Author Note: I'd like to thank Guest(1), Guest (2), and Guest (3) for the reviews. I'd also like to thank GlamaHart32, jamie. .9, and for becoming followers to this story. All of you about split down the middle with whom you would like Aria to end up with. I really hope you all enjoy this next chapter.
Chapter 7: Secret's Out
Aria couldn't seem to focus on warming up. She sat on the floor in the woman's locker-room with the thought of Roman kissing her the night before. She was worried that Randy would never want to speak to her again after that. Her feelings for Roman were growing; but Randy was still on her mind daily. It was hard not to think about him. The intense stares they have shared over the last three weeks have made her insanely attracted to him.
She knew that her sister would be laughing at her right in that moment if she knew what was going on in her personal life. If there was one thing her sister was better at than her, it was romance and relationships. Aria had no idea what she was doing, let alone know what it was she was feeling for either man.
"Are you ready for this?" Paige asked walking into the room.
"No; but I have to be. Right?"
"Yeah..."
Paige could see the inner turmoil swirling in her eyes. She couldn't image what was going through her mind right that very minute in time. Letting out a sigh, she came to sit down next to her and leaned her head against Aria's shoulder. "You know I'm here for you. Do you want to talk about whatever it is that's bothering you?" She asked.
"There is so much going through my mind right now. I...I don't know...how to focus on just one thing."
"Just start from the beginning. It might help a little."
Aria tucked her hand between her chest and her knees. She stared straight at the tiled floor, gazing into nothing at all. Her heart beating was the only thing she could hear beside their breathing. "Seth said he wouldn't make things easy for me. He's pretty determined to make my life a living hell while I'm here. To top it all off, Roman decided to kiss me last night."
"Wow...that's good...isn't it?"
"The kiss was great; but I just don't know how I feel about it yet. He's been super nice and understanding when it comes to my chaotic life; but..."
"But Randy's still got a hold on you."
Nodding her head, she leaned forward burring her face into her knees. At times like these, she missed her mother; but there was nothing she could do while being halfway across the world. Aria felt completely alone and confused. There was nothing Paige could say that would make anything any easier for her. "I'm sorry that you are going through this. I wish it was easier for you. I promise that I will listen any time you want to talk."
"Thank you..." Aria replied sniffling as she lifted her head back up from her knees.
Paige smiled and pulled the saddened woman into a tight hug. She could feel Aria tremble against her. There really was no denying the feelings she had for both men. It poured out of her like a waterfall. The heartbreaking thing was that no matter what she did, she would get hurt in the process and that was something she didn't want her friend to go through.
Randy walked into the arena, pulling his bag behind him. There was still a hope that creative had something for him; but in reality he knew better than to hope. Turning the corner he could see Seth talking with two members of the creative department. Aria's name rolled off his tongue and it instantly halted him dead in his footsteps.
"Tonight, she will make her heel turn and be offered to you by the authority."
"Will there be any romantic gestures tonight?" Seth asked with a slight smile.
"At the end of the night. A kiss. Nothing major, remember it's still PG rated around here."
Seth rubbed his hands together, enjoying the thought of being able to kiss her. He was going to enjoy the uncomfortable nature it would bring upon Aria. Looking up, he saw Randy walking in his direction with a purpose. The evil intent in his eyes was very clear. He hated the thought of Aria going through with the storyline.
"You better go by script tonight." Randy warned.
"Why do you care? If my memory serves me correctly, her lips were on Roman's last night."
His words stung. The thought of Aria kissing Roman was a real kick to the gut. He was already regretting not kissing her Monday after the snowball fight. He had every opportunity to do so; but he wanted her to be comfortable, for it to be her choice. Now he had no idea where that left them. It didn't matter, he'd still defend her against Seth's attempts to ruin her.
Randy reached out and took hold of Seth's shirt, twisting it against his neck and shoving up against the nearest wall. "I'm warning you. Do not touch her outside of script or you will have me to deal with." He stated with the most venom in his voice he could create.
"I get it now. You actually like her. Don't you?"
