A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and such, really appreciate it, hope you enjoy the chapter, review if it tickles your fancy! :)

"Where do you buy your hoodies?"

He glanced over at her as she snuggled deeper into his hoodie, her hands completely gone as her petite body swum inside the cozy fabric. He took his eyes off her and put them back on the road where they belonged even as they wanted to linger further, take in every aspect of her in his clothing. It would keep his mind from wandering towards thinking about her wearing nothing but his hoodie.

"That's my secret, why would I tell you when I think you look good in my hoodie?" he said playfully, hoping to come off as charming and not weird.

She giggled, "Okay, okay, keep your big secret."

They fell back into silence, the only sounds being the car on the road, the soft, almost nonexistent music playing from the muted radio, and the occasional snuffle from E in the backseat. It wasn't uncomfortable at all, in fact, it was so comfortable, Dolph almost got lost in it His eyes focused on the road, but everything else was narrowed down to that car, like the world simply existed within the four doors.

"So, I never got around to asking," AJ started, breaking the silence and nearly startling him, "Are you seeing anyone? I mean, I assumed you weren't, but I should probably ask, don't you think? Just in case, I mean, I probably should have asked you that fist, seeing as how we're making out every week, but yeah…I guess I just figured if you were, you'd be like, 'Hey, my girlfriend would prefer it if you didn't shove your tongue down my throat like you were Alien,' or something to that effect."

"I am not seeing anyone," he told her, "and even if I were, this is our job, I mean, it's not like we're doing this right now or anything, not that I wouldn't make out with you right now or anything…I'm just digging a deeper hole for myself, aren't I?"

"Kind of," she giggled, "so why don't you have a girlfriend? I mean, you're you, and you're attractive, and you smell good, and you're funny, and you're really smart."

"You think I'm attractive?" he tried to stifle his grin, but he couldn't help it, she thought he was attractive.

"Don't even tell me you don't think you're attractive, Dolph, don't even go there," she swatted him on the arm. "We both know you are attractive, and girls are always falling over you, it's just strange to think that you, of all people, are single."

"Why is that so difficult to believe?"

"Because you've got so much going for you, and there are bound to be loads of women who want you, hell, after your ex said that about you in bed, I bet the number doubled," AJ told him as Dolph pretended to act scandalized. "I'm not a guy, but isn't that usually what you want other girls to hear?"

"Not on national radio, no," Dolph said, "it's not a big deal, I mean, Amy, we're cool and everything. It wasn't just that, although she could have told me she was going to say it—"

"Yeah, she should have."

"Either way, you know how hard it is to have a relationship in this business," Dolph looked at her, "I mean, you dated Jay and then you dated Trent, and they were in the business, so it helped, but have you ever dated anyone not in it?"

"No, I haven't," she shook her head, "you underestimate my charm and my appeal towards the male persuasion."

"I don't think I do, but when you can't see someone for weeks on end, things get pretty old pretty quick. It's easier in the business, but then you might spend too much time with them. That's what happened with me and Nikki. I loved her, she was great, but it just felt stifling."

"So do you think you'll ever feel stifled because of me?" she wondered, and if he'd had anything in his mouth, he'd be choking right now. For a second, he thought she was coming onto him, right here in this car, with Big E snoring in the backseat, on a road to his parent's house in Cleveland. But then he came back to himself and realized she simply meant because they spent so much time together.

"I mean, it's only been a few months, and we just started traveling together, and if I can put up with Vickie for two years…"

"Did you travel with her?" AJ asked.

"A couple times, but not really. Vickie was a friend, for sure, but she wasn't the kind of friend I typically would hang out with. I mean, we just have a lot of different interests."

"So do we," AJ was quick to note, and while true, they had a lot in common as well. That's what he liked about AJ, maybe liked too much at this point. She had her own interests, her own loves, but they could also come together over their shared interests. It made her interesting, far more interesting than he'd ever found anyone before.

"But it's different with us."

"How?" she wondered, turning a little in her seat so she could look at him, the hoodie falling over her hands again as she moved to scoot the sleeves back up her arms. "I mean, how is it different?"

"Well, she's a mom and everything, she has different worries, and you and me, we just relate on a different level, that's all. Vickie preferred to travel with other women, and that's cool, but I like traveling with you, it's different. I won't get sick of you, I haven't gotten sick of you. Sometimes you just know when two people are compatible."

"So we're compatible now?"

"Yeah, we are," he nodded, "so what about you? Do you have any guy waiting at home?"

"Just my number one," she told him, "but you've met him, short, blond, likes to chew on things."

"I think I know who you're talking about," Dolph laughed. "But no guy catching your eye?"

