OK, another one for you :-) Thanks to Blazing Glory for beta-reading - you are a true saint!

WARNING - SLASH, blah blah blah

DISCLAIMER - I only own Rhian. WWE owns everything else. Blah, blah, blah...

Enjoy ;-)

Chapter 11

"So any luck with the whole dating thing whilst I was away?" Rhian asks, from behind her magazine.

We're sitting on the couch. Randy is out. It's Thursday. Two more days...

"Oh, no. Not really."

"What does that mean?" She lowers the magazine.

"I had a date. But it er, well it didn't end well. Turned out he was a bit of a bastard."

"Oh, hun, I'm sorry." She reaches out and rubs my forearm. It grates and I feel sick. "Look, I know you said you didn't want to be set up or double-date, but honestly, I swear I could find you the perfect guy."

"Thanks, but I'm okay for now."

"Well, any time."

She goes back to reading the magazine. I wonder how long it takes Randy to go to the store. The last twenty minutes of pain has now moved up to torturous levels.

"Are you and Randy okay?" Rhian murmurs.

I swallow hard. "Yeah. Why?"

"I... I don't know. You just seem to be acting a bit weird around each other. Did you have a bust up or something?" She doesn't raise her gaze from the magazine. I wonder if this hints that she already knows that answer.

"No, we're cool."

"Nothing happened?"

I chew my lip. Too long a silence passes. Surely I've given myself away even without talking.

"He walked in on you didn't he?"

I stare at her. "What?"

"He caught you with another guy right? I mean, I know he says he's cool with everything and he is, but I mean if he caught you in the act, surely that's going to make both of you a bit uncomfortable. I know I was a bit freaked out when I saw you."

Do I agree? Do I tell her no?

"He... I..."

She doesn't let me finish. "Codes, he'll get over it. You're his best mate. Just give him a bit of time yeah? He was a bit weird when you came out. I know he hid it well, but I knew there was something there that he wasn't comfortable with. He's only just gotten over that. This? He might need a bit longer. But he'll come round. And you two will be back to your old tricks again, making my life hell," she laughs at the last bit.

I try to force a smile across my face, but I can't. I open my mouth to tell her it's not what happened. That we're fine. I want to make up some excuse, but I can't think quick enough, or even think of anything that makes the whole thing sound better. I know what it must look like: me and Randy can barely speak in front of Rhian. I don't trust myself and I think he feels the same. Our fingers touched passing the salt last night at dinner. I dropped the shaker as he did. Salt everywhere. If we pass through a doorway, we both freeze, back away and then almost crash into each other when we both make the first move to go through.

"You don't have to say anything Codes. I understand you must be a bit upset with his reaction. But just give him time. That's all he needs. And I'll try and talk to him. Leave it to me."

"Right. Thanks," is all I can manage, wondering how the hell I got myself into this mess.

Randy comes through the front door moments too late to save me from the Spanish Inquisition. A grunted "hey" drifts along behind him, as he rushes for the kitchen.

Rhian closes the magazine and throws it on the table. She gets up before I can stop her and heads for the kitchen.

Closing the door slightly, I hear her speak to Randy.

"You okay?" she asks.

"Yeah. Why?"

"You..." her voice gets lower but I can still hear her. "You and Cody."

"What about us?" Randy's voice is gruff, his words snappy, practically confirming her suspicions without even knowing.

"I know it was hard for you, when he came out. But he really needs you to get over yourself."

"What?"

"Oh c'mon, you're going to reject your best friend just because he fucks guys? That's just fucking ridiculous Randy. And you know it."

"Rhi, what the fuck are you on about?"

"You walked in on Cody with another guy."

I can just picture his face. The tense jaw. The narrowed eyes. Taking it all in, thinking what the fuck, thinking what to say in reply.

"I just spoke to him about it. He needs you to just start acting normal again. And then he can too. He's torn up about it. You need to put this right."

"Right. Sure." Pause. "Sorry."

