Last Grasp of Reality #1
As much as I was skeptical about Jaina inviting Christian Cannon to stay for Christmas, it turned out to be a very good idea. Both Jaina and Sienna appreciated his presence, although for vastly different reasons (at least I hope, cause ew). Christian left the day after Christmas, and Jaina's mood was.... maybe not good, but definitely changed from before his arrival.
Me and Dom? Still slightly tense, it was almost like we were both waiting for the other to relax. I worked out a lot of stress and frustration over that while sparring with Sienna at the gym in preparation for facing Jordan. Sienna fought her twice, beat her twice, and I knew I needed every advantage I could get. Jordan may have her issues and weaknesses like everyone else, but I learned a long time ago that underestimating anyone based on past experiences is a very quick way to end up on your back for three seconds. Sienna and I worked out a strategy for the match, I think helping me prepare to fight Jordan kept her somewhat distracted from Kelcey, which was a definite bonus.
{{Thursday, December 31st
Toronto}}
Everyone made the trip to Toronto, so I had a full plane. Myself, Dom, Jaina, Sienna, Xiomara, and Scott. We are at the arena, all of us are dressed nice in case we get air time if anyone wins any awards. Sienna and Xio went off alone, I'm not sure where they went. Dom and Scott went to catering to find coffee, leaving Jaina and I in my locker room. She's sitting on the couch with her arms crossed, looking more than a little uncomfortable. I sit next to her.
“Are you okay, babygirl?”
Jaina shrugs. “I don't know.”
“What's wrong?”
“Um, you do remember who you're fighting tonight, right?”
“Of course I do. It's awkward for you, I get it. You got close again after the whole baby thing, then she opened her mouth and people found out and now it sucks. But-”
“Is that what you think the problem is? Because she told Kath?”
“Oh no. That's only a small part of the problem.” Jaina makes a face. “What do you think is the problem?”
Jaina sighs. “Isn't it obvious?” I shake my head. I know what I think about it, but I can't read her mind. “You got in her face, gods only know what Mom told her, if anything... now she's barely speaking to me. I thought we were gonna be friends again, just have fun-”
“There you go with that word again. Listen, I don't want to fight with you anymore, okay? I've thought about things over the holidays, I think I was too hard on you when I first found out about this. I shouldn't have screamed at you the way I did and I'm sorry. I've figured this all out, and I have to tell you that you were wrong. This is all Jordan's fault.”
“I already told you, I wanted-”
“Maybe you did. But who initiated? And be honest.”
“Well... I... that depends on what you mean by initiated.”
I grin a little. “In other words, she did.”
Jaina looks down at the floor. “She made flirty comments in texts first. But that's just how she is. She's a flirt.”
“She used you.”
Jaina snaps her head up and looks at me like I insulted her mother. “What?”
“You heard me. She used you. She reached out to you when you were in a low place, you trusted her with your secret because of your past relationship, and she used your vulnerability to get close again.”
“You really think so? You're not just saying that because you're mad at her?”
“Jay.... it's why I'm mad at her. I asked her not to mess with your head and she did anyway. She pulled you back in, knowing you had no one else to talk to about your situation. Then she almost immediately confessed to her girlfriend? I bet she was just looking for a way to get out of that relationship without being the one to do the breaking up. She wanted an easy way out.”
That gets me a skeptical look from my niece. “I don't know, Aunt Bree. Jordan isn't really the kind of person to-”
“She also lied to you about Abigail yet didn't try very hard to hide those texts you found, didn't she? It's self-sabotage, babe. She ruins everything for herself. And this time she dragged you into it.”
“Kinda sounds suspicious when you put it like that....”
“Didn't you say she wasn't really speaking to you lately? People know now, Kathryn broke up with her... she doesn't need you anymore. You served your purpose.”
Jaina thinks about this a few seconds, then her face screws up into a mix of anger and hurt. Just that look on her face makes me want to kick Jordan's teeth so far down her throat she could brush them through her asshole.
“But.... She loves me, people don't use people they love.”
“Repeat that last sentence to yourself, babygirl.”
Jaina looks away, and starts to say something, but her phone meows. It's her text notification. She pulls her phone out. I hope it isn't Jordan. Jaina grins a little, so that tells me it probably isn't. She then reads... and frowns.
“What the.... Christian says I should watch Jordan's promo, it's not good. Have you seen it?”
“No. I usually watch them before matches but I haven't had time. Did he say what she says?”
“Not specifically, just that I need to see it and that it will piss me off.”
“What are you waiting for? Pull it up.”
Jaina nods, and types on her phone. In a few seconds, she has the video up, and plays it for both of us. We watch in silence and when it's over, Jaina's face is red. I don't blame her. Jordan had exposed her and Jaina's recent affair, how it caused her and Kathryn (although Kathryn wasn't named) to break up.
“Maybe she didn't use me before, but she definitely is now!”
While part of me is pissed that Jordan put Jaina's business out in public, another part of me is pretty proud. I am not the one who used personal issues for points, I didn't put the details out there when I filmed my video, I didn't have to. Jordan knew what I was talking about and I would never put my niece's business out there like that. But Jordan had no hesitation in doing so. Luckily I had already told Sienna about what went on, I hadn't wanted her to find out some other way and go off on Jaina. She wasn't as angry as I expected, she just thought Jaina was being played, much like I did.
“I'm sorry, Jaina. I know you wanted her to be something different than she is.”
“She really did it. She's using the whole thing to gain sympathy. Playing the victim. This is disgusting....” She tosses her phone to the side on the couch. I put my arm around her shoulders and pull her in close. “Do me a favor?”
“Anything.”
“Kick her ass.”
“That's the plan, babygirl.”
