Zander

Chapter 24

"I can't wait to be cleared to wrestle again." I let out a loud yawn as I make my way into my living room where Tiffany is sprawled over the couch. Unlike some people, I did not feel the need to move out of my place following the overdose.

Quite honestly, I don't have any bad memories coming from the area that I overdosed in. I've been sitting in that chair like nothing happened and I think that helped the people around me ease up. They're no longer looking at me as if I'm about to break.

"You better not get mad when you realise that you're no longer champion." Tiffany glances up at me as I hand her a latte. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." I plop down besides her with my protein shake. "With the way that I've been feeling, I'm not really up for being a champion. I want to work my way back up to the top so I'm fine with playing play mid card for a couple of weeks or months." 

Tiffany looks at me in surprise, "What happened to I'm the Face of WWE?"

"He needs a break." I shrug my shoulders. "The face needs to sort out his own life before he can fully commit to leading the brand."

"I'm proud of you." She pokes my thigh with her feet. "What are your plans for the day?"

"I'm going to the gym in an hour with Jason and Brennon." I take a sip of my protein shake before pulling a face at the grainy texture. "We need to go food shopping so let me know whether you want to go Trader Joe's or Whole Foods or both."

"Do you want to eat takeout tonight?" She asks and I shake my head. "Want me to cook?"

Tiffany is a decent cook whereas I'm basically a chef since I had to cook for myself when I was younger. Since I was a military kid, we bounced between different states so I got to learn how to make a variety of food and I learnt a lot from Meagan's mother.

"Nah, I'll cook for us tonight." Another yawn leaves my lips. "I need to meal prep tonight because the amount of muscle that I lost is crazy. I definitely need to meet up with a nutritionist this week up to get these gains."

"Just remember to take it easy." She says as she rests her feet on my lap while taking a long sip of her latte. 

"What do you have going on?" I ask as I take another sip of my shake. "If you're schedule is full then I can do the food shop alone."

Tiffany shakes her head, "I'll go with you. I'm leaving in an hour to do a photoshoot, I'm working on my own clothing line."

Now this is news to me.

"Really?" She nods her head as a smile plays on her lips. "You should be proud of yourself, Tiff. If you need any help with setting up the business, website or need investors then don't be a stranger."

"Thanks, Z." She nudges my thigh while smiling widely. "I'll text you when I'm done with the shoot. You'll need to drop me off at my parents though because I need to get some clothes from their house."

I rub my lips together.

"They want to know how you're doing so if you wanted to pop in for a moment then that would be cool but if not th--"

I cut her off, "I'll see them." 

Tiffany's eyes widen in surprise, "Really?"

"Yeah." I nod my head. "We're going to be family very soon so I may as well start fresh with them."

"Oh Zander." Tiffany lets out a squeal before jumping on my body and I let out a small huff before laughing.

"Hey Tiff." I cup her face while looking into my eyes. "I'm sorry for making remarks about your body and making you feel insecure. You really are the most beautiful woman that I know and I'm grateful to have you at my side."

She smiles softly at me, "Who else could handle all of you?"

I kiss her lips and she wraps her arms around my neck while deepening the kiss.

---

I have an hour before I have to pick Tiffany up from her shoot so I decided to go visit Zaria for my own peace of mind. I have never been to any of her homes and I know nothing about her personal life because I cut her out as soon as I left.

Zane had to give me her number and her address because I didn't know it.

Being in the hospital really changed things for me and I had a lot of time to think about everything in my life. Zaria is a chapter of my life that has not fully been closed because she keeps popping up every now and again. I heard that she was at the hospital when I was in a coma but I don't all the details surrounding that because I had a list made of all the people who were allowed to come when I was awake.

"God give me strength." I mutter to myself as I park outside of her home.

The other person that I need to see is Lola, I hate the way things ended between us. She may have come to the hospital but never got to have a one on one chat since our last meeting which was less than pleasant.

It's Zander, I'm outside.

I text her before sitting back in my seat seeing as I have no desire to enter her home.

After a few minutes of waiting, I hear a knock on the passenger window and I turn my head to the side. Zaria stands there with a small smile on her face so I unlock the doors before gesturing for her to enter which she does.

"Hey Zander."

"Zaria." I nod my head in her direction. "How are you doing this afternoon?"

"I'm doing a lot better now that you're here, it's good to see you well." Her smile widens. "What are you doing here? I thought you hated me."

"I do hate you." I confess with a shrug. "I have hated you for a number of years and not seeing you ever again will not affect me because I don't view you as anything to me."

Her face falls.

"Regardless of how I feel about you, you're always going to show up in my life because Zane still sees you as his sister." I rub my lips together. "My time at the hospital allowed me to do a lot of thinking and I am willing to leave the past behind."

"Meaning?" She looks at me with a hopeful expression on my face and there is a part of me that wants to crush her heart in that very moment.

"Meaning that I am open to us building a relationship." She goes to hug me but I stop her. "I can't promise you anything but I'm clearing the slate from here. This means that you cannot bring up the past or expect a lot out of me because I will not give you that."

"Ok." Zaria begins to tear up and I pat her shoulder.

"I would like to invite you over to my home this evening for dinner."