Chapter 3

Chris looked with wide eyes at Stephanie crying her eyes out only two feet away in her chair. He hadn't expected this. He never thought she would just break down in front of him. He was hurting, too. She wasn't the only one who had been betrayed by the one she loved. But he still hadn't expected her to cry. What was he supposed to do?

Comforting crying women was not something he was particularly good at. He never knew where to touch them or what to say to make them feel better. The fact that he and Stephanie weren't exactly the best of friends didn't make his situation any easier, but he knew that he could not just stand there leaning against the wall and watch the woman cry.

"There, there, it's going to be ok," he said in what he hoped would be a comforting voice. He walked over to her and leaned down. He raised his hand up to touch her arm. "Hey, it's going to be ok," he repeated, rubbing her arm lightly, trying to comfort her.

"It's not," she whispered, shaking her head. "It's never going to be ok, Chris."

"Yes, it will be ok," he said again. Whether he was trying to convince her or himself, he didn't know. He just wanted her to stop crying. He would say anything to make her stop crying right about now.

For some reason, at that point her sobs got even louder, and he feared that she was having some kind of nervous breakdown or something. He had never seen her cry so much, but he knew he had to do something to make her stop.

He sat on the edge of her desk and pulled her to her feet. His legs were open, and he pulled her between them. He pulled her close to him in a tight hug. She clung to him and buried her face into his neck, crying on his shoulder. He stroked her back awkwardly. This was unfamiliar territory, and he hadn't the slightest idea if this was the way to make her stop crying or not. But he didn't let her go. He just held her and let her cry, even though it was ruining his favorite shirt. He softly touched her hair, trying to calm her down somehow.

A few minutes later, her sobs finally subsided, but she didn't let him go. It was like she needed to hug him. She needed him to hold her. She buried her face in his hair while he leaned his chin on her shoulder. They stayed comfortably like that, just thinking about their whole situation.

"I'm sorry I cried all over you, but I needed that," she said finally. Her voice was trembling. This was not the brave Stephanie McMahon that he knew. This was a fragile, heartbroken woman who was still hurting, not the evil bitch who put him in storylines where he constantly got his ass kicked. This was the victim of a betrayal, the same betrayal that had broken his heart in two as well.

"It's ok," he replied in a soft voice. "I'm just glad that it's over." He didn't like seeing her cry.

"Me, too. But it's like the pain just never goes away," she whispered. "I'm constantly thinking about it."

"Same here," he whispered back. "I'm always seeing it in my mind... That night when we walked in on them..."

"I'm not over it, really," she said, pulling away from him. "But I have to pretend to be brave, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," he replied, looking intently at her. He hardly recognized this woman before him, the one with the puffy red eyes and the sad smile. "I do the same thing."

"It's not fun. Every night when I lay next to Hunter in bed, I wonder if he's still cheating on me... He won't even...touch me," she said, ashamed. She looked down at her feet, and went on, embarrassed. "I can't remember the last time he really touched me."

He bit his lip, angry. He was pissed that she had to go through this, that she had to be so insecure in her relationship with her husband. He knew how she felt, but not about the touching part. Trish was naturally a touchy-feely person. Every night, she felt the need to prove to him that she was being faithful to him. Every night she tried her hardest to please him sexually the way that only she could... But it didn't prove a damn thing, not one thing at all.

She sat down in her chair and heaved a great sigh. "Life really sucks sometimes."

"And that's the sad truth," he said, standing up straight. He looked down at his watch. "Well, look, I'm going to go. I have a promo to shoot."

"Thank you for being here for me," she said in a low voice, looking out the window. "It means a lot. I know I'm not exactly up there on the top of your favorite people list."

"No problem," he said, searching for more words to comfort her. "And, um, anytime you need to talk to someone, I'm here, ok? Because I know what you're going through and maybe we can help each other get through this."

"I'd like to give that a try," she said, holding her hand out to shake his. "Let's make this official."

He smiled. "We're not making a business deal." He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the cheek. It was a completely innocent kiss. "I'll see you around."

"Yeah, see you around," she echoed. She looked out the window, unmoving, until she heard the door close. Then she raised her hand to her cheek and touched the place where his lips had been when he had kissed her.

A/N: Ok, you all knew I was gonna do this sooner or later. I mean, really! LOL!