Post by Deleted on May 10, 2018 17:55:47 GMT -5
May 5th 2018
The scene opens up at the Fox & Hound, a bar located pretty close to the Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Hotel in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was Cinco de Mayo and while it was pretty late in the night, it wasn’t going to keep Astrid Sedin from “celebrating” after Anarchy was over because after beating the EHWF Heavyweight Champion for the second week in a row, she thought she deserved it. So there she was, sitting in a booth at the side of the room an array of various bar foods sitting in front of her as well as fresh margarita, her second of the night. She had just munched down on a potato skin when she turned her head and saw her ex-fiance the Anarchy General Manager Extraordinaire Joshua Samson, Esquire walk in, causing her to roll her eyes.
“Can’t he leave me the fuck alone?”
Astrid tried to shield herself from his view as she took a long sip of her margarita. Joshua, heavy bags under his eyes caused by a long night of working, already drinking, the heated debate he had with Astrid’s aunt a few hours ago, or all three things combined, slowly chews on an unlit cigar as he saddles up to the bar. Handing the barkeep his credit card, indicating he was opening a running tab, he orders his poison of choice.
“Cognac….and keep them coming nonstop.”
Rubbing his beard, he slightly pivots on the barstool to scan the bar scene. Within a matter of seconds his vision falls on the sight of Astrid and her horrible attempt of hiding herself.
“Ain’t this some shit!”
He removes the cigar from his mouth and exhales audibly.
“I could have stayed at the hotel lounge for this. I’m out of here.”
Joshua stands to his feet, his face contorting as he mentally plays over his current options. The bartender placing his drink onto the bar draws his attention.
“Fuck it!”
He reaches over, grabs the drink, and slams it back.
“No more ducking and dodging and Twitter games.”
With a purposeful (as much as he can while already being intoxicated) stride, Joshua makes it over to stand in front of Astrid’s booth. She rolls her eyes as she takes another elongated sip.
“For once… can’t you listen to what it is that I want. Greedy bastard.”
“Nope.”
He slides into the booth next to her without as much as an invite.
“Nice spread you got here.”
“Well I was hungry and since I don’t have to listen to your demands about what I put in my body anymore… I’m celebrating. It is a holiday after all.”
Grabbing a hot boneless wing, she pops it in her mouth as she glares at him as if she was shooting daggers with her eyes.
“Oh the food….yeah it’s nice too.”
“Keep your grubby hands away from my food. It is mine and I didn’t invite your daft ass over here. Can’t you tell that I want to be left alone?”
“I don’t give a shit about you wanting to be left alone, Astrid. It’s past goddamn time that we talked about this adult to child.”
“Right now I don’t feel like speaking to a little boy… I just want to eat my food and celebrate the fact that I’ve bested Oliver Black two times in a row. And that I’m free of you.”
“Little boy, huh? That’s not what I had your ass screaming all those times during our ‘late night conversations,’ huh?”
“Who said I wasn’t faking?”
A slight twist of her lips caused a slight chuckle to escape her lips as she swirls a tortilla chip around in the queso. He leans in closer to her, resting his arm behind her on the back of the booth.
“You’re not that great of an actress, Lil’ Bit.”
“Yeah well Little Joshy isn’t as big as you think he is.”
Popping the chip in her mouth, she let the subtle heat of the queso sweep over her tongue.
“Or little Lil’ Bit isn’t as little as you think she is. Can you say Black Hole?”
“I think you’re getting Kelli and I confused. I mean, you technically fucked us both in the same day.”
Under the table, he fidgets with the engagement on his pinkie finger of his left hand.
“Oh this again. First your Aunt Clair and now you. You fucking women are a goddamn trip…”
“Hey, you were the one spotted going into a elevator with her drunk off your ass. And I know how you get when you’re drunk. You couldn’t wait to jump her bones… which is just what she wanted.”
Joshua shakes his head in genuine disappointment. A waitress makes her way over to the booth, a fresh cognac in hand. She places it on the table and gets a halfway smile from the Executive Representative.
“Really, Astrid? Really?!”
“You tell me then if it happened or not. Keep in mind… you don’t have that great of a poker face, so I’ll be able to tell if you’re lying.”