"Don't apologise to me. Say it to Cody."

"I will."

"Good. Come here."

I hear them embrace as I sneak up the stairs, breathing hard, thinking about how close, yet how wrong Rhian got it. Wondering if one day soon she'll work out the truth. Hoping that she won't. Praying that she won't. Because the day that happens, the shit really is going to hit the fan.

Cold wind hits me in the face as I pound along the forest path deeper into the woods behind the house. I have my iPod blasting, in an attempt to forget that a) I am soaked to the skin from the rain and b) to stop myself from thinking. I am still soaked and I'm still thinking.

Rhian still thinks things are weird between me and Randy, despite our conscious effort to act more normally around her. I can see it in her eyes. Thank the Lord we leave for Europe in twelve hours. Randy asked me why I didn't just deny that anything had happened. I told him I tried but Rhian had already made her own assumptions.

He kissed me and told me he was sorry. I'm still not entirely sure what he was sorry about. Sorry for kissing me almost two weeks ago? Sorry for letting it go this far? Sorry for messing everything up? Or just sorry for anything and everything that I can't possibly think of or even understand?

I told him I was sorry too, even though I wasn't sure why I was saying sorry. Why am I saying sorry to him? Rhian is the one I should be saying sorry to. Should being the operative word. And when I do say it, I doubt she will care or even realise. Because when I say sorry, it won't mean anything to her.

The path ahead of me forks. Left circles back to the house. Right circles back too, but the long way. I stop and lean against a tree. The rain is easing off. I tug my earphones out and listen to the pitter-patter of rain against the blanket of leaves above me. I can hear the crunch of twigs near by. I glance around and see a familiar figure coming towards me along the path I just trudged along.

"Dude, I said wait," Randy frowns at me. "Why'd you run off? I come downstairs and Rhi tells me you left ten minutes ago."

"I wanted to be on my own for a bit."

"I thought going for a run was our way to getting time together."

"That too."

He chuckles. "Had enough time on your own?"

I shrug. He moves closer. Just as he gets to me I slide out of reach, push my ear phones in and pick the right path. I glance back and see him shaking his head, staring after me. I wonder if he'll follow me.

I find out moments later. He pulls along side of me, panting heavily. I can't hear him over my music, but part of me doesn't want to hear him. He reaches out to tug the earphones out of my ears, but I dodge his hands and pull away, pushing myself to run faster.

He lets me go. I keep going until my chest is burning and I feel dizzy. I stop short, leaning forward breathing heavily.

"Hey man, you okay?" I hear Randy call out. My earphones have fallen out. I don't bother to push them back in. I feel his hand on my back, pressing through my wet hoodie and t-shirt. Warmth slowly spreads through me.

I straighten up, Randy keeps his hand on my back. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Want company now?"

"I guess."

We trudge along at a slow jog.

"Looking forward to that hotel room tomorrow night," he murmurs.

"Yeah."

"You better keep your voice down though."

"Huh?" I glance sideways at him. He grins back at me.

"You're loud."

I blush. "Not as loud as you."

He chuckles. "Touche."

I crack and let out a roar of laughter, despite of myself. His laugh, his smile is infectious. He reaches out and touches my hand, slowing to a walk. His fingers brush against mine, making me shiver. The rain starts to come down heavier than before. So cliché but I don't give a fuck.

I twist around to face Randy and pull him against me, clutching at his now soaked hoodie, grasping the back of his neck – his skin slippery under my fingers. His mouth is warm; rain water mingled with sweat on his top lip as I push him back against a nearby tree. He laughs against my mouth, shaking his head as I work my way down to his neck, unzipping his hoodie, slipping my hands inside.

"Twelve hours," he murmurs, cupping my chin and raising my head. "You can't wait 12 hours?"

I just shake my head and sink to my knees.

