"So, that went better than I expected last night. You sure you're fine?" Dave asked as the pair walked hand-in-hand down the hallway.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I've gotta talk to Randy and it's weighing on my mind a lot, that's all." she answered truthfully.
It was the following day after she and Dave had admitted their relationship to her brother. She hadn't seen Paul or Stephanie, or Randy for that matter. She was beginning to get nervous from the long waiting period of having to talk to Randy. She knew she should have returned to his room after she had left Paul's hotel room, but decided against it when Dave pleaded for her to come back to his room for the first time as a couple.
She liked the sound of it but at the same time, it made things weird between the two. Or at least to her, it did. She had once had a complete comfort level with Dave and now, it seemed it was out the window as well as the amount of freedom she once had. She wasn't sure how to cope and deal with it and chalked it up as the relationship frontier being new to her.
"I'm hungry so I'm gonna grab a bite to eat. Do you wanna join me or..." he asked, trailing off.
"I think I'll go back to the locker room. I have a few plans to work out in Paul's schedule anyway, so I'll meet you back there." she replied, placing a kiss on his cheek before walking down the hallway.
She hadn't figured out exactly how to tell Randy of the turn of events from the night before, but he said he would understand no matter what and regardless, she felt he would still be there for her as a friend. Her nerves got the best of her and the negative thoughts of doubt quickly crept in. She wasn't sure how he would take things and she wasn't even sure why she was so stressed out about it.
"Hey sis." Paul replied, as she rounded the next corner.
She heard his voice but simply waved as she was lost in thought. He stopped and stared at her as she walked aimlessly down the hallway. He knew something was wrong with her, but instead of meddling in his sisters life anymore, like his own wife had suggested, he decided to let her pass.
"Hey Paul!" she called, turning around.
"Yeah." he replied, turning around.
"Have you seen Randy?" she asked, fidgeting with her nails.
"No, sweetie, I haven't. If I see him, do you want me to deliver a message or something?" he asked.
"Well, yeah, kind of. If you see him soon, tell him to meet me in Dave's locker room. Would ya do that for me?" she asked, smiling sweetly.
"Sure, no problem, sis." he replied, turning around and continuing to hum to himself.
She rolled her eyes as she turned and continued down the hall with her thoughts racing just as wildly before she had been interrupted. She did care for Randy. She loved him, but at the same time, she had loved Dave as well. He had taken her heart like no one else ever had, until Randy. She was wondering if she had made the right decision and she knew only time would tell. Her and Randy were on the same zone about so many things, it was as if they were one and the same sometimes. It scared her to no end thinking of the similarities between the two, but she quickly pushed that thought aside as well, as she opened the locker room door and found her lap top sitting on the couch.
She decided she would get the remainder of her work done so she could focus on what to say to Randy when she finally did see him face to face. Until then, she would have to concentrate on her work.
She found that harder to be true, as she sat down and pulled up the ticket information for planes and hotels. Her thoughts was still on Randy and she knew it may never stop until she talked with him one on one.
Randy had made it to the arena after sleeping in and being nearly 2 hours late. He knew the boss would yell at him, as well as Paul and Stephanie. He could almost hear their voices now, he thought, as he chuckled to himself.
He had been up half the night, in between crying periods. He didn't care that his eyes were still swollen and reddened from the amount of tears he had shed the night before. She had returned to his room after she left to speak to Dave, so he didn't take that as good news. He wanted her to be happy; happy with him more than anything, but happy nonetheless. And if that was with Dave, he could step aside and be the bigger man.
"Hey champ. What's up?" John said, as he and Andi passed by.
"Hey Cena. By chance, you haven't seem Janie have you?" he asked, stopping to talk to the pair.
"No, I haven't see her since yesterday afternoon." Andi replied.
"Oh, alright. If you see her, will you tell her that I'm looking for her?" he asked.
"Sure, champ. Are you alright?" John asked, noting the redness in his younger friends eyes.
"Yeah, just a long night. Didn't get much sleep." he answered, which was a half-truth.
"You'll have to stop all that partying, Killer." Andi replied, laughing.
Randy cringed slightly at the nickname, realizing that was one of the last things she had called him before she left his hotel room the night before. He closed his eyes as his stomach churned deep within. His heart raced slightly and his pulse quickened.
"You sure you're alright, man?" John asked, squeezing his shoulder slightly.
"Yeah, just a little on edge today, that's all." Randy answered, after opening his eyes and exhaling a deep breath.
"Alright. If we see her, we'll let ya know. Try to get some rest before the show." Andi replied, as she led John down the hall towards their own locker room.