"Shut up."
"Randy...let go..." Stephanie stated softly as she placed a warm hand on his shoulder.
He wondered how she had approached without him noticing; but then again, he figured that he was so angry nothing else mattered, besides protecting Aria. Turning to look at the woman that was known as his boss, he could see the concerned look on her face. She was wondering what would drive him to put his hand on another.
"Come on, let him go." She asked again.
Randy let go and took a few steps backward. His eyes remained on Seth's figure. Stephanie could feel the tension between them and couldn't understand why. "Are you calm enough to tell me what's going on?" She asked.
"It's nothing."
"It didn't look like nothing. Seth, want to tell me what's going on?"
"No, I think we settled it." He replied not wanting to give away anything.
She crossed her arms over her chest, debating on whether or not to accept their answers; but there was nothing really to go on, except what she saw. Turning to look at Randy, she could see his hands were still clenched into fists at his side. There was obviously something that angered him enough to act that way. "Randy..."
"I know. I'm leaving..." He stated interrupting her.
Stephanie watched as Randy left the building. It wasn't even what she was going to say; but thought maybe it really was the best for the time being. At least until she could get to bottom of what was really going on.
Smackdown
The Authority stood in the ring. The crowd heavily bood them, not liking what they stood for or even what was about to come out of their mouths. They talked about The Royal Rumble pay-per-view and the fact they had to cancel Raw due to weather conditions. They talked about the triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship, praising Seth for doing a wonderful job despite not winning the title.
"We actually have a gift for you, isn't that right Steph." Hunter said with a smile.
"Yeah, she's kind of a blast from your past. Everyone please welcome, the Irish sensation...Aria...Connors..."
'Core of My Addiction' started to play. The crowd couldn't believe what they were seeing. Aria walked out onto the stage dressed in a pair of black vinyl shorts and a dark red tank top with glitter roses up the side. The boots she wore came above the knee with about an inch of heel on them. Seth turned to see her walked towards him.
Inside, Aria's stomach was churning with the thought of doing anything with him in front of thousands of people. All she wanted to do was crawl into a hole and pray that it would go away. Big Show turned to open the ropes for her, allowing her easy entrance into the ring. Her hair fell over her shoulders in curled waves.
Aria shook the hands of Stephanie McMahon and Hunter before turning to face Seth. He eyed her from head to toe with a sly smile that made her stomach retch on in the inside. "So what exactly is she going to be doing for me?" Seth asked.
"She's your new manager or maybe you can rekindle the old flame." Hunter answered suggestively.
Seth reached for her hand, twirling her slowly so he could get a good view of her the whole way around. The crowd was by no means happy with the decision. Aria took the microphone out of Seth's hand as people started to chant, 'You Sold Out'. "I didn't sell out. I bought in..." She stated with a smile that rivaled Stephanie's.
The entire group of Authority members cheered and clapped for her; but underneath it all Aria felt disgusted, revolted by the actions they were making her do. It wasn't until the main event of the evening, did she really feel the utter emptiness. Climbing up onto the apron to yell at the referee for a bad count, it gave Seth enough time to recover and hit the 'Curb Stomp' on the back of Dolph Ziggler's head.
The referee counted the three and signaled for the bell to end the match. Kane and Big Show shook hands, stating that it was a job well done. Aria raised an eyebrow at them before crawling into the ring. J&J Security didn't really like her; but they didn't push her away. She raised his arm in victory, hating the heat she was receiving from the people she loved.
Seth turned and hugged Aria tightly. His embrace felt suffocating and possessive. Her instinct was to pull away; but it was her job not to, so she suppressed it down. She braced herself for what was to come next. Swallowing the large lump in her throat, she mentally cringed when his lips brushed against hers in a short chaste kiss.
After The Show
Aria ran into the Woman's locker-room and closed the door behind her, leaning against it she fell to the floor slowly. All she could remember was Seth's rage from three years prior. All she had done was reject his attempts to sway her into going on a date with him for the twentieth time; but he resorted violently. A hand across her face and a jerking of her arm, gave her the fear that rejection of any kind would set him off further.
