"Mmmph, do you have to go back to New York?" Colby asked as he watched Yara pack her overnight bag. She'd come up to Boston to visit him for the few days he was in town, but conveniently told him that tonight, Saturday night, she'd have to go back to New York for Laura's birthday.

"Laura would kill me if I didn't. I mean, I think she's already mad I was here this weekend anyway. This will be a nice surprise for her," Yara said as she packed her skincare products in her bag. "Aren't I a nice surprise? Her best friend coming in from out of town to party the night away?" Yara asked rhetorically.

"What are you guys going to do tonight?"

"I don't know, probably just head to a bar with her friends and other girls from work."

"Are you going to take a taxi back to the airport?" he asked.

Yara knew what Colby meant when he asked that question. He wanted to make sure she was being safe, after everything she told him about what happened to Naveed. She gave him a sombre smile, walking over to him and cupping his face in her hands, kissing him quickly. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "Yes, I'm going to take a taxi. I'll be safe. I always am."

"Okay, good. I just -"

"I know. You don't have to worry about me."

"I still do."

"Don't."

"Impossible. You keep me up at night."

"Is that why you have bags under your eyes?" she smirked.

"Hey!" he called out, offended by her statement. "Not everybody has time to get cucumber facials, alright?"

"Next time you're in New York I can book you in for one."

"As long as you keep it a secret."

Yara glided her thumb and index finger along her lips, pretending to lock it and throw away the key. She laid her head onto his chest, the feeling of his arms around her comforting. She sighed contently. "Are you sure you're okay with me going?"

"I'll live," Colby admitted. "In reality, I'll be asleep for most of it. Plus I know that you and Laura are like family. If I was that close with someone I'd want to be there for their birthday too."

Yara was relieved he understood. Most men would have put up a giant fight over her prioritizing a friend over their relationship. But considering her situation and the fact that she hadn't spoken to her family in ten years, Colby was extremely understanding of the fact that Laura was like the only family she had. She figured he understood more so than others because he traveled a lot and didn't get to see his family as often as he wanted to. His friends in the wrestling business were his family. "I'll call you as soon as I land, okay?"

"Okay."

"Maybe I'll even send you some pictures of me in my dress."

Colby's eyebrows rose in delight, his hands moving down to cup her bottom. "You better."

XXXXXXXXXX

"I thought Yara was supposed to be here this weekend?" Rami asked as he walked into Colby's room, holding the pizza box in both arms, the various boxes of wings on top. Claudio followed close behind, carrying the drinks and a bag of Doritos Cool Ranch chips.

"She is….she just flew back to New York for the night. It's her best friend Laura's birthday," Colby explained.

"Are you okay with that?" Claudio asked.

"I have to be."

Claudio shrugged his shoulders, accepting Colby's response. "Ready to eat?"

Rami lay the pizza down on the bed, each of the men taking a seat around it. Claudio distributed the drink to everybody, leaving the chips on the floor for later. Each grabbed a slice of pizza. "So how are things with you guys?" Rami asked, his mouth full of pizza.

"Good," Colby nodded his head, chewing. "Hadn't seen her in five weeks though. We had a lot of catching up to do."

"I'm sure," Claudio rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, you guys had to make up for that night in DC, didn't you?" Rami asked, wagging his eyebrows at Colby.

"Ugh, don't remind me."

"What? What happened in DC?" Claudio asked, oblivious to the situation.

Colby knew he had to say something now. Both Rami and Claudio were looking at him expectantly. "A bunch of us went out that night Raw was in DC. Yara…she basically had a mild panic attack at the thought of Stephen driving us home because she had seen him drink, and I got upset at her. Turns out her twin brother, Naveed, passed away because a drunk driver t-boned him on his way to pick her up from a party."

Claudio's eyes bulged out of their sockets. Colby could see Rami shake his head as he recounted the story. "Holy shit. Holy fuck. That's fucking horrible," Claudio commented in disbelief.

"I know. And by the way, this doesn't leave this room," Colby warned. Both men held their hands up in front of them and then to their hearts, letting Colby know the secret was safe with them. "Anyway, remember how I told you guys she doesn't speak to her family?" Both men nodded their head. "It's because they blame her for Naveed's death. Her mother actually said to her 'I wish you had died instead of Naveed'."

Claudio almost dropped his slice of pizza in shock. Rami did. "You've gotta be kidding me," Rami said.

"I swear to you. She told me the next morning."

"How can a parent say that to their child?" Rami asked. Colby shrugged his shoulders. "You've gotta be…wow. Wow. That's unbelievable."

"Thank God she got out of there, then," Claudio commented. "It's actually probably better that she left and moved to New York, than if she had stayed."

"It went on throughout her entire life, but yeah. That comment was the last straw for her. Understandably so."

"So no wonder she considers her best friend Laura like family," Rami commented. "Laura, and the other people she has in New York…they're literally all she has."

"Well, and Colby now," Claudio chimed in.

"And us," Rami added. "I mean, we all get along great. And I know Danielle really likes her. They text all the time too now."

