Chapter VII: Birthday Surprises

Silence, to say the least, characterized the next week of their road travel. Samia and Rob still continued to hang out with friends on a nightly basis but there was this tension now. She wanted to know if he cared in the least or if she should stop pining away for something that wasn't there. She was afraid the situation would only get worse if she broached the subject, but the tension was already almost suffocating. Rob was feeling the same and, when she said nothing by the end of the week, he began making plans for the coming Monday.

RAW was getting less and less boring, or, really, more and more animated. She never knew what could or would happen every Monday evening, especially if Shawn Michaels was parading around in his underwear again. At least at the house shows, the nWo stayed their distance and rarely caused trouble. The most they ever did to her was say "hello" and ask how things were going.

RVD stopped one of the staff in the parking lot before entering the building. "Did they come?" he asked and the man, seeming to know exactly what he was taking about, nodded. "Thanks, dude."

"What was that all about?" Samia queried.

"Nothing really," he dismissed.

"Okay," she replied, still curious. However, she didn't want to push it. He was his own man and not everything he did was any of her business. The two of them arrived at his dressing room door, courtesy of a hospitality representative. The woman gave Rob a knowing smile where Samia couldn't see.

"Wait," he said to the blonde and went in first, closing the door behind him. After a moment, he came back out. "Um, I don't like this room. We need to find somewhere else to go."

"What's so wrong with it? Let me see," Samia replied, not usually this stubborn. He was hiding something and she knew it had something to do with her and probably the nWo. She ducked under his arm and was in the room before he could stop her.

"Um, happy birthday, Samia," he quietly said from behind her.

She circled the room and exclaimed, "All this for me?" There were five vases of a dozen white roses a piece, accented with black, sparkling baby's breath, at various points within the room. On the coffee table in front of the sofa was a half dozen carnival roses. Beside the beautiful mauve and white roses was a wrapped package.

"Well, um, no, not exactly," he muttered.

"Really? They all have my name on them," she replied with a smirk as she began to collect each of the cards from the matching vases. The five cards had "Happy Birthday" written on them but signed with different names—Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Big Show, and X-Pac. This was insane. She couldn't believe they would do such a thing. Even though she reveled in someone, or someones, who knew her birthday and bought her roses, she had a small, sick feeling in the bottom of her stomach from how low they were stooping to get to her and Rob.

"Well, that only leaves one vase," she said, setting aside the other cards with a sly smile. These had to be from him and she couldn't wait to open the card and the package. Rob stood in one corner and just watched. He had been completely taken aback when he walked into the room. It hadn't taken anything at all to know from whom the extra vases were. The damn nWo had ruined his plans.

Samia pulled the card from the carnival roses. Handwritten on the mauve card was, "Samia, thanks for ALL you do for me. Have a wonderful birthday! Rob." She replaced the card and smiled at him but he halfheartedly returned it. She picked up the package and tore into the butterfly wrapping paper. Inside the box she found a gorgeous black necklace that sparkled like the baby's breath in the roses. Several strands of dainty beads and onyx stones were woven in an intricate design. A silver ring with the same jewels set in the band was nestled in with necklace.

Rob finally spoke. "I have to take credit for that. I picked it out by myself. Well, sort of, Lita helped." He came to sit beside her on the couch. "Sorry about the rest of the flowers. I didn't expect them to be here, well, I didn't expect them at all…I, well, um…happy birthday, Samia."

"Rob, the flowers, the necklace…they're beautiful. Thank you so much," she gushed, hugging him. When she pulled away, she asked, "Help me put the necklace on. I'm not good with the short ones." Rob carefully laid the necklace against her bare neck and fixed the clasp. The ring fit perfectly on her right index finger.

"Looks good on you," he said, running a fingertip across the black stones. There was a moment of silence between them, the tension beginning to mount again. He then stole a quick kiss from her. She took a chance and leaned back in for another kiss. Neither drew back immediately but drank longer from each other's lips than their first one behind the curtain. No one could have known how much longer it would have lasted if there hadn't been a knock at the door.

Rob inwardly groaned as she pulled away. "I'll get it," she said and rose to answer the door. On the other side was one of the WWE staff. "Adrienne, what can I do for you?" she asked as nicely as possible since the woman had just interrupted their moment. Adrienne Bradley was about the same height and same build as Samia but with naturally light blonde hair. Even though Samia's hair was a bit shorter and a bit darker, they had often been mistaken for each other from behind. Adrienne was basically a go-fer for anyone who needed "going for."

"Miss Carlsen, I have a message for you from Shawn Michaels," she answered.

"And that would be…" Samia asked, trying to hide her agitation.

"He wants you to come to his dressing room for a just a minute," Adrienne replied, a hand on her hip to wait for Samia's answer.

"Please, tell him I said 'no.'" The other blonde nodded and left.

"What was that about, chica?" Rob asked, rising from the couch and meeting her halfway across the room.

