A/N: A special thanks goes to Elite27 for the wonderful review. Another special thanks goes to RuLoRox and vampirenav for becoming followers. I appreciate all of you readers. Let's get into number fourteen, let me know what you think.

Chapter 14:

Tell Me

Priya

Brandi came to a stop inches away from my face and without warning her hand connected with my cheek. The force sent my head to snap to the side. The sting of the slap only seemed to piss me off. My hands instinctively clenched into fists. "What the hell is your problem? Are you that fucking hateful that you want to say lies to ruin my marriage?" She shouted.

"I don't know what you were told; but I've said nothing. Maybe you should look at your husband. I've been trying so damn hard to move on and he just wants to ruin my happiness." I shouted, refusing to take the verbal accusation.

"Why should I listen to anything you have to say?"

"Because she's telling the truth." Kenny said, coming around the corner. Karina was next to him with a solemn expression on her face.

Brandi rolled her eyes at him, then placed a hand on her hip. Lance's locker-room door opened and he came out to stand behind me. He looked down at my face and saw the red blemish start to appear. His eyes narrowed at Brandi. I could feel his hand touch the small of my back to let me know that he was there.

"Enlighten me just how she's telling the truth?" She snapped.

"You are clearly in denial. I'm sorry that Cody isn't being one hundred percent honest with you; but Priya has nothing to do with your husband's actions. She's done nothing to warrant your aggression." Karina answered, taking a step to stand between her and I.

"I knew there was a reason I didn't like either one of you. You stick your nose in other people's business."

She stormed off down the hall, not bothering to engage in any more conflict. My arm was throbbing from clenching so tightly on my fist. Karina came to my side and looked at my face. "She's lucky I didn't punch her for hitting you."

"It's fine. I probably deserved it anyway."

"No you most certainly DID NOT!"

I lowered my head. Karina forcefully placed her hands on my shoulders. "Look at me." She said and I obeyed her request. Her soft blue eyes held such comfort and warmth that it was hard for me to ignore her. A familiar burning sensation stung my eyes and I absolutely hated feeling this vulnerable.

"I never should have signed here. Knowing Cody was here should have been a red flag indicating that it was a bad idea. I'm sorry; but I think I just need to leave before I cause anymore problems." I answered, stepping out around her to walk down the hallway.

"Priya!" Lance called, but I kept walking.

Lance

"Let her go. She needs time to sort everything out." Karina said, placing a hand on my arm.

"He just pisses me off. Look how miserable she is."

"You care about her, don't you?"

I didn't know how to answer that. Perhaps I did care more than I originally thought. Cody's actions and the lies were tugging on strings inside that I haven't felt in a long time. I felt protective of Priya, so maybe that was a start to something else more.

The last kiss we shared felt differently, because it wasn't done for a storyline. It was done because she wanted to. That showed me that maybe she cared for me as well. "Doesn't matter. If she leaves, then I won't see her again." I said, before returning to my locker-room.

Once the door was shut behind me, I angrily tossed the chair in front of me across the room. Jake came out from the bathroom with a deadpan expression. "What happened?" He asked.

"Nothing." I snapped in return.

I walked across the room and started to gather up my belongings. There was nothing left for me to do at the arena tonight, so I decided it was just better that I left. The drive back to the hotel was full of traffic and it only seemed to irritate me even further. I squeezed the steering wheel tighter until my knuckles turned white.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw my phone light up with a message. Since I was trapped in a traffic jam, I decided to pick up the object and look at the message. "I'm sorry for storming off. Is there a place we could talk without anyone else around?" Priya's message read.

"I'm heading to my hotel room now. Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront, room 211."

There was no further response and the traffic jam lifted, so I was on my way again. Pulling into the parking lot of the hotel, I exited the car lifting my bag over my shoulder. Priya's beautiful ginger red hair sparkled under the lights of the front doors. I raised a questioning eyebrow, wondering just how she got there before me.

"I figured this was the hotel you would stay in, so I just parked here hoping I was right." She commented.

