Swan in the Water

A/N: Hey! I just want to say thank you to my readers, especially those who took the time out to review the last chapter. It's awesome that you guys notice my attention to detail and the importance I place on character development. I like to unravel things as I go along, and not just lay it all out there on the first chapter. So if you'll be patient with me, we can embark on this journey together (since I have a very vague idea where this story's heading anyway). All I know is, Randy and Jesse are complex characters who can be light-hearted or angsty together, depending on their mood. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Remember, flashbacks are italicized. Read, enjoy, and review! xx

Floating along the surface of the pool, a pair of Ray-bans over his eyes, the blissful serenity of a Sunday morning. To top it off, his dad was thousands of miles and an ocean away on a business trip. It was a recipe for the perfect day. Sure, he had to sneak into the club, pay off a gardener, and leap over the fence, but it was the only chance he had to be there before she did. It was the only chance he had to make sure he had her alone, away from the distracting kids and the excessively vigilant nannies.

"Pool's closed."

His lips curled into a smile at the sound of her voice. Soft and melodic, but with a barely perceptible rasp that, he found, matched the dryness of her humor. He pulled the sunglasses down the bridge of his nose to see her, arms on her hips, standing on the edge of the pool.

"Good morning to you too, Jesse."

She rolled her eyes and remained in place. Jesse wanted to know why he was here before the club had even opened its doors. He always had a way of getting whatever he wanted without the repercussions. It always frustrated her that things came easy to him, but it frustrated her even more that it was his charm and confidence that drew her to him. Randy pulled the sunglasses up to his eyes to conceal the fact that he was checking her out. Her long, tanned legs were stark against the white jean shorts. She wore a billowy tank top over the red lifeguard suit, and her wild curls were, for once, free and not restrained into a taut topknot.

"What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you."

Jesse's breath hitched in her throat. 'He's just a friend' she tried to remind herself. It was a persistent reminder, that was becoming all the more frequent as time passed. She could spin those three words, 'waiting for you,' however way she wanted, but she knew it didn't mean a thing to Randy. He was just a flirt – a flirt who so happened to snag a smoking, hot girlfriend at the end of junior year. So Jesse kept her distance and ignored the suggestive nature of his words.

It was hard though. Boy, was it hard; especially when he was floating on his back with his long and lean torso in full display. And if the unwavering confidence in his movements wasn't enough, the wayfarers shielding his eyes made him look like James Dean reincarnate.

"What do you want?" she tried to play it cool, pretending she was disinterested. This was always how it worked. She often pretended she was nonchalant about everything, even if her insides were twisting in a mess of emotions. It was fine in the beginning; she just chalked it up to attraction thus it was easy not to get attached. At this point, she had known him for a year and the more time they spent together, the more she cared about him. She knew the ins and outs of Randy Orton. She knew about his fucked up family, his infuriatingly perfect girlfriend, and his addiction to self-destructive behavior. In spite of all this, she couldn't stay away. Part of it was because she really did care about him and she wanted to be there for him. Part of it was also because he treated her like she was beautiful, desirable, and worthy of someone like him. She hated to admit it because she hated feeling like her worth belonged to the opinion of a rich, seventeen year-old white boy. But it was true. She secretly craved that feeling, and the more he gave it, the harder she tried to suppress it. It was recipe for Shakespearean levels of tragedy.

The only way she knew how to deal with her feelings was to pretend they didn't exist. She was always a ball of emotions but she knew how to maintain a tough exterior. For Randy, it was the opposite. When it came to girls, he had a very flippant attitude. Sure, he had a girlfriend but he was a young guy, and he believed that he had every right to be flirtatious and perhaps even promiscuous. He liked Jesse, and he would have been lying if he said he never imagined hooking up with her. He was guilty of having had an unhealthy amount of daydreams involving Jesse straddling him in a hot tub, Jesse pressed up against the lockers as she cried out his name, Jesse coming beneath him as he screwed her senseless in the middle of the golf course… Some would say he had a perverted mind, but honestly, he was just horny all the fucking time.

Randy swam to the edge, where she stood. He looked up the length of her legs and met her narrowed eyes. He placed his palms on the concrete and pushed himself out of the water. Jesse stepped back, giving them both space. She averted her gaze to keep from staring from the beads of water that trickled down his chest, against the ripples of his abs, and to the curve of his hips. He grinned, feeling quite proud of himself.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she heaved a sigh as Randy stepped forward, closing the gap between them. He brought his hand to her cheek, compelling her to meet his eyes. Her soft green orbs met his icy blues. Instantly, she grew weak in the knees and she felt a sharp intake of air before her breathing ceased momentarily. He grazed his knuckles against the soft skin of her arm. She began to speak up in protest, but he gave her one look and her lips clamped shut.