It was the greatest reprieve that he was called up to the main roster, because she no longer had to deal with it...until now. She slowly got back up to her feet and pushed forward towards her bag. Quickly changing her clothes into a pair of ripped jeans and an Avenged Sevenfold band t-shirt, she grabbed her bag and started out into the hallway.
"Where do you think you're going, kitten?" Seth asked blocking her path.
"Out of my way, I really want to leave." She stated attempting to walk around him.
"I told Randy about your mouth being on Roman's last night."
She whirled around, dropping her bag to the floor. The anger was starting to boil to the surface. Aria couldn't believe how ignorant the man really was. She knew that Roman wasn't even in the building anymore. He had left earlier in the night to continue with the acting classes. There was no one to defend her now. She doubted Randy would even look at her now that Seth blabbed his mouth. "You had no right to say anything to him." She yelled.
"I told you before that I wasn't going to make anything easy for you and that's exactly what I did."
Aria wanted to hit him, push him, anything to get him away from her. Her anger was swelling. It was the only emotion she was embracing in that moment; but the tears stung the corners of her eyes, threatening to fall down onto her cheeks. It was everything Seth wanted to see and she fought not to let him have the satisfaction. "You did nothing, except make yourself look like a total ass." Randy's voice commented.
She turned her head to see him standing against the exit door. His eyes were intense and full on intent of harming Seth; but he wouldn't make eye contact with her. The thought of him wanting nothing to do with her hurt a lot more than she wanted to admit.
Seth raised his hand up innocently and backed away, leaving the strained friends alone. He was proud of what he already had accomplished in two short nights. Walking passed Randy, he nudged his shoulder into his before exiting completely.
Randy took a few steps closer to Aria, hesitating. Not know what he was even doing there; but seeing the fear on her face and the pending tears in her eyes erased all the hesitation he was feeling. Aria could feel her hands shaking at her sides. She couldn't hold back her cries any longer. She completely broke down with heart-retching sobs that tore at his heart. "Aria..." He whispered loud enough for her to hear him.
"It wasn't right...I should have been the one to tell you...not him..." She cried.
"Aria, it's okay..."
"It's not okay!"
She threw her arms up, run a hand through her long hand. Randy wrapped his arms around her, embracing her in attempts to calm her down. Her entire body trembled against his. There was more to Seth telling him about the kiss that bothered her. She was down right afraid of him, that much was very clear to him. "He made it sound like I made out with him. Roman kissed me, not the other way around." She continued to babble.
"Aria, it's okay. I'm not mad. We are friends. You can kiss whoever you want to."
That wasn't what she wanted to hear; but it was the truth. They were just friends. That's all Roman and her were as well; but her feelings were more than that. Her heart wanted both; but in reality she could only have one. Randy released her from his arms reluctantly. "Do you want me to drive you back to the hotel?" He asked.
"Yes..."
"Okay..."
Aria followed him to his rental. She got into the passenger side and stared out the window. The entire trip was spend in silence. She had no idea what to say to him, because her feelings for him were clearly not friendship bound. He awakened emotions she only imaged in stories she had read as a teenager. Randy wanted to comfort her in anyway he could. She seemed to be pulling back into the shell she had when they first met and he blamed Seth for that.
Coming to her door, she fumbled with the lock but eventually got it opened. Aria turned to face Randy, hoping to see some sort of emotion in his eyes. "Thank you for the ride." She stated tossing her bag inside onto the floor.
"You're welcome. Get some sleep..."
"Do you want to come inside for awhile?"
It was the first time she had seen him smile that day. He nodded his head in confirmation and stepped inside the room right behind her. She closed the door and proceeded towards the sofa chaise. Randy eyed up the room's bar. "May I?" He asked.
"Sure, help yourself."
He made a simple long island iced tea. The tart liquid rolled easily down his throat. He watched her sit down and run a hand through her hair again. "So what happened before I got there tonight?" He asked hoping to get some answers as to why Seth wanted to make the woman's life a living hell.
