Writing Side Blog

One year later   Tim looked at apartments with his fiance as they walked around, Emily was everything he could dream of. She had a good heart, educated, loved her job, was actually his age and extremely kind. It had started just days after that night at the club where she approached him at a coffee shop over the book he was reading, he was impressed that someone else could enjoy a George Orwell novel like him. From that day on it was non stop texting and late night phone calls which eventually turned into dates and then sleeping over at each others places and one day he just said fuck it and got a ring at a shop and proposed. It was nothing special truly, he didn’t even get down on one knee which he kind of regretted but not really. He liked her, he liked her a lot but part of him knew he didn’t love her.    “Sweetheart, are you alright ?” Emily asked petting his cheek “you look out of it”   Tim shook his head “Oh I’m fine, just thinking about what would be best is all. We looked at all the ones on our list and you seem to be keen on this area, this the one then ?”

 Emily grinned and nodded “It’s perfect, it’s near both our jobs and it’s a 2 bedroom just in case after the wedding you know….”   He sighed as he stepped back “Em, we’ve talked about this dozens of times already. I said I don’t want kids, I’m past that stage. Us together is enough for me and you said it was enough for you as well, remember ?”  

 “I did” she nodded “It’s just a maybe, like a what if situation kind of thing is all. I know where you stand on children and I totally respect plus we’re both 38, that’s a long shot honey”

Tim chuckled lightly, giving a nod “very true, but just maybe let’s leave it at that ?”. Nothing about moving in with her felt natural, nothing. He liked her a lot but he knew he had rushed things. Everyone had told him it was too soon and that he was only doing it to get over Maya but even they couldn’t stop him from proposing. The second he put the ring on her finger he knew it was a mistake.   

“I just think it’s good to talk about it because though you know I wouldn’t ever create an oopsie situation, it can still be a what if” Emily explained “Plus you told me at the beginning of us that you wouldn’t mind one, just one”   

“I said that almost a year ago, things and people change. Right now what matters to me is my career and your career and doing our own thing” he explains

“Wrestling won’t last forever Tim” she says softly “I know you plan on doing it for as long as you can which is great but we both know realistically it’s a good 5 years left before you have to call it quits for good. You should think about life beyond the ring, when it’s all done for good and you don’t have to put your body at risk every single day taking all those hits. I mean, do you ever think about that ?” “Clearly I do if we’re moving in together Emily '' he let out a little more dry than he had intended. It was one thing get on him about stupid shit like him leaving a plate out on the counter or leaving a damp towel on the sink but his job ? No way in hell he’d ever let anyone try to tell him what to do about his career.   

Emily sighed “Tim, I didn’t mean it like that at all okay ? I just meant it in the sense that there’s life after wrestling, a chance-”   

“I’ve heard enough” Tim said shortly “I um I gotta go, I’m late for some stuff down at the performance center. I’ll see you tonight”  he leaned over and kissed her forehead leaving   

He put his bag down in the locker room as he got ready and nodded at Oney “You look all sunburnt, were you at the beach ?”   

“Maya’s” he answered, lacing up his shoes “She had a small get together yesterday on a boat to celebrate her 26th birthday. The sun got the best of us” Oney chuckled   

“It was her birthday yesterday ?” Tim asked changing his tone

“Not yesterday exactly” Oney shook his head “It’s this Saturday but we celebrated it early since we’ve got that pay per view to get ready for , it was why I couldn’t go to dinner with you and Emily. I went to Marcel’s because he was surprising her with that and you know she’s grown to be like a sister to me, I couldn’t miss it”  Tim simply nodded, how was it that already a year had passed by ? How was it that he didn’t even know her birthday ? “How is she ?” he finally asked

“She’s good, doing really well” Oney nodded “You know her and Marcel are just still boyfriend and girlfriend, not engaged or moved in like you and Emily. But I mean in a way you two are alike, you both just had your one year come up”

“She and Marcel aren’t like Emily and I” he shook his head. “That's comparing apples to oranges man, two totally different things. Why even bring that up ?

“Because it’s clear you still like her, do you ?”

“Yes.” Tim answered

Oney sighed, shaking his head “Then why are you engaged and moving in with this woman ? Why did you fuck up so badly ?” “I don’t know and I’ll never know” he shrugged as he left the room and stretched in the ring. All great questions he had no answers for. ******  Maya sat as she rubbed her forehead and sipped her water on the couch “Baby do you mind getting me some tylenol ?”   

“Let me guess, once again didn’t eat anything but an iced coffee all day ?” he chuckled handing her two pills and sitting next to her  

 “Haha very funny” she rolled her eyes, taking them “Just feel tired, I’ve been working back to back and it’s getting to me is all”   

Marcel shook his head and sighed “You’ve been so out of it lately, we went to dinner last week and you fell asleep on the ride there, I’m getting concerned Maya”

She held his hand and scooted onto his lap kissing him “I”m fine, just work is a lot lately. I just gotta get it together is all, schedule things out better. Plus, I still have energy for plenty of things you know. Loads of them actually…”   

“I like that” he caressed her cheek leaning to kiss her and groaning as he heard the doorbell “That would be Johnny and Candice who you invited for a swim”  “I know” she giggled as she got up “deal with your blue balls somewhere else while I show them around”. Maya got up and shook off the slight dizziness she had going to the door “Hey guys” she smiled “Come on in”  

 “Jesus you said house not mini mansion” Johnny said as he barged in and put the cupcakes on the table “Damn Maya, is this what taking off your clothes pays for, because I might just change careers”  

 Candice shook her head as she gave her a hug “You know how he is, thanks for having us over before the week gets a bit chaotic. I feel like I rarely get to see you because of how busy you are, how are things ?”   

Maya grinned and took her to her backyard and sat with her “Things have been great truly, work is great and well as you can see things with Marcel are also still amazing. He’s here a lot but we don’t live together or anything like that” she admits taking a sip of her water “I see in your face you’ve got this look, like you wanna tell me something but you’re holding back”  

 She looked up and grinned as Johnny sat in the middle of them taking a piece of cheese from the charcuterie board and chewed “So did you hear Tim’s engaged to that one Emily chick ? I mean she’s pretty but she’s not as pretty as you and she has a boring job not cool like modeling. She’s a high school teacher ,math teacher or something dumb like that, and I heard from Eli that she’s his age so you know old and apparently they moved in-”

“Johnny !” Candice exclaimed with wide eyes as she moved her eyes in her direction

“Wh-what ?” Maya said softly “I-I had no idea, I haven’t seen him since um that night at EVE but it’s been a year, come on guys. There’s no need to tiptoe around things, that’s in the past and good for him. He deserves happiness as we all do, really Candice it’s not a big deal”   Lies all fucking lies she thought to herself, nothing but lies. Yes it was a big fucking deal, how the hell wouldn’t it be ?. What in the absolute fuck did she miss out on in a whole year ? She was having success, her relationship with Marcel was perfect yet her heart still fluttered hearing Tim’s name. Not only was he dating someone but he was engaged, engaged.   “Sorry” Johnny apologized as he put his drink down “I thought you knew since you seem to know everyone, I thought Oney had mentioned it or Alli”    “It’s fine Johnny” she grinned weakly “Really it is, there’s nothing you need to say sorry for at all truly. People are allowed to move on, I mean we never even dated. It’s nothing at all, look Marcel’s on his way out let’s get in before the sun goes down”  “I got you a little surprise” Marcel grinned, oblivious to what had just occurred. He smiled and put down the box in his arms “I know you said no gifts but I thought this one would be great for you” With a confused look Maya stood up and  grinned , walking towards the box and opening it slowly, smiling wide as she pulled out a golden doodle puppy “OH MY GOD YOU REMEMBERED !” She quickly kissed the pup and jumped in his arms. For the last 6 months, she had been going on and on about how she was ready for a dog and wanted one so badly yet Marcel seemed off to the idea and kept saying how they were way too much work and not even all that cute. Now she understood why, and her heart swelled in size.   “I searched and searched the entire state of Florida for this little guy” Marcel smiled. “He's about 8 weeks old, and when I saw him I knew he was perfect for you...for us. But he needs a name, any ideas ?”    “Biggie” Maya smiled “As in Biggie Smalls ?” he laughed   “Exactly that.” Marcel smiled as he put his arm around her and pulled her in for a side hug “You, me and Biggie”. He kissed her head as he pet their pup’s head and smiled, though far off and not entirely true it felt as if they were family already. Just them and their puppy, together and happy.   

The rest of the night was enjoyable as she sat and listened to them talk about the big pay per view that was coming up, everyone going on and on about certain feuds and matches. She turned and looked at Marcel who was in mid conversation with Fabian, sending him a wink as she got up and headed inside using the excuse she needed to answer an important phone call. Like clockwork she heard the screen door lock shut and laughed “It’s that easy huh ?”   

“You’re the one who gave me a wink” he answered with a crimson face “I-I assumed, I...I didn’t mean to”   “You assumed right” she grabbed his shirt and pulled him to her as she took them into the guest bathroom “we have 10 minutes max before someone realizes we’re missing so make it last”  

 Without losing any time Marcel lifted her onto the sink and slid off her shorts, rubbing at her core as he licked his lips “fuck you feel so wet already” he whispered getting a moan in response from her

“You talk entirely too much” she kissed him ,leaning her head back against the cabinet mirror gripping the back of his neck with her hands as she bit her lip to keep quiet   

“Fuck Maya” he mumbled as he began thrust in and out “you always feel so fucking good”

She whimpered in response “Baby….Baby please”

“You like that, I know you do” Marcel pumped into her with force, nuzzling his face in her neck as he did his best to keep his moans low, tightening his grip on her hips   

“I...wow” Maya panted as they finished, him still inside of her as she looked into his eyes “You do things to me you know, lots of things”

“And I always will” Marcel grinned as he wiped his forehead and kissed her lips softly “as long as you let me” “You’re so corny, you go out first so no one assumes” she chuckled as she closed the door and fixed her makeup. She opened a drawer to look for a brush, sighing as she picked up her birth control packet that had fallen.“Every time” Maya muttered as she put it away, feeling it slightly heavier than usual and opening the pack. With a shaky breath she slipped the packet out of the sleeve and widened her eyes when she saw 7 days of pills still in their spot, she had missed a whole week of birth control in the last month ***** “Would you just tell me what’s going on ?” Tim asked as he sat on the couch with Emily “it’s been a week and you’ve been quiet, you even missed a day of work which you never do. What on earth can be going on that has you like this ?”   

“Tim…” Emily spoke, her voice small and meek “Please don’t be mad at me, please. I...I went to the doctor for those headaches and fatigue and she-she had me to a blood and urine test and told me....she told me I’m pregnant. I told her it had to be a mistake, I have a patch and we use condoms, but she said it’s only 90% effective and there’s always a possibility especially since my ovaries release eggs during ovulation and well...I’m 9 weeks pregnant” she cried

 His eyes widened as he leaned back into the couch, feeling the air leave his lungs as he tried his absolute hardest to stop from dry heaving. He sat, rubbing his palms on his thighs and nodded over and again trying to convince himself things would be okay.   

“Then you’re pregnant and that’s that, accidents happen” he said softly as he scooted closer to her and held her hand in his sweaty one “Was this what we wanted ? No. But it’s what we’re dealing with and no matter what I’m here for you Em. I...I….I love you”   

“I love you so so much” Emily hugged him as she sniffled “I never ever meant for this to happen Tim, I swear to you. I’m so scared” she sobbed into his shoulder   Tim rubbed her back and sighed “It’s gonna be okay. We’re both adults here and this is something like the doctor said could always happen. I’m with you all this way, no matter what, but I must ask” he sits up and looks at her as he peels away from their hug “D-do you wanna keep this baby ?”

“I do” she whispered “I do, and you don’t need to stay with me. You don’t even need to help I can do this all on my own”   

He gulped taking her words in as he looked in her eyes, begging for her to just push him away and say she wants him out of her life but she didn’t. She wanted to keep this child and no matter what he was gonna stick by her whether he loved her or not. *****

  Maya looked up at Marcel as they waited at the doctors office, nerves eating up at her as she squeezed his hand in her lap. Immediately after everyone had left that day she sat him down and told him she had forgotten to take her birth control for a week and had reminded him they never used condoms. Just like she had assumed he was calm and collected and assured her he’d be with her no matter what and that he loved her. She broke down in tears that night on his lap crying until she passed out from exhaustion, when she woke up she found herself in bed with him. Now here they were one week later waiting to do some tests to get official answers, they had both agreed it’d be best to get answers from a doctor rather than a test at the pharmacy.  

 She stood up as her name was called and walked in with him, doing the usual routine with blood pressure and weight and finally getting her blood drawn and completing a urine test for them. The minutes seemed like hours as she sat in Marcel’s lap for comfort leaning her head over his.

  “I’m scared” Maya whispered looking in his eyes ``What if I am and it ends like…like how it did when I was 20 ?” she finally says

 “It’s different times” Marcel assured “6 years ago you were a kid with lots of stress that caused that to happen, now it’s different. And if you are, nothing bad is gonna happen. And if you aren’t, then we can go from there” he kissed her forehead. More than anything he wanted her to be okay, for them to be okay and just put that past life behind them completely.  

 Maya nodded and pressed her forehead to his, jumping up when she heard the door open and doctor come in

  “A-am I pregnant ?” she whispered quickly

“No” the doctor said softly “You are not, your tests all came back negative, what you do have to look out for is your severe dehydration levels. Other than that you’re in great health, and to be safe I’d stay off sexual activity until you can start a new month of birth control, and please use protection” she grinned

  “Oh my gosh” Maya let out a sigh of relief as she watched his face go back to its normal color “Thank you so so much”

 “It’s your life and your choices miss” she grinned “No matter what, I’m here to guide advice for whatever you need health related.”   

Maya let out a nervous laugh as she held hands with Marcel and walked out of the office, giggling when he spun her around in his arms

  “I love kids and can’t wait to have the, but this just wasn’t the right time” Marcel said softly as he kissed her “But our time will come soon, really soon”

“Sooner than later” she smiled as he set her down and walked down the hall with him, pressing the elevator button. She hummed happily as it dinged, gulping as it opened revealing Tim hand in hand with who she supposed was Emily with a barely there baby bump. She was sure she was gonna pass out had it not been for Marcel’s hand on her back.

