FOUR WEEKS AGO

Having finished his live stream, promoting his triple threat match that he ended up winning, Stevie hopped into the shower and was preparing for bed when there was a knock on the door.

A curious expression crosses his face as he walks to the door and peeks through the peephole, not seeing anyone.

“Maybe the knocked on the wrong door,” he tells himself as he starts walking back towards the bed when the knocking occurs again, this time more persistent.

Stevie sighs and then walks over to the door, pulling it open and he, and his heart, both stop.

Never in a million years…

“What are you doing here, Vee?” Stevie asks the woman in the hallway.

Venus looks past him, “Gonna let me in or leave me out in the hallway?” she asks him.

Stevie would prefer she stayed out in the hallway, but who knows who might be lurking out there. He doesn’t need his business being spread around so he finally steps to the side and with a smirk, Venus steps into the room.

As Stevie closes the door, he asks again, “What are you doing here? How did you even find me?”

As if it were no big deal, Venus spins around to face him, “Your mother told me.”

“Of course, she did,” Stevie mutters under her breath. Since the day Stevie and Venus started dating back in high school, his mother was sure they were going to get married one day. Who knows, it probably wouldn’t have happened.

Venus made sure it didn’t.

“Are you pouting because she told me or because I’m here?” she asks him as she sits down on the edge of the bed.

“Both,” he tells her, walking over to pull a t-shirt from his suitcase and pulling it over his head, suddenly feeling very underdressed in front of his ex. “You haven’t told me why you were here.”

Venus chuckles, “I missed you. Is that reason enough? I haven’t seen you in months…”

“You haven’t seen me since you slept with the damn football team,” Stevie snaps at her.

Venus scoffs, “First, we’re adults now. It’s not the football team. Second, it wasn’t the football team, it was Joey Robertson.”

It sure as fuck was. Joey Robertson was Stevie’s nemesis in high school. Ever since Venus and Stevie got together, he tried everything to get her to have sex with him. At the mention of that jerk’s name, Stevie scowls at her, “That makes it okay?”

“I didn’t want you exaggerating what actually happened. I didn’t fuck around on you with everyone, like you seem to think I did. In fact, I didn’t even sleep with him,” she confesses.

“Bullshit,” Stevie says her. “I saw you two walk out of the bedroom together. Don’t try and fucking lie about it now.”

Venus sighs, “I wanted you to think I did! I was angry! I wanted you to be angry too. What did you expect me to do? Wait for you while you run off wrestling around the country?” She is on her feet now. “I’m just suppose to sit around while and be fucking bored because you get a big money contract?”

“It’s not big money. I’m just getting my footing, so if that’s why you’re here…”

“Goddammit, Stevie!” she yells at him. “I’m here because I fucked up, okay? I didn’t do anything.”

“I don’t believe you! I saw the look on that bastard’s face when you came out of that room!”

Venus shakes her head, “Nothing fucking happened! I asked him to make it seem that way because I was angry at you! You were leaving me! Goddammit, don’t you know that I love you?” She quickly grabs him and kisses him.

Stevie fights it for a moment, but memories flood back. Soon, clothing is discarded and passion ensues.


PRESENT

It’s been four weeks and to be honest, it’s been a little awkward. The sex has been great, but the silence has been overwhelming. To be honest, I’m not sure if I believe that nothing happened between her and Joey. Joey and his ugly-ass smug grin and Venus, looking guilty as fuck.

It’s just not the same.

The drive to Miami was long and silent. Finally, she speaks.

“Tell me about her.”

Venus has her feet on the dash while Stevie drives down the highway. They’ve just passed the state line. Confused, Stevie asks, “Who?”

“Jess Anderson,” Venus says. “Does she really have ‘the’ in front of her name as if she were hte most important Jess Anderson in the world?”

Stevie smirks, “I mean, that’s what she calls herself. If you’re asking if she’s that important, I couldn’t say to be honest. I’ve never fought her before. I heard some things before.”

“What things?”

Stevie is silent for a moment, “She’s the real deal. She’s going to be tough to overcome. She’s really going to test me.”

Venus nods, “Well, you’ve already fought the champ. You might not have won but you did good.”

“You saw that?”

“Of course, I’ve watched all of your matches so far,” she tells him.

When she goes quiet again, Stevie turns to look at her, fast asleep now. She’s always been beautiful, but something’s changed. Something’s different.


After checking into the hotel in Miami, Stevie lay there, listening to her snore softly next to him in the bed. He knew something had to change.

He slips out of bed, picks up his phone and fishes the old pack of smokes from his bag. Yeah, he quit, but these were his emergency cigs. As he slides the balcony door closed, he lights up and inhales the smoke deep into his lungs, and like an old friend, it gives him a warm feeling.

He opens his phone and opens the app.

He books her a flight back to Riverside.