going out.
He released a heavy sigh as he recalled the three of them getting the news from the office that he’d be pushing them over the top rope - together.
It was all part of the business, and the deal they’d made early on - everyone gets to take wins wherever they can get them. No fighting, no jealousy, no opportunity turned down. A race to the top. But he hadn’t missed the flicker of disappointment in both of their eyes at the news.
He stripped off his gear and hopped into the shower, letting the hot water soothe his tired muscles. He toweled off quickly and grabbed his duffel and gear, making his way through the throngs of departing talent and staff to find Lucy.
He found her standing off to the side of the viewing area, clearly doing her best to stay out of the way of the chaos. Her face brightened when she spotted him, immediately dulling the lingering concerns he had about potential fall out from the Rumble. He bent down to brush his lips against hers, feeling lighter still when she wrapped her arms around his waist.
“You did so great tonight, baby” she said happily, staring up at him with pride in her eyes, “did you hear the crowd? They loved you!”
As soon as she’d started coming to shows, she’d insisted and he’d agreed that he wouldn’t ever spoil who was going to win, or lose, or anything that was going to happen, so his coming in second was a complete surprise for her.
His mouth curved into a modest grin as he nodded.
“How are Dean and Seth?” she asked.
All three of them had huddled together before hitting the showers, congratulating one another on putting on a good show. They’d gotten the big reaction, done their jobs, and in the end, that’s what mattered. No love lost.
Still, Roman couldn’t help the nagging feeling like he was stealing the spotlight.
Without their brotherhood- the long practices after hours in the ring; endless car rides of throwing around ideas; cramming themselves into hotel rooms that could barely fit a twin sized bed, let alone three grown men - he knew he wouldn’t be where he was today. Logically he knew that some day, each man would have to go out on his own. There were all stars in their own right. But something about still didn’t sit exactly right about literally tossing them aside.
“They’re fine,” he said with a shrug, turning his head to look around, “and I think they’re in here somewhere if you want to say hi.”
“I’d like that,” she said with a smile, reaching for his hand.
They didn’t have to look too far, as the pair emerged a few minutes later, after Roman and Lucy ran into Jey and stopped to talk. She ran over to greet both men with open arms, excited to see them for the first time since the European tour.
After a few minutes, Dean wandered over to Jey, bumping his fist as Seth and Lucy carried on their own conversation. The three of them made plans for dinner after Smackdown on Tuesday night before Jey realized that he’d lost track of Jimmy, who had a tendency to leave if he was kept waiting for too long.
“Let me know if you can’t find him, you can always ride with us,” Roman offered.
“He just wants an excuse to have his girl on his lap,” Dean with a lopsided grin, elbowing him in the ribs.
“You said it, not me,” Roman said with a cocky smirk, flicking eyes to the woman in question, who was talking very animatedly to an enthused looking Seth.
His smile broadened as he watched the two of them so happily engrossed in whatever they were discussing.
And if his eyes wandered to curve her ass, framed perfectly by the grey shorts she was wearing over a pair black tights, well, who could blame him?
Jey headed off in the direction of the locker room, leaving Dean and Roman, who leaned against the wall with their bags as Lucy and Seth continued chatting.
“We’re not mad at you, you know,” Dean said, breaking the casual silence they’d settled into.
Roman met his eyes, giving him an appreciative nod.
“Thanks, man,” he said, solemn, unsure of what else to say.
“Hey, you’d do it for us, right?” Dean asked, snapping his gum.
“Any day of the week,” Roman said without hesitation, holding out his fist.
Dean smirked and tapped his fist to Roman’s, “plus that pop was sick.”
Roman laughed and nodded his agreement as Lucy and Seth seemed to be finished talking, and the four of them made a loop around the arena to make sure Jey hadn’t been stranded. Lucy shivered as they walked outside into the frigid Pittsburgh air, and he pulled her close, rubbing over the sleeves of her sweater to warm her up with one arm as he rolled the bags with the other.
“You Florida folks,” Dean joked with a dramatic headshake as he popped the trunk, “this is nothing.”
“Yeah, try walking to school in snow up to your shins,” Seth agreed, tossing his bag and grabbing Lucy’s from Roman.
“Uphill, both ways, with no shoes, grandpa?” Lucy shot back.
Roman let out a hearty laugh as he held the door of the SUV open so she could climb into the backseat, and the four of them got situated for the two hour drive ahead. She rested her head against his shoulder and was asleep by the time they hit the highway, and Roman was content to hold her as he listened to the two men in the front making the plans to see Dean’s family while they were in Ohio. There was media for all three of them at the break of dawn, but they’d have time for lunch before they had to be at the arena, and then his mom and sister were coming to the show.
Dean’s fingers drummed on his denim clad thigh as Seth surfed through the radio stations for anything resembling metal - everything as it should be; as it always was. And yet as they drove, Roman couldn’t escape the flicker of uneasiness poking its way into his consciousness.
