Date August 1st 2017 / Time 1:29PM / Status Not Recording
Location The Wylde Residence – Western Maryland

It’s been an interesting weekend to say the least. I’m pretty exhausted as I drag myself up the steps to the front door of the house. From my unexpected trip to New York to spend some time with my temporary tag team partner, to the show in Chicago where he and I rose above once again, beating Zane and Gabrielle in pretty spectacular fashion.

It was fun.

But now, here I am back at home wondering to myself where I’m going to bring Gabriel for our next set of drinks to celebrate our latest victory as I turn the door knob to let myself into the century old plantation house.

“CJ! I’m home!”

I yell out, dropping my bags in the foyer. I’m tired, but I’m happy. Things are totally going my way right now, and though I know that feeling isn’t going to last forever – I know I want to ride this feeling out for as long as I possibly can.

“CJ?”

I shout again, figuring that he’s probably busy downstairs in the gym, or maybe he’s out on a run or something. I’m not really sure what he does on the weekends that I’m gone – though a part of me wishes that we were still doing all of this together. It is hard leaving on Fridays, knowing that I’m leaving him here by himself while I go out and do what both of us have always loved doing.

My heels click on the hardwood as I step into the kitchen, heading straight to the refrigerator to grab myself a drink. I probably drank too much this weekend. Gabriel was right when he said that those Tequila shots on the jet headed to Chicago might have been a bad idea. I didn’t want to let on that he was right…

But, well… he might have been.

“What are you laughing at?”

I hear his voice booming behind me, scaring me half to death as I turn around with a half smile on my face.

“Hey, there you are.”

I say, moving towards him, fully expecting a smile to form on his lips as well – but all I’m met with is an analyzing stare. I sigh and lean against the counter, twisting the top of the water bottle and taking a quick drink before answering his question.

“I was just thinking about something that happened over the weekend.”

As if it’s a huge deal to begin with.

“Yeah, I saw your little conversation with him… You didn’t go right to Chicago on Friday?”

I shake my head and begin speaking, trying to lighten the mood before it goes any further down hill – considering that we’ve already had this conversation before I left this past week.

“Funny thing about that… I was in BWI, headed for my flight to Chicago and some guy came up to me telling me that a private jet was waiting for me.”

“So it’s funny that some stranger came up to you trying to take you to his private jet.”

“No, Ceej. Let me finish. Turns out the man was Gabriel’s jet captain, and Gabriel sent him out to pick me up. We really should look into a private jet, CJ… That fucker was–”

I look up into his eyes, and the smile drops right from my lips.  So much for keeping things light.

“What?”

“So Gabriel Baal whisked you away on his private jet, for what?”

I stare at him dumbfounded for a few moments.

“Uh.. He owed me a drink. We said we’d go out for drinks if we both won at Wrestlestock… and well, we did.”

“Yeah. Okay.”

“CJ come on. What’s your problem?”

“Gabriel Baal is my problem, apparently. You don’t see it do you? We just talked about this, and what’s the first thing that happens?”

I take a few gulps of water, turning my head away from him for the time being.

“Lucy.”

“What CJ? Do I see what? That Gabriel Baal is a bad man? Sure. Everyone does. Everyone hates the man. I get it. He’s done terrible things… But does that change the fact that I like him? Not one God damned bit! I’ve done terrible things too, CJ. I’m a bad person, as everyone likes to put it… so why the hell can’t he and I be friends?”

Now he’s looking at me as dumbfounded as I was looking at him a few minutes ago.

“So what?  He picked me up in Baltimore and took me out for drinks. I didn’t fuck the man, CJ. We had a few bottles of wine, talked about our match and I went back to the hotel room that HE reserved for me and then he went back to HIS room. Then on Saturday, we shared breakfast and in the afternoon we flew to Chicago together. Nothing happened. So why don’t you trust me?”

“I do trust you, Lucy.”

“That’s not the way it looks to me.”

He lets out an aggravated sigh and moves across the room, leaning against the sink as he looks out on the backyard.

“It’s him I don’t trust.”

He stops for a moment, and I watch him set his jaw.  I shake my head and sigh softly, thinking about the conversation that Gabriel and I had after our match last night.

“If he doesn’t back off then I’m going to have to take things into my own hands.”

So fucking frustrating.

“So you don’t think I can handle this myself?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Oh no.. But my big bad husband is going to protect his helpless little wife from the big bad doctor… as if I’m not a wrestler for a living for Christ’s sake.”

A tense silence settles between us and the happiness that I felt has all but disappeared as I stare at the back of my husbands head. Why is he being so stubborn? If he trusts me not to get into anything with Gabriel, then what the hell does it matter if Gabriel is ‘untrustworthy’?

I can handle myself.  I’ve proven that since the day he and I met.

“CJ, I–”

Just as I begin speaking, he suddenly turns and moves past me, leaving the room before I can say anything else.

I guess I can see how this week is going to go.

Whatever.

I have a ‘play date‘ to arrange.

