Randy watched as the two approaching figures were all smiles and they held each other, probably whispering sweet nothings to each other. He felt his insides churn at the sight. He should be happy for the both of them. John, after all, was his best friend. But her…she was his everything, and if it hadn't been for his idiotic ways, it would have been him holding her right now, not John…not his best friend. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. His life was completely in the dumps and the only thing sadder than that, was that it was all his fault. He felt a presence in front of him…her presence. His eyes flew open to be met with her big beautiful honey brown eyes. He didn't take his eyes off her, so he easily noticed how she shifted her weight from one leg to another uncomfortably, as she looked every which way but his. He hadn't realized that he was intently focused on her until John spoke, making his presence known.

"Randy man…Trish and I were just heading out for dinner…I was thinking maybe you and Stacy could join us…kinda like a double date" John chuckled.

John was put in quite the predicament. His best friend and girlfriend didn't get along at all. It wasn't so much as they fought all the time, the problem was that they didn't even talk to each other and when the other was around, they hardly spoke in general. Despite Trish's protests, John was adamant that Randy and Stacy accompany them to dinner. Hopefully tonight, he'd actually be able to get the two of them talking, maybe they'd realize how much they had in common and build a friendship. That way John wouldn't have to feel like he was choosing between the two.

John snuck his hand around Trish's waist, pulling her closer, as if to re-ensure her that tonight was going to be fine. He could sense the tension off of her and the last thing he wanted was for her to go home upset with him. He just wanted her to realize he was coming from a good place.

Randy hesitated before answering and though his mind shouted at him to say 'no', he couldn't pass up the chance of being so close to her again. It had trouble written all over it but Randy had nothing left to lose.

"Um…you know what? I am kinda hungry and I'm sure Stacy would love to go out to eat, she's got expensive taste" he said laughingly, though it wasn't really a joke.

John noticed Trish flinch at Randy's words,

"You okay babe?" he asked concerned.

"Uh huh" she said nodding and putting on a small smile for him to see.

A ring could distinctly be heard floating through the air. Almost all the inmates of the room stopped to check their pockets, but alas it was John's phone that went off. Checking his caller ID, he turned to Randy and Trish,

"Hey, um…I gotta take this, it's Vince calling so it's probably important….oh and before I forget, Trish why don't you just give Randy all the information so that he and Stacy can meet us up later…Thanks hun" and with a quick peck on the lips, John was off to the nearest exit to take his call from Mr. McMahon. Trish's first instinct was worry, hoping that John hadn't found himself in any trouble with Vince and after that, her worry was immediately changed and it had something to do with a certain individual sitting right in front of her. She stood their quietly staring up at the ceiling, biting on her bottom lip, trying to figure out how to go about this. She really didn't want to be here…with him at least… and the fact that John didn't know the whole truth was the only reason she didn't flat out refuse to have any association with the one they call Randy Orton. She balled her fist at just the thought of him and completely forgetting where she was, she was interrupted from her thoughts.

"Uh…Trish?…" Randy questioned, whispering cautiously. Her eyes immediately darted to his and he couldn't mistake the fire that burned within them. He could clearly see the anger and frustration, but what she wasn't aware of, was that he could also see the hurt. Hurt that he put there and there hadn't been a day that had gone by that he hadn't wanted to kick himself for being such an idiot.

"Look…." she snapped at him.

"It's obviously very important to John that we get along, now I don't see how that could happen but I'm pretty good at pretending. If we're convincing enough, maybe then, he won't find it necessary to have us do these stupid double dates anymore. That way you can be with your Stacy and I can have time alone with John". She didn't waste any time in making her stance known. She wasn't his bitch to control and she was going to make sure she let him know that. However, standing in front of him with no John by her side, just staring into his blue orbs, she felt the butterflies all over again. Hell, she always felt the butterflies. Even when she would notice him walking through the halls. Of course, those butterflies would be replaced with anger when she would see the leggy Stacy Keibler hanging off his arm.

Randy bowed his head after a while and momentarily contemplated what he should say to her. Should he just lay it out all on the line right now, or wait for a better moment, or what if the best answer was to not do it at all. What if there really was no use? It's not like she'd believe a word out of his mouth anyway. Mentally shaking his thoughts off, Randy looked up at her, he wasn't going to let her get to him. He wasn't going to back down. If she wanted to act like a bitch, he would just continue acting like an ass to her. 'Although' his conscious argued, 'If you'd just been honest from the beginning rather than give back as good as she gave, then maybe…just maybe, she would be acting differently right now'. Randy sighed. He was so confused. He knew what he wanted to do, but he didn't want to risk getting hurt, but then again…how much more could it hurt than it does right now, not being with her?

