Just Like Old Times II

[Off Cam: February 2017]

The life of a professional wrestler isn’t all glitz and glamour, just because you perform in the public eye on a routine basis doesn’t mean you’re always ready to be there. Case and point, today we find our former leader of Team Matt Stone and still the number one contender to the IYH championship Matt Stone sitting on his recliner doing his favourite past time, tweeting on his phone and watching Batman. The original Tim Burton film starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson, like I have to tell you people, and drinking a can of Monster Energy, the drink of champions. His arm is still sore from his big match just days prior at Unearthed and truth be told, his ego is a little bruised as well, as he made quite the show about how his team would walk away victorious, rap and all. Sadly, that didn’t happen and has left him rather depressed. He hasn’t physically seen anyone or spoken to anyone save his feline friend, Felony who is currently enjoying some sunbathing.

Barely audible over the awesome soundtrack, there’s a knock at his door. Nessa Wall stands in the hall, still wearing her gym clothes, although she’s got the bubblegum pink sports bra covered up with a zippered hoodie. Glancing up and down the hall, she almost seems relieved to see nobody else, and no stray rocks that may have been thrown.

Matt rolls his eyes at hearing that, wondering what fresh hell this could be. More than likely it’s Blyss trying to come by and cheer him up after her master plan fell through. Well she was going to get a talking to, that’s for sure. He gets off the chair and walks over, checking his hair in the little mirror on the wall beforehand just to be sure and opens it, seeing not Blyss, but Nessa. “Oh, uhh..hello there. Come to brag about how your team won?”

“Not quite,” she replies, “I thought maybe you’d want some company. I know how you get when you lose, remember?” Forcing a smile, she pulls a bag of dill pickle flavour Lay’s chips from behind her back. “Peace offering?”

He looks at the chips, raising an eyebrow at her. “You’ve brought me a peace offering of your favourite chips? Uhh...thanks? Won’t you come in?” He offers, almost as a question but backs away from the door just as well. “And for the record, I didn’t lose, my team did.”

“I brought them back from Toronto. I… well… I didn’t get any of the kind you like.” She smiles sheepishly, tossing the bag at him anyhow. “You’ll eat them even if they’re not your favourite. Don’t lie.”

A faint smile appears on his lips, catching the bag. “Yeah, I will. Probably shouldn’t, though. Stuff goes straight to my hips.” He adds a laugh as he pops the bag open. “Can I interest you in a drink? It’s a bit early for alcohol, but that’s never really stopped you before, has it?”

“I don’t really think that would be the best idea right now.” The way she says it makes it clear there’s more she wants to say but instead she makes a beeline for the couch. “And you’re right. It was your team that let you down.”

“Suit yourself, would you like water or juice or something?” He walks towards the kitchen, looking back at her. “Or perhaps you’d like something a little more helpful like a change of clothes.” He looks her over up and down. “Or is this the new look?”

“Water’s fine.” She looked down at herself and laughed, shaking her head. “Yeah. It’s from the Spring DGAF collection. I came over after the gym. Didn’t bother to go all the way home for a change of clothes. Just walked here instead.”

“Oh yes, the gym.” He says, coming back from the kitchen with a tall glass of water, a lime wedge hanging over the edge. “You wanted to hit someone, as I recall.” He offered her the beverage, checking her face for something. “How was it?”

“I hit Kelsey.” She shrugs, taking the glass. “Granted she had padding on, but it wasn’t as satisfying. For the record, I’m going to kill her. If they ever put me in the ring against that stupid bitch, she’s gonna die.”

He laughs, walking back over to his recliner. “Well for the record, she didn’t give you a black eye or anything, so that’s good. Based on my limited interaction with her on social media, she certainly did seem like a stupid bitch. How do you tolerate her?” He asked, grabbing his pepsi off the end table and sipping it.

“No, no,” she sputters in the middle of taking a drink, “Blyss. I’m going to kill her. Not Kelsey.”

