New To This - Chapter 3
NEW TO THIS MASTERLIST
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Unbelievable. Truly unbelievable.
Itâs been three hours since her first-ever official wrestling match, and Delilah couldnât stop smiling. It had lasted all of eight minutes, and although she lost, no one could deny that both she and her opponent, Faye, had pulled a showstopper out of thin air. Delilah had only ever attempted a moonsault once in her life, one evening at training when she was feeling adventurous, but tonight, the burst of adrenaline had buoyed her, and it felt so natural being poised on the top rope. To her shock and delight, the crowd had given them a standing ovation when it was over. It was, as far as she could remember, the happiest day of her life. After
Andreïżœïżœs proposal, of course.
She hadnât been this confident at first, though. She remembered being alone in the tiny, dingy locker room, on the verge of throwing up about fifteen minutes before the match. She remembered the loud cheers as the announcer geared the fans up for the upcoming match. She remembered forcing herself out, walking numbly towards the ring, then looking into the crowd and almost tripping on her own feet in shock at the sight of Jey up in the VIP area with Tank, unable to believe heâd actually showed up to watch her. HER! How she worked through the bundle of nerves and emotions, she would never know. But she did. And it was enough to convince her that she could still pursue her dream. That she wasnât walking away from this just yet, because there was hope that she was finally going somewhere with wrestling.
Tank and Jey â she still wasnât comfortable enough to call him Josh â had taken her out to celebrate afterwards. Even after leaving the bar well after midnight, both men didnât seem willing to go home just yet. And Delilah didnât mind.
âYour gardenâs really nice, uce,â Jey observed the small but neat bed of flowers gracing the sides of the front door.
âThanks! Andre worked hard on it,â Delilah beamed on behalf of her fiancĂ©, âDreâs the greatest landscaper in allll of Pensacola, so if you got a lawn that needs spicinâ up, hit him up.â Stepping over the threshold into her home, she winced at the mini warzone that greeted her. âSorry for the mess,â she murmured sheepishly.
Tank looked around the trailer house and shrugged. âIt ainât that bad today. Iâve seen it in far worse shape,â he commented, lowering his huge self onto the old, worn couch in the center of the small living area.
âDamn, thanks Tank,â Delilah replied with a roll of her eyes. Way to embarrass her in front of Jey.
The man in question had been silent as he looked around the new environment. âIgnore him, Delilah. I like it,â he commented, finally facing her.
The trainee blushed profusely and dumped the bags of takeout theyâd bought on the way home on the coffee table. She knew he was only being nice. âCould be better, I know youâre not used to tiny spaces like this,â she rushed defensively, retreating to the kitchen to grab three Bud Lights from the refrigerator. Surely Jey lived in a far more lavish abode, with all the money he was raking in at WWE. The Bentley Continental GT he drove her and Tank around with tonight was solid evidence. He lived large and her place was no doubt shameful compared to his, wherever that was.
Settling down next to Tank, the huge smile was still glued to her face, her right leg bouncing up and down in excitement. âOh my god, Iâm not sure Iâm gonna get any sleep tonight! I still canât believe I wrestled my first real match!â
âYeah, and we predict itâs gonna be the first of many,â Tank drank from his beer as Delilah nodded enthusiastically, and he jerked his thumb in Jeyâs direction. âAt least, he thinks so. Right, Uce?â
"Heck yeah," said Jey, observing her over the rim of the silver can of alcohol in his grasp.
Delilah was still in awe that he was here, sitting in her home. It was tough to pretend she wasnât thoroughly enjoying the attention sheâd been getting from him the past two days. âYou ainât sayinâ that just to fuck with me, right?â she asked him blatantly, then cringed at her unwise choice of words.
Something flickered in his eyes. Then, with a low chuckle, he responded, âBaby girl, I ainât never said shit I donât mean,â Licking his lips briefly, he stared at the lone female in the room. âLook, we both see how talented you are. Itâs about time you did too. Thatâs probably whatâs holding you back. You should believe in yourself more.â
Delilah tilted her head at the use of that inappropriate nickname yet again, and she was torn as to whether she should voice her objection. Before she could make up her mind, a loud âthudâ sounded from the direction of the bedroom she shared with her fiancĂ©.
Oh. Shit.
"Aw, shit, someoneâs awake,â Tank chuckled and winked at Delilah, propping his feet on top of the coffee table. âGirl, you in troubleee,â he sang teasingly.
Casting her gaze to the amused smirk on Jeyâs face, she refocused on the annoyed grumbles and shuffling feet. âGimme a sec, guys,â she said softly, getting up and hurrying towards her angry fiancĂ© in the hallway. âHey babe,â she greeted him, forcing a wide smile as she rested a hand on his bare chest.
âWhatâs with all the fuckinâ racket?â Andre cut her off sharply, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palm.
Looking up into his dark eyes, she rubbed his arm placatingly. âWeâll be more quiet. I promise,â she whispered, âJust go back to bed, okay?â
But Andre was already wide awake and very unhappy about that fact. âFor fuckâs sake, Dee, I gotta go to work inâŠâ Pausing, he squinted at the clock in the kitchen. âWhat time is it?â
âOne a.m.,â she answered quietly, her cheeks burning as she lowered her eyes to the floor. âBaby, Iâm sorry we woke you. Please go back to bed,â she pleaded.
Shaking his head, Andre glared at his fiancĂ©e and gestured towards the two men in the living room. âHell no. Not until you get âem the fuck outta here,â he insisted. When she huffed disbelievingly, he shook his head again. âWoman, I gotta be up in four hours. One of us has to work. Who else gonâ pay for these damn lights you got on?â he spat.
