I think I can, I think I can…

Chris had had enough.

There was no other way to put it but that way. He had had enough of this waffling around. He wasn't a waffle, he didn't go in a toaster, and he wasn't doused in butter and maple syrup. He was a man, damn it, and a man did not hide behind a friendship that he found he never wanted. No, a man went out there and he did what he had to do to get the woman he loved. That's what Chris was going to do. He was the little engine that could.

I think I can, I think I can…

Okay, so he actually had to get off his ass to do it, but a man needed time to prepare. He wasn't going to go into this half-assed, and then say something stupid like he wanted her to go out and do his laundry with him. No, he needed time to think and prepare, maybe do a little jig to get all this extra energy out of his system. A jig didn't sound half bad right now, neither did downing a shot of tequila, but he wasn't going to do either one.

He ran a hand over his face, trying to calm his nerves. It felt like every single nerve in his body was pulsating and making him shake like a leaf. He hadn't even been this nervous when he had his first match way back in the day when he was a young man with a penchant for fringe and a mullet to be proud of. But back then it didn't have the potential to change his entire life. Stephanie was bigger than wrestling, not in the literal sense, she was curvy sure, but just the right amount of curvy. She was bigger in this sense that her presence in his life was bigger, she was the best thing in her life, by far.

When he had helped her while she was sick, it had just cemented his feelings even more and he knew what he had to do. He was tired of sitting there, confessing his feeling to her sleeping form when he could possibly have her in her waking form loving him back. Was it too much to ask for some courage here? Maybe he should've gone to see The Wizard or something, anything to give him courage, and not find out that he had courage in him all along, that would be a stupid lesson to learn.

Maybe I can, maybe I can…

What was the worst that could happen anyways? She could say no, laugh at him, humiliate him, but he had decided that it would be worth it either way, even if she laughed in his face. And do you know why? Because he would've tried. A long time ago, he figured that trying with Trish, at least asking her out and getting rejected at first was something. He had tried his best and it hadn't worked out. Of course, in that case, Trish had come around and he had gotten engaged to her before leaving her at the altar, but Stephanie was different, if he tried with her, he would've accomplished more because he loved Stephanie in a way he had never loved Trish.

If he tried, he could at least live with the knowledge that he wasn't a coward. If she said no, maybe he could salvage their friendship. Then he thought about if he went back to being friends with her after her rejection. He wouldn't be able to see her with another man…well…ever. No, his heart would be through the ringer, but at least he would've tried, right? Now his idea was sounding worse. If she rejected him, then he'd have to see her with other guys, and know that Stephanie had chosen the other guy over her, because he would've confessed everything. That didn't sound like an appealing option.

Maybe I can't, maybe I can't…

But still, this was Stephanie. Wasn't that all he needed to know? He had stayed by her bedside while she was sick. He had watched all her dumb home movies and laughed at the bowl cut she had when she was a little girl. He had spent many nights with her, many days with her, but he wanted more, he needed more. It was getting to the point where their friendship just wasn't enough, and he never wanted to be upset in his relationship with Stephanie, he never wanted to resent her. That was the last thing that he ever wanted to do, but it could happen. He was very aware that it could happen.

He could wake up tomorrow and she could be with someone and he would regret every moment, he would resent her for getting with someone, and their friendship would fall apart. It was all so very easy, and he never wanted that to happen, not with him and Stephanie. She was the one constant in his life, even when wrestling got to be a drag sometimes, Stephanie was always there, always the bright spot in any dreary day. He couldn't resent her or hate her, he just couldn't let it get to that.

"Hey man, someone told me to tell you that you had the top of the show tonight," Lance Storm said as he walked into Chris's locker room without knocking, "What the hell's the matter with you?"

"What? What do you mean what's the matter? Is it against the law to sit down in this state? I didn't know that, maybe I should get up."

Lance rolled his eyes, "I like you much better when you tone down the sarcasm."

"Sorry, I'm on edge," he said, running his hand over his mouth to try and calm his nerves.

"Because you have the top of the show, I realize this is new territory for you," Lance droned, his own version of a joke, but Chris wasn't laughing, not like Lance expected him to or anything.

"No, because of…life."

"Because you left that broad at the altar."

"She has a name."

"I know, I'm trying to lighten the situation," Lance said, "oh come on, that was funny, I know it was…I'm not trying to make light of the situation with Trish as in leaving her at the altar, just you know…why the hell am I trying to justify it to you?"

"I don't know and it's nothing to do with Trish. That thing is long gone," he said.

"Tell that to her."

"Why? What's going on with her?" he asked, honestly not knowing. It was the whole "out of sight, out of mind" mentality with Trish. The second that she was out of his life, it was like he had forgotten about her, as heartless as that seemed. He just couldn't get it in him to really care anymore. He had no more attachments to her.

"She's just been guarded," Lance shrugged, "No big deal, so what's got you so upset then? And don't tell me that Stephanie froze all your underwear again because I didn't want to hear about that first time it happened…even though you did deserve it."

"Did not!" he exclaimed. "The whole thing with her underwear was an accident!"

"Of course it was…wait…this is about Stephanie," Lance said, observing his friend. "Oh man, no…did you two sleep together?"

"What? No," Chris said, shaking his head. "I've never even slept with her, why do people always assume that we have?"

"I don't know, the whole 'attached at the hip' thing maybe."

"We're best friends…"

"You want more, don't you?"

"What?"

"Jericho, I've known you for like…over ten years, I think I can tell when you like someone and when you don't, and the vibe I'm getting here is that you want to take what you have with Stephanie past the whole friendship thing, but she doesn't."