Jaina and I were still sitting that way when Dom and Scott came back to the room, carrying coffees for everyone. Dom gave me a questioning look. I silently mouthed “Jordan,” and he nodded. I wondered if he saw the promo. I'd ask later, when Jaina wasn't around.
Sienna and Xiomara came back shortly after, and we watched the handicap match on the monitor in my locker room. Every woman on the ballot for Female of the Year was put on notice following the match, and as Scott, Sienna and I made our way close to gorilla, I had a feeling the award was mine, they would have planned it that way so that I could accept it well before my title match.... and I was right! Sienna hugged me before Scott walked out with me to accept the award. I had to laugh at Knots pretending to hate giving it to me. He'd talked badly about me for a long time, right up until Kennedy and I made peace when she worked with Dom on Deep Cover over the summer. I told him I understood if he had to keep up appearances on TV and he did. It's amusing now. Anyway, I made my speech, put everyone on notice, then went back behind the curtain. Dom gave me a hug and kiss as we walked back to my locker room. I had a title match to prepare for.
I heard some of the other awards as I was getting ready, Sienna and Jordan for Feud of the Year. David Helms for Male of the Year. Psht. As if there were many other choices, right? All of it was background noise as I put all my focus into beating the woman who betrayed me and Sienna and used my niece.
* * * * *
Well, Jordan is one tough bitch, I will attest to that. She took everything I threw at her and kept coming back for more. But in the end... I walked out of the ring with my championship intact. To the surprise of literally no one, David Helms came out to the commentary table to watch up close, carrying his replica belt – yes, I said it – and after I won, he stared me down. Our second date is official, January 24th, where SCW claims we will unify the titles, but what's really going to happen is I will end this farce, David is not a champion, he vacated it! Last Grasp of Reality indeed, he will find out what reality is.
Anyway.... also unsurprisingly, Dom was not at gorilla to greet me like he usually is after I win. I didn't expect him to be with David out there, and it didn't even bother me. If he wanted to avoid his brothers for the rest of his life, that was on him. Instead, Sienna, Xiomara, and Sierra met up with Scott and I, hugs all around. They walked with me to my locker room, where Dom was waiting. I got my hug and kiss, and all was right.
Everyone came back to my hotel suite. Jaina still has her own separate room, but we were having a celebration. My award win, my match win, New Year's Eve, all of it. Even Sierra was with us, she did seem a little distracted but she's always been a little more flighty than Sienna so I didn't think anything of it. Jaina was in a great mood, the best I've seen her in since before the whole pregnancy thing. Dom got out the wine we brought, room service delivered a party tray of fruit, veggies, sliced meats, and cheeses. It wasn't a real charcuterie board but it would suffice.
It's about ten minutes to midnight now, Sienna, Sierra, and Xio are around the table near the kitchenette getting more wine. Jaina and Scott are sitting on the couch, giggling over something he's showing her on his phone. Dom and I are near the sliding glass of the suite's balcony, looking outside. We both have wine, my favorite Merlot.
“I didn't get to ask you, were you upset I didn't come to the curtain?”
I grin, I know he knows what the spot is called, he just refuses to say it, he thinks its silly.
“No. I understand why you didn't.”
“Are you sure? Don't hold back on me.”
“I'm sure, baby. As soon as I saw David walk to the announce table before I even went out there, I knew you wouldn't. I get it, it's okay.” I had my shoes off, so I had to rise up on my toes to give him a kiss.
“I just don't want to-”
“Dom. I know. You made your position perfectly clear and I respect it. You don't have to keep explaining yourself.”
“Alright... I guess I'm a little skittish about potential misunderstandings after recent weeks.” He gives me a sheepish half-grin. I smile back.
“Don't be. We're not gonna get back to normal if we keep acting like something's wrong.”
“Is that a.... 'fake it til we make it' directive?”
“Something like that. I know we have work to do, I just don't like the whole walking on eggshells thing. We should be doing our best to trust and understand each other.”
“You're right. I trust... that you understand me.” Dom grins again.
“Good.” I sip my wine, grinning over the glass.
We both finish our glasses and Dom takes mine, setting them both on a side table. He then puts his arm around my shoulders and pulls me close as we keep looking out the window. Some people in the city were firing off pre-midnight fireworks. Like one here, another one there. Testing them maybe? I don't know. I check the time. One minute. I snake my arm around Dom's waist. I hear Jaina and Scott start a countdown right behind us. I turn and see everyone standing behind us looking out the window, too. No one else felt the need to join the counting. After 'one'.... the sky lights up in a kaleidoscope of color, banging and popping all around us. Jaina and Scott scream while laughing.
“Happy New Year!”
“Happy New Year!”
I think they've both been hitting the wine harder than me. I turn to face Dom and see Sienna kiss Xiomara's cheek. Sierra is texting frantically. Just as Dom grabs my face to kiss me I see Scott pick up Jaina in a hug and spin her around. I turn my full attention to Dom though just as he kisses me. It's the softest and sweetest one we've shared in weeks. There was none of the tension that had been present since the day we fought about Blake and agreed to postpone our wedding. Dom pulls back and we both smile. We didn't need to say anything. That kiss was a promise that we would keep trying.
{{Saturday, January 2nd
Gretna}}
When Amy asked me to meet her for lunch today, I had a feeling something was up. It wasn't unusual for her to ask me to lunch, I was just as likely to ask her. It was the timing, I saw her backstage in Toronto yet she didn't ask me in person, she texted me yesterday afternoon, after we were both on our flights home. It gave me the idea something happened, and it required a face to face conversation.
