Chapter 24
Chris rolled over in the bed the next morning and yawned, reaching for Stephanie...only to find that she wasn't there. His eyes popped open, and he quickly looked around the room, searching for any hint or clue that would tell him where she was, but he didn't find anything.
"Steph?" he called timidly, sitting up. No reply came. He got up, telling himself that he'd have to find her as soon as he could. He pulled on some boxers and went into the bathroom to get cleaned up...
Only to find Stephanie bent over the toilet, seemingly throwing up everything she'd eaten recently, and then some.
In a matter of seconds, he was crouched down next to her at her side. He held her hair back with one hand so that it wouldn't go into the toilet. "Steph, honey, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly when she was done.
"I don't know... I just feel kind of weak," she whispered, allowing him to help her over to the sink. She brushed her teeth and used some mouthwash, then stood up and nearly collapsed against him. "Ok, really weak," she whispered as she leaned fully against him.
"When did you start feeling this way?" he asked, holding her protectively against him.
"I woke up this morning and literally ran for the bathroom," she told him, laughing a little. "I felt so nauseous..."
"Want me to take you to the hospital?" he asked seriously. "Because I'll take you if you're feeling bad..."
"No, I'm sure it'll pass," she assured him, although she wasn't really sure. She didn't remember ever feeling this sick, but maybe it was some kind of stomach virus or something. "It was probably that burger I ate last night... I don't usually eat those, you know?"
"I know," he replied, thinking back to the way she'd devoured that burger the night before. "Here, why don't you come in the room and lie down while I get cleaned up?" he suggested after a few moments.
"That sounds like a good idea. Why didn't I think of that myself?" she joked feebly as he helped her into the room.
"I don't know. I'm just a certified genius, so that's why I thought of it," he joked back, plumping the pillows up on the bed and then helping her rest against them. He pulled the covers up over her when he noticed her shivering. Noticing the sweat on her forehead, he touched it. "I'm going to bring you back a cool washcloth," he said, standing up. "I'll be right back, ok?"
"Ok," she said softly. Her eyes followed him until he disappeared out of view, and then she looked up at the ceiling for a minute before closing her eyes. She didn't like being sick, and this certainly didn't feel good. She was just thankful that Chris was there to care for her. She didn't know what she'd do without him, and she didn't want to know.
"I'm back," Chris said, sitting on the bed next to her and placing a cool washcloth on her forehead. "You just get some sleep... If you don't feel better soon, I'll call your dad and tell him you're not feeling very well and that you can't go in to work today."
"He won't like that very much," she pointed out. "He doesn't like it when I miss work."
"Well he'll just have to deal with it, then," he said, touching her face softly. "You're sick, babe, and I'm not going to allow you to go to work feeling this way. It's not good for you, and I care enough about you to realize that."
"Hunter would let me go," she said quietly.
"I'm not Hunter," he said quickly. "You didn't know that?"
"I know. It's all so clear to me now," she whispered, reaching up to touch his face. She trailed a finger down his jawline. "What did I ever do to deserve you? How did I ever manage to get you?"
He closed his eyes for a minute, just reveling in the feel of her soft fingers on his face."You were you," he said quietly. He opened his eyes and looked down at her. "You were you and that's all I ever want you to be... You're perfect."
She looked at him adoringly for a while, then closed her eyes. She didn't know what she'd done to deserve a man like Chris, but she was more than just a little thankful for him, and she was going to hang on to him for as long as she could. She wasn't stupid, though, and she knew that she would have to do something about her situation with Hunter soon... But she was intent on keeping Chris when the whole thing was over, that much she did know.
She drifted off to sleep shortly afterwards, wishing she hadn't eaten that burger...
Hunter's hotel room...
Trish woke up to the feeling of Hunter's soft lips fluttering over the sensitive skin of her neck. She opened her eyes slowly and found herself looking into his eyes as he leaned up and looked at her. "How long have you been awake?" she asked.
"I haven't slept," he said, leaning down to kiss her neck again.
"Why haven't you slept?" she asked curiously, reaching up to run her fingers through his hair.
"I've been watching you sleep," he admitted quietly. "And I've been thinking..."
"About?"
"Us."
"So there's an 'us' now?" she asked hopefully.
"There's been an 'us' for a long time now," he said. "And I can't... I can't ignore the way I feel about you anymore."
She sat up then, and looked at him. They were both silent as they sat there, and then she spoke. "How do you feel?"
"I love you, Trish. I've told you that so many times," he said, reaching over to touch her face. "Even when I ended things between us a few weeks ago, I still loved you."
"Why did you end things between us in the first place?" she wanted to know.
"Because of Stephanie," he said, looking down at his hands. "And because of your whole confession... You told me you loved me, and then you admitted that you had just been using me the whole time because I was gullible..."
"I was just being honest with you," she said quietly. "I wanted to tell you the truth... I was tired of lying to you about it."
"So when you told me you loved me... That was a lie, too?" he asked, gazing at her intensely. "Even after you said it again last night?"
"I... I wasn't lying to you that day when I told you that I loved you. I just didn't want to let on how hurt I was when you ended everything, and at the same time I wanted to hurt you for hurting me, so I said that I didn't love you. I didn't want to look weak..." Her voice trailed off as she stared at him. "But Hunter, I'm not lying to you when I tell you that I'm crazy about you... And I'm not lying to you when I say that I want to be with you, that I need to be with you..."