He lowered his head. This was the part where Jesse, had she been thinking straight, would have stepped back, slapped him in the face, and vowed never to speak with him again. Lines were drawn and they were just friends. He chose to have a girlfriend, and regardless of how much she let him get away with, Jesse was having no part in their quasi-open relationship. But it was too late, his spell was cast and she was like putty in his hands. Leaning forward, his warm breath touched her skin awaiting the contact.

But it never came.

Jesse opened her eyes and saw Randy standing in front of her. He had that stupid, satisfied smirk on his unreasonably handsome face.

"I knew it," his eyes grew dark, "you want me just as much as I want you."

If he could take a swing at the teenager in his dream, he would. As the dream became more lucid, he attempted to do just that but the weight of his arm kept him from connecting with the jaw of his seventeen year-old self. Ultimately, he had to relive the moment when he was an absolute dick to the first girl he truly cared about. He groaned, adjusting his arm only to feel numbness and a distinct mass suppressing it. "Mmmm," his senses perked up as the silkier moan escaped from her lips and the ensuing warmth nestled onto his body.

Randy opened one eye and looked down at his roommate's head nuzzled into his right shoulder. He blinked a few times, allowing his vision to get used to the bright, morning light. They must have spent all night talking and ended up falling asleep on the couch. He looked down on her sleeping frame only to get a face full of her hair.

He chuckled lightly as he received a generous whiff of her tropical-scented shampoo. It reminded him of laying on a hammock, beneath the shade of coconut trees, on some private island in the Caribbean. She grumbled something incoherent and snuggled even further into the crook of his neck. Her soft breaths tickled his skin, and he started laughing, trying to crane his neck away from her mouth. Jesse grunted, not amused that her peaceful sleep was interrupted by the same comforting body that made it so peaceful in the first place.

"Damn it, Randy."

"I'm sorry!" He ran his hands along the sides of his neck. "Your snoring was tickling me!"

"Excuse me?" she replied incredulously, "my snoring?"

That boyish, pompous smirk turned up at the corner of his lips. Jesse turned her body so she straddled him and began nuzzling her face into his neck. She inhaled and exhaled rapidly and repeatedly, causing Randy to convulse and giggle uncontrollably. "Stop!"

Jesse pulled up, eyeing him mischievously. "Was I snoring? Yes or no?"

"Yes."

She sunk her head onto his neck and laughed, her breath tickling the sensitive spot on his neck even further. Randy wrapped his arms around her as he shook and rolled around the couch. If Jesse was going to put him through this torture, then she'd have no choice but to feel the consequences with him. He turned against the edge of the couch down on the carpet, falling on top of her.

Trapping her underneath his weight, he smirked and began to speak when someone clearing his throat interrupted him. He looked up and Jesse craned her neck to see Randy's friends, John and Cody, at the doorway. He inwardly smacked himself on the head. He should have revoked their 'swing-by-the-house-anytime-here-are-my-keys' privileges as soon as Jesse moved in.

"Hope we weren't interrupting anything…" Cody trailed off

Randy swung his leg over and helped her up. "No, it's cool. What's up?" he played it casually. Jesse, whose cheeks were burning, glanced between him and his friends hoping that she could magically remove herself out of this awkward situation.

"It's Saturday, 11:45 in the morning," John said as if it was so obvious.

Randy cocked his head to the side and scrunched his brows, trying to figure out what John meant by telling him the date. The realization hit him like a wrecking ball.

"Shit."

He boarded up the stairs into his bedroom, leaving Jesse alone with his friends. She shook her head and began picking up the empty takeout containers from the coffee table. John and Cody tried to help but, even they couldn't figure out how Randy's ultramodern dishwasher and trash compactor worked. When she had cleaned the area up, Randy had returned downstairs and she got her first official glimpse of his tattoos.

It was December, so every time she saw him he was wearing long sleeves. She gaped slightly at the sight of his ink-covered forearms. She never would have imagined the son of Chicago's top investment banker to be covered in ink. She had to admit, the rebellious nature of it all made him sexier.

"Where are you going?" She studied the boys and noted that they were all in their gym gear.

"Shit, we don't have time," Randy panicked, pulling Jesse by the wrist and nearly carrying her out the door and into the elevator. Once the elevator doors closed, he finally let out a breath and began to explain, "The boys and I decided to take up boxing, and I have a match in 10 minutes," he looked at his watch. "If I don't show up on time, I forfeit."

"Oh," Jesse replied, "But why am I here?"

The elevator doors opened and before she could press on for more information, John picked her up and carried her across the parking lot into Randy's SUV.

"Moral support, Jesse," John chuckled, "Our boy, Randy, here will need it."