I walk into a family-owned restaurant called Common Ground that Amy favors. So much so, that she and Wyatt had their wedding here, almost four years ago now. I wave to the owner, and he points me to a smaller dining room in the back where I assume Amy is waiting. I walk in, and Amy has the table in the corner. She greets me with a smile as I sit.
“Hey babe.”
“Hey yourself. I just got here, haven't even ordered drinks yet.”
“Oh good, I'm not late for a change.”
The server arrives, a redhead with a pixie cut named Julie. She's worked here for as long as I can remember. Amy and I both order tea and a Common Salad, which is a house special salad made with ham, turkey, and just about every salad veggie you can imagine. It's enormous and delicious. Julie leaves to put our order in, brings our tea within less than a minute, then leaves again. Amy squeezes her lemon into her glass.
“You have that look on your face.”
“What look?”
“The one where you have something to say but you aren't sure how to say it.”
Amy raises an eyebrow. “I have a look for that?”
“Yes. And you're doing it now. So you can drop the sisterly lunch date pretense and just tell me what's going on.” I smile knowingly. Amy sighs.
“Since when are you so perceptive?”
“You're not very hard to read, babe. You never were.”
“Can't really argue that one.... okay. Well, it's about David.”
“David? Helms?”
“Do you know any other Davids?”
I stare blankly for a split second. I was not touching that one with a twenty foot pole.
“Good point.”
“Right. So, after your match at the End of the Year show, I spoke to Jordan backstage. She-”
“Wait. Hold on. I won the match and retained my title, and you went talk to her?”
Amy shrugs. “I tried to find you, but I was told you'd already gone to your locker room with your friends. I didn't want to interrupt.” I shake my head. Whatever. “So, I went looking for Jordan. It seemed like her knee got tweaked-”
“It did.”
Amy ignores me. “-and Wyatt and I had helped her out with it back when Infamous messed her up.”
“I remember, I sent her to Wyatt.”
“Right. So I just wanted to see if she was okay. And in the course of the conversation, she told me something that I thought might interest you. I know you were concerned about David and Jason being upset with you and especially Dom over the mess Jordan and Jaina created. But you're worried for nothing.”
“Jesus Amy, you asked her?!”
Amy gives me a pointed glare. “No, of course not. But she did mention to me that Dave helped her train for your match.”
My eyes go wide. “Oh really?”
Julie reappears with our salads. We continue our conversation as she sets them down.
“That's what she said. So the way I figure it, if he isn't mad at her about it... I doubt he's upset with Dom or you. At least over that.”
We give Julie smiles as she walks off.
“I'll be damned....” That sneaky bastard.
“See? You were worried for nothing.”
We both attack our massive salads as we continue.
“Maybe. But it turns out that it doesn't matter. Dom and I talked about it. He insists that he doesn't care what David or Jason think, and he doesn't want anything to do with either of them.”
Amy sighs. “Sorry... I know you wanted everyone on the same page.”
“I did. But I realized that I can't make people get along if they don't want to. With all the times I have tried something like that.... Sienna and Jordan, that fiasco with you and Andrew...” Amy shakes her head. That had been one of my worse ideas. “You'd think I would have learned before now. But I give up. Dom isn't interested, and it doesn't seem like David or Jason are either. So it doesn't really matter.”
“I see. I guess that makes things less stressful for you, at least.”
“It really does. We have enough issues without me trying to push something he doesn't want.”
“You have issues?” Shit.
“I mean, yeah. Who doesn't? But-”
“Why did you really postpone the wedding, Bree?”
I sigh. I guess I learned to be perceptive from Amy. “I really don't want to talk about it.” Talking about it would require me to admit to Amy that I'd done something wrong. I don't want to deal with the lecture, or the look of disapointment. With her, they aren't mutually exclusive.
Amt sits back a bit and nods. “Okay. If you ever do though....”
“I know. Call you.” She nods again. “Thanks. And thank you for the information about David anyway. I appreciate the thought, even if it doesn't matter.”
It may not matter in the way Amy thinks it does anyway, but it does matter. Amy might not see what David was really up to, she tends to see the best in people until they prove her wrong. But it was crystal clear to me. David is such a tricky bastard, I don't understand how anyone doesn't see straight through his White Knight act.
“Of course. I wish things worked out the way you wanted.”
I shrug. “I've accepted that sometimes what we want isn't what's best. I may have given up on the church, but I still believe God knows what he's doing, most of the time.” At least today I do. Other days I feel like what I told Dom weeks ago, that God exists but doesn't care about us the way I was raised to believe. I'm honestly not sure what I believe anymore.
“The gods usually do.” Amy gives me a smile, and I grin back. I had told her as much as I could about my break from the church, without giving up Jaina's secret. I think she secretly hopes I will ask her more about her beliefs, but I don't plan to. I couldn't keep up with what one God allegedly wanted from me, I can't imagine trying to appease dozens. Maybe it doesn't work that way with her ways, but I'm really not interested in finding out.
We put a good dent into our salads while talking about less important things, local news, that kind of thing. Both full, we asked for go boxes for the rest of our food. Amy sits back.
“You're giving me that look again.”
“Yeah. I wanted to ask about Jaina.”
“What about her?”
“Well, she's barely spoken to me since things came out about her and Jordan. I got more information from Jordan about it than her. Is she okay?”
“She's as okay as can be expected. I mean, her ex girlfriend manipulated her way back into her life then when it went south she told the world about it”
“Wait, manipulated?”
Goddammit. “Yeah. I mean, Jaina had a hard time recently, she and Reece had a... big misunderstanding. Jordan used that to get back in with her.”
“That's not what Jordan told me.” I give her a questioning look. “Jordan seemed to think that whatever was going on, was leading to them getting back together. Apparently Jaina didn't want that.”