 

Date August 5th 2017 / Time 8:39PM / Status Not Recording
Location Rusty Scupper Restaurant and Bar – Baltimore, Maryland

“Well if this isn’t an… interesting… place.”

I look up as I hear his voice, seeing him looking out of the windows of the restaurant and into the Baltimore Inner Harbor. I follow his gaze, looking out into the night and the beauty that is the Inner Harbor.

“Well it’s not New York, if that’s what you’re saying.”

He smiles and nods his head, coming to sit across from me at the table – his eyes still scanning the Baltimore City skyline.

“No, it’s not. But it does have it’s own..”

“Charm?”

I reply, grinning as I take a sip of my wine. The city does have a special charm about it and it’s most charming aspect is that it’s not New York. Sure, New York was lovely and I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing what I hadn’t experienced before – But Baltimore will always be my home and that’s why I wanted Gabriel to come out here for the evening.. to see where I come from.

“Yes, charm.”

He replies, nodding as I motion to the waitress for another glass of wine for Gabriel. I return my attention to the cheesecake in front of me, slowly putting the fork through it – feeling his eyes on me. I bring the bite up to my mouth, slowly wrapping my lips around it and pulling it from the fork as I make eye contact with him.

He smirks and smooths his hands along his shirt.

“When I saw the name of this establishment, I thought I may have been a bit overdressed for the occasion. I thought I’d be walking into a bar full of sailors and women of the night… not an upscale place such as this.”

“Oh, so you thought that when I said I was going to bring you to somewhere that I swear by.. you thought that I’d be bringing you to a whore house?”

“Well…”

He replies, a playful grin on his lips. I roll my eyes and laugh.

“You do look rather lovely tonight.”

“For a ‘woman of the night‘… right?”

“Absolutely not, unless you’re keeping something from me, my dear?”

I pause for a moment, my eyes falling to my attire – a tight black t shirt paired with an even tighter pair of black jeans. Yeah, I know I don’t look like I belong in this place, not one bit.. but that’s okay because I’m not here for them. Hell, I’m not even here for the man seated across from me right now, but I am here to prove my husband wrong.

He thinks I can’t handle myself.

He thinks that I’m going to get hurt…

Well I’m going to show him that I’m not a damsel in distress.  I don’t need him watching my every move, I don’t need him fighting every friend that I have just because we have fun together.  That’s the exact way to push me away… that’s the exact way to make me want to get into more trouble.

I grin as I look back up into Gabriel’s eyes, which are trained on exactly what I was just looking at.  The tightness of my shirt, the curves of my upper body… everything I expected him to look at when I put this outfit on tonight.

“Nope. I’m not a whore in my spare time… sorry to say.”

“Sorry? Are you now? Interesting.”

“Kidding. I’m kidding.”

My smile fades out a little as a bit of guilt creeps into my mind. I know I’m not doing anything wrong by having a drink with Gabriel, again but I also know that CJ won’t see it the same way.. and I really don’t want CJ taking things into his own hands. I like Gabriel. I’m glad to have him as a friend, even after my conversation with Ichabod and my little spat with CJ.

It’s nice looking into someone’s eyes and seeing that you’re wanted… even if it’s just as a friend. When I look at CJ I see that he wants me, yes.. But I also see the suspicion, the worry…

When there isn’t anything to worry about.

“So how did you find this… lovely place?”

I look up into his eyes, his question bringing me back into the moment. I look around, and shrug my shoulders, my focus coming back to him – watching him take a sip of his wine.

“CJ and I used to spend a great deal of time in Baltimore and we happened upon this place one night. I love coming here… the view is fucking amazing…”

I look out the window to my side, and take a deep breath.

“…although I know I don’t exactly fit in with this crowd.”

I motion around me to all the people sitting around the room, dressed in far nicer clothing than I currently am. I turn my eyes downward to the dessert in front of me, absentmindedly playing with it as he begins speaking.

“Nonsense. If anything, you’re the most lovely one in here. The fact that you’re different is what makes you so…”

His eyes glance down at my cheesecake and his eyes light up as he looks back into my eyes.

“My, that dessert looks absolutely delicious.”

I chuckle, bringing the fork back to my mouth.

“It is… but weren’t we just talking about me?”

“Oh, my apologies, dear… I thought they were the same thing.”

I can feel the heat rising to my cheeks again.

“Mmmmhm… Sure you did.”

“I know that we’re here to celebrate our victory a few days ago, but I sense there’s something wrong…”

“Shit Gabriel, you already knew there was something wrong. I told you the other day… and when I got home it was more of the same.”

His eyebrows raise.

“But yet, here we are.”

“Yes. Here we are, because I don’t like that he thinks I can’t handle myself. I don’t need him fighting my battles, much less ones that aren’t even battles to begin with.”

“I see.”

I groan and down the rest of my glass of wine, setting it down on the table with a loud thud.

“Lucy…”

“Gabriel…”

“Like I said the other day, I’m glad for your friendship and I certainly don’t want to lose it – but I also don’t want to see you having problems in your marriage…”

I sigh again.

