WWE One Shots 2

Broken Backs, Promises, & Hearts ~Chad Gable~

I decided to stay away from Chad for the rest of the day, that was until my phone beeped in the middle of the afternoon with a text from Chad, an invite to dinner with him and Kate. Personally I couldn't think of anything worse, but I guessed I had to grin and bare it for Chad's sake. I sorted myself up, making sure my appearance looked much better then Kate, which wasn't hard, my make up perfect, my hair fancy, and my clothes, presentable, but still showing off my figure.

I walked down to the hotel restaurant to see the couple already sat at their table. "Claudia!" Chad stood up smiling, walking over and pulling me into a hug. I looked down at Kate who just turned her nose up at me, as I realised it was going to be a long night tonight. I took my seat beside Chad, as he sat opposite Kate. There was no real atmosphere between the three of us, or conversation. Chad divided his time between me and then Kate, neither of us girls wanting to talk to each other.

"So Kate, when is it that you go home?" I asked her politely. She looked over at me.

"Why can't wait to get rid of me?" I looked at Chad who sighed over at me.

"No not at all, I'm just making conversation." I couldn't quite believe the harsh tone she used when she spoke to me.

"Yeah, well don't." My jaw hit the ground, although I shouldn't really have been surprised, I wasn't going to take it though.

"I'm just trying to be civil to you, what's your problem?"

"I don't like you." She bluntly replied. I looked at Chad who looked at the floor in disgust.

"I don't like you either but I'm still trying for the sake of your husband." I sighed in despair at the rudeness of Kate.

"Oh yeah, because you're so in love with Chad he's the one you want to protect." I shook my head at her, slamming my cutlery down.

"So what, I love Chad a whole lot more then you ever do!" I shouted back in retaliation.

"What?" Chad jumped up looking at me. I sunk in my seat in embarrassment as Kate grinned over at me.

"Get real love, as if Chad would even dare go near you, he left you once, and he'll gladly do it again." I felt a tear roll down my cheek as I felt Chad stare at me. I couldn't even look at him, as I knew the tears were going to freely fall at any second. I quickly got up from the table running back to my hotel room.

I sat back in my seat backstage at Raw fiddling with my microphone, reminiscing about the last time I saw Chad. Tonight my journey with the WWE came to an end, and after nearly a month Chad had not seen or spoken to me once. It became a bit of reputation really, empty promises were Chad's thing. I had just announced my retirement, an injury that simply could not be solved, the ending to all of my dreams. I couldn't bare to still be involved with the company, for me, and for Chad, so that night I caught the next flight home to Minneapolis. I hadn't left myself with much of a choice, neither had Chad and Kate really, but I knew this was all for the best.

I settled back down at home, one day, one week, one month. I was slowly healing but things were never going to be the same. Every so often my back would twinge or a shot of pain would cause me to stop what I was doing, but I was getting by. I got up one evening, walking over to the bookshelf to pick up a book when there was a knock at the door. I walked over opening it up. "Chad?"

"Can I come in?" I stepped aside allowing him in, as he took a seat beside me on the sofa.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, forgetting all about my book. He sat down on the edge of the sofa, whilst I leaned right back, resting my back on the cushion.

"I came to see you of course." He said to me as if it was obvious.

"Yeah, and what about Kate?" He cringed slightly at the sound of her name, but the question had to be asked, didn't it?

"We're kind of going through a rough patch right now," he painfully admitted to me.

"When aren't you?" I responded sarcastically, only for Chad to glare at me. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah. I actually came because I missed you at work and wanted a bit of normality back in my life with you." I smiled over at him.

"I missed you too, but the reality is I'm not coming back, my back is broken and now look at me." Chad sat back, moving closer towards me.

"It's so sad that you aren't there anymore, but I felt as if I had to come and see you after the restaurant fiasco. Do you remember I told you when we reunited back on the road that I'd never leave you again?" I nodded. "I let that promise be broken, I ignored you for months, but it was only when I went to go to your locker room the other day, I remembered you weren't there anymore and I'd broken my promise." I smiled as Chad ran his hand through his hair.

"You didn't break any promises, there was always going to be distance with me retiring."

"I could have prevented that though, I could have at least text you every now and then, but I didn't, I allowed you to think I had abandoned you again." I shuffled in my seat making my back more comfortable. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just a little twinge. You're here now and that's all that matters, I get that every now and then there will be pockets of time when I don't see you, that's our jobs, but just as long as I know I still have you by my side, Kate or no Kate, then that is good enough for me." Chad carefully pulled me into his side, keeping the cushion on my back.

"I promised you I wouldn't leave you again, and I'm going to stick to that promise, now and forever. You're my best friend and I want to look after you and your dodgy back." I sniggered at him as I felt him kiss the top of my head. "Always remember nothing or no one is ever going to get in the way of us, we have our ups and downs and our mistakes, but I'll always love you." It broke me hearing that, because I knew the way he said it had a completely different meaning to me, he loved Kate, he thought I was a good friend.

"I love you too," I replied, looking up at his face in despair.

Part 4 for ClaudiaSAW.