“I wouldn't know, Jaina never told me any details. Then again, we did argue when I confronted her about it, it was kinda ugly for a few days.”
“So let me guess, you never did tell her I said she can talk to me?”
“No... I'm sorry. But why don't you tell her yourself? Call her, she's your daughter. She'll listen to you.”
“I don't know.... she's pulled even more away from me since she moved in with you. Don't give me that look, I'm not blaming you. It just seems like she doesn't want my input.”
“Don't be ridiculous. She avoids you because she thinks you're mad at her for coming to live with me.”
“That is ridiculous. Did she really say that?”
“Once.” Jaina had, not long after moving in. I can't be certain she still thinks that, but I can't think of any other reason she would avoid her mom, either. “Maybe you should show her that you're not. Me telling her you're there for her isn't the same thing. Call her.”
Amy nods. “Yeah. You're right, I'm being ridiculous. I just didn't want to seem like I was pushing her. Or not treating her like an adult.”
“For the record, the way she's been acting lately, she shouldn't be treated like one. Be a mom. I think that's really what she needs, and I can't do that. I'm not her mom. I'm not anyone's mom."
Amy insisted on picking up the check, and promised me she would talk to Jaina soon.
* * * * * {{ Jaina - Kenner}} * * * * *
Jaina had the house to herself. Aunt Bree had gone across the river to meet Mom for lunch. Sienna and Xiomara were at the gym, and Dom was out too, Jaina wasn't sure where, he was gone when she woke up. She always felt weird being in the large house alone. It had been months since she moved here and she thought she'd be used to it by now, but it just seemed bigger and lonely when she was the only one there. Jaina is sitting in her room with the door closed, in an attempt to make the place feel smaller, sitting on her purple chair with a blanket over herself, watching Looney Tunes on HBO Max. Times like this made her miss being in the same house as her brother. Just as Wile E. Coyote is about to be blown up for the 800th time, Jaina's phone meows. She pauses the cartoon to check the text. She stares at Reece's name on the screen before reading the text.
[Can we talk?]
Suddenly Jaina is very grateful she's home alone. She types out a reply, her heart beating in her throat.
[Sure. No one's here, you can come over if you want.]
[Ok. See you soon.]
Jaina throws the blanket off herself and changes out of the sweatpants and old t-shirt she had on, into jeans and a better fitting t-shirt, an SCW one. She runs downstairs and waits. Soon, there's a knock at the side door in the kitchen, where Reece always goes when he comes over. She takes a deep breath, and opens the door.
“Hey...”
“Hey... come in.”
They both smile, both somewhat nervously, as Reece walks in. He's also wearing jeans, with a Saints t-shirt. Jaina leads him to the den, might as well be comfortable, right? They sit on opposite ends of the couch.
“You look well.”
“Thanks, so do you.”
Reece takes a breath before deciding to jump right in. “Look, first I want to apologize for avoiding you for so long-”
“You don't have to apologize for that. I get it. I deserved it.”
“You deserved me being angry at you, but not being ignored. I thought of a dozen excuses before I came over here, but the truth is just that I was still mad.”
“I said I get it. But... what changed?”
“Honestly? I saw you outside the day after Christmas. With that guy. Looked like he was leaving.”
Jaina grins a little, almost embarrassed. “Christian. Yeah, he was here for Christmas. We've been friends a long time.”
“It looked like it.”
Jaina thinks back to that day when Christian was leaving. He'd ordered an Uber to take him to the airport, Jaina offered to drive him but he insisted. When the car arrived, he gave her a big hug and a kiss goodbye. Jaina wonders if that's what Reece saw, but she doesn't have the nerve to ask.
“And that made you want to talk to me?”
“Yeah, it did. Or more specifically, it made me realize I had to get my head out of my ass. What if I missed my chance?”
Jaina smiles. “You didn't. Me and Christian aren't like that. I mean... I'll be honest and tell you that we've been together...” Reece nods, a with slight cringe. “But that's all it is. He's not looking for anything serious, and me... well... I clearly can't handle it, so.” Jaina shrugs.
“This might sound weird considering how upset I was the last time we spoke, but I think you're being too hard on yourself.”
“That's what my friend Kelsai says. But I'm a realist, I know I fucked up. What did you mean by, head out of your ass?”
“I had to actually think this over, rather than just stay mad. Staying mad was easier. But, the easy thing isn't always the right thing. So, I actually thought about it.”
“And?”
Reece takes a deep breath again, Jaina prepares herself to hear something she doesn't want to hear.
“As I said the day I found things out... I wasn't mad about what you did. I was mad that you kept it from me. I don't react well to secrets, I told you about my ex-wife.” Jaina nods, the woman had cheated on him when he was injured. “But the reality is that, what she did and what you did aren't the same. She was being selfish. You acted out of fear. You had no way to know how I would react and you thought you were protecting us both.”
“Mostly me, really. But yeah.” Jaina grins nervously.
“Yeah, I was being nice.” Reece smirks. “But I'd like to think part of it was that you were wary about putting me in that kind of position.” He seems hopeful.
“Maybe a little. I was mostly just afraid you'd want the exact opposite of what I did and I'd be stuck.” Jaina had actually not even thought of that at all, but she didn't want to admit that, it might make things even worse.
“That's what upset me when you told me that, I thought you knew me better than that. But I know now that was expecting too much. I just had to calm down enough to see things from your point of view.”
“So what you're saying is.... you're not mad anymore?”
“Not really, no.”
“What does that mean?”
“I mean... I think it's always gonna sting a little. But no, I'm not mad. I understand it.”
Jaina smiles. “Thanks. I was starting to think you'd never speak to me again.”
