Wrestling With Love

by Whitney Shope

  “So, he was a wrestling fan?”

  “Oh yeah, big time. We loved to talk about it and say what WE would do with a feud.”

  “So, I guess that inspired you to try for the internship?”

  “Yeah, hey speaking of, there's something I've been meaning to ask you.”

  “Okay, shoot!” he said.

  “On my first day there, when I met Britani, we were watching your match and she mentioned something about you talking about me for weeks. But how could you when we'd just met on the plane that day?”

  Trevor shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his face turning red.

  “Trevor?”

  “Okay, so don't freak out on me but I may or may not have read your submission before that day on the plane.”

  “WHAT?! Wait, how?” Mila asked.

  “I've got some pull backstage. When I came across your submission, I knew you were it, you were the one they'd pick. And I was right. There was such clear passion for the sport in your writing. Your feelings about pro wrestling made those characters and stories jump off the page.”

  “And I may have become a little infatuated with the woman who wrote that. Even though, I, umm, never met her a day in my life.”

  Trevor's gaze never left the carpet. Instead of getting mad, however, Mila laughed.

  “You know something, you are entirely too cute for your own good!”

  ***

  It was almost midnight and Trevor and Mila were still on the couch talking.

  So, what about your family? Who'd you leave behind in Millville, Indiana?”

  Mila sighed heavily, staring down at the bottle of water in her hands.

  “Not much to be honest. There's my Mom, my Dad, and my sister Andrea. She's 3 years older than me. I do have a younger brother, Brian, but he moved away literally ON his 18th birthday. Haven't heard from him since.”

  “Damn! Any idea why he did that?”

  “I have my suspicions that it had to do with his girlfriend Tori. They were talking about getting married, but my Mom was dead set against it. I think he left to marry her.”

  “What was your Mom's problem with this Tori girl?” Trevor asked.

  “She didn't think she was good enough for Brian. She was though; a smart girl; she had started in pre-med classes already. She was good to Brian, loved him. Mom didn't see all that. She saw someone who came from a rough upbringing and judged her by it.”

  “No offense but your Mom does sound pretty judgmental!”

  Mila scoffed.

  “You have no idea. The morning of Mikey's funeral, as I was getting ready, she came in and saw me trying to cover my bruises from the wreck with makeup while crying. She said, ‘it's a little late for tears now isn't it?’ and walked out.”

  “Jesus Mila.”

  “I heard her apologizing to Mikey's parents at the cemetery. As if I had taken a gun and shot him.”

  “Come here, baby.”

  Trevor, sensing that Mila needed a change in subject, pulled her over to him and wrapped his arms around her.

  “You've been through so much, yet you're still so positive in your outlook on things. So passionate and driven. You're an amazing woman Mila Stevens.”

  He kissed the top of her head and she took his hand, interlocking their fingers.

  “Hey, Trevor?”

  “Yeah?”

  Mila swallowed back tears as she said.

  “I love you too.”

  She felt Trevor practically jump off the couch and couldn't help but smile.

  “What? Mila, are you - seriously?”

  She giggled at his excitement and cupped the side of his face with her hand.

  “Yes Trevor, I love you!”

  Trevor suddenly crashed his lips to hers. This kiss was different somehow. It was urgent and needy. It felt like he was pleading with her, he needed her that bad.

  As if he read her thoughts, a panting Trevor pulled back and said, “Mila, I need you, please. I'd never try to rush you into anything, but I have never needed anyone or anything as much as I need to show you what I'm feeling right -”

  Mila cut his sentence off with a kiss of her own.

  “So, show me.”

  Chapter Eight

  By Tuesday afternoon the streets were clearing up and the snow had nearly completely stopped. Trevor had just gone home to his place to shower, change and eat. If she were being honest, Mila was a bit sad the blizzard had cleared out. She was thoroughly enjoying the isolation with Trevor.

  But now it was back to reality. Mila grabbed her phone to check for messages. Cell reception was slowly being restored after having gone down sometime in the afternoon Sunday.

