The Rematch (Wrestling Diaries #2)

by Sarah Bale

We boarded the plane bright and early in the morning. I couldn’t help but notice how different things felt between Denver and I. He wasn’t being cold exactly, but reserved. We’d crossed several lines over the past three days and that would have to be addressed at some point. Not today, though.

  My body still hummed from the last orgasm he’d given me at the hotel. He was right about one thing. I’d forever compare future lovers to him. He was so fucking good. Shaking my head, I pushed the thought aside.

  When we were seated on the plane he put on sunglasses and stared out the window.

  “I hope the weather’s not bad in Kansas City.”

  “Huh?”

  I held back a sigh and repeated what I’d said.

  “Oh. Yeah.”

  The plane took off and I read a book I’d packed. At least with a book I didn’t have to force a conversation, plus it was really good. Denver dozed and I glanced at him as he slept. I hoped we hadn’t made a mistake. It hadn’t felt like one at the time.

  When we landed there was a car waiting to take us to the hotel, which was nice since it was snowing. Too bad I hadn’t packed a coat. This time he didn’t offer me his and I tried not to take it personally. Why was I being so sensitive?

  At the hotel I mentioned getting my own room, but Denver shook his head.

  “No, I want you to stay with me. That is, if you want to,” He paused. “I have to meet with Richmond and run over the script with him and then I’ll be free.”

  At least he wasn’t telling me to go away. That was good, right?

  I replied, “I’ll be here then, waiting.”

  He kissed me on the cheek before he left. I wondered if LaTonya was with Richmond, so I sent her a text. She called me right back.

  “Are you here?”

  “Yeah.”

  I gave her the room number and she said she’d be right over. While I waited I scrolled through my text messages to see what I’d missed while my phone had been off. The last one made my heart skip. Mesquite. There was a knock on the door, so I put my phone down before I read the message.

  LaTonya looked so sad that I threw my arms around her, hugging her close.

  “Thanks. I needed that,” she sniffled.

  “How’s Richmond?”

  “Awful. He won’t even talk to me right now. I think he’s blaming me.”

  “Why?”

  She sat on the bed and replied, “It was my idea to go skiing. How in the hell would I have known he’d never been on a triple black diamond trail before? I mean, he should have said something!”

  “So he hurt himself skiing?”

  “Yeah. Tore his ACL. The doctor says he’ll have to have surgery and then it’ll take at least six weeks for recovery. Probably longer, though.”

  Ouch. That meant he’d be missing some pretty big events.

  “I asked if he wanted me to go to the hospital with him and he said no.”

  Her bottom lip quivered.

  “I’m sorry, LaTonya. You know he doesn’t mean it, though. He’s probably just freaking out right now.”

  “I just hope I can talk so sense into him. He’s going to need help around the house.”

  I replied, “Try talking to him after his meeting with Denver.”

  She groaned. “I forgot you were on vacation with Denver, too. I’m so sorry to ruin things for you!”

  “No, it’s fine. Part of the job, right?”

  “How did Denver take the news? More importantly how did you take it?”

  “He seems excited to get the belt. I’m happy for him, I guess.”

  Her eyebrows lifted. “No, not that part. The news about who he’s going to lose the belt to.”

  I shook my head, not knowing what she was talking about.

  “Oh boy…”

  “What is it?”

  She bit her bottom lip and said, “He’s going to win the belt tomorrow - and then lose it at the next pay-per-view - to Mesquite.”

  I swear it felt like someone punched me in the stomach. There went my three-month period without Mesquite hanging around.

  “I’m sorry. I thought they told him when they called the other day. And I assumed if they had that he would tell you.”

  Suddenly it all made sense. That’s why he had been in such a weird mood. He knew Mesquite was coming back and he hadn’t said anything to me. I grabbed my phone and read the text from Mesquite.

  Mesquite: Can we talk? I don’t want things to be weird when I come back.