"No," she said, but the way she said it was drawn out, but maybe he was reading too much into it. It wouldn't be the first time he read too much into something, and he didn't want to risk anything right now. It felt like he was on the precipice of some huge discovery, but he didn't want to go down that road because it would only lead to unrequited feelings and awkwardness.

"You do know there are about a million guys who would want you, right? I mean, if anyone is kidding themselves around here, it's you," he joked. "You're the geek goddess, remember? I bet you caused a lot of late night fodder for teenage boys when you won that video game challenge at WrestleMania last year."

"Oh, you mean that they aren't just focused on my butt?" AJ said as Dolph snickered. "Oh yeah, laugh it up, like there aren't people still talking about your wardrobe malfunction."

"I really could use a tan," he kidded back as she guffawed and covered her face.

"Would you two be quiet, a guy can't even get a nap back here," Big E said from the backseat.

"E, we've been driving for hours, we even stopped at a gas station, I don't think you were taking a nap, I think you went into a coma on us," Dolph told him.

"What are you even talking about that has you so loud you gotta wake a man up?" E asked, rubbing at his eyes a little bit.

"Oh, you know," AJ said, "just talking about philosophy, I'm personally from the school of Sartre, but this guy over here, total Nietzsche freak. We just go on and on about the state of the self."

"Wow, smart too," Dolph winked at her, "add some more nerds to that pile."

"Stop," AJ shoved at him again, making him laugh.

"Okay, children in the front, I'm going back to sleep, wake me when we're in Cleveland," E said before he settled back into the seat.

"You know, I'm starting to think he's just using us for the free ride," Dolph stage-whispered as AJ nodded. "I should make him sleep in the car once we get to my parent's house. Luckily, I'm a pretty nice guy."

"I think so, I mean, you let me wear your super nice hoodie," AJ snuggled deeper inside of it. "Do you think you'll ever date anyone inside the company? I mean, there are a lot of women, surely one of them might…I don't know, be someone you'd want to be with."

"I can cross Brie off the list," he immediately said.

"Eww," AJ made a face, "I would lower my opinion if you dated her, not that Daniel is about to let her go. Were you in love with Nikki? Did you see a future with her?"

"No," Dolph shook his head "man, you really like the tough questions. Nikki was fun, and I was younger, and trying to make a name of myself at the same time she was, and we had fun together. That's what she was, she was fun, and she was pretty, and it was easy for a long time because we didn't really talk commitment or what came next. Nikki isn't like a lot of people think."

"I don't think she likes me very much," AJ shrugged. Dolph looked over in question. "Just a hunch, she just doesn't seem to like me, I don't know, I've never done anything to her, I've never really hung out with her, but there it is."

"She can come off that way, but she's not, at least she wasn't. She's with John now and I'm happy for her," Dolph shrugged.

"So…anyone else?"

"I don't know, what, are you setting me up for something?" he asked, not daring to ask if she was talking about herself, but the line of questioning was so specific, so targeted towards that, he was beginning to wonder if his feelings, whatever they were growing into, weren't going to be unreciprocated. If he allowed himself to like her, would it be under the knowledge that she felt the same way?

"I'm just wondering because, well, I've seen you with girls before—"

"I tend to like them, yeah."

"And I've seen you flirt with girls."

"Well, I'm not so good at that, ask my brother, speaking of whom, he told me it was weird when I had the match against him and Trent, and you were there, and Trent kind of said it was a little weird."

"Yeah, well, he can just suck it," AJ said.

"So let me turn the question around on you then? Would you want to date anyone else in the company? Do you see someone backstage whose eye you have on? Hopefully, he's not married though, I don't figure you for that type of girl."

"Right now, I guess not," she answered, but there was nothing to her voice he could analyze. "I just, I mean, I'm trying to focus on my career, so I think romance is being told to back the hell off. It's not like I can't do both, but I have so many goals I want to achieve."

"I know what you mean, I felt the same way. Also, I'm not as good with women as you might think. I mean, it's one thing to flirt, but I've never been very good at just…being myself. I always kind of put on the act when I'm with a woman. I need to find someone I can be myself with, that's when I know it'll be good. I won't have to be on all the time."

"Are you on right now?"

"No, I'm not on right now," he laughed at the notion. "It's the middle of the night, I'm driving to my parent's house, I'm not anything right now, just a guy driving down the highway with his fake girlfriend, both wearing a couple of awesome hoodies, with a weightlifting champion sleeping in the backseat."

"Then I like this version of you best," she told him, turning back so she was facing forward and on the road ahead of them.

"Really?"

"Yes, really."