Randy must have broken a handful of speed limits and ignored a few stop signs to get to the gym, but they made it just in time. Randy dropped his bag in one corner and took a swig from his water bottle. Jesse couldn't help but watch him as he got focused. He was normally teeming in the confidence department, so it was interesting to see him etched with a little fear and apprehension.

The moment his opponent came into view, it all came full circle. This guy was at least five weight classes above Randy; and if it wasn't already possible, he towered over all six-foot-five inches of her roommate. His challenger was a giant.

"They call him the Big Show," said Cody as if reading the thoughts running through her head, "everyone goes through a match with him. The gym calls it 'breaking the new guys in'".

She turned to Cody with horror written all over her face, "Did he break you in?"

Cody coughed repeatedly before he could respond, "No, not yet. Randy's the most promising in the class so he has the privilege to go first."

Jesse looked up at the ring to see Big Show at his corner, his coach goading him on to knock out his opponent. She turned her attention over to Randy's corner where he was busy stretching. After getting his energy up and loosening his muscles, Randy turned around to look Big Show in the eye. The guy was in the zone, and the friendly giant they knew as Paul Wight was no longer in the building. Randy pulled his muscle shirt over his head and chucked it over to his cornerman, John.

"You got this, man." John slapped his best friend's back. In a few weeks it would be his turn, and he was hoping that fighting with Randy would make the Big Show learn to ease up on the new guys.

"I got this," Randy repeated to himself, punching his gloves together and moving towards the center of the ring.

Jesse bit her lip as she watched Randy move toward the center at the instruction of the referee. Her palms were sweaty and her breathing was more hasty, and she didn't know if it was the anxiety building up inside her or the raw heat that was coursing through her body. There was no way she could deny that Randy looked incredible. The six-pack abs, the biceps covered in skull tattoos, the curve on his hips dipping below the hem of his shorts. She nipped at her bottom lip too hard, drawing blood.

"You're not even fighting and you're bleeding. What the hell?" Cody murmured, pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket and passing it over to her.

"Thanks," she replied, pressing the white, monogrammed fabric onto her lips. She was just glad that Cody hadn't caught on to her checking out his best friend.

The bell rung and the two men squared off. Jesse wasn't sure if Big Show was easing up on Randy, but her roommate got a few solid punches in the first few rounds. He even hit the 200kg giant with an uppercut that caused him to stumble back into his own corner. Despite Randy's speed in his strikes and ability to dodge, the Big Show's punches packed a lot more power. By the sixth round, Randy's stamina was depleting and his reaction time was slowing down.

Jesse sat on the edge of her seat. She was ashamed to admit that she underestimated Randy; nevertheless she was worried sick of how out-of-it he looked. He was sat on the corner with John throwing ice, cold water on his face. There was no expression in his eyes, just an empty, faraway look. "Come on, man. I know you've got the last four rounds in you." John rubbed his best friend's shoulders and pulled him up on his feet. Randy stumbled forward before he regained his balance. Looking back at John, he extended out his fist and nodded. He swung his arm around until his fist pointed at Jesse in the audience. Life and fire returned to his eyes as he stared her down and lifted his chin.

Jesse shook her head in affirmation, sending him two thumbs up. Seconds later, Randy was backed up against the ropes with the Big Show pummeling away at his pretty face. The round was over and so was that short-lived moment of optimism.

Standing up from the sidelines, she paced over to his corner, jumped up on the apron and knelt in front of his limp body. "Hey, hey, Randy!" she picked up his chin and forced him to look at her. "Three more rounds and it's over. Don't give up now or else you'll never hear the end of it from me."

Randy grunted a faint yes. Jesse and John helped him up, allowing his exhausted body to relax against the turnbuckle. The referee was calling for the next round to commence. Randy turned to her with a look of sheer terror in his eyes. "It hurts," he grimaced before he stumbled to the center of the ring.

"You'll kiss it better," John quipped when Randy was out of earshot. Jesse nudged him in the rib and focused her eyes on the match. At this point it was a clear match, and it was only a matter of whether or not Big Show had enough power or mercy in him not to knock out his completely loopy challenger.

By the tenth round, Randy's knees were wobbly and his arms were stationary, shielding what was left of his face. The Big Show was set to bring out all his strength in one solid fist to the cheek, but somehow some neurons quickly fired in Randy's brain and he dodged it. The force of his swing caused the giant to spin around and fall on his ass.

In spite of the near-comeback at the end, Big Show, expectedly, won more rounds and ultimately won the match-up. Nevertheless, the small crowd was impressed that Randy lasted long enough to complete the fight. The two fighters retreated back into the locker rooms, leaving Jesse in the company of John and Cody. The two men enthusiastically recounted and reenacted the highlights of the match as Jesse laughed at their feeble attempts to look as terrorizing as Big Show.

"Excuse me, miss," said a voice with a discernible British accent.