“I’m offended that you would even ask me something like that!”
He takes a long sip of his drink, glass in his left hand.
“So you’re either a snowflake or it’s true. Come on… grow a pair of balls Joshua. After all the embarrassment I’ve been put through at her hands… you should at least be able to tell me that.”
“And what will that accomplish? In your heart...in the love I know you still have for us...you already know the answer to that, Asti.”
“Again, I know what you’re like drunk and the only reason why you haven’t been sticking it in another woman was because I’ve been there for you to stick it in. So tell me… yes or no. Stop dancing around the situation like it’s a UFC match. Either twist the dagger you thrust into my heart… or pull it out and fix my heart.”
Joshua reaches over and tucks a few of Astrid’s stray hairs behind her ear, making sure the back of his hand caresses her cheek as he pulls back.
“Is your heart hurting?”
“What do you think idiot?”
She looks at him, eyes full of anger and sadness.
“I think that your heart loves me, Astri. I think that you’re fighting this on a misguided principle alone. You want me as much as I want you.”
“You’re drunk right now… of course you want me… there’s a vagina between my legs. And how do you know what I want? You didn’t seem to care about what I wanted a few days ago when you jumped down my throat, taking Jazmin’s side of things before you talked to me to get my side of the story. Dagger… into heart. Then you “spent the night” with Kelli… dagger twisted, shredding my heart. Why do you think I gave the ring back? Because each time I looked it I was reminded of what happened and the dagger twisted just a little bit more.”
“You were way out of line with all that Jazzy thing. No one was being disrespectful to your ass and if you were so self-absorbed you would have realized that. You hurt the feelings of a child, Astrid. You hurt the feelings of someone I consider my family. You hurt me!”
He banged his fist on the table with emphasis causing everything on it to shake.
“She is 20 years old for fuck’s sake… a grown ass woman. If she can’t handle shit, she has no business being a wrestler. She’s the one that disrespected me, calling me old and acting like 6 years is 1000. And you hurt the feelings of someone you also considered family… did you ever think of that? Or the fact that Hanna, who adores you for some unknown reason, is now going to have her heart broken as well. She was looking forward to coming out to California for the summer and now I have to tell her that it won’t be happening. She’s only 12, going to be 13. HANNA IS THE ONLY CHILD IN THIS SITUATION!”
The attending patrons in the bar look over in their direction as Astrid’s voice was louder than the music bumping through the speakers of the establishment. Joshua pays them no mind as he keeps his attention on his ex-fiancee.
“For the official record, Jazzy is only nineteen. She doesn’t turn twenty until August. But it’s funny hearing you talking about taking shit and not being able to handle it. Maybe you need to take you your advise, Ms. Grown Ass Woman. As far as Hanna Banana, that’s your fucking fault! You are the one that ended us, not me. Hanna Banana might be the only child but you’re the only one that is behaving like one.”
“You told me she was 20. I ended it because YOU BROKE MY HEART! And she’s Hanna to you… you lost the right for any cutesy nicknames.”
“Hanna Banana….Hanna Banana….Hanna Banana!”
“I really want to hit you right now.”
Joshua slides his hand down onto her leg.
“I really want to kiss you right now.”
She slaps him away.
“You don’t have the balls to try. You’re playing with me right now and if you touch me again, I will cut little Josh off right here and now.”
“If that gets you to touch him then I’m willing to take those risks.”
He leans in close enough to kiss her neck, right below her ear.
“I miss you, Astrid.”
Astrid shuddered with pleasure at the feeling.
“You’re going to mess up my food.”
“Does it look like I care?”
He kisses her again in the same spot.
“I care… I haven’t had a decent amount of junk food in weeks and I haven’t eaten at all today. I’m starving.”
She craned her neck ever so slightly. He leans into her even further to plant a longer, more passionate kiss to her neck.
“So am I.”
“You’re starving for something other than food and right now… I want wings.”
“So you honestly can sit here and not feel what I’m feeling? Us being this close to each other doesn’t erupt the emotion I know that ISN’T buried too far deep inside?”
“There’s delicious fried and cheesy goodies in front of my face, things you don’t let me have because you treat me like a child, telling me what I can and cannot eat like I’m 6, not 26.”