"Nothing, just some stuff about the upcomin' schedule and some expense reports I need to take care of," she explained and then rolled her eyes and lolled out her tongue. "You know, that kind of crap. I'm gonna take all these out to the car…except for yours. I want to look at them all night."

"Alright, I need to check in since you didn't get a chance to do that," he said, picking up her hand and rolling the ring. She couldn't help but giggle and he leaned in for a kiss before leaving.

She picked up a vase, since they were too big to carry more than one at a time, and headed out the door. On her second return trip, she saw Adrienne coming down the hall in her direction. She glared at no one in particular, rolled her eyes, and turned to go in the opposite direction but the other woman had already seen her.

"Look, if I don't tell you, I don't get paid," Adrienne stated, a little bitingly.

"Sorry," Samia replied. "What is it this time?"

"Shawn only asks for a few minutes."

She almost said 'yes' because she was so curious to know what he wanted. "No, I'm sorry. I hope he's not such an asshole as to not pay you because I say 'no.'"

"I'd just lie and tell him you said 'yes,'" Adrienne replied and Samia wasn't sure if she should take that as a stab or a joke.

"Well…" she began but the other blonde was already on her way. She wanted to send Shawn a message through Adrienne but she was out of sight. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the birthday roses but she didn't have a good feeling about these guys…except for that feeling of lust when looking at Nash, Hunter, or Shawn. She mentally chided herself about thinking of other guys while locking lips with Rob.

When Samia returned to their room, RVD was still gone. She just assumed he was down in the weight room, prepping for the match. In his absence, she fiddled with the vase of carnival roses and smiled at Rob's thought of getting them for her. She was brought out of her thoughts by a knock at the door. Grand Central Station, how may I help you? she sarcastically thought and rose from the couch.

The blonde answered the door to once again find Adrienne but this time with the Big Show standing behind her. Samia shook her head and sighed, "What does he want?"

"To see you," Adrienne replied, hands on her hips.

"What for?"

"I don't know," she answered with a hint of exasperation. "Nash wants to know if you would at least come for him."

Samia wondered why it would make difference which one was doing the requesting. "Show, what is it?" The hulking man just shook his head. She didn't know if he didn't know or wouldn't tell.

"Adrienne, I'm not comin'. Tell him and all the others how much I appreciate the flowers but…"

The Big Show stopped her in mid-sentence. "I will tell you this much. Shawn said if you wouldn't come this time, that I was to do this." The wrestler stepped into the room and threw Samia like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder. Her first instinct was to scream, kick her legs, and flail her arms but she knew better than to fight it. She was no match for him and no one would probably bother going up against him to rescue her. Adrienne waved at her as she bounced along over Show's back, wondering where Rob was when she actually needed him.

After almost banging her head on the door while opening it, Show ungraciously dropped her in the middle of the nWo's den. Michaels smugly stood from where he sat on a burgundy leather couch. "Angel, why don't you want to come see us? Especially after all the flowers?"

"Look," she turned to each of them in turn, "it's not that I don't appreciate the gorgeous roses. I was gonna tell you 'thank you' on my time instead of bein' forced to come here." She was getting a little nervous standing in the middle of these five huge men.

"Those are some strong words, chick," Nash spoke.

"We gotta go," Show interjected, probably to get out the situation since he and X-Pac were completely oblivious to, or doing an excellent job of, ignoring what was going on. "We've got a match," he explained and the duo headed out the door.

Hunter followed them. "I'm gonna go protect them," he said, nodding and pointing after them. She figured he was going to get away from tension that now filled the room as she was left with Shawn and Kevin.

"Come on, girl," Kevin said after the door closed behind Triple H. "Tell us, what does RVD got that we don't?"

"That's not fair," she coolly stated.

"Being fair is over-rated," Kevin responded with a tinge of arrogance.

"I tend to like things a little on the fair side. Do any of you know what that is?" she asked, her voice beginning to rise in anger at the situation they were putting her in.

"Oooohh, that hurt, Angel," Shawn replied, faking a pain in his side.

"Don't blame me, blame reality, blame yourself."

"Why don't you like us?" Kevin asked, settling on the arm of the couch. "First time we met, you said we were your favorite."

"I never said I didn't like y'all and y'all are still my favorite wrestlers. Being 'pursued,'" she made the quote marks with her fingers, "by the nWo is any woman's dream. But that's only because she's not lookin' beyond your sex appeal and strength." Shawn blew across his knuckles and shined them on his shirt. She made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat and then continued, "They don't see the trail of destruction you leave behind. Here is real life." She pointed down at the floor and then at the door. "At home on the couch is fantasy. That's the hardest thing that I've had to learn in the few months that I've been here."

Nash squinted at her and then asked as if he didn't understand, "Now, tell me again what the problem is."

"Geez, guys, you just don't get it," she said and threw her arms up in the air before crossing them over her chest again. "If I have your permission, I'm leavin' now."