  Right away the messages roll in. There was a page worth of work emails but calling Vi seemed like a much better choice right at that moment. She'd been stuck in Queens the whole time with her ridiculously loud and hilariously amazing Aunt Frieda. Frieda smoked like a chimney, wore leopard print like it was a solid white, and could lay on Jewish guilt better than anyone.

  “Oh, thank God, sanity! Mila, save me!” Violet said as she answered the phone.

  “Nice to talk to you too pal-o-mine!”

  “Oh hush and come out somewhere with me!”

  “Like where?” Mila asked.

  “That new boutique over on Haven Street? I saw some of their jewelry on their IG page and it was beautiful!!”

  “Well, I have a ton of work to catch up on, when did you want to go?”

  Just then Mila heard the unmistakable chain-smoker yell of Violet’s Aunt Frieda in the background

  “Violet!! Grab your Aunt Frieda a Sprite, would you? If it's too much trouble I can just wait. I'm sure my blood sugar won't drop that quick!”

  Mila can't help but giggle at Violet's dilemma.

  “Now”, Violet said, “We should definitely go now!”

  An hour later Mila and Violet were browsing through MandV Boutique. It was an adorable little boutique that had a little of everything.

  “Aww, look at this little onesie!” Violet said, taking the tiny, soft fabric between her fingers.

  “I had no idea you were so into baby things!” Mila said smiling at her friend.

  “Oh, I love kids, it's just hard in this business we're in. So even if I did manage to find a nice guy to settle down with, having kids is a whole other story.”

  “You haven't met a wrestler you fell in love with?”

  Mila winked and said this teasingly. She was fully aware of the history of pro wrestlers marrying each other. Finding love within this industry seemed almost a requirement, one Mila was beginning to understand herself.

  “I've dated some, yes smartass!”

  “Like whom?

  “What, the dirt sheets didn't fill you in?” Violet said as she rolled her eyes.

  The dirt sheets, the gossip columns of the wrestling world, could get vicious. Divorces, arrests, catfights, drug problems. Real or completely made up, nothing was off-limits to them. They also had free reign on the internet, essentially giving them the power to seriously damage, if not destroy a wrestler’s career.

  “Believe it or not, I don't make it a habit to read those so much. When I had my column, it was born out of my blog, on my domain. Not some gossip fest!”

  “I know, I'm sorry Mila. I guess I just have a love-hate relationship with those things. Especially after the ‘Randall Scandal’.”

  A couple of years back someone came out with this list of alleged conquests of Randall Davis. It became known as "The Randall Scandal " because of the number of names, not to mention who those names were. One of the top names? Star Carano. No one ever could prove the validity of the list, but it left its mark.

  “I guess that threw the backstage area into chaos for a while, huh?” asked Mila.

  “Oh, yeah it did for sure. It threw my life into more chaos than backstage though.”

  “I don't follow what you. . .wait, you and Randall?!”

  “Don't look so shocked, geez!”
/>   “Sorry, it's just... you guys...”

  “Seem so different? Can't stand each other? How would we ever work?” Violet said, finishing Mila’s sentence for her.

  “That about covers it,” Mila said, trying not to laugh.

  “Well, it wasn't always like it is now.”

  Violet touched the hem of a lavender dress and the soft expression on her face made her suddenly far less Violet Femme and far more Kristen Scott.

  “What do you think of this dress?”

  “You loved him, didn't you Vi?”

  Violet looked up at Mila with sad eyes, just as a little girl in her "Femme Fatale" shirt approached. Violet immediately went into PR mode, laughing, taking pictures and whatnot.

  But Mila couldn't help but feel a tug. She felt so bad for Vi, but she also couldn't help but think to herself.

  “Do all relationships in this business fail?”

  ONE MONTH LATER

  It had been a month since the blizzard. Mila and Trevor had been doing great. Though their relationship is known by all in the company and they make no effort to hide in public, neither had bothered to confirm or deny it to the prying eyes of the dirt sheets and wrestling fans online period. They figured, let them draw their own conclusions.