"Fine, whatever you want Trish" he said quietly. "Can I get that address to the restaurant?" he politely asked. Trish was beyond shock at his attitude. Something must be wrong she thought. He was always ready to give it back to her, always ready to throw the past back in her face…throw Stacy back in her face.

"No snappy comeback…you're not gonna rub the fact that you're with Stacy in my face, you know…like you do all the other times we have the misfortune of speaking to one another?" she asked astonished.

"Look, I don't wanna fight, I'm tired of fighting…" he said exhaustedly. Without another word, Trish opened her bag and pulled out a piece a paper. She quickly scribbled down all the needed information and handed it to him. He reached out and grabbed the paper from her hand, at the same time, his fingers brushing against hers. She quickly pulled away and he knew that she had felt it too. That warm feeling that kind of gathered in the pit of your stomach like when you get your first kiss or make love for the first time or even a kid opening their present Christmas morning to find that they got what they asked Santa for.

"See you at seven" she said briskly, turning on her heels, practically running out of the room.

"What have you gotten yourself into Orton? What have you gotten yourself into?…." With a sigh, he stood up, pushing the paper into his pocket and was off back to his hotel room that he shared with his girlfriend Stacy. He was going to have to tell her the plans for tonight now, considering the amount of time she took to get ready. In a matter of a few minutes, he was standing outside of his hotel room door, his hand poised on the door knob. He wasn't worried about Stacy's reaction to their going out. In fact, Stacy loved to take every chance she could get to gloat in Trish's face that Randy was hers. Interestingly enough, many of the other occasions that the two couples had decided to go out together, Stacy was the one who would initiate the plan.

"Here goes nothing" and with that he entered his hotel room. After tonight, he was going to know once and for all where he stood and he secretly hoped that things turned out a lot different from what they were now.
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Randy and Stacy entered the restaurant with Stacy's arm looped through his. The restaurant wasn't too fancy but it wasn't so laid back that one could wear every day apparel to eat there. Well, at least not without looking like a big idiot. Randy didn't feel like wearing a suit so he opted for black dress pants with a grey V-neck sweater that was close fitting, to show off his taut muscles. Stacy's attire for the evening consisted of a black sequined tank top and pink mini skirt and paired off with black stilettos. Upon entrance, the host at the door immediately accompanied them to their table. They were a bit early so John and Trish hadn't arrived yet.

"Isn't this place great?" Stacy exclaimed, not at all phased by the situation.

"Yeah, it's nice" Randy replied distractedly as he roamed the menu of appetizers. He was hungry and was counting his lucky stars that the other couple would show up soon. As if on cue, he felt John's strong hands on his shoulders.

"Hey man…you're early, were you guys waiting long?" John asked as made his way to the other side of the table where two seats awaited him and his girlfriend

"Nah, we just got here" Randy answered.

John, like Randy, had opted for more casual as well. He wore black dress pants with a form fitting black shirt. Unlike Randy's his front had a few buttons, which he left unbuttoned. He stood in his place in front of Randy and Stacy.

"Where's Trish?" Stacy said. Randy knew Stacy better than John so that only he could actually recognized the hint of distaste she had for the other woman.

"I don't know… she was right behind me when we were coming in….Oh there she is" John said, with a big smile on his face.

"Hey, sorry…my purse accidentally fell out of my hand and some of my stuff fell out so I had to pick it up" she offered, giving her boyfriend an apologetic smile that was way too cute for anyone to stay mad at her, even if they were. Randy couldn't help but stare at her as she approached the table, immediately engaged in conversation with her boyfriend. She looked gorgeous, but when didn't she? She wore a black halter top dress that had a light blue flower pattern. They weren't too many flowers along the dress. The dress fell well above mid thigh and from the hips down, the rest of the dress had a knitted type of fringe with two slits up both sides. She also wore stilettos, which added to her height.

Trish turned around to face the other couple, with a smile so fake that it was a wonder that Stacy, with her big mouth, didn't call her up on it. This was going to be harder than she thought because she knew John was going to actually address this issue between Stacy, Randy and herself.