"Yeah. She manages to surround herself with amazing people. She definitely knows how to choose a family of friends," Colby half-smiled.

XXXXXXXXXX

Yara knew Laura would still be at her apartment. Nobody in their right mind went out for a night on the town in New York City on a Saturday until at least 11:30. Yara figured she was probably still getting ready, so she hopped in a taxi at the airport to go directly to Laura's place so they could get ready for the big night together.

Upon arrival, Yara buzzed Laura's apartment, but someone else who lived in the building was leaving, so Yara snuck in, not bothering to wait for Laura to answer on the intercom. She took the stairs up to Laura's third-storey apartment and knocked on the door loudly.

There was silence at first, which made Yara really wonder if Laura was being an old fart and had already gone out this early – it was only 10pm. She knocked again, louder this time.

"Who is it?" she heard Laura call from the other side of the door.

"Yoohooooo, it's meeee!" Yara called out. "Let me in!"

"Yara?"

"The one and only!"

"What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't be away from my best friend on her birthday! Open the door woman!"

"Uh…wait! I'm…just…hold on…"

"Come on Laura! I've seen your naked body one too many times, it's not going to faze me. Let me in!"

"Just hold on a minute," Laura called from the other side of the door.

Yara began to sing the Jeopardy song, almost reaching the end before she heard Laura unlock the door. "What are you doing here?!" she repeated a giant smile on her face.

"Haaaappy Birthday!" Yara exclaimed, throwing up her arms for a hug.

"Aren't you supposed to be in Boston with Colby?"

"I was, but I couldn't miss your birthday," Yara said sweetly, walking into Laura's flat.

"Is he okay with it?"

"He'll get over it," Yara shrugged, walking through to her small kitchen, seeing an already opened bottle of champagne on the countertop. "Damn, you're getting the party started early!" Yara commented.

"You know me."

As the words left Laura's mouth, Yara noticed not just one, but two champagne flutes beside the bottle. "Two champagne flutes?"

"Huh?"

"Why are there two champagne flutes?"

"Oh, your best friend is an idiot who poured a glass for herself, had to go to the washroom, and completely forgot she poured that first flute before pouring a second one."

"Ah, well then, in that case…" Yara grabbed both flutes, handing one to Laura. "To being thirty."

"To being thirty."

The two clinked their champagne flutes together and drank the contents, setting the glasses back down on the countertop. "Alright, are we gonna fuckin' do this?" Yara asked, already riled up for the night ahead. "Where are we going? What are we doing?"

"We're going to Cab Vol. I'm thinking high ponytail, dramatic eyes, bodycon dress," Laura informed her.

"Are the girls meeting us there?"

"You betcha."

"Alright, let me go to the washroom quickly, then I'll do your smoky eye," Yara said, taking charge. She grabbed the two champagne flutes and the bottle, bringing them into Laura's room.

As Yara walked in, Laura's door to her ensuite was wide open, allowing Yara to see inside. Yara stopped dead in her tracks, noticing that her toilet seat was up. Yara knew that Laura had been home all day, so for the toilet seat to be up was very peculiar. She was no Nancy Drew, but she found it odd.

"Laura?" she called out before she could fully realize what she was doing. When she took a step into the bathroom, she noticed the two toothbrushes still in the holder.

"Have you relieved yourself sufficiently?" Laura asked, walking into her bedroom, looking slightly frazzled.

"Yeah…" Yara said absent-mindedly. "Hey Laura…"

"Hm?"

"Why is your toilet seat up?"

"Huh?"

"Your toilet seat," Yara repeated. "And your extra toothbrush. It's still here. Who are you hiding in here?"

Laura scoffed at Yara's assumption. "Yara, please. I'm not hiding anybody. I've just been cleaning."

Laura's words were lost on Yara, who had singled out an all-too-familiar object atop Laura's dresser, almost tucked away behind the giant, glittered picture frame, holding a photo of the two women together at an event held by their magazine. She'd seen the bottle countless times before, had bought that bottle more times than she could count, had smelled it contents for three years of her life. Christian Dior's Eau Sauvage. Connor's signature cologne.

Laura's eyes had followed Yara's to her dresser. When Yara finally looked at Laura, Laura's eyes were full of panic, knowing that the realization had dawned on Yara. "Is that…?" Yara asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yara…"

"CONNOR!" Yara yelled out into the apartment, stomping her way out of Laura's bedroom into the main living area, hell-bent on finding him. "CONNOR!"

"Yara!" Laura exclaimed, following her out of the room. "Yara, look at me!"

Yara whipped her head back to look at Laura. "Where's Connor?!" she demanded, approaching her slowly. "How long has it been going on? Huh? How long has it been going on?!" she yelled. "You tell me where he is in this apartment right now, or -"

Yara didn't need to finish the sentence, as it was in the process of being answered. From behind Laura, through the door that led to the den, emerged Connor. All six foot, two inches of Connor Gavin.

"Yara…" was the first word out of his mouth, which was all he and Laura could apparently say in the situation. Hearing her name coming out of his mouth, in this moment, was the only time ever that she'd been repulsed by her own name. She never wanted it uttered from his lips again.