  Mesquite: Jamie?

  Mesquite: Not sure if you’re ignoring me or busy…

  Mesquite: Please, I don’t want things to be awkward when I come back to work…

  Fuck!

  “Do you know if he’s back now?”

  “No, I think he has to finish filming his movie. He’ll be back in a couple of weeks.”

  I groaned. “Of course this would happen now!”

  “Did I miss something?”

  “Denver and I kind of hooked up on our vacation…”

  She smirked. “Kind of hooked up? I’m not surprised. What does this mean for the two of you?”

  “I don’t know. He’s been acting weird and we haven’t really talked about things. Now I’m wondering if it’s because he knows Mesquite is coming back.”

  I was ninety-nine percent sure that was the reason.

  “Honey, this is something you probably need to figure out before Mesquite comes back.”

  Except there wasn’t enough time to figure anything out – that could take years.

  I stood, needing to move. “Why does it even matter if he comes back or not? He made his choice!”

  “Jesus, Jamie. Did you not get any of the texts I sent while you were gone? It matters because he’s single!”

  “What?”

  I felt faint. Oh my god. What in the hell had I missed?

  “He told Richmond he made a huge mistake by not picking you and that he ended it with his fiancée for good. I texted you as soon as I heard.”

  I shook my head. “It doesn’t mean anything.”

  “Jamie, you need to talk to Denver. Tonight.”

  I nodded, but didn’t promise anything.

  She stood. “I better get going. Mr. Grumpy Pants wanted soup for dinner so I’m going to make sure it’s ready for him.” She hugged me. “Sorry for always being the bearer of bad news.”

  She let herself out and I went to the window to look out. Mesquite was coming back. Denver and I had hooked up. And now we were going to have a talk I wasn’t ready to have. Ugh. Why hadn’t I just stayed in Cancun?

  December 24

  It’s amazing how sex can be used to avoid something. It was working wonderfully in my situation. Kind of. Denver sighed in contentment and rolled next to me in the bed. The heavyweight belt sat on the dresser across the room and gleamed in the light.

  Watching him win had been awesome, but I couldn’t help feel dread, too. And poor Richmond had cried as he limped away from the ring, which wasn’t scripted. LaTonya waited for him backstage, though, so hopefully he’d let her comfort him.

  “What time do you have to get up in the morning?”

  “I need to be on the road by eight. Are you coming with me?”

  The next event was in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was freezing in Kansas City. I could only imagine what it’d be like in Nebraska.

  “I might just fly home for a few days.”

  “I don’t blame you. I’m not looking forward to freezing my balls off.”

  I laughed. “You live in Colorado. You should be used to it.”

  “This is a different kind of cold.” He was silent for a moment and then said, “Jamie, we need to talk, but I really don’t want to do it yet.”

  “Then don’t.”

  I was being unfair and I knew it. We needed to talk, but I was scared.

  Denver pulled me on top, so that I straddled him. “Then let’s do other things.”

  I was more than willing to oblige.

  December 25


  It sucked that Denver had to work on Christmas Day, but for me it meant a fairly quiet travel day. Most people had already rushed home and my flight wasn’t crowded. I’d used points and sat in first class, which meant there was a much-needed glass of champagne waiting for me.

  I couldn’t get my mind off Denver and Mesquite. What did I want to happen? It wasn’t fair to Denver to drag things out if I wasn’t ready to commit. But was I? I thought I was over Mesquite, but last night I had a dream about him and now - now I wasn’t sure.

  Our relationship had been a whirlwind. We moved too fast and fell too hard. Had I even really loved him? That’s what bothered me. Deep down I think I had. But then I got scared about living with him and he’d picked his ex over me. And that was that.

  Wasn’t it?

  December 26

  Denver called to say he couldn’t come to Texas like we’d planned.

  “It’s part of the deal, Jamie. I’m the champ now. I have to promote for the next pay-per-view.”