  “Hi” Maya said softly, being the first to speak out of the 4 “Long time to no see”   

Tim stood speechless as he stared at her, unintentionally slipping his hand out of Emily’s and putting it in his pants pocket. He could’ve sworn he saw stars at one point from how dazed he felt seeing her in person for the first time in over a year.

“Hey” he finally said in response “um hey, this-this is...this is-”

“Emily” she spoke up quietly

“Emily yes, yes” Tim nodded “Um this is Emily my fiance, Emily this Maya and Marcel my...my…”

“Friends” Marcel grinned “So nice to meet you” he shook her hand gently “and um congratulations of course, what a beautiful thing”

 “Oh thank you” Emily smiled “Just here for our 14 week appointment, making sure all is well. You guys...are you guys expecting too ? Gosh that’s extremely invasive of me, I’m sorry I just assumed since this is the OBGYN side of the hospital and you two are together” she said softly turning red with embarrassment

“Nah you’re good” Maya shook her head “Just had a scare because I forgot to take my pill for a week and apparently the idea of condoms never came to my dumb ass brain that was too busy thinking about getting laid, but no babies in this uterus thank god” she tried to joke much to Tim and Emily’s wide eyes, Marcel being the only one laughing with her 

 “Alright tough crowd” she muttered to herself as she went through the middle of them into the elevator “But I wish you well, babies are super cute and stuff”

Emily grinned at her “You’re the sweetest, thank you ! Maya right ? Were you in a spread in Cosmo last month ? With the neon bikini in the pool for the safe sex while on vacation side ?

  Maya chuckled darkly.  She knew it was a dig, a sad attempt at one at least. “That’s me, that’s definitely me ! Got 20k for that spread, put a downpayment on a home with that shoot. I also did Maxim and got on the cover of that, I’m in Zara as well on a 10 foot poster right as you enter their store, and I just did a Victoria Secret ad that’s gonna be in every single mall in the states and that alone is probably gonna pay off my entire mortgage. You know, I did it once before in college and it paid off all my student loans too” she smiled “Now what is it that you do...M’am ?”

 Tim’s eyes widened as he watched the verbal drag go on, part of him knew he should’ve stepped in but he was too in shock to do a thing. “She’s a teacher” he answered sternly “A high school math teacher”

  “Still have those loans, but I love what I do” Emily nodded “It’s done for the love, not for the money” she hit back

“Aww” Maya put her hands to her heart “I remember when I used to say that too, I wanted to be a teacher so bad when I was teensy” she grinned “Then I realized how all teachers grew up to be nothing but bitter divorcees who thrive on making children’s lives miserable all whilst teaching pointless things like the Pythagorean theorem. Oh wait , that’s you ! My bad, my bad”

Marcel chuckled quietly as he bit the inside of his lip and moved his arm around her waist “We must go now, um congratulations on your child once again. Health and happiness for you both”. He smirked as he closed the elevator door and shook his head

  “Too far ?” Maya asked

Tim looked outside as he watched them drive off and rubbed his face and leaned against the wall and watched them all walk towards him. “I know, I know”

“Do you though ? Do you ?” Candice spat out “What in the absolute fuck were you thinking ? What happened ?”

“I just...I couldn’t handle the alcohol, it hit me all at once and then next thing I knew whats her face shoved her tongue down my throat and then...I was the one who initiated it” he admitted quietly “I was the one who took her to the bathroom to…to do that” Tim said not even being able to say the words

“What the fuck is wrong with you ?!” Oney demanded

Tim shook his head as he debated throwing himself in front of a moving car to end his never ending misery “Guys, Candice please”  “No, answer us” Johnny said sternly “Before we all take turns beating the absolute shit out of you, granted Maya clearly did a great job as we can tell by your slight limp and broken bruised nose you shit head !”  

 “Guys !” Tim exclaimed frustrated as he threw his hands down

“So you see her having a good time with us and Marcel so you decide to fuck someone in a bathroom at her own party when you claimed you were heartbroken and wanted her for yourself ? Instead of being a man and pulling her aside you do that ? To Maya, the legit most nicest and genuine person ?” Oney asks

“Oney….” “No I wanna know, I wanna know what it the absolute fuck went through your head when you decided to pull that shit ?” he repeated “This is a girl who liked you, spent 6 months sad over you while you couldn’t even answer a simple text message or call, you acted like a little bitch for 6 months moaning and complaining when you had absolutely no right to. She reached out, she called, left voicemails and sent text messages to you every fucking day for a month straight and you chose not to respond yet you get pissy because you see her enjoy herself with Marcel and all of us, you get jealous seeing her have fun. You’re bitter” he finally says “You’re nothing but a bitter child stuck inside a 38 year old man's body and you don’t deserve Maya. You don’t deserve her kindness nor her love and care because despite her being all lovey with Marcel tonight everyone here can see she wanted you, she craves you and that’s really fucking sad. But I think it’s time we don’t let that happen, it’s time we as her friends don’t let a 25 year old fall for a 38 year old bitter, disrespectful asswipe.”    Tim stood there in silence, swallowing the small amount he had left of pride. For Oney whom he had known for years to reprimand him he knew just how deep and bad shit really was.   “Yeah stay quiet buck teeth” Johnny muttered as he pushed past him with Candice and Fabian “Chipped teeth...not buck teeth” Fabian corrected quietly as he waited with them for an uber turning back when Johnny, Candice and Oney weren’t looking and giving him the finger ***** “Your place, not mine” Maya whispered meekly “I wanna be with you in your space, not mine”  “Anything you want” Marcel said softly as he noticed her holding his hand tightly in hers. This wasn’t in any way what he wanted for them, especially not for her. He felt disgusted as he drove thinking of how broken she must’ve been seeing that.    “I just wanna be with you, anywhere with you” she said quietly as she stared out her window “As long as I’m with you, I’ll be okay” He nodded as he blinked away tears, emotional at hearing her words as he pulled into his apartment building and helped her out   She let out a small shaky breath as she held his hand and walked with him towards the elevator taking off Fabian’s suit jacket as she handed it over “You can give this to him when you see him again, it was extremely kind of him”   “I will” he said softly as he pressed the button and stood with her with looming silence as the elevator took them up to his apartment   “I hate him” she said suddenly “and I’m sorry for everything that I did and said to you while being enamored with him, you didn’t deserve any of that from me”  

 “Maya, no. Don’t say that, listen things happened tonight and I really think tomorrow you two should talk I can call him over and-”

“No” she answered sternly as she shot him a look full of hurt and anger “It ends here, it dies here. He doesn’t exist to me and that’s that”   Marcel simply nodded as he didn’t push the topic any further and walked with her as he opened the door with his key and went to his bedroom to pull out a shirt and sweatpants for her and changed into his usual basketball shorts   

“Thanks” she whispered as she stripped down in the bathroom and threw them on immediately taking in his scent and feeling an immense feel of comfort

  “You didn’t eat” he said softly “let me get you some cereal at least, you still like lucky charms and almond milk ?”   Maya gave a soft grin as she nodded “Yeah...yeah I do, you still remember”

“Of course I do,” Marcel chuckled. “I remember all your likes and dislikes, what shows you love and hate, the fact that you need to sleep on the side by the wall, how you only like your eggs scrambled but never over easy. I remember it all”

 She walked over and looked up at him as he caressed his cheek with her hand “You truly never forgot, you remember and you’re always there for me”

“I always will be, no matter what” he whispered as he touched her hand “As much as I’d like to kiss you, I think you should eat and get in bed, you look exhausted as can be. You need proper rest” Maya nodded as she sat at his table and ate the bowl he served in front of her. It softened her seeing Marcel care so much about her and something about this made her see him in a different light. He wasn’t the vain wrestler who was into himself, he was the man she fell in love with 3 years ago who taught everything there was to know about love.   “What’s going through your head ?” He asked finally “You can be honest with me, I know you still like him a lot judging by how you reacted tonight”  “Marcel...it’s not like that” she explained “It was a shock, that was it. It was just purely shock but just...I don’t wanna talk about it anymore okay ? Can we just stop it please ?”    “Absolutely” he nodded as he picked up her plate “Let’s get to bed”  She nodded and followed as she laid down and scooted close towards him, going beneath his arm as she snuggled up and looked up at him caressing his cheek with her hand    “Hi” he whispered as he gave a soft grin  Maya looked in his eyes and sat up as she cradled his face and kissed him deeply “That’s what I wanted to do all night”   “I-I…wow” Marcel whispered as he licked his lips “That was just, did-did you just kiss me, is this a dream ?”   Maya chuckled as she rolled her eyes “Wow, way to ruin a moment. I’m trying to be romantic over here and do something”   “I’m just shocked is all….you like me ? As in like me more than a friend ?”   “I do” she admits “I really do, these last 6 months you’ve been there for me in so many ways and you’ve made my life so much better. It’s been hard you know ?”   “I do,” Marcel whispered, “But this isn’t exactly how I pictured things working out at all, it’s not how I wanted things to be. I wanted something nice and calm and a bit more romantic” She laughed as she shook her head “Listen life isn’t a fairytale and as much as we’d like to be it’s best just to not expect much and go with the flow. I for one can admit tomorrow I’m probably gonna be hungover and emotional just letting you know ahead   “I’ll be here with you” He pet her cheek as he watched her finally drift to sleep “I’ll always be here with you..” ****  “Well well if it isn’t my favorite student” Eli grinned as he opened the door into the room at the performance center “You’re bright and early Thatch, love when my worst promo student shows up early to class” he laughed Tim rolled his eyes and sat down “Not today alright ? Just get on with the private class so I can go home already” “Not even a death stare or shove today ? Something really must have you down” He raised a brow as he grabbed a chair and sat in front of him “Tell me”    “You haven’t heard ?,” Tim asked surprised. “It’s literally everywhere by now, seriously go check your phone or ask your girlfriend Alli. She has to know” Eli furrowed his brow, taking out his phone and putting it on speaker as he dialed “Baby, hey ! Um have you heard anything about something going down at EVE nightclub in downtown Orlando last night ?”   “Oh my god, yes ! So remember Maya ? Maya Dawson ? The girl we met during one of your commercial shoots in LA and had dinner with a few weeks ago ?” Alli asked not even giving him a chance to answer “Well she apparently had a thing with that one loner dude Tim you work with for a hot minute but nothing serious from what I’ve heard, like not instagram official or anything. All she told me was that they made out a few times but nothing too much”  Eli nodded as he listened “Oh wow, I didn’t know that. Okay go on….” “So they broke up because she didn’t tell him she was engaged prior to that really cute German dude with the blue eyes who happens to be friends with Tim. Drama ensues, she tells me over brunch he never bothered to respond to anything she sent for 6 whole months and she’s back with Marcel on “friendly terms” well she got that Maxim cover and had a big party last night which we got invited but obviously couldn’t go and well...Tim shows up, gets drunk and fucks none other than Kara Smith in the bathroom of the club ! THE Kara Smith !” Alli exclaimed loudly shaking her head disgusted  “NO ! No fucking way ! Um baby, I gotta call you back !” Eli’s eyes widened as he hung up and looked at Tim “You didn’t…. tell me she’s just somehow dramatizing shit”   “How the hell does Alli know everything ?” Tim asked “This is weird, this is why I stay away from social media, this isn’t normal”   Eli scowled “Jesus christ, you fucked Kara Smith and got away with it. That woman has had it out for Maya for the last year, all because miss bleach blonde can’t stand Maya’s more popular, she’s like 33 having it out against a 25 year old. You literally slept with her worst enemy, how drunk were you ?”   “Don’t even remind me” he rubbed his face “I literally am the most hated man in this building, I walked in and immediately it looked like I was gonna get jumped”   “And here I thought I was the whore yet I’ve been in a loving relationship for over a year” Eli chuckled “I can’t believe you man, who does that ?”   Tim shook his head “I don’t even know how to fix this, or even talk to her” “Don’t” Eli answered “Let her be, this isn’t something women get over fast or ever actually, you’re gonna have to suffer man. And quite frankly you deserve it”   He sighed and got up “I’m going home, I don’t feel like being here and quite frankly I don’t wanna hear anymore about how I fucked up”   “Since everyone hates you but me just come to my place” he offered “Alli won’t care, plus I’m done here I was just waiting for you to show up”  Sure it may have been a pity offer but Tim took it with no hesitation “Alright, I’ll drive behind you” he nodded as they both left ****   Maya stirred as she fluttered her eyes open checking her phone for the time, groaning when she saw it was only 8 am , leaning her head back against Marcel's arm as she turned her head and caressed his cheek lightly with her finger tips. She leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his lips taking in all his features, his cheek bones, his soft skin, his chiseled jawline, his defined lips. Everything she loved about him standing out to her as she gulped and moved her hand onto his chest as she kissed him once again slightly deeper, looking into his deep blue eyes once they opened    “Maya ?” he whispered as he pet her cheek, slightly confused as she had kissed him. Confused she had initiated their physical contact rather than him like it had always been   “Hey” she whispered back “I want you….” Maya finally said “I want you now”  As soon as she said those words he leaned in and kissed her ,gently flipping them around so she was on her back as he laid above her and kissed down her neck listening to her loud moans. It had been years since they were together, years since they had last had any kind of physical contact like this.    Maya groaned as she felt his hand down her sweats at her core “t-take them off” Marcel did as told, watching her as he moved his fingers in circular motions, breathing deeply as she kissed along his jaw and removed his shirt. He took his time as he continued to kiss focusing on her breasts feeling her arch her back slightly   “I can’t, please...now” she whimpered “please”  “Are you sure ?” “Yes” she nodded “I’ve been been so sure of something before, yes” He kissed her deeply as he guided himself into her and thrusted in slowly, feeling her nails dig into his shoulder blades “Is it okay ?” “Perfect” she nodded as she hands caressed his face “So perfect, I...I had forgotten how good you feel, how this feels”  Marcel gave a soft grin as he kissed her once again and picked up the pace, holding one hip with his hand as he found a perfect rhythm not keeping his eyes off of hers  She cradled his face and planted a sloppy kiss on his lips arching her back off the mattress and into his body as far as she could feeling the need getting closer and closer  “I’m so close, so fucking close” “Fuck you feel so good” he moaned as he swallowed a deep gulp “Every part of you feels amazing, god I missed you so fucking much Maya, so much”  “Marcel...I can’t hold, I can’t” she whimpered as she felt his hot breath in the crook of her neck He pulled out slightly and pushed back in giving a few more hard thrusts as he picked up the pace and felt her walls clench against him   “Fuck….” she cried out as she came with him wrapping her arms around neck, riding out what was left of their orgasm with him  Marcel collapsed on top of her as he felt her chest rise up and down, her fingers gently playing with his hair

“You okay ?” she asked softly as she lazily kissed his forehead

“I’ve never ever been better” he lifted his chin and looked into her eyes “I haven’t felt like this in a long long time” “Neither have I” she admitted with a smile “Just like old times….”