"I trusted you!" Yara wailed, marching past Laura. "I trusted you for three years of my life!" Her cheeks flushed red, overcome with emotion as she looked at the man she used to love, who had, at one time, given her so much happiness. Now, he did nothing but disgust her.

"Yara, I can explain," Laura intervened, Connor remaining silent.

"How could you do this to me?!" Yara cried out in response, now focusing her attention on Laura. Laura began to shake her head, preparing to say something to defend herself, but Yara didn't want to hear it. Everything was incriminating enough. To think where Connor's hands had been on Laura, after they had been on her body; to think where his lips wandered over Laura's body, after they'd been all over Yara's. "Laura! LAURA! How could you do this to me?!" Yara kept asking, tears running down both of their faces now. "You're my best friend!"

"Yara, I can't - I never - I -"

"I hate you," Yara roared, her words firm in their conviction. "I hate you. I hate you. I HATE YOU," Yara repeated over at over, staring Laura directly in the eyes.

"No Yara, no, please -"

"I never want to speak to you again," she declared, pointing her finger at Laura. "I never want to hear from you, see you, speak to you for the rest of my life, EVER! You are dead to me! Hear me?! DEAD TO ME!"

Laura clutched her heart as Yara turned and made her way out of the apartment, slamming the door on the way out. She looked over to Connor in pure shock, still clutching her her heart as tears began to stream down her face.

Yara had rushed down the stairs, already sobbing as she reached the street. She mindlessly walked down the block as she continued to sob, until the reality of the situation really set in and she had to take hold of the wire railing outside of a house to support herself from completely collapsing onto the sidewalk.

Connor had cheated on her with Laura Higgins, her best friend. Her family. When he had revealed to her, a year ago now, that he had been cheating on her and he wanted to call off their wedding, he never specified who he was cheating with. Yara had always assumed it was an assortment of women – a rich, successful man in New York like Connor Gavin had his pick of women falling at his feet constantly. Now she knew he was having an affair with Laura.

Laura, who had helped her through the whole ordeal. Laura, who brought her soup, chocolate, wine, anything to help ease the pain; who had cleaned her apartment when Yara was too depressed to get out of bed; who had helped rebuild her confidence after the break-up.

Yara had never felt so betrayed in her entire life. She felt like her heart had just been ripped out of her chest. Worst yet, she felt like her life was a lie. She was supposed to have a best friend in Laura. She was supposed to have a nice life in New York. She was supposed to be living a happy, fulfilling existence, surrounding herself with people who loved her.

That was all a lie now. It all went up in flames faster than a New York minute.

XXXXXXXXXX

It was 3:37am when Colby heard frantic knocks and bangs on the door of his hotel room. When he awoke, he immediately checked his phone to make sure he hadn't slept in; that it wasn't one of his friends calling on him to go to the gym for a workout. When he noticed the time, and the darkness from the window, he wasn't sure what to think.

He got out of bed slowly, still a bit sore from his workout and feeling the heartburn from the pizza, wing, and Doritos with the boys. The banging on the door never stopped. When he unlatched the locks and opened the door, he was suddenly wide-awake. On the other side of the door stood Yara, tears streaming down her face, her eyes more red than he'd ever seen a pair of eyes be.

She was supposed to be in New York City. She was supposed to be with Laura. What was she doing back in Boston, crying outside his hotel room? How did she even get here? His thoughts were so rapid, he didn't know how his brain was putting two and two together, especially since he had woken up all of thirty seconds ago. "Did you drive here from New York?" he asked.

Yara was in no mood for formalities and small talk. "It was Laura," Yara said, her voice brittle and weak. "Connor was cheating on me with Laura."

Colby's jaw dropped, the words coming out of Yara's mouth immediately registering in his mind. Laura – Yara's co-worker. Laura – Yara's best friend. Laura – Yara's Brutus. "Laura?" he repeated.

Yara could only nod her head as a sob escaped her. She brought her hands up to her face to shield it. She felt Colby's arm wrap around her strongly, pulling her into his chest. She continued to sob as he pulled her into his hotel room, the door clicking shut behind them. In one swift movement Colby hoisted her up in his arms. She wrapped her legs around his torso as he made his way to the bed, sitting down against the headboard.

Colby didn't say a word. He knew no words could fix this; he knew there was nothing he could say at 3:39 in the morning that could make Yara feel better about anything. The only thing he did – that he knew he had to do – was let Yara cry. He stroked her hair, his hands squeezing her shoulders every so often as she cried into his shirt. It soaked through fairly quickly, but that was the last thing on his mind.

Yara cried for what felt like hours. He didn't even know what time it was when she started to calm down and fall asleep against his chest. If she had the choice, she probably would have kept crying. Colby figured her body was probably exhausted from the shaking and the sobbing, not to mention the driving from New York City to Boston in the middle of the night. Colby didn't have anything particularly important to do during the day – even if he had, he would have put it on the backburner now, to support Yara through this.

He did resolve one thing in his mind: if he ever saw Connor Gavin or Laura Higgins ever again, there would be hell to pay.