“Blyss? What did she do?” he asked, trying to remember what she had done. “I told her to make nice with you, even. I’m guessing she didn’t?”

Nessa stares at him for a good ten seconds, “you’re joking, right? Have you seen any of that garbage? She’s… he… Shawn calling her ‘babe’ and offering to bring her food right there in public and it’s like… it’s like a big ol’ middle finger waving at me. From them both.” She bites her lip, shaking her head. “And maybe he’s doing it to bug you but at the same time, he has to know how much that hurts.”

“Aww, Nessa.” Whether he’s sincere or not is anyone’s guess. “So you’re mad at her because your boyfriend is being a sleazebag on Twitter to her? If he’s doing it to bug me, well then he doesn’t know me very well at all. It’s not like Blyss and I are an item, despite what she would have you believe, he just sounds like a right tool. Here, come have a seat and tell Matt all about it.” He pats his lap, raising an eyebrow suggestively with a smirk.

Instead of laughing at the lewd suggestion, she bursts into tears.

“Of course.” He mumbles to himself, getting off the chair and walking over to her, putting his arm around her. “It’s okay, it’s okay, there there. I was just joking around, no need to cry about it Ness…”

“It’s… it’s not okay. Not at all.” She sniffled, her eyes almost aqua as they flooded with tears, “he hates me, Matt. Honestly, I don’t think… I’m not even sure he ever loved me at all and I just…” she looks down at the glass of water, watching ripples cross the surface because her hands are shaking. “I came all the way here. I gave up everything because I thought we were going to make a life together here and now he’s all ‘lemme buy you dinner, goddess babe’ to that fuckin’ floozy and I just want to kill both of them!”

He wasn’t sure how to respond to that, this didn’t seem like the place for sarcasm or humor. “Oh Nessa, of course he did, what’s not to love about you? You’re gorgeous, you’re intelligent, you don’t mind walking around looking like you don’t care how the world sees you, you’re the total package!” He pauses for a moment, rethinking that a bit. “What I mean is, you’re a great catch. I know you’re upset that things haven’t worked out the way you wanted them to, that’s sort of how life works. Tell you what, you kill both of them and we’ll move to England, how’s that sound?”

She snorts a watery laugh, “England? What?”

“I don’t know, first place that came to mind. I’ll take you to the moon if you want to if it involves Shawn getting killed.” He offered, feeling like she’s been suitably consoled and heading back to his chair, wishing he had spiked his own can of Pepsi.

“I told him,” Nessa says softly, taking the wedge of fruit from the rim and squeezing it into the glass before dropping the whole thing inside. “I told him that I asked you to hurt him. Honestly? Right now I wish you’d broken half the bones in his body.”

“You and me both.” He says off the cuff. “But you told him that, eh?” He begins to look intrigued. “What did ol’ foxy have to say about that? I can’t imagine he was thrilled about it, or about me eliminating him from the match, probably the only good thing that happened in that match.”

Nessa looks sad at the recollection. “He called you a tool. Said I just keep dropping baggage and he’s not surprised anymore. Made me feel completely worthless, but I guess that’s par for the course these days. I took off because I couldn’t stand Angelica’s harassment anymore and he was all too keen to jump right at the opportunity to team with her. Says he wants me to take a long hard look at what I did and I don’t get how that’s any different. I came back to try and fix the mess… unlike what I did with us. I legitimately tried and he walked out on me anyhow. Walked out and immediately stabbed me - didn’t even try to aim for my back.”

Matt thinks about that for a second, finding something inherently wrong with the whole thing. “So let me get this straight, you’re sad because after walking out on this guy, you came right back to him and he not only rejected you, but he’s gone out of his way to tell you several times to take a hike, aligned with the very reason that you left in the first place and shamelessly has been hitting on another woman and instead of realizing that this guy is trash personified, you actually feel like you have to make it up to him? Whoa, well two things come to mind, Ness. One, you certainly care for this idiot a hell of a lot more than you ever did for me and two, you’ve lost your damned mind.”

