______________________________________________________
Amy and Trish left the hotel together in silence. The taller woman eyed her friend, noting the very obvious, albeit small, smile touching her lips.
"So... You've still got a thing for Jeff, do you?"
The blonde looked up, meeting her friend's merry hazel eyes. She felt a blush creep into her cheeks and faced forward again as they walked.
"He's a great guy," Trish said. "And I've always found him fascinating, you know?"
"Yeah," the redhead said cheerily. "I do know." She let out a soft chuckle before speaking again. "So, are you gonna ask him out?"
"Amy!"
"What?" She turned to stare at the little blonde, whose expression looked somewhat shocked. "What is the big deal? Women have been asking men out on dates for decades now."
"Yeah, but..."
"But what? Trish, I know Jeff so well. He's totally into you," Amy stated.
"You really think so?" the blonde asked, her face growing serious.
The redhead nodded.
"I really do," she replied. "In all honesty, he's never flat out told me he was interested in you... But look at how he acted this morning." She turned to fully face her friend. "I say go for it."
Trish's face again blossomed into a full smile. She remained thoughtfully quiet for a moment until taking a quick glance at her watch.
"Crap, it's almost eleven... I told Mr. McMahon I would meet with him."
"You mean about...?"
The tiny blonde nodded.
"I told him I was interested in coming back, and he said to meet him in the hotel lobby."
Amy's brows quirked upward as though with surprise.
"Mind if I come along?"
Trish shook her head.
"Not at all... Come on!" she said excitedly, pulling her close friend by the hand to hurry.
A few minutes later, they were back in the hotel's spacious lobby. The two women walked and kept going until they spotted the WWE Chairman and owner seated in a cozy corner with plush armchairs and a coffee table with a lovely flower arrangement placed on its center.
"Mr. McMahon!" Trish said. It was difficult for her to keep the excitement from entering her voice.
"Good morning, ladies," Vince said cordially, standing up to greet them. He gave each woman a friendly hug before gesturing to them to sit. Only after they did so did he seat himself again.
The older man was actually a bit surprised to see Amy, pleasantly so. But the woman had probably just accompanied her friend and nothing more.
"I understand you wanted to talk to me about making a big comeback," he said, directing his words to Trish.
"More than anything. I miss being in the ring so much... Wrestling has been such a huge and passionate part of my life, Vince," the blonde said. "I would even be willing to be a jobber! Just as long as I can be back with my WWE family."
Mr. McMahon let out a small laugh. He crossed his legs, sitting back as he spoke.
"Trish, don't be silly... You'd never make a convincing jobber." Then, he nodded with a smile. "Welcome back, Miss Stratus."
The Canadian's mouth hung open for a beat as she gladly took the Chairman's hand to shake on it. She'd just been rehired! She couldn't believe how happy, even thrilled she was feeling!
"Mr. McMahon?" This time, it was Amy who had spoken. "I would like to come back as well... If it's not too much trouble."
*
That night
"Yeah, okay... Okay. I know. Look, I've gotta go."
Adam pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes closing as he stopped pacing his locker room, his cell phone held up to his left ear.
"I understand that, Rebecca," he said. "I'm sorry to cut you off, but I need to go."
A few seconds later, the phone conversation with his girlfriend of five months finally came to an end. He flipped his cell phone to a close and dropped it into his bag, then headed out into the hallway.
As he was making his way to catering with the intention of grabbing himself a bottle of water, he ran into Phil.
"Hey, man," the straightedger greeted his friend.
"Hey, Phil. Big match with Chavo tonight, huh?"
"Yeah," the dark-haired man said with a nod. "Hey, did you hear the big news?"
"What big news?"
The tattooed young man looked surprised at his question. He had figured Adam would have been one of the first to find out.
"Lita and Trish," he started. "They're both making a comeback!"
"Huh?" The tall blond man swore he had to have heard wrong.
"You heard me, man... Lita and Trish are coming back!" Phil smacked the taller man's shoulder in a manly, friendly manner. "That'll be great for the women's division, huh?"
Adam finally realized he'd heard correctly after all. For some reason, his heart was now pounding twice as quickly as it normally did. He couldn't believe it.
"Oh, my God... That's awesome!" he exclaimed. Amy was coming back... This was the most fantastic news he'd heard in a long time. In fact, it even surpassed the revelation that he would be winning the World Heavyweight Championship.
He had to call her... No, better yet, he would wait until she was officially back and speak to her in person.
"I'll see you later, Adam." Phil gestured with a pointing finger toward the women's locker room. He was heading there to see his girlfriend, Melina Perez, who was on hand for a match on SmackDown that night.
"Yeah, see ya, Phil," the blond man called back. He trotted the rest of the way to catering, his mood now
elevated to the ceiling.