  Work had been hectic, but pretty satisfying for Mila. She'd even seen one of her storylines make it to TV. But with both Christmas and the end of Mila's internship rapidly approaching, the pressure had been on. And Mila was starting to feel it.

  “Girl, you know I love you, but you look like crap!” Britani said bluntly.

  “Thanks, Brit, you sure know how to boost a girl's self-esteem!”

  The girls sat in Mila's office where Mila was nursing a pounding headache. As she sat there with her head in her hands Britani was there to "comfort " her.

  “When's Trevor's flight due in?”

  Mila glanced at her watch, mentally doing time zone math.

  “Another three hours or so. Then we're supposed to go Christmas tree shopping.”

  “You sure you're up to that babe?”

  “It's our first Christmas together Brit, this is a big deal. We're all lucky Donahue's even letting us have time off for Christmas!”

  “Oh, trust me, I know. If I weren’t trying to heal up my back, I'd still be on the road with Trevor and Randall and everybody. Frankly, the only thing I'm missing is the chance to drag Star all over that ring by her cheap extensions!”

  The sudden knock on her door made Mila jump and caused Britani to take her feet off Mila's desk and sit up straight.

  “Come in!” Mila called.

  The door swiftly opened to reveal Samantha.

  “Ms. Stevens, can Mr. Donahue and I see you in his office please?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  Mila shot Britani a confused look as she got up to follow Samantha. Britani merely offered a shoulder shrug and mouthed "how would I know?"

  The entire walk to the elevators and up to Mr. Donahue's office had all the markings of a student being led to the principal's office. Or worse yet, of a lamb being led to slaughter. Mila's stomach was a nervous wreck by the time they reached the office.

  Dominic Donahue stood in his office, confidence, bordering on cockiness, on full display.

  “Ms. Stevens, please, have a seat.”

  He gestured to an oversized leather chair in front of his desk, next to where Samantha had already taken a seat.

  “I'm just going to cut to the chase, Ms. Stevens. We've been evaluating your work, weighing our options, and-”

  “This could all be over. My dreams, my plans, my… Trevor” she thought.

  “Your writing stood out in the best of ways,” Samantha said.

  “And that's why we've decided to offer you a contract.”

  “Seriously?” Mila exclaimed.

  “Yes seriously. I expect your work to stay the same high quality, with no slacking off because you're full-time now. If I can get your signature here on a few papers, this is just making it official, laying out your salary increase and benefits package.” Mr. Donahue said, in full-on businessman mode.

  Mila was absolutely over the moon happy! Her dream job at her dream company, a great guy in her life, great friends. The salary increase meant she'd soon be able to afford a place of her own.

  And yet, she couldn’t shake the nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach.

  “Why does something feel off?” she thought.

  After signing and initialing several papers, Mila thanked Mr. Donahue and Samantha before exiting his office. To her surprise, Samantha followed.

  “Hey, Mila, are you and Trevor coming for Christmas dinner?”

  “I'm sorry I didn't know the company was having one.”

  “Not the company silly, the family dinner!” Samantha said, a broad smile on her face.

  Mila was definitely not picking up what she was putting down.

  “I'm sorry. I don't follow.”

  “Leave it to my bonehead brother to forget, I swear he'd for-”

  Mila only realized that the expression on her face must've changed when Samantha suddenly looked just as stricken.

  “He didn't tell you, did he?”

  “Tell me what, what is going on here?” Samantha asked, her patience growing shorter.

  “Mila, Trevor's my little brother.”

  Suddenly it was like all the air had been sucked out of the room. Mila tried to gather herself enough to speak.

  “I see. . .so that would mean he's also Mr. Donahue's. -”

  “Son, yes. I'm so sorry Mila, I just assumed he would've told you by now. I mean, I know he's not proud of it, but I also know that he's very serious about you.” said Samantha.

  “I- I'm sorry Samantha I need to get back to my office.”

