09-25-2018, 08:08 AM
OOC: I was able to scrap together something more for Aaron Blackbourne, but due to the illness I mentioned in Thirteen's RP thread I did have to cut a part I wasn't able to get finished in time because I was too tired trying to sleep this off to get it finished, but I might be able to salvage it for a future RP at least.
----------------------------------------------------------
To say that the past few weeks have been awkward for Aaron Blackbourne would be quite the understatement.
Roughly two weeks ago on Breakdown, his latest run with the TV Title came to an abrupt end after a back-and-forth battle with former World Champion Alexis Quinne. Simply put, Aaron got caught and paid the price, and while he could at least take solace in the fact that this reign exceeded his previous one in both length and successful defenses, it still stung that the hard work he put in to win the belt at Rise to Greatness had already ceased to exist. Perhaps if there was something waiting in the aftermath he could at least have something else to preoccupy his mind, but that simply didn’t seem like the case as he was given the previous Breakdown off from action to recover following several weeks in a row of competing, and it didn’t seem like there were any plans for him to be in action for Apocalypse tonight either. He would still be at the arena, especially in support of his friend Owen Cruze when he did battle with Regan Street, but other than that he would need to figure something out going forward.
What certainly didn’t help was this new admirer he seemed to have, and as the weeks began to pass Aaron was starting to become more and more unnerved by the situation even if he did his best to maintain his calm when the cameras were trained on him. Clearly Scarlet Grey was enamored with him, and as flattered as he was the fact of the matter is she was several months too late. His heart already belonged to Liane, and if the fact they were still hesitant about the subject of being in anything less than their everyday clothes around one another was any indication, what they had together had nothing to do with sex appeal. That seemed to be Scarlet’s driving force, and between flaunting her own body freely before him and clearly trying to see him beyond even his wrestling attire, she was making him uncomfortable. The fact that she’d even invited him to watch Apocalypse with her from a private hotel room didn’t sit well with him either, as even if his actual relationship was taken out of the equation he knew that simply watching the show together would likely be the last thing she’d want to do. Scarlet was being extremely forward, and no matter how attractive she was Aaron got a bad feeling whenever she was near him. It was the same feeling he got the few times he’d been around his brother Andrew’s boyfriend… a feeling that sent chills down his spine and told him bad things would happen if he actually gave in to this woman who was such a free spirit when it came to her body that he doubted she actually wanted anything significant with him beyond just claiming she scored.
The whole situation with Scarlet also creating a storm on the horizon that he was nervous about dealing with. When he’d headed to Pittsburgh for the Breakdown that signaled the end of his title reign, he and Liane had separated after he’d gotten a call from Pete about how the tattoo artist had managed to convince a local comedy club to give Liane a chance as their headliner, so she’d spent these past couple of weeks back in Seattle performing. He had no doubt she was still keeping up with his SCW endeavors and had seen what was going on in regards to Scarlet Grey, and the fact they hadn’t really had any contact in that time made him worry she was looking at this the wrong way like everyone else was initially. The current plan was for the two of them to reunite as she was flying out to Chicago so she could join Aaron in watching the pay-per-view, then from there things would resume as normal unless she got called for more gigs after two weeks of nonstop performances every night. He just wanted to try and clear the situation up before it gained any negative traction and ultimately endangered their relationship, because Liane meant so much to Aaron’s life and he couldn’t afford to lose that.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, things weren’t entirely organized inside Aaron’s head either. Leading up to the Breakdown in Las Vegas where he’d defended the TV Title against AJ Helms, he had a moment where he’d completely lost control of his creative landscape. The last thing he remembered was Ferrugo fighting of his own accord with the Twin Stars while Nemesis seemed to mastermind the whole ordeal, even redirecting Aaron’s attempt at mental solitude to make sure he was aware of it. When you factored in how easily he’d suddenly lost control of himself and nearly beheaded a comedy club owner because of his refusal to let Liane perform on a clearly advertised open mic night, something was very wrong and he needed some way to piece everything back together. This was why he’d decided to try a little bit of meditation before heading to the airport to pick up Liane, and he could only hope he was able to sort himself out before that encounter.
If he didn’t start to right this ship, he could feel it was destined to sink and cost him everything he was finally earning for himself.
Before going to pick Liane up, Aaron decided to spend some time meditating back in his hotel room, trying to steer himself to his “safe place” inside his mind in order to hopefully sort things out. Within an hour or two, he had gotten his mind in order for the time being, but now he needed to see how well that was going to hold up.
He could feel his nerves clashing with the calm he was trying desperately to maintain as he stood in the arrivals area of Chicago O’Hare International Airport, eyes carefully scanning the crowd for the familiar head of brown hair that belonged to his girlfriend. He knew her flight had come in since she’d texted him to let him know, the first contact they’d had in some time. Considering it didn’t go beyond that and Aaron letting her know he’d be waiting for her, it was clear that if she did want to talk about what was going on in SCW with Scarlet, she preferred to do it face-to-face. Aaron couldn’t blame her… after all, she would no doubt want a good look at his face to make sure that what he planned to tell her was the genuine truth. Of course, he planned to tell her nothing but the truth, but one can never be too careful when the seeds of doubt are planted, especially if it’s someone else’s handiwork.
