Chapter 32
The clock reads a little after seven o’clock. I tap my phone screen, where two unread messages await a reply, neither from the person I was hoping for.
I haven’t seen much of him since our tussle in the ring on Wednesday night.
He’s had singles matches while I tag-teamed with Roxanne all weekend.
Not that I minded—she debuted not long before I left, so it’s been fun getting to work with her.
However, since I wasn’t slated to be ringside, Brooks and I had no reason to see each other, and I had no way of talking to him about what transpired a few nights ago.
It’s become obvious that he’s taking full advantage of my scheduled absence.
I didn’t anticipate feeling so let down by his lack of communication, but it’s been bothering me since he turned heel and walked the other way Thursday night when he spotted me from down the hall.
I’m not the only one who’s noticed. Raelynn mentioned it last night on our drive from St. Louis to Chicago.
And again this afternoon.
“Are you expecting a call or something?” she asked when I looked at my phone for probably the tenth time since we sat down for lunch. “You’ve been checking your phone every ten minutes since we woke up this morning.”
I brushed her off, trying to change the subject because I wasn’t about to tell her what happened the other night. That would lead to a completely different conversation…one where I’d have to admit that maybe, just maybe, I missed him.
I wasn’t ready to come to that realization…
nor did I want to admit she was right. I had been keeping an eye on my phone all day, waiting for the text that I knew wasn’t coming.
Brooks had quickly dismissed his victory, saying we didn’t have to go to dinner, but he’d won, and the terms were clear.
I don’t think he expected me to let him win.
And I did…Let him win. I’d never let anyone win before, but being there…in that ring…pinned beneath him…I’d never wanted anything more. He’d taken the first step, and I knew letting him win was the only way to start fixing what I’d broken.
“Screw it,” I say.
If he isn’t going to break the silence, I will. What do I have to lose? It’s not like I can lose him. Less than a minute later, his response appears on the screen.
He doesn’t answer this time, and I have no choice but to take his silence as acceptance. If not, then I guess I’ll be taking myself out to dinner.
A large hand wraps around my wrist, pulling me back from the revolving door of the brick building, and the familiar earthy scents of blue cypress and vetiver fill the air around me.
Blue and green lights cast a cool glow on his features as we stand beneath the neon sign.
His thumb grazes the sensitive skin of my wrist, and the simple action makes my heart race.
“Wasn’t sure you were going to show,” I say, trying to keep my voice even. Since we met over ten years ago, I have never been nervous around this man. However, being so close to him right now, not knowing where we stand, makes my heart beat at an uneven pace and my head spin.
“Neither was I,” Brooks says. He looks handsome, dressed in black slacks and an off-white button-up with the first two buttons undone.
I recognize the cufflinks as the ones I bought a few Christmases ago—silver studs with an eagle imprinted in the center.
His thumb stills but applies a small pressure to my pulse point.
Leaning in to whisper in my ear, “But as you said, I won, and you’re hungry. ”
I laugh, hearing my words from earlier, and for the first time since his arrival, Brooks smiles. Maybe we can do this. Maybe we can move forward.
He motions for me to go ahead, and only when we reach the revolving door does he let go of my arm. His touch is light against my back when he joins me inside, but it disappears just as fast. The host leads us through the maze of tables to a more secluded area in the back of the restaurant.
Within seconds of our arrival, a man dressed in a full suit appears with a thousand-watt smile.
His graying hair is combed back into the same sleek style he’s always worn.
Danny Alcott. “My two favorite people!” He claps his hands together before pressing the back of my hand to his lips.
He extends his hand to Brooks and pulls him into an embrace.
Danny is one of the managers here—has been for as long as we’ve been coming—and always finds a spot for us on the books (even when there isn’t one).
“Danny, thank you so much for squeezing us in,” I say.
“For you, Savannah? Anything. I was hoping you’d come see us while you were in town.”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Brooks says, taking a step closer.
“How are we feeling about next weekend?” Danny looks between the two of us. “Excited?”
“Extremely,” I say, not realizing I’d taken a small step closer to Brooks until his hand lands on my waist. It feels far too familiar for people in our situation, but I can’t bring myself to pull away.
