Perfect Match (8 page)

Her phone signaling she got a text message
brought her back to the present. The text was from Jackson:

Great time at the Reid’s tonight. Paul is a
good guy…He thinks we are going to end up together. I like how he
thinks.

CHAPTER FOUR

The main thing that Noelle had heard about,
pretty much since the moment she started at BRAWL, was how she had
to go to Kris Kruse’s annual Halloween Bonfire. The party was
famous and everyone in the BRAWL organization went at some point or
another. So, she decided, at the very last minute, that she would
go.

The good thing was the whole night kind of
felt like one of her Pop’s “steak-outs”- a bunch of wrestlers
talking about how good they were, how good they should be or how
good they were going to be. Noelle was used to that; she had been
around that all of her life. The thing was, this wasn’t her Pop’s
parties, and she was not a wrestler: no matter how much the guys
tried to include her. She felt out of place. Even though no one
made her feel like she didn’t belong, she sort of felt like she
didn’t.

Kris Kruse’s home was beyond large. It was
enormous and beautiful. It looked like it could be a bed and
breakfast, because it was so large and had so much land around it.
Kris was the current BRAWL World Champion and he thoroughly enjoyed
having everyone at his place. His character was that of a Hollywood
A-lister who was very full of himself, but, in reality, he was very
charming and funny. Noelle liked him a lot. He was genuinely glad
to see her there. “Where’s Ruckus at?”

Noelle giggled, “He’s at home with who he
calls the ‘Old Folks’. He said that he can no longer handle this
scene. Imagine that.”

“He’s a great guy.” Kris gave her a hug and
said, “Make yourself at home.”

“I brought a few friends, Kris. I hope you
don’t mind.”

“No worries. Everyone is welcome at my
place.”

Noelle smiled as he left to greet some more
of his guests. Noelle turned to hers. She was glad that she had
Chelsey and Darin with her. She looked around and was disappointed
that she didn’t see Jackson or Mike yet. She knew that she
shouldn’t be, but she was going to be very disappointed if they
didn’t show up, or, more specifically, if Jackson didn’t show
up.

Chelsey always fit in easily wherever she
went. Noelle wished that she was more like her friend’s in that
sense. She could strike up a conversation with anyone. That was
something Noelle didn’t do easily, but she was trying.

Darin was perfect for her best friend.
Chelsey was bold and outgoing. Darin was go with the flow and
always had a smile on his face. He was a “new” wrestling fan and he
seemed to be a bit in awe, being around all these guys. That made
Noelle happy that she brought them. They were having a great time,
and doing something great for her friends made her happy.

If Noelle was being honest with herself, she
knew the reason she wasn’t having a great time was because Jackson
wasn’t there: not her feeling like she didn’t fit in. She loved
seeing Jackson. She did. She couldn’t figure out why he wasn’t
there.

“So, where’s Jackson?” Chelsey asked, coming
up beside Noelle.

“Who said that I am looking for him?”

Chelsey took a sip of her drink. “Right.”

Kayla walked in at that moment with a few of
the other Goddess’s. She was way overdressed. The black lace dress
she wore looked like something she would wear to the ring. She had
her hair done up, as if she was going to a prom and those
annoyingly high heels…to a bonfire! Kayla, being true to who she
was, instantly acted like she was the belle of the ball and
everyone at Kris’s place had been anxiously awaiting her
arrival.

It never failed that every time Noelle would
see Kayla, she’d always wonder what he ever saw in her. And even
more alarming was, how could he ever be interested in everyday
Noelle, when he was in a relationship with Kayla Devine. That right
there was all the more reason to keep Jackson at arm’s length. No
reason for her to set herself up and get hurt by him…again.

“Hey, I’m going to get something to drink.
Want something?” Chelsey asked.

“Whatever you’re having.”

“Hey, are you okay?”

Noelle turned to look at her friend. “Yeah.
That girl over there, the blonde, she’s Jackson’s ex.”

Chelsey looked over at her and studied her
for a moment. “I see why she’s his ex,” she said easily.

Noelle smiled. That was why she loved her
friend so much. “A diet Pepsi would be great,” she said with a lot
more enthusiasm. Chelsey always cheered her up when she was feeling
down.