Marcel blushed at the memories “You mean when we almost got caught by my brother at my mothers house ?”

“And just like that the romance is once again gone” Maya chuckled as she sat up and pulled the sheet up to cover herself 

Marcel laughed as he held her hand in his and kissed it “Now, don’t call me cheesy but….will you be my girlfriend...again ?” “After an orgasm like that ? Of course” she joked as she kissed “But honestly, yes. I would love to”

He let out a sigh of relief as he kissed her back “Things are gonna be good, I promise you that”  

 “No promises” she whispered against his lips “Let’s take it day by day, no pressures no nothing. Just us being together”. She cuddled up against his chest, listening to his heart beat as she dozed back to sleep in his hold ***** “Tim, this is my girlfriend Alli” Eli grinned as he introduced them “Baby, this is Tim”

“I’m loner dude Tim” he said as he offered his hand with a small grin, retracting it when he received a stare back

 “You’ll have to excuse her…women sticking together and that whole thing” he whispered lowly as he sat with him    “May I offer you something to drink as dinner gets closer to being ready ?” Alli asked “Water, Coffee, tea, soda...a condom” she muttered under her breath   “Alli...” Eli looked up at her “Come on, the guy knows he messed up let’s let him not feel like crap for a bit”   “I wanna hear it all, all of it. Not one detail left behind” she scowled as she set the table “Come eat” Tim sighed as he got up and sat and told them everything, everything from how to they had met to their first fight, to finding out the truth and to the previous night  

“So here I am now, hated by 95% of people at the performance center and with a brand new reputation now so yeah life’s great” Eli turned to Alli who had the same expression he had as they both looked at Tim, Alli being the first to speak as she sipped her wine and let out a deep breath “Tim, do you realize you’re in love ?”   “Yeah” he answered quietly, putting his fork down “I do, I realized it last night when I felt myself get angry when I saw her with Marcel enjoying herself. I wasn’t angry because I was jealous or felt possessive, I was angry because she wasn’t with me” Tim admits “because she wasn’t by my side enjoying herself with me and because in that moment it hit me that I majorly messed up. That I was an idiot who let 6 months go by all because I had to be right, I had the need to be in the right when I was in the wrong” “Deep shit” Eli nodded sighing “I just, I just really think you gotta let things cool down for a bit but also send her a text, do what she did to you all those months ago but in your case don’t stop. Do it till you get some kind of response back”  “Or maybe not” Alli said softly as she looked at her phone and showed Eli “Oh…” Tim looked up “what ? what happened ?”,  he looked as Alii gave Eli a nod and moved his eyes towards her phone. A soft breath escaping his lips as he stared at the image in front of him, a picture of Marcel and Maya’s hands intertwined via his IG account  marcel.barthel.wwe “Matching and hand holding with my favorite girl❤️👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨”

 Maya sighed as she sat in the and leaned her head back against the headrest “Why did you lean in to kiss me ?” she finally asked  

 “I just felt the moment was right, you held my hand on your own and I thought maybe it was a good idea. I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable, I just did what I felt was right in the moment” he explained “I apologize, I really do. I would never wanna make you feel like it was forced”

  “Don’t do it again” she said softly “Now hurry up so you can drive me home and we can both change, you got your outfit ?”

  “Yeah, just um a black long sleeve button up and black pants, that okay ?” Marcel asked

“Perfect” she grins as they got out “Also feel free to loosen up tonight, I can handle my drinking”

He raised a brow as he pulled in and followed “Do I need to remind you about what happened in Berlin ?”

  Maya widened her eyes as she blushed and shot him a look “You said you’d never bring it up, so don’t start now”

  “Sorry but you causing world war 3 at a club at 2 in the morning that led to us running through the back door isn’t exactly a small thing” he laughed as he brought his bag in “I’m not even drunk ! I’m fine, let’s go dance !” he mocked in her voice “and then suddenly a fight about who knows what and bam we’re in a taxi. How you weren’t some kind of fighter in your life still shocks me”

  “I felt like it” she shrugged “she insinuated my Cartier bracelets were fake so I let her have it, period. Oh yeah and she hit on you right in front of me, she deserved it”

He laughed, shaking his head “how about none of that tonight ? Just fun, enjoy yourself with your friends and celebrate your cover”

“I invited Fabian” she blurted out, taking out her curling iron to touch up her hair “he said he’s coming, I gave security his name”

  Marcel nodded as she took off his t shirt and ironed his shirt “That’s cool, glad he can make it”

“If you two don’t say sorry and make up tonight I swear” she groaned. Yeah they had been friends for a little over half a year but that didn’t mean him and Fabian were back together. Those two were like a married couple and seeing him without Fabian made her sad, he wasn’t the same without him and it killed her inside

  “I can’t promise anything but if he’s there obviously he knows I’m going to be as well so who knows” Marcel admitted as he fixed his hair

  “Lay off the gel, you look you belong back in Germany in some grade school with this haircut” she laughed fixing her eye shadow “Plus it’s gonna be hot in there”

    “Then I’ll take my shirt off,” he smirked. “I think some girls there would  really like to see that, don't you think ?”

  Maya rolled her eyes, going into her closet and picking out a body con sequin dress, something to make her stand out from the others. She wanted to be absolutely sure she looked better than anyone else there, especially after what Tim had told her. Tim. As if that Dickies wearing, missing tooth asshole knew anything about fashion she shook her head. “No one cares Maya, he doesn’t matter at all” she repeated in her head turning and widening her eyes as she saw Marcel changing

   “Wow...wow” she muttered quietly as she hid behind her closet door and peaked, taking a look at his perfectly tan body and abs, watching him check himself out in the mirror while buttoning up his shirt. He had to me the most vain individual she had ever met yet there she was hiding so she could admire him from afar. Her, the actual model, hiding in a damn closet to stare at him of all people. She quickly snapped out of her own thoughts and changed, putting on her heels as she walked out

  “Alright all-” Marcel stopped speaking, practically stopping his breathing when he saw her

“Hey” Maya grinned softly as she saw his face

“Maya….I….” he took a moment to think clearly about what he wished to say, not wanting to make himself seem even dumber than he already did 

“I-wow” he chuckled out finally as he put his hands in his pockets 

“You...you look beautiful, stunning”

  “Marcel, you’ve seen me in dresses but thank you” she giggled 

 “You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve seen, ever” he said sincerely “you look beautiful every single day but tonight is just wow”

She looked at him, trying her best to keep her look calm and friendly but part of her wanted to jump him right then and there. “Come on, let’s get going it’s late” she grinned as she went back out with him to the car and allowed him to take a picture of them to post ******

  “So now explain” Johnny said as he sat with Tim in the living room of his home “why exactly did you um...snap ?”

  “I did not snap” Tim responded calmly as he pet their dog Pawdme 

“I...words didn’t come out as well as I hoped okay, that’s all”

  “Um...you went to college right ? like graduated, correct ?” he asked

Tim nodded as he gave a confused look “uh yeah, I uh have a degree in Journalism, worked at a newspaper company for years. Actually” he chuckled “when we met in evolve I was stil- wait what does this have to do with anything ?”

    “So you’re telling me you’re college educated with a degree in JOURNALISM of all things, like as in good with words and writing yet you don't know how to speak to a woman !” Johnny exclaimed “You legit use big ass words and write pages yet when a girl clearly is giving the whole “take me in the back seat of your car now” eyes you insult and demean ?” “Johnny, enough” Candice spoke up “He gets the point, clearly he’s upset and mad”

“Thanks” Tim nodded, “and to answer all your questions, yes, I get it. I acted like a moron and well here I am trying to think of ways to apologize once again and convince her I want her with me”   

“Well we can all talk about this tomorrow, we got somewhere to go” Johnny stood up dressed in a button up and black jeans along with Candice in a black dress

  “A funeral ?” Tim asked confused as he looked at both of them “sorry for your loss, whomever it may be”

 Candice let out a soft sigh as he looked at Johnny and nodded towards Tim with her head “tell him…”

“Okay, first it’s “Johnny, shut up!” and now it’s “tell him” he mocked in her voice as he put his hands on his hips and looked up at Tim 

“We’re…..we’re going to Maya’s cover launch party, she invited us a month ago and well we RSVP’d and honestly I won’t lie, it looks like a lot of fun, man. She rented out the entire club. It's at EVE and I mean we don’t get to do shit like this, it’s the best club in the city and we’re on the list and I feel special alright ?”

  “Wait wait, what ?” Tim asked bewildered “You two are going ? Like actually going ? This isn’t some sick joke right because if it is I got pranked” he put his hands up “the act can stop now, I get it”

Johnny and Candice looked at each other as they both turned and gave him a sorry look as Candice’s phone buzzed “sorry Tim...we gotta go now, Oney’s waiting with Joanne”

 Tim scoffed as he nodded and opened the door, catching Oney about to knock  “I know, don’t even try to explain” he said as he shut him up before he could even speak

  “Well damn” Oney shot him a look “Guess that means, you don’t wanna be my plus one….”

“What ?” the other 3 asked in unison as they looked at him

“Joanne can’t make it, she has work so that leaves me with a plus one” he showed the message “Maya never said I couldn’t bring Tim” he gave a shrug

“Wait…. He can’t go like that” Candice emphasized “babe quick, go look for a bigger shirt and Oney, switch pants with Tim and Johnny will give you another pair…..NOW !” she raised her voice at the 3 of them as she watched them scurry and go to her bedroom

    “Wow, who knew you could clean up so nicely” Johnny smirked “let me do your hair now, you can’t go out looking nicely dressed with messy hair, oh and cologne, you gotta smell good in case ”

“You’re not serious ?” Tim asked

“You want her to see you looking good right ? So listen to me, if you look good and smell good she’ll like fall in love with you, she won’t even remember you insinuated her work was cheap, or that bikini models are whores or that-” Johnny gulped when he saw him glare at him “here just..just add a little gel and um see you downstairs, hurry up”

  Oney chuckled as he watched him get ready “If this doesn’t work, then I don’t know. Not gonna lie you look….nice. You really do, this is probably what she wanted to see”  

 “Whatever” Tim shrugged as he finished buttoning up the shirt “I just wanna talk to her that’s all, talk to her and get this settled and we’ll go from there” he nodded as he followed him back to Candice and Johnny’s Uber and sat down 

  “Wow” Candice grinned “look at you, I mean it. You clean up so nicely Tim, you really do”

“Thank you” Tim said softly as he gave her a small grin. “How the hell did I get myself into this ?” he thought to himself. None of this was him, he could feel the sweat start to build up in his arm pits as he moved around in his seat lifting his head up when Oney offered him a mini bottle of Patron

“A roadie, to loosen up before we get there. You could use it, need a chaser ?” he offered some seltzer water widening his eyes as he watched him chug it down in one gulp

  “Give me another, now” Tim nodded as he reached out his hand, taking the second bottle and downing it “there, much much better”. No not really all that better but at least it calmed his nerves slightly as he watched them pull up to the club. He looked through the crowd to see who he recognized, some were definitely other models but lots were from work. She really had invited everyone but him, not like he expected it anyways.

    “Remember, leave no later than 3” Candice said as they got out and reapplied her lipgloss “Jesus, she’s popular look at all these people”

  “You don’t say” Johnny looked around “And she invited US, that means she really does like us and thinks of us as friends. She’s SO nice”

“She is. She really is something” Tim whispered to himself as he stood with them ************

“I love seeing you two so happy and together !” Maya smiled a little tipsy already as she put her arms around Fabian and Marcel’s shoulders 

“The two besties are back together ! You can go back to taking your little sexy shirtless gym pictures now !”  

 Fabian chuckled “well thank you I think ? Thanks for inviting me again”

“Yeah yeah of course, anything to get you two back together” she sipped her martini, feeling slightly buzzed as she sat next to Marcel and put her hand on his thigh “oh my god, you look so cute tonight I can’t believe I didn’t tell you already” she pouted

  Marcel chuckled as he placed her hand back on her lap gently “Thank you, you’re telling me now and to me that’s all that matters”

“Maya maybe, maybe we can stop the martini’s for a bit” Fabian suggested as he motioned for the waitress to come over and order them waters with lemon

  “What a complete party pooper, I thought Italians were supposed to be fun. This is NOT how Jersey Shore made it seem” she rolled her eyes, pulling out her compact to look herself over as she watched Fabian just laugh at her

 “Hey... still very very pretty,” Marcel grinned as he closed it for her. “There’s no need to keep looking at yourself when you look perfect, now have some water so you can sober up a bit and enjoy your night. Everyone’s here for you”

  Maya stood up and fixed her dress when she saw Candice walk towards her “hey, oh my gosh you look beautiful !” She gave her a hug and smiled, tilting her head when she saw Johnny take a selfie with her custom cake “why...why is he ?”

  “Listen he’s telling everyone we know he’s at a celebrity party and how you’re his friend, he’s truly living it up” she admits with a chuckle

  “I just...I like how you guys came, you two are so kind and nice and to be honest I kinda like you guys here more than the others my agent made me invite” she smiled softly “Can I offer you a drink ?”

  “Oh yeah sure, I’d love one of those fruity ones you’re having” Candice grinned as she walked over to the bar with her “Listen before we enjoy the night, I have to tell you that Oney’s girlfriend couldn’t make it so...so he brought Tim”

    “What ?” she spat out her water “He’s here ? As in right now ? Candice what the hell ? After what happened earlier ?”

