Piquant
"Just go for it. If you don't, no one else will take that chance."
Lilian Garcia stretched her spaghetti strap outward, trying to grasp her sense of courage. She wasn't doing too well. "What if you ask him for me?"
"Oh for the love of..." Trish Stratus exclaimed, then cut herself off. A sly expression crossed her face, "Hmm..I could do that..."
Lilian grabbed Trish by the arm, stopping her progress, "Oh no, you don't. I know that look!"
"But I was just going to tell him how much you admire his...body..."
"You're too blunt, Tish. I'd end up naked holding a can of whipped cream in a motel room in Las Vegas."
"Honey, you've seen 'The Real World' too many times." Trish sighed. "Oh, just forget it! I'll tell you what I should do.." With that, she conspiratorially drew Lilian close, whispering her plan into the redhead's ear.
***
Two hours later, Rob Van Dam opened up his locker in the men's side of the building. Sitting atop his gym bag was a note...as he uncreased it, perfume wafted upward. Feminine-looking handwriting asked him to show up at a playground nearby, and wait by the swing set.
He shook his head, crumpling the note. Spike's ribs seemed to get more far-fetched every day.
***
Hours later, Lilian sat alone on the swing set her note had described for Rob. Forlornly, she kicked at the dirt beneath her feet, scratching up the top of her expensive leather pump.
Shivering, she drew her shawl close, groaning to herself at the meager heat it gave. Embarrassed to be alone, and just imagining what kind of fodder this would make for company gossips, she shrunk down in her seat, allowing the wind to have its way with her. She felt smaller than an ant.
***
As Lilian lamented her failed flirtation, Rob walked jauntily into the hotel's restaurant, planning on a good meal. Fortunately for Lilian's shattering heart, Trish had been having a late dinner. She strolled up to him the very second he took a stool and began, instantly, to jaw at him.
"Where's Lilian?! What did you do to her?"
"Huh?" He stared at her blearily, blinking, "Dude, don't yell."
"You're so stoned that you don't even know where you are!" She accused.
"Wait a minute," He laughed, "You're in on it too?"
"What?!"
"Spike's rib! He sent me some kinda lovy-dovey note...tried to make it look like some girl sent it." He laughed, "Takes a lot to fool ol' RVD, Trish."
"Rob...let me be the first person to remove your head from your ass.." She snapped, "Lilian wrote that note."
"Lilian Garcia?" He shook his head, "No way..she's so shy, she'd never..."
"Unless she got desperate...and her best friend was kind of shoving her into it." Trish tried to look appropriately guilty.
"Dude!" Anxiety appeared in his eyes, "So she's back there at that school, waiting for me?"
"Is your head still halfway up your ass?" She snapped, "Of course!"
"Thanks, Trish." He swiftly left the bar, leaving Trish to accept the beer he had ordered.
She quaffed the drink, taking a moment to laugh at the folly of her friends. Playing cupid was hard work.
***
He found her just as Trish had described; sitting forlornly on a swing set, and dressed up. The closer he came to her, the more he could hear her sighs, see her tears in the pale light of the moon.
When he got up the courage to speak, she cut him off, "What does the inside of Spike's head feel like?"
He laughed, brittlay, "You knew that I thought it was him?"
"The two of you can't stop ribbing one another. I thought that, since you didn't show up, maybe you thought he was pranking you." She stopped swinging aimlessly on the set and gave him a pointed look, "Either that or your lips got stuck in a bong."
"Oh man, no more pot jokes," He held up his hand beseechingly as he settled down on a swing opposite her. "Haven't you ever smoked the evil herb yourself?"
She laughed, shaking her head, "No..but there was that one time..." At that, she launched into a story about an old member of her band.
And as he listened, and traded laughter with her, they both opened themselves up to the possibility of a new love. With only the tungsten and chain to witness the blossoming of their beautiful new relationship.