Chapter 5

Stephanie flipped the TV on in her office just in time to see the end of Chris's promo. "And I promise that you will never, eeeeever challenge Y2J again!" he was saying into the microphone, looking straight into the camera. He did his patented smirk, then turned around and walked away. The camera followed him as he arrogantly strutted away.

He was so nice to me earlier, she remembered when he was no longer on the TV screen. And he didn't even have to be... She sighed and laid her head down on her desk on top of her arms. Suddenly she felt worn out and dead tired. She yawned. I've never been so tired in my entire life, she thought, and she closed her eyes. Just for a minute, she promised herself. I'll close my eyes for just a minute.

The next thing she felt was someone gently shaking her shoulder. She felt so comfortable. She didn't want to get up. "Oh, buzz off and just let me sleep!" she mumbled sleepily, not bothering to open her eyes. She just wanted to sleep.

"Come on, Stephanie, wake up," Chris urged her, still gently shaking her shoulder.

"Chris?" She sat up and rubbed her eyes, then looked at him suspiciously. "What are you doing in my hotel room?"

"Take a look around. This isn't your hotel room, Princess," he said. "It's past midnight and you were just sleeping here in your office."

"Oh. Well it can't be past midnight," she said. She turned around and peeked out the window, noticing the darkness outside. The only light came from the twinkling stars and the full moon outside. She turned back and grinned sheepishly at him. "Ok, I guess it could be past midnight."

"They're locking up this place soon," he said, one hand on her shoulder. "Let's get out of here."

"Is everyone else gone already?" she asked, standing up on somewhat shaky legs.

"Yeah, basically," he answered.

"Even Hunter?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

"I'm afraid so," he informed her. "I believe I saw him leaving about an hour ago when I was walking Trish out to her rental."

"Oh, so Trish is gone, too?"

"She had something to do, I guess," he said wistfully. "But anyway, do you need me to help you pack anything up?"

"Do you think I actually did any work today?" she asked him rudely. She saw the look on his face and quickly mended her sentence. "I mean, I didn't get around to doing any work today so there's nothing I need to pack."

"Oh." He put his hands in his pockets. "Well, I'll walk you out to your rental, then. You never know what could be lying in wait for a pretty woman such as yourself...after midnight...in a parking garage."

"I appreciate your concern, but I might just have to call a limo," she said. He raised an eyebrow in question. "I didn't rent a car this time, Hunter did. If he is gone then I don't have a way to get to the hotel," she explained.

"I can give you a ride to the hotel," he offered.

"I don't want to burden you," she said quickly, flipping her cell phone open. "Let me just find the number to the limo service..."

"Nonsense. I insist on giving you a ride," he said, flipping her cell phone shut. "Besides, it's well past midnight now. No limo driver would be willing to come pick you up right now, and if one was then I'd be forced to worry about your safety."

"Um, ok," she said. She grabbed her luggage. He picked up his duffle bag from the floor. She hadn't even noticed his bag.

"Ready?" he asked. She nodded, so he held the door open for her. She walked out into the hallway and he followed, closing the door behind him. Then he started walking next to her. "Need me to carry that for you?" he asked when he noticed her struggling a little with her luggage.

"No. I'm a strong woman. I can handle it," she said, and continued walking. He admired her strength of mind while holding the door for her as they stepped into the dim indoor parking garage.

"You'd think they'd put some decent lighting in here," he commented sarcastically. "I mean, after all, it is a parking garage."

"It's a wonder people don't have accidents in here all the time," she agreed. She looked around. There were only a few cars still in the garage. "Where's your car?"

"It's that red Mustang over there," he said, pointing.

Her gaze followed in the direction that he was pointing. She looked at the Mustang he was pointing at. Even in the dim lighting, she could see that it was a bright, candy apple red. "That's your rental car?" she asked.

"Yeah. What can I say? I'm addicted to all things fast, including fast cars," he said with a grin and a slight shrug.

"Mustangs have always been my favorite types of cars," she said as they walked over to it.

"Really? Mine too. I have one at home," he said. "But if it's your favorite, why haven't you bought one yet?"

"How do you know that I haven't?" she inquired.

"I know things about you, Stephanie," he said. "But, back to what I was saying. Why haven't you bought one yet?"

"I don't know," she said truthfully. "I guess it's because everyone in my family says that since I'm a classy girl, I should only be content driving a Porsche or a Ferrari."

"Classy woman," he corrected her. He thought for a second, then went on. "When will they all learn that you can make your own decisions?" he asked.

"I wish I knew," she said as they reached the car.

He opened the door for her on the passenger's side and waited for her to get in. She hesitated for a moment. She wasn't sure if she should get in or not. She hadn't really been that close to him in the past. They hadn't really been friends in the past. The only thing that brought them together was wrestling and the betrayal of the ones they loved most... And that was it. But I think I can trust him. He's not a deranged psycho killer or anything, she thought, then got in without another moment of hesitation.

He shut the door and walked around. Popping the trunk open, he carefully put their things inside. He closed the trunk, then jogged around to the driver's side and hopped in. He stuck the key into the ignition and was just about to crank the car up when she put a hand on his right arm.

He looked from the perfectly manicured nails of her delicate hand up her arm slowly until his eyes met hers. "Something wrong?" he asked, his blue eyes burning into hers.

"Not exactly. I'm just wondering..." Her voice trailed off.

"What are you wondering, Princess?" he asked. "Go on and speak your mind."

He had told her to speak her mind, and she planned on doing just that if that was what he wanted. "Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?" she asked. "We've never been close before, and this is just a little weird, you know? So why?"

"Because I like you," he said, looking at her. He smirked, and then the powerful engine roared to life. "That a good enough explanation for you?"

She shrugged, then grinned despite of how awkward she suddenly felt. "Only if it's the truth."

He looked offended. "Y2J never lies! I thought you knew that."

She smiled as he backed the car up and pulled out of the garage. "Step on it, Chris..."

A/N: Think they're getting too close too soon? It's somewhere around the first day and they're already hanging out. Maybe I should slow it down a little?