Candice sighed as she took her drink in one sitting and got up “Long story short he feels horrible and wants to talk to you, really talk to you. 100% serious this time, no insults nothing so when you’re ready you let me know and I”m getting you two together to talk even if it’s the last fucking thing I do” she nods

  “I just wanna enjoy my night and maybe when I’m a little more drunk so I can let his ass know everything I’ve been feeling” Maya nodded as she cheered her and took what she believed was her 15th shot of the night 

    “So are those real ?” Candice asked as she pointed to her revealing dress “because they look real but they also look way too perfect to be real”

Maya laughed as she touched her shoulder with her arm “They are, but did you drink before getting here ?”

  “May have had a couple roadies” she admits as they continued to drink together, getting rowdier once everyone else came to join

  “Let’s give it up for Maya !” Johnny yelled as he raised his champagne glass “MY friend is a model and she’s on an ACTUAL magazine and on a billboard !”

  “To me ! For being really fucking pretty and having an amazing body !” Maya exclaimed drunkenly as she leaned on Marcel

    “And with REAL boobs !” Candice added as they all cheered together and moved to the dance floor as the DJ played a playlist of mid 2000’s songs

Everything was great, perfect actually until Oney spotted Tim talking to a girl, a little too close for comfort in his eyes as he left and sat down keeping a close eye on him

  “So what brings you here, do you know Maya ?” the girl asked Tim as she grinned and sat too close to him at the bar

  “In a way yeah, you ?” he nodded trying his best to keep up straight as the alcohol from the car ride and the beers he had consumed were beginning to hit him

  “well she won this cover over me. Some thing about brunettes over blondes, Kara by the way” she reached her hand out “and you are ?”

“Tim” he responded as he turned around and faced her, looking her up and down as he raised a brow at the less than favorable red number she had on “drink ?”

    “Vodka soda” she smirked as she ordered “oh is this your friend ?”

“What ?” Tim asked confused as he turned and saw Oney with crossed arms standing behind him

  “You’re drunk, come with me”

“He’s fine with me” Kara smiled sweetly “Don’t worry, your friend is perfect with me here”

“Tim….”

“I’m fine” Tim shrugged “You go and continue being stupid, I’m fine here with her”

Oney shook his head and sighed as he left him alone and went back as he sat down on a couch and watched

 Maya pulled Marcel close to her as she turned around against him, moving to the beat of the music as she felt him move with her, putting his hands on her hips both swaying to the old Ice Cube song that played loudly in the club. They had gone to multiple clubs in the past and danced to way too many songs but this time something was different and they both felt it  

  Marcel felt the jolts in his body as he touched her hips and felt her backside press right against his groin area. Gulping to get rid of what felt like a ball stuck in his throat he made sure to keep his hands there as they moved

  “You good ?” she asked not realizing what was even going on with him as she looked up

“All good, we can keep going” he nodded

He was positive his once black shirt was now soaking and see through with sweat as he tried his best to make sure he didn’t get hard as he squeezed her sides every so slightly. As he heard the song end and change to what he recalled was an old Lil Jon song, he groaned feeling her move quicker.  Part of him felt like it was best to just leave to the car and handle what he needed to do but the other part said he needed to be composed for her. All that went out the window the second he looked down and saw her dress slowly ride up as she moved lower and lower

  “I...I gotta go to the bathroom” he blurted out as he turned her around and saw her eyes, he knew better than anyone what that look meant

  “We….we should go to the bathroom” she whispered as she laced his fingers with hers and leaned in to kiss the corner of his mouth gently

   Marcel shuddered as he looked around and noticed everyone too busy to even notice them gone, he quickly took her hand and rushed to the nearest bathroom with her as he pushed her against the wall and crashed his lips onto hers, moving his hands up and down her hips as he moved down to kiss her neck feeling one of her hands on the back of his neck and the other immediately trying to undo his belt

  “Not...not here” he whispered as he stopped her hands and held them in his as he kissed each of them “This...this is cheap, I don’t want it like this with you. You deserve more”

“My place” she kissed his lips again not wanting them away from hers any longer “You and me, my place. I want you, I need you Marcel” Marcel looked in her eyes trying to see any doubt , going with his gut as he nodded and walked with her, hitting a stall with his shoulder

“Busy” a female voice groaned “um really busy”

  “Sorry” Marcel apologized quickly, cursing as Maya tripped against him causing him to fall against the unlocked door, widening his eyes at the view in front of him

  “What’s going-” Maya stopped speaking immediately as she felt her heart drop to her stomach as she saw Tim entangled with a girl doing way more than kissing. She felt her legs turn into jelly as she watched him kiss and move her against him, at her party of all places.

   Tim heard her voice and immediately opened his eyes as he pushed Kara off and fixed his pants and shirt “Maya ! No…..No listen I-I” he stuttered struggling to form a cohesive thought as he reached his hand towards her earning a hard punch across the nose and kick in the groin “Fuck that hurt !” he grimaced in pain not sure if he needed to grab his balls or nose

  “Marcel, why is she crying ? what’s going on ?” Johnny asked concerned he watched Candice going after her “Did someone hurt her ? Tell me and I’ll knock them out !”

  “That, that’s what’s going on” Marcel said coldly as they both looked at Tim and Kara exit the bathroom both disheveled with Tim’s more than obvious broken bleeding nose

“I told him to stop” Oney spoke up “He didn’t listen, brushed me off. The second he saw me talk to Johnny is when he left”

  “It wasn’t your job to babysit” Johnny answered disappointed as he stared “Grown men can take care of themselves, or so we thought”

“You’re not getting a foot near her !” Oney exclaimed, fed up “How fucking dare you do this to her ? At her own fucking party ? Was this what you wanted all along ? To just come here and ruin her night ?”

Tim shook his head as he held his nose with his hand “I….I can’t….I can’t even talk, where is she ? I need to talk to her now” “You’re getting you and your little prost-.....friend the hell out of here NOW” Oney ordered

  Tim snarled as he felt her touch his hand “get the fuck away from me”, scaring her enough as he watched her walk away quickly and hurried out the door. He looked at the guys and pleaded with his eyes as he watched them walk away from him

Marcel clenched his fists in anger as he calmed himself down for a second before walking quickly to the parking lot of the club searching around space by space as he found Candice consoling Maya on the pavement and rushed over

  “Maya, Maya come on let’s get you home” he said softly as he kneeled in front of her and dabbed her face full of mascara tears with his sleeve. His own heart breaking as he saw how devastated she looked. Nothing mattered more to him than making sure he got her home and safe

  “Listen to Marcel, he’s gonna take you home sweetie” Candice whispered as she helped her stand up as Johnny, Fabian and Oney joined them with sorry looks on their faces “It’s brisk” Fabian said softly as he took off his suit jacket and put it over Maya’s shoulders to cover her up  “I’m gonna, I’m gonna take her home now, is that okay Maya ?” Marcel asked as he pet her head gently 

“On a scale of 1-10, how badly are you hated right now at work ?” Maya asked “100” Marcel chuckled as he winced slightly “They’re gonna be pretty happy when Oney tells them what he did”   “What about tweedle dee and tweedle dum ? Your besties” she looked at him

“Alex and Fabian ?” he asked, confused. “if you are referring to them, they aren’t speaking to me right now either. Nor is Walter….I have no friends currently”

Maya gave him a sorry look as she patted his hand gently, even if he was an asshole she could tell this was affecting him. The once overly confident smirk and flirty eyes were now gone and covered by a dark bruise and permanent frown. She got up and picked up her food from the door as she set up things on her coffee table and handed him his plate “I feel so bad for you I’ll even let you pick what we watch”

  Marcel gave a small grin as she stuffed a mouthful of orange chicken in his mouth and took the remote “In that case we’re watching The Simpsons” She groaned as she leaned her head back against the couch “You and the damn Simpsons, but fine only because I feel bad for you and I love Lisa Simpson”    “Stop lying Maya, I know you love it. We used to watch it all the time together, you would pretend you’d be asleep but I’d catch you from the corner of my eye” He mentioned with a smile

Back when things were good, when they lived together in her apartment and nothing else mattered. When he’d drive off after training at the academy to catch her at a shoot or bring her flowers at the end of the day. Maybe just maybe there was time to mend things and make them right.   Six months had gone by and to be honest, they had been great for the most part. Maya found herself getting more work opportunities, had moved into an actual home and her friendship with Marcel was getting better and better each day. Though every day that went by she thought about Tim and how he was doing, since that day at her old apartment she hadn’t heard from him at all. She called, sent texts and left voicemails but never got a response back, quite frankly it broke her heart.  “He’s upset and honestly when he gets like that there’s no getting through to him, his mind is set” Walter said softly as she facetimed with her “If he wants to talk to you, he’ll reach out” “It’s been a month !” Maya exclaimed “A whole month and nothing, I know he sees all the calls and texts. I just want to explain things, that’s all”   “Then maybe you should take that as a hint” he admits “Yeah...maybe” she whispered quietly She shook her head at the memory and arranged her clothes on her rack as she answered her phone “You’re calling early”   

“I had to come early to the store and get your cover” Marcel smiled “I wanted to be the first to get it”

“That’s very nice of you” Maya grinned as she stepped outside and sat on her balcony “But you do know you could’ve just asked me for one right ?”

  “Well yes but I wanted to support you, it’s not every day a friend of mine gets to be on the cover of a magazine” he explained “I wanted to make sure I got one to document this moment”

  “I like that” she chuckled “Since you’re such a fan, I’ll even sign it for you”

Marcel laughed softly as he paid at the store and walked back to his car “I was about to ask that very question actually” “I would be more than happy” she laughed “but for now I gotta go, I still have loads of organizing to do and I wanna finish by tonight. I’ll call you later”   “Well before you do, what do you say you come to a taping tomorrow ? I have a match and it’d be fun” he grins “I know the girls would love to see you, what do you say ?”

  Maya thought about it for a second as she leaned back on her chair and let out a soft sigh “Okay, sounds like a plan but one promise…..don’t get hurt” “Good, I don’t want my friend getting embarrassed” she teased   “I never do, and I especially won’t if you’re there watching me” he responded back in a flirtatious way    

In six months, they had established a nice connection again as friends, nothing more nothing less. But even she had to admit she pushed it a bit with him from time to time intentionally just to see his reactions. Little things here and there like brushing up against him, or grazing his hand with hers as they drove. The flirtiness was present with them and he knew it.

  “Never” he chuckled “But um I’m excited you’re coming, I know you’ve been curious and honestly all the girls really wanna say hi. You’re like a celebrity to them”   “Well tell them I’ll be there and I can’t wait to see them. Thanks for the invite” she smiled “but now I really have to finish fixing stuff here, have a good training session”   Marcel grinned as he hung up and got ready in the locker room at the performance center and went out to stretch as stayed in his own corner with his headphones on, taking them off when approached by a group of girls.  

 “I see he’s still popular with the ladies” Tim mentioned to Oney as they lifted together “crazy how a pair of blue eyes and accent can drive grown women insane” Oney gave a chuckle as he looked at him “They’re probably asking him if little miss model is coming tomorrow, her cover came out today and everyone went to get it this morning”  Tim whipped his head around as he put the weight down “M-maya ? Maya’s coming here tomorrow ? And cover ? What cover ?”   “First of all, relax” he answered as he sat on a bench “And to answer your questions yes, apparently I heard from Candice she got invited and is coming”   Tim nodded “That’s fine, I don’t care. I was just asking because it caught me off guard is all” he shrugged “but you mentioned cover ? What cover is she on ?”    Oney looked around as he went to the locker room with him and took a magazine out of his bag “This one…”   “What the hell are you doing with this ?” he snapped as he practically snatched it out of his hands “Why are you even buying this ? You have a girlfriend, how is she gonna feel when she sees you have a magazine of my girl-..Maya in a very revealing cover ?”    “Number one” Oney answered as he took it back “It’s for her, she wanted it to see if Maya can sign it, number 2 she was never your girlfriend you two legit just sucked faces a few times, and number 3 it’s called a bikini. It’s Maxim magazine for crying out loud”    Tim sighed at his explanation and sat back down, seeing her on the cover was the first time he had actually seen her since that time at her apartment when he confronted her. He kept his eyes on the cover as he took in her beauty and smile, he knew if they were together she’d be blubbering excitedly in his ear about how cool it was and how much fun she had. He was brought back to his sad reality as he rubbed his shoulder and stood up “She looks great okay, she does and I know she wasn’t my girlfriend...I don’t know why I even said that it was stupid of me”    “Just talk to her” he sighed “I know she fucked up but it’s not like she was gonna not tell you eventually, she got nervous. I’m not defending her actions but you also ignored all her calls and texts. You even told me she’d text and call you every day for a month straight, and you were a little sad puppy just isolating yourself. She’s coming tomorrow, that’s your chance”   “Okay and who’s she coming with ? Marcel right ? You’re trying to tell me in these 6 months we haven’t spoken or seen each other, those two are just friends ? Yeah okay, totally logical” Tim rolled his eyes   “I know they’re friends” he answered “and you know it too, you’re the only guy he talks to right now. Alex and Fabian are still giving him the silent treatment since he tried to involve them in your whole spiel and well you’re kinda all he has….so you know what to do”    “Oh yeah what ?” Tim asked begrudgingly

“Pick his stupid big head apart, we both know he’s head empty and probably just thinks about ways to fix his hair or flex. You can outsmart him” Oney smirked

  “I don’t wanna do that” he shook his head “I guess if they want to try it again they can”

“Then stop playing poor me and get over it” Oney said back as he grabbed his things “You don’t want her fine, but quit acting like she didn’t try and left you out in the dust.”

  “I know she didn’t” he whispered quietly “I just...I wouldn’t even know what to say”

“Hmm maybe something like I don’t know...I’m sorry I never got back to you, I was upset and had every right to be but you also deserved a response and a chance at explaining yourself before I went silent” Oney responded “that’d be good for a start”

  “If we cross paths tomorrow, then yes I’ll say something” Tim nodded as he grabbed his bag and left ________________________________________________________ “So you’re sure it’s all good if I go” Maya asked as Marcel drove them over the next day

“Um why wouldn’t it be ? I’ve seen your phone light up every second, let me guess all the “are you coming ?” messages are coming in right  ?” he chuckled

  “Yes” Maya laughed as she fixed her top “But what am I gonna do while you’re busy ? Just stand there alone….”