She bristles at his words, eyes narrowing to dangerous slits as she glares. “Don’t you even dare try to insinuate-”

“I’m not trying to insinuate anything here, it’s pretty clear what’s going on here.” He continues, ignoring her look. “You need to reevaluate what you actually want, because unless you want to feel miserable, you need to forget about this asshole while you still have some of your sanity left.”

“The sad thing is I came here hoping I at least had a friend who understands.” She shakes her head, sighing. “I want to be happy, Matthew. That’s it. That’s all I ever wanted.”

“Well good.” He says bluntly. “Then you’ve by now realised that’s not possible with Shawn, right? I know you might have had some enjoyment in the past, but now? He’s just acting more spiteful than a fan of MOBAs.”

She blinks, obviously confused. “A fan of what?”

He shakes his head. “Nevermind, it’s a hip thing, you wouldn’t get it. The point it, he’s treating you far worse than you did him.”

“So I'm not crazy.” Nessa murmurs to herself, looking up at him again, “he's being really harsh. Unfair. I tried to put myself in his shoes but I can't because I don't… the fact that he didn't even trust me enough to understand I was leaving this goddamn country and not him really speaks volumes, doesn't it? And I thought maybe I was just being dramatic but...no. He really is.”

“Well…” He starts, looking over at her with a glint of mischief in his eyes. “Don’t sell yourself short in the over-dramatic department. You’re certainly capable of doing that perfectly well, but in this case, based on what you’ve told me and I’ve seen, you’re not. You may have been when you fled the country, thinking that would somehow stop Twitter from reaching you, but right now, you’re not.”

“Oh, shut up.” She grumbles, lifting her hand like she wants to swat him across the space.

“Now Nessa, why must you set me up like that?” He asks, smirking. “Shut me up.”

“Mehh,” she makes that universal sound of lazy disinterest, “that involves moving.”

“Not necessarily. You could whip out a gun or something, that might do the trick.” He shrugs, not knowing what could actually shut him up, he hasn’t seen it yet. “But the point is, you shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to win back the affection of an asshole.”

“Yeah…” she shakes her head, “pretty sure there’s no ‘winning back’. It’s just a matter of not being good enough in the first place-” she holds up a hand to forestall any interruption, “perception, hon. You know what I mean. Obviously he was just waiting for me to tick one of those boxes on his super secret list so he could kick me to the curb.” Sighing, she takes a drink of her water, grimacing as it’s starting to get warmer now. “It is what it is - much as I loathe that saying. I’m not going to chase someone who clearly doesn’t want me. That’s idiotic.”

“Probably for the best.” He says shortly, heading to the kitchen once again to grab himself a drink. Just because she didn’t want any alcohol didn’t mean he didn’t. Mixing Pepsi and Rum in an empty glass, he walks back out to the main room. “There’s something in this life that you have to learn, Nessa, and I’m sure you have before but sometimes we forget. People are jerks. The more time you spend with people, the more opportunities they have to disappoint you. Case and point, I was sold a bill of goods on Murphy’s Law, I was told they were a lock but turns out. They’re not. Like, at all. Couple of jerks.”

“People suck.” Nessa states, her voice coming out soft. “All they ever wanna do is look out for number one. So we should be like them, right? That's what the world wants. Just more Angelica clones.”

“Life sucks, and then you die.” Matt replies, not exactly in response to what Nessa said, but the tone she was using reminded him of that old saying. Was it a cliche or had he heard it in a movie? He isn't sure, but it seems appropriate either way. “Is there anything you need?” He asks, looking up at her. His question is intentionally vague, though there isn't much he wouldn't do for her right now.

“Honestly?” She laughs bitterly, “a lobotomy, maybe? I need to stop thinking, stop obsessing over every little thing that’s gone wrong.”