“I don't think I could do that if I tried. Your aunt wouldn't have it.” Reece grins back at her. Jaina giggles.
“She is pretty persistent, isn't she?” Reece nods. “She tried to tell me to just talk to you. But...” Jaina shakes her head, she didn't want to repeat herself. “So... where does that leave us?”
“Well.... if you can promise to be up front with me from now on, I'm up for starting over.”
Jaina sits up a little. She hadn't expected that. “Really?”
“Not sure if you've picked up on this, but I kinda care about you. I've always been a fan of second chances.”
Jaina smiles. “Okay. Yeah, I can do that. I hated hiding things, keeping up lies, especially when Aunt Bree had to lie for me... that was the worst. I even hated the sneaking around when I was messing with Jordan, all of it.”
“Is that still going on?”
Jaina shakes her head emphatically. “Oh. No. That's over. That became a huge mess, Aunt Bree found out, and Jordan.... well, it doesn't matter. It's done.”
“Had you hoped it would be more?”
“No. She did, that's what I was going to say. Aunt Bree thinks she was using me. I don't know about that.”
“I can see that. You broke up with her, she might have thought she could rekindle something if she could get close to you again.”
Jaina looks down, that wasn't what Aunt Bree meant, but it still meant someone else thinks Jordan was playing her or something. “I don't think so. I told her up front I wasn't interested in that. I mean, she did say she had feelings still but I don't think she was trying to, like, manipulate me or anything. She has her faults but she's not like that.”
Reece gives her an understanding nod. “You know her, I don't. What about you though? What was in it for you?”
“Honestly? A distraction from you.” The same thing Christian had been. Christian though knew his place. It seemed like Jordan didn't.
“I see.”
“I fucked up so many things, Reece. Aunt Bree yelled at me, she told me I had demanded to be treated like an adult but never acted like one. And she was right. I need to do better. I want to do better.”
“You will. I believe that.”
After a few more minutes of catching up, Reece said he had to go, he had to get to the airport, the team was flying out tonight for a game in North Carolina tomorrow. Jaina wished them luck and walked him to the door. She half-hoped he would kiss her before leaving, but it turned out to be too soon for that. As soon as Jaina shut the door behind Reece, she sent a text to Aunt Bree. She was out with Mom for lunch, but Jaina knew her aunt would be happy that she and Reece had finally had a conversation.
Maybe, somehow, everything would turn out okay in the end. But before that, Jaina had something to take care of. Jordan, and her promo exposing their affair.
{{Wednesday, January 6th
Detroit, MI}}
* * * * * {{ Jaina }} * * * * *
It's a few hours before Breakdown is set to go on air, and Jaina is already at the arena. She, Aunt Bree, Scott, Sienna, and Xiomara had just arrived. Jaina told the women that she was going to production to get her assignments as usual, but she had another errand in mind first. She knew Jordan was already in the building, she'd seen her name on the sign in sheet. All she had to do was find Jordan's locker room. Normally she would ask Scott for information like that, but she didn't want Aunt Bree to know, and she knew that there wasn't much that she and Scott kept from each other. So instead, she asked a woman on the set up crew she'd been friendly with.
With the information, Jaina makes her way to Jordan's door. There was the chance Cookie was there with her, but Jaina didn't really care if Cookie heard everything she had to say. Jaina knocks with more force than she usually puts into a knock. Seconds later, Jordan opens the door. She immediately looks nervous.
“Oh... Jaina....”
“Yeah, me. Can I come in?”
“Um, is that a good idea?”
“Unless you want everyone in the hallway to hear what I came to say.”
Jordan hesitates a second. “Fine. Yeah come in.” Jaina walks in and closes the door. She looks around. “If you're looking for Cookie, she isn't here. She stepped outside to make a phone call.”
“Okay. Doesn't matter really. I just want to know why.”
“Why... what? What are you talking about?”
Jaina rolls her eyes. Of course Jordan had no idea. That, or she was playing dumb.
“Your promo! Why? Why did you have to tell literally everyone our business?”
Jordan sighs hard. “I thought you might be mad about that. I-”
“Then why would you do it?!”
“Because I thought Bree would use it against me! I wanted to get ahead of it and own it before she could throw me under the bus.”
“Oh, so you just threw me under it, instead?”
“That wasn't my intention, I'm sorry.”
Jaina scoffs. “Do you ever actually think anything through? Like, do you even have intentions? Or do you just do what suits you at the time and damn how it affects everyone else?”
Jordan steps back, she's shocked at Jaina's anger and bluntness. “Wait. What? Look, I should have told you first that I was gonna say that but-”
Jaina holds her hand up, she's heard enough. “Don't. It's bad enough that you took advantage of me when I was low-” Jordan tries to say something but Jaina keeps talking over her. “-But it's really fucked up that you then took that and made it public just to get some kind of sympathy for your own bullshit. You used me.” Holy shit. Aunt Bree was right.
“You think I took advantage of you? Used you? That's crazy!” Jordan sounds incredulous and almost offended. But Jaina isn't having any of it. She plants her hands on her hips in defiance.
“Is it? Why else would you pretty much immediately tell your girlfriend that we'd been together, unless you were looking for a way out?” Jaina hadn't realized how fully she believed Aunt Bree's theory until she said those words.
“I... because I felt like shit and I didn't want to lie!”
“Bullshit! You even told me how sometimes it didn't feel right with her, like you were out of place or something. You needed an excuse to get out of it, but you didn't want to do the hard part. So you just confessed your sin and let her do it instead!”
“Okay, that's insane. Where is this coming from?” Jordan grins, a thought coming to mind. “Wait.... let me guess. Bree. She put this in your head, didn't she?”