Jesse turned around to face a tall man with dark hair and green eyes. "Hi, I don't think we've met. My name is Wade Barrett."

She blinked at him a few times before his introduction processed in her head. "Uh, hi, I'm sorry," she replied, extending her hand out for him to shake, "I'm Jesse Sullivan."

"Are you a member of the gym?"

She looked around in mild panic, "What? Am I not allowed to be in here?"

"No, no," he chuckled, placing his hands on her shoulders to calm her down. She must have been feeling the adrenaline from the match. "I was just wondering if you'd like to participate in our training sessions. There's a first week free trial, if you're interested"

"I don't know," she hesitated, "Boxing isn't really my thing. Upper body strength has never really been my thing. Just ask my gym teacher from high school."

Wade laughed. He hadn't met a girl that interested him this much since he moved to the United States. The last long-term relationship he had was with a girl back home in England. "I guess I didn't really make myself clear. I'm the owner of this gym, and I think we could both benefit from your membership, Ms. Sullivan."

"Please, call me Jesse," she smiled at him before she looked around to observe the extremely fit men and women. "I guess I could give it a shot," she added. It could turn out to be a disaster, but at the very least, she might learn a few moves in case someone tried to mug her again.

"That's great!" He placed his palm on her lower back and led her towards the lobby, "We'll just need your information and then we can set up a schedule for you. How does that sound?"

Jesse nodded as she followed Wade over to the receptionist's booth. She filled out her information as Wade chatted her up with small talk. It was so hard to concentrate on the form she was filling out and remember her new address when his British accent was just so damn, distractingly sexy. He glanced at the address she had filled out and scrunched his brows.

"The 36th floor of the Waldorf? That's the penthouse condominium in my building."

"Yeah?" she replied with a hint of surprise. Of course Randy would have the penthouse suite – why should that even surprise her? She shrugged her shoulders and continued to fill out the form.

"Wait, doesn't Randy Orton live on that floor?" He rubbed the back of his head a noticeable look of disappointment in his eyes, "I'm sorry. You must be his girlfriend. Wow. I didn't know he was seeing someone. I guess know it makes more sense that you were there at his corner during the fight."

Jesse shook her head as Wade continued to ramble, "He's not my boyfriend. He's just my roommate." He heaved out a sigh of relief that was too hard not to notice. Immediately, Wade's cheeks turned into a bright shade of cherry as he tried to evade from the obvious interest he had in the caramel-colored beauty before him.

"I guess I'm not very subtle about my interest in you, Jesse." He relaxed his shoulders and looked into her bright, green eyes. "What I'm trying to say is – I like you and I'd like to get to know you, perhaps over dinner."

Jesse smiled. Wade was such a gentleman. She could tell right away that he was the kind of guy who treated a woman with respect. He had his own business so that probably meant he was a self-made man, and that was really attractive to her. It was not everyday that a successful, English gentleman asked her out on a date, so she would be stupid if she refused.

"I'd love to."

Showered and dressed in fresh clothes, Randy returned from the locker room and joined the boys. John and Cody were too preoccupied staring at something in the distance to realize their friend's return. Stepping between them and hanging his arms over their shoulders, Randy followed their stare to the two people by the lobby. What he saw reignited a flame that had been dormant for so long.

"Great match, man," said Cody, reverting the group's attention to Randy.

"Yeah, bro, lots of people were impressed you made it all ten rounds. It's rare when you're against Big Show."

"Uh huh," Randy replied, still focused on what was happening several feet away. It looked like the gym's owner was flirting with Jesse. He was typing something in his phone; it was probably her number. She smiled up at him and gave a small wave before she walked towards Randy and his friends. When she was a fair distance away, he yelled out to her, "I'll give you a call."

"What was that about?" he mumbled, mostly to himself, but both John and Cody heard it.

"I don't know. Looked like Wade was asking Jesse out," Cody said simply.

John smirked, "Looks like someone's jealous."

Randy sent him a deathly glare, and turned back just in time for Jesse to join them. She had a silly, little grin on her face and she was blushing. She pulled Randy into a hug and whispered a 'congratulations' in his ear, catching him off guard. Pulling away, she punched him on the shoulder. John sensed the conflicted look that colored his best friend's face. He could tell that the punch on the shoulder was a reinstatement of their friendship, and there was nothing beyond that.

"Yeah, let's get out of here," said Randy, pushing past his friends to head out the door. They followed after him and walked towards the car.

"Hey, why don't we all get lunch?" Jesse suggested, hopping into the backseat of the Range Rover. John and Cody both nodded, but Randy said nothing.

"I'm dropping you guys off," he stated directly, "You guys can grab lunch if you want to, but I'm heading to Eva's. We're going to work things out," he added, glancing at the rearview mirror to lock eyes with Jesse.

Someone jealous?