Remember to also check out chapter 9! This is kind of a short chapter, but we are almost at the end!

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After the shock wears off, Jessica pulls back from Finn wide eyed and confused,

"Finn…?"

He cocks an eyebrow, giving her an apprehensive look, "Anything?"

Jessica scrunches up her face and slowly shaking her head, "No…"

His head drops, huffing out a sigh and his head drops, "Yeah, same here…"

Finn raises his head and shrugs, "Oh well, three strikes and you're out right? Dat's how the sayin' goes?"

Jessica nods, "Yeah, guess it's just not written in the stars for us Finn. I love you, but there is no spark or anything."

"Yeah, same. Alright, time I stop tryin', bruising my ego now s'all I'm doin'."

Jessica giggles, lightly patting him on the cheek, "Sorry, it was a nice kiss and all but, just didn't do anything for me. Almost like kissing..."

"Rubbin' salt in the wound Jess, rubbing salt in the wound."

She throws her head back laughing, "Ow, my lip," she says still laughing.

"Well stop before you make it split open again ya goof… 'ere."

He holds the ice back up to her lip and they slip into a comfortable silence. This isn't the first time Jessica and Finn have shared a kiss. No, way back when in NXT, Finn and Jess on two different occasions have attempted a relationship, but it never seemed to go anywhere. For them, their relationship is perfect just as it is, being friends, and it doesn't need to be anything more than that.

"Alright, so tell me what happened after I left."

Jessica begins to tell him the events from the night, everything that AJ had said and what went down with Charlotte.

"I'm conflicted Finn…" she says with a frown.

"How so?"

"I want to talk to AJ, get all of this worked out, but I'm not sure what I want the outcome to be. I'm not sure I actually want a relationship anymore with AJ."

Finn moves around to pull Jessica into his side, wrapping his arm around her. He presses his lips to her temple,

"He has put you trough a lot, I think you have da right ta re-tink tings between you two. I might not be de biggest fan of his right now, and dis hurts me to say, but maybe you should clear the air completely. Like Mella said, get everyting out. You don't have ta make a decision about anyting right now. And just 'cause you talk tings out, don't mean you have to be in a relationship with him. I meant it when I said you deserve better than AJ Styles. Might not be me, okay, but you deserve better."

She leans her head over on his shoulder, "I don't know, maybe your right. But I think about him saying that he wanted something more with me and I just… the feelings I thought I was working on burying are coming back. I don't know if it is what I really want or if it's just the part of me coming back that once wanted something more with AJ. Am I crazy? I feel like I'm going crazy."

Finn chuckles, "You're not goin crazy… well no more than normal anyway. Ow, don't hit me!"

"Then don't call me crazy!" Jess argues, fighting back a laugh.

"You said it! I just agreed!" he shoots back.

"Jerk…" she mumbles, burying up closer to him.

Finn laughs, shaking his head.

"Just talk ta him, think things over. No one is forcing you ta make a decision now. Use this time off and away from everyting to get your head straight. It doesn't matter what I say, what Carmella might say, and it doesn't matter when AJ has to say. In the end, what you do is up to you and no one else. Now, enough of dis kind of talk. Go shower, change and head off ta bed. You got an early plane tomorrow.

Jessica smiles up at the Irish man, leaning to kiss his cheek,

"Thank you Finn. I'll always love you, just in a strictly platonic way."

"I love ya too Jess. In a strictly platonic way."

They share a smile before Jessica is off to shower and prepare for bed. Her talk with Finn has somewhat helped eased her mind. She is still conflicted on how she feels, about AJ and the whole situation. But Finn (and Mella) are right, she just needs to clear the air with AJ, get her head straight and go from there. It's not going to be easy but she doubts things of this nature, issues of the heart, are ever simple. Just take it all one day at a time.

And when she curls up in her bed, the moment her head hits the pillow, she falls into a peaceful sleep. One of the first ones she has had since the whole ordeal began. Hopefully, it will not be the last one she gets after this is all over with. No matter how this ends between her and AJ.