Lucy woke up just as they were pulling into the hotel parking lot, energized from the nap. Since she’d been able to fly out last minute, Dean and Seth had happily agreed to let her share the room they’d booked with Roman. The four of them had just gotten through the door when Seth announced he was going to the gym.
“It’s like two am, dude,” Roman said, glancing at the digital clock between the two beds.
“You know how he gets after a big show,” Dean said, rifling around in his suitcase and pulling out a pair of sweatpants, “I think I’ll head down, too. Keep him company.”
It wasn’t unusual in the slightest, the three of them rotating sleep and workouts on whatever schedules their body felt like. So why did it suddenly make him feel…distanced?
Walking out of the bathroom in a pair of red sweatpants and one of his t-shirts, Lucy eyed him carefully.
“Okay,” she said, sitting cross legged on the mattress next to him, “what’s going on with you? Something’s felt off all night.”
He dragged his hand over his face, feeling worse that Lucy had picked up on the mess swirling around in his head.
“Did I do something?” she asked quietly, and Roman breathed out a loud exhale, shaking his head firmly.
Well, at least you brought her down with you, he scolded himself.
“No,” he said, opening his eyes to meet her worried gaze, “of course not, baby. I’m sorry, it’s just been a really long day.”
Her mouth was set in a straight line, her eyes unwavering as she clearly refused to buy that as the whole truth.
“How about you tell me about it?” she prompted, her tone even.
And so he did, laying out the roster meeting before the show and being pulled aside afterward. How they all worked out who would enter when, calling the various spots, and finally being told how each man would be eliminated. He explained that his teammates had handled everything with grace, and how the higher ups had congratulated him when all was said and done. Finally, he did his best to articulate how he’d been feeling, eager to get everything out in the open as Lucy listened attentively.
“And then on top of all that, I feel like we’ve barely had time to talk this week,” he finished, “even with our impromptu sleepover on Tuesday.”
Lucy laid her head down in his lap and his fingers immediately wound themselves into her hair. He smiled fondly as her green eyes fixed on his, finding her presence alone a comfort.
“Well, we knew that part was coming,” she said with a little shrug, “and besides, we’re here now.”
Her mouth curved into a serene smile, and he marveled at how that one simple phrase began to ease his stress.
“We are, aren’t we?” he said with a small grin of his own.
Lucy’s eyes fluttered closed as he continued to run his fingers through her soft curls, and when they opened again, she appeared to be studying him. She sat up slowly to face him more directly.
“You trust them, don’t you?” she asked.
“Of course I do,” Roman said, a little caught off guard by the question, “but-”
“Wait,” Lucy said, placing her hand gently over his, stopping him before he could spiral any further, “just think for a second. Have either one of them ever lied to you, or told you what you wanted to hear to spare your feelings?”
He didn’t have to think, because he knew the answer in an instant.
“No,” he said firmly, “we don’t bullshit each other. That’s the only way we’ve gotten this far.”
“Well, unless you think that’s changed in twenty four hours, it sounds like your only choice is to take them at their word.”
Roman flopped down on his back, cringing as his tired muscles protested.
“They know you, love,” she said softly, giving him goosebumps as she gently ran her fingernails up and down his forearm, “and they want the best for you, the same way you want that for them.”
She laid down next to him on the bed, resting her chin on his sternum.
“And since we’re together,” she said, her grin taking a turn for the mischievous, “I bet there’s a way that I can help take your mind off of work.”
Roman arched an eyebrow, feeling a lick of desire at the implication.
“And what exactly do you have in mind?” he asked, genuinely curious about where the night might be headed.
“Anything you want,” she said, her voice soft and husky, “it was a big night for you, and you made me so proud. So let’s celebrate.”
Roman let his eyes close for a brief second as a warm feeling flooded his chest.
She’d been there in the crowd to see him tonight, arguably one of biggest nights of his career so far, and she was proud of him. And that- for the moment, at least- made all of his worries seem just a little bit smaller.
“You know, I’ve been having dreams about you all week,” he confessed, sliding his hand over the back of her thigh, letting his long fingers wrap around and grab hold.
“Oh yeah?” she asked, sliding her index finger along his tattooed chest, “do tell.”
She bent forward to lay a kiss on his collarbone, and let her hand dip just under the elastic of his waistband.
He licked his lips, ready to pour absolute filth into her ear.
But then, he thought back to the boxes he’d checked on the spreadsheet they’d filled out together.
Remembering one fantasy in particular that had him half hard at the thought, he sat up gradually, with purpose.
“I’ve got a better idea,” he said, letting his eyes wander over whole body, making a show of drinking in her every curve.
Her breathing grew shallow as she anticipated his next words.
“Let me show you everything I’ve been dreaming about,” he said, bass tone rumbling.
Her chest rose and fell as her mouth fell open slightly, her eyes wide with want and wonder as he slid off the edge of the bed, landing at her feet on his knees.
He looked up at her reverently, reaching one arm up to gently cup her face.
“Can I worship you, baby?”
content/ warnings: light smut
