PART THREE
Later that same night, Chris found himself at a bar, throwing back beers with a few of his coworkers - namely, Jay, Rob Szaktowski, and Matt Hardy. Considering how much he enjoyed drinking and being around his buddies, he was disappointed by how bored he was. Then again, the situation wasn't exactly allowing him to have any fun. Jay and Rob - who, for some reason, got extremely philosophical when drunk - were deeply engulfed in a conversation, and Chris had hardly spoken two words to Matt since the elder Hardy dumped Amy almost six months earlier for, of all people, Jackie Gayda.
His decision in leaving Amy for the blonde woman had baffled Chris. Why go for a talentless, not to mention loose, woman like Jackie – for an affair which, by the way, lasted all of two weeks - when he already had the most beautiful woman in the company? Then again, Matt never had been the smartest individual, and he was an adult, free to do as he pleased... Chris would just be sure not to associate with him. He groaned quietly, tossing the empty bottle in his hand to the table as he stood. He muttered something about needing fresh air and walked away, ignoring the wave Matt sent him. Getting away from those three for a little while would be good for him. On his way to the exit, something - rather someone - caught his attention.
She was sitting alone at a table by the back, her red hair hanging loosely over her shoulders, which were made bare by the black tank top she was wearing. Chris's breath caught in his throat as he eyed her stunning form, his legs suddenly getting a mind of their own and working their way over to her.
"Hey!" he called over the loud music. "Mind if I join you?"
Amy glanced up from her margarita, nodding as she grinned brightly at him. Chris gladly took the seat across from her, sliding his chair in until their knees bumped together.
"I was hoping I'd see you here," she said, surprising him a bit. "Trish told me you'd be here. Can you believe we actually had a civil enough conversation for me to get that out of her?" Chris frowned, despite Amy's smooth laughter.
"I'm sorry, Ames. I've tried talking to her about that," Chris replied, shrugging his shoulders.
"Eh, oh well. You can't please everyone, I suppose," she quipped in response. "Now, tell me, Chris... are you going to ask me to dance, or what?" Chris laughed nervously, blushing a bit as he nodded.
"Of course I am," he replied with a wink. "May I have this dance, Miss Dumas?"
Giggling softly, Amy accepted his outreached hand, standing up and allowing him to lead her to the dance floor. Once they were out there, Chris pulled his hand from hers, wrapping an arm around her slender waist and pulling her to him. Amy grinned as she tossed her arms around his neck, sealing off all the distance between them and smirking as she watched his lips curl into a lazy smile. He wanted her so much, she could practically smell it on him... this was going to be far too easy.
"So," Chris said as the two swayed along, their movements in synch with the rhythm of the song. "How come Trish didn't come out as well?"
Amy nearly let out an aggravated groan, but she held her tongue. She couldn't believe he had asked such a question. Here he was on the dance floor, his arms securely wrapped around *her* waist, and he was *still* preoccupied with Trish! What the hell was it going to take for her to draw the attention away from that blonde brat?! Chris's question did not please her in the least. For a split second she considered pushing him away, but then an even better idea came to mind.
"Well, we didn't talk for very long, but from what I gathered, I think she chose to stay back at the hotel because she didn't want to see you. I'm sorry I didn't ask for details, but with the way we've been lately, I didn't want to start another argument over something like that," she lied, catching herself before the smirk made its way to her lips.
She *had* really spoken to Trish earlier that evening, and the blonde diva did tell her where she'd find Chris. However, Trish wasn't mad at Chris in the least. In fact, she'd expressed concern because she had thought *he* was mad at *her*, not the other way around. She had opted to stay back at the hotel because she didn't want another confrontation with him like the one that afternoon. Amy laughed to herself as she watched Chris's expression drop, the naive man believing her lie.
"Me?" he questioned, and judging by his gaze Amy could tell he was asking himself, not her. "What did I do?"
He couldn't imagine why Trish would be angry with him. He must have really pissed her off to make her go out of her way to avoid him, especially considering how easy going and laid back she was. Maybe he had been a little too harsh that afternoon when he'd reprimanded her for her treatment of the redhead he was dancing with. His last thought reminding him that was indeed still with Amy, he shrugged it off.
"She'll get over it," he said with a grin. Amy grinned widely in response, playfully smacking him on the arm.
"You're terrible," she replied with a laugh.