She sat down on a chair near where the
bonfire was to be lit later on. It was a large pit in the middle of
the back yard, and Kris had chairs set up all around it. A lot of
people were sitting around it already, but she found an empty seat
and smiled. As she was waiting for Chelsey to return, she looked
over and caught one of the newer guys watching her. He smiled at
her. She remembered him from the Ruckus Room. He just got called up
to BRAWL. What was his name? Alex, she thought. He was nice looking
and, from what she could remember, was a pretty good athlete.

She looked away and her eyes landed on the
one person that made her heart skip. He finally arrived! She
couldn’t help but feel a bit excited as she saw him looking around.
Was he looking for her?

“Noelle! Thank you so much for bringing me
here!” Darin gushed as he sat down beside her, putting his arms
around her. He landed a kiss on her cheek. “I am hanging with the
Tag champions, and they think I’m cool!”

“I’m glad you are having a good time.”

“Great time. You are the best.” He kissed her
cheek once again and got up as quickly as he sat down. Noelle
looked back over to Jackson. To her disappointment, he was no
longer looking at her.

Jackson’s emotions went on a roller coaster
ride. He was late coming to the party, because he was waiting on
Mike, who was always late for everything. He was pissed off about
that and knew he should have just left without him.

At the party, he was feeling good. Then when
he finally located Noelle sitting across from him, he started
feeling great. She was in his direct view and he knew that it was
not his imagination that he saw her face brighten when she saw him.
When she smiled at him, he instantly got good vibes about the
evening.

Then, they were crushed. A guy that he had
never seen before sittings down beside Noelle, wrapping his arms
around her, and giving her a big kiss. How could he have been so
wrapped up in himself to not even consider the possibility that
Noelle may be bringing a date? What an asshole he was. He felt like
a fool and decided at that moment to stay clear of her so he could
get his emotions in check. He walked over with Mike to get a
drink.

“Hey, I know you!” He heard a woman’s voice
say to him. He turned to see Pixie come towards him.

“Hi, Pixie,” he said as she gave him a hug,
which surprised him.

“So glad you’re here. Have you seen Noelle
yet?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Did she see you? She has been checking for
your arrival since we got here.”

“Really?” He said without much emotion.

“Yes. What’s with the tone? Are you telling
me that you aren’t happy about that?”

He shrugged. “Surprised is more like it. I
can’t imagine her having the time to look for me, considering she
brought a date.”

“What? A date? Jackson, she didn’t bring
anyone except for me and Darin…oh, you saw her with Darin. Darin is
my boyfriend.” Chelsey cracked up at that.

Jackson’s roller coaster ride was still
going. He felt relieved that she wasn’t here with someone and that
she had been waiting for him. He knew it was foolish to have gotten
jealous- nothing was going to become of the two of them- but he
couldn’t stop himself. “Well, you know what, Pixie? I’d love to
meet him.”

“That’s what I want to hear.” Chelsey put her
hand in the nook of his arm and they walked across the lawn to
where Jake Cunningham and John Mento, the current tag team
champions, were standing with a guy, whom he assumed was Darin.

“Hey, do you think I can have my boyfriend
back tonight?” Chelsey asked Darin when they reached him.

“Yes, of course,” Darin said. “Hey, it was
great meeting you guys.”

The Tag team champs said the same and left
them to get some food. “I have another guy I want you to meet,”
Chelsey said. “Darin, this is Jackson. Better known as….”

“Bullet.” Jackson smiled shaking Darin’s
hand.

“Sorry, I’m not much of a fan, but I will
be,” Chelsey said.

“It’s okay. It’s great to meet you.” Jackson
meant that completely.

“Hey, leaving me out of the party? Not fair.
I’m the one that brought you,” Noelle said, coming up to them. It
didn’t take Jackson long to smell her perfume. Nothing smelled
sweeter to him. Chelsey handed Noelle a cup. “Thanks. I was
beginning to think that you weren’t coming,” she said to him.

“I’m always going to be late when I have to
wait on Mike. Keep that in mind if you are ever scheduled to work
on him, he is always late.”