  “Believe me you won’t be alone” he assured “The girls will be all around you”

Maya looked up at him as she gave a warm smile and patted his hand “Thank you, I appreciate that a lot honestly. So tell me, did I wear the right outfit for this ?”

  Marcel looked over as he gulped slightly and held onto the steering wheel a bit tighter “you look great, perfect’. He glanced over when she was looking out the window and let out a soft sigh as he looked her up and down. Her black top flowed perfectly over her as he black leather mini skirt accentuated her thighs and torso, she truly looked gorgeous in every way. “We’re here” he grinned as he parked and opened her her door for her   Maya got out and fixed her skirt as she took off her sunglasses and grabbed her purse as she looked around and got herself mentally prepared. Her stomach was in knots as she walked next to Marcel who wore his signature tracksuit and assured her with a soft smile. Only 6 months ago she had slapped him and wished horrible things upon him here he was being a constant positive source in her life.

  “Hi !” Indi smiled as she stepped in front her, startling her a bit “Indi '' she said softly “I remember you DM’ing me….how are you ? Congratulations on that title win”   “You remember me !” Indi laughed as she took her hand in hers “oh my god, yeah yeah thank you come on, Candice and everyone else wants to say hello. Marcel can go get ready and do stuff”  

She widened her eyes as she followed and looked back at Marcel who gave her a reassuring nod and grin “Um where are you taking me exactly ?” Maya asked timidly “I-I only really know of you and Candice honestly”   

“All the girls wanna meet you” Indi smiled “Oh by the way can you sign our covers, a bunch of us went to the store and got one, it’s so cool you’re on a magazine cover ! Did you feel nervous ? Was it like a big deal ? Pshh of course not right ? You’re a model, but what was it like ?”

  Maya simply nodded as she took her to the makeup section and stared at her as she kept popping out question after question and smiled as she covered her mouth from laughing at how interested she was

“Indi….Indi ! Let her answer for crying out loud” Candice rubbed her temples “You can’t ask 20 questions all at once, look at her she’s flustered”  

“It’s all good” she grinned as she signed Indi’s cover for her “there you go, and to answer your questions yes I was nervous and it was kind of a big deal but definitely nowhere was cool as what you guys do here. I can’t wait to watch”

  “Johnny….Johnny wants this signed” Candice said softly “Not gonna lie my husband has a slight crush on you and well I do too”

Maya chuckled “well I’m flattered such an attractive couple likes me, but you’re the one I wanna be '' she grinned “you’re a total badass Candice”. 

She continued to chat with everyone as she sat and made small talk, raising a brow when Oney beckoned her over

  “Um..hi ?” she said confused as she stood in front of him “What’s up ?” “My girlfriend wants a magazine signed, you um mind ?” Oney asked with a grin “Sure thing…” she answered as she relaxed

“Aw man I forgot a marker, I got one in my bag. Do you mind coming with me ? I’m such a dumb ass”

Maya nodded “yeah of course, um listen I just wanted to say...You’re a good friend to Tim. I know what you did that time and while yeah maybe getting physical wasn’t right you did it for your friend and that says a lot about you. You’re a good person and I just-” she yelped as he pushed her in the locker room and shut the door “What kind of sick game is this ? You fucking asshole, you better unlock this door !” she banged with her fist “It’s not funny Oney ! Is this some weird initiation ? I know people !”   Tim raised a brow as he looked up from the sink and turned around towards the locker room “what’s going on here ?”.  He stopped dead in his tracks as he realized it was her, there she was within feet of him as he widened his eyes and looked around “Wh-what’s going ? Why are you here ?”

  Maya gulped as she tried looking away from him, she had seen him without a shirt before but this was way different. He stood in front of her looking huge with only trunks and his wrestling boots on looking as chiseled as ever as he continued to step closer

  “No...he didn’t ?” Tim groaned as he realized Oney’s plan “He did didn’t he?”

  “He sure as fuck did” Maya answered with a sigh “But um nice to see you, I like your pants...” she said, rolling her eyes when she received a straight face back “Jesus, lighten up a little”  

Tim showed no emotion as he went straight to the door as he hit it with hand “Open up, I have a match tonight. It’s not funny, I need to warm up properly”

  “Nope, talk” Oney answered back “If you don’t talk I’ll lie and say you puked and you’ll be off tv for a week, so talk now”

  He shook his head as he heard Oney and let out a frustrated sigh as he sat down and stretched “Hi” Tim finally said after what seemed like hours of silence

  “Oh he speaks” Maya said with fake surprise as she looked up from her phone “Wow, what a shock”

  “Seriously ? Are you gonna be like this ?” he sighed getting up

“Let’s just fake some conversation so we can get out of here, I don’t wanna miss Marcel’s segment” she whispered so Oney wouldn’t hear   

Marcel, always Marcel. First time he had seen her in 6 months and Marcel was still there and probably going to be that prince charming who was always there to save her from him. Tim gave a short nod as he grabbed his ring jacket

  “I’m sorry I never let you explain yourself and acted the way I did. You deserved better, way better than what I did. You lied but…..but you did it so I wouldn’t get hurt” he spoke in a softer tone “and that night at your apartment I was rude and I didn’t let you explain yourself and I hurt your feelings and made you cry and it’s the last thing I wanted to do to you. I’m sorry Maya, I am”

  Maya let out a small sigh and nodded “I appreciate that, thank you. I’m sorry I lied, the second the incident with Walter happened I should’ve let you know about everything. I messed up Tim, I really did”. She gave a small grin as she looked back at the door “I think you heard it all Oney”

They both chuckled as the door opened and saw Oney give a smirk “So will I be a groomsman at the wedding ?”   

Tim turned bright red as he grabbed his jacket “I swear if you don’t quit it”

Maya bit her lip to keep her from laughing and stepped in between them “I need to go, Tim….you have my number” she winked as she walked out not realizing Marcel standing with a concerned look on his face “It’s not what you think, Oney’s a dumb ass and pulled a parent trap level idea on us. It’s all good”

  “Oh” he let out a sigh of relief as he held her hand in his absentmindedly “I got worried about you”

She gave a soft smile as she traced her thumb over his knuckles “Let’s go so I can watch your segment, I don’t wanna miss it”  “And you win award for ultimate dumb ass” Oney muttered as they watched it all go down “I did that so you could tell her how you felt and ask her out officially but noo you wasted 20 minutes and stayed silent so now she’s all lovey dovey with Marcel”   “Whatever” Tim rolled his eyes as he laced up his boots and sighed walking behind them as he clenched his jaw. The pit in his stomach grew more and more as he watched how close they were, how she looked up at him with a look of adoration. How he held her hand and would hold it up to his chest whenever he said some romantic bullshit she’d laugh at. He was being genuine but god did he hate seeing him with her in this setting.   “I’ll be finished in a bit then we can get going” Marcel grinned as he let go of her hand “Shouldn’t be too long, enjoy the show” he said softly as he went in for a kiss

Maya panicked on the inside as she watched him slowly puckered his lips and gently moved her face forward giving him a quick peck as she leaned back and heard his entrance music “th-that’s you, you gotta go now….now”

  Marcel looked at her with a blushed cheeks as he blinked back to reality and nodded with a cough “Be back in a bit enjoy”

  “You didn’t wanna kiss him” Tim said as he stood closely behind her “You leaned forward because you didn’t wanna leave him hanging there”  

 “Maybe….maybe I just wanted to kiss him when we were alone...in a much more private setting” she said back as she faced him

  Tim let out a chuckle as shook his head trying his hardest not to show jealousy “alright, I can see that”

Maya got ready at her shoot as she looked at herself in the mirror and scrolled through her instagram feed to let time pass, searching Tim’s name in the search bar as she looked through as raised a brow at how many fans adored him and posted pictures with him and events   “Well damn, he’s wanted” she nodded impressed as she continued to read captions, not understanding most of them since they were in German, raising a brow as she saw heart emojis on captions “Too bad he’s mine”. She grinned as she saw more and more from men she assumed were his friends always talking about how respectful and hardworking he was in the business   She sat up startled from her lurking when she heard a familiar voice and sighed “Are you kidding me ? What the hell are you doing here ? This is a private shoot”    Marcel sighed as he stepped through and thanked the security guard “I saw you on the same company’s page who works hair and makeup for NXT, I put 2 and 2 together when I saw their stories and you happened to be tagged. I know, it’s very stalker of me”    “Extremely” she answered sternly as she covered herself in her robe “who does that ? This is my job you psycho. Once again, head empty no thoughts in that pretty big ass head of yours”    “I don’t even know what that means” He admitted quietly as he stood in shame in front of her “are-are you calling me stupid ?” Maya let out a breath as she shook her head “Kind of, now tell me why you’re here ?” she asked as she got touched up “and make it quick preferably, this is my work remember”     “What’s this I heard about Tim insulting you ? Why didn’t you tell me when it happened ? I’m gonna assume that’s why you were crying the other day at the store ?” he asked, giving a small nod when he saw her face look down at the floor “and yes, Walter told me everything so don’t worry you don’t need to go into details I just wanna know if you’re okay”   “I am fine, we’re all good” she nodded “I’m going to see him tomorrow, he has a match and he invited me”

  “What ?” he whispered as he looked up at her “y-you’re gonna go see him ? After what he did ?”. Marcel knew how much wrestling meant to him, how much he prided himself in his work. He knew Tim inviting Maya over was a big step for him in how he felt about her.

  “Absolutely I am, I wanna see him wrestle and how he is in that environment. I’m gonna assume you’re gonna be there too ?” Maya asked as they got her ready 

  “Yeah, we have a match too and well chances are Tim’s gonna introduce you to me so what are we gonna do ?”

She stiffened at his question and fixed her curls as she looked in the mirror as she slid off her robe revealing a one piece bathing suit with a deep plunge as she turned to look at him “If you think I’m gonna tell Tim that you and I had a 3 year long relationship then you’re dead wrong. No way I would ever tell him something like that at his workplace, so let’s get this straight alright ? Tomorrow you keep your mouth shut and you tell your little friends or whomever to not say a thing or I’ll have my other model friends put a word out that you guys like screwing around when you’re on the clock”

     Marcel widened his eyes at her look and tone as he clenched his jaw “Maya I-”

“Maya nothing” she snapped back “You really think I didn’t know ? You really think Walter also wouldn’t tell me that you tried to get Alex and Fabio or whatever the fuck his name is to tell Tim for you ? To do your...our dirty work ? He texted me everything just before I got here, how you wanted to tell Tim abruptly and then I’d have to deal with the rest. Alex ? Yeah did you forget I also helped his wife out with her bridesmaid dresses and got to know the both of them really well ? He sent me an instagram DM telling me everything too, basically apologizing for your shitty actions. You’re a spineless little coward Marcel, 3 years and you haven’t changed one damn bit”

  “I-I...it w-wasn’t like that” he stuttered out nervously stepping forward

“Bull shit !” she exclaimed as she slapped him across the face and breathed heavily

Marcel stood back as he rubbed his cheek and gave a frown as his blue eyes stared at hers “I’m sorry, I just….I still love you” he whispered as he left hastily

  Maya sighed as she rubbed the feeling back in her hand and let the makeup artist fix her eyes “Mickey, did you tell him I was here ?”

 “You try saying no to that piece of German goodness” Mickey shook his head “His accent came out and I melted, then he did the whole pleading puppy dog thing with his blue eyes and well, I was sold. I’m sorry Maya, I didn’t realize how big of an issue it would be. You really gave it to him good though, he walked away as if you stomped on his heart”  

“Yeah well I didn’t wanna do that exactly” she admitted “He’s just being sneaky and I hate it, it reminds me of what happened when we were in a bad spot”   

“Well I’ll tell you this girl, Timothy Thatcher is all man and would never do that shit to you” he giggled Maya raised a brow as she let out a chuckled “and how do you know I’m seeing Tim, what’s going on here that I’m not aware of ?”   Mickey smirked as he dabbed some gloss on her lips “Tim from what I’ve seen and heard is quiet but apparently he told some of the guys that you’re gonna go see him and he’s a little...giddy. Now I’ve been working hair and makeup there a while and I’ve been there since he got there and nothing has made that man do a complete 180 like you have”   She blushed as she listened and looked around the room “So you think he...likes me likes me ? Like he wants me to be his...you know ?”   “Girlfriend ?” he chuckled “oh yeah, I heard from Candice, who heard from her husband Johnny who heard from his friend Oney that Tim told him tomorrow was pivotal”  “Oh” she whispered softly as she walked with him “I’m not gonna expect anything though, especially after this whole fiasco. I’m gonna have a nice day with him tomorrow and focus on that. Now let’s get this thing done so I can call him”   “You’re just as whipped as he is” Mickey chuckled as he helped set her up ______________________________________________________________ “What’s with that face ?” Tim asked Oney “You’re red and you’ve been on your phone for like 5 minutes, Oney ?” he sighed as he walked over and took his phone and let out a tight cough “this-this from today ?”   “Yeah” Oney nodded as he took his phone back and put it in his pocket 

“Um all I can and want to say is….you are one very very lucky man Tim, very lucky”

  “I like her for other things besides her looks” Tim rolled his eyes as he grabbed his gym bag “she’s a good person, she’s understanding, she’s really smart and funny. She’s a great cook, she’s super funny” he chuckled “and she-what ? why are you looking at me like that ?”

  Oney grinned as he walked with him to the showers “You really like this girl, it’s not just a little rendezvous like you had thought it’d be. I’ve known you for a while and never have I seen you act this way towards a girl”

  “Don’t” Tim warned as he took off his shirt “It’s just that I like her and I feel she feels the same about me and you know that’s it”

  “So it’s okay if she dates other guys while talking to you ?”

“I never said that” he said almost immediately as he turned around “Why ? Is she ? Have you heard anything ?”