“Why does everyone think everyone else is putting things in my head? Does no one believe I'm capable of thinking for myself?” The more Jaina speaks though, the more everything Aunt Bree had said to her made sense. Aunt Bree had made an argument for the idea that Jordan had used Jaina the whole time, Jaina hadn't been sure about that at the time but it was clear to her now that Aunt Bree was right.
“You can't make me believe that Bree didn't have one word to say about this at all.”
“Of course she did. She does think you used me. But when she said it, I defended you! I didn't want to think you could do something like that to me. But then I watched your video. She was right, you did. You did, Jordan.”
Jordan runs her hand through her hair. “I'm sorry if it looks that way, but I swear to you I never used you. You want the truth? I was fooling myself, okay? I never stopped caring about you, loving you. I thought the nights we spent together meant I could be with you again, for real. Then you... threw that back at me, and I didn't want to get hurt again so I backed off. As for Kath? I told her because letting things weigh on my mind for too long does bad things. You remember the drinking and the pills, right? When Sienna and Jake were pulling me back and forth?”
Not believing what she's hearing, Jaina's jaw goes slack, before she glares.
“How dare you try to say you acted this way because you loved me? People don't use people they love.” Jaina had said that line to Aunt Bree, and she asked her to repeat it to herself. It still rings true, just with a different meaning.
“I didn't use you! I wanted you! If anything, you were the one using me just for sex!”
Jaina gasps, glaring harder. She steps back, trying to find something to say in response. Unfortunately, she had nothing to say, because Jordan was right. Jaina had said as much to Reece days ago.
“You know what, Jordan? Fuck you. I don't want to talk to you anymore.”
Jaina turns to leave. As she goes out the door, Jordan calls out behind her.
“Haven't you fucked me enough?!”
Jaina slams the door behind her. A split second later, she hears a thud against the door, as if Jordan had hit it, or maybe threw something against it. Jaina shakes her head and storms down the hallway. She still has to get her assignments from production.
* * * * * {{ Bree }} * * * * *
Sienna and I had just left production, I asked for airtime for us to start the show, and they took a moment to see if it was doable. Turned out it was. I then asked them if they had seen Jaina yet. They had, but not for long, as they didn't have anything for her tonight. Sienna wanted juice from catering so I went to our locker room alone. I have no idea where Scott and Xio were, they had a habit of disappearing and reappearing when needed.
I walk into my locker room and find Jaina, she's sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall with her headphones on. She looks like she's been crying. I walk over and nudge her foot with mine. Jaina jumps a little, then relaxes when she sees me. She pulls the headphones out.
“Hey.”
“What's wrong?”
“What makes you think something's wrong?”
“Your face is red and your eyes are puffy.”
Jaina looks away, then gets up, before sitting in a folding chair. This locker room doesn't have a couch in it, fucking Detroit cheapskates. I sit across from her in another chair.
“I went to talk to Jordan.”
“Oh.”
“Or, yell at her, really.”
“About the promo?” Jaina nods. “How did that go?”
She points to her face. “About as well as it looks.”
“So not good?”
“It was a disaster.”
“What did she say?”
“That she said it because she thought you would use it against her and she wanted to own it. Whatever that means.” She rolls her eyes, shaking her head.
“If she really thought that, then she never knew me at all.”
“Right? It doesn't make any sense.” I shake my head. The only way it does make sense is if I'm right, and Jordan was using her the whole time. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“When you said you though she used me, did you say that because you really think so, or because you just wanted me to be mad at her and leave her alone because we snuck around?”
“Why would you-”
“Be honest.”
Dammit. “Alright. Half and half. I do think she got into your head a little, used you at least at the end. But I also think she's bad for you and you should leave her alone.”
“Well, I just basically told her to fuck off, so you don't have to worry about that." I laugh. Jaina smirks a little before shaking her head. "I just feel like everyone thinks I'm so easily manipulated. You think Jordan got into my head and used me. Jordan thinks you put the idea that she used me into my head and I should know better. You said Mom told you Jason thinks I acted the way I did because of your influence. Sienna thought Jordan was playing me all along. Even Reece suggested she might have been trying to manipulate things. The only person who acts like I can think for myself is Christian.”
I lean forward and pat her knee. “Babygirl, I know you can think for yourself. You proved that without a doubt when you got pregnant. I tried to change your mind and you stood your ground. You knew what you wanted, or rather, didn't want, and nothing was going to change your mind. Maybe Jordan was just deflecting?”
“Maybe. She said she thought we were gonna be together again and she loved me. But that promo...” Jaina shakes her head again.
“Maybe she thinks she does. But she doesn't act like it. Maybe she doesn't know what love is supposed to be.”
“Maybe. She also accused me of using her for sex."
"Were you?"
Jaina hesitates. "I mean... probably. I left after that, I didn't know what to say."
That means yes. Oh, Jaina. “You really told her to fuck off?”
Jaina grins. “Pretty much. I said 'Fuck you, I don't want to talk to you anymore.' Then I walked out.”
“It's for the best. I know you were angry about what she said in that promo but there isn't anything you can do about it now. Dwelling on it will only stress you out.”
“How can I not dwell on it? Everyone knows now.”
“Exactly. Everyone knows. But they also know that Jordan is older than you. People will see through her, they will see that she tried to use the whole thing for sympathy and it won't work. No one is going to look down on you over this. And if they do, I will let them know about themselves.”
Jaina grins again. “You don't have to defend me all the time, Aunt Bree. I can take care of myself.”
“I know you can. That doesn't mean you should have to.” I give her a smile. “Now, put this whole Jordan mess behind you and look forward. Focus on the good stuff. Like the fact that Reece wants to give things another chance.”
