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Jan 4, 2019 21:39:05 GMT -5
Post by Admin on Jan 4, 2019 21:39:05 GMT -5
(OFF CAMERA || 02-16-2012)
The diner wasn't the nicest place in Daytona Beach, in fact it was a far cry from the fancy Italian restaurant that had hosted the FFW employee party the night before— a party that she had left early hoping against hope that the one thing she most wanted would be waiting in her hotel room when she'd arrived back there. The idea that he was planning some elaborate belated Valentine's Day surprise had already faded away, leaving her feeling sick and abandoned. He'd told her that he had a gift for her that he was going to deliver personally and the longer it took, the more she worried.
Instead of partying with the rest of the FFW roster, she'd excused herself politely from Samantha Star's presence and had gone back to her empty hotel room to spend yet another sleepless night alone. Sending desperate and somewhat pathetic messages to people over the Internet until the sun had come up over the horizon had become something of a ritual over the last couple days. Between napping during the day, she'd had yet another meaningless war of words with Queen Machine over Twitter that left her feeling even more dejected than usual. She'd also written a blog that made her seem like one of those sad little Emo bitches and she just couldn't bring herself to care.
She'd chosen a booth near the window, and had her eyes fixed on the dark glass, watching what she could see of the parking lot for his arrival. One small part of her kept thinking this was an elaborate setup and that he wasn't going to show up, or that perhaps even Jenny herself had sent those messages. The other part was torn between breaking down in tears, and running to the bathroom to throw up. Thankfully she hadn't eaten anything substantial in days, so the latter wasn't going to happen.
A chipped mug of coffee sat on the table in front of her, completely untouched as though she'd forgotten it was even there ten seconds after it had arrived. She'd already been here for a half an hour, knowing that he would show up precisely on time-- he was always punctual. Customers milled in and out of the diner, though none of them really registered with her. A black luxury car pulled into the lot, and that certainly did. Especially considering the clientele of the diner so far didn't look as though they could afford anything like it. The vehicle pulled to a stop as the driver hopped out, heading around to the back and opening the door. There was a brief pause before anyone stepped out from inside until Alexander Stryfe emerged, talking seemingly to no one. Upon closer inspection, it became clear he had his Bluetooth earpiece in one ear as he looked around back to the street they had just turned off from and then to the diner.
The driver headed back around to the front seat as Alexander looked down to his gloved hands, the breeze of the evening blowing his overcoat at his feet. A two piece suit under that, he tapped the earpiece with his finger, and seemingly hung up on whoever he was talking to, evidenced by the fact that he wasn't talking now. Grabbing the door, he let himself in as a waitress offered him a table, which he declined before finding the one he was looking for. Making his way towards his estranged wife, he looked down at her for a moment and slid into the booth on the opposite side.
Kitty sat there in silence for a second, stunned by how handsome he looked. The perfect facade she was trying so hard to hold up started to crack a little as she bit her lip. "Alex," she finally broke the silence, whispering his name, "I'm so glad you're here." Her voice didn't lift above that soft tone, as though she was afraid that speaking louder would cause this happy dream to disappear.
His face was rather hard to read, expressing no overt emotion so far as he looked across the table to his bride. He didn't seem unhappy to see her, but there was no sign that he was bubbling over at the prospect either. "Well after reading the barrage of messages you sent me and voicemails and texts, it occurred to me that maybe I should come and see you. And before you ask, it's just me. I did not come here with Luther or Jennifer."
She visibly winced at the last word that came from his lips, remembering all the awful things that had been dredged up on Twitter just hours ago. "That," she swallowed past the lump in her throat, "that's good. I believed you when you said you were going to come alone. And I didn't expect you'd have..." she couldn't bring herself to say the name of her rival, "brought anyone else with you. Contrary to the impression I gave you before, I don't..." she trailed off, not even able to complete the sentence. She could feel the ache in her chest getting stronger, making it harder to breathe. Pretty soon she was going to start blubbering and sobbing— she could feel it.
Swallowing hard, she looked down at her coffee, her heart breaking. "I just wanted to see you. I'm sorry I was so annoying."
"I have not seen Jennifer since the Pay Per View, if you want to know the facts. I have been spending a great deal of time with Luther, and assisting him in whatever matters may pop up. He has been a very good friend to me for many years, now being no exception. You know, Kaitlynn, there is one thing I value most in any relationship. Be it personal or business, and that is trust. You don't seem to trust me anymore. And as I have considered it now for quite a while, I need to know when that trust vanished and exactly what caused it to do so." Never one to mince words, he got right to the point immediately. His eyes squinted slightly as though he were trying to see into her soul almost.