 “Chill out, I was just joking but point proven” Oney chuckled “I say you ask her out, officially like to be your girlfriend”

  Tim nodded as grabbed his things “I was thinking about that after tomorrow”

“I think you should” Oney nods as he looked around “oh look it’s Marcel, shit look at his face” he grimaced

  “What the hell happened to you ?” Tim asked concerned “Your cheek is red as can be, are you okay ?”

“We need to talk” Marcel said sternly “Alone, and it has to be now”

Tim nodded as he changed and followed him outside

   Maya arrived at her apartment as she exited her elevator and saw Tim standing against her door “hey” she grinned “what are you doing here ?”

  “So when were you gonna tell me you were engaged to one of my closest friends ? Or did you plan on keeping that a secret forever ?” he asked wasting no time as he crossed his arms trying his best to stay calm

  Her stomach turned as she blinked trying her best to catch her breath “I-I…. Tim listen, I wanted to tell you I did, I promise I did but things happened and then the Walter thing and I just couldn’t find the appropriate chance to do so but I promise I was. I promise, you have to believe me” Maya pleaded as she reached for his hand flinching when he yanked it back

  “I don’t believe a word you said, I don’t. I don’t even trust anything you’ve told me in the past, probably more lies from you. I’m not gonna insult you or demean you like I did last time because quite frankly...you’re not worth it” he said coldly as he stepped back “Have a nice life and don’t contact me again”    

 “Tim, please don’t do this” she whispered tearfully as she grabbed his arm lightly

“Don’t touch me” he responded quietly as he carefully lifted her hand and placed it by her side “Goodbye Maya”

  He left her apartment quickly, and didn't look back knowing if he saw her face he wouldn’t be able to leave. Once in his car, he wiped his eyes quickly as he turned on the radio and sped off back to his place where he knew he could release his emotions freely and privately

  “What did you do !” she practically screamed into her phone “You fucking told him !”

“It needed to be said” Marcel said quietly “I’m sorry, I am but we both know you were gonna wait it out too long and it would only make things worse. I did this for the both of us”

  “I fucking hate you” she spat out “and I will never ever speak to you again in my life, ever. You’re dead to me” she hung up

  Marcel rubbed his face as he threw his phone across his room and laid down in bed as he looked up at the ceiling and drifted to sleep, trying his hardest to forget about the chaos he selfishly created

  All eyes were on Tim as he entered the Capitol wrestling center the next morning, he heard and saw it all as he walked into the locker room. The looks of pity people gave him, the mumbles and whispers they gave each other as rumours about what had happened at the gym went around. None of it mattered, at least not to him. The damage had been done and if there was one thing that was hurting him other than his heart it was his pride. He knew deep down it had been kept for him for a reason, but the lying and deceiving still hurt.

  “Hey” Marcel said quietly as he opened his locker “Listen I won’t bother you but I just want to say I’m sorry about what happened and it's my fault entirely. Maya wanted to tell you after today” he finally admits “After your match, she wanted you to have a good match and then break it down to you on he own time and I selfishly told you because I still love her and in my stupid head I thought that once you knew and let her know she would somehow want me but instead she told me I’m dead to her”

   Tim nodded as he laced up his boots and didn’t bother to look at him “yeah well, that makes two of us. I don’t want her around me, I don’t wanna hear from her again or anything like that. It’s done and over with and we should just not speak of her again. She’s something of the past and well I’m not gonna hold your past against you”

  Marcel furrowed his brow “Y-you’re not going to attempt to talk to her ? She’s pretty sad Tim….”

“Nope” he shook his head “She’s the one who started this so it ends, I don’t like things like that and I can’t just let it slide by. Her choice was made to lie, so now we leave it at that please. I don’t care nor do I wish to hear about her again”

  “I understand” Marcel nodded as he put on his tracksuit and headed down seeing everyone glare at him as he sped down the hallway to catering sitting down by himself in a table and beckoning over Fabian and Alex “Over here guys”

    “No thanks” Alex muttered as he looked at him and turned around “I prefer not to deal with you unless it’s necessary for tv”

“Agreed” Fabian nodded

“I know it was a mistake okay, you can stop with the harsh punishment.I should have never tried to involve you two either and I’m sorry I did. I regretted this whole thing as soon as I opened my mouth and saw his face. I was selfish and it was wrong, can we just stop now ? Please” he pleaded “I hurt Tim, I hurt Maya, Walter isn’t answering any of my messages or calls. I get it now, I do” Marcel rambled “Please just sit with me, you don’t have to talk to me but just sit with me so I can at least have some company while everyone stares at me”

    “No” they both answered in unison as they shook their heads and left him alone

Marcel looked down as he played with his plate of food feeling all eyes on him as he tried his hardest to ignore the stares and whispers and took out his phone seeing still no messages or calls from Walter and sent one last message   “Hasst du mich jetzt ?” (do you hate me now ?) “Nein, nur sehr enttäuscht” (no, just very disappointed)

He sighed and put his phone away as he shook his head, upset at himself for what he had done but knowing deep down he didn’t regret it. Maya was his one true love, the one person who understood him and helped him cope with the loss of his father and deal with the emotions rather than ignore them and hold them in.

  “Are you gonna go after her ?” Tim asked nonchalantly as he sat with him “because you can, I don’t care”

  “What ?” Marcel asked his head shot up quickly

“Don’t act stupid Marcel, you still love her and I know you did this in a way to get me to be mad at her so I”d leave her alone and therefor you could go after her”

   He knew him so well, so well it truly fucked with him “Yeah” Marcel nodded “I let her go once and it ruined me and now she’s here and right now she wants nothing to do with me but I’ll give her that space and then I’ll fight, I’ll fight like I should’ve fought for her 3 years ago and this time, she’ll end with me” he looked in his older friends eyes “We’ll get that happy ending we both wanted”

  Tim simply give a short nod as he sipped his water “Then go ahead”

Marcel looked around as he got up and left back to the locker room, not wanting to cause anymore awkwardness between them and sat by himself as he listened to music

  “Well if it isn’t the life ruiner” Oney rolled his eyes as he stood in front of him “Are you happy with your actions ? With ruining the one thing giving Tim genuine happiness ?”

  “Oney, please” he rubbed his face “This is something you don’t understand, don’t get involved”

“You ruined the one thing my friend wanted, I’m sure as hell gonna get involved you traitor” he shoved him 

  Marcel sighed “Don’t do this, I don’t have the energy to-” he stumbled back as he held his eye and groaned

“You deserve that and way fucking more” Oney spat out as he left ______________________________________________________________    Maya wiped her eyes for what seemed like the 500th time as she once again got sent to voicemail and let out a frustrated cry getting up when she assumed her takeout was delivered “I said to just leave it at the door” she whined putting on her hoodie “stop knocking !” she finally yelled as she opened the door ready to rage “I clearly said-” her eyes widened at the scene in front of her “what the hell happened to you ?” she asked   

“Oney punched me” Marcel said quietly as he removed the ice bag he had and revealed a bruised and bloodied eye

  “Oney ? That’s Tim’s friend” she said as he remembered his face from the gym

“Yes him, he punched me in the locker room for….for what happened” he said quietly “I needed to get out of there and the only place I could think of was here. I know you hate me and wish I was better off dead but I just had to come. I’ll leave though if you want me to”

  Maya looked up at him as she opened her door and stepped aside “come in”

He stepped inside and sat down on her couch “I’m sorry, I am so so sorry” he whispered “I acted so selfishly”

    “What’s done is done” she whispered “You unfortunately can’t take it back, and truth be told you were right” she admitted “I would’ve just kept waiting and waiting to tell him and let time pass by, in a way what you did benefited me more than anyone Marcel, you did the hardest part and all I had to do was explain myself”

  He shrugged as he bit the inside of his cheek and looked up

“Don’t cry” Maya chuckled weakly “I’ve been crying since last night, and I’m positive I can cry for the both of us and this whole fiasco

  “I’m not” he blinked away tears quickly

“You’re doing the thing, the cheek thing and looking up. You really think I wouldn’t forget how you try to hide emotions after all this time ? she scooted over as she gently patted his hand “You’re the ugliest crier too” she joked trying her best to lighten him up

Marcel gave a light laugh as he sniffled “You’re really good that you know ?”

  Maya gave him a small grin as she dabbed his cheek with a tissue and got the alert of her food delivery “stay for dinner ?”

Tim looked over at her discreetly he witnessed her trying to open a jar and cleaned his hands on his already stained shirt “I got that for you”   “And I got this for you” she said as she went into her small closet in the living room and pulled out a flannel shirt  “It’s my dads, I don’t wanna see you in a bloody dried up t shirt as we make dinner”   He nodded quickly as he took off his shirt and unbuttoned on the one she gave him Maya blushed as she grilled her ground turkey and noticed how chiseled he was, his upper chest having the perfect amount of body hair and peaks, his biceps bulging out nicely but not overly muscular or anything like that    “It fits” Tim grinned as he showed her  “Not that bad on you” she admits with a small grin “Plaid is definitely your style, I like it on you” “I-I don’t deserve you being so nice to me” he said quietly “Maya, I won’t ever be able to stop saying sorry to you ever, know that. I’m probably gonna say sorry to you for as long as I know you”   “Tim, when’s your birthday ?” Maya asked suddenly as she looked at him “I know it’s 1983 but month ? What month ?”  “March….March 17th” he answered slowly “why ?”   “Oh my god you’re a Pisces, suddenly everything makes sense wow” she nodded as she laughed “Gosh you fit it to a T, you’re a water sign”    “What does that have to do with anything ? A water sign ? What the hell is that ?” Tim asked confused as he put his cutting board down   “It’s your sign Tim” she chuckled “Your sign is a Pisces which makes sense because they’re...well you are considered to have a sign that is known for its over sensitivity, self-pitying but also very selfless and very accepting”    “Oh” he said softly “well I guess yeah, kinda is me. My mother says it’s because I’m an only child and never got to experience things other children got at my age since I also stayed with my grandmother a lot. I think that made me highly sensitive”   “You call it highly sensitive, I call it highly aware” she grinned as she took the carrots and celery from him and added them to a pan to saute   Tim observed as sat on a stool by her “what are you making ? It looks kinda complicated honestly” “Bolognese” Maya says “Though I’m kind of cheating because I’m using sauce from a jar, but I promise it’ll be good”   “Oh” he nodded “I don’t cook much honestly, I only have ever made chicken or ham and it’s typically without seasoning. Same with my rice, I stick to bland foods for the most part. I broke my diet when we went to that Korean BBQ place” Tim said softly as he reached over and cut up onion for her    “Glad I got you to change things up for a bit, though you ghosted me and acted like a child afterwards and ruined me introducing you to better places” she giggled   “I’m gonna age myself here a bit but um, what’s ghosted ?” he asked with genuine interest as he looked down at her   “It means ignore, basically a millennial way of saying you ignored me” she answered back  “Ah I see, I like that...ghosted. I’m adding that to my vocabulary” he nodded as he repeated the word under his breath as he chopped   “Gosh he’s cute” Maya thought to herself as he stood only inches away from him, their arms basically touching as she sauteed. She made sure she stayed in close distance as she cooked looking around as silence began to take over   “Since you were a dick to me, you have to be really nice to me now like really nice” she said with a smile  “I will do whatever you want or need me to do” Tim smiled at her with his dimple popping out more “Kiss me” she whispered nervously as she looked into his eyes    “Like...like right now ?” he asked nervously “o-okay...I’m not that good at it though and my beard is gonna scratch, my lips are kinda dry too and-” he stopped blubbering when he felt her soft lips gently press onto his as she carefully put his hands on her waist as he leaned in more and placed hers on his cheeks    Maya grinned up at him afterwards as she gently wiped his lips and put ice back on his face “go sit with this on while I finish here and by the way, you’re a good kisser”  He chuckled as nodded and sat on her couch “well thank you, haven’t heard that one in like 5 years at least”. Tim sat quietly as he iced his face trying to make sense of what had just happened. Just 6 hours ago he had told her horrible things and now here was having just had a make out session in her kitchen as they cooked dinner together. Tim looked around as he picked up magazines she had on her coffee table and looked through them smiling when he realized they were all her covers or features. One in particular catching his eye, a feature in a parenting magazine where she was holding a baby on her lap.    “Last year” Maya grinned “I typically don’t do those kinds but they needed a model last minute and I happened to be in the area and went in. It was fun, kids and babies were great to work with honestly and now what I expected. That little one stole my heart, made me think I wanted my own for a bit”    “You think about kids ? Not in a weird day of course, just since like me you’re an only child” she asked “I mean yeah, sometimes” he admits quietly “Granted I really thought I was gonna stop wrestling when I was like 30 and settle down and have that white picket fence life everyone else had but clearly life has passed me by. But I’ve had some other good things in life, experiences and memories not everyone has had in life. I’m not one to complain, you ?” Tim asked as he looked at her   “Sometimes I want 1, sometimes none and other times I want like 5” Maya chuckled