A couple of hours had passed, the conversation mainly consisted of John and Stacy and Randy. Trish silently picked at her food. John would constantly try to add her into the conversation by asking her opinion on whatever they were talking about, but truth be told, Trish wasn't even paying attention. She was mentally calculating how much longer the evening would last and those two hours seemed like two eons. They had just finished dessert and Trish politely excused herself to go to the ladies room. She silently prayed that Stacy didn't follow or offer to go with her because she knew how that would end up and she really didn't feel like getting Stacy's blood on her dress. She had just bought it. It was thing for Stacy to go around, acting like the big shot, but it was a completely different case when she thought she had a right to go around making threats to Trish as if her boney ass would actually stand a chance against Trish's more taut physique. Before she could reach the bathroom, she felt the gentle touch of an hand and she was ready to turn around and give Stacy Keibler a piece of her mind that would leave her in tears. However, when she turned around, her threats died on her lips. It wasn't Stacy that followed her, but Randy.

"What are you doing?" she whispered fiercely to the taller man.

"Look, I just wanna talk" Randy said pleadingly.

"Here!…Are you crazy?" she quietly exclaimed. As if there was anything else he had to say that she wanted to hear, but of all the things, he wanted to talk to her in front of the ladies room.

"It's important…I've been wanting to say this for a long time and now that I've finally got the courage, I'm not gonna let you leave here without hearing what I have to say", he sounded determined and Trish would be lying if she said she wasn't the least bit curious as to what this man had to say to her. However, Trish was much more stubborn than curious.

"I'm not interested…now if you'll excuse me…" she said as she turned and entered the ladies room. To her relief, there was only one middle-aged woman in the bathroom who was on her way out. She needed some time think and let go of the stresses that this one dinner caused and if she had to find solace in the ladies room, so be it. The lady finally left and Trish released a breath of relief before using both hands to lean against the sink and look at herself in the mirror.

Randy noticed a woman exiting the restroom so he decided to try his luck.

"Excuse me ma'am, I'm looking for a friend of mine and she said she was going to the bathroom because she wasn't feeling well. Have you by any chance seen her in there?" he asked.

"Yeah, the beautiful blonde in the black and blue dress…why yes…she's in there" the woman replied with a smile, happy to be of assistance.

"Thanks….oh wait…are you sure it's her and you're not getting her confused with another woman in there?" Randy asked hoping to get the woman to give him the information he needed.

"Yup, I'm sure it must be her, because other than myself, she was the only other person in there" the woman said.

'Bingo' Randy thought.

"Thank you ma'am" Randy said gratefully.

Checking both directions, seeing no one looking, Randy entered the woman's restroom and locked the door. He walked through the small corridor to the open area where the mirrors and sinks were. He noticed her reflection in the mirror before he actually stepped foot in the open area.

"You know…it's not fair that you women get couches in your rest room…not to mention, they make yours smell much more nicer" he said.

Trish jumped at the sound of the voice and the fact that it was a male voice, intensified her shock. Her eyes widen when she saw the reflection of the intruder in the mirror.

"What are you doing here? This is the ladies room if you haven't noticed" she said. This time, she paid no attention to the level of her voice since it was just the two of them in the room.

"You didn't let me explain" he said, keeping his voice calm and even.

"The explanation you gave me at the hotel that night was enough for me, thank you very much" she said.

"You aren't being fair to John" he said. She stared at him incredulously.

"Look, don't you for a second think that the only reason I'm with John is to get back at you Randy Orton!" she exclaimed. There was fire burning in her eyes. 'The audacity of him!' she thought.

"Then why are you with him?" he asked, a bit accusingly. If she wouldn't let him explain himself, then maybe he could find out about some of the things she was doing that left him a bit more than curious.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I'm with him, because unlike everyone else I've been with, he's not with me because he expects something. I enjoy his company and I really do care about him and he knows that" she said more softly this time.

"But you don't love him?" Randy asked. He held his breath…as bad as it sounded, he was hoping her answer was no. Not that John wasn't a great guy, because he was.

After a silence too long for Randy's liking, she answered,

"No, I don't love him….but he knows that and he understands what I'm going through right now…" she trailed off.

"Trish…I…." he was interrupted by her.

"Why are you doing this to me Randy?" she asked, her voiced cracking with emotion and her eyes threatening not to the let the tears spill over.

"I don't wanna hurt you anymore…I haven't been honest with you or myself…." his voice trailed off his he mentally try to figure out a way to explain it all to her. Try to explain why he did what he did.