"I need to be with you, too," he whispered, cupping her cheek in his hand. "But what about Jericho? Aren't you with him?"
"We broke up that same night that you...broke up with me," she informed him, taking notice of how surprised he looked when she said it. "Yeah, I know, it surprised me, too, but I wasn't that broken up about him. I was more upset because of the fact that I didn't have you."
"Why did he break up with you?" he asked, appalled. "Doesn't he know how wonderful you are?"
"I never loved Chris, not the way that I should've loved him. I was using him. Without him, everyone backstage would've looked down on me about everything, you know?" she asked. He nodded his head and she went on. "But anyway, he came into the room that night and we had a long talk... We're both in love with other people, and we let each other know. We're still friends, though. I think his friendship is what's gotten me through the time that I've had to be without you..."
"Wait a minute, what did you just say?"
"We broke up."
"No, not that part," he said, looking at her in an odd way. "Did you say he's in love with another woman?"
"Yeah, he told me that he was, and it's obvious that he is when he talks about her," she said, thinking of the way Chris looked when he talked about his mystery woman. "I mean, his eyes light up and his smile... I can't explain it all, but he just glows, and anyone would be able to tell that he's head over heels for this lady."
"Wow," he said, still in disbelief. "So Jericho is in love with another woman and you're a single woman... And you two still travel together?"
"He worries about me because I've been so depressed without you, and it's also convenient for us to travel together," she explained. "We still share a hotel room as well, but only rooms with two beds... I don't know why he does that, though, because he's never there anyway."
"What do you mean he's never there?"
"At night, he leaves... He spends the night with his mystery woman, whoever she is..."
"Wow," he said again. "That's a lot to swallow... So who's the woman?"
"I'm not sure. He never says her name, but I'm pretty sure it's someone in the company. Otherwise, how can he spend the night with her practically every night when we're on the road?" she asked. She waited for him to say something, but he just stared off into space, looking deep in thought. "Hunter?" she asked skeptically. "What is it?"
"It all makes sense now," he said, still looking off into space. "It makes so much sense right now."
"What are you talking about?" she demanded when he stopped talking and just looked off into space.
"That day I broke up with you... That night, Steph and I were about to go to sleep, and I told her that I loved her..."
"That's not something I really want to hear."
"No, listen," he insisted. "I was holding her in my arms. She'd called me over just for me to hold her as she slept, and I wanted to try to fix things with her... But anyway, I told her I loved her, and do you know what she said?"
"No, what?" she asked, now curious.
"I love you, too, Chris."
"What?" she screeched, eyes wide. "Do you think she-"
"It makes so much sense," he went on, ignoring her. He was lost in his own thoughts now. "I knew there had to be some other guy, I just knew it. Why didn't I figure it out before? She's been wanting separate rooms and we haven't been spending much time together... It makes so much sense!"
"What makes sense now?"
"She's been having an affair with Jericho!"
"You don't know for sure," she pointed out. "She could've just been saying that she loves him because he's been a great friend to her lately. Think about it, Hunter. He's been there for her when you haven't been, you know? So maybe she does love him, as a friend."
"You're right," he said after a minute, looking at her. "You're absolutely right. I don't know why I'd jump to conclusions like that. I mean, Jericho and I aren't exactly the best of friends, but I just can't see him being the type of guy who would sleep with a married woman...my wife..."
"Yeah, speaking of your wife, why isn't she here with you right now? Why am I here instead?" she asked.
"She's the one who started wanting to get separate hotel rooms, and who was I to deny her?" he asked with a shrug. "She wanted her space, so I gave it to her."
"But I thought you wanted to work things out with her," she said almost accusingly. "I mean, that is what you said."
"It's not working. I've tried, Trish, but we kind of lost our chemistry, that feeling we had when we first got together... I know it hurts her, but I don't know what to do about it." He sighed. "And then there's you... I couldn't stop thinking about you..."
"So basically your marriage is a lost cause... What are you going to do about it?" she asked.
"I don't know yet... I haven't really planned anything out yet, if you want me to be honest about it," he replied, leaning his back against the headboard of the bed and closing his eyes. "I know it seemed like I had all the answers a few months ago back when she found out about me having a part in writing our storyline, but now I don't know what to do."
Before he knew what was happening, she was straddled across his lap. She cupped his face in both hands, running her thumb lightly over his lower lip. "You say you love me, and you mean it, right?"
"Yeah, I mean it," he answered, wrapping his arms securely around her waist. "I do love you, Trish..."
"Then you can do what you wanted to do a few months ago... That thing I wouldn't let you do because I was worried about how it would affect my plan..."
"And what of the plan?" he interrupted.
"Forget about the plan. It's not worth losing you. I've realized that," she said, still touching his bottom lip. "You can do it now, though, and you don't have to worry about me opposing it, because I want it, too."
"Do what?" he asked, one eyebrow raised. "Refresh my memory..."
She kissed him lightly, then pulled back, leaning her forehead against his. Looking into his eyes, she went on in a low voice, almost a whisper...
"Divorce her."
A/N: I know it's extremely short... I haven't had a chapter this short in a while! But I had to end it there, I just had to, because it seemed like the right place... So review and tell me what you guys think! Thanks!