After a few minutes of waiting around and taking some deep breaths to maintain the composure he’d just spent the past little while rebuilding inside The Sanctuary, the moment was finally here. He saw Liane carefully wading through the crowd with her luggage in hand, and when the two locked eyes she quickly made her way over to where he stood. Her face seemed pretty neutral which was a bad sign as far as he was concerned, as under any other circumstances she’d have likely been all smiles and eager to tell him about how things went with the comedy club headliner gig. He briefly had a thought about her not being in a good mood because that didn’t go so well for her, but he quickly kicked that thought out of his head when it dared to try and be the more preferable option to what he knew the real issue was. He didn’t know if that was the doing of Nemesis or simply his grip beginning to slip away, but he wasn’t about to roll the dice any more at this point. When they were finally close Liane just walked right past him, silently motioning for him to follow and he complied, knowing that if they were going to talk it was probably best to get away from the crowded airport so nobody could eavesdrop. The walk to the parking garage where Aaron’s rental car sat was agonizingly quiet, but once they finally found it Liane set her bags down and sat on the edge of the hood, tucking her hands into her jeans pockets.
“I’m sorry if I’m not as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as I usually am Aaron, but I think you know why.”
“I’m aware… we parted ways to focus on our respective opportunities, and now you know I apparently have a stalker obsessed with me.”
“A stalker? Aaron, she stood before you butt naked and invited you to take a shower with her! She even wore next to nothing in the ring and tried to emulate your whole ‘demon’ thing!”
“I know Liane… to anyone simply watching, it looks like a mess, I’m not going to lie. Hell, that interviewer I had time with this past Breakdown certainly thought there was something going on, but I’m setting the record straight. What I said on Breakdown is the truth: I’m in a committed relationship with you and you alone, and nothing Scarlet Grey does is going to change that. I don’t know why she’s suddenly so interested in me, but the feeling is so far away from mutual you’d sooner discover a new galaxy on the edge of the universe than you would see me and her together.”
Aaron saw a trace of hope in Liane’s eyes, but it faded when she looked down, and he had a feeling he knew why. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen her evaluating her own body in a negative fashion, especially since they both had a bad habit of being their own worst critic at times.
“I want to believe you Aaron, but… what do I have that she doesn’t? Let’s face it: she’s tall and obviously has curves in all the right places, and she’s not afraid to show that off. I just look kind of awkward, especially compared to her, and I’m still hesitant at the mere thought of being in my underwear around you, let alone anything less.”
“You make me happy Liane, simple as that.”
Liane’s gaze suddenly jolted up, just in time to catch Aaron closing the distance as he planted a soft kiss on her lips and took her hands in his for comfort, making sure she could see deeply into his eyes to know and trust in every word he spoke going forward.
“Yeah, Scarlet might be attractive, but if I was looking for a one night stand like she obviously is then I would’ve followed Pete’s lead back in that bar where we first met all those months ago. Plus, even if I want to feel flattered by her being attracted to me, I get a vibe from her that I haven’t felt since the last time I dealt with my own mess of a family. It’s weird, but I can almost feel the toxic influence radiating off of her whenever she tries to get anywhere near me. It may be true that I saw her naked, though not by my own choice, but looks aren’t everything. You have been my source of strength for a long time now Liane, from trying to deal with whatever the hell’s going on in my head threatening to hijack my imagination and make me appear insane to powering through whatever obstacles both SCW and life in general try to throw my way. There’s no reason for us to try and rush things… I’m just happy knowing you’re a part of my life, and what you give me is far more than Scarlet or any other woman on this planet could offer, and I mean that sincerely. I don’t care what she was hoping to do with Apocalypse tonight, because I won’t be joining her. I’m going to be backstage cheering Owen on for his match and otherwise enjoying the show with my girlfriend… no, my soulmate.”
Any doubt that was lingering in Liane’s mind almost instantly vanished in that moment. Plain and simple, if there was any girl Aaron wanted by his side for eternity, it was Liane, and he just knew in his heart that he meant it when he called her his soulmate. He severely doubted any girl could make him feel the way she did, and he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt Scarlet was incapable of coming anywhere close in that regard. The two of them couldn’t help but indulge in a good-length kiss to further seal the deal, and Liane’s big smile returned the moment their lips parted. Perhaps the only thing that could somewhat sour the mood at that point in time was the sound of Liane’s phone going off, but Aaron didn’t mind and left her to answer it while he loaded up her bags in the trunk of the car. As he went to climb into the driver’s seat though, he stopped when he saw Liane motioning to him, the smile on her face already gone again. As he moved to stand by her, she tapped a button on her phone and then held it flat against her palm as she extended her arm a bit.
“Alright, I’ve got his attention, and you’re on speaker now.”
“Thank you. Mr. Blackbourne, are you there?”
“I am. And you are…?”
“Dr. Miranda Lopez, a therapist who’s been trying to get in contact with you for weeks now.”
“Really? I sincerely apologize doctor, I’ve just been really busy with my wrestling schedule. When you add in the untelevised house shows, free time kind of becomes a fleeting luxury some days.”
It was a sarcastic comment, but he did his best to mask it. Truth be told, he was very much aware of the repeated voicemails she’d been leaving him and he chose to ignore every single one. He knew she was simply concerned just because of whatever she heard from both of their families, but in his mind he didn’t need a therapy session and neither did Liane. Sure, they had their fair share of problems, but they were both confident they could help each other work through them, and the last thing Aaron wanted to put up with was a therapist confusing his creativity for some form of a mental disorder. It wasn’t the first time it would’ve happened, and he wasn’t about to go on another rant over it either.