"Look Randy, it doesn't matter anymore, I'm with John, you're with Stacy…and that's that". She continued, "You say you don't' wanna hurt me anymore, well…I don't want to be hurt by you anymore either Randy…four months…for four months I unintentionally let you become my everything and I bet you, if I closed my eyes right now, you probably couldn't tell me what colour they were. If I was depressed, you wouldn't know what movie cheers me up, you don't know my favourite colour, or actor or what I studied in school….you don't even know the most basic things about me…things that I tell strangers and they remember…but not you Randy….and the sad thing is, I really wanted you to…I really wanted you to care" this time the tears spilt over and she didn't bother to wipe them away. She just opened up a wound that she thought was at least starting to heal. She figured if you ignore the problem long enough, it'll just disappear, but the only thing it does, is make it harder to face when you inevitably have to deal with it. She wiped at her eyes furiously, not caring how she looked and she made her way to the exit of the bathroom. She couldn't be here any longer and if John insisted she stick it out, she would much rather walk back to her room by foot.

"They're honey brown…." he whispered just as she was about to unlock the door and open it.

"What?" she said, confused about what he was talking about.

"Your eyes…they're honey brown…they turn kind of greenish when you turn your heard in angle when your in the sunlight….when you're depressed, you like to pop in Shrek 2 or The Mask…anything Mike Myers or Jim Carrey because you love to laugh. Your favourite flower…you love daisies because their simple and sweet but you love exotic flowers because their beauty is so unique. Your favourite colour is purple and pink and you studied biology at university. You've got two younger sisters whom you completely adore and two little nephews who think of you as their everything…I'm just sorry I didn't let you know that you were mine too" Randy wiped away the few tears that managed to escape his eyes. He made his way towards her…towards the exit. The ball was in her court now, there was nothing left for him to do.

Trish stood frozen in place, tears spilling down her cheeks. He remembered everything…but then why did he choose her?….

Before either could move any further, a loud knock accompanied with John's voice sent Trish into a panic. This didn't look good…her and Randy alone in a bathroom, not to mention it was locked. Randy nodded to Trish, letting her know that he was thinking the exact same thing. Trish quickly wiped away the tears before silently preparing herself to answer John.

"Trish, open up…you've been in there for a long time and I'm not leaving until you open the door" concern was dripping from his voice.

"Hey John…I'm fine, look…what don't you just order some more drinks and I'll be out in a couple of seconds" she yelled through the door.

"No, how bout I not!, Trish please open the door" he was now pleading and with one final look Randy's way, she conceded.

John ran through the doors but before he could ask her what happened to her, he noticed Randy standing there.

"What's going?" he asked in complete confusion, not a hint of accusation or jealousy in his voice.

"Randy what the hell are you doing in here with that slut!" Stacy asked incredulously.

"Stacy…" John interrupted, "say something like that again about Trish and I promise you, you will be regret the fact that God ever gave you the ability to open your mouth, much less speak".

Stacy's mouth snapped shut. Randy, however, made eye contact with Trish and when he felt John's stare, he turned to meet his friend's stare before exiting the rest room, Stacy hot on his coat tails.

This time John was the one to close the door and switch the lock.

"Trish, what's going on" he asked gently.

"Look John, nothing happened between Randy and I in here, we were just talking…." she paused a moment before continuing.

"You remember that night you took me out for drinks, it was one of our earlier dates… and you asked me if I had ever been in love?" she questioned.

"Yeah, I remember…you said yes, but that you couldn't be with the man you loved and he didn't want to be with you…you also…" he trailed off, light bulbs flashing in his head.

"It was Randy" he said it as a statement rather than a question.

She only nodded, biting her lip nervously as she waited for him to erupt and for the name calling to start. Once again, he surprised her by his innocent curiosity.

"How?" he asked gently. He couldn't recall Randy ever mentioning going out with Trish. He would have remembered that.

"Well, it all started after the most recent break up between Randy and Stacy. I should have known that they would just get back together, it was like part of their cycle of their dysfunctional relationship that seemed to work…Well during that time, Randy had an autograph and meet and greet with the fans in NYC with Vicky, but she got sick so Vince sent me instead. After the session, we both decided to explore the city together. We ended up going for drinks and we started talking. We had so much in common but enough differences to keep things interesting. I couldn't deny that I was extremely attracted to him physically and I was definitely taking a fast liking to him on a more emotional level. We went out a couple more times and he finally kissed me on our fourth date. Things got pretty heated after that and a couple weeks later, we slept together. I remember laying in bed and he told me that he didn't want anyone to know that we were together just yet…If I hadn't been so wrapped up in him, I would have realized that any man that's ashamed to let people know that he's with you, isn't looking for anything long-term with you…" she trailed off as she try to compose herself.

John made his way over and embraced. Gently stroking her back and whispering words of encouragement,

"It's okay sweetie, go on, I'm listening…" he kept her in the embrace and didn't let go, even after she continued on with her story.

