Chapter 10

If someone would have asked John a couple of months ago if he thought he would have strong feelings for a new co-worker, he would have probably laughed. But here he is, almost two months of knowing Drew really well and has feelings he never expected for the man. The last time he had anything like this was with Faith. But this is so much more. The feelings are so much stronger than they ever had been with Faith.

Walking into the dressing room, John's not completely surprised to find he's once again sharing the room with Drew. Drew looks over and gives him a small smile.

"Hi," Drew says.

"Hey," John responds. "Surprised to see me?"

Drew laughs softly. "No. They seem to like putting us in the same room." Drew sets his phone down and looks at John. "So this is our first time working together in the ring."

John grins. "And you're going down."

"Yeah, we'll see."

John takes a seat and lets out a soft breath. "I need a break." Reaching back, he rubs the back of his neck. "I'm exhausted and sore. The price we pay for doing what we love."

Drew nods in agreement. "When was last time you had a real break?"

"February."

"I'd say it's time for a break."

John grins. "If only."

"How's Oakley?"

"She's good. She says hi and she can't wait to see you again. Of course she followed that up with saying maybe you should be the one to say something."

Drew chuckles. "She doesn't give up, does she?"

"Not usually." John doesn't expect Oakley to give up until she gets what she wants. Unfortunately, he doesn't know if he'll be able to give her what she wants this time. It's easier said than done for anything. But this, this is nearly impossible for John to make happen.

Drew walks down the aisle toward the ring, scowling as the crowd erupts in boos. He can't help but secretly love the way the fans react to him. Once reaching the ring, he stands near the ropes as he waits for the entrances of their opponents. When he hears John's music blast through the arena, he has to keep himself from staring. He can't help but watch the man as he lifts his arm over his head in his usual entrance.

When John enters the ring, he glances over at Drew before jumping up onto the middle turnbuckle. Drew lets his eyes travel over the dark skin of John's shoulder which peaks out from his long fur coat. Before he lets himself stare any longer, Drew turns away. This match really needs to go by quickly. He's not sure how long he'll be able to focus on it. Not with John right across from him. Any other night he probably could have. But tonight, he just hadn't been able to keep his mind off of John.

The moment the match is over, Drew sighs of relief. He climbs through the ropes to stand in the center of the ring with the other two members of his team left standing. Looking down at John, Drew scowls. It's not what he wants to do with John right now, but it's what he has to do. He grabs John's Intercontinental Championship from the ref before squatting down beside the man.

"Hold on to this while you still can," Drew says holding the belt up. "It won't be yours for much longer." Drew stands up and again, dropping the title on John's stomach. As he's about to turn away, he sees John bite down on his bottom lip and can't help but wonder what he's thinking.

Drew looks up when the door opens. He watches as John steps in. The older man flips his hair back as he walks over to take a seat.

"Nice touch out there," John says looking over.

"I did what I had to," Drew responds. "Are you all right?"

John sighs. "I'm fine." Leaning down, John unties his boots. "Just…have a lot on my mind."

Drew watches John for a moment before he reaches over to grab his shower bag. "Is this work or personal?"

"A little of both actually. The personal could affect the work."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning life sucks sometimes. I'm fine. Nothing to worry about."

Twenty minutes later, Drew is finishing getting dressed when John walks in from the showers area. Drew grabs his blue shirt and pulls it over his head. He glances over at John before taking a seat.

"John," Drew says after a few moments of silence. He glances over to see John pulling his jeans on.

"What?" John asks as he looks over.

"Are you ever going to stop hiding who you are?"

"I'm not exactly hiding it."

"No?"

"No, you figured it out. And to be honest, you were the last person I wanted to figure out I'm gay."

"That lasted five seconds. Tell me what's going on. And don't give me the whole you know how people will react bit. There's more to it than that."

John sighs. "I've lost people because they found out."

"Then fuck them. They aren't worth it."

"See, that's the problem. They aren't worth it. But it affected my wrestling."

"How?"

"It was because of him our tag team broke up, which meant I had to once again start over. Which meant I was on my own because he's so God damn against me now."

"Who are we talking about?"

"Forget it."

"No, John…"

"I'm tired of having to deal with him."

"Mike." Drew knows he's correct when John looks over quickly. "If he doesn't see how great you are, it's his own problem. Forget about him."

"You make it sound like it's something simple, Drew. It's not."

"But you're making it harder than it is." Drew sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "Stop hiding, John. Stop hiding who you are. Let your feelings out."

"My feelings?" John asks. "You don't know…"

"I'm not blind, John. I see the way you look at me. And if you'd let yourself out of your shell you'd see the way I look at you. Because damn it, I want you. You, John. I want everything you have. So stop holding yourself back and just admit it."

John stares up at Drew. He may as well give the man what he wants. It's no use trying to deny it any longer. "You're right," John says. "I do have feelings for you, all right? But I think we want two different things, Drew. I'm not looking for the occasional fuck. I need a commitment. I can't…"

"We're not looking for different things. I want you. I want to be able to call you without having to make up some stupid excuse. Do you really believe I would want to tell you about a match while we weren't at the same show? I wanted to talk to you. So if I had to make something up, I did. Yes, it was great getting advice from you, but I just needed to hear your voice. I want to wake up beside you. I want to hold you when we fall asleep. I don't want to deny my feelings for you. I want you and I want you to want me. Is that so wrong? Huh? I don't care what anyone says, John. I think I'm falling in love with you."

John takes a deep breath as he continues to hold Drew's gaze. "Wow, you really have a way with words, Galloway."

"That's all you can say?"

"Do you know who you're falling in love with? You aren't just getting me, Drew. I have a daughter who I really don't need to be falling in love with someone who will just break my heart. I can't break her heart."

"Why would I break her heart? Why would I break your heart?"

"Drew, I didn't mean…"

Drew growls before taking John's face between his hands and capturing his lips in a soft kiss. John draws in a sharp breath at the soft touch before sliding his arms around Drew's waist. The feel of Drew's lips is so much more than John had ever imagined. He willingly parts his lips to accept Drew's pressing tongue. Each time their tongues meet, a slight flutter flows through John's stomach. It's a feeling he's never felt before and it isn't much of a surprise it's Drew pulling this feeling out of him.

Pulling back, John looks up at Drew. Could this really be happening? When Drew runs his thumb along John's bottom lip, John knows it is. He lets his eyes close as he takes a deep breath.

"Say something," Drew says.

"I don't…" John opens his eyes again to look at Drew. "Kiss me again."