Matt smiles, looking her in the eyes. “Little thing, eh? I suspected as much.” He laughs to himself. “Things are going to go wrong, Nessa, nothing is perfect. We just have to adapt to them.”

“I absolutely suck at adaptation. You know that. You trained with me. That’s why I dwell on everything… that’s why I spend so much time driving myself nuts trying to get everything right!” She rolls her eyes, “and that’s why I never feel…” she gestures vaguely. “Done. I guess that’s the word I want.”

“You don't have to feel done, per say. You just have to learn to roll with the punches as it were. Look at me, you think things have gone perfectly for me? My team fell apart before my eyes last week, and rather than mope around, I'm already working on my next plan. How can I do this? Adaptation.” He approaches her, lifting her chin up in the air. “You’ll get there, trust me.”

She scoffs, averting her eyes, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. Sure, he’d been supportive in the past, but it feels awkward now. “Are you hungry?” She clears her throat, “we should go out somewhere. I could go for pancakes.”

“Pancakes?” He checks his watch, looking back at her. “If you know a place that sells pancakes at this time, sure.” He walks back to the kitchen to put his drink in the fridge, not wanting to waste the alcohol he'd just poured. “You're driving.”

Before he can turn around, Nessa is right there, right behind him as he straightens up and she wraps her arms around him, giving him a hug. “Thank you.”

Matt pauses, looking over his shoulder to spot her, but can’t. “For what? They're just pancakes…”

“For answering the door? For being a friend when I don't deserve it?” Her voice comes out muffled against his back before she releases her impromptu hug. “Pick one.”

He turns to her, smiling. “Well you could have been the pizza guy.” He says, finding it easier to make a joke than have a sentimental moment. “But of course you deserve to have a friend. You deserve to have a much better man than that guy of yours, too.”

“...you mean someone like you?” She says it slowly, like the realization is just dawning on her and then the cat chooses that moment to jump up on the counter beside them, fur fluttering through the air in its wake. Nessa immediately flinches, sputtering before turning her head and sneezing once, twice… three times while the cat stares at her.

Matt jumps back as well, not in reaction to Felony’s sudden appearance, but rather Nessa’s reaction to him. He hadn't thought about it at all, but of course it would happen, wouldn't it? If he had known that Nessa was coming by, he could have put him in the back room or something, but it was a little too late for that now. From at least ten feet away, Matt tries to shoo Felony away to lessen the damage. “Go, down! Out!”

“Excuse...” Nessa begins before realizing that he’s talking to the cat and then she blushes, shaking her head and sniffling. “I forgot about your… friend,” she starts, nose twitching again. “Maybe I should just go home - I don’t have any allergy medication on me.”

He almost looks disappointed at her suggestion, though he did understand the motivation behind it. Felony decided that there wasn't anything fun to do in the kitchen and leapt off the counter, scurrying past Nessa on his way out. “You don't? I would think you would always have that stuff with you given your...well, you know.”

“I forgot my purse,” she confesses, looking embarrassed. “We could just go back to my place real quick? Or… I might have the stuff to make pancakes. Maybe.”

“Your place?” He asks, pausing for a second to think about that. “I didn't know you had a place out here, I thought you were...how do I put this, cohabitating?” He didn't want to keep bringing up her situation, but this seemed like important information to have.

“He moved out.” Her voice comes out small, sad. “So I guess it's just…”

“You and me, today?” He asked, trying to offer a slightly more uplifting end to that sentence.

“Yes.” For the first time since arriving on his doorstep, she manages a real smile although she still sniffles slightly. “Like that Dire Straits song.”

“Exactly” he returns her smile, though flinches slightly when he hears her sniff. “Let's get out of here then before you get any worse, yeah?”

For a few seconds she just stares at him before taking a step closer. She rests her hand on his arm, nodding as her nose twitches. “Absolutely… we should go.” She says, not moving at all. Matt knows her tells. He knows what she's going to do even before she shifts her weight, her eyes flicking to his mouth before back up to his eyes.