Jaina finally smiles, instead of the weak grins she was giving me before. “Yeah. Good idea.”
I lean over more, Jaina takes the hint and meets me halfway with a hug.
I truly hope all of this garbage with Jordan is over. Jaina wants nothing to do with her. I fought her and beat her. All that's left is the possibility of Sienna and I facing Jordan and Cookie in the Tag League Finals. I would love to ruin one more of that bitch's dreams.
{{Saturday, January 9th
Kenner}}
It's early afternoon when we get home from the house show circuit. Jaina brings her bag inside and leaves it in the living room with a promise to take it upstairs later, before walking right back out and heading next door. I smile as she leaves. It makes me happy that she and Reece were speaking again. Sienna and Xiomara go upstairs to unpack. I walk around downstairs until I find Dom in the library.
“Hey baby.”
Dom looks up from the desk, and smiles. It's almost suspicious.
“Hey cakes. About time you're back.” He gets up and walks around the desk, still giving me that smile. “How tired are you?”
“Not very. I do still have to bring my bags upstairs though. Why?”
“Forget the bags. I'll do it later. Follow me outside?”
“Um... okay...”
That smile gets bigger. Dom walks past me, and I follow him. When he said outside for some reason I thought he meant out front, but he heads towards the back sliding glass door, to the patio where the pool is. It's 50 degrees out, which might not sound like much to most of the country but for New Orleans, it's pretty chilly. I follow him out the door. He stands there and looks at me expectantly.
“What?”
“Notice anything?”
“It's cold.”
“Bree....”
I sigh, and look around. He clearly wants me to see something. Then, I notice it. In the far corner of the concrete fence, there's a new.... building? Structure? It's not tall enough to be a storage shed, but I have no idea what it could possibly be.
“Okay... what is that?” I point to the thing. It's painted the same color as the fence. Dom smiles even bigger, which I didn't think was possible.
“That.... is a heat pump. For the pool.”
“You had the pool heated?!”
“I did! Took almost the whole time you were gone, they finished last night. Surprise!”
“I... don't even know what to say, I would have never thought to have that done.”
“Do you like it?”
“I love it!” I practically tackle him with a big hug. He holds me tight for a few seconds, then I pull back to look up at him. “What made you think of doing this?”
“Well, I got to thinking about when we had the most fun. Before anything got complicated. And my mind kept going back to one place. Iceland.” He smiles.
“Iceland. Of course.” A few years ago, when Dom and I were both doing ads for Dior, they sent us to Europe for photo shoots for Christmas ads. One of them was in Iceland at this place I can't remember the name of, but it was like a natural hot springs or something. We took pictures in swimsuits in November, even though there was snow all around. After the shoot was over, we went swimming alone in the... lake? Lagoon? I'm not sure what it was called. We ended up far away from everyone else there, and swam naked... then had sex, all in the warm water. It was amazing.
“So, I thought if we had the pool heated, we could sort of... recreate that, any time we wanted.”
“You're brilliant. I can't wait to test it out.” I smirk. He smirks back, he knows what I mean.
“I don't think it's warm enough just yet, the guy said it would take a whole day. But that was last night, I bet it will be ready by tonight.”
“Sounds like a date.” That gets me a kiss. “What temperature is it set for?”
“I started with eighty-five. The guy said we could adjust it for preference after it's up to there.”
“That sounds toasty. I wish I could remember what the water in Iceland was.”
“I looked it up. It's around a hundred. But it's not recommended for pools to go that high. Mainly because it would be fucking expensive.”
As if that's a worry for us. “Hmm. You sure that will be warm enough?”
“We'll find out.”
Dom checked the temperature on a floating digital thermometer, and guessed it would be ready by nightfall. I still can't believe he thought of this and surprised me with it, and I can't wait to try it.
* * * * *
I told Sienna and Xiomara that Dom and I had plans outside later and if they didn't want a peep show they should stay upstairs. Instead, they decided to go out for the evening. Sienna had discovered a club she liked downtown. They even invited Jaina when she got back from Reece's, but she declined, saying she and Reece had plans to meet later in the evening. I assumed that meant she would be leaving the house, so I didn't bother to tell her anything about Dom and I's plans. No need to put a mental image in her head that would be slightly traumatizing, right?
After dinner, Dom went outside and checked the temperature again. It was ready.
It's around 7PM when Dom and I go outside, carrying towels and our swimsuits. We go into the small half-bath that's just off the patio, the door is actually outside, it's meant to be used for outdoor events so no one wet from the pool has to traipse through the house to pee. It's now around 42 outside, which to me is fucking cold. In the bathroom though we put the heater on as we change, and Dom wraps me in a large towel. He puts on a t-shirt over his trunks to walk to the pool, but carries his towel. My feet are freezing on the concrete, so when I step into the pool on the first step, it feels divine.
“Oh... wow.”
“Good?”
“Delicious.”
Dom steps in next to me, and we go in together, me making sure to toss the towel aside as soon as I could so it didn't get wet. Turns out that eighty-five degrees was plenty warm enough. The pool is one depth all the way across, five feet. It's more like a lap pool than anything else, although it would be pretty short laps at twenty feet long. I was told it was put in for leisure rather than actual laps for a workout. Anyway, Dom can walk in it and keep his head above water, I have to walk on my toes or float, I'm barely taller than it's deep. We wade over to the side that has a notch, where a sort of underwater bench is. I sit on it and Dom stands in front of me. I can see steam rising off the water.
“This is absolutely amazing, baby. Might be your best idea yet.”
“Might?”
“Okay, other than getting with me, your best.” I smirk. He laughs.