  I held back a sigh. “But we were supposed to talk.”

  “And we still will. You still have time off from work, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then can we meet in Seattle? I should have some free time then.”

  Free time? Is that what we were now? I didn’t like how that felt. I wanted something other than being free time.

  “Jamie?”

  “Yeah, that will be fine. But we need to talk.”

  And not have sex. That was the big part. Sex would just make things worse.

  “I agree.”

  “I’ve been taking notes so I don’t forget anything.”

  He chuckled. “Good. I’ll write some things down, too.”

  There was a moment of silence and then I said, “Okay. I’ll see you then.”

  I ended the call before I chickened out. At least this gave me more time to figure out what I wanted.

  December 31

  This was the first New Years Eve I’d spent away from home and it was kind of nice. I wasn’t looking forward talking to Denver, though. Over the last few days I had gone back and forth on how I felt. My head ached from stress, but I was determined to be true to my heart.

  Denver waited at the airport for me and I couldn’t help but grin when I saw him.

  He pulled me into a hug and said, “‘Bout time you got here.”

  “Sorry. Plane was delayed in Dallas. They had to de-ice it.”

  That’s one part I didn’t like about flying in the winter. The ice made me nervous. Like what if the plane couldn’t stop properly on the runway?

  Denver took my luggage by the handle and we walked outside. A few fans stopped us along the way.

  A female fan surprised me by saying, “You must be the girl who used to date Mesquite. I read that you were dating Denver now. You are so lucky!”

  I was speechless. I mean, what could I say to that?

  Denver winked at me before saying to the woman, “Don’t believe everything you read, darling.”

  Her cheeks darkened in a blush as he signed the poster she’d brought. It was always fascinating watching a wrestler interact with a fan. Some were kind. Some were rude. And some didn’t know reality versus fiction. Those were the ones you had to be leery of.

  Denver waved to the group as we walked to the rental car pickup area.

  Once in the car I said, “You must be getting mobbed more since winning the belt.”

  “Yeah, it’s getting worse. Some woman tried to get into my hotel room. I’ve seen her around at a few shows, too. Security is keeping an eye out for her.”

  Shaking my head, I replied, “That sucks.”

  “Nah, it’s kind of cool. It’s nice to finally know what some of the other guys go through.”

  Denver would see it that way. His outlook on life was so positive. Most would be complaining and he thought it was ‘cool’.

  I bit my inner cheek and then asked, “Are we still going to talk?”

  His hands gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. “Yeah, but not right now. I want to at least enjoy one last dinner with you. And maybe even a kiss at midnight, if I’m lucky.”

  Why did I feel like this was the beginning of goodbye? And why wasn’t I more upset at the thought? We were silent as we drove to the hotel. Fans stood outside even though it was cold and rainy. Some held signs with Denver’s name on them.

  We pulled up to the valet line and got out. People called Denver over, but this time he just waved and took me by the hand as we walked. Our room was on the top floor and there was a bottle of champagne waiting for us.

  Looking at the label, I said, “Dang. The hotel is really going out of its way to impress you.”

  He tossed his coat over a chair before replying, “It’s not from the hotel. I ordered it. I wanted to make sure our night was perfect.”

  That made my chest ache. He was too sweet – sweeter than I deserved.

  He ran his finger over my bottom lip. “None of that, Jamie. Whatever happens after tonight will be fine. I’m just glad for the time we’ve had.”

  I knew then what the outcome of the night would be, but I decided to enjoy my time with Denver.

  We both changed and went to the arena. I chatted with familiar faces, asking how their holidays had been. When Denver’s body tensed next to me, I knew who approached without looking.

  “Happy New Year,” Mesquite said. He spoke to both of us, but his gaze zeroed in on me.

  His eyes had been one of the first things I’d noticed. And they still affected me, though I wished they didn’t.

  “Happy New Year.” Denver answered and shook his hand.

  Mesquite looked at me. “Jamie.”