“I should apologize to you Mr. Blackbourne. When I tried to contact you about scheduling an appointment I did not take your wrestling schedule into account. Your family failed to mention anything in regards to that career.”
Gee, I wonder why…
“With all due respect doctor, we understand you might have some concerns, but just because our families think we might need help doesn’t mean they’re right. We both just… have some disagreements with our families over things, but we’re perfectly fine where we’re at right now.”
“And with all due respect to you Miss Forte, I would like to be the judge of that for myself. Considering some recent developments in regards to Mr. Blackbourne’s family I’m not sure he’s even aware of and how insistent your family is, I’m afraid it’s imperative that we at least meet to discuss things. If what you say is true, then there’s no harm in one session to show me everything is in the clear before we part ways.”
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news doctor, but between Liane’s new comedy gig she got recently and my wrestling schedule I’m not sure if we’re even going to have time to-”
“Let me stop you right there Mr. Blackbourne. I’ve already taken care of the matter to ensure that we can have this session without any further delay. I have contacted both of your respective employers and insisted some mandatory time off on the grounds of requiring an evaluation before I can clear you both for work, so there is no further reason to delay this.”
Hearing that almost had Aaron seeing crimson again, but he did his best to suppress the irritation he felt at how persistent this therapist was being all just to get an appointment he knew likely wasn’t going to end well. He turned to look at Liane, who wore an identical mask of annoyance on her face in that moment.
“So that explains why I was suddenly pulled from my gig and given some time off after only two weeks…”
Clearly Liane hadn’t simply given up the gig or taken time off to return to her boyfriend, especially since the usual post pay-per-view time off meant Aaron could return home and see her perform for himself. This sudden announcement also meant he probably wasn’t going to be seeing any action on the next Breakdown either, which kept him from being able to try and “right the ship” like he so desperately wanted to on the SCW front. In his mind, this therapist was starting to overstep her bounds, and that was usually a red flag in his book coming from a profession he already had difficulty trusting in.
“With all of that said, when do you two feel might be the best time for you to meet me at one of my offices? I can even tell you where my closest office is from wherever you’re both located now to make it easier to set this up.”
“If you don’t mind me asking Dr. Lopez, do we specifically have to see you? Or do we just need to see any therapist in order to be cleared?”
“Well, I would prefer if you come and see me since I’ve been handling so many sessions within your respective families and social circles already, but if there’s another therapist who can see you sooner I suppose…”
Liane looked to Aaron as Dr. Lopez continued to ponder to herself over the phone, and he just smirked and motioned for her to trust him.
“The reason I bring this up is because I’ve found out that one of the current wrestlers for SCW is a registered therapist, and we’re currently in his hometown of Chicago for a pay-per-view event. I’m pretty sure his office would be here as well, so we could probably set something up with him at the arena tonight and get this taken care of within the next day or two, which saves us some money on an extra flight.”
“…alright, but I would very much like to get in contact with him to discuss what he got from his session with you as soon as possible.”
“I’ll make sure to pass your number along to him once we’re done doctor.”
Dr. Lopez bid the two of them goodbye before the call ended, and Aaron breathed a sigh of relief now that he was done with that. He took a moment to lean against the call and make sure he was collected, and as he did so he took note of the curiosity in Liane’s eyes.
“That therapist on the SCW roster… you mean that Thirteen guy, right? Are you really going to ask him about…?”
“Honestly? Not really. No offense to him, but I just used the resources we had from being here to try and buy us some extra time to get her off our backs. I’m sure Dr. Lopez means well, but if you ask me we’ve got some other things that need to be taken care of first, and one of them is not sitting in front of a therapist for an hour trying to explain to her that being creative is not the same thing as having an unstable mind.”
“I feel bad about lying to her, but I don’t know what my parents might have told her about me and I think I’d rather ride things out with you first to see if I continue staying in control of myself before thinking I need any professional help.”
Maybe it was a bit underhanded, but in Aaron’s mind they were perfectly fine where they were at right now and were perfectly capable of helping one another past whatever issues they knew they had. They didn’t need a therapist that had likely been fed some misinformation trying to blow things out of proportion. As much as he knew he’d lost the next Breakdown, he knew that “doctor’s order” wouldn’t last considering Fatal Fortunes was after that, and as long as Aaron could physically compete SCW was going to book him regardless. Liane’s situation was a little more difficult, but never let it be said that Aaron wasn’t capable of finding creative solutions to any problem. It would require a bit of thought, but he’d come up with something. For now, they were simply going to go enjoy Apocalypse together before figuring everything out one step at a time, because together they could accomplish anything.
At least, that’s what Aaron believed, and his feelings hadn’t steered him wrong yet. He just needed to make sure they weren’t further poisoned by Scarlet’s antics or whatever was going on inside his head to keep it that way.
