Booking Glory-Chapter 68: Date With Dacey - Part 2

"Yeah, until you asked me out, I didn’t even think about dating as of late," Rob said watching Dacey closely.

"Oh, then why did you agree to go out with me?" Dacey asked in a subdued tone.

Rob could see that Dacey was really anxious when she asked him that question. She was fiddling with her fingers and was not making eye contact. Her head was lowered and she was looking at the table. Her entire posture screamed anxiety to him.

He also noticed that Dacey’s current reactions were similar to when they had met near his office earlier. The easy atmosphere that has been established during the walk was now absent between them. The air between them was filled with anxiety and ambiguity.

"Are you kidding? Who wouldn’t want to go out with a beautiful woman like you?" Rob asked back smiling mischievously.

Dacey’s head shot up as she looked at him with hidden happiness. Seeing his mischievous smile, Dacey rolled her eyes and the atmosphere came back to the jovial vibe it had earlier.

"I am not joking here, Dacey. You are truly beautiful. Actually, when you asked me out, my mind just froze for a few seconds. What you heard was my automatic response. Only when you left did it reboot. I was kicking myself for being so lame after that," Rob said chuckling.

Dacey smiled shyly hearing his words. In the evening sun, her smile looked even more beautiful. Especially, when it was combined with the red tinge on her cheeks, it almost stole Rob’s breath away.

"Dacey, you are really beautiful," Rob said seriously this time.

There was no humor in his voice when he said it at this time. Dacey’s blush intensified and she stared looking down at the table. Rob reached out and held her hands in his hands.

And exactly at that moment, two coffee cups slammed into the table with a thud causing Rob to hastily let go of Dacey’s hand and look at the source of the commotion.

"Your coffee," the waitress stated plainly before throwing a glance at Dacey.

Dacey and Rob looked at her in bafflement. They didn’t know why this waitress was being so rude to them. Was this the level of customer service in this café? Rob almost blew up at that moment.

He was having a moment with Dacey here. And this incipient waitress had ruined it with her attitude and now the moment was gone. Rob gritted his teeth and sent a glare toward the waitress.

However, the waitress was not paying any attention to Rob. Her eyes were trained on Dacey as if she was confirming something. The next moment, the waitress snorted and left their table confusing both of them.

"Are you sure you don’t know her?" Rob asked confusedly. "To me, it is clear that she has some problem with you."

"I am sure. I haven’t seen her before this. My home is on the other side of the company. I rarely even step foot on this side," Dacey said confusion evident in her eyes.

"You know what, let’s finish this coffee and get out of here first. We can go to some other place. This place will only ruin our moods," Rob said patting Dacey’s hands consolingly.

"Alright," Dacey said reluctantly.

With the moment ruined, Rob didn’t want to force another by trying too hard. He merely wanted to get out of this place soon, so that they could have a good time away from the creepy stare of the waitress.

From the confusion on Dacey’s face, it was very evident to Rob that Dacey was really disturbed by this turn of events. Rob was feeling both confused and frustrated as well.

Who would have thought that his very first date since arriving in this world would be derailed by a rude waitress? He almost felt like getting up and confronting the waitress about her attitude.

But, Dacey didn’t seem to be in the mood for an argument at this moment. He didn’t want to ruin the entire evening with a fight, so he simply sipped his coffee as he fumed inwardly.

Pretty soon their coffee was done and the waitress once more came to their table to deliver the bill. She didn’t even ask if they wanted anything else. It was as if she too was eager to see them gone.

Rob paid for the coffee and rose up to vacate the premises. Dacey also did the same thing at the other end. Just as Dacey was going to walk away, the waitress whispered to her rudely.

"You cheated," the waitress said accusatorily.

"Excuse me," Dacey said in confusion.

"I was there last night. I clearly saw your feet on the ropes. You cheated," the waitress hissed angrily.

"And you, you should be ashamed of yourself for supporting her despite her atrocious character," the woman turned her attention towards Rob and hissed once more.

Rob looked flabbergasted as well. He didn’t know how to react. Just as his mind was processing the information, the waitress turned towards Dacey.

"Good luck bitch, Diana is going to whoop your cheating ass this Wednesday," the waitress hissed and walked away leaving both Dacey and Rob to stand there dumbfounded.

Rob and Dacey exchanged looks. They could see the sheer incredulity of the moment in each other’s eyes. Rob found the moment too hilarious and didn’t want to laugh at the moment.

So he gestured to Dacey that they should leave first and discuss stuff outside. Dacey nodded and they both quickly left the café and once more started walking on the sidewalk.

"So, that just happened," Rob said trying hard not to smile.

Dacey shook her head; even she had some mirth in her eyes. While the waitress had been needlessly rude, most wrestlers dream of moments like this. It was clear that Dacey was both happy and also annoyed with what happened in the café.

"Yeah, who would have thought Diana would ruin our date?" Dacey chuckled.

"You should have a word with Diana about it," Rob replied jokingly.

"And tell what, a rabid fan of yours ruined my coffee date?" Dacey asked challengingly raising her eyebrows.

"Sure, why not?" Rob shrugged.

"You are crazy!" Dacey shook her head and started walking a little ahead of him.

Rob followed her as he enjoyed the sight that was presented to him.

"Well, jokes apart, she didn’t ruin your mood, did she?" Rob asked catching up to her.