"Well you guessed right."

I wanted to touch her; but there was something inside preventing me from doing so. Was it fear? Was I afraid that she would eventually leave and my feelings would just be unrequited? She followed behind me as I walked towards the elevator. Stepping inside, she leaned against the metal railing. Her hair fell over her shoulder and pieces into her eyes. "Was anything else said after I walked away?"

"Not that I heard. I went back into my locker-room to get my stuff after everything went down."

"I see…"

She fell silent again with those sorrowful eyes that I hated seeing. I wanted to see those vibrant olive green eyes sparkle. I wanted to see her smile. This whole confrontation with Cody was tearing her apart from the inside.

Sliding the keycard into the slot, the door clicked open and we stepped inside the room. Leaving my bag at the corner of the bathroom door, I turned to look at Priya. "Do you want something to drink?"

"Sure, anything alcoholic is fine with me."

"Great! Beer it is."

Opening the mini fridge, I pulled out two bottles of beer. Twisting the tops off, I handed one to her as she sat down on the sofa. Sitting down on the other side of the sofa, our eyes connected as we both took sips from the bottles. "So what's on your mind?" I asked, breaking the silence that had grown between us.

"When I signed with AEW, I really thought I would be able to move forward with my life. I wanted things to be different after so many years of turmoil. I was a broken shell of a woman when I met you, still broken hearted after Cody's betrayal; but after working with you, that pain slowly started to go away."

Swallowing the liquid in my mouth, the sense of dread washed over me. I had a feeling I knew where this conversation was going and it wasn't going to end in my favor. Sitting the bottle on the coffee table, I returned her gaze not wanting to interrupt her. "For the longest time, I fought against you when all you've wanted to do was help me. That was completely unfair to you and you deserve better. Jake said it best when he called me damaged."

"Maybe so; but I've also told you that what's damaged can be repaired."

"Lance...the thing is...I've grown to care about you and I don't want to put you through anymore shit."

"Priya, shut up."

"Excuse me!"

I took the bottle out of her hand and sat it on the table. Sliding closer to her, I finally touched the side of her face with the palm of my hand. "Just stop. Instead of trying to protect my feelings, why don't you embrace yours and let me make my own decisions."

"I don't want to hurt you…"

"Don't quit and you won't hurt me."

Her eyes widened and it was then that I knew that I had gotten through a wall of hers. Brushing the pad of my thumb across her bottom lip, she reached up to touch my hand and curl her fingers around my palm. "Tell me why you keep trying with me." she said and I knew that it was now or never. This was my only chance to get her stay.

"Because I care about you. You are beautiful both inside and out. I don't know how to explain it; but I feel like your soul called to me the second we met."

The tears that she had been holding back spilled over her lashes and rolled down her face. I immediately pulled her into my arms, holding her tightly. She clung onto my t-shirt, wetting the fabric with her eyes. It was crazy to think that I've only known her a couple of months and she was now important to me in so many ways.

"No te merezco; pero no puedo evitar querer aferrarme a ti."

I smiled and kissed the top of her head. She finally lifted her head to look at me. Black make-up streaked her cheeks. Though it didn't matter to me, she was still beautiful. "Definitivamente me mereces." I said before capturing her lips with mine.

She breathed in deep from her nose and I felt her tremble. Her movements told me that she was afraid. Breaking away suddenly, her eyes opened to meet mine. Once again, I pulled her into my arms and leaned back, allowing her to rest on my chest. "Lance…"She whispered.

"Hmm…"

"Thank you…"

"Shhh, there is no need to thank me."

The tension she had been holding onto was gone and I watched her close her eyes, breathing calmly and peacefully. It made me smile and I felt at ease with her in my arms. For a day that had started out so badly, it sure as hell ended on a good note.

E/N:

No te merezco; pero no puedo evitar querer aferrarme a ti. = I don't deserve you; but I can't help wanting to hold onto you.

Definitivamente me mereces.= You definitely deserve me.