“That's fair.” He steps closer to me, I have to move my legs apart so he can stand as close to me as possible with me sitting on the bench. “What do you say we fully recreate the Iceland experience?” He then tugs on the side tie of my swimsuit bottom. Not enough to untie it, just to suggest that he might. I grin.
“Pull harder.”
Without answering, Dom tugs on the string harder, and I feel it come undone. He does the same to the other side, and I push up a bit so he can pull the bottom off. He sets it on the edge of the pool. I grin as he reaches up and around my back to undo the top, it's tied around my back and neck. As soon as I feel it loosen, I slide down a bit so my whole chest is under the water line, rather than halfway. He puts the top on the edge of the pool next to the bottom. He then steps back from me, reaches underwater a few moments, and sets his own trunks next to my suit on the ledge.
“Much better.” I grin.
Dom grabs me and pulls me off the bench, then turns around so that he's leaning against it, and I'm sort of floating in front of him, as he holds me up, against him. My feet aren't touching the bottom as he's holding me up by my legs, right under my ass. I thought we were gonna swim. How foolish of me. We had been grinning and smiling the whole time so far, but those fade as he looks down at me. Even Iceland is forgotten as he kisses me. I rest my arms on his shoulders and relax, trusting him to hold me up. It's not long before he pulls me up a little higher, then back down, sliding in me. I let out a slow breath as he grips me tighter. We look into each other's eyes a few seconds until I can't help myself from closing mine. Just two or three movements later, we're both startled by the sound of the gate being opened. I gasp, and we both stop moving as I look up.
Reece.
Walking into the backyard through the gate... which I thought was locked! Both Dom and I duck lower so that my chest is under the water, but we're still, um... connected.
“Hey....”
“Oh... hi. Sorry... I didn't think you'd be here... Jaina said I could come through this way since the side door was locked, she left the gate open. Is that okay?”
“Yeah. Sure. It's.... fine. You just... startled me. That's all.” Not to mention I thought he and Jaina were meeting elsewhere. But I was far too unnerved to say more.
“Yeah bro, all good.” Dom is much more calm about this than I am. His acting skills come in handy on occasion.
“Okay... sorry to interrupt....” Reece has a strange look on his face as he walks by towards the door that leads into the dining room. I assume he saw our swimsuits on the ledge of the pool. Wonderful.
“No problem... really. Let yourself in.”
“Thanks... um, isn't it a little cold for.... that?” Reece points at us in the water.
“I had a heat pump installed. Water's quite warm.”
“Right.... I can see that now... I'll just uh... let you get back to... that....” I must have had a confused look on my face, cause I wasn't sure what he meant. “Water.... translucent.... I'll just go in now.”
I gasp again when it hits me that Reece can see what we're doing! I bury my face into Dom's shoulder as I hear the door as Reece goes in. When it clicks shut and I know he's inside, I whine.
“Ohhhh my Goooood!”
Dom laughs. “Oh come on, it's not that bad....”
I pick my head up and stare incredulous. “Are you kidding me? That man just saw my tits through the water! And....” I look down, where we are still connected, then back up, pointedly.
“I'm pretty sure he's seen a pair of tits before, cakes.”
“Not mine! How does this not bother you?!”
“Accidents happen?” He smirks.
“Dom!”
“Seriously, I don't think it's a big deal. And I'm gonna need you to get over it, cause...” He slides his hands up my sides, then under the body parts in question, sliding his thumbs over the points, all still under the water. It feels amazingly intense and I breath in shakily. “We have some unfinished business here...” He presses himself up into me, and I squeeze my legs around him tighter.
“Mmm, yeah... we do...”
I grin, trying my best to forget the fact that my neighbor and friend who has slept with my niece just saw my breasts, and possibly more than that... but that thought dissipates as soon as Dom kisses me again, sliding his hands back down to hold me up as before. The kiss is deep and intense. We start moving again, and for the first time since we argued almost a month ago, it feels like what lovemaking is supposed to be. The few times since that fight, it was more like we were doing it either because we thought we should, or to... scratch an itch? But this.... this was an actual connection, sensual, soulful.... and as much as I hate to admit it, I couldn't remember the last time it was this intense. Maybe it was the warm water swirling around and between us, maybe it was the memory of the Iceland trip, the fact that we were trying to get past all the issues that had come up recently... or a combination of all of the above. All I do know is that I don't want it to end. But these things do end, and as I approach that end, Dom covers my mouth with his, to muffle the sound coming out of me. I'm not sure it did any good though, cause he finishes at the same time as I do, with a similar yet deeper sound. After I'm truly done, I lay my head on his shoulder again. He's still holding me up as we both catch our breath.
“Wow.”
“That.... was almost enough to make a man believe in God.”
I laugh, and feel his chest move up and down as he chuckles. “Almost?”
“You'll have to try harder next time.”
I giggle, thinking I'm not sure that's physically possible. Dom moves away from the bench and turns around again, putting me back sitting on it like before. I duck down a bit to keep my breasts under the water, the air is too damn cold. Dom keeps his arms around me as he stands in front of me. He looks down at me with the same intense look he gave me right before we started the sex.
“Do you have any idea how much I actually love you?”
“Hmm.... so much it hurts?”
“How did you know?”
“It's how I love you.”
We both smile, and he gets closer, our arms wrapped around each other in the warm water, my head on his shoulder yet again. All this time since the confrontations, the arguments, I wanted things to be better, to be right, but a part of me was afraid it wouldn't be the same. Tonight though, I know that it will be. Maybe not right away, but it would. There's no way it couldn't be, not after this. Our love is still just as deep as ever, we just need to sort out the details. I might not have faith in much anymore, but I have faith in that.