Don't get me wrong, the very idea behind this is incredible. Recall how just after Rise to Greatness I talked about how the very idea of facing the unknown makes someone like me salivate over the endless possibilities when I had to defend the TV Title against a mystery opponent, and turning two weeks' worth of Breakdowns into this concept from opening act to main event almost sounds like Christmas to me. It's not often you have a truly infinite number of possibilities standing before you when it comes to who you'll face, what kind of match it could even be, whether or not there's a title on the line or a shot at one or maybe even someone's job for all you know. I could paint a mural of every single possibility if I really wanted to, and it still wouldn't be a proper show of respect to SCW for such an ingenious and innovative concept. This is the kind of thing that more wrestling promotions should dedicate a small amount of time to in order to both keep the roster on its toes and give the fans a truly unique experience to keep them hooked, preferably without reserving the idea for when the company happens to roll into Vegas because, no offense guys, but that shtick's been beaten to death already.
I just wish I could enjoy Fatal Fortunes without this 135 pound burden on my back that just doesn't seem to want to accept that sometimes you can't get what you want.
Scarlet, I know you're listening to this since you have this obsession with me for whatever reason, though I doubt what I have to say is actually going to resonate with you. Never let it be said that I didn't at least try to be as nice about this as possible. I'm flattered that you find me attractive, and I'm not going to argue against the fact that you're an attractive woman very clearly comfortable in your own skin. I'm sure you'd even be nice once I got to know you, but as I've been trying to explain for weeks now, I'm already in a relationship with another woman and I'm not the kind of bastard that would cheat on her just because you think you can offer me "something better." I also appreciate the creativity you've been trying to show to get my attention, but the way you've just been going about everything just has way too many red flags attached to it, and I've seen instances of unstable romantic relationships within my own family to know better than to jump into anything with someone who's made it painfully clear she's willing to flirt with virtually anything that walks. Maybe I'm in the minority for preferring a stable, faithful relationship as opposed to simply jumping into bed with someone, but just like with any book or piece of art there's always more beneath the surface, and I hate to say it but you've got me afraid to find out what lies beyond your sex appeal.
I want to enjoy this event for what it represents and considering the last time I competed I ended up losing my TV Title, I would love nothing more than to immerse myself in whatever challenge is put before me and start getting back on the winning track. Unfortunately, as long as Scarlet continues to try and play this game of showing me how badly she claims to want me and leaving this threat up in the air of "always getting what she wants," there will always be this proverbial storm cloud sitting right above my head no matter what Fatal Fortunes has in store for me. The possibility exists that I could face Scarlet in some kind of match that gives her an excuse to turn what should be a competitive battle into trying to "have her way with me" in the middle of the ring, and an even greater possibility exists that if I were to face anybody else regardless of who they are, from the World Champion with the title on the line all the way to someone who could even be debuting for SCW, she'll just saunter on out and become a distraction all just to make sure she has my attention.
If you truly care for me in any capacity Scarlet and want me to consider looking at you as anything other than a creepy stalker, for lack of a better term at this point, then at least honor my wishes to either give me an actual match if we somehow face one another or otherwise leave me be to focus on whatever it is I do end up having to face.
I know, my words are probably falling on deaf ears, but considering all the options at hand maybe she'll at least listen for the next two weeks since she should be focusing on moving in the right direction both for herself and her tag team. After all, we both have just as good a chance as anybody else to be picked as the challenger to a title, and I can think of a few names I wouldn't mind going up against beyond that either because I respect them and want to put on one hell of a match or simply because they've actually given me every reason imaginable to see if I can use my Unchained Creativity to dislocate their jaw and find out how much they still think they can talk shit while it's wired shut.
It's funny how I can scan through the SCW roster trying to guess who might be picked to stand across from me and how I could approach them in the ring, and a good majority of them are the people constantly complaining that nobody shows them any respect only to shrug it off when someone actually does show them some honest-to-God respect and means it. These are the people who will never be satisfied no matter how much they actually get, and I'm willing to bet they're the first to not only complain about how 'unfair' it is that they have to compete under so many blind variables or that they got a rigged draw despite the fact that every single one of us is sitting in the exact same boat just waiting for that call. What ever happened to the idea of simply loving what you do? I mean, I know each and every one of us wants to be a champion and be the very best like no one ever was and that whole song and dance, but if fame and success are the only reasons you're here, then what's the point of doing something you're not passionate about and taking issue with the fact that maybe someone that enjoys doing this for a living is actually getting rewarded for it?
Maybe I'm just nitpicking, but I know I'm not alone in saying I'm getting tired of the constant complaining that you're getting shafted when you aren't doing anything about it. And no, bitching and moaning about it doesn't count. You want people to take you seriously? Here's your chance: go out to that ring for Fatal Fortunes regardless of whether you're facing me or somebody else that isn't exactly who you wanted and prove you deserve all that respect you claim you're not getting. Yeah, maybe there's some luck involved as far as who ends up with those golden opportunities, but if you think people aren't going to be taking note of who wins the other matches that get drawn for consideration down the line, then you need to get your head out of your ass before someone lodges it up there permanently. If I get a title shot out of Fatal Fortunes, that'd be pretty awesome. If I don't, then I'm looking at it as a way to get one step closer to a potential title shot at Under Attack or build my case for that World Title shot they hand out to those who've never challenged for the belt before when the End of the Year Special comes around again here in a few months. Every possibility carries with it the chance to put yourself closer to the front of the line at some point, and my top priority right now is a simple one:
I'm going to walk into Fatal Fortunes eager to see what awaits me, and I'm going to walk away with my arm raised in victory regardless of the scenario to help paint a clearer picture of my future in this company.
