The next morning, Rae woke up to get ready for work. Her work consisted of walking fifty feet to her home office. But nevertheless, she had to work. There were program books that needed to be designed, entrances that needed to be sharpened, and Vince's happiness that needed to be satisfied. Although he often joked that her job was in danger, Rae wasn't so sure how much of his jokes were just that.

Slipping away to take a quick shower, Rae thought about Dave's words. I think you and I both know the reason. Rae thought hard about what he could possibly be referring to. Was it her figure? She wasn't skinny but compared to a Diva, she would be considered a fat-ass. No, that can't be it. Dave has told me too much that he loves my booty.

Rae thought about her attitude. She was known to be honest—sometimes too honest—with Dave and many of the employees and wrestlers. That can't be it. Dave said he would always come to me to talk because I don't hold back.

Filling her head with constant options and none of them making a lick of sense, Rae turned off the shower and dried off. As she got ready for her day, she was greeted by a half-naked Dave. "Good morning, Sunshine." He smiled as he walked towards the bathroom.

Rae stopped brushing her teeth to catch her breath. She's seen Dave half-naked plenty of times but something was different about seeing him that morning. And that was making her uncomfortable. Snap out of it, girl. "Good morning, David. Did you sleep well?"

"I did once you stopped hogging all the covers and taking up all the space." He answered.

"It's not my fault your ass is big." She replied. "There's a towel in there for you."

"Thanks. What do you want for dinner tonight?"

"I don't know. What do you plan on making?"

"Um, that's why I asked, Rae."

That's it! That's why Dave doesn't want to be with me! It's because I'm a dumb ass! "What about steak? I haven't had steak in a while."

"Alright. I'll stop by the grocery store and get a couple steaks for us. Anything else with that?"

"Salad and whatever sides you choose will be fine."

"Cool. Dinner should be ready around seven, if that's okay."

Rae thought about what she needed to do. It was eight in the morning and if she worked really hard, she'll be done with everything by four, at the latest. "Seven it is."

Dave walked back into Rae's bedroom, wearing nothing but the towel and a smile. "Don't be late." He then walked into the bathroom.

Besides getting ready for work, Rae spent much of her time looking for the new batteries for her vibrator. She needed to get off now.

---------------------

The aroma of Porterhouse steaks filled the apartment as Rae opened the door from her study. Dave was amazing in the kitchen—that is, when he wasn't preparing some protein concoction that only he would consume.

Rae noticed that Dave had candles lit and soft music playing in the background. "Should I leave you and your girlfriend alone tonight?" She teased.

Dave smiled as he finished putting the garnish on the plates. "Cute."

Rachel took a seat at the table as Dave served her dinner. He then poured wine for the both of them. "Was there anything else you needed, Rachel?"

She was floored. She's had previous boyfriends cook for her but what Dave did was something extraordinary. "I'm fine. This is fantastic, David."

Dave took a spot across from her and sipped his wine. "Well, you've been my biggest supporter as well as my best friend. I wanted to show my appreciation towards you."

You can show your appreciation towards me another way, you know… "Thank you."

Dave took a bite of his steak and watched Rae carefully cut through hers. She wasn't that big of a meat eater but she never turned down steak. "Need help?"

She looked up and smiled. "I got it."

Damn, that's an amazing smile. "Good. So to get everything out of the way, what do you want to know?"

Rae thought about the inconvenience of the question. She just put a bite in her mouth when Dave sprung the taboo topic on her. She quickly swallowed and wasted no time. "Just one simple question, why?"

Dave took a bite of his steak and began talking. "When a person steps outside the relationship, it's not because they're horny. It's not because of some sexual addiction. It's because they're not happy. And it's never just one thing that makes someone cheat, it could be many things."

"So what was it with you and your wife?"

Dave sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Where do I begin? Us fighting about my travel schedule? My spending habits? Her raising the girls alone? Her jealousy of each female that approached me? There was never just one issue. On any given week, it could be two things or eight of them. And these issues followed me when I left. She would call or e-mail and almost expected me to drop everything and come home." Dave shook his head. "I'm not Superman."

"So it was your work schedule that she had a problem with?"

"When I was in OVW, every night I went home to her and the girls. I'll do a show and then I'll go home. When I got called up to WWE, that changed drastically. I was home two days a week. When I won the belt, I was never home. Not seeing your spouse for several long periods of time will fuck up a relationship, no matter how much you love each other."

"But that still doesn't explain why you strayed, David."

"Straying isn't an excuse. But Rae, you need to understand, if you're loved and admired by millions of people every day, it'll do something to your head whether you like to admit it or not. Imagine that, for five days a week, a thousand people tell you that you're beautiful. Now imagine for two days a week, someone tells you that you're ugly. Who are you going to listen to? Five thousand people or one lone person?

"Did I expect my wife to bow down to me whenever I told her to? Hell no. But did I expect her to bitch at me whenever the mood suited her? Hell no. She supported my career to a certain extent. She didn't mind the money I brought home but she often told me that she would be happier if I was still bouncing." Dave shook his head. "How do you think that made me feel? Knowing that my own wife doesn't support my dream?"

"But haven't you guys tried to work it out?"

"You can go to all the couples' therapies, the marriage retreats, watch the sexy videos…you can do all of that. But if you're not in love with the person, it doesn't matter. Do I love my wife? I do. I'll love her until the day I die. But am I in love with her?" Dave shook his head. "I haven't been for a long time."

"But you're sad that she's divorcing you?"

"I'm sad about how it's going to be for my daughters. But let's face it, we were probably going to divorce at some point." Dave shrugged.

Rae thought about what Dave just told her. She was so used to seeing the other point of view that she didn't realize the cheaters also had their reasons. While she still didn't condone what Dave did, she did have a better understanding of his actions. "Well, that explains a lot."

"Rae, I'm not trying to make you sympathize with me and make her the villain because we both were assholes in our own way. It just didn't work out the way either one of us had planned."

Rae nodded. "I understand. Well, let's finish up this dinner." Just then, Anita Baker's "Caught Up in the Rapture" played on the stereo. "Actually, let's dance."

"What? Dance?"

"If your big ass can flop around on a cardboard box for a commercial, I'm sure you can move with me." Rae said as she pulled at his arm.

Dave stood up and followed her to the living room. "I was not flopping around, I was break dancing."

"Whatever."

Dave grabbed Rae's waist as Anita Baker's soothing voice permeated throughout the apartment. Rae rode the beat as if it was tailor made to her body. She turned around and pressed her body against his. "Isn't this nice?"

Dave rubbed Rae's back as he swayed with her to the music. "It is."

With their bodies pressed against each other, both Dave and Rae felt the sexual heat in the room. He didn't hold onto her as if she was just a casual partner; there was more to his touch, his grasp, his hold. And Rae didn't mind. But the moment she lost her footing and nearly fell, Dave grabbed her and leaned over her.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

Rae swallowed as she was once again finding herself trying to catch her breath. "Yes."

"Um, we should probably go back to dinner now." Dave said, standing up and still holding her.

Rae was once again disappointed. Dave was making a move on her and he wasn't at the same time. She finally had enough. "We probably should." Rae said as she straightened out her clothing.

Over dinner, Rae decided that she was going to sleep in the study that night.