“5 ?” Tim laughed “That’s a basketball team right there, Jesus that’d be feeding an army daily”   “Which is why then I think maybe not having them at all would be more beneficial” she laughed “I’ve got time to think about it thankfully, like 5 more years”   “Enjoy your youth, and your job. It’s interesting, really it is Maya” Tim says genuinely “You’ve been to some amazing places, you have experiences most won’t get and you’re only 25. It’s amazing truly”  Maya grinned at him as she fixed the ice pack on his face “I appreciate that, but your face will appreciate this ice way way more”. Damn, kissing him must’ve been the best thing she felt in ages, she could tell he wanted it just as bad as she did yet kept his usual calm demeanor. She came out of her daze as she heard her her cell phone buzz, muttering quietly as Marcel’s pet name appeared  “Dinner tomorrow is still on ?” “Yeah….but let’s meet somewhere, I think I’m ready to tell Tim the truth” Maya sighed as his name quickly appeared on her screen and declined his facetime requests and calls immediately  “Answer me please, Maya just don’t do it today please. Let’s meet tomorrow and we can figure something out...please ?” “Fine, I won’t do it tonight but I’m doing it soon, I like him a lot and I’m not gonna keep secrets from him Marcel, and neither should you. I’ll text you tomorrow morning” she sent as she put her phone on silent and set their plates up She went to the bathroom as she wiped her residue makeup off her face and put her hair up in a ponytail to fresh up, applying some perfume lightly as she looked herself over and left the bathroom    “Oh” she whispered as she saw Tim sleeping on her couch, giving soft snores as his arms were crossed on his chest. Even in his sleep he wasn’t relaxed, it kinda looked like he was just closing his eyes to her and waiting to spook her any second. She contemplated waking him up for a second and went to touch his shoulder, but instead decided to graze his cheek with the back of her hand gently, covering him up with her throw she had on the couch.  Maya shrugged as she turned on the tv and sat on the opposite end as she stuffed spoonfuls of pasta into her mouth watching Real Housewives of New Jersey, shaking her head at the stupid drama on her television shifting when she heard Tim move around and groan   “What ? What happened ?” Tim asked with a groan as he stretched “did I fall asleep here ?” “You did” she nodded “only been like an hour and a half, now please get yourself a plate and don’t bother me for the next 20 minutes because Teresa Giudice is about to cause drama at this fashion show so shhh”   He raised his brow in confusion as he stood up and served himself a plate and sat next to her going back and forth between her reactions and the tv screen in front of him “Did she just call her an old hag and a bitch ?”    “Tim shh” she put a finger to his lips absentmindedly Tim nodded quickly as he leaned back into the couch and ate, speaking up when the show was over with wide eyes “That was… a lot. Is all reality tv like this ?”  “Only the best” Maya laughed “and by the way, sorry for shushing you like that” He shrugged “I deserve more than that”  “Tim, as of tonight we drop it” she turned to look at him “Please” Maya cleaned up thinking what the hell she got herself into with him, this wasn’t in her character at all. One second she was ready to see him drop dead 8 floors to the ground and the next she was making out with him in her kitchen. This was new territory she was going into and deep down it felt right, it felt right to kiss him and feel his touch and she could feel he was feeling the same way. She turned her head , gasping as she bumped into him    “Yes ?” she whispered “Maya, I like you” Tim said “I like you a lot...and I feel like if I don’t tell you now that it’s just us here in a comfortable environment I probably won’t say it again. This isn’t like me one bit” he admits “I’ll be honest yeah I’ve had girlfriends, I dated women here and there but I never felt like this…”    “Like how ?” she asked softly  “Scared, scared that when I was with you I liked who I was for once, I felt at ease and like I didn’t need to put the harsh wrestling persona up. You didn’t care or give it much thought either or pestered me like some others had in the past. And I just wanna say-” “Tim shut the fuck up and just kiss me already” she said softly    And he did. He kissed her deeply as he moved his hands down to her hips and lifted her with ease onto her kitchen countertop feeling her hands move up and down his chest. It wasn’t just a long kiss, it was several kisses with small breaks in between to ensure they could catch their breath as their hands roamed freely all over each other's bodies. Maya unbuttoned the first 3 buttons off his shirt as she lightly traced his chest with her nails as her forehead pressed against his “we should go to my room….we don’t have to you know...have sex but we can just do more of this there comfortably”   “Okay” he nodded as he took her hand and followed her into her room, looking around at the pristine condition everything was in. A vanity organized with makeup items and skin care products he couldn’t even name, her bed perfectly made and covered in pillows, a closet the size of his bedroom with clothes in every color of the rainbow. Everything so neat and luxurious, everything he didn’t have.   She leaned up against him she kissed him again, this time with more dominance as she stumbled onto her bed on top of him, feeling his hands lightly on her lower back    Tim pulled apart from her as he rubbed his slightly red lips and pet her hair gently with his hand “I haven’t had anything like that in a while” he admitted with a small grin    “Neither have I’ she chuckled, licking her lips feeling them swell “It’s like free lip filler” “Always a comedian” Tim laughed genuinely sitting up on her bed “Jesus it’s 11 already and I gotta walk back to my car to get home, I got tapings tomorrow”   “Just stay here and I’ll take you back in the morning, it’ll be early I promise” she said softly as she gave a comforting grin “Okay, I”ll take the couch though. I’m not sleeping in your bed, this was a one time thing that I typically don’t let happen”    “What a gentleman you are” Maya said as she brought him a pillow and blanket “I’ve got all the works on my tv so feel free to watch what you like, bathroom is right next to the closet”    “Thanks, I appreciate it really” She got up in the morning as she turned off her alarm and got ready for the day, taking a peek and seeing Tim up and sitting as he watched tv making different facial expressions  “What are you watching ?” she chuckled as she walked out and turned on her Nespresso machine “Danielle is a mess, I get why you watch this trashy stuff. It’s addicting” he shook his head as he turned it off  Maya laughed as she took out two mugs from her cabinet “Well now you know and let me guess, you take your black ?” “ Yeah” He nodded as he got up and sat on a stool    “I got a shoot in like an hour so I probably won’t be able to talk to you for most of today” she said softly as she packed her bag “chances are till late late tonight”   “Oh….well um I was hoping if you’re able to, I actually have a taping tomorrow and I wanted to ask you if you would like to attend ? It’s about 2 hours, it’s fun even for someone like you who’s never been around wrestling” Never been around wrestling, after a great night she remembered the big mess she had yet to talk to him about. Marcel, shit.    “I’ll try my hardest” she responded with a grin as she drove them back to his car “Thanks again for driving me here, I appreciate it have a good shoot” he nodded as he lingered for a while leaning in slowly as he pet her cheek with his hand and kissed her “Um I think your friend over there saw us” Maya laughed softly as she pointed to an opened mouthed Oney at the gym entrance    Tim chuckled and shook his head as he got out “I’m not gonna hear the end of this one, I’ll text you later, have a good work day” he smiled softly as he walked away “Is that….you have a ?, speak up already” Oney pushed as he followed him to his car “you can’t just not tell me what’s going on after kissing someone like THAT” He turned around as he got out his gym bag “excuse me ? what do you mean like that ? what’s with the emphasis on the end there ?”    Oney shook his head as he gave a scoff “Do you have any idea who that is ? What kind of work she does ?”

  “Uh yeah she’s a mode” Tim nodded as they walked inside “I’ve seen her stuff, she showed me and talked to me all about it”

“I can’t believe you’re dating a model man, you of all people. No offense of course but I mean I never pictured you even dating someone at all”

Tim raised a brow “I’m that bad of a catch huh ? Gee I feel great now that you’ve given me this amazing pep talk, feeling like I can conquer the world now” he answered sarcastically stretching

  “How old is she ?” Oney asked “because there’s no way she’s older than 30”

“25….” he said softly “she’s 25, just turned 25 actually about 2 months ago”

“WHAT ?” Oney said as he spit out his water “No fucking way, you’re dating a 25 year old ?”

  “Would you stop, we’re not dating…….we’re friends that’s all” he answered as he began his cardio

“Walter” she grinned softly as she shook his hand, feeling more at ease as he gave her a reassuring nod “a pleasure to see you again”

  “Wait how do you two know each other ?” Tim asked baffled as he furrowed his brow “Met here about 3 months ago” Walter nodded as he made the save for her “I was actually looking at getting a place here for when I came to tapings, my fiance and I met her here when we went to her complex” he lied as he sat down   “Oh nice” Tim grins “well I don’t need to introduce you two then, well glad she at least knows one of my good friends now”   Maya grinned weakly as she sat down with the feeling of anxiety coming up from lying to Tim’s face. She knew she had to tell him soon before it got too late and now felt horrible for involving Walter in her mess.   “Walter” she said softly as Tim left for the restroom “Please don’t think I’m some kind of...you know what I mean. I can explain, I swear”   “Maya, it’s alright” he answered genuinely “What happened in the past truly doesn’t matter, at least not in my eyes but I also know that Tim should know. Especially if things are going to proceed with you two, it’s only fair he knows sooner rather than later”   “I agree, I do but what’s gonna happen when I tell him it’s Marcel, what’s gonna happen when I tell him my ex boyf-fiance is one his closest friends and that I do in fact know a lot about wrestling and that the only reason we never met was because for some odd reason he never showed up to our get togethers ? Huh ? Care to help me dig an even deeper hole ? I mean now you lied to him too, this is so wrong” she sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose   Walter sighed as he patted her shoulder with his hand “Hey, don’t get upset okay ? It’s the past and truthfully he shouldn’t be upset when you tell him. It doesn’t have to be today or even this month but soon”   Maya nodded as she let out a sigh “you’re right, you’re right”     “Have you seen him, Marcel ?” he asked timidly “Yeah” she whispered as she looked down “earlier today actually at the gym, came up to me and told me the past was the past and to forget about it, his usual stance on things”   “It’s best to let him be, he was the one who ended things with you not the other way around. Marcel’s my good friend and I love him like a brother but the way he ended things with you was wrong and I won’t defend his actions. And honestly, I would prefer he doesn’t come around you and I’ll be sure to make it known to him” he nodded   

Maya sighed as she sat up and looked up at him, feeling assured by his demeanor. When she had first met him she was pretty scared, it wasn’t everyday she met a 6’4, 290 pound man who looked like he could crush her with one finger. Her fears were quickly put aside once she started speaking to him more and got to know him and his fiance pretty well. To her Walter represented a form of comfort and an older brother figure she could trust.

  “I appreciate that greatly” she said softly “I just, I don’t want him or any of that anymore truly. I know I’ve only known Tim for a short amount of time but I really enjoy his company, and I don’t want to hurt him.”  

 Walter chuckled as he leaned back in his seat “I can guarantee you, he feels the same about you. He brought you to eat somewhere that actually looks enjoyable and he’s eating out of his usual diet. Not to mention, he’s wearing a white t-shirt, he only wears a white t-shirt when he’s trying to impress someone”

  She blushed as she looked around “You really think he likes me ? You don’t think he’s just being nice ?”

“I think he likes you a lot, believe me when I say he wouldn’t be here if he didn’t” he answered   

Maya grinned as she looked down on her lap “well I sure hope he does because I really like him and I wanna keep seeing him. So put in a good word for me”

“I will be sure to do so” Walter grinned “plus any woman who gets Tim to get out of his routine is a woman worth keeping. You keep doing what you’re doing and just….keep making him enjoy life” he says softly as he got up “Tell Tim I had to go, you have my number call me if anything happens or if you just want to talk. I’m here for you Maya, my fiance misses you greatly and will always remember how kind you were to her”

She smiled softly at him as she nodded “Believe me when I say I needed you two way more than you two needed me at that time and it’s something I’ll never ever forget. My offer still stands, the second you two are ready to say I do I’ll make sure she gets a dress from any designer she pleases”

 He gave a genuine grin as he shook her hand and kissed her forehead lightly “deal, see you soon”   

Maya sat up as she saw Tim come back and sipped her water “Walter had to leave, he said something about seeing you soon though” “

Yeah he’s here for a bit before he heads back to Germany, kind of how it goes” Tim nodded “He comes for about 2 weeks then leaves and comes back again another month. He doesn’t wanna leave his fiance and move here full time like I did”   

“And how hard was that ? I mean I know you told me you lived here in the states but you also said Germany was a big part of your life as well” she asked softly   

He sighed not wanting to get too deep into things so soon and put his card down as his walls built up again “I uh I just remembered I have to go down the performance center for a promo class. I’ll see you around though, maybe next week again”   

Maya looked at him confused “It’s 8 pm ? You have a class at 8 pm ?”   

“Yup” Tim nodded emphasizing the p “I do, when wrestling calls I answer. Sorry if you can’t understand that, it’s not like modeling that’s all just fun and games but wrestling takes a little more than looking pretty in front a camera Maya”   

“Okay” she whispered quietly as she felt the sting of his harsh words and got up “yeah, I get it. See you around Tim , this was really nice and I enjoyed spending the day with you. Have an enjoyable class and rest of your night” 

  Tim nodded as he left hastily, not wanting her to know the life he lived and wondered what her true intentions were. For over 10 years he had lived alone and had a consistent routine every single day, the only time he didn’t live alone was when he had roommates down in Germany. This girl had captured his soul in every way yet he couldn’t let her in just yet, he noticed the looks she and Walter exchanged and felt nothing but anger and disappointment as he left the restaurant.

Three months, three whole months had passed since Maya had heard from Tim, she had called and texted him and got nothing back. She did her daily gym routine and never saw him there, she went to their old spots and once again nothing. She had gotten the memo but still felt so betrayed he would just ignore her and never bothered to tell her what she did wrong.

  “He’s a bastard Maya that’s what he is” Walter shook his head “He’s been acting like normal all this time, never mentioned that he just stopped seeing you that night. I promise you I’m going to have a serious talk with him, he can’t be acting this way” he said sternly as he looked her in her eyes “You don’t deserve this, you don’t. I have no idea who he thinks he is but believe me he’s going to hear it from me”  

 “Walter” she rubbed her face “No, you’re not going to do anything, anything at all. You understand. Clearly I did something wrong and him being the ass...introvert” she corrected herself “being the introvert he is, he just didn’t tell me why.”  

 “Maya, this is a 38 year old man. You cannot defend his actions, why are you ? He stood you up and treated you like trash” he said upset   

“I really liked him” she whispered, her voice meek “And I stupidly thought he really liked me but he didn’t, he was harsh and belittled my job and it hurts because I know he did it on purpose. He said it to insult me and it worked”  

 “That’s it !” Walter hit the table with his hand “I’m gonna kick his ass next time I see him, he’s so wrong in this”

“Yeah are you ? I’d like to see that Walter”

Maya turned as she heard Tim’s deep voice approach their table from the back of the cafe, clearly agitated as he stood directly in front of them  

 “I knew you two were too close for comfort, I saw you two being close and touching and laughing just before I left the bathroom hallway. Guess I was right” Tim gave a scoff as he nodded “You clearly have a thing for athletes, hell that’s why you came up to me at the bar right ? For a night full of pleasure ?”   

Her face dropped as she felt a pit in her stomach and her eyes began to well up “I-I h-how could you say that ?” she whispered  

 “Because it’s the truth” Tim snapped “you’re THAT kind of girl Maya, I wanted to believe you weren’t but you are. It became clear after how you acted towards me only after seeing each other for days, who acts that way around a guy they barely know ?”

