Tampa was alive and well the night of Raw. With Clash of Champions the night before, the fans were still riding that high of adrenaline. The matches themselves could've been better, but no one seemed to be complaining.
Alyx, Claudio, and myself headed in the Amalie Arena where Raw would be taped that night. A friendship was beginning to blossom between the fan deemed "Greek Goddess" and I; after many nights sharing a hotel room together, we decided to become acquaintances. Plus, I always found a good workout with the pair with Claudio's Crossfit regiment.
Entering the building, a ring came from my sweatshirt pocket. I let out a breath as that was the sixth time, at least, that it has sounded in the last hour. After seeing the first couple messages, I disregarded the rest.
After setting our stuff down in the locker room, Alyx and I headed to catering to get a bite to eat. As we grabbed some food and sat down, another ring sounded from my phone.
"Can you please just check your phone? I swear, if that thing rings once more, I'm throwing it against that wall." She threatened, causing me to cower slightly in my seat. Even though she was younger and smaller than I, she was still intimidating as hell.
"It's Fergal. I'm not answering him." I replied annoyed before taking a bite of the fruit on my plate.
"Look, I realize things aren't the greatest between the two of you right now, but avoiding him won't solve your problems. It's never too late to make things right. He's trying to reach you, Luna, but you refuse to look past what ever happened between the two in the past for him to settle things straight."
As she spoke, I looked down at the messages on my phone.
9/26/16 | 6:31 p.m.
Luna, I know you don't want anything to do with me. But please, hear me out. I've had a lot of time to think due to surgery, and every time I get to thinking, my mind goes back to us in Japan. Oh, how happy we used to be. I never meant to hurt you the way I did and lose you not only as a friend, but as my love. I am still in love with you, Luna Montoya. I'd scream it from the rooftops if you'd let me. But you'd rather keep me silent. I can't blame you, though; if I were in your shoes, I'd hate me too.
9/26/16 | 6:41 p.m.
Please, just give me five minutes to explain myself. Five minutes. That's all I need.
9/26/16 | 6:45 p.m.
I'm sorry. God, I'm so sorry.
My body stiffened as I read them over. I could just imagine him sitting in front of me, tears in his eyes, spilling his heart out to me in apology. It hurt to know that I was causing this much emotional pain during this rough patch of his life, but not as much as he hurt me.
"Please, Luna," I looked up to see Alyx reaching across the table to place a thoughtful hand on mine. In her eyes, I could see she wanted the best for both Fergal and myself, "Please, just hear him out."
I let out a deep breath before removing my hand from hers. Moving my hands down to my phone, my fingers hovered over the screen. I weighed my possibilities if going through with this: finally fixing things or getting hurt again. A chill ran up my spine as I picked the latter of the two. Standing up from my seat, I headed further backstage to find a quiet area.
Positioning myself on top of an empty crate, I looked down at my phone again. His contact had since been removed from my phone, but the messages returned it to me. Part of me told me not to do it, not to return to him. However, the other part me realized to stop the constant heartache, I needed to do this.
Letting out a deep breath, I called him. With every ring, my heart stopped. When he picked up, I thought I was going to be sick.
"Luna?" His voice was scratchy and hoarse, as if he was crying.
"You have five minutes." I stated blankly.
A moment of silence came over him, as if he couldn't believe I was actually calling. He then cleared his throat and took a breath.
"I know sorry doesn't mean much to you anymore, but I truly am sorry about what I did to you. I just lost control and forgot what meant most to me: you. You were one of the first friends I made in Japan, and I'll be honest, you showed me a love that no one else did. You supported me during my lows and highs. For that, I thank you.
"When you left Japan, I thought about chasing after you. I was so devastated and heartbroken. One moment, we were at the top of the wrestling world, but in an instant, I found myself at the bottom with the love of my life gone. I said it then and I'll say it now: I love you, Luna Montoya, more than you'll ever know. For so long, I was alone, grasping at anything to make me feel whole. Nothing felt right until you. But then you left, and I felt more alone than ever.
"And looking at you now, I see the armor you hold firmly to your heart, too afraid that it will shatter if someone came into contact with it. I want you to know that I've thought about that night over and over and over again for the past two years. How stupid I was..." A sniffle sounded from him, causing a pang to form in my heart, "I will never forgive myself for the pain I put you through. And I just wish that you can find a way to even look me in the eyes again as a friend. I know it's a lot to ask, but I think we both know that something needs to change here. We can't keep dancing this dance; it hurts so much. Please, Luna. Can you forgive me?"