----------------------------------------------------------
To say that the past few weeks have been awkward for Aaron Blackbourne would be quite the understatement.
Roughly two weeks ago on Breakdown, his latest run with the TV Title came to an abrupt end after a back-and-forth battle with former World Champion Alexis Quinne. Simply put, Aaron got caught and paid the price, and while he could at least take solace in the fact that this reign exceeded his previous one in both length and successful defenses, it still stung that the hard work he put in to win the belt at Rise to Greatness had already ceased to exist. Perhaps if there was something waiting in the aftermath he could at least have something else to preoccupy his mind, but that simply didn’t seem like the case as he was given the previous Breakdown off from action to recover following several weeks in a row of competing, and it didn’t seem like there were any plans for him to be in action for Apocalypse tonight either. He would still be at the arena, especially in support of his friend Owen Cruze when he did battle with Regan Street, but other than that he would need to figure something out going forward.
What certainly didn’t help was this new admirer he seemed to have, and as the weeks began to pass Aaron was starting to become more and more unnerved by the situation even if he did his best to maintain his calm when the cameras were trained on him. Clearly Scarlet Grey was enamored with him, and as flattered as he was the fact of the matter is she was several months too late. His heart already belonged to Liane, and if the fact they were still hesitant about the subject of being in anything less than their everyday clothes around one another was any indication, what they had together had nothing to do with sex appeal. That seemed to be Scarlet’s driving force, and between flaunting her own body freely before him and clearly trying to see him beyond even his wrestling attire, she was making him uncomfortable. The fact that she’d even invited him to watch Apocalypse with her from a private hotel room didn’t sit well with him either, as even if his actual relationship was taken out of the equation he knew that simply watching the show together would likely be the last thing she’d want to do. Scarlet was being extremely forward, and no matter how attractive she was Aaron got a bad feeling whenever she was near him. It was the same feeling he got the few times he’d been around his brother Andrew’s boyfriend… a feeling that sent chills down his spine and told him bad things would happen if he actually gave in to this woman who was such a free spirit when it came to her body that he doubted she actually wanted anything significant with him beyond just claiming she scored.
The whole situation with Scarlet also creating a storm on the horizon that he was nervous about dealing with. When he’d headed to Pittsburgh for the Breakdown that signaled the end of his title reign, he and Liane had separated after he’d gotten a call from Pete about how the tattoo artist had managed to convince a local comedy club to give Liane a chance as their headliner, so she’d spent these past couple of weeks back in Seattle performing. He had no doubt she was still keeping up with his SCW endeavors and had seen what was going on in regards to Scarlet Grey, and the fact they hadn’t really had any contact in that time made him worry she was looking at this the wrong way like everyone else was initially. The current plan was for the two of them to reunite as she was flying out to Chicago so she could join Aaron in watching the pay-per-view, then from there things would resume as normal unless she got called for more gigs after two weeks of nonstop performances every night. He just wanted to try and clear the situation up before it gained any negative traction and ultimately endangered their relationship, because Liane meant so much to Aaron’s life and he couldn’t afford to lose that.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, things weren’t entirely organized inside Aaron’s head either. Leading up to the Breakdown in Las Vegas where he’d defended the TV Title against AJ Helms, he had a moment where he’d completely lost control of his creative landscape. The last thing he remembered was Ferrugo fighting of his own accord with the Twin Stars while Nemesis seemed to mastermind the whole ordeal, even redirecting Aaron’s attempt at mental solitude to make sure he was aware of it. When you factored in how easily he’d suddenly lost control of himself and nearly beheaded a comedy club owner because of his refusal to let Liane perform on a clearly advertised open mic night, something was very wrong and he needed some way to piece everything back together. This was why he’d decided to try a little bit of meditation before heading to the airport to pick up Liane, and he could only hope he was able to sort himself out before that encounter.
If he didn’t start to right this ship, he could feel it was destined to sink and cost him everything he was finally earning for himself.
Before going to pick Liane up, Aaron decided to spend some time meditating back in his hotel room, trying to steer himself to his “safe place” inside his mind in order to hopefully sort things out. Within an hour or two, he had gotten his mind in order for the time being, but now he needed to see how well that was going to hold up.
He could feel his nerves clashing with the calm he was trying desperately to maintain as he stood in the arrivals area of Chicago O’Hare International Airport, eyes carefully scanning the crowd for the familiar head of brown hair that belonged to his girlfriend. He knew her flight had come in since she’d texted him to let him know, the first contact they’d had in some time. Considering it didn’t go beyond that and Aaron letting her know he’d be waiting for her, it was clear that if she did want to talk about what was going on in SCW with Scarlet, she preferred to do it face-to-face. Aaron couldn’t blame her… after all, she would no doubt want a good look at his face to make sure that what he planned to tell her was the genuine truth. Of course, he planned to tell her nothing but the truth, but one can never be too careful when the seeds of doubt are planted, especially if it’s someone else’s handiwork.
