Soooo I've been SO excited to get this chapter up!

Hehehe. I'm hoping you guys enjoy it, I have a feeling you will. Lol

I looooove my reviewers, you guys seriously make my day like all the time. :)

I hope you'll all stick with me for a little while longer, everything is starting to fall into place! :D

CH 29

As much as I would have loved to hold onto my grudge against CM Punk, I had to admit that I was all but elated to be friends again. Though I'm pretty sure Mike didn't share quite the same sentiments.

"After everything he said to you?"

Mike's voice was fairly perturbed as I listened to him from the bathroom of our now shared hotel room.

I heaved a sigh, taking off my make-up from the day, staring almost determinedly into the mirror. "Yes, after everything he said to me." I called back, keeping my tone casual. I didn't want to have an argument, but Mike knew how much the falling out with Punk had upset me and I was a tad on the miffed side that he wasn't going to at least be happy for me.

"Charlie…" I heard the sheets of the bed ruffling as he got up, bare feet padding lightly against the carpet and soon he was walking into the bathroom, leaning on the in the doorframe.

He was quite the vision, standing there in a pair of basketball shorts and no shirt. Sure, I saw him shirtless all the time, but that was through a camera lens and this, this was something no one else saw. He wasn't in wrestling attire. He was ready for bed and was waiting for ME to come to bed with him.

We hadn't done anything sexual as of yet, maybe because of my uneasiness in the relationship or maybe it was because of the fact that every time he kissed me, I couldn't help but miss the feeling of cold metal.

Either way, none of that was enough to keep me from staring over at my boyfriend with a grin.

"You're pretty." I told him, tossing my make-up remover into the trash can and moving to lean up against the counter with my hip, arms crossing beneath my chest.

He rolled his eyes, but his lips curved upwards into a smile as he made his way across the bathroom to wrap his arms around my waist. Placing a small kiss on the top of my head, I craned my neck up to look at him. "I just don't want him saying anything else to upset you."

His eyes held sincerity and I couldn't help but smile up at him, "I trust Punk. Granted, he tends to misplace his frustrations, but I trust him. He apologized and we're okay now."

I watched those thin lips falter in their smile and I sighed, standing up on my tiptoes to place a kiss onto them, "It will be fine." I spoke against his lips and felt them jerk upwards again. I smiled softly as well and kissed him again before setting myself back down onto the balls of my feet. "Let's go to bed."

Mike nodded silently and let me walk past him before grabbing hold of my hand and following me to the queen sized bed in the middle of our hotel room. I climbed in on the far side, situating myself amongst a large array of pillows and sighed softly, glad that he couldn't see my face as he snaked his arm around my middle. I blinked down at his hand before lacing my fingers with his as I did every night, finding the skin to be almost painfully void of ink.

I was enthralled at the feel of a mouth placing hot, wet kisses down the side of my neck and onto my collarbone. Everything in this moment was perfect, the way our bodies writhed together even with the layers of clothes between us, the way his hand fisted in the right side of my hair, and especially the way the cold metal of his lip ring felt as he glanced across the bone barely covered by skin. Nothing could have been better than this. Nothing.

Until he pulled away from my chest, leaving me to make a soft whining sound. He pushed himself upwards on my body and I came face to face with beautiful, deep hazel eyes. He was so close to me, blinking languidly, his chest touching mine each time he pulled in a nearly shaking breath. I could have sat there all day staring into those eyes, memorizing each stripe of green and gold, but I didn't have time as he pressed his mouth to mine.

My breath hitched in my chest and I felt my heart flutter as though it were a bird, ready to take flight from the restriction of the cage that my ribs made around it. His lips were perfect, soft and supple and warm all except for his lip ring and I felt myself smile into his kiss wondering if he felt the same shock of cold metal from my own lips.

It was as if he read my mind as he took the ring into his mouth with his teeth and tugged, eliciting a soft moan from my throat. I felt his tongue run along the length of my bottom lip before slowly, almost hesitantly slipping its way into my mouth. The sensation drove me wild, the velvety smooth warmth of the muscle moving until it found my own tongue and rubbed along the side of it. The moan that came out of my mouth was low and appreciative, and as I fought my own way to get our tongues into his mouth instead of mine, he answered the noise with a low growl of his own that made muscles low in my abdomen contract.

I showed my approval of this by letting my hand run its way up his back and into his hair, caressing the strands lovingly. I felt his breath shudder against my mouth as he pulled away and I couldn't stop the slight pout that pulled at my features. He smiled at me, teeth and all, before balancing himself on one forearm as not to crush me where he laid on top of me, and moving his free hand up to touch my cheek softly.

The touch sent chills down my spine and I fought hard to keep my breathing only partially ragged. I stared up at him, gazing into those hazel irises, entrance by them so much so that when he spoke, I jumped slightly at the sound of his voice.

"I love you."

I felt my mouth drop open a tad, heart suddenly hammering so hard in my chest that I was sure it would literally break my ribs to escape its confines. "W-what?" my voice was a pant, a whisper, faint and stunned.

"I love you, Charlie. And I'm sorry for everything. More sorry than I've ever been in my life." He told me, running a light finger down my cheek and across the line of my jaw. "I know you said you'd forgive me, but I want to make it up to you. I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you, but I have to start somewhere." His hand inched its way down my neck and chest until it rested at the waist band of my jeans.

Had it been anyone else, I would have slapped the tattooed hand away instinctively, but in this moment, with him of all people, I just sat there, still gazing up at him, "You… You really… L-love…?"

He chuckled at me, grinning, and my heart melted when he placed the chastest of kisses on the tip of my nose, "I do."

His hand moved over, fumbling lightly with the button and fly of my jeans before sliding his hand beneath the denim and soft cotton fabric of my underwear. I gasped and he moved to kiss me. The kiss was light, gentle, and full of emotion, enough emotion that my eyes began to fill with tears. All this time, he'd felt this way and I'd made him think that I hated him, when in all reality…

My thought was cut short as his fingers found their destination and he waited for a moment, pulling away to look down at me, "Are you ready, Charlie?"

Charlie?

Chaaarlie?

Charlie?

"Charlie?"

My eyes fluttered open, heart still pounding wildly in my chest as I saw, not hazel, but blue eyes looking at me. Mike was kneeling next to my side of the bed with a soft smile, "There's my sleeping beauty." He leaned forward to kiss my forehead, ruffling my hair.

I stared at him, swallowing and forcing a false smile, still trying to grasp what I'd just woken up from.

"I have to go to the arena for a meeting about my match on Monday. I just wanted to let you know before I left." He said, cupping my cheek in his hand.

This motion, however vaguely familiar from my dream, did not send my heart into an overloading tizzy. I simply nodded, blinking sleepily at him.

He grinned, kissing the top of my head and then standing, crossing the room, and I didn't dare to move until I'd heard the door shut behind him.