Honeymoon Mood
Anantara Amalfi Grand Hotel
Amalfi Coast, Italy
The morning sun painted the cliffs of the Amalfi Coast in shades of honey and gold, spilling across whitewashed villas that clung impossibly to the mountainside. Lemon groves perfumed the air, their blossoms dancing on the breeze as waves glittered far below like scattered diamonds. Alexandra leaned against the stone balcony of their lavish hotel room, a steaming espresso warming her hands. She had wrapped one of LJ's oversized linen shirts over her sundress, the sleeves rolled carelessly to her elbows. Behind her came the unmistakable sound of bare feet against the tile floor.
"You disappeared, Love." LJ said, his voice still rough with sleep.
"I didn't disappear." She smiled.
"You absolutely did." He leaned against the door frame, shirtless. “I woke up and my new wife wasn’t laying next to me.”
She smiled without turning around. "You were snoring and you looked peaceful, I didn't want to wake you."
"Angel, you can wake me up anytime." LJ yawned with a stretch.
She laughed softly.
"There it is." LJ laughed.
"What?" Alexandra laughed.
"My favorite sound." He kept his gaze on her.
Alexandra finally looked over her shoulder. LJ stood in the doorway with messy hair, wearing nothing but loose linen pants and a grin that looked entirely too pleased with itself.
"You've only been awake for three minutes and you're already making fun of me." Alexandra shook her head.
"I've got to stay consistent." He crossed the balcony until he was beside her, slipping an arm around her waist. Together they looked over the endless stretch of coastline where tiny fishing boats drifted lazily across the Mediterranean.
"It's unreal," Alexandra whispered.
"I know." He leaned against her.
"No, I mean this." She gestured toward the cliffs. "It looks like someone painted it."
LJ kissed the top of her head. "I was talking about us, Angel."
She rolled her eyes with exaggerated affection. "That was incredibly cheesy." She spoke as kissed her head.
"You married incredibly cheesy." He closed his eyes when she turned to kiss his cheek.
“Don't get me started on those vows.”
He nodded. “Hey, that was romantic..”
"And now I'm legally required to endure it." She nudged him with her shoulder. “And yes, your vows were romantic.”
"I’m going to be a lawyer. I’ll checked.. it's legally binding." LJ smiled.
Alexandra laughed again, leaning into him until her head rested against his shoulder. Below them, church bells echoed through the village. Somewhere nearby, an old Italian woman was hanging laundry between two balconies while singing softly to herself. Everything moved slower here. There were no schedules, no ringing phones, no endless responsibilities. Just the sea and the smell of lemons. And the quiet certainty that, for the first time in a long while, there was nowhere else either of them wanted or needed to be. LJ reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
Alexandra raised an eyebrow. "What is that?"
"Our itinerary." He handed it to her.
"You made an itinerary for a honeymoon?" Alexandra tilted her head.
"I made suggestions." He watched as she read it.
She unfolded the page looking it over, there it was in LJ's beautiful handwriting.
9:00 AM: Breakfast overlooking the water.
11:00 AM: Drive the coastal road.
1:00 PM: Lunch in Positano.
3:00 PM: Buy too much lemon candy.
5:00 PM: Watch the sunset.
7:00 PM: Fall even more in love with my wife.
She stared at the last line for a moment.
"You wrote this." A bright smile crossed her lips.
"I did." He nodded proudly.
"It's ridiculous." Alexandra laughed.
"I know love." He gave her a look that was playful.
"It's also..." She folded the paper carefully. "...my favorite itinerary anyone's ever made."
LJ smiled. "I had a feeling."
She slipped the paper into her purse instead of throwing it away. "You know I'm keeping this forever."
"I was hoping you would." LJ held out his hand, slipping into a shirt. "Mrs. Kasey..."
She slipped her fingers into his without hesitation.
"Ready to explore Italy Angel?" LJ kissed her hand.
Alexandra looked once more at the shimmering coastline, the winding road disappearing around the cliffs, and the endless blue stretching beyond the horizon. Then she looked at the man beside her.
"I don't really care where we go," she said quietly. "As long as it's with you."
LJ smiled, squeezing her hand as they headed downstairs together, disappearing into the sunlit streets of the Amalfi Coast, where every turn smelled of lemons, every view stole their breath, and every moment felt like the beginning of the rest of their story.
Newlyweds take the win
Witches Hat Pavillion at Sunset
Reading, Pennsylvania
A camera comes up on Alexandra who’s sitting on the steps of the Witches Hat Pavillion. She’s dressed in her normal all black outfit.
“I heard about our match while LJ and I were still on our honeymoon. I’m sorry to say, my first reaction was to giggle uncontrollably. Oh not because you two are our opponents, but rather because I guess it’s a gift from Management. LJ and I will get to make our first appearance since the wedding in Mixed Tag action.”
She paused, thinking about everything that led to this moment.
"You know what I love about professional wrestling? Everybody suddenly believes they're one match away from taking your spot. They think, ‘Hey, Alexandra’s got a title, I can beat her in a tag match, then turn around and demand a match for the title.’ Sorry Cravey, it's not going to go down like that.”
There had been so many before them who believed they could take them down.
“Brayden Williams and Carleigh 'Crave' Annis. I get it. This match is your opportunity. Your chance to say you stood across the ring from two Internet Champions and shocked the world. But opportunities and outcomes are two very different things.”
Brayden and Carliegh would be no different, just another night for Alexandra and LJ, the Newlyweds of Sin City Wrestling.
“See, people love to talk about hunger. They say hungry competitors are the most dangerous. Maybe that's true. But you know what's even more dangerous? Someone who's already sitting at the top and refuses to come down. I'm not carrying this Bombshell Internet Championship because I got lucky. I'm carrying it because every woman who's stood in front of me found out exactly what happens when they mistake confidence for arrogance. I’ve beaten the best to keep this title around my waist. I’ve busted my ass in this ring, to prove my words true.”
She stood up, leaning on the wall of the pavilion.
“LJ and I aren't walking into Reading hoping we click as a team, we already know what it takes to win. We know what pressure feels like. We know what expectations are. Champions don't crack under pressure. We create it. LJ and I are more than some team that got shoved together. We know each other inside and out. Can you two say the same?”
She smirked. It wasn’t cockiness, it was the knowledge that she and LJ shared of each other, in and out of the ring.
“Carleigh, you call yourself 'Crave.' I hope you're ready to find out what happens when what you crave is completely out of reach. This win, this hope that you’ll be able to score a win over me, by teaming with Brayden, it’s a fool's errand my dear. You would do best to run or pray to whatever higher power you believe in. I’ve got my loving husband by my side and together, we will prove why we are both champions this company can be proud of.”
Crave was going to have one hell of a night if she believed that she was going to pull out a win over Alexandra.
“Brayden, you're standing across from LJ, one of the best Internet Champions this company has seen. A man with a legacy, the drive, the heart, the passion. You'd better bring more than heart because heart alone doesn't beat experience. Heading into Violent Conduct XI, people are going to be talking about momentum. They're going to be talking about who has it and who's losing it.”
And Brayden, he was going to find out what happens when LJ finally got exactly what he wanted in life.
“After this match? There won't be any debate. The Bombshell Internet Champion is leaving with her hand raised. The Internet Champion is leaving with his hand raised. And the only thing Brayden Williams and Carleigh Annis will have proven, is exactly why champions stay champions. See you in Reading."
She looks up at LJ and links her hand with his, their fingers entwined. Their Internet Championships, resting on their shoulders. The two walk off together into the darkness.