After a few minutes of waiting around and taking some deep breaths to maintain the composure he’d just spent the past little while rebuilding inside The Sanctuary, the moment was finally here. He saw Liane carefully wading through the crowd with her luggage in hand, and when the two locked eyes she quickly made her way over to where he stood. Her face seemed pretty neutral which was a bad sign as far as he was concerned, as under any other circumstances she’d have likely been all smiles and eager to tell him about how things went with the comedy club headliner gig. He briefly had a thought about her not being in a good mood because that didn’t go so well for her, but he quickly kicked that thought out of his head when it dared to try and be the more preferable option to what he knew the real issue was. He didn’t know if that was the doing of Nemesis or simply his grip beginning to slip away, but he wasn’t about to roll the dice any more at this point. When they were finally close Liane just walked right past him, silently motioning for him to follow and he complied, knowing that if they were going to talk it was probably best to get away from the crowded airport so nobody could eavesdrop. The walk to the parking garage where Aaron’s rental car sat was agonizingly quiet, but once they finally found it Liane set her bags down and sat on the edge of the hood, tucking her hands into her jeans pockets.
“I’m sorry if I’m not as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as I usually am Aaron, but I think you know why.”
“I’m aware… we parted ways to focus on our respective opportunities, and now you know I apparently have a stalker obsessed with me.”
“A stalker? Aaron, she stood before you butt naked and invited you to take a shower with her! She even wore next to nothing in the ring and tried to emulate your whole ‘demon’ thing!”
“I know Liane… to anyone simply watching, it looks like a mess, I’m not going to lie. Hell, that interviewer I had time with this past Breakdown certainly thought there was something going on, but I’m setting the record straight. What I said on Breakdown is the truth: I’m in a committed relationship with you and you alone, and nothing Scarlet Grey does is going to change that. I don’t know why she’s suddenly so interested in me, but the feeling is so far away from mutual you’d sooner discover a new galaxy on the edge of the universe than you would see me and her together.”
Aaron saw a trace of hope in Liane’s eyes, but it faded when she looked down, and he had a feeling he knew why. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen her evaluating her own body in a negative fashion, especially since they both had a bad habit of being their own worst critic at times.
“I want to believe you Aaron, but… what do I have that she doesn’t? Let’s face it: she’s tall and obviously has curves in all the right places, and she’s not afraid to show that off. I just look kind of awkward, especially compared to her, and I’m still hesitant at the mere thought of being in my underwear around you, let alone anything less.”
“You make me happy Liane, simple as that.”
Liane’s gaze suddenly jolted up, just in time to catch Aaron closing the distance as he planted a soft kiss on her lips and took her hands in his for comfort, making sure she could see deeply into his eyes to know and trust in every word he spoke going forward.
“Yeah, Scarlet might be attractive, but if I was looking for a one night stand like she obviously is then I would’ve followed Pete’s lead back in that bar where we first met all those months ago. Plus, even if I want to feel flattered by her being attracted to me, I get a vibe from her that I haven’t felt since the last time I dealt with my own mess of a family. It’s weird, but I can almost feel the toxic influence radiating off of her whenever she tries to get anywhere near me. It may be true that I saw her naked, though not by my own choice, but looks aren’t everything. You have been my source of strength for a long time now Liane, from trying to deal with whatever the hell’s going on in my head threatening to hijack my imagination and make me appear insane to powering through whatever obstacles both SCW and life in general try to throw my way. There’s no reason for us to try and rush things… I’m just happy knowing you’re a part of my life, and what you give me is far more than Scarlet or any other woman on this planet could offer, and I mean that sincerely. I don’t care what she was hoping to do with Apocalypse tonight, because I won’t be joining her. I’m going to be backstage cheering Owen on for his match and otherwise enjoying the show with my girlfriend… no, my soulmate.”
Any doubt that was lingering in Liane’s mind almost instantly vanished in that moment. Plain and simple, if there was any girl Aaron wanted by his side for eternity, it was Liane, and he just knew in his heart that he meant it when he called her his soulmate. He severely doubted any girl could make him feel the way she did, and he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt Scarlet was incapable of coming anywhere close in that regard. The two of them couldn’t help but indulge in a good-length kiss to further seal the deal, and Liane’s big smile returned the moment their lips parted. Perhaps the only thing that could somewhat sour the mood at that point in time was the sound of Liane’s phone going off, but Aaron didn’t mind and left her to answer it while he loaded up her bags in the trunk of the car. As he went to climb into the driver’s seat though, he stopped when he saw Liane motioning to him, the smile on her face already gone again. As he moved to stand by her, she tapped a button on her phone and then held it flat against her palm as she extended her arm a bit.
“Alright, I’ve got his attention, and you’re on speaker now.”
“Thank you. Mr. Blackbourne, are you there?”
“I am. And you are…?”
“Dr. Miranda Lopez, a therapist who’s been trying to get in contact with you for weeks now.”
“Really? I sincerely apologize doctor, I’ve just been really busy with my wrestling schedule. When you add in the untelevised house shows, free time kind of becomes a fleeting luxury some days.”
It was a sarcastic comment, but he did his best to mask it. Truth be told, he was very much aware of the repeated voicemails she’d been leaving him and he chose to ignore every single one. He knew she was simply concerned just because of whatever she heard from both of their families, but in his mind he didn’t need a therapy session and neither did Liane. Sure, they had their fair share of problems, but they were both confident they could help each other work through them, and the last thing Aaron wanted to put up with was a therapist confusing his creativity for some form of a mental disorder. It wasn’t the first time it would’ve happened, and he wasn’t about to go on another rant over it either.