âWhat the fuck does that mean?â Delilah bit back, crossing her arms angrily, âI made two hundred dollars tonight, F.Y.I.â
When his eyes swept over her wrestling gear, Andre scoffed. âHow? Working the pole?â he taunted.
Delilahâs jaw dropped. âExcuse me?â
âLook whatchu wearinâ. You couldnât find more modest attire? Dress like a future wife should dress?â
Watching the entire argument from his seat in the living room, Josh felt his hands ball into fists. He understood the dude being mad for being woken up so late â after all, heâd done some bitching of his own at colleagues who rolled into the hotel at all hours of the morning causing a racket when he was trying to sleep. But he certainly didnât appreciate the way he was disrespecting Delilah, especially while she was trying to apologize. As much as he wanted to say something to the punk, he did not think it wise to try to step in between the rowing couple. Yet.
âLook, tonight was the most thrilling night of my life, okay?â Delilah was saying, âI got a standing ovation after my match! Unfortunately you couldnât see it, cuz you werenât there even though you promised you would,â she made sure to add. âAnd if I wanna celebrate with my friends for doing so awesome, Iâll do it. God knows you and your friends have kept me up at night enough times in the past!â
âNah, you not gonâ pull that bullshit on me right now,â Andre rolled his shoulders angrily and glared over her head at the two huge men who had now risen to their feet. âAnd if you donât wanna kick your so-called friends out of my house, then I fuckinâ will.â Brushing past his fiancĂ©e, he stomped down the hall. He didnât quite care if they were both built like brick walls and could probably kill him with their bare hands. This was his house and he was the one in charge here. âAy, Tank, I let you have my girl for the night. Itâs time I got her back,â he said.
Acutely aware that both Tank and Jey were about to give Andre a piece of their minds, Delilah quickly stepped between them before anything could go down. âThank yâall so much for tonight, guys,â she cut in, meeting Tankâs eyes, âIâll see you tomorrow,â she added, giving him a look that told him how sorry she was for Andreâs unbecoming behavior.
With a nod, Tank patted her shoulder. âYou know what, Parrish? Why donât you take tomorrow night off. Youâll need your rest after tonight, trust me.â
She nodded gratefully and turned toward Jey, totally embarrassed to look at him after heâd borne witness to her humiliation at the hands of her fiancĂ©. Honestly, sheâd desperately wanted him to think she was a tough chick, that she wasnât just putting on a show for his benefit. And Andre had ruined it all with his antics tonight.
Following the men outside, she was taken by surprise when Josh stopped midway to his car and suddenly turned to face her. Instantly, she avoided his stare again, pushing her hair behind her ear.
âGimme your phone,â he told her, holding out his hand.Â
âWhat?â
âTrust me. Give it here,â he repeated, waiting until she placed the device in his hand. He tapped in a number of digits and made a call, smiling when his iPhone rang in his back pocket. âWe got each otherâs numbers now,â he announced, handing her phone back to her. âIf you wanna talk about wrestling, life, whateverâŠDonât hesitate to call me anytime.â
Staring at the card, and then back at him, she raised an eyebrow. âAnytime?â
âAnytime,â he repeated, looking her in her striking hazel eyes which he noticed were filled with the unmistakable shine of tears. âFor real. A'ight?â
Delilah gave a small smile and tucked her phone back in her pocket. âOkay. Thanks, Jey, I really appreciate it,â she said sincerely.Â
âMy friends call me Josh,â he insisted.
âIs that what we are? I've only known you a couple of days,â she responded.
âSometimes, a couple of days is more than enough," he explained, watching her for one long moment before cupping her chin and tilting her face up to meet his. âKeep your head up, baby girl. You a queen. Donât let nobody make you hide your pretty face.â And with one final wink, he let go of her, turned and made his way towards his car.
Watching them drive off, she willed away the flutter that was filling her insides and trudged back into the house, taking a deep, shaky breath. She had been filled with so much happiness and pride only a few minutes earlier, filled with hope for the future she was trying to create. But the confrontation with her fiancé, in front of Jey Uso for that matter, had snuffed it all out in a heartbeat. She was tempted to abandon Andre and sleep on the couch for the night, not wanting to be anywhere near him. But knowing the aches and pains that would descend on her in the morning, she thought it wiser to be in a bed tonight, no matter how angry she was with him.
Walking slowly to her bedroom, she pushed the door open tentatively, both relieved and annoyed to see that he was back in bed and out like a light. He always was a quick sleeper, unlike her. Shaking her head, she shed her ring gear, showered and found one of Andreâs big t-shirts to wear. She slid into the bed, ensuring to keep her back to him. She didnât react when Andreâs strong arms wrapped around her a few moments later, didnât flinch when his hard body pressed against hers from behind, only stared blankly through the darkness at the wall in front of her.
For as long as she had known her husband-to-be, she had been head over heels in love with him. After their first date, she had told her sister that she was going to marry him one day. She would never forget the twinkle in his beautiful dark eyes, or her unbridled joy, on the day he proposed. Back then, both had only harbored the glamorized fairytale version of the idea of marriage. Back then theyâd been inseparable; hardly argued, hardly did anything without the other. Neither of them were weighed down by the strain of responsibility or ambition. Things were so different now. For one, she had far more ambition, and she found herself realizing that it was big enough to want to leave his side and do her own thing for the first time in a decade.
Her personal dream and the dream she and Andre had shared for so long hung in the balance, and right now, one was looking far more possible to achieve than the other.
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Thoughts?
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