Page 12 of Ten Kisses

"WWE at the PNC Arena."

"Wrestling?" I said, feeling confused but oddly excited at the thought.

"Rey Mysterio," he said lifting his eyebrows and grinning like a kid.

I smiled as well. "I know who that is."

"He was one of our favorites when we were little, and he's going to be there tonight. That's the whole reason we were going. I bought good seats. It was for his birthday. They're along the aisle, where we can high-five the wrestlers going into the ring."

I felt genuine excitement at the thought, and I shoved at his shoulder, pushing him enthusiastically. "Are you serious? I can go with you?"

"Yes. Please come. You want to?" he asked, looking surprised.

"Yes. For free? Tonight? JJ got really into that stuff when we were kids. He would actually want to go if he knew you had an extra ticket. Please don't tell him. Please take me. Is it tonight? I want to go."

"I already told you I would."

"I have work to do when I get home, but I don't even care. I'll start it at midnight if I have to. I'm not missing this. I can do some stuff in the morning. And it's okay if I'm a little late with my order tomorrow. It's for my landlord. He'll understand. Am I going to be able to high-five Rey Mysterio?"

"I cannot believe you know who that is, but yes, there's a chance. We did get the aisle seats, so we'll be able to if he comes our way. There's a bunch of other guys there, too."

"Randy Orton?" I asked, staring at him.

One corner of Salem's mouth lifted higher in a crooked smile. He made a face like he couldn’t believe I knew any of these names. "I think Randy Orton actually might be there," he said.

Chapter 5

Salem Kirkpatrick

Molly didn't even go home before they went out for the night. The two of them left Salem's new house and went to a Greek restaurant to get something to eat before the wrestling match. Salem had intended to eat there with his brother, so he and Molly stuck to the plan.

She was hilarious. She was so sweet and innocent in some ways, but also rebellious and up for anything. Salem felt drawn to her as a big brother. He had regrets about his own family. His little sister, Sadie, had gotten into her share of trouble over the years. She was doing great now, but he still had regrets from when they were younger.

Sadie was married to Molly's big brother. John-Michael was her only brother, and now he had his own family to concentrate on. Salem felt some undeniable urge to take Molly under his wing and be a big brother to her—protect her where he might have failed Sadie. He loved Molly as a sister and he was happy about making the furniture for her. She was going to love it. Maybe, in some way, all this was selfish. Maybe it would give him a little relief of guilt he felt from missed opportunities with Sadie.

He knew Molly wanted the chocolate business to take off, and it had been within his power to help her with a counter, so he did it. He made time for the work, and he designed a beautiful piece of portable cabinetry. He was thankful for the opportunity to help her out in that way. It was a bonus that he liked her taste and wanted to take her advice about his house. She was the most whimsical and colorful of all the females he knew, and he wanted the influence of her preferences in his home.

Salem knew he wouldn't accept any payment from her for the counter. In addition to helping him with advice about his house, she was willing to pay him, but he wouldn't take it. He never gave away free work, but Molly needed the money for her business, and doing this for her made Salem feel good.

Plus, Molly was a pleasure to be around. He didn't know a single person who would have gone to a chaotic wrestling match with no warning or preparation. When he asked her to go with him, he honestly thought she would laugh.

Neither of them had watched wrestling in a long time. She didn't know any of the current wrestlers and was glad that several of the older ones were on the lineup.

Molly may not have known them before she went there, but that certainly did not curb her enthusiasm. She was adorable during that show. If she didn't know a wrestler, she reacted with the crowd around them. She made friends with the people sitting next to them, high-fiving them and celebrating when one of their favorites won or when one of them received attention from one of the superstars.

Molly celebrated with winners, she booed the villains. She hollered and got into the show. Salem knew that the WWE wasn't a part of her life at all, and it cracked him up to see how easily she became such a natural at blending in with the real fans. It was an absolute pleasure for him to take her there and enjoy the show with her.

He and his brother would have gone there for nostalgia. They were both stoic, and they would have sat back and taken in the show without pushing their way to the rail or getting into the hollering. As it stood, Salem still didn't do any yelling, but he was right up there, on the rail, helping her reach and watching out for her amidst all the action.

And then, when the show was about two-thirds finished, the lights went down, and there were suddenly sparks and flames, accompanied by the screens lighting up with a new image. It was all to dramatically announce the arrival of another wrestler, and this one was Rey Mysterio.

His entrance song was the same as it was when they were kids, and Salem smiled at the sight of Molly reacting to the sudden boom of fireworks followed by all the noise and chaos of his entrance.

"Six-one-nine!" Molly yelled out loud, pumping her fist and leaning over the rail as Rey Mysterio strutted triumphantly onto the first landing and began waving to fans.

She turned to Salem with a furrowed-eyebrow look of confusion and disappointment.

"Why are there boos?"

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