"I told you about his persistent asking me for dates. Well, after I rejected him several times he started to get physically violent. He slapped me once and has jerked on my arm several times. One of them being last night at the charity thing."
Randy was completely stunned. He never expected her to tell him about abuse. He wondered how long she had been keeping that a secret. Without even realizing it, he had closed the distance between them. Aria looked up at him. Her beautiful blue eyes were blood shot from crying. She was by far from dressed up; but she was still beautiful to him. Everything about her was perfect. "I warned him today if he didn't go by script with you, then he would have me to deal with."
"So that's why he told you about the kiss. He felt threatened."
He sat down next to her, brushing his knee up against hers. The simple touch sparked a desire deep within her. She watched him take a sip from his drink, noting that his lips would taste like the drink itself if she kissed them. If she kissed him, then Roman would have a problem with her next. No matter what she did, someone was going to get hurt along with herself. It was wrong to feel for two men at the same time; but she couldn't help but need them both in her life.
"Him telling me wasn't your fault. I provoked him first."
"It doesn't hurt any less. I really thought you'd want nothing to do with me after..."
"Shh..." Randy interrupted sitting his glass down onto the floor on the opposite side of the sofa.
Aria blinked several times watching him take her hands into his. His hands were warm and comforting. It was exactly what she wanted. Needed. "Me wanting nothing to do with you will never happen. I have no idea what it is about you; but from the time I met you, you've been all I can think about. It sucks that I missed last night's event. I bet you looked absolutely gorgeous, just like you do right now."
"God no, I'm just in jeans and a t-shit. I'm so ordinary."
"Beautifully ordinary."
Randy softly chuckled at her resistance to his compliments. Aria smiled, finally feeling relaxed after the events at work. His thumb brushed across the back of his hand back and forth, sending pulses of desire throughout her entire body. She enjoyed his touch. In fact, she loved it. It consumed her. It was different than Roman's touch. She felt safe with Roman; but with Randy, she felt free. It confused her as to which was better to feel.
"Thank you..."
"You know, I should have kissed you Monday."
"Why didn't you?"
"I wanted it to be your choice..."
A smile crept to her lips as the heat returned to her cheeks. He wanted everything to be her choice; but that was the problem. She had no idea what to choose. Randy realized that she had no idea what to do. He reached out to cup her cheek, lifting her face to meet his gaze. "I want to kiss you; but I won't if you don't want me to." He whispered leaning in closer.
"I won't object." She whispered back.
His smile returned and leaned in the rest of they way. Her lips were warm and inviting. The connection sent waves of pure heat throughout their bodies. She lost herself in feeling of his lips covering her own, tasting the alcohol on his tongue. The fire burning in her heart was intense and addicting. Randy held the back of her head gently, tangling his fingers in her crimson locks.
The kiss itself felt like an eternity; but in reality it only lasted a minute or so. Breaking away from her was the hardest thing he's had to do in a long time. She opened her eyes to look into his. "You are amazing." He stated leaning his forehead against hers.
"I really don't know anything about relationships or romance for that matter. I won't lie and say that it didn't feel good, because it felt amazing; but I just..."
"I know...it's okay. I'm a patient man, Aria. I will let you choice what happens."
She wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him. He reached for the glass on the floor and finished its contents before standing up to leave her. Aria walked him to the door and lingered her lips against his cheek. "Thank you for standing up for me tonight." She said twining her fingers with his.
"You're welcome; but I'm not going to let him ruin you or hurt you."
"Thank you..."
"Goodnight, gorgeous."
"Goodnight..."
Aria watched him back away out the door, not loosing eye contact with her until the door was officially closed. She reached up to touch her lips, still feeling the tingling sensation on them. She knew that Roman would eventually find out about it; but her heart was still pounding against her chest that she couldn't even form a single coherent thought about anything but Randy's lips against hers.
End Note: How would you readers feel if I up'd the rating to M? There is some intimate scenes that have come across my mind for this story. Would you guys want to read to that?