“You’re not. I’m not.”

“So what you’re saying is…”

I look up to see a small smile on his face, and I know he’s trying to egg me on. The bastard.

“I just don’t know what his fucking issue is.”

“Might it be that someone besides him is getting close to his wife?”

I shrug my shoulders.

“So… I can’t have friends…”

I look up into his eyes again as the waitress comes and fills my glass back up. I sit in silence for a few minutes, trying to gather my thoughts as I look between him and my drink.

I’m in the middle and I want no parts of it.

I love CJ.

I like Gabriel.

I don’t see a problem with any of that. I do sense that there’s more to Gabriel’s interest in me… but maybe that’s okay too.

There’s a danger there… a danger that I can handle. A danger that I need in my life, honestly. What’s wrong with that? What’s wrong with wanting to walk the edge, teeter on the line between right and wrong..

“Fuck that.”

I finally say, smiling at him.

I want to learn who I am. I want to be myself.

“I mean we must be doing something right, considering they’ve paired us up again this week.”

“Well we do work well together, love.”

“That we do. And if I want this to work.. then I need to be perfectly honest with you right now… I don’t know what CJ is going to do. I hope he stays out of this, because there’s nothing going on… but I’m warning you now… He might not listen to me and I want you to be ready.”

He sits back and nods his head.

“I appreciate the honesty, my dear.”

I look away briefly, knowing that I just practically sold my husband out… but I don’t want there to be any fighting. And in my mind, if there’s going to be, I want both parties to be ready. I want Gabriel to be ready if CJ decides to ignore my wishes.

I just hope it doesn’t come to that.

 

I wish I could say that it was a pleasure or that I’m looking forward to this match, but in reality… It’s just like every other time that I’ve been set up for a title match.. I get to face my opponent like three times before I actually face them for the strap.  Are ya’ll trying to give me a heads up, or are you trying to give her a head start on figuring me out?  I mean, really… It could go either way, and that’s cool..  Really, it is. 

You wanna know why?

Because you did the same thing with Zane… and what happened?  Yeah, we all know how that story ended.  It’s only gonna end bad for those of you who want to see Mrs. Sarah Lacklan as the new UGWC Cross-Hemisphere Champion, because while she’ll get to see how I operate inside the ring… I’ll get to see how she works too. 

Hi, Sarah.  Sweetie.  You might think you’re hot shit right now because you’ve won a bunch of matches but I’ve got YEARS on you and all of that experience isn’t for nothing.  You might be talented, you might be a fucking wrestling maverick for all I know, but what you aren’t is bright.  You think that I didn’t see that whole attack coming?  Yeah, I know what you’ll say – If I did, then why did I let it happen?  The truth is.. I knew I wasn’t going to get out of it.  I knew that someone like you wouldn’t give up until you got your stupid little moment in the spotlight…

I knew you were picking me the moment you started stalking me on twitter. 

I knew you were picking me the moment you started that whole nice routine. 

After what you did to Maggie at Wrestlestock, I knew not to trust a single thing you said or did.  I’m not an idiot, dear.  I’m not someone who falls for every nice word that’s said to me.  It’s called experience.  It’s called having been there, done that.  It’s called having been the attacked, and having been the attacker.  I see your little tricks and I’m not really all that impressed.  You think coming out in the ring and having a good laugh at my expense is going to get inside my head?  Make me second guess myself when it comes time for you to actually try to take this title belt from me?  Sweetie, nothing you could do can make me second guess myself. 

I didn’t second guess myself when half of this roster shunned me and told me that I would never be a part of their ranks.  I never second guessed myself when people looked me right in the face and told me that I didn’t deserve what I worked SO hard for… so some little pipsqueak like you, some stuck up, over confident, overrated little bitch isn’t going to make me think any less of myself as the Cross-Hemisphere Champion. 

As for your partner?

I told Joe this, Donovan… You’re a fucking stooge. 

If you actually think you can hold a candle to Gabriel, then you’re more delusional than I originally thought.  Remember, you’re the one who came out in the middle of Eden and Gabriel’s match…. and still fucking lost!  You had the element of surprise on your side, you had the fact that you were the fresh man, and you were far less tired than the two of them were… yet you still went down to Eden.  How does that feel, exactly? 

It can’t feel good.

It can’t do anything for your confidence, but then again… I don’t know you – and I suppose I shouldn’t claim to.  All I know is that in a few days time we’re going to be standing across from one another inside the ring, and you might think you have it made with that little manipulator by your side, but I can tell you that I definitely have the better hand.  Sure, Sarah is a winner anywhere else… EXCEPT for when she’s facing me.

Sure, Hastings… You might be a great talent… you might even have it in you to win… EXCEPT for when you’re facing my partner.  

Sorry, guys.  But this match isn’t going to be what you’re hoping for.  Sure, you’ll get to scout me, Sarah… But you’ll also get a taste of what it’s like to lose to me too.  Get used to it, because it’s not going to be the last time that it happens.

 

Gabriel Baal & CJ Wylde used with permission.