12 hours later and we're standing in the lobby of a hotel, trying not to look over-excited in front of the other guys. The journey on the plane was so tense, I'm amazed I'm still breathing. Every little sideways look was quickly abolished before anyone else could notice. The slight hand movement on the arm rest sent my heart racing. Even when the others fell asleep, Randy and I were still there, completely awake, staring directly ahead, careful not to touch, careful not to anything except sit there. Just in case. Just in case, like has happened many times before, we got carried away. Plus, I don't think there's enough room in an airplane bathroom for the both of us.

"Aren't you two sick of each other?" John questions as he chucks us a room key. "You live together and room together on tour?"

Randy just shrugs. John looks at me. I shrug too. He rolls his eyes and wanders off towards the elevator.

I stare at Randy.

"What?"

I look at John pointedly.

"What did you want me to say?" Randy leans closer, trailing his hand down my leg as he bends to pick up his duffle bag. "Yeah, John, me and Cody are so close we fuck more often than you get pussy?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Exactly," he grunts, before skulking off after John. I frown to myself and heave my bag to my shoulders and follow him meekly.

The elevator closes before I can reach it. Randy doesn't even hold the door. So I wait, watching the numbers on the digital screen above the doors go higher and higher.

The other elevator pings open and I step inside. I hold the door for someone, delaying the moment that me and Randy will be alone. His snappiness is pissing me off. And it's always over the smallest thing. Things that don't really matter. And it's always accompanied with an almost sneer that I really don't like. It makes me feel uncomfortable, strange, small.

The doors slide open and I walk out into the empty corridor. I glance down at the room key and begin the endless trawl of corridors. I come to the room just as Randy is fumbling with the door key.

"Hey," I murmur.

He glances up. "Hey."

"You okay?"

"Uh-huh."

I really want to say something. But I can't quite bring myself to do it – part of me wants to shake him and tell him to sort his fucking attitude out. The other part wants to forget his shitty mood and get in the room, get him into bed and fuck him senseless.

I chew my lip. As the door closes behind us, I venture with, "why are you being like this?"

"Like what?" Randy flings his bag on the floor and wanders into the bathroom. He doesn't close the door and I can see his reflection in the mirror. I hear him un-zip his pants and then piss.

"Like this. All fucking moody just because of what I said."

"What did you say?"

"Earlier. About what John said."

"For fuck's sake Codes, just get over it. So what, I didn't say anything. There was nothing to say. It's just John. He's always made stupid comments like that. Why's it any different now?" He zips up and flushes.

I don't say anything. I turn away from the bathroom and throw my bag on one of the twin beds. It makes a horrific squeak in reply. Randy comes out of the bathroom and flops onto the other twin. I stand there awkwardly watching Randy grab the remote and flick on the TV.

"Sorry," I mutter.

"What for?" Randy doesn't look away from the TV.

I'm not sure. "I don't know."

"Then why are you saying sorry?"

"Because..." I trail off.

"You can't take everything to heart Codes. Just because John makes a stupid-ass comment doesn't mean you have to have a fucking mini-crisis over it. Jesus."

How did this all flip round on me? I wasn't the one making snappy comments. I sink down onto the bed.

Silence.

"Jesus Codes, no need to sulk about it. One comment and you go all weird? He wasn't even suggesting anything!"

"You snapped at me."

"What?"

"You snapped at me. In the lobby. And then you stormed off and now it's all my fault?"

Fucking hell this is so petty. It feels stupid now. All I want him to say is sorry. No, he doesn't even have to say sorry. He just needs to say something that makes me know that he's sorry.

"You're mad at me because of that?"

I glance up, Randy is staring at me. His mouth is twitching at the corners. I shake my head, a smile forming across my own lips.

"Come here," he murmurs. He shifts over on the bed, which is way too small for him, let alone us together. "So stupid," he whispers against my head as I curl against him.

"Sorry."

He laughs. "Don't say sorry!"

"Sorry."

He runs his hand down my back and slips his hand down my pants, groping my ass.

"Me too."

His mouth finds mine. And what will hopefully be two blissful weeks of nothing but us, finally begins.