  Mila said this while backing away from her.

  Samantha looked down sheepishly.

  “Of course, again, I'm really sorry.”

  Mila turned on her heel and hurried back to her office, ready to punch something and then cry it out on Britani's shoulder. But when she opened her office door, she was greeted by Britani, Violet and the just returned Trevor, all waiting for the verdict on Mila's internship.

  “Babe! How'd it go?” Trevor asked.

  “Yeah”, Violet said, “what'd they say, I'm dying over here!”

  At that moment looking at Trevor, Mila saw red. After everything they'd been through, how could he conveniently leave out this little piece of information?

  So, she reacted in the only way her brain would let her at that moment. She walked up to a smiling Trevor...

  And slapped him across the face!

  “Tell your sister you'll be attending Christmas dinner alone!”

  And without another word, Mila grabbed her coat and purse and left a room full of stunned faces.

  Chapter Nine

  M ila was furiously stomping her way through the house. Once inside her bedroom, she took off her shoes and chucked them in the general direction of her closet. After a long shower, which calmed her down slightly, she pulled on some comfy clothes and prepared to eat her weight in ice cream.

  No sooner had she and some butter pecan settled in on the couch than a loud banging on her door started.

  “Mila Stevens you know I will stand here banging on this door all night if I have to, open up!”

  She knew he was right. She wasn't going to be able to watch "Dawson's Creek " reruns on Netflix with his incessant pounding.

  “Ugh!!!”

  Slamming her ice cream on the coffee table she made her way to the door and ripped it open.

  “What do you want, I don't have time for liars!”

  “Mila, I never lied to you.”

  “Oh, so conveniently leaving out the fact that both of my bosses, including the fucking CEO of the company are your sister and father, that's better?”

  “Mila, please let me in. We need to talk and it's freezing out here!”

  “See, this is why I never let anyone in. If
you don't let them get close enough, they can't hurt you!” she yelled.

  “Mila, baby I never meant to hurt you, that's the last thing I'd want to do. I was trying to protect you, and selfishly probably myself too.”

  “You have 10 minutes, max!”

  With that, Mila opened her door.

  “I'd like to at least hug you but I'm guessing that's off the table right now?”

  Mila leveled him with a glare.

  “It's not even in the same room as the table!” she shouted, before turning back to face him, barely even coming up for air.

  “Why, Trevor? Why would you keep something so major from me? I thought we had no secrets. I poured my heart out to you!”

  Trevor at least had the good sense to look ashamed.

  “I know baby, it's just. I guess it's a combination of fear and shame. Fear of what you’d think of me once you knew I was related to them. And the shame of even being connected to them in the first place. I didn't want you to think less of me because of it.”

  “Well, try me,” Mila said as she gestured to the couch for Trevor to sit down.

  “Enlighten me. Trevor, we can't possibly work if you're holding back on me. If you want a future with me, you have to let me in on your past.”

  “I know... and I do want a future with you, that's all I want. It's just not a pretty picture.” Trevor said, fidgeting with the rips in his well-worn jeans.

  “It never is Trevor.”

  Trevor let out a deep sigh as Mila joined him on the couch.

  “Right, so. . .Dominic Donahue is my father. By blood and on paper, but that's about it. He met my Mom when she was a cocktail waitress at this ritzy ass restaurant he used to go to. One of those fat cats, cigar-smoking brandy drinking type places where big shots go to ‘negotiate deals’.”

  “My Mom, Janet Morgan, was just 20. She was working her way through college. She wanted to be a chef, and she could've been, she was an amazing cook. She was amazing period.”

  Mila noted the sadness in Trevor's eyes as he spoke of his mother. It was like she was seeing that 7-yr-old little boy who lost his whole world.

  “Anyway, he sweet-talked her, wined and dined her. Before long she was pregnant. He... wanted her to get rid of it, of me. When she said no, he knew he had to marry her quickly. If high society got a hold of the story he'd be ruined. So, they went down to a justice of the peace and he moved her into his house.”