"Kinda, but it also felt good. First, when she was being all rude and stary, I felt irritated. But, her going off on us made my day. It means that I am relevant now. You don’t know how long I have been waiting for such a day," Dacey said wistfully.

"Well, as you said, you are relevant now. Even random waitresses are taking a crack at you," Rob said rubbing his hands.

Dacey smiled, however, she didn’t reply. She walked silently for a few moments. Rob let the silence hold as it didn’t feel uncomfortable.

"You know, two months back, we had a girls night out. Me, Diana, Evelyn, Selena, Fiona, and Alanna. We went out, got hammered, and partied hard. There was one moment during that time that comes to my mind now," Dacey said looking at Rob.

"We were in a club. And this being Longham City, we were already prepared to be recognized by some of the crowd. But, the funny thing was, no one even recognized us. Only Diana suffered from exposure that night."

"There was one moment when we were chatting amidst drinks and one guy approached us. We initially thought he was approaching to ask one of us to dance with him. However, it turned out that he was a wrestling fan and he was approaching us for an autograph from Diana," Dacey said shaking her head.

"The funny thing was, he didn’t even recognize any of us. He just approached Diana, asked her for an autograph, and left after obtaining it. When that guy left, the rest of us didn’t have the courage to lift our faces. Alanna, in particular, looked so devastated. Even Diana was feeling bad."

"We had to switch clubs after that as we didn’t want to stay there anymore. The thing was, him asking autograph from Diana didn’t bother us. We all knew that she was the famous one among us and we were fine with it. But, when he didn’t even recognize us, that was the real blow you know. To wrestlers, remaining in obscurity is their biggest fear," Diana said smiling sadly.

"We all went through that phase one time or the other. Being obscure when the person next to you was famous was a form of torture. None of us want to go there again. And today, that waitress recognized me. It was an acknowledgment that I have craved for my entire career."

"Granted, it would have been better if she was a fan of mine, but still, she recognized me. That is what matters most. And for that, I have to thank you. I don’t think I would have reached this stage without your booking. Thank you," Dacey said sincerely.

Rob knew that Dacey was telling the truth. He knew that every pro wrestler yearned to be recognized and being invisible to the crowd was their biggest nightmare. So, he didn’t want to belittle her feelings. However, he felt that the atmosphere had once again turned somewhat heavier.

"Does that thanks come with a kiss?" Rob asked cheekily trying to lighten the mood.

Dacey blushed heavily at Rob’s teasing. But, a strange look flashed across her eyes as she smiled at Rob meaningfully.

"Play your cards right, and you might get one at the end of the night," Dacey winked back.

"Ah, that is enough for me," Rob said chuckling.

"So, where are you taking me next?" Dacey asked Rob.

"Zero clue," Rob said shaking his head. "After that reaction from the waitress, I am afraid that we can’t casually hang out in public places from here on out. Dacey Surestone is popular, albeit, in a negative way, it seems."

"And whose fault is that?" Dacey asked arching her eyebrows. "Who was the one that booked me to be such an asshole." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Guilty as charged," Rob chuckled. "But, I have to say, you are a natural heel. I didn’t even see it coming. You kinda blew away my expectations with how well you have handled your booking."

"Thank you," Dacey said nodding. "I really like being Dacey Surestone. She is like all I ever wanted to be. Someone who is confident and doesn’t care about how the world perceives her. I wish I could be like her in real life."

"Like I have said earlier, Dacey Surestone is an aspect of you. You just need to channel her more in real life," Rob said patting Dacey’s arms.

"It is easy for you to say. Dacey Surestone is a character to me. A character with a personality that I wish I could be. If Dacey Surestone was the one at the café back there, she would have insulted the waitress back and wouldn’t have taken a shit. I can’t do that."

"Maybe you should try being Dacey Surestone in real life too when you are interacting with fans," Rob said causing Dacey to give him a ’are you serious?’ look.

"Just with the fans who treat her life Dacey Surestone. Hear me out here, Dacey Surestone’s entire gimmick relies on being hated by the fans. So, why don’t you up things up a notch and take it to another level. A level no one has done before," Rob said causing Dacey to stop and think a bit.

"Nah, that is not going to happen," Dacey said a few moments later shaking her head. "First, that would generate so much hate for me that I don’t know if I will get beaten by the public for it. Second, I can never be that confident in real life. In there, it is a performance. Out here, it is real."

"Why don’t you think of it as a performance out here as well," Rob didn’t let go. "You would be only doing it with strangers and fans. To those who truly know you, you will always be Dacey, right?"

"No way, I am not doing that," Dacey shook her head vigorously. "Can we change the topic? No matter what we discuss we end up discussing wrestling in the end."

"Yeah," Rob said scratching his head. "I think we need to move on. Here’s an idea, how about we catch a movie together. No one will recognize us in the movie hall. If needed, we can disguise you a bit as well."

"This way, we can both not be disturbed by others and will be able to spend some quality time with each other. What do you say?" Rob asked eagerly.

Dacey thought about it for a moment and then shrugged her shoulders.

"Sure, why not," Dacey said smiling a little. "I think it would be better if I wear a hat and sunglass."

"Nah, it wouldn’t match your dress. Better go for a cap," Rob said taking a look at Dacey.

"Yeah, you are right," Dacey said looking down at her dress. "Then, let’s go find a clothing store next. We can get the accessories there, and then we can move on to a theatre."

"As you command, my queen," Rob bowed mockingly.

Dacey laughed seeing Rob’s bow.

*****

A/N: Hey folks!

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