Melina bit her lip as the sudden ringing of her cell phone startled her.
Oh, no, she thought furiously, not again! Hoping that her instincts were wrong, the brunette reached into her bag for her cell phone.
Jillian studied her best friend silently for a beat. Then, "It's him again, isn't it?"
The Paparazzi Princess nodded. She wondered whether or not she should answer. If she didn't, he would only end up calling back later.
As the blonde rolled her eyes, Melina made up her mind. Flipping her cell phone open, she pressed it to her ear.
"Hello?" she asked with impatience.
"Hello, beautiful," came Dave's response. "How are you?"
The Latina beauty shook her head in spite of the fact that the man couldn't see her.
"I'm fine, Dave," she replied. "Except that you keep calling me."
He laughed on the other end. It sounded very much like a dismissive tone.
"Well, if you would answer your phone more often, I wouldn't have to keep calling you."
Melina met Jillian's blue eyes and frowned, shaking her head. The guy just didn't get it, did he?
"Where are you right now?" Batista questioned, changing the subject.
"At a hotel, and I'm not alone."
There was a slight silence before he spoke again.
"Oh? Loverboy come to meet up with you?"
The brunette officially became angry thanks to that question.
"No," she answered sharply. "Not that it's any of your business, but Jillian's the one here with me."
Batista laughed yet again. Melina was beginning to realize that he did that quite a lot. And at times, it was almost a giggle. She didn't know women who did that half as much as he did!
"Oh, I get it," he remarked. "A little girl-on-girl action, huh? Mmm, I wish I could be there."
This time, Melina grew outraged. She felt so offended, she moved the phone from her ear for a beat to glare, open-mouthed at it. She placed it back against her ear as Jillian whispered, 'What?' to her.
"That's disgusting, Dave! And I don't appreciate that little innuendo."
"Wow... Chill out, Mel, serious."
"And don't call me 'Mel!' I'll do one better... Don't call me at all!" she snapped.
The blonde sitting on the other bed nearby raised her eyebrows in surprise. It seemed as though whatever he'd said, it had definitely pushed Melina over the edge and to the point of standing up against him.
"Whoa, what's with the attitude?" the man questioned. "I was only joking."
"Yeah? Well, I don't like those kind of jokes. And Dave, regardless of that... this has got to stop."
He was silent for a beat. Then, "Hold on there a minute." His voice was now serious. "I thought we were friends, Melina... The way you're treating me is no way to treat a friend."
She closed her eyes and sighed. He was so annoying. She now saw that she had made a huge mistake in ever dating him, even though it had been for so short a time and not at all serious. She knew this should have been done face-to-face rather than over the phone, but it was getting unbearable.
"I don't believe this," he said a moment later, his tone now totally devoid of humor, "I thought we meant something to each other, Melina."
She sighed uneasily and said, "We did - for a little while. Dave, things are different, and you have to respect that. I'm back with John, and I love him. I know it hurts for you to hear that, but it's the way things are." She glanced over at Jillian, who was still watching her as she sat on the edge of the other bed. The blonde held a thumbs-up for her. "It's reality," she concluded.
Batista hesitated yet again, then said, "Well, I guess that's the way it is, then. You really disappoint me."
She frowned, although he couldn't see her face.
"Excuse me?"
"You were the one who said we would still be friends," the bitter man pointed out. "No matter what happened."
The brunette rolled her eyes heavenward. Damn it, she was beginning to feel the first strains of a headache. And on top of that, she really needed to get some sleep, as did Jillian, as they had an early flight the next day.
"Things change, Dave," she said, keeping her voice firm this time. "And, given the circumstances, it wouldn't be a good idea." She didn't give voice to her thought, Plus, the fact that you've been acting like a freakin' stalker these past couple of weeks!
She heard him sigh on the other end. He sounded tired and defeated, but Melina didn't feel one bit sorry about it. Nor did she regret putting the man in his place once and for all. She glanced over at her best friend again, and this time, Jillian was silently, softly clapping, a proud smile on her face. She knew John would be happy when he heard about this as well.
"That all being said, I really have to go."
"Well... fine."
"Goodbye, Dave," she said.
"Don't you mean goodnight?" he asked.
She shook her head lightly. He sounded so desperate and pathetic.
"No," she replied. "I mean goodbye." With that, she moved the cell phone from her ear and folded it to a close. She gazed over at Jillian, who, much like an excited and giddy teenager, burst into a fit of giggles. Melina smiled.
"That rocked!" the blonde cried, rushing over to hug her friend. She looked the Latina over. "You should really be proud of yourself, you know."
"Yeah, I am," the brunette replied truthfully. She let out a sigh of relief. She never thought she'd find the guts, but she supposed she finally put Dave Batista in his place. It felt good to get some closure.
She had no idea that it would mark the beginning of a whole new nightmare.