“Good to know. I see that you met Darin and,
of course, you already know Chelsey.”

He looked at Pixie and decided the name fit
her. “Yes, we’ve gotten reacquainted. Do you want to take a
walk?”

“I’d like that.”

Jackson wasn’t sure what his intentions were
when he asked her if she wanted to go on a walk, but he knew that
he had to get her out of the craziness of the party. He didn’t
realize how enormous Kris’ property was, until they started
walking. They could easily get lost on the property, and, at the
moment with Noelle beside him, that idea was very appealing.

“Jackson, can I ask you something?” Noelle
asked as they stopped at the front of the house.

“Anything.”

“You and Kayla?”

“I had a feeling that you were going to ask
me about her.

“You said that I could ask you anything.”

“You can. Kayla and I met at the Ruckus Room
and started dating pretty much from the start.”

“Weird. You guys seem so opposite.”

“We are now. Kayla wasn’t always the way she
is now. She was, at one time, very down to Earth. She was funny and
vulnerable. She didn’t have the easiest home life, so she embraced
the wrestling school and all of us became her family. She and I got
close and kind of fell into a relationship. I loved her and cared
about her, but I knew she wasn’t the one I wanted to spend the rest
of my life with. When she got to BRAWL, she went headlong into her
character and hasn’t come back since. I was unhappy with her for
too long. I couldn’t bring myself to end things, because I felt
like she didn’t have anyone else in her life supporting her.”

“I’ve spoken to her and she claims you were
mean to her and that you cheated on her with all the other
girls.”

“I already told you that I never cheated on
anyone. I did date some of the other girls, after we broke up. One
was a day after, and she has never gotten over that. I was not mean
to her, just didn’t play into her act. She was once a sweet girl,
and then she went and got implants and became her character. She is
no longer Kayla Wagner, she is Kayla DeVine and I never wanted
Kayla DeVine. She never got over that.”

“You dated another Goddess?”

“A few.”

“But not while you were dating her?”

“Noelle, I am a man, but not an asshole.”

“Well, Kayla thinks you are. She sure hates
you,” Noelle warned.

Jackson got closer to Noelle and gave her a
sexy smile. “I don’t care if she hates me. She’s not the one I am
concerned about.”

“Oh? Who are you concerned about?”

He leaned in and was inches from placing his
lips on hers. He wanted to kiss her so much. He thought that she
would let him, but there were too many people here and way too big
of a chance for them to get found out. He knew that would hurt her
in the long run, so he just winked at her and said, “I just got my
best friend back. I don’t want you screaming that you hate me
again.”

***

Noelle smiled and instantly the spell was
broken. He was so good at making her forget that she needed to stay
away from him. She felt better that he cleared up some questions
about Kayla. She had to admit that she was starting to believe that
he did not cheat on Kayla, and she was learning that Kayla would
say anything to hurt someone else. She wondered if she could get
past the fact that he hurt her when they were young and the even
bigger issue - she did not date wrestlers. The thing was for her,
there was a goodness about this man, that she wouldn’t be able to
push aside.

“Well, we should get back to Chelsey and
Darin.” They walked back in silence, but it was a comfortable
silence. Noelle had a smile on her face and couldn’t stop smiling.
It was finally dark enough to start the bonfire and they could
smell it in the air as they approached the back yard.

Jackson left her with Chelsey and Darin while
he went to grab them something else to drink. Chelsey looked at her
and raised an eyebrow, clearly wanting to know what the meaning of
their disappearance was. Noelle just smiled and sat down on the
bench beside her. There wasn’t much to tell. She felt like she and
Jackson had a secret moment and wanted to keep that way.

She wasn’t seated for a minute when the new
guy, Alex, sat beside her. “Where did you disappear to? I have been
looking everywhere for the hottest girl here.”

“Excuse me?” Noelle asked politely.

“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about
you since I saw you earlier. You are so beautiful and I would love
a chance to get to know you tonight.”

“Uh, thanks, but I’m hanging out with my
friends. I’m not really looking to meet anyone.”

“I know you’re Larry’s daughter. Really? That
rule of his is crazy. Come on, let me take you out another night
then.”