"Wait," Shawn called, coming across the room towards her. "Happy birthday, Angel." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into one of those kisses only Jackie Collins writes about. She would have melted into a puddle on the floor if he didn't have her in an embrace. Time stood still for what felt like an eternity but Nash's booming laughter brought her back into reality. She tried to push away from Shawn and he released her from his kiss. "Let me change your mind about leaving," he seductively suggested.

"Um, I have to, um, I really, um…" she stuttered, backing up towards the door.

"Have to go," Nash finished for her. Her cheeks turned a deep crimson. Shawn kept one arm around her while opening the door and then let her go on the threshold. She stumbled over herself trying to leave. Her legs were nothing but jelly. Once outside, she leaned up against the wall to try and gain her composure. Finally, she sunk to the floor and leaned her head against the wall, wiping her lips and then fanning her face with her hands to try to cool off before returning to Rob's room.

"Samia?" Her heart stopped and her legs went completely numb. She slowly opened her eyes to see Rob standing over her. "What're you doing here?"

"I was abducted by aliens."

"Excuse me?"

"Help me up and I'll explain everythin'," she said, holding up her hands for him to take. Back in their room, she laid it all out on the table, with the exception of Shawn's kiss. "You trust me, don't you?" He nodded at her and she sighed. "Can we get out of here when your match is over?"

"Sure, let me take you out for a birthday dinner," he suggested.

"You've already done enough for my birthday," she said, waving him off.

"You deserve it after all the hell the nWo has put you through," he replied and then leaned in to steal a quick kiss before they both headed out to the ring.

After Shawn's kiss, she felt dirty from such a sweet kiss from Rob. Her desire was drawn to Shawn, but her heart was drawn to Rob. She just couldn't figure out why they were doing this to her. She was no beauty, no one special, so why? If they were after Rob, why were they targeting her? Why not go straight for the goal? It was all too baffling to figure out.

And it didn't help when a knock sounded on Samia's door shortly after they returned from their meal. "Just a moment," she called, wrapping a robe around her before looking through the peephole. "Oh, crap," she murmured to herself when she saw Shawn Michaels on the other side. She couldn't very well not answer the door since he had already heard her. Shaking off the tingles from the memory of his kiss, she pulled the door open just enough for him to see her face. "Yes?"

"You forgot something at the arena last week," he answered and held out the metallic pin that had been holding her hair up last week before Rob had pulled it out. She opened the door far enough to get her arm through to take the pin. Shawn casually leaned in towards the door, opening it farther. "Yeah, it seems RVD dropped it 'round about the time he did this," HBK said and cupped her cheek, his fingers running into her hair. He began to lean in and she immediately backed up, this time finding her resolve.

"Don't."

"You liked it enough earlier today."

Samia wanted this to end and, while she didn't know what words to say, she was going to say something. She glanced out into the hallway to make sure no one was looking and then gestured for Shawn to come in. Immediately, she headed straight for the adjoining door and locked her side. "Shawn," she sighed, pressing the back of her hand to her head in an effort to quell the headache that was slowly coming on, "I am not interested in you."

"But I'm interested in you," he replied and slipped a finger instead the neck of the robe, running it halfway down to the belt.

She quickly pushed his hand away. "Will you please leave us alone? Just tell me what you want with Rob or with me or with the both of us. I'll see what I can do if you'll just leave us alone."

"What if that's not an option?"

"If you'll just tell me what it is you want, it might be," she answered, exasperation starting to grow in her voice as she caught him in advance this time and slapped his hand away.

"Just your heart."

"That belongs to someone else. It seems we are at an impasse. If that's so, please leave."

"I could change your mind," he said and took a step towards her. She immediately backpedaled and slipped around him.

"No," she replied, pulling the door open and taking a quick peek outside. Luckily no one was there that she recognized and she gestured towards the hall. "Please go."

"Alright, Angel," he whispered. "I'll do it this time but I can't make any other promises."

Samia squeezed her eyes shut and pinched the bridge of her nose. When she dropped her hand, Shawn stole a quick kiss. He was gone before she could protest.

Throughout her dinner with Rob, she had been able to still feel the heat of Shawn's lips on hers. Now, as she climbed between the cool sheets, the second kiss was still vivid. If indeed her relationship with Rob went somewhere, she didn't know if she could truly be herself with him still feeling the guilt of Shawn's kisses and thoroughly enjoying it. She hoped it would go away with time.

And it did, sort of. The guilt was slowly fading each day to just a nag in the back of her mind. Rob was nothing but a perfect gentleman. The two seemed to be out alone doing what they always did with friends but now all in a new light, the light of a blossoming romance. It would have all been perfect if she didn't relive Shawn's initial kiss every time she saw him. She wondered how she could be so happy with Rob but be plagued with these images and feelings that wouldn't go away every time she was in Shawn's presence. Despite the little nagging thought, Samia did her best not to let it come between them. They chose not to in any way remotely hide their new relationship, hardly leaving each other's side. By the end of next Monday, everyone knew they were a hot item.

TBC…