“If you were six I wouldn’t be kissing on you like I am now, now would I?”
Another long passionate kiss to her neck.
“No, because that would be disgusting. But you treat me like one sometimes and it pisses me off. Why can’t you let me have what I want?”
He pulls back from her.
“Astrid, I’ve given you everything that you’ve ever asked of me. I might have put up a fuss about it but you can’t honestly say I don’t give you want you want? You name it, you’ve gotten it.”
“To let me eat what I want to eat, regardless of its nutritional contents. Stop sending your lackeys with me when I want to go somewhere with you… like Paris. I’m still mad you sent Jake.”
“I’m your Executive Representative. It’s my job to insure that you’re in top physical form especially when you have aspirations to gun for the Heavyweight Championship. Eating junk days before matches isn’t conducive for a champion. But after those matches, I never stopped you from gorging yourself on whatever.”
Joshua takes a drink of his cognac before continuing.
“Paris? How long ago was that?”
“So long that I can’t remember. But you were supposed to be my fiance BEFORE my executive representative. And you couldn’t see that I was unhappy.”
“If you were unhappy about me going you should have said that then. I can’t read your mind. Besides you know I couldn’t make because of my workload at the time. That’s the only reason I sent Jake.”
“I thought the reason why you hired him in the first place was to have him assist you… not play babysitter. It was Paris for crying out loud… I had plans to do things that I couldn’t do with Jake. I actually lost out on a decent sum of money because of it.”
Tears started to well up in her eyes.
“I just wanted to be your sole, full focus for a couple of days. I love you and at times it felt like business came before me. That’s why I wasn’t going to let you give it to her… it meant too much to you.”
“Money lost? I can give you back that money right now if it’s such a big deal. But I just couldn’t get away from all my work at that time. You know I juggle so many hats and I just can’t up and drop them all at a whim. Know this though I was ready to give up EVERYTHING to Kelli if it meant protecting you...protecting us. None of it means shit to me if I don’t have you….none of it.”
“Fine, ignore the part where I said I love you. If I can take down the likes of Raab and Hunter, I can take down a bitch like her. Why can’t you let me… protect you?”
“I’m not ignoring anything. I heard you and you should KNOW I love you, Asti.”
“Then tell me the truth of the other night when she showed up to the bar.”
“You. Know. The. Truth.”
“But I need to hear the confirmation. I. Need. To. Hear. It. Please...”
A tear slowly begins to roll down her cheek, her eyes starting to get red. Turning his attention to his half empty glass, Joshua mentally steadies himself. He takes another gulp.
“Astrid, if you truly ever, ever loved me this shouldn’t even be a topic.”
“Why can’t you…”
“Because I rather do this….”
Gently grasping her chin, Joshua leans in and plants a passionate kiss to her mouth. Astrid starts to melt into the kiss, kissing him back as she moves her body closer to his, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“I think we should get my food boxed up.”
“Or just leave it and I get you more in the morning?”
“Or have them box it up and have it sent to my room? I can get it there in the morning.”
“Whatever….”
He kisses her again.
“Please…”
She glides her hand up his thigh as she moves her body so that she’s sitting in his lap, her chest pressing against his. He firmly grabs her buttocks while passionately planting kisses to her mouth and back to her neck and back again.
“I want you...I need you...now, Astrid….”
“Let’s get out of here.”
She scurries over to the waitress, slides her enough money for her orders and tips and tells her to box up what she hasn’t eaten before sending it next door to their hotel.
“Are you coming?”
Standing from the booth, Joshua awkwardly buttons up his suit jacket in order to hide his protruding “bulge of business” in his pants. He slams back the rest of his cognac before smiling at Astrid.
“More than once if I have my way.”
“You perv. Let’s go or you lose your chance!”
“Right behind you, Lil’ Bit. Oh wait, we’ll go to my room because isn’t Mrs. Firth’s in yours?”
“Yes she is… isn’t Jazmin in yours?”
“Fuck!”
“We can get another. You’re loaded remember?”
She smirked as they headed for the door.
“We’ll use my pseudonym… Rona Horvat.”
“Works for me. Let’s get to it then.”
She smiles as she takes his hand, pulling him towards the hotel.
Fade.
Astrid Sedin