"Well, to make a long story short, after about a month and a half of being together secretly, he gets back together with Stacy. I think Stacy found out about her little secret relationship because she found extreme joy in breaking the news to me. When I confronted him, he admitted to it but things didn't stop there. We kept seeing each other and Stacy knew what was going on too. I didn't wanna let go of him…I really did fall in love with him. Our little affair went on for the next two and half months until one night sent me to my breaking point. Most of the RAW roster went out for drinks at a club. Well Stacy took it upon herself to show me who's boss and she made some comments about me being a slut and a whore who just opened her legs for anyone…everyone there were my friends and didn't pay much mind to her but to tell her to shut up…but I still felt humiliated and the worst part was that he just stood there…didn't say a thing, he tightly held her waist as she braced up against his chest and she was smirking about her quaint little insult. That night when he came to my room, I slept with him, if only for one last time and then I told him that I was tired of this. That I wasn't going to be the woman on the side and that I deserved more than that so he had to choose. Well…obviously he chose Stacy and I told him to get his things and leave and never come back. And that's basically the story in a nutshell".

Trish pulled away from John and gave him a brave smile. She was about to speak once again and John knew exactly what she was going to say.

"Don't you dare apologize…don't apologize to me Trish, for having a past. Don't apologize to me because you're in love with my best friend. I'm not gonna stand here and do what Stacy did Trish. I'm not gonna demean you and insult you because if there's anyone who doesn't deserve it, it's you Trish. Don't apologize for leading me on because you haven't. Don't think I'm mad at you because without a shadow of a doubt, I know that you aren't with me as way to avenge your broken heart. You know…they say the ones that can love you best are the ones that can hurt you most…Sweetie, you love him and you are never gonna be happy with yourself if you don't at least know that you've tried to find that happiness, that you at least gave it another chance….a chance at something real. I care about you a lot, and I want to see you happy and Randy is what can make you happy….I've known Randy for a long time and I know exactly why he did what he did, but I think it'll sound much better and much more sincere coming from him" John smiled down at her petite frame to ensure her that everything was cool between them. She returned his smile before giving him one last gentle kiss on the lips. As she pulled away, she embraced him for one last hug.

"Thank you John, you are amazing…you know I love you right?" she said smiling.

"Of course, who doesn't love the Dr. of Thuganomics…now go get your man…." and with that she was off.

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It didn't take her long to find him. He was sitting on the sandy beach just staring out into the ocean. This was where he came to think and Trish hoped that she didn't mess this up. She pulled off her stilettos and held them in one hand as she made her way towards him. Before she could even reach by his side, just a few steps behind him, he asked her,

"How did it go with John?" he asked in a weary manner. His voice was strained as if he had been crying.

"It went well…he's a great guy and we both decided that we're better off as really great friends" she said, her voice unintentionally growing quiet.

He turned in her direction.

"As much as you love the ocean, I don't really think this is a coincidence". Trish decided to ignore his comment and stop beating around the bush.

"Randy….to be honest, I don't know what to say….I thought I did, I thought I'd just come down here and tell you what I feel, but it's occurred to me that I still don't know what you want".

He stood up and dusted the sand off his pants. He held out his hand to her.

"Come here…." she grabbed his hand and he pulled her up, leading her into the opening of the ocean. He led her in so that the water was to their knees and the splashes caused by the tides had eventually drenched their hair and clothes. He just stood there and stared at her for a while, taking in her beauty.

He began,

"I didn't choose you because I was scared….scared of opening up myself to the thought of losing you, of not being good enough. I'm younger, I'm inexperienced…I've never known love before, and I didn't realize that until I met you. Standing in this ocean with you….it represents everything you make me feel….pure, open, serene, endless….yet complete." He stopped to wipe at the tears that came rolling down her cheeks.

"I made a mistake and I'm glad I did it Trish….not the part about hurting you, but when they say you never know what you got till it's gone…they knew what they were talking about….those months without you made me realize how much more precious you and my love for you were and even if you walk away today….just know that, I love you….I really do". He closed his eyes, mentally preparing himself for the worst but when he opened them back up, he was immediately met with a pair of lips in the most tender and loving kiss he'd ever experience. He grabbed her waist pulling her closer and deepening the kiss. After a few minutes they both pulled away.

"I love you too Randy, I love you too" she replied before their lips met once again. And that's how they were left, completely wet, standing in the ocean as the sun began to rise. They were completely in love and he was….well…he was complete, because to be with her…was everything.