The old man’s eyes linger on the movement briefly before a knowing smile splits his face. That smile stays in place when he asks, “Pulling out a win, right?”
I smirk. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You never do, Sweetie.” He chuckles. “Hey, you know I have to ask, but are you sticking around for a while? My girls have missed seeing you.”
The grip on my side falters slightly, alongside my smile.
This isn’t the first—or probably the last—time someone has asked me, and despite the time to make a decision now closer than ever, I don’t have an answer.
If I’m being honest, I think I’ve been waiting for a moment like tonight before I make the decision.
Maybe it will make it a little easier to see what the right choice is.
I clear my throat. “I, uh…I haven’t decided.”
“Oh, really?”
“Still have a few things to figure out.”
From the corner of my eye, I glance at the man beside me, and when I turn back to Danny, he gives me a somber smile.
It’s no secret that something happened between me and Brooks, and the majority of people have often speculated what it could have been that led to my sudden departure not only from the company, but from our relationship.
The rumors have run rampant—I cheated, he cheated, I was a party girl who couldn't be tamed, I wanted a family and he didn't, I was leaving for another company, and so many others I'd lost count.
I can only imagine the rumors that spread around here, picking apart the overheard pieces of our final conversation, the last time we were in town, less than a month before it all went downhill.
“We’ll see what happens in a few days.”
Danny excuses himself, promising to come back later, and I know he will because he always does, and it’s been a long time since our last visit. I don’t think Brooks has returned since our last dinner here—at least that’s how Danny made it seem when I called earlier.
“What does that mean?” Brooks asks, pulling out my chair. “You haven’t decided.”
Adjusting my black dress, I sink into the chair and clasp my hands together in my lap. “Amos wanted me to sign a contract right away, but I told him I wanted to see how things go with—”
“With me.” His brow cocks as he sits across from me.
“Yes.” The word draws out, and I lift my gaze to meet him. “You were part of it, but in general, I wanted to see how things would go.”
A soft smile on his lips. “And how are things going?”
“The thought of coming back after two years was terrifying, if I’m honest.” I shake my head, scratching at an invisible speck of dirt on the white tablecloth. “But things are fine.”
“Only fine?”
“Things are good,” I say more confidently, with a smile.
“I assume you heard about Rox,” he says, settling back into this chair.
Of course, I heard. I was there—he knew that.
Current number one contender for the EWE Women’s Championship, Roxanne, had been injured last night in our tag team match versus Harper Valentine and Elizabeth Petrova, and she was going to be out of action for the foreseeable future.
The big question now remaining is who will take her place against the current champ, Calla Lily, at Wrestlefest.
“I did.”
“Have they said—”
“Are we really going to talk about work, Brooks?”
He stares at me for a long moment before his gaze falls to the table. “What else do you want to talk about, Savannah?”
“We could start with Wednesday night.”
Brooks scoffs, combing his bottom lip between his teeth. He pulls his hands back from the center of the table, but not before I notice the patch of black peeking out from beneath his right shirt cuff.
Is that what I think it is?
It can’t be. Surely, he would’ve gotten rid of it by now.
My gaze flickers up to meet his, then back down to his wrist. I know that if you lift that shirt cuff, you’ll find a simple black heart with SJ in the center.
I still remember when he got it years ago.
I couldn’t believe he’d do something like that.
Getting your significant other’s name tattooed is supposed to be bad luck, but John Brooks doesn’t care for superstitions. Still…why would he keep it?
His voice draws my attention forward again. “I apologized for that. I shouldn’t have put you in the situation, and I told you—”
“I-I lost. Fair and square. I—”
“Bullshit.” He cuts me off. “That’s bullshit, Savannah. You really expect me to believe that? I know better. You could’ve easily kicked out, and you didn’t. You let me win. Why?”
His gaze is as intense as the tone of his voice. Every answer that comes to mind isn’t good enough. How do I explain why I let him win in a way that he might understand? I don’t understand it myself. I didn’t come back to EWE to fix things, but the longer I’m here…that’s all I want to do.
“Savannah.” Brooks sighs, scrubbing a hand across his stubbled jaw. “I don’t—”