  I nodded. “Mesquite.”

  Denver put his arm around my shoulder and said, “We were just about to grab some food. See you later, man.”

  I hated how I could feel Mesquite’s gaze on me as we walked toward the makeshift café.

  “I didn’t know he was going to be here.”

  “Neither did I,” Denver said in a low tone.

  He was still tense and it made me feel awful.

  “I’m going to go ask around and make sure the script hasn’t changed.”

  He left me standing with some of the wrestlers I’d met over the last few months. They were nice, but I also knew they’d be talking about me as soon as I was gone. Thankfully Mesquite didn’t come into the room. I ran through a few options of what I would do if he did. Run was the first choice. Ignore him. Slap him. Hmmm. Maybe it would be good if he came…

  Denver came back and touched my shoulder. “Can we talk?”

  No. No. No. I hated that phrase!

  Smiling, I stood and followed him from the room. He led me to an empty hallway, which didn’t help the sense of dread I felt.

  “What’s up?”

  “They’ve moved everything up. Mesquite is going to announce tomorrow that he’s coming for the belt.”

  “Why are they changing things?”

  The muscle in his jaw clenched. “They don’t feel I’m a good fit for the main spot. They think one of the bigger guys can carry the title better.”

  “That’s bullshit!” I glanced around to make sure we were still alone. “Denver…”

  “Thanks for having faith in me. Maybe they’re right. Who knows? All I know is I’ll have the belt for one more month and then it goes to Mesquite – probably until Richmond returns.”

  He sounded defeated, like he believed what they were saying.

  “I’m sorry.” There wasn’t really anything else I could offer to make him feel better.

  “Part of the game, I guess.”

  It always boiled down to the game, even Mesquite had said as much.

  “They’re talking about having me do some promotional work in Europe, Asia, and Australia, after I lose the belt. They say it’s because I’m good with people, but I think it’s so I won’t be on TV as much.”

  Gosh, what could I even say to t
hat?

  He shook his head and chuckled, though there was no humor in what he was saying. “So it’s a good thing I bought the good champagne. I want to go out in style.”

  I threw my arms around his neck and held on to him. My poor, sweet Denver. He deserved better than the hand he was being dealt, including with me.

  He kissed my temple and said, “Just promise me something, Jamie.”

  “Anything.”

  “Whatever your answer was – don’t change it. I don’t want what I just told you to make you feel sorry for me. If you pick me then it’s because you want to be with me. And if you let me go, then it’s because we aren’t a good fit.”

  I nodded, unable to speak. Tonight was going to be one of the hardest of my life. But I owed it to myself to be truthful to Denver.

  The show started and I watched from the audience in a ringside comp seat. I kept thinking about Denver and how difficult the next few weeks would be for him. His music cued and the audience went wild. Whether he knew it or not- he was going to be a star. The fans loved him too much for him not to be.

  He strutted to the ring with the belt slung over his shoulder.

  “Happy New Year, my little crumpets,” he said making his British accent more noticeable.

  The crowd cheered, loving their nickname from him. In the audience I could see signs proclaiming fans as Denver’s #1 Crumpet and things of that nature.

  “This year has been more eventful than I imagined. Coming to America. Wrestling in front of the best fans in the world. And this-” He held the belt high. “This right here had been the best part of the year. And I couldn’t have won it without the support of-”

  “Blah. Blah. Blah. No one cares, Denver.”

  My head whipped to the left. At the top of the stage Mesquite stood with a smirk on his face. The crowd booed and I found myself joining them – for different reasons.

  “Denver, dude, do you really think you’re champion material? I don’t. These people don’t. Hell, I bet even your woman doesn’t.”

  My cheeks flamed. While the shows were scripted, the writers had a tendency to use real life events to spice things up. Apparently nothing was off topic. How dare they use me in a storyline!

  Mesquite went on, “So I’m here to give the people what they want.” He paused dramatically. “Me.”