"She doesn't know," he said, confessing. It was nice to get it out to someone other than his parents.

"Oh, and you're scared to tell her because it'll ruin your friendship, that kind of thing."

"Um…duh," Chris said. "Haven't you seen any good romantic comedies with your wife? That's how they all work out."

"And then they got together in the end, so talk to her instead of sitting here like a jackass."

"You have a way with words, Lance," Chris said drolly.

"At least I don't speak at 700 words per minute, just make sure you're out there on time."

"Yeah, whatever, the show doesn't even start for another half an hour."

"I'm just the messenger," Lance said as he left.

Chris was only there for a few more minutes alone before Stephanie burst into his locker room like the lightning bolt that she was. Her words were coming so fast they were blurring together. "So, you will not believe this, my mom, the robot, the droid who hates me, and wishes that I had been switched at birth is trying to set me up with someone! And I was all like, what species is he because I'm not into interspecies dating? He's…an investment banker. Talk about dullsville, he's probably the mayor of it. I think he's like, the son of one of my mom's friend, and this is her way of marrying me off so she never has to deal with me ever again. It's like, what's my dowry? Are you exchanging a cow for me? Some fine-woven silks?"

"So you're not going out with him?" Chris asked, the worry pitting in his stomach.

"Um…yeah, I will, and not even when pigs fly, but when pigs turn blue, then sprout wings, then fly into the seventh circle of hell where my parents vacation in the winter," she told him rolling her eyes, "Snooks, did you not hear the part about the investment banker?"

"I heard, I'm glad you won't be the investment banker's wife."

"Wow, what a title," she cringed. "So," she said, sitting herself down next to him, "tell me all about your night, Snooks. What have you been doing in the oh…seventeen minutes since I last saw you?"

It was now or never.

"Stephers, do you want to go out to dinner with me tonight?" Chris asked, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. His parents had told him to just go for it, and while he didn't want to just plunge in like he was going skinny-dipping in the Arctic, he did want to do something about it.

"Oh my God, you read my mind! I am so hungry right now, I could probably eat your arm. I wouldn't eat my arm, as the saying goes, because I like my arm, and it's pretty, and well, you don't need your arm, so if you want to keep your arm, dinner would seem a nice choice."

"So yes then?"

"In the entire time you've known me, have I ever turned down a meal? Unless I was you know, puking it up into a toilet and was physically unable to because my stomach would've jumped up to my throat in order to tell me to quit with the food."

"Ok, then after the show?"

"Sure," she smiled. "Should we invite people? Maybe we should get some people together. I haven't talked to Davey in forever! I miss him, let's invite Davey and everyone, it'll be so much fun."

"Actually Stephers, um," Chris said, sitting down next to her. "I just kind of wanted it to be you and me, alone together."

"But where's the fun in that Snooks? I mean, I have no problem with being alone with you, but doesn't a party sound fun? And then we can go back to the hotel and we can just party all night long and booze it up, and then I'll wake up in the morning with a lampshade on my head, and you'll be wearing a dress…again," she giggled.

"I was thinking that this could be like…a date," Chris said slowly, trying not to look at Stephanie. This turned out to be good, because Stephanie's jaw dropped farther than it had ever dropped before. She shook her head and stared at him.

"A date? Um…Snooks, I think that you're mixing me up with every other female on the planet," she chuckled nervously. "There is no freaking way that you just asked me out on a date. I must've gone temporarily insane. Or maybe I was projecting your voice in my head, and my mind was playing a joke on me. Cause this is a joke right? Or a surprise party. Is this for a surprise party!"

"No, it's not Stephers. I know that it sounds crazy, but why don't we just try it out and see."

"Where's the joke?" Stephanie said. "I mean, there's a joke. You're going to reveal I'm on Candid Camera, right? Like this is a practical joke, right? Snooks?"

"It's not a joke," he said, rubbing the back of his neck again "Look, I just…one date, you know, to see."

"Oh wait, you want to do one of those? You know where the best friends sleep together or have sex, or whatever, to see if there's more feelings. You just aren't willing to go the fully monty so you want to take me out to dinner, yeah, it'd probably be cheaper than the sex."

"Stephers…look, I like you, and I like you…well, more than a friend, I think, so I was wondering if you would want to go out on a date with me, and I'm being serious here," Chris said, knowing that he had to lay it all out there or else she'd never understand and she would never think of this the same way that she did. He didn't want to trick her into a date, so he just had to be straightforward with it. All the chips were in.

"Well, I like you too, Snooks, but that doesn't mean that I want to go on a date, date, I don't think you know what you're talking about, I think that you're thinking silly things. You are joking with me, okay, yeah, a date, I'll go on a date with you, Snooks," she said in a silly voice. "Should I wear a corsage?"

"I'm not joking," he said seriously, and this time, she knew he meant business.

"Wow…oh…is this because of the kiss?" she asked, her voice losing all pretenses. "Because I thought we cleared that up, Snooks. We decided that you were looking for a way out, it wasn't because you loved me, we decided this, Snooks." She looked a little peeked right now and he didn't know how to fix it.

"It's not because of the kiss, it's because of the way that I feel, Stephers, that's it."

"So you want to take me out…as in a date? As in pay for me, flirt with me, try to get a kiss at the end before I slap the hell out of you kind of thing? That's what you're talking about?"

"Well yeah, minus the slapping part," he said, trying to give her his best smile. "I know that this is abrupt…"

"You think? I mean, I think I've seen pianos falling out of the sky that were more predictable than this. I don't know what to say, Snooks, this is really out of the blue."

"Please, just say yes." He didn't have to wait for his answer long, in fact, it was a fraction of a second.

"Yes."