A/N: A special thanks goes to peace486 and okaloosa for becoming followers and BreakTheWalls for the wonderful review. Onto number three, let me know what you think.

** Warning: A little mature content in this chapter.**

Chapter 3:

Miscommunication

Karina

It wasn't long before it was show time. The butterflies in my stomach had fluttered their way to my throat. I was anxious and everyone in the room with me knew it. Kenny and Cody were working diligently on making sure everything was running smoothly. Matt and Nick were positioned behind the screens near the gorilla entryway.

The opening match was between Cody and Sammy Guevara, which had changed from the original line-up. Shifting my body so I could see the screens fully, Kenny eyed me with a soft expression I hadn't seen before. It almost seemed like he was upset about something. Was the whole storyline pairing with Adam bothering him? Or was it something else he wasn't telling me? I hated the thought of him upset with me.

"Alright everyone, let's show the world that we mean business and that we aren't going anywhere!" Cody encouraged.

We all clapped and cheered with anticipation for the start of the show. I swallowed the lump in my throat as the opening segment began, welcoming the crowd to the AEW Dynamite. Jim Ross, Excalibur and Tony Shiavone were placed neatly behind their own separate table on the right side of the stage.

Justin Roberts stood in the middle of the ring waiting to do talent introductions and all I could do was watch, hoping that I wouldn't mess anything up tonight. Insecurity in my own ability was starting to migrate through my mind. Turning away from the group, I moved to lean against the wall running a hand over my face while fumbling with my hands nervously.

Brandi eyed me cautiously. Concern was written all over her face; but she moved to follow her husband out to the ring for the opening contest. My chest was tightening the longer I stood in silence. How was I going to be of any use to any of them like this?

I felt a hand on my shoulder and my head snapped up instantly. Adam stood there with a soft expression. His blue eyes lingered on me. "Don't let all of this get to you. He will be fine. To be honest, I doubt Tony even knew that you two are a couple when he pitched the idea of you working with me."

"He looks so hurt. It's almost like he feels betrayed by me."

"I highly doubt that's the case. Even if it was, just assure him that everything will be fine. He isn't the most confident person in matters of relationships."

Adam wasn't wrong in that notion. Hell, I wasn't confident in relationships either. Especially after what Adrian had done to me in the two years we were together. He gave my shoulder a little squeeze before turning his attention back to the group. The tightness in my chest released and I felt so much better.

I returned to the group and stood next to Kenny, taking his hand into my own. He looked away from the screen and met my eyes. His lips turned into a smile and it made my heart flutter. It was weird, I had never felt like this before in any of my prior relationships. I didn't want these feelings to ever fade away. He already meant too much to me.

Kenny

The AEW Women's World Championship match between Riho and Nyla Rose was underway. Matt and Nick were still sitting behind the screens while I hovered over them. It was the first moment that it was just the three of us in the production area. "So is everything okay?" Matt asked suddenly.

"With what?" I asked, confused as to what he was talking about.

"Karina. It was a little tense earlier."

I let out a sigh. I should have known they would have seen the difference in us at the start of the show. My own insecurities were starting to show through the walls I had built around myself. I've never felt like this before with a woman and this was one of the reasons I had stayed away from relationships for so long.

"I don't fault her for wanting to help someone; but I can't shake the feeling that her pairing with Adam is going to end us before it truly gets started."

"Have you told her that?" Nick asked, keeping one eye on the screen and the other on me.

"No, I don't want to upset her."

Riho getting the three count caught our attention away from the conversation. I smiled, obviously proud of her accomplishment. Nyla returned to her feet and attacked Riho from behind. A blur of aquamarine rushed down the ramp. Karina struck Nyla hard across the jaw, creating distance between Riho and the larger woman.

There was stunned look upon her child-like face. Hell, I was surprised to see Karina. Had they added this segment last minute before my appearance. Nyla slammed Karina hard to the mat. She then turned her over and drug her to the outside of the ring. There was bad intentions written on the face of the Native Beast.

"Go." Matt signaled.

I rushed down the ramp, pulling Karina out of Nyla's grasp and then shoved her. She smirked wickedly, proud of her destruction. Riho crawled over to the fallen Karina, placing a hand on her shoulder. There were tears in her eyes that were perfectly hidden by Riho's body. The crowd cheered once she got back to her feet.

Once we got back to the backstage area, Riho spoke to me in her native tongue. She was concerned about Karina, which was justified, because so was I. The trainers took Karina back to their room to get a better look at her and it sucked that I couldn't go with her. My match with The Bucks was coming up fairly quickly.

Karina

My head was throbbing; but other than that I was perfectly fine. No signs of a concussion thankfully. I had been careless and damn near botched one of the most simplest moves for a wrestler to perform. The door opened and Cody stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed over his chest. "Are you okay?" He asked softly, his eyes never leaving mine.

"I'm fine...just incrediably stupid."

"You were nervous, it happens."