"I didn't understand," she said softly, lifting her gaze from the contemplation of the dark liquid to meet his eyes. "I didn't understand why you met with her a second time... that's all. It just seemed to fan the flames and..." she stopped, realizing that her excuses did nothing to help her case. "I was stupid. All these people saying things and I can't stop questioning why you didn't just tell her to go away in the first place, even before you got pulled into the middle of the match as a referee." At the mention of the match, she blushed, averting her eyes, clearly embarrassed as she'd forgotten to ask him if he was still in pain. "Are you hurt? Did I do any..." it seemed stupid to ask if she'd done any damage when it was clear that everything she HAD done up to this point had been the exact wrong thing.
"Nothing long-lasting. I've taken far worse blows in my life, as you may recall." His expression remained rather stoic for the most part, nothing changing and any emotion nearly imperceptible. "I didn't tell her to go away because she had done nothing wrong. She showed concern for me, and if the roles were reversed and I felt she was in danger as she feels I am, I would have done very much the same thing. Now I'm not saying I am in danger then or now, but that is what she perceived and thus she acted. Jennifer has been nothing but a concerned friend. And that is as far as the nature of our relationship goes. I have assured her again and again that her concern is unnecessary, but she always has been a very.....I suppose the word would be stubborn. When she believes something so deeply, changing her mind is a near impossibility."
"You're not in danger from me," Kitty said in a small voice, trying to maintain eye contact despite the fact that she could feel her eyes welling with tears, "she doesn't want to protect you, Alex. She wants to steal you back. She wants..." she shook her head, "I don't know what's going on inside her head. I just know how this whole thing is making me feel. I feel like I'm losing you." She blinked out of necessity, and a tear fell down her cheek. "I'm so sorry for everything I did that hurt you. I'm sorry I doubted you. I'm sorry I acted like a spoiled child and used your hand to count my own pinfall."
"Your apology is accepted. I admit it did bother me at first, but I got over it quickly." The waitress approached, asking him if he wanted anything before he dismissed her, returning his attention to her. "I've already told you that nothing has happened with Jennifer, and for it to happen, I would have to allow it. Believe me if it had, she would have already made it very public. But my question to you is can you say the same? While I have never been even a moment unfaithful since we were married, can you also say that?" A perfect poker face, he didn't give any indication that he was aware or unaware of anything.
She was quiet for a few seconds, long enough that the answer was obvious before she said anything. "You already know me inside and out, Alex. What kind of question is that?" Her voice came out level enough, but she kept her eyes downcast as she picked up her coffee cup and took a small sip.
"Much like any question that I tend to ask, one in which I already know the answer. But well played, I can see you have learned a lot from me." In a very strange way, the look on his face was briefly reminiscent of someone being proud. But that didn't last long. Reaching into his overcoat, he pulled out an envelope, which he began to open and spread out two pictures in front of her on the table. Both were taken inside Christian Kincaid's gym, dated months ago. And both were taken through opened blinds on an office door, showing Kaitlynn topless and embracing Kincaid. "If you're going to have an affair, at least be more careful about it. These were sent to my office from the desk of Anthony Gambini. Your newest employer." He let out a rather long exhale, closing his eyes for a moment and shaking. "And do you want to know the most sickening part of this? The part that both infuriates me and revolts me at the same time?" His gloved hands curled into fists. "It's the fact that despite knowing this and despite the fact it happened at all, I still love you." His face seemed to redden for a moment, trying to calm himself. "No one has seen these but me, and no one will ever know about it, if I have my way about it. But while I may still love you..." He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to control his composure. "I can't look at you right now. I hope it was worth it, Kaitlynn. Truly." He slid out of the booth to his feet.
"The next time I see you, Kaitlynn, one of two things will happen. Either I will forgive you and put this behind us. Or I'll have documents for you to sign because I won't be able to. Isn't it fitting, Kaitlynn? The one man whom nearly cost us our marriage once was able to do it a second time. Only this time, he may get what he wants." Glancing down to the photos, he turned them over face down, not able to stand the sight of them. "By the way, welcome to SVW." And on those words, he headed out the door and didn't bother waiting for the driver to open his door as he did it himself.