Chapter 14
"Why not? It's Jeff. He's a good person, Trish. You and I know
that. He has this air about him that you can't help but..."
"Love," Trish whispered, closing her eyes because it was hurting.
Adam slipped an arm around her and tried to hug her. "If we could all
have something in our lives that made it easier, then this world wouldn't
have a thing for any of us. But since we all have a heart, we should all take
advantage of the feelings it gives us." Trish sighed softly and nodded. She felt his goatee brush against her forehead and she just listened as Stacy and Torrie dashed by, giggling like little girls in love when Billy and Andrew dashed after them. She wanted to be like that. But Trish wasn't in love.
"I guess we'll see you downstairs then," Amy laughed when she pushed
open the door to Jeff's room. She eased out of the room, Matt waiting on
her with a bag resting on his shoulder. She patted his shoulder and passed
him, stopping when Trish stood firmly in front of her.
"Hey there Trish," Amy chimed. She fought past the concern in Trish's
eyes and eased back, Matt's hand resting on her hip, giving it a light
squeeze for warning. "Hi," Trish said softly, gliding past Amy, moving toward Jeff's door. "Thanks for coming to say goodbye to him Trish," Matt said freely,
nudging Amy in the opposite direction. He didn't offer any concern when Amy
turned to glance at him with wonder. Trish nodded and kept moving, eyes focused on the door and not Matt
and Amy.
"Yeah, thanks Trish," Amy added and she was genuine this time. Maybe
the world wasn't against Trish? She stepped into the room with quiet movements. Everything was packed. He was really going home, at least until Sunday night. Would she even see him then? Probably not. He'll probably arrive in Stamford late, with Amy and Matt, and they'll just head to the hotel. He won't look for her. "I said I'm going to be there in a minute Amy," Jeff spoke up when emerging from the bathroom. He stopped, a towel around his neck, when his green eyes fell on Trish. She offered a smile and he responded with nothing. "You look pretty much ready to go," Trish noted, stepping further into the room with her hands cupped behind her back. She walked around the
luggage sitting in the middle of the room, hiding her eyes from Jeff. It was
easier that way.
"I guess," Jeff shrugged, moving toward her. He slid the towel off of
his shoulders and dropped it onto the bed, letting it lay next to her
cowboy hat. "And you'll be in Stamford on Sunday?" Trish asked, finally looking
up, finally offering Jeff the chance to look into her eyes again. "Sunday night. Late Sunday night," he replied softly. His hand reached out nervously and took hers. He only held it for a moment, trying to remember the feel of it. He would be without it for days. He wouldn't have it on his face for several nights. Trish felt unsettled when he released her hand. Was that the last time she would feel his touch? It felt that way. "The draft is on Monday," she said lowly because uttering the words were hurtful enough. She knew what would happen. She knew that Lita and herself were the top female wrestlers at the moment, outside of Jazz. Lita would go one way and Trish would go the other and the fans would hate to see Team Xtreme split. Where did that leave her? On a roster without Jeff. On a show where she would wrestle Jazz week-to-week with a basic storyline and a life that revolved around wrestling and nothing else.
"Yeah, we had a meeting with Mr. McMahon yesterday before the show.
He almost guaranteed that Lita, Matt and I would all be on the same show.
He said he wanted to try and push us for different things but all on the
same show," Jeff remarked, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. He looked
up at her, watched the way she shied away once more. "That's great. I hope the rest of us are that fortunate and get to stay on the same show with most of our friends," Trish said and she wasn't very believable. She knew it when he grabbed her hand again, held it before squeezing it. "I actually had a meeting with Mr. McMahon after the one we had about Team Xtreme. I.. well, I talked to him about you," Jeff stumbled out but his eyes would not leave her. He tried to find some of that reckless courage he often got so effortlessly in the ring. Maybe he had passed it to her because she found a seat on his left knee, almost straddling his leg. She looked down at him, raised the hand he was holding and ran it through his tied up locks.
"I asked..." He started again but couldn't finish because he found
himself in her eyes. Where did his world go to so quickly? She pulled him in
without words and it felt nice. Just to be there, caught up in some
silent world of golden rose petals and flowing blades of grass.
Trish raised an eyebrow toward him and waited for him to speak. She
didn't know what gave her the strength to sit in his lap, to be this close to
him, but maybe it was her last time? It was her last chance. "I pleaded with him to put you on the same show as me. I wanted him to keep us together. I wanted us to stay together," he said, voice lowering because now he was the shy one. The role reversals were becoming pretty customary.
"What did he say?" Trish asked with uncompromising curiosity.
Jeff looked down, looked at their fingers intertwined, their hands
clasped together. Did he want it? Just enough to say words that weren't
speakable?
"He said that he'd think about it, but he can't base all of his
decisions on fear that friendships will be broken because of this roster split. He said we'll all still be a family and if push comes to shove, things
will adjust for the sake of the corporation," Jeff explained only to have
Trish pull away.
She lifted herself from his lap and nodded, pushing a few strands of
her hair behind her ear. She swallowed a sigh and smiled lightly. She was
supposed to do this. She was supposed to pretend it felt all right.
What was there to feel? Pain? No, not because of him.
"Yeah, right. Friendships will last," she agreed, advancing toward
the door.
"But..."
"See you Monday kiddo," Trish said simply, not looking back to Jeff.
Why look back? The back was the past and Trish always looked for the
future.
They were told to meet in one of the conference rooms in the arena a
little after eight. That's when they got their instructions for the night's
events. That's when all of the matches were finalized, in order, for
everyone. They were told when to make their entrance and when to make
their exit. Some were already informed on which show they would be appearing
on from now on while others were told their position would not be
announced until after the show. What a way to find out. When she entered earlier, Andrew, Stacy and Jason following her, she didn't think he'd sit behind her. Adam told her to sit next to him, told her to find a reason to smile because she had a match on the show, one of the only Divas that did. She feign a grin for him until he sat behind her. When he did, she felt everything sink inside. She didn't speak to Jeff when attempted to talk to her in the hotel lobby earlier. She pretend to be too caught up in some conversation with
Lance and Lisa to even acknowledge his existence. She had gone five days
without him; without his touch, his smell, his voice, his endearing look of
hope. She knew she couldn't take it now.
*Chp15*
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