He turned and continued down the hall to his locker room, where he would finally get some peace and quiet for a moment. As he turned the corner, he almost ran into Paul, who seemed to be in his own little world as well. When he laid eyes on Randy, his jaw stiffened slightly and his eyes narrowed to little slits, as if he were staring a whole right through Randy.
"Um, hey Paul." Randy said slowly.
"Hey, yourself. Lovergirl's looking for ya. She in Dave's locker room." he replied, as he pushed past the younger man and continued on his journey.
"Lovergirl?" Randy questioned to himself.
He shrugged it off and smiled to himself slightly as he threw his bag over his other shoulder and trotted down the hall with a little more giddy in his step. He was finally going to get to see her after nearly 12 hours and he couldn't wait to lay eyes on her again.
He knew she had some thinking to do and he hoped she had chose him, if she had chosen either man at all. The last thing he wanted to do was push her too soon. He knew she had to be under enough pressure, but at the same time, he wanted to take her in his arms and never let her go. He had to try to refrain himself from doing so, but he knew as soon as his eyes met hers, all bets were off.
He dropped his bags off in his locker room and continued down the hallway in search of Dave's locker room. The thought hadn't crossed his mind as to why she was in Dave's room. He was just excited to see her.
He finally found the door and after thinking of knocking, he simply threw the door open. His breath caught in his throat as he caught sight of her sitting at the desk furnished by the arena personal. Her hair was tied up in a rather messy bun, but he didn't care. She was just as beautiful as she always was, rather she was all dolled-up or dressed down casually and comfortably, like she was today.
She looked up from the lap top and smiled softly before standing and coming near him. With every step he took, he could feel his heart beating rapidly against his chest wall, his breath became labored, wanting to kiss her pouty lips so badly.
"Randy..." she said softly.
"Janie..." he said, almost eagerly.
His emotions got the best of him, just like he was afraid would happen, as he embraced her and picked her up, spinning her around. She squealed lightly, as he put her back on her feet, but never let go of her waist. He cupped her face lightly and before she could say anything, their lips were pressed together. She missed the warmth of his hand from a simple a gesture as stroking her cheek. She missed the feeling of his lips on hers, like they were now. She could feel so much feeling and emotion every time he kissed her.
She thought about pushing away, but quickly got drawn up in the dangerous game. She kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing him closer to her. She moaned slightly, as he kissed her jawbone and down her neck.
"Ran...Randy..." she said breathlessly, as he stepped back slightly, not letting go of her hips.
"What is it, pea?" he asked, looking deeply into her eyes.
"We can't do this." she replied, trying to calm her heart and the quickness of her breath.
"I know. I'm sorry. I told you I would be patient and give you your space. I know you have a lot to think about..."
"Randy..."
"And I don't want to rush you right now. I want you to take your time, but I couldn't help myself. I missed you last night. I missed touching you and..."
"Randy..." she said a bit louder.
"I just couldn't resist not taking you in my arms and kissing you. I'm really sorry Janie. Please, don't hold that against me. You know I..."
"I chose Dave." she said, a little louder this time, trying to stop his rambling bout. She didn't know how else to tell him.
"love...you." he said slowly, finishing his sentence, but stopping suddenly realizing what she said.
She looked at him, waiting for his reaction, but after a few seconds of his blankness expression, she knew he was taking it all. She became worried, as he drew away from her and already missed the feeling of his hands on her body. He stared at her for a minute, shaking his head slowly and closing his eyes, as if it had just hit him. He sat down briefly and placed his head in his hands and stared at the carpeting on the floor below.
"Randy, please say something. Don't...be mad at me, please." she pleaded, bending down to take his hands in hers.
He pulled back and stared into her eyes, as the tears burned his eyes. She closed her own eyes, seeing the tears that lie there and was not hurting herself. She hadn't wanted to hurt anyone in this cruel game she had started up, but she did. She did it to a man she loved and now she was with a man who had said he didn't love her in return. She questioned herself more if she had chosen the right man.
"I'm sorry." she said finally.
"Yeah, so am I." he replied, standing up, leaving her kneeling by the chair.
"Randy...please..." she said standing and turning around.
"So did you mean it?" he asked, opening the door.
"Did I mean what?" she asked, a look of confusion written on her face.
"Did you mean what you said after you closed my hotel room door last night? Did you mean it?" he asked again.
"Mean what?" she asked again.
"Did you mean it when you said...you loved me? In the hallway..." he asked, looking at her, the tears slipping down his cheeks.
"Randy...Oh God, you heard me!" she asked, closing her eyes.
"Yeah, I heard you." he said softly. "And you made your choice. Apparently it didn't mean anything." he concluded, before slamming the door behind him, shaking the locker room and the girl left inside of it.