“I should apologize to you Mr. Blackbourne. When I tried to contact you about scheduling an appointment I did not take your wrestling schedule into account. Your family failed to mention anything in regards to that career.”
Gee, I wonder why…
“With all due respect doctor, we understand you might have some concerns, but just because our families think we might need help doesn’t mean they’re right. We both just… have some disagreements with our families over things, but we’re perfectly fine where we’re at right now.”
“And with all due respect to you Miss Forte, I would like to be the judge of that for myself. Considering some recent developments in regards to Mr. Blackbourne’s family I’m not sure he’s even aware of and how insistent your family is, I’m afraid it’s imperative that we at least meet to discuss things. If what you say is true, then there’s no harm in one session to show me everything is in the clear before we part ways.”
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news doctor, but between Liane’s new comedy gig she got recently and my wrestling schedule I’m not sure if we’re even going to have time to-”
“Let me stop you right there Mr. Blackbourne. I’ve already taken care of the matter to ensure that we can have this session without any further delay. I have contacted both of your respective employers and insisted some mandatory time off on the grounds of requiring an evaluation before I can clear you both for work, so there is no further reason to delay this.”
Hearing that almost had Aaron seeing crimson again, but he did his best to suppress the irritation he felt at how persistent this therapist was being all just to get an appointment he knew likely wasn’t going to end well. He turned to look at Liane, who wore an identical mask of annoyance on her face in that moment.
“So that explains why I was suddenly pulled from my gig and given some time off after only two weeks…”
Clearly Liane hadn’t simply given up the gig or taken time off to return to her boyfriend, especially since the usual post pay-per-view time off meant Aaron could return home and see her perform for himself. This sudden announcement also meant he probably wasn’t going to be seeing any action on the next Breakdown either, which kept him from being able to try and “right the ship” like he so desperately wanted to on the SCW front. In his mind, this therapist was starting to overstep her bounds, and that was usually a red flag in his book coming from a profession he already had difficulty trusting in.
“With all of that said, when do you two feel might be the best time for you to meet me at one of my offices? I can even tell you where my closest office is from wherever you’re both located now to make it easier to set this up.”
“If you don’t mind me asking Dr. Lopez, do we specifically have to see you? Or do we just need to see any therapist in order to be cleared?”
“Well, I would prefer if you come and see me since I’ve been handling so many sessions within your respective families and social circles already, but if there’s another therapist who can see you sooner I suppose…”
Liane looked to Aaron as Dr. Lopez continued to ponder to herself over the phone, and he just smirked and motioned for her to trust him.
“The reason I bring this up is because I’ve found out that one of the current wrestlers for SCW is a registered therapist, and we’re currently in his hometown of Chicago for a pay-per-view event. I’m pretty sure his office would be here as well, so we could probably set something up with him at the arena tonight and get this taken care of within the next day or two, which saves us some money on an extra flight.”
“…alright, but I would very much like to get in contact with him to discuss what he got from his session with you as soon as possible.”
“I’ll make sure to pass your number along to him once we’re done doctor.”
Dr. Lopez bid the two of them goodbye before the call ended, and Aaron breathed a sigh of relief now that he was done with that. He took a moment to lean against the call and make sure he was collected, and as he did so he took note of the curiosity in Liane’s eyes.
“That therapist on the SCW roster… you mean that Thirteen guy, right? Are you really going to ask him about…?”
“Honestly? Not really. No offense to him, but I just used the resources we had from being here to try and buy us some extra time to get her off our backs. I’m sure Dr. Lopez means well, but if you ask me we’ve got some other things that need to be taken care of first, and one of them is not sitting in front of a therapist for an hour trying to explain to her that being creative is not the same thing as having an unstable mind.”
“I feel bad about lying to her, but I don’t know what my parents might have told her about me and I think I’d rather ride things out with you first to see if I continue staying in control of myself before thinking I need any professional help.”
Maybe it was a bit underhanded, but in Aaron’s mind they were perfectly fine where they were at right now and were perfectly capable of helping one another past whatever issues they knew they had. They didn’t need a therapist that had likely been fed some misinformation trying to blow things out of proportion. As much as he knew he’d lost the next Breakdown, he knew that “doctor’s order” wouldn’t last considering Fatal Fortunes was after that, and as long as Aaron could physically compete SCW was going to book him regardless. Liane’s situation was a little more difficult, but never let it be said that Aaron wasn’t capable of finding creative solutions to any problem. It would require a bit of thought, but he’d come up with something. For now, they were simply going to go enjoy Apocalypse together before figuring everything out one step at a time, because together they could accomplish anything.
At least, that’s what Aaron believed, and his feelings hadn’t steered him wrong yet. He just needed to make sure they weren’t further poisoned by Scarlet’s antics or whatever was going on inside his head to keep it that way.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Would it be a surprise if I told you all that I'm not as excited about Fatal Fortunes as I probably should be?Don't get me wrong, the very idea behind this is incredible. Recall how just after Rise to Greatness I talked about how the very idea of facing the unknown makes someone like me salivate over the endless possibilities when I had to defend the TV Title against a mystery opponent, and turning two weeks' worth of Breakdowns into this concept from opening act to main event almost sounds like Christmas to me. It's not often you have a truly infinite number of possibilities standing before you when it comes to who you'll face, what kind of match it could even be, whether or not there's a title on the line or a shot at one or maybe even someone's job for all you know. I could paint a mural of every single possibility if I really wanted to, and it still wouldn't be a proper show of respect to SCW for such an ingenious and innovative concept. This is the kind of thing that more wrestling promotions should dedicate a small amount of time to in order to both keep the roster on its toes and give the fans a truly unique experience to keep them hooked, preferably without reserving the idea for when the company happens to roll into Vegas because, no offense guys, but that shtick's been beaten to death already.
