Post by Caleb Lockwood on Apr 19, 2013 19:51:59 GMT -6
Caleb shifts his stance, clasping his hands behind his back and staring levelly at Tiffany. She looks shamefaced, glancing away from him. Caleb takes a step forward, clearing his throat. Hesitantly, Tiffany looks back at him, and he locks eyes with her. His voice is calm, surprisingly, but it takes a visible effort to remain that way.
”How long?”
She opens her mouth to protest, but Caleb cuts her off almost immediately, the emotion threatening to flood his voice with every syllable he speaks.
”How long have you felt like this, Tiff? How long have you felt like I was ‘the best you could do’? Was I going to be your little compromise forever? Or the moment you found someone else, someone…someone better…were you going to cut me adrift?”
Tiffany tries to speak again, and he cuts her off again, taking a step forward as his control begins to slip.
”You may not feel lucky…but dammit, every morning I wake up in this house, with these people…knowing that you’re there, it makes me feel like the luckiest man on the face of the Earth. You’re the best thing to ever happen to me, Tiffany. Not Ace taking me “under his wing”, not even my contract with NCW. You made me feel like something more than a glorified circus acrobat. You made me feel human. You made me feel like I belonged. Like I was wanted…like I was loved.”
He sighs, hands dropping down, and breaks his gaze. Tiffany watches him, in shock, as he leans on the counter, a certain bitterness infusing his words.
”I didn’t want to think cynically about things. For once, I wanted to be able to just accept something good into my life and not question it. But…if that’s really all you see me as…the best you can do…then I don’t know.”
Tiffany shakes her head, reaching out and taking Caleb’s hand. He looks over to her, eyes roiling with a dozen different emotions at once. Her voice is hesitant, calming, but above all, contrite.
”I…I didn’t mean it like that. Caleb, you’re a good person. And…I’ve been burned before. I…I guess I’m hesitant to think that it could all work out. I wish we spent more time together, and I wish…I want to have time for us. Not us, Kay and Jake, not us and the girls, not us and the rest of the family. You and I. Together. Doing things because WE want to. You’re always busy with your training, but…I just want you to find some time for me.”
He nods slowly, looking at the envelope in her hand. Caleb raises an eyebrow, curious. Tiffany tracks his gaze and blushes a bit, looking back up at him.
”Well, I wanted this to be something we could both be happy about…you know that company that Jake and Kathy have been negotiating with, right?”
Caleb nods, not quite following.
”Yeah, I’ve been contacted by them too. What about them?”
”Well, Kay put in a word for me, and they sent me a job offer. I’m really excited.”
Caleb can’t resist smiling, and he pulls Tiffany into a hug, grinning.
”That’s amazing news, Tiff. I’m happy for you. Now if only things work out that well for me.”
She giggles, looking up at him in relief. He smiles down at her, brushing a bit of her hair out of her face, and squeezes her hand.
”I know things haven’t been the way you want them to be. And frankly, they haven’t been the way you deserved them to be. I promise things’ll slow down soon. It’s just a few more weeks. I want to make things work. But you’ll have to trust me a bit longer…and I want to know that I can trust you.”
She nods, accepting the slightly backhanded comment given what he likely overheard. Caleb sighs, running his hand through her hair, and rubs her shoulder gently.
”I can take the rest of the day off. I’ve been a good boy. What d’you say to occupying the living room and refusing to yield to anyone? Just you, me, and a supply of things to throw at those who would interrupt our most sacred of times?”
Tiffany’s eyes light up, and she practically purrs with joy at that suggestion.
”You smooth-talker. I can’t stay mad at you forever.”
Caleb flashes her a smirk.
”Nobody can.”
The two turn and walk towards the living room, hand in hand, as we fade to black.
Philip Burns. Wow. What an honor. And I don’t mean that sarcastically, like so many other people would around here. I mean that legitimately. A lot of other guys, I would have willingly dropped my other match this week to focus on the tournament. But it’s not every day you get to step into the ring with a man like you. No…not every day indeed. And in the last days of NCW, any chance I can get to make those sort of matches happen, I’ll leap at.
That’s why I’m taking on two matches in two days. Some might call it crazy, but I feel like I’ve been an underachiever my entire life. I haven’t lived up to what I know I can do, and especially here in NCW. I’ve won a few big matches, sure…but I haven’t held any titles. Apart from my series with Nighthawk, I haven’t had THAT moment that really makes people think “Now that’s why he’s here.” And I only have a few weeks left to make that moment happen. So I’m going to do everything I can. I’m going to wrestle multiple matches, I’m going to win this tournament, and I’m going to ensure that for me and everyone watching me, May 19th is truly A Night To Remember.
You exemplify success in this company, Burns. A multiple-time Tag Team Champion, former World Champion…you are EVERYTHING that people picture when they think of a man who’s made it in this business. Which is why I have to beat you.
I have to beat you to validate myself, to know that I can meet greater and greater challenges. I need to win this tournament, this Spotlight Tournament, to remind myself that that spotlight could and should have been mine a long time ago. And I need to do it to ensure my future. If there’s a company that wants to pick the best of the best from NCW’s remains and start again or expand, they look at me, what do they see? A bum with wasted potential. A punchline. But in a month? Maybe they see someone who can hold his own against the top tier of competitor. A potential franchise player. That’s what I want them to see.
And that’s why I have to beat you. Because nothing else matters anymore but that next win. For the next few weeks, all I can focus on, all that I’m looking for in that ring, is the sound of the bell ringing and my hand being raised in the air. I need this. You’ve got it made. Your ticket is written, your check is ready to be cashed. If you walked into the offices of another company tomorrow and said “I want to wrestle for you,” the HR people would fall over themselves trying to get you to sign on the dotted line. But that’s not how it works for me. I need to build my legacy.
