December 21, 2014

The cool December air ruffles the hair of the blonde woman he approaches as another customer opens the door to the Tim Hortons they’re in. A slight smirk spreads across his face as he leaves the counter and approaches her, sitting opposite as she sips on her warm beverage. Matt takes a sip of his own beverage, raising the sunglasses he was using to conceal his identity to his forehead to meet her gaze.

Matt: Nice weather we’re having.

A simple, sarcastic statement to get the ball rolling on what promises to be an awkward conversation to say the least. She shivers although it’s not clear if it’s the sound of his voice hitting her in a good way, or the cool breeze that keeps sneaking through the layers she’s bundled up in.

Nessa: You must have a different definition of nice than I do, sweetie.

He smiles up at her, bringing the hot liquid to his lips once more before speaking, granting himself a few extra seconds to word his question just right as to not sound like just another small talk opener.

Matt: Could be. So, Nessa...how are you?

After everything that she had been through over the past few months, this seemed like a completely legitimate question. She hesitates before answering, taking another small drink of her own cappuccino.

Nessa: Better, I think. For once I don’t feel like I have the weight of every eye in the world bearing down on me. It’s nice… I feel like I can actually breathe again.

As if taking her words literally, he looks down to his cup he’s been holding rather than continuing to meet her gaze.

Matt: So do you want to tell me how it happened, exactly, or is that too personal?

He was trying to keep his words deliberately vague, but he was certain she’d know to what he was referring. The look on her face makes it clear that she’s following his train of thought perfectly.

Nessa: Honestly, I think it was a reality check that was a long time coming. That wedding fiasco was the best thing that ever happened to me.

She lets out a laugh. He smiles back at her, despite the nature of the conversation, her laughter always bringing a smile to his face.

Nessa: Don’t tell that little twit Kasey that. She thinks she got her perfect little revenge on me with that stunt-- joke’s on her really. She did me a huge favour.

Matt: I assure you the lines of communication between myself and Kasey are not as strong as ours. I also hope you won’t go easy on her, either, we have to fight for SVW and junk, or whatever the actual purpose of this upcoming show is.

He pauses for a moment before moving on.

Matt: So plans for the holidays before you resume training?

Nessa: Well, I’m doing great in that regard, really. This’ll be the second year I’ve broken up with someone right before the holidays. At least I didn’t have a giant painting commissioned before this one.

Before he can ask, she shakes her head.

Nessa: Don’t ask. Seriously.

He opens his mouth to ask like a four-year-old being told not to do something, but thinks better of it and fills his open mouth with his drink again, trying to think if she had ever mentioned such an occurrence before. Setting the cup back down on the table, Stone continues with his pseudo-interrogation.

Matt: So all you need for Christmas is me, eh? Is that just because you don’t want to be alone, because if that’s so rumor has it that Mika would love to spend as much time with you as possible.

She reaches for her drink to stall and almost knocks it over. Recovering, she fidgets with the cup and then pushes it away.

Nessa: If it was because I didn’t want to be alone, I could settle for any number of idiots out there… or Mika. All you have to do to get the truth out of me is to watch what I tweet when I’m overtired. And that one, my dear, was a calculated risk that I almost deleted before sending. Couldn’t quite bring myself to, though… because it was the perfect moment.

He rose his eyebrow at that comment, not quite sure what she meant.

Matt: What, pray tell, were you risking, exactly? There are very few things that I wouldn’t do at your request, Nessa.

Nessa: Letting you know how I feel, Matthew. For me, that’s a big risk… especially given how happy I’ve been to have you as my partner these past few months. I just didn’t want to ruin a good thing by making everything awkward.

Matt can’t help but chuckle at her sentiment.

Matt: How would that make things awkward? It’s obvious you’ve had feelings for me Nessa, how couldn’t you? I am pretty amazing, quite frankly I’m a little surprised my magnetic personality hasn’t drawn the attention of everyone in this place.

His bravado truly showing off with that comment, though in this case being used to mask himself to a degree, unable to be honest with what he thought of her, despite it being obvious to others, in his own mind he’s hidden it well. She laughs at his egotistical words, shaking her head.

Nessa: I’m surprised as well… if we’re being honest. You could have your pick of anyone in this business to team up with, after all. I guess working this closely with you, I had no choice but to fall under your spell of machismo.

She’s laying it on thick, but there’s a bit of truth to her words. He doesn’t mind, of course, having his ego fed is his favourite activity.

Matt: You shouldn’t be selling yourself short, either though. You’re quite the accomplished woman, you know, and aside from an earlier misstep, I rarely spend any time trying to get to know worthless specimens in our industry. Plus, you’re not so bad on the eyes, Ness.

She nods, revelling in the compliment.

Nessa: So I guess what I was fishing for when I sent that out there for all the world to see… was to gauge your response. I wanted to know if you feel like there’s something here beyond that perfect chemistry we have in the ring.

