Wrong Number [a Roman Reigns story]

8 So where do I start?

Kate POV

I stood nervously in the arrivals hall of the airport and waited to see Roman. I played with my fingers as I scanned the many faces for the one I wanted to spot.

My heart was pounding up to my neck. Today was the day. I couldn't put it off any longer. No matter how hard it would be for me to open up. But the thing was... I liked this man. Very much so and that's why it was important that he knew. How he would take it or whether it would change his view of me, I didn't know.

Because it hurt to know that he thought I might be married. Since he had asked me this question and I had answered no, the atmosphere between us was a little better. However, not all the tension was gone.

That's why I'd asked Roman what he thought about visiting me here as soon as possible. I would have liked to fly to him, but my filming schedule wouldn't allow it in the next few weeks. I had advertising partners for whom I had to shoot videos and I also had to edit and send in a sponsored video that was for my channel so that it could be approved.

The longer I waited, the faster my heart was beating. When I finally caught sight of him in the midst of all the people, it was pounding almost a million times a minute. Or at least that's how it felt.

"Hi Roman... It's good to see you. How was your flight?" I asked as we hugged a little awkwardly.

I immediately sensed his tension. Something told me he was holding back with his trust, not that I held it against him. I felt the same way about trust.

"Hey Kate... It was okay. How are you?" he asked politely.

"Just fine. Come on... let's go." I replied.

Together we made our way to my car. Then I drove us to my home. We talked during the drive, but it was still strained. There was nothing of our normal ease with each other.

*****

Roman POV

I really tried to relax and trust Kate. After all, she hadn't done anything to betray my trust. Yet. She said she wasn't in any kind of relationship. But still, there was this little nagging part of me that knew there had to be a reason why there was a ring on that finger until recently.

"Okay. We're here." she said after half an hour of driving as she pressed a remote control and a gate opened.

Kate led the way into a beautiful property surrounded by trees.

The white house was cottage style and had a porch that stretched the length of the front. It felt quite familiar to me by now. This was mainly because I had seen so many of her videos.

Her home was in a dead end street and far away from the neighbors. Kate had told me this was particularly handy for her job as she didn't have to worry about the privacy of her neighbors. She could film outside without having to worry about filming someone who didn't want to be filmed.

"It's really beautiful here," I said as we got out of the car.

"Thank you. How is it? Do you want to freshen up first? Do you want something to drink?" she asked, at least as nervous as I was.

"I think it would be best if we got straight to the point. We're both tense enough, I think." I said as she opened the door.

The staircase leading upstairs was right by the front door. And to the left was the living room with the open kitchen and dining area. I knew that behind the stairs on the right was the bedroom, bathroom and so on. It was strange to know my way around here a bit, even though I'd never been here physically.

"You're right... Okay... Sit down, please." Kate replied.

"So where do I start?" she asked herself as we sat down on the sofa in front of the TV.

She pulled her legs up and put her arms around her knees before she slowly and quietly began to tell me her story.

"The thing is... You noticed a ring mark because I was wearing an engagement ring until recently. It once belonged to my grandmother and I wasn't ready to take it off. Even now I still wear it sometimes, but only when I'm at home.

I was engaged and the wedding was already mostly planned. My ex was in the process of clearing out his apartment in San Antonio and moving in with me when one day a woman turned up on my doorstep. With two small children.

As it turned out, he was already married. They live together in Seattle, but he is a traveling salesman and is out of town a lot. The apartment I thought was his was actually just a company apartment.

He deceived me and his wife throughout our entire relationship. He was lying all the time and he not only gained my trust but also that of my family. If it hadn't been for his wife going through his phone... probably none of us would have ever known.

I've never felt so... stupid in my life. How could I have been so naïve? Why didn't I suspect anything? I mean... how come I never got suspicious? But anyway...

She told me everything. We had a long talk. Both our worlds collapsed that day. A part of me will never recover," she said as tears streamed down her face.

I sensed that she was trying to tell the story as neutrally as possible and not cause herself any more pain. But one look in her eyes showed me how much she was still struggling with her suffering.

"When he got here that night... Let's just say it wasn't pretty. I even had to call the cops to have him removed from my property. He shows up here every now and then when he's in town. But I never let him near me anymore." She continued, wiping her eyes.

"Oh Katie..." I breathed and scooted closer to her so I could take her in my arms.

"Shhh... take a deep breath... I'm... I'm sorry you had to go through that. Now I understand what you meant when you said you had trust issues. But I promise you that you can trust me. And if I ever get to see that son of a bitch, I promise you that he will never dare come near you ever again," I said.

I didn't know what else to say. I was trying to process everything she had just told me. So much made sense now and at the same time it didn't. Because I just couldn't get my head around how someone could hurt a woman like that. And not just her, but his own family.