Even though he thinks he knows what she's thinking, it doesn't make any sense, right? Even still, he certainly doesn't want to prevent it, if it's what he thinks. “Nessa?” He asked, the inflection in his voice raising so she knows it's a question, but whether it's to what is she thinking, what is she waiting for or why aren't they leaving is all up in the air.

Instead of answering verbally, she actually does complete the action, kissing him firmly as that hand slides up his arm to rest on his shoulder.

He's taken by surprise that she actually went through with it, but doesn't pull back from it, his hand going to her hip as the kiss deepened. She keeps her eyes closed, losing herself in that familiar moment before finally pulling back, breathless.

“Sorry. I shouldn't have…” He shakes his head, in truth she probably shouldn't have, but he wasn't going to say that, not wanting her to think he's rejecting her.

“It's alright, I enjoyed it.” He replied, his cheeks reddening ever slightly.

“Okay.” She looks like she wants to say more but her eyes look suspiciously watery and she sniffles again.

With his hand still on her hip, he turns her to the side and starts to lead her out to the front door. “You never have to apologize for kissing me, Ness.”

She sniffles again, looking like she's going to sneeze for a second before battling it away. Triumphant, she turns to him. “See? I'm getting better at controlling it!”

“You are, very proud of you, though I'd still be happier once we’re out of here, you know?” All the while walking her to the door, opening it up but waiting for her to get her shoes, getting his own on quickly and grabbing the keys.

She follows suit, letting him hustle her out into the hallway and she leans against him for a second, her forehead against his shoulder which only results in her sinuses pickling again thanks to the bit of cat hair on his shirt. Bravely, she tries to fight it again, seeing the elevator up ahead, the indicator showing it's still on the same floor. She stabs the button and turns back to him with a smile.

After locking the door behind them, he quickly catches up with her. Feeling that they’re in safe grounds now, he sighs in relief and watches as the elevator doors start to open. “Phew, we made it.” He puts his hand in front of the door to make sure it stays open. “After you, Ness.” He offers, brushing just a bit of her hair out from her cheek, the minor hair imperfection annoying him slightly.

She brushes past him, the smell of stale perfume lingering in the air hitting her now that her nose is triggered but she tries in vain to avoid it. Biting her lip, she watches the doors close and then looks up at the ceiling. “Matt? I think I'm going to sneeze again. I just thought I should tell you.”

Matt quickly turns to press the open door button, but it's too late for that as they've already started descending down the floors to the ground. He turns back to Nessa, seeing her with her finger under her nose as she tried to remain calm. “What, now? You can’t...wait till we’re off, Kay?” He sounded desperate, a lot more than the situation called for at least. Glancing up at the overhead display, they still had four floors to go.

Her eyes are watering as she keeps staring up at the lights above, biting her lip even though it quivers with each slow breath in through her twitching nose. Two floors now and she is visibly struggling to hold it in. Another shuddering breath and she closes her eyes. “Matt…” his name comes out as a desperate squeak and she shakes her head violently. Another breath and she can't hold it any more, the “ahhhhh,” coming loud enough to drown out the chime as they arrive at the ground floor. She lets it fly as the doors slide open, the “CHOOOOOOOO!” missing Matt completely.

Matt was watching Nessa intently throughout the whole episode, backed into a corner. He covers his eyes and flinches just at the end when he hears her silence-piercing sneeze erupt from her like a car alarm going off in the night, not feeling anything touch him. He moves his hands away from his eyes, seeing his blonde companion bent over double facing the open door where three people stand, all being on the receiving end of Nessa’ nose. While they all stand there mortified, Nessa included, Matt seems quite happy as he walks up to her, putting his arm around her waist. “Bless you, dear.” He offers, walking with her off the elevator past the three people without so much as a nod to even acknowledge their existence. For the moment, she's content to lean against him, grateful for the support (and to be out of that stinky enclosed space). The two of them just make their way through the lobby as if nothing had happened.