"It doesn't help when I know Kenny is mad at me for something."

He chuckled lightheartedly before stepping fully into the room. Pulling the chair up closer to the table I was sitting on, he then proceeded to sit down on the chair. "He's not mad at you. He's protective. I'm sure he isn't thrilled with Tony's idea to pair you with Hangman."

"I'm not thrilled with it either. I didn't come here to be a manager. I came to show the world that I was still as good as I had been all those years ago in WWE."

"I know."

The sound of knocking came from the open door. We both looked up to see Tony standing there, big black glasses on his face. I lowered my head back down to the clasped hands across my lap. "I'm sorry, I kind of overheard your conversation." He interrupted, practically admitting that he had been eavesdropping on the things we had spoken about. I refused to meet his gaze for fear I'd lose my composure.

"Karina, I'm sorry. I should have taken your feelings into consideration. If you don't want to do the manager role, you don't have to. There is another idea I have that I think may work better for you."

In that moment, I looked up from my lap to meet his gaze. There was sincerity written on his facial features. There was a TV screen in the room hanging in the corner by the entryway of the room. I could see Kenny in the ring signalling for a V-Trigger. The crowd started to cheer a lot louder for a typical move he was known to do several times in a match and that's when I saw him. Jon Moxley.

Tony turned to see what I was looking at and knew that I would no longer be paying attention to what he was going to say about a new idea for me. I was fully concentrated on watching Jon and Kenny beat the hell out of each other, taking the fight clear out into the arena. Shades of 'The Cleaner' persona came out in Kenny and my heart started to pound inside my chest. It wasn't until Jon planted Kenny through a glass table, did I realize what he had been hiding from me.

"How come no one told me Jon was back?" I asked, clenching my jaw tightly.

"I thought you knew. Kenny was supposed to tell you."

"Clearly, he didn't."

I slid off the table and proceeded to walk towards the exit. "Where are you going?" Cody asked, standing up from the chair. "I need to be alone." I snapped, then stormed off towards the women's locker-room.

Pushing the door open, I immediately found my belongings. Pulling my phone out, there were four text messages waiting for me. One from Hayley, one from Jayson and two from Shay. Tucking my phone in my back pocket, I mentally told myself to answer them once I got to the hotel and in my room.

Lifting the handle up on my bag, I pulled it behind me as I walked out of the room. There was so much going on inside my head that I almost failed to see Jon walking towards me. There was a smirk on his face that I just couldn't find the humor in at that moment. "Good to see you, Karina." He greeted.

"Glad you're all healed up." I answered honestly.

"Yeah me to. So you have a feud with that Nyla Rose, I take it?"

"Yeah...I fucked up tonight and damn near got my ass knocked out. I'm beginning to wonder if it was a good idea to come back to the ring."

"Bullshit, you know that you are damn good in that ring."

Jon giving me a pep talk was not something I had expected; but at the same time, it was something I needed. He reached for me, pulling me into a tight embrace. "Oh, I heard your new song on the radio. I really dig it, so did Renee. It was about Omega, right?"

"Thank you...yes...it was…"

His phone started to ring and he took his leave to answer the call. I was alone once again. These unanswered questions were tormenting me and the only person who held the answers was Kenny, which meant I needed to find him.

Turning back around, I entered the trainers room. Kenny was sitting on the table having his head looked at, while Riho was sitting in the chair next to him. There was concern written all over her face. She spoke to him in Japanese and he answered in the same language. The sight of them together made my heart fall to my stomach.

"Karina…" He whispered; but loud enough that everyone could hear him.

"I'll just talk to you later...looks like you don't need me for anything."

I backed out of the room, burning tears rolling down my cheeks. Pulling my bag behind me, I went looking for Brit in hopes she'd give me a ride to the hotel. Instead of finding her, I found Adam. He was dressed in light colored jeans and a black button up western style shirt. His long hair was down across his shoulders.

The second he saw me, his facial expression changed instantly. "What's wrong?" He asked, wrapping an arm around me. "Would you mind taking me to the hotel?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Uh...sure…"

I followed him out of the building. Curling my bottom lip under my top one, he opened the passenger door to his rental car and allowed me to get inside. Adam quickly got behind the driver side and started the ignition. "I'm not going to ask what happened; but if you want to talk, I'll listen." He offered.

"I was foolish to think anyone could ever just want me."

"Karina...Kenny does want you. The man never shuts up about you."

"Then explain to me what his relationship with Riho is?"

The second her name rolled off my tongue, his expression changed once again. There was silence between us and it got me thinking that there was something there that Adam didn't want to tell me. "It's complicated and even I don't know all the details on it. I think it's something you guys need to talk about moving forward. There needs to be full communication or this will never work."

"I've been completely honest about my past...why can't he?"

"I don't have an answer to that."