I just wish I could enjoy Fatal Fortunes without this 135 pound burden on my back that just doesn't seem to want to accept that sometimes you can't get what you want.
Scarlet, I know you're listening to this since you have this obsession with me for whatever reason, though I doubt what I have to say is actually going to resonate with you. Never let it be said that I didn't at least try to be as nice about this as possible. I'm flattered that you find me attractive, and I'm not going to argue against the fact that you're an attractive woman very clearly comfortable in your own skin. I'm sure you'd even be nice once I got to know you, but as I've been trying to explain for weeks now, I'm already in a relationship with another woman and I'm not the kind of bastard that would cheat on her just because you think you can offer me "something better." I also appreciate the creativity you've been trying to show to get my attention, but the way you've just been going about everything just has way too many red flags attached to it, and I've seen instances of unstable romantic relationships within my own family to know better than to jump into anything with someone who's made it painfully clear she's willing to flirt with virtually anything that walks. Maybe I'm in the minority for preferring a stable, faithful relationship as opposed to simply jumping into bed with someone, but just like with any book or piece of art there's always more beneath the surface, and I hate to say it but you've got me afraid to find out what lies beyond your sex appeal.
I want to enjoy this event for what it represents and considering the last time I competed I ended up losing my TV Title, I would love nothing more than to immerse myself in whatever challenge is put before me and start getting back on the winning track. Unfortunately, as long as Scarlet continues to try and play this game of showing me how badly she claims to want me and leaving this threat up in the air of "always getting what she wants," there will always be this proverbial storm cloud sitting right above my head no matter what Fatal Fortunes has in store for me. The possibility exists that I could face Scarlet in some kind of match that gives her an excuse to turn what should be a competitive battle into trying to "have her way with me" in the middle of the ring, and an even greater possibility exists that if I were to face anybody else regardless of who they are, from the World Champion with the title on the line all the way to someone who could even be debuting for SCW, she'll just saunter on out and become a distraction all just to make sure she has my attention.
If you truly care for me in any capacity Scarlet and want me to consider looking at you as anything other than a creepy stalker, for lack of a better term at this point, then at least honor my wishes to either give me an actual match if we somehow face one another or otherwise leave me be to focus on whatever it is I do end up having to face.
I know, my words are probably falling on deaf ears, but considering all the options at hand maybe she'll at least listen for the next two weeks since she should be focusing on moving in the right direction both for herself and her tag team. After all, we both have just as good a chance as anybody else to be picked as the challenger to a title, and I can think of a few names I wouldn't mind going up against beyond that either because I respect them and want to put on one hell of a match or simply because they've actually given me every reason imaginable to see if I can use my Unchained Creativity to dislocate their jaw and find out how much they still think they can talk shit while it's wired shut.
It's funny how I can scan through the SCW roster trying to guess who might be picked to stand across from me and how I could approach them in the ring, and a good majority of them are the people constantly complaining that nobody shows them any respect only to shrug it off when someone actually does show them some honest-to-God respect and means it. These are the people who will never be satisfied no matter how much they actually get, and I'm willing to bet they're the first to not only complain about how 'unfair' it is that they have to compete under so many blind variables or that they got a rigged draw despite the fact that every single one of us is sitting in the exact same boat just waiting for that call. What ever happened to the idea of simply loving what you do? I mean, I know each and every one of us wants to be a champion and be the very best like no one ever was and that whole song and dance, but if fame and success are the only reasons you're here, then what's the point of doing something you're not passionate about and taking issue with the fact that maybe someone that enjoys doing this for a living is actually getting rewarded for it?
Maybe I'm just nitpicking, but I know I'm not alone in saying I'm getting tired of the constant complaining that you're getting shafted when you aren't doing anything about it. And no, bitching and moaning about it doesn't count. You want people to take you seriously? Here's your chance: go out to that ring for Fatal Fortunes regardless of whether you're facing me or somebody else that isn't exactly who you wanted and prove you deserve all that respect you claim you're not getting. Yeah, maybe there's some luck involved as far as who ends up with those golden opportunities, but if you think people aren't going to be taking note of who wins the other matches that get drawn for consideration down the line, then you need to get your head out of your ass before someone lodges it up there permanently. If I get a title shot out of Fatal Fortunes, that'd be pretty awesome. If I don't, then I'm looking at it as a way to get one step closer to a potential title shot at Under Attack or build my case for that World Title shot they hand out to those who've never challenged for the belt before when the End of the Year Special comes around again here in a few months. Every possibility carries with it the chance to put yourself closer to the front of the line at some point, and my top priority right now is a simple one:
I'm going to walk into Fatal Fortunes eager to see what awaits me, and I'm going to walk away with my arm raised in victory regardless of the scenario to help paint a clearer picture of my future in this company.