Maya got up and grabbed her purse quickly as she felt tears fall down and hit her shirt , gasping when she she saw Walter shove Tim against a wall “N-no please let him go, problems are already here and I don’t anyone getting in trouble, please Walter please” she pleaded desperately as she tried her best to get him to let Tim go as he was clearly struggling against his larger frame   

“Yeah, listen to your other girlfriend” Tim nodded as he looked him in the eyes, earning a punch as he fell against the wall and held his now bleeding nose   

“Maya is my friend !” Walter raised his voice as he shook the pain from his hand off “and you wanna know the truth ? I actually met her in Germany over 3 years ago. She was in a photoshoot at a park and my fiance approached her to compliment her dress and pictures and Maya was kind enough to help style her for our engagement photos afterwards, within minutes of meeting her and with a language barrier she met up with her at our house that day. We’ve been friends since, she’s been nothing but kind and gracious towards her and me since then. She went as far as to send her dresses and clothes from her photoshoots for work and events to help her with her confidence. She got me and her an interview at her apartment complex when there was a waitlist. So yes, I am very close to her, as a friend. I consider her a younger sister and the fact that you just insulted her worth and career doesn’t sit well with me at all. And consider yourself lucky I only gave you punch across the face because next time I won’t be so gracious TIm” Walter spat as he left   

“No..” Tim whispered as he quickly wiped his nose and stumbled up and out of the cafe as he looked around for her outside   

“Fucking hell !” He exclaimed kicked a fire hydrant on the street and rubbed his forehead   

Never had he fucked up so badly before, the insults he spit out so easily towards her made him want to throw up. 

 “You should’ve simply asked” he told himself as he walked towards her apartment building over 15 miles away “you should’ve asked why her and Walter were so close and she would’ve told you, you fucking imbecile” Tim repeated in his head as tried to even think of the words to apologize to her 

 “That kind of girl” Maya sniffled as she tried her best to keep composure as she got her necessities for the week, there was no way she was leaving her apartment in a few days after that mess.   

She looked down at her purse as she felt her phone vibrate and light up with Walter’s number and sighed as she picked up “Walter why ? I told you to let it go and you punched him. What if this gets back to your job ? You can both get fired and it’ll be because of me !” she cried as she sat down in an aisle  

 “Maya, no” he said “That won’t happen, and if it does then I got fired for a very good reason. The things he said were disgusting, to insinuate you’re…..you’re what he said is horrible”   

She wiped her eyes as she hiccuped and nodded “He said it with such venom in his voice, he hates me. He thinks the worst of me and I never even got to tell him the full truth. Imagine if I did ? God maybe I am what he said, maybe I am some kind of whore”  

 “Enough” Walter said with a soft yet stern tone “Don’t say those things, get yourself home and just relax okay ? None of what he said is true and don’t ever think otherwise. You call me if he comes around you again”   

Maya nodded as she stood back up “Thank you Walter, it means a lot it does. Have a good rest of your day if you can” she hung up and looked at her mascara tear stained face on her phone screen as she tried her best to wipe what she could off her cheeks and grabbed things to put in her cart crashing into a display as she bent down to pick up the vitamin bottles on the floor feeling a hand touch hers  

 “Here I’ll help you” Marcel grins as he picks some up “happens to me all the-...Maya ? W-why are your eyes so red ?” he asked gently “are you alright ?”   

Of course, of course it was Marcel of all people she runs into after crying her eyes out in the snack aisle of a CVS. This day just possible couldn’t get any worse than it already was.   

“Just a crap day is all” she muttered as she got up

“I’m sorry you’re having a bad day, is there anything I can do to help you ? I know our encounter that time wasn’t the best but I’ll do whatever you need me to do” he said genuinely “Oh….this is serious, you have sour patch kids AND peanut M&M’s in your cart” Marcel chuckled trying his best to lighten the mood, giving a warm smile as he heard her laugh  

 “Yeah...I guess you could say that” Maya gave a soft laugh “I um I gotta go, I’ll see you around though. Have a good day”   

“Wait…” he held her cart with his hand “Dinner, if you want. Dinner you and me tomorrow ?” he gulped nervously   

“Okay” she nodded “but I don’t wanna go out anywhere, you can come by my apartment” she takes out her phone as she watched him put in his information “and don’t think there’s gonna be any funny business alright ? Or I’ll drag you by your big ass dumbo ears right out”   

“Absolutely no funny business” Marcel nodded quickly “I’ll see you then Maya….bear” he grinned softly using the old pet name he had for her as he left

She laughed genuinely for the first time in what seemed like forever as she noticed he put in his name on her phone as “große Ohren”, big ears.   

“Of course he’d do that” she chuckled as she paid and drove back to her apartment and went up to her gate seeing her security guard rush to her and take her inside though the back door   

“Gabriel, what’s that about ? Is something going on ?” Maya asked concerned

“Ms. Dawson, there's an irate man outside who won’t take no for an answer and keeps asking for you, can you please confirm for us if you know him from our video footage ?” he asked 

 Tim, it had to be Tim, of course Tim would show up at her and act angry after everything he said to her. Her concerns were confirmed when she saw the footage and shook her head both mortified and angry. Angry he had the balls to show up to her apartment after everything he did and mortified seeing his face and shirt still bloody and his left side of his face bruised and swollen. Walter had sure as hell landed him with a good one.  

 “Tim, get the fuck out” she called sternly through the apartment buzzer at the entrance

“Maya, Maya please please let me talk to you” he stood up quickly as he pressed and spoke back “I-I was so so so wrong and you have no idea how embarrassed I am, I don’t even have words. Please let me explain myself” Tim pleaded desperately “I-I just want to apologize”

“You meant what you said, don’t pull back on it. Own your words Timothy, and by the way eat shit” she said angrily as she hung up and went back to her apartment   

She angrily put her things away as she heard little pebbles hit her window and looked out seeing him sit in a tree “What the fuck are you doing, you’re in a tree ! Get the hell down !”

“You won’t answer my calls or texts” he said back as he panted clearly exhausted

  “Oh I didn’t ? Welcome to my world for the last 3 months asswipe” she snapped back as she opened her window   

“I’m an idiot, a complete fucking idiot Maya. You didn’t deserve an ounce of what I did, I can’t even explain how sorry I am. I said things that were extremely unacceptable and so out of my character, I am so embarrassed and full of regret. The second I felt confused by yours and Walters' interaction I should’ve immediately just asked you, hell I could’ve just asked him and instead I acted so immature and I insulted you. I insulted you and I did it on purpose” he admits “I was hurt and I wanted you to feel hurt like I was”   

“I know you did” Maya whispered as she looked down  “and then you really let me have it at the cafe….you meant what you said Timothy”   

“I said it clouded by anger, I let anger takeover me” he said softly “I don’t deserve you forgiving me I don’t but I just want you to know that I’m aware I fucked up big time and I probably won’t ever forgive myself for it because during the time we spent together I felt….good. I felt like maybe there was a reason we met that night. And I just need you to know that”   

Maya nodded knowing his words were genuine but still feeling immense hurt, and she also knew if she told Walter she’d hear it from him. She took a second to look at him and noticed how sincere his deep brown eyes were, when he was sad he had those big puppy dog eyes and he wasn’t even aware of it yet there she was melting into them. Next thing she noticed was how bruised his face was, he definitely needed some ice and his face cleaned.

“Why are you such a pushover” she said to herself lowly as she walked towards the window   

“You’re 6’3 and you’ve got lanky long legs, my window step is maybe 2 feet away from where you’re at, come in” Maya said simply as she crossed her arms “if you don’t fall and hurt yourself that it, would be quite a fall to have since I’m on the 8th floor”  

 Tim nodded as he carefully focused and crossed over into her window, letting out a sigh of relief as she sat on a stool by her kitchen “I fucking hate heights, I hate them more than anything” he panted as she patted his chest

“Yeah well I hate it being insinuated I’m a whore and sleep with wrestlers and being insulted and demeaned before 11 am but I mean here I am you know” Maya nodded as she stood in front of him and gently dabbed away the dry blood from his face as she put her hand on his shoulder for balance “Walter got you real good, love that for me”

Tim swallowed hard as he nodded “Yeah he did, I deserved it though for….that whole scene I created. You can punch me if you want to ? Or hit me with your Louis Vuitton, it looks pretty sturdy”  

Maya did her best to stifle the laugh that so badly wanted to come out and looked in the freezer for an ice pack and put it over his nose “keep this on and off for 20 minutes”  

“Got it thank you, but...um can I have water ?” he asked timidly “I walked all the way from the cafe to here, was about an hour and a half”  

“It’s 20 miles from there to here” Maya turned around, looking him in the eye. “Did-did you walk 20 miles to get here Tim ?”  

   “Your face changed is all” Tim said softly as he sipped his water “did I say something wrong ?” “No” she shook her head “just that career seems like a lot you know, I know it’s loads of travel and lots on the body, shocking is all”   “Yeah it is” he chuckled “kind of at a stop now with everything going on but still grueling”. He looked around for a bit before deciding to finally ask what he told himself he wasn’t gonna do in the first place.   “Seeing as you got here late and I do have to go….would you be interested in meeting me for dinner tonight perhaps ?” he asked as he bounced his left leg slightly feeling the nerves all over his body as he waited what seemed like hours for her answer.   “I would like that very much” Maya answered with a grin “what do you like to eat ? That way it’s somewhere we both like”   “As long as there’s a kind of protein and vegetable option I am all good” he said shyly as he paid their bill   “Okay” she nods “we can meet tonight at 6 by the plaza ?”   “Sounds great to me” Tim smiled softly “I’ll see you then” She gave a small grin as she went up to him and hesitated not realizing how tall he was and rather well built   “see you at 6” Maya smiled as he kissed his cheek and walked away to her car as Tim’s cheeks blushed a deep red   “Bye” he whispered to himself as he stood dumbfounded shaking off his feelings as he grabbed his duffel bag from the floor and headed to meet Marcel at the gym “Your armpits are sweaty, you’re red and your broken water bottle is still full, what has made you so shaken up ?” Marcel chuckled as he looked at himself in the mirror and lifted weights   “Shut up” Tim rolled his eyes as he stretched on the floor “it’s nothing, it went fine….I asked her out again”   Marcel laughed as he turned around “of course you did Tim, you like this girl and all your little typical “Tim logic” went out the door the second you asked for her number”   “Would you knock it off” Tim snapped as he got up “she’s a friend, we’re gonna hang out as friends and nothing more. I don’t want someone like her, and I doubt she’d ever want someone like me so drop it already”   “It was a joke, calm down” Marcel shook his head as he proceeded to lift “so tell me, what’s this girl’s name and what does she do ?” Tim sighed as walked towards him and spotted for him “her name is Maya and she’s a model” he responded   “M-maya ?” Marcel stuttered out as he dropped the weight on his chest, grimacing and rubbing his chest as he got up quickly. “No it can’t be her” he thought to himself as he took a seat on the bench and coughed “sorry, sorry I just felt weak for a second there”   Tim shrugged as he sat across from him “all good Junior, but yeah her name’s Maya and she’s a model that does magazine shoots, billboards and commercials stuff like that” he nodded “To be honest she really seems really kind and down to earth, not the snobby kind at all. I know it’s only been two very short outings but she’s okay”   “That’s nice, that’s really nice” Marcel nodded as he cracked his neck to the side “um by any chance do you know her last name ? You know so we can look for her on social media and stuff” he chuckled nervously   “What ? No, no way” Tim made a face as he shook his head “that’s a total invasion of privacy and it’s weird, I don’t wanna have you do that…..can you though, like are you able to ?”   “Yeah, yeah easy” he nodded as he took out his phone and searched her name on Instagram “w-which one is she ?” Tim leaned over as he carefully swiped with his finger jumping when Marcel took his phone back   “Sorry just make sure you don’t follow her since she doesn’t know me you know ?” “Got it” Tim nodded as he looked and showed him the screen “This is her, this is Maya. Looks like her full name is Maya Dawson”.   Marcel gulped as he nodded, realizing it really was her that Tim had met and felt his hands get sweaty as he wiped them on his shorts. It had been years since he last saw her, years and yet he was seeing her only in pictures and felt that nervous feeling creeping up on him. “She’s beautiful, very very beautiful” he said softly as he looked at his phone. “She really is” Tim gave a small grin “but besides her looks, she’s also really smart and we have a lot in common. I’m actually meeting her for dinner later today since earlier she got there late and I had to leave”   “So a date….you asked her out on a date ?” he asked “because you like her ? or ?” “What’s with all the questions ?” Tim asked as he walked towards the equipment and grabbed a medicine ball “you keep asking me for all these details ?” 

 “I just have never seen you act this way for a girl” he answered as he maintained his calm demeanor “I mean you dated your fair share of women back in Germany but even then you never really act this way”. “What way ?” Tim asked as he raised his brow   “Excited Tim, you’re acting like you’re excited to see her again and I guess it just has confused me because I haven’t ever seen this side of you. I don’t mean it in a bad way” he explained fixing his hair in the mirror “it’s rather nice to see you show feelings towards something that isn’t wrestling is all”     Tim nodded as he worked out “yeah well I’m 38 now and maybe I can make time for someone now, especially because she also has a career and understands it’s important. I guess the only thing that kind of has me a bit off is that she’s-”

 “Yeah, she’s 25 that’s a bit young” Marcel answered almost on command, turning around in the opposite direction as he widened his eyes and grabbed a towel “I-I saw in a picture on her account she celebrated a birthday and there were number balloons with the numbers 25, that’s how I know.”

  “So judging by your reaction you think she’s young ? As in too young for me ?” he asked “be honest”

“Well you’re 2 years to 40” Marcel responded “and I don’t mean that in an insulting way or anything, but if she’s okay with it then you should be too”

  “I am, I just don’t want her to feel uncomfortable is all but you’re right if she hasn’t said anything and didn’t deny me for a second outing then she’s okay” Tim nodded “you wanna go on a run after this, still got time”

  Marcel grabbed his water jug as he rubbed his forehead “I’m gonna have to skip, I wanna shower and I promised Fabian we’d meet up to go over some stuff for tapings. I’ll see you tomorrow though” he said hastily as he left and got in his car, widening his eyes when he saw her walk towards the gym