Adam changed lanes to get across traffic so he could turn into the parking lot of the hotel where all talent was staying. He pulled up front, so he could allow me to go inside. "I'm going back to the arena to get my stuff. I forgot to grab it. Text me if you need to talk more, I'll be more than willing to listen further." He offered as I got out of the car.

"Thank you." I answered, closing the door behind me. He drove off and I turned to enter the hotel lobby.

Kenny

"She left!" I shouted, finally getting a chance to speak with Cody and The Bucks.

"Yeah, Hangman took her to the hotel. He's on his way back to get his own bags." Matt confirmed.

"Fucking Page took her. What the hell?"

Speaking of Hangman, he reentered the building. His eyes met mine and stopped walking to second he saw the anger obviously written on my own face. "Look, Kenny...she asked me to take her. She was crying, what was I supposed to do?" He asked, putting his hands up innocently.

I let out of defeated sigh and ran a hand through my tangled hair. This whole situation was a mess and I knew that I needed to fix it or I was going to lose Karina. That was something I wasn't willing to let go. "What happened to send her running in the first place?" Nick asked. He was obviously trying to understand what exactly was going on.

"Karina came into the trainers room when I was being looked at after the glass table spot. Riho was in the room with me."

"Ah...you haven't explained that relationship to her yet." Matt jokingly said, giving a slight nudge with his elbow.

"With all jokes aside, you should probably talk to her. She was pretty upset." Adam said, patting my shoulder before walking down the hall to grab his own things.

After filming a few things for BTE, I was finally behind the wheel of my rental car. Entering the lobby, I quietly asked the receptionist what room Karina was staying in. She was hesitant in telling me; but in the end, I eventually got my answer.

Getting to the fifth floor, I slowly walked down the long hallway before stopping at 517. Balling my hand into a fist, I knocked quietly. After a few seconds, the door opened and Karina stood before me. Her long hair was over her shoulder, covering the right side of her chest. She was dressed in a lavender colored ribbed tank top with a pair of black cotton shorts.

"Hey." I greeted softly.

"Hi…"

"Can we talk?"

She wordlessly stepped aside to allow me inside. Once inside, she closed the door and walked passed me to sit down on the small couch near the large window. The TV was on; however, it was on a very low volume. Her laptop was positioned on the edge of the coffee table, open to reveal what she had been doing before I arrived. The Skype call had ended; but it meant that she had been talking to someone.

"I'm sorry. I can't imagine how that looked to you." I apologized.

"No...you really can't. Considering all I've been through in my life, of course the worst would come to mind first."

"I'm not seeing her. I've known her since she was nine years old. She's been my tag team partner on numerous occasions over in Japan. She's a good friend, nothing romantic at all...I promise."

I sat down beside her, taking her hands into my own. She pulled her hands away and got to her knees, leaning in closer to me. Her hand reached for the back of my head, feeling the bump that had formed during the glass table spot. "Are you okay?" She asked, curling her fingers through my hair.

"I'm fine. Are you okay?"

"I'm okay, just careless…"

She opened her mouth to say something else; but I cut her off by placing my lips on hers. My hand curled behind her head, cradling it, while my other hand pressed against her back. She shifted to straddle my lap. Every movement of ours lips against each other, only seemed to intensify the desire between us. To be honest, I didn't know if she was ready for this step in our relationship. All I knew was that I wanted her.

Karina rolled her hips against me, creating friction on my lower half. Sucking in a breath, it turned into a low moan. Moving my lips to the shallow of her neck and collar bone, my hand slid under the hem of her top. If she wanted me to stop, I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to.

She tugged up on the base of my shirt, lifting it up over my head. Her fingertips roamed, taking in every detail before she leaned down to place her lips on the center of my chest. I watched eagerly as she continued to get lower, stopping at the belt line.

With another groan, I lightly pushed her back until she was laying beneath me. The rest felt like a dream. Our clothes continued to disappear until there was nothing left. The feeling of her skin against mine was indescribable and beyond the most enjoyable experience.

Her head rested against my bare chest. My arm wrapped loosely around her naked body. "I'm sorry for thinking the worst." She apologized, snuggling into the crook of my arm. I smiled, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

"It's okay. I completely understand how it looked and I'm sorry for not telling you about my friendship with Riho."

"I don't want to be one of those paranoid girlfriends."

"Trust me...I'm not Adrian and I'm not going to hurt you that way."

She smiled, kissing my arm before getting up. I watched her walk to the bed and pull the covers down. Getting up, I moved across the room to join her. I wrapped my arms around her from behind, kissing her shoulder. "Are you going to stay?" She asked softly.

"If you want me to."

Her silent nod was my answer. She crawled into the bed and I crawled in next to her, immediately pulling her back to me. I didn't want this night to end. My feelings for her were continuing to grow, perhaps I was even falling hard without ever realizing. Hey eyes closed and her soft breathing was a lull for me to fall asleep too, though I wanted to just watch her sleep. Unfortunately, that didn't happen for long. My tired body took control and I fell asleep with her in my arms.