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chapter ➝ twenty six type➝ real life ❝ her happiness is him ❞
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IT WAS ANOTHER EXHAUSTING DAY FOR all the SmackDown wrestlers. Tonight's event was absolutely festive since there were two main events, one; a handicap match between Francine Lane against Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, in which Francine ended up victorious because Sonya accidentally did the spinebuster on Mandy, and two; the now returning John Cena interrupted AJ Styles' match against Jeff Hardy.
And to say that Francine a bit anxious was understandable. How could she not? There were literally no rumors hinting that John might return to WWE this soon, but suddenly, he showed up and challenged Jeff Hardy in the Last Man Standing match with his title on the line next week. Speaking of show off, she bitterly thought. Francine didn't want to bump into John at all, even if she only heard his voice, she definitely would turn the other way around.
WWE was Francine's safe place, considering she knew there was only a tiny chance she met John since he was focusing himself on Hollywood. But, again, it always happened the opposite.
"I didn't know you were going to return this fast." Shailene beamed, distracting the guy so her sister didn't need to do the talking anytime soon. "What about your acting career?"
"Well, it's still on," John replied, eyes roaming all over the parking lot as if he was looking for someone. "I just missed being in the ring."
"Really?" Paige chimed in as she almost rolled her eyes in the process, a cynical tone emblazoning her voice. "Are you sure just because of that?"
Renee slightly nudged her abdomen, glaring at the British woman knowingly. "Everyone's very ecstatic you're back."
"I hope they do," John said in response before he changed the topic. "Hey, um, is Francine still here?"
The question instantly gained Shailene's attention as she raised an eyebrow, finding it unworthy to be questioned. "Why do you ask?"
John sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "I want to apologize. I know it's too late to say this, but I'm ready. I'm ready to build a family with her. I've been thinking for a year and now I realize that Francine is everything I want and need, not someone else."
"Oh wow," Paige blurted out, almost bursting out of laughter because of how lame his attempt was. "You've been thinking too long, big fella."
"What?"
"Sorry, John, but your chances are gone." Shailene took a step forward in a challenging manner and faked a smile, crossing her arms over the chest. "Even though you have one, I won't let my sister make the same mistake again. You've hurt her enough, and I'm not willing to see her wasting her tears for you. Ever again."
Renee automatically high-fived Paige while observing the entire confrontation. Truthfully, they didn't feel sorry for him because, at the end of the day, John was also worth blaming for giving Francine so much hope to the moment she was surfeited with the word. Six years was not a short period of time, it was supposed to be enough for him to man the hell up and open his whole heart again.
John's face morphed into a lot of emotion, perhaps if they could zoom in closer to his eyes, there were tears wishing to come out. "Let me fix it all, please. I will make her happy, Shai, I promise."
Shailene scoffed. "That's what you said to my mom when you asked for an approval to take Francine out."
"You seriously need to let her go now, John," Renee advised as nice as she could. "Move on with your life."
John shook his head, knowing full well he still holds a special place in Francine's heart. "Why?"
And just then, a squeal of excitement thundered throughout the parking lot, taking their attention instantly. There she was — the woman who became the main topic of their conversation earlier. The sight was surely beautiful for Shailene, Renee, and Paige, but definitely not for John.
Francine Lane ran with a smile that wouldn't seem to be separated from her lips anytime soon as she crashed herself into the arms of Chris Evans, allowing him to lift and spin her around. It was a cliché scene, but it didn't matter since this was their first rendezvous again after a month filled with bustling schedules respectively.
"What are you doing here?" Francine managed to ask between her excitement, arms wrapping around his neck.
Chris gave her a lopsided smile and swiftly pecked her lips teasingly. "Kidnapping you."
"Should I be afraid?" Francine said in response.
"Well, if you're afraid, you certainly don't need me to be your knight in shining armor," Chris replied and put her down, but still kept his hands on her hips securely. "You are a badass already, kicking ass is your daily routine."
Francine threw her head back and laughed heartily. "This is why I never want to get rid of you anytime soon."
The duo immediately got into the car without realizing that they were being watched by Shailene, Renee, Paige, and John. The three women observed it all from the other part of the parking lot with a certain smile adorning their lips, relieved that Francine could finally find happiness one more time.
And somehow this time, they believed that Chris Evans was the right man for her.
Shailene, then, turned to face John again and was quick enough to take notice of his displeasure at what he had just witnessed. Smiling smugly, Shailene eventually answered his last question. "That's why."
