THE NEXT DAY
"NIK, I am so sorry," Candice tried to soothe me, rubbing my hands in support. I had just confided in her about Pete nearly breaking off our engagement and, then... Tommaso. It always seem to come down to him. "Maybe, when Pete returns, he'll feel better."
"It's not even about Pete," I cried, using my hand to wipe the incoming tears away. My hands were shaking from how I was crying more than I was eating and drinking anything. "Tommaso and I were finally good and, then... I'm so stupid. Stupid!"
"No, you aren't," Candice said to me and brought my hands down to join hers once more. "Honey, I understand. You just wanted a friend and, then... Pete won't even let you have that."
Candice understood, but didn't at the same time. Honestly, if Johnny wasn't married to Candice, was single and texted me, Johnny and I wouldn't be friends anymore, either. Maybe it is because, every time that he ever cheated on me, I made him disconnect himself from every female in his phone, too.
The day he would make me stop being friends with Johnny and Candice is the day that Pete and I would break-up permanently.
"I... I don't want to see Tommaso anymore, though," I confessed, even if it wasn't the complete truth. "It would just... It would just hurt way too much. It's best that he and I just stay as strangers."
THREE WEEKS LATER
"WHAT is Victoria Valentine going to do now after that intense and bloody ladder match at TakeOver?" Kayla Braxton asked, now bringing the microphone to my lips.
I smirked and replied: "You know what, Kayla? Victoria Valentine did not come here to lose her opportunity. I am here to burn down every single bridge that I have to walk over and I am here to put down every single competitor that gets in my way. Tommaso might of walked out as the winner, succeeding in holding his title, but this war isn't even close to being over. When he threw me off that ladder and I fell threw that table, it hurt — but not as much as it's gonna hurt when I put him through several tables and take his title away from him."
With that said, I spun on my heel and stormed away, out of the view of the camera and interview section. I heard Kayla say to the camera, when I walked away: "Thank you, Victoria. Back to you guys at commentary."
Heading towards my locker room, I felt somebody's eyes on me and I looked up, seeing Tommaso heavily staring at me from his position at heading into his locker room. We hadn't spoken to one another in over three weeks, ever since Pete restricted me from having any further contact with him. If we ever do speak, it's to each other in the ring and when we are in strict character.
Would it be if I said that I actually missed him? I just miss him being this constant influence in my life. Either he was my friend or not, I just wanted him there... But, since I am still happily engaged to Pete, there will never be any kind of friendship between myself and Tommaso.
Dipping my head down and twisting the knob to the locker room, I headed inside and, as soon as I was inside, I slammed the door and my back slid against the door until I was lying on the ground in a fit of despair. I was glad that my locker room was by myself for tonight, because I didn't want anyone else to see me cry.
• TOMMASO'S P.O.V. •
AFTER seeing Nicole outside of the ring, it always got me more than when we were in the ring together. Because, outside of the ring, we were two different people than how we were inside of it.
Maybe after I saw her, my emotions began to get to me. I didn't feel the need to cry about it, but I did feel the need to punch a wall and imagine it as Pete's face. He can cheat on Nicole, but as soon as she gets a friend that is a guy, he has a problem with it?!
If this was a cartoon, smoke would be coming out of my ears and nose. I would have biceps like Popeye and I could punch through walls like the Hulk. Right now, I could do all of that.
"Fuck!" I screamed and punched wooden locker. Then, I kicked over the chair and another, too. "Fucking Pete!"
There was a knock at the door and, before I could reply, a head popped in and it was Johnny. "Hey, are you okay?" Obviously, he heard me from the outside. "What the hell happened in here?"
I shook my head before turning around, kicking the fallen chair out of my way and sat down on the bench. "I don't fucking know..."
For whatever reason, I heard the door close and Johnny stepped inside, taking a seat next to me on the bench and placing his hand on my shoulder. "Tommaso, man," he practically whispered in my ear. "Talk to me."
"I... I can't," I refused to, especially when I know that he may run and tell Candice, who will then tell Nicole, herself. "It's nothing."
"Tommaso," came his warning tone. "Is this about Nik?"
"Man..."
"Is it?" Johnny pressed for more and, this time, I was about to explode.
I jumped up, while he remained seated, and blew up. "Of course, it's about Nicole! It's always about her! Always!"
Johnny now stood up and spat back at me: "Then, tell me how you feel! Do you like her?!"
Before I could control what I said next, it came out and, when it did, I could no longer control it. "Of course, I like her! I like her way too much than I want to admit! I have liked her ever since I first laid my eyes on her on her first day on the job! But she's engaged to Pete, who doesn't even deserve her to begin with. I like everything about her, even the things that I told her that I didn't. She drives me completely crazy, but it's only because, after every fight that we have, I want to kiss all her pain away, but I can't because she is with someone else and she'll never see me how I see her."
Johnny looked stunned, completely shocked, just like I had somehow offended him. Then, he slowly looked up at me and breathed out: "Then, tell her that, dude."
"I can't," I instantly refused and shook my head, slightly turning my back on him. "It'll be pointless when she is engaged to be married. She's planning her wedding and her future with Pete, so let her."
"Hey," I heard Johnny say before he came right up to me and shoved me, getting right in my face. "Tell her that shit, man. She will hear you out. Y'know what? Fuck Pete. For real. Fuck him, because you're absolutely right. He doesn't realize what he has, and Nik doesn't even understand that. She's settling, when she could easily be more happier with you."
I shook my head and shrugged off what he just said, taking a deep breath afterwards. "Nope. I'm not falling for it. Not again."
"Dude, she has been beyond depressed ever since Pete told her to cut you off," Johnny confessed, which kind of surprised me. "I'm not gonna lie when I say that... Okay, look. Nik is in love with Pete because she feels that she has to be. Pete was, for the most part, her first love and the only guy that she has ever slept with. She knows nothing, but Pete. I think that, throughout this, she started to really like you — maybe more than what she would like to admit to herself. And, that's saying something because Nik is always so faithful and always will be."
I was hearing Johnny out, but he was still wrong in the end. I couldn't ever confess any of this to Nicole because, no matter what, it won't change her to leave Pete for me. She didn't three weeks ago and she won't now. Nothing has changed, not even her heart.
I bit down the inner anger that I felt and gulped, shaking my head from all the thoughts and feelings that I had invested inside myself. "Nope," I simply huffed back. "Not again. Nope. Fuck her, if she wants to be with that ass-clown. I don't give a shit anymore."
"Tommaso—"
"So, you go tell her that I don't want her anymore," I interrupted him and began to say my own piece back. "Tell her that I am so fucking happy for her that she is getting married and that, despite what has happened, I hope that I get invited to the wedding. It's okay that she doesn't feel the same way back. Maybe they'll be another girl... Maybe there won't be. I just don't really give a shit anymore, Johnny. So, you go tell her all that."
After a brief pause to take that all in, I felt him place his hand on my shoulder and I jerked it away. "Just... Go tell her that, man," I sniffled, not crying, just very upset. "Go tell her all that."
Before long, I didn't hear anything else, except for the door, which opened and closed. And, just like that, he was gone and I was all alone again... Just like how I was going to end up.
• Wow... I wrote that. Yup, minor time-skip. Was thinking three months, but... I couldn't keep them apart that long 💔 More to come soon... Also, just prepare yourself for the pain that is to come, so get your tissues and hold them close to you 🤧 All the love .xx •