My body shook as wave after wave of emotion hit me. His words sounded sincere, but I grew frustrated with myself over the fact that I couldn't accept them. In my eyes, he was Fergal Devitt, the man who ruined my life and career with just one careless act. He cut all the ties I had with those in Japan, he cost me my job, and he left me out in the rain to grow cold. A simple 'sorry' would never be able to fix it.
"Fergal, part of me wants to believe your words are true, but I can't. I thought I knew you, I thought I knew your heart, I thought I knew what you wouldn't do to hurt me. But then to just have it all completely shattered over one little thing, by something so stupid..." I felt myself choking up as a small sob hit me. Recalling that night always brought a pain to my heart and tears to my eyes. Wiping them away with the back of my hand, I bit my bottom lip to stifle a cry, "You made me feel crazy, you made it feel like it was all my fault. I was in so much pain, Fergal."
"I know, love, I know-"
"No, you don't! Losing my brother and then losing you? I've never been in so much pain in my life. I just..." A small sob hit me as I leaned my back against the cold wall. I bit my bottom lip so hard, I thought I drew blood, "I miss the old Fergal Devitt. The Fergal Devitt that I could stay up all night with and talk to about anything. The Fergal Devitt who I loved to help paint before Wrestle Kingdom. The Fergal Devitt who helped shape me as a heel through Bullet Club. The Fergal Devitt I fell in love with."
"He's still here. I'm still here, Lun. If you gave me the time I need, I could show you. I could prove myself that I changed if you just gave me the time."
Down the hall, a frantic stagehand was calling my name, claiming I had a match soon. I nodded and hopped off the crate.
"That's five minutes," I heard him groan and curse under his breath. Stopping momentarily, I felt a small smile come across my face, causing my heart to swell, "I'll talk to you later."
A slight gasp came over him, and before he could say more, I hung up the phone.
Matt and Nick nudged each other as we walked closer and closer to the club. La Comandante, Andrew, and Chad walked behind Fergal and I with the brothers, Fale "Bad Luck Fale" Simitaitoko, and Alipate "Tama Tonga" Fifita in front of us. After a successful IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship defense by Fergal, the Club decided to go out and celebrate.
Fergal grabbed ahold of my hand as we neared the club, causing me to look up at him confused. He looked down me and placed a kiss on my lips.
"Just need to let these other horn dogs know that I'm yours." He admitted.
Even though he was one of the most confident and cocky heels in the business, he was still self-concisous about his love life; it was as if he feared he wasn't good enough for me. To reassure him, I pulled him down to my level and placed a passionate kiss on his lips.
"Should've just left you two back at the hotel." Andrew commented, causing Fergal and I to laugh.
"But if we would've left her there, who was I going to dance with?" Matt asked.
"I think you mean who was I going to dance with." Nick objected, causing the banter of the brothers to begin.
"I'm right here guys." Fergal commented, protectively holding my hand to him.
I could see in his eyes that he was growing a little jealous. I brought his hand to my lips and placed a sweet kiss on it to bring him back down. He seemed to calm down as his smile returned to his face. He mouthed a small thank you, which I gave a small nod towards.
The club was as busy as expected. However, thanks to Chad, we found ourselves in a reserved area in the back. We thanked the bouncer nearby as he opened the velvet ropes for us. Fergal pulled me into the seat next to him and Andrew as the others gathered around. An assortment of beverages and food sat before us, causing us to look over at Chad in awe.
"Let's just say I have my ways." He smiled before grabbing a beer for himself. He raised it in a toast as the rest of us grabbed one for ourselves, "First of all, I'd like to thank you all for making our time here so memorable. This group has really become family and I can't thank you guys enough," the brothers howled in cheers, causing the rest of us to laugh, "Secondly, I'd like to congratulate Luna for successfully capturing the ICE Cross Infinity Championship for a second time," the men cheered as I bowed and thanked them, "and finally, I'd like to raise a glass to Fergal Devitt, on being a great champion and leader. To Luna and Fergal." He raised his glass higher.
"To Luna and Fergal." The rest of us repeated, raising our glasses as well.
As we were about to take our drinks, the brothers urged us to our feet by raising the Too Sweet with their free hand. The rest of us followed suit, meeting above the middle of the table. When we all connected, we raised our glasses again and drank to each other.
I hope you enjoyed. How did I do? Let me know down below. Thanks for reading. And until next time, heart you. <3