Matt: Well we have perfect chemistry walking down the street, too, we haven’t tripped over one another once. We have perfect chemistry conversing, as well, we don’t interrupt each other. There are a lot of things we’re really good at, but I’m curious, what was your initial gauge of my response?

She pauses, reaching up to tuck her blonde hair behind her ears.

Nessa: Curiosity? Mild interest, at least. You didn’t panic, so there’s that, I suppose.

Matt: Panic? That’d be an odd response. Then again, any negative response to you seems odd to me, so that might not be as damning as a statement as it should be. Ness, you know how important you are, to me, right?

Her eyes widen, the expression one of hope.

Nessa: I’m unbelievably awful at picking up hints. Your loyalty, though… that’s never gone unnoticed, sweetie. You’ve always been here for me.

Matt: And that’s never going to change, even before we actually teamed up for the first time, I’ve always felt like we’re partners. Since picking up on hints isn’t your strong suit, I’ll just let you know that since we started training together, I’ve been pretty jealous of Alex.

She laughs softly, shaking her head.

Nessa: You had nothing to be jealous of, honestly. You’re miles beyond what he could ever hope to achieve, Matthew. He might have the body of a wrestler, but he knows nothing about the sacrifices people like you and I have made for this business.

She reaches out, gently patting his hand.

Nessa: You’re far more devious and brilliant that he could ever dream of being.

He glances down at her hand before looking back up at her.

Matt: I wasn’t jealous cause I thought he was a better wrestler than me, Nessa, it was because you always left our sessions and went home to him while I went home to a television or a bottle or whatever the case may be.

She blushes slightly, averting her eyes.

Nessa: Really? And it’s funny, really… the last few months I’ve been spending more time training with you because of that same reason. I wanted more time in your company.

Matt: Well I hope that it was as enjoyable for you as it was to me, though I suppose it’s more fun to teach than to be taught. Plus, I was training with you, you were just stuck with me.

He winks at her, as if he doesn’t know how awesome he is to be around, at least in his own head.

Nessa: I’d hardly call it being ‘stuck’. I guess what I’m trying to fish for, in this ludicrously roundabout way… is if you want to take things to the next level?

He thought about her question for a moment, sensing she was trying to proceed with a serious conversation.

Matt: Forgive my lack of knowledge on the subject, but what exactly do you mean by the next level?

She shook her head.

Nessa: I’m legitimately awful at this, Matthew… and you’re not doing me any favours.

Matt: I believe I have an idea as to what you’re getting at hun, but don’t you think entering into anything at this time would be a bit quick for you? I don’t want to be an exceptional basketball play, Ness.

Nessa: You wouldn’t be-- that’s what he was. Honestly, I think I only ran back to him because he was the safety play after the entire fiasco with…

She shudders.

Nessa: But... I understand.

He raises an eyebrow at her.

Matt: You’re not shuddering cause you’re cold, are you? I’ve never seen someone wearing as many layers as you are right now.

His eyes scanned her as he spoke, finding it easier to try and change the subject rather than to proceed with the awkwardness for now.

Nessa: Not cold. Mildly horrified at the memory of all the time and emotion I invested in that batshit insane meathead. So, forget I had a brain cramp and typed something idiotic on Twitter. And we’ll just… you know… are you going to do anything different to train for your match against Misty?

Matt: Good, wouldn’t want you getting sick, and I won’t forget Nessa, it meant a lot to me. Everything you say does. As for Misty, there really isn’t anything for me to change up, really. You’ve outsmarted her twice, I hardly think she’ll be in the right mindset to take me on, odds are she’ll be looking out for a back door move and I’ll just outwrestle her all night.

Nessa: If you want a training partner, you just have to say the word. You know I’m always going to be here for you.

Matt: I know you are, that’s why you’re the best. I trust you already know Summer pretty well, but if you want a hand in preparation, the same offer applies to you, dear.

That old familiar smirk of hers is back as she nods.

Nessa: I think I could use a little work. Heaven forbid I get all cocky now and rest on my laurels against the loser who couldn’t even beat Val Lozano, let alone Misty herself.

Matt: Just give me the time and the place Nessa and I’ll be there for you, wouldn’t want you to rest on your laurels, either. Your uhh...laurels should remain unscathed, if you know what I mean

A cheesy wink that follows the sentence lets Nessa know that was a clumsy attempt at an entendre. She giggles in appreciation, putting a hand over her mouth.

Nessa: Sweetie, you never fail to crack me up. That… was priceless.

Matt: A wise woman on twitter once said “I aim to please” and I think that sentiment works great here. I’m glad we had this talk Nessa, it was quite informative.

Nessa: Indeed it was.

She moves to her feet, glancing almost longingly at the donuts on display behind the counter before reaching for her empty cup. He follows her gaze towards the coated pastries and shakes his head, a smirk plastered on his face.

Matt: You don’t need comfort food with me around, Ness.

Stone wraps his arm around her shoulder and pulls her closer to him as they head out to the door, the cold air breaching their faces as they walk outside.