I’m going to burn brighter than ever before. And it’s about damn time.
”How long?”
She opens her mouth to protest, but Caleb cuts her off almost immediately, the emotion threatening to flood his voice with every syllable he speaks.
”How long have you felt like this, Tiff? How long have you felt like I was ‘the best you could do’? Was I going to be your little compromise forever? Or the moment you found someone else, someone…someone better…were you going to cut me adrift?”
Tiffany tries to speak again, and he cuts her off again, taking a step forward as his control begins to slip.
”You may not feel lucky…but dammit, every morning I wake up in this house, with these people…knowing that you’re there, it makes me feel like the luckiest man on the face of the Earth. You’re the best thing to ever happen to me, Tiffany. Not Ace taking me “under his wing”, not even my contract with NCW. You made me feel like something more than a glorified circus acrobat. You made me feel human. You made me feel like I belonged. Like I was wanted…like I was loved.”
He sighs, hands dropping down, and breaks his gaze. Tiffany watches him, in shock, as he leans on the counter, a certain bitterness infusing his words.
”I didn’t want to think cynically about things. For once, I wanted to be able to just accept something good into my life and not question it. But…if that’s really all you see me as…the best you can do…then I don’t know.”
Tiffany shakes her head, reaching out and taking Caleb’s hand. He looks over to her, eyes roiling with a dozen different emotions at once. Her voice is hesitant, calming, but above all, contrite.
”I…I didn’t mean it like that. Caleb, you’re a good person. And…I’ve been burned before. I…I guess I’m hesitant to think that it could all work out. I wish we spent more time together, and I wish…I want to have time for us. Not us, Kay and Jake, not us and the girls, not us and the rest of the family. You and I. Together. Doing things because WE want to. You’re always busy with your training, but…I just want you to find some time for me.”
He nods slowly, looking at the envelope in her hand. Caleb raises an eyebrow, curious. Tiffany tracks his gaze and blushes a bit, looking back up at him.
”Well, I wanted this to be something we could both be happy about…you know that company that Jake and Kathy have been negotiating with, right?”
Caleb nods, not quite following.
”Yeah, I’ve been contacted by them too. What about them?”
”Well, Kay put in a word for me, and they sent me a job offer. I’m really excited.”
Caleb can’t resist smiling, and he pulls Tiffany into a hug, grinning.
”That’s amazing news, Tiff. I’m happy for you. Now if only things work out that well for me.”
She giggles, looking up at him in relief. He smiles down at her, brushing a bit of her hair out of her face, and squeezes her hand.
”I know things haven’t been the way you want them to be. And frankly, they haven’t been the way you deserved them to be. I promise things’ll slow down soon. It’s just a few more weeks. I want to make things work. But you’ll have to trust me a bit longer…and I want to know that I can trust you.”
She nods, accepting the slightly backhanded comment given what he likely overheard. Caleb sighs, running his hand through her hair, and rubs her shoulder gently.
”I can take the rest of the day off. I’ve been a good boy. What d’you say to occupying the living room and refusing to yield to anyone? Just you, me, and a supply of things to throw at those who would interrupt our most sacred of times?”
Tiffany’s eyes light up, and she practically purrs with joy at that suggestion.
”You smooth-talker. I can’t stay mad at you forever.”
Caleb flashes her a smirk.
”Nobody can.”
The two turn and walk towards the living room, hand in hand, as we fade to black.
Philip Burns. Wow. What an honor. And I don’t mean that sarcastically, like so many other people would around here. I mean that legitimately. A lot of other guys, I would have willingly dropped my other match this week to focus on the tournament. But it’s not every day you get to step into the ring with a man like you. No…not every day indeed. And in the last days of NCW, any chance I can get to make those sort of matches happen, I’ll leap at.
That’s why I’m taking on two matches in two days. Some might call it crazy, but I feel like I’ve been an underachiever my entire life. I haven’t lived up to what I know I can do, and especially here in NCW. I’ve won a few big matches, sure…but I haven’t held any titles. Apart from my series with Nighthawk, I haven’t had THAT moment that really makes people think “Now that’s why he’s here.” And I only have a few weeks left to make that moment happen. So I’m going to do everything I can. I’m going to wrestle multiple matches, I’m going to win this tournament, and I’m going to ensure that for me and everyone watching me, May 19th is truly A Night To Remember.
You exemplify success in this company, Burns. A multiple-time Tag Team Champion, former World Champion…you are EVERYTHING that people picture when they think of a man who’s made it in this business. Which is why I have to beat you.
I have to beat you to validate myself, to know that I can meet greater and greater challenges. I need to win this tournament, this Spotlight Tournament, to remind myself that that spotlight could and should have been mine a long time ago. And I need to do it to ensure my future. If there’s a company that wants to pick the best of the best from NCW’s remains and start again or expand, they look at me, what do they see? A bum with wasted potential. A punchline. But in a month? Maybe they see someone who can hold his own against the top tier of competitor. A potential franchise player. That’s what I want them to see.
And that’s why I have to beat you. Because nothing else matters anymore but that next win. For the next few weeks, all I can focus on, all that I’m looking for in that ring, is the sound of the bell ringing and my hand being raised in the air. I need this. You’ve got it made. Your ticket is written, your check is ready to be cashed. If you walked into the offices of another company tomorrow and said “I want to wrestle for you,” the HR people would fall over themselves trying to get you to sign on the dotted line. But that’s not how it works for me. I need to build my legacy.
I’m going to burn brighter than ever before. And it’s about damn time.