Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you recognize.
Notes: is being weird so I can't do my normal format and that is irrating me right now...This was written in response to the challenge issued by lady tavington on livejournal. Hope you like it. Read and review!
-X-
Man's Best Friend
It was really clear outside. The was the thought swimming in John Cena's mind as he walked down the tarred path of the park. It was strange for him to talk walks like this, but it was a truly beautiful day and he didn't want to stay cooped up in the hotel room all day. Sure it was humid out he'd live, besides it was to be expected on a hot summer day. He closed his eyes briefly and let himself swim a little deeper in his thoughts...that was until his cell phone rung and interrupted him.
"Yo." He answered after bring the once wailing object to his ear.
"John, where the hell are you?" asked the slightly irate voice of one of his close friends Johnny Nitro.
John fought the urge to roll his eyes as he took a seat on a near by bench. "I'm out."
"Obviously..." Johnny mumbled. "Where are you? We were suppose to met up with Orton in the gym before heading out to grab something to eat."
"I forgot. Sorry man but I'm at some park." John answered, adjusting the hat on his head.
"You forgot? Which park?"
"I don't know. I just asked the cab to take me to the closet park."
John heard Johnny mutter something and some one else laugh from the other line.
"Way to get yourself lost in Atlanta. Well if you get back here before it get to late, give one of us a call and we'll met up before we have to catch our flights out tomorrow."
"Yeah no problem." John muttered a goodbye before shutting his phone on his friend.
The West Newbury native sighed as he leaned back against the bench and closed his eyes. His hands clasped together over his chest and he relaxed some. This was just what he needed. Some time alone away from the guys, away from the jeers from the crowd. They may not be as bad as they once were but they were still there. He knew that people didn't like his character or maybe it really was just him that the fans didn't like. He really didn't understand why. After all he wasn't friends with them, they didn't know the real him. But then again many people often jump to their own conclusions about someone they have never met.
"Louie! Stop, come back here." A woman's voice yelled and for the second time that day John was torn from his thoughts.
With a groan, blue eyes snapped open and John glanced to where he had heard the voice only to see a black and white blur rushing in his direction. He chuckled at the distant female figure feet away from the running dog in hopes of catching it.
"Louie! Sit boy!" The woman yelled, but the little mutt made no inclination to listen to its owner. Instead only running fast.
John shook his head and stood up quickly standing in the black and white mutts way. The small dog barked at him and moved to run around him, but John lightly stepped on the dogs leash to prevent it from running any further. Louie yelped when he tried to run only to realize his leash was caught. The little dog barked again, running circles around John's sneakered feet.
The blue eyed man chuckled in amusement. He always had a soft spot for dogs not matter what the size or how annoying they may be. Slowly, he bent down to reach for the barking mutt and was even more amused when the small dog nipped at his hand before smelling it.
"Cute dog." John mumbled, unexpectedly getting an answer.
"Thanks." A winded voice said, it sounded familiar but he couldn't quite place it yet. "Sorry about him. He managed to undo the knot when I tied him to our bench."
John shrugged as he picked Louie up and untangled the leash from his legs. "It's alright." He smiled and held the calmed mutt in his hand, looking up at the woman. Blue eyes widened when he recognized her.
"You?"
"What about me?" The redhead stated, moving her hair from her shoulder trying to not show her surprise at seeing the outspoken wrestler out and about. "Oh god it's you."
John smirked slightly, stilling holding the mutt unconsciously petting the dog with his other hand. "Yeah a pleasure to see you too."
Hazel eyes narrowed and she held out her hand for her dog. "Can I have him back so I can be on my way and we can just pretend that we never bumped into each other."
The West Newbury native shrugged and held the mutt up close to his face. A small pink tongue slipped out of the dogs mouth and licked the brash wrestlers nose. John chuckled slightly as he looked at the dog. "Cute."
Lita stood still, retracting her arm and crossing them over her chest as she watched silently. She would have never expect John Cena of all people to be a dog person. He was just always so...barbaric. Or at least in her opinion.
"You like dogs?"
John laughed, "Don't sound so surprised Red."
"Don't call me that. We're not exactly friends and only my friends are allowed to call me that." Lita huffed.
He shifted the mutt, holding him once more with only one hand and shrugged. The black and white dogs' tail wagging rapidly.
"To answer ya, yeah I do. I grew up wit' o'couple of them as a kid. Always been a big sucker for them." John stated as he sat down on the bench he had been occupying. Louie sat up on his lap happily panting and wagging his tail. The 29 year old smiled, scratching behind the dogs ear.
The diva watched silently. She half expected him to be lying and reach out and try and strangle her poor dog, but he didn't. He just sat there with one of the biggest smiles on his face, like he'd just opened that one present that he had been hoping for at Christmas time.
Without too much thought, Lita took a seat beside him with a enough space between them that she wasn't coming in contact with him but she could reach for Louie. The small dog bark and turned its head up when Lita moved her hand to pet him, the mutt's tongue licking her tongue.
"I'm surprised." She stated, "You're being nice for a change."
"I'm fairly nice when ya get to know me and only mean if ya give me a reason to be." John shot back.
Hazel eyes rolled, "This coming from the man who has done his finisher on me how many times? And lets not forget that number of times you've almost hit me."
He shrugged, "Never meant to do that stuff. I expected him to come get ya and I woulda never hit ya. Not my type of thing."
Lita frowned slightly, "What are you doing out here?"
"Just spending some time alone. That was till I heard ya yelling at your dog."
"Louie."
He looked at her questioningly. "What?"
"His name his Louie." Lita nodded down to the dog still on his lap.
"Yeah I heard ya." John chuckled, "Miniature Schnauzer right?"
The redhead nodded again, surprised that he new Louie's breed. "How'd you..?
John cut her off, "Like I told ya, I'm a dog person. Every time I see one I melt..." He shrugged, feeling a little foolish for telling her that. "I don't exactly got enough time to keep a dog of my own nowadays."
Louie stood up on his hind paws, his front paws pressed against John's chest to lick at the man's face. John laughing whole heartedly as Lita tried to suppress her own laugh. She moved a stray piece of hair behind her ear, biting her lower lip as she debuted with herself.
"He seems to like you. Do you want to join us for the rest of our walk?" She suddenly asked, watching him for his reaction.
Blue eyed turned to face her, surprise clearly written within. "Ya sure?"
Lita shrugged and smiled, "You can play fetch with him and everything. He'd like it. That is if you don't have anything to do."
John smiled and laughed, "That may be just what I did to make sure I don't think so much."
"Sure, that way you don't hurt yourself."
"Haha." John laughed sarcastically before he picked the dog up from his lap and held the leash in the other. "You're funny."
"I know I am."
Lita walked ahead, glancing over her shoulder with a smile. She whistled. "Louie come here boy." She ran off ahead, the eager dog tagging on his leash to try and run after his master. John shook his head and focused on trying not to stumble over the dog as they chased after the redheaded diva.