When their conversation once again fell into silence, Amy moved closer to Chris, resting her head on his shoulder. Chris glanced down at her, surprised by her sudden action, but not at all planning to complain. He tightened the already secure grip he had locked around her waist. Amy gasped as she felt his hands drop down, coming dangerously close to being in contact with her butt. Her head snapped up and she stared into his blue eyes, becoming locked in the heated gaze. Deciding it was time to make her move, she leaned forward, her lips coming within mere centimeters of his, until...
"Yo, Chris!"
Amy groaned as she heard the familiar voice of Jay Reso. She glanced past Chris - whose face bore a look similar to hers - to see his best friend approaching him, smacking him on the back.
"Can't you see we were in the middle of something?!" Amy snapped, pushing Chris out of the way.
She stepped up to Jay, her hazel eyes full of fury as she stared him down. She rarely said much to him, and likewise with him towards her, but was beyond pissed. He had interrupted what could have been a crucial moment in her landing Chris. The Canadian brushed her comment off, ignoring her totally as he turned to Chris.
"Come on man, we're leaving... Rob's had it," he called, gesturing back to their table.
Chris glanced past Amy and Jay and caught a glimpse of Rob back at the table, teetering a bit as he tried to stand. Just beside him was Matt, who was trying his hardest not to laugh as he helped a drunken Rob to his feet. Upon seeing Matt Hardy, Chris drew his gaze back to Amy, who was eyeing her exboyfriend with distaste. He said and did nothing for a moment, in debate with himself over what to do. Staying behind with Amy would send a strong message to Jay, especially after their heated discussion on her that afternoon. It also had the potential of causing some unnecessary drama between the two, and with Trish already angry at him, he couldn't afford the same with Jay.
His eyes drifted back and forth between Amy and Jay, hating this feeling that he was being forced to choose between them. Taking a deep breath, Chris's gaze rested on Amy, studying her beautiful face closely. What better way to reveal his feelings for her? As he continued to eye her wonderingly, something she had said not too long ago came to mind. "You can't please everyone, I suppose." She was right... you *couldn't* please everyone, and sometimes it had to be your closest friends that were let down.
He swooped his head down, capturing her lips in a kiss, ignoring the shocked look on his best friend's face.
Later that same night, Chris found himself at a bar, throwing back beers with a few of his coworkers - namely, Jay, Rob Szaktowski, and Matt Hardy. Considering how much he enjoyed drinking and being around his buddies, he was disappointed by how bored he was. Then again, the situation wasn't exactly allowing him to have any fun. Jay and Rob - who, for some reason, got extremely philosophical when drunk - were deeply engulfed in a conversation, and Chris had hardly spoken two words to Matt since the elder Hardy dumped Amy almost six months earlier for, of all people, Jackie Gayda.
His decision in leaving Amy for the blonde woman had baffled Chris. Why go for a talentless, not to mention loose, woman like Jackie – for an affair which, by the way, lasted all of two weeks - when he already had the most beautiful woman in the company? Then again, Matt never had been the smartest individual, and he was an adult, free to do as he pleased... Chris would just be sure not to associate with him. He groaned quietly, tossing the empty bottle in his hand to the table as he stood. He muttered something about needing fresh air and walked away, ignoring the wave Matt sent him. Getting away from those three for a little while would be good for him. On his way to the exit, something - rather someone - caught his attention.
She was sitting alone at a table by the back, her red hair hanging loosely over her shoulders, which were made bare by the black tank top she was wearing. Chris's breath caught in his throat as he eyed her stunning form, his legs suddenly getting a mind of their own and working their way over to her.
"Hey!" he called over the loud music. "Mind if I join you?"
Amy glanced up from her margarita, nodding as she grinned brightly at him. Chris gladly took the seat across from her, sliding his chair in until their knees bumped together.
"I was hoping I'd see you here," she said, surprising him a bit. "Trish told me you'd be here. Can you believe we actually had a civil enough conversation for me to get that out of her?" Chris frowned, despite Amy's smooth laughter.
"I'm sorry, Ames. I've tried talking to her about that," Chris replied, shrugging his shoulders.
"Eh, oh well. You can't please everyone, I suppose," she quipped in response. "Now, tell me, Chris... are you going to ask me to dance, or what?" Chris laughed nervously, blushing a bit as he nodded.
"Of course I am," he replied with a wink. "May I have this dance, Miss Dumas?"
