"I need to talk to you," she said.
He looked up from his book.
"Alexa called," she continued.
"Yeah?" He waited for her to get to the point.
"She... ehm... she found this three bedroom apartment and asked me to move in with her," she said.
He felt his heart drop.
"And what did you say?" He asked, scared to hear her answer.
"I said I'd get back to her after talking to you," she answered.
He closed the book and put it on the table. He looked down at his hands. He couldn't look at her in that moment as he fought to keep the tears away. She sat down next to him.
"Don't be like that, Dean. You knew this was only temporary," she said.
She reached for his hand but instead he grabbed her and dragged her in for a hug.
"I'm really losing you, aren't I?" He asked.
"We can still be friends and we'll still see each other at work," she said.
"Work, right. That reminds me, I gotta make a phone call," he said and let go off her.
She fought back the urge to reach for him as he walked out of the room with his phone in his hand.
The mood and the tension between them was weird through out the day. She had expected him to be angry but he just seemed sad although he tried his best to hide it. He seemed to accept her choice although she could see in his eyes that he was hurting. She was hurting too. Alexa's idea had sounded good but the moment she had told him, the hurt had set in. She didn't think she would feel this way. She thought it would be more easy after everything they had been through but it was tough.
"What's wrong with Dean today?" Roman asked later that night at work before the doors opened.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"He doesn't seem himself. Hell, he even called in earlier and..." He started but stopped himself.
"And what?" She asked.
"Nothing. I'm not allowed to talk about it. All I know is that he's not himself," he said.
"I think that's a conversation you should have with him instead," she said.
"I tried. I called him after our boss called me but he refuses to talk about it. Classic him," he said.
She shrugged her shoulders. She could tell him about Alexa asking her to move in with her but she didn't feel like it was her place to rat out Dean like that. If he wanted to play tough guy at work and hide his feelings, so be it.
The main event this evening was Dean and Roman again, only this time it was over Dean's title. She watched, stunned at how well the two friends worked together inside the ring. They clearly had a lot of chemistry.
"1... 2... 3..."
A sound of shock went through the entire audience as Roman pinned Dean. Her jaw dropped. She couldn't believe what had just happened. As she watched Roman hold the title over his head, it suddenly dawned on her. Dean's phone call earlier, Roman hinting something he wasn't allowed to talk about. She left the table and hurried backstage.
She looked for Dean but he had already gone to the locker room to shower and change. She waited in the hallway for him to get done and come out. His eyes were sad as he came out and saw her waiting there.
"Dean..." She said as she reached for his hand.
"Not here," was all she got in return as he walked past her.
She followed him outside to his car. They drove home in silence.
He had barely closed the door behind them before she started talking.
"That wasn't supposed to happen, was it?" She asked.
"What was?" He asked.
"You losing the title. You made that phone call earlier to arrange that, didn't you?" She asked.
He sighed and leaned his back up against the front door.
"I did," he admitted.
"Why?" She asked.
"Because I needed to feel what you felt that day when I fucked everything up," he answered.
"I don't understand," she said.
He pushed himself away from the door and started walking down the hallway. She followed behind him while he continued talking.
"That day I was scared of loving you. Today I'm just scared of losing you and that's exactly what's happening now that you're moving out. I figured that I need to hit the dirt completely, lose everything I care about, you and the title, just to see if I can truly stay above water and not allow my dark side to show," he said.
"Why would you even do that?" She asked.
He spun around and grabbed her shoulders.
"Because I love you so much and I have to prove to you that I can keep the beast down. And besides, without you in my life, nothing else matters these days. Wrestling doesn't matter anymore," he said.
"Don't say that," she said.
He sighed and let go off her.
"I know I have to let you go and I will but I don't want to," he said.
She swallowed.
"Then don't," she said in a low tone, almost whispering.
"You don't know what you're saying right now. You're scared I might blow up any time