Giggling softly, Amy accepted his outreached hand, standing up and allowing him to lead her to the dance floor. Once they were out there, Chris pulled his hand from hers, wrapping an arm around her slender waist and pulling her to him. Amy grinned as she tossed her arms around his neck, sealing off all the distance between them and smirking as she watched his lips curl into a lazy smile. He wanted her so much, she could practically smell it on him... this was going to be far too easy.
"So," Chris said as the two swayed along, their movements in synch with the rhythm of the song. "How come Trish didn't come out as well?"
Amy nearly let out an aggravated groan, but she held her tongue. She couldn't believe he had asked such a question. Here he was on the dance floor, his arms securely wrapped around *her* waist, and he was *still* preoccupied with Trish! What the hell was it going to take for her to draw the attention away from that blonde brat?! Chris's question did not please her in the least. For a split second she considered pushing him away, but then an even better idea came to mind.
"Well, we didn't talk for very long, but from what I gathered, I think she chose to stay back at the hotel because she didn't want to see you. I'm sorry I didn't ask for details, but with the way we've been lately, I didn't want to start another argument over something like that," she lied, catching herself before the smirk made its way to her lips.
She *had* really spoken to Trish earlier that evening, and the blonde diva did tell her where she'd find Chris. However, Trish wasn't mad at Chris in the least. In fact, she'd expressed concern because she had thought *he* was mad at *her*, not the other way around. She had opted to stay back at the hotel because she didn't want another confrontation with him like the one that afternoon. Amy laughed to herself as she watched Chris's expression drop, the naive man believing her lie.
"Me?" he questioned, and judging by his gaze Amy could tell he was asking himself, not her. "What did I do?"
He couldn't imagine why Trish would be angry with him. He must have really pissed her off to make her go out of her way to avoid him, especially considering how easy going and laid back she was. Maybe he had been a little too harsh that afternoon when he'd reprimanded her for her treatment of the redhead he was dancing with. His last thought reminding him that was indeed still with Amy, he shrugged it off.
"She'll get over it," he said with a grin. Amy grinned widely in response, playfully smacking him on the arm.
"You're terrible," she replied with a laugh.
When their conversation once again fell into silence, Amy moved closer to Chris, resting her head on his shoulder. Chris glanced down at her, surprised by her sudden action, but not at all planning to complain. He tightened the already secure grip he had locked around her waist. Amy gasped as she felt his hands drop down, coming dangerously close to being in contact with her butt. Her head snapped up and she stared into his blue eyes, becoming locked in the heated gaze. Deciding it was time to make her move, she leaned forward, her lips coming within mere centimeters of his, until...
"Yo, Chris!"
Amy groaned as she heard the familiar voice of Jay Reso. She glanced past Chris - whose face bore a look similar to hers - to see his best friend approaching him, smacking him on the back.
"Can't you see we were in the middle of something?!" Amy snapped, pushing Chris out of the way.
She stepped up to Jay, her hazel eyes full of fury as she stared him down. She rarely said much to him, and likewise with him towards her, but was beyond pissed. He had interrupted what could have been a crucial moment in her landing Chris. The Canadian brushed her comment off, ignoring her totally as he turned to Chris.
"Come on man, we're leaving... Rob's had it," he called, gesturing back to their table.
Chris glanced past Amy and Jay and caught a glimpse of Rob back at the table, teetering a bit as he tried to stand. Just beside him was Matt, who was trying his hardest not to laugh as he helped a drunken Rob to his feet. Upon seeing Matt Hardy, Chris drew his gaze back to Amy, who was eyeing her exboyfriend with distaste. He said and did nothing for a moment, in debate with himself over what to do. Staying behind with Amy would send a strong message to Jay, especially after their heated discussion on her that afternoon. It also had the potential of causing some unnecessary drama between the two, and with Trish already angry at him, he couldn't afford the same with Jay.
His eyes drifted back and forth between Amy and Jay, hating this feeling that he was being forced to choose between them. Taking a deep breath, Chris's gaze rested on Amy, studying her beautiful face closely. What better way to reveal his feelings for her? As he continued to eye her wonderingly, something she had said not too long ago came to mind. "You can't please everyone, I suppose." She was right... you *couldn't* please everyone, and sometimes it had to be your closest friends that were let down.
He swooped his head down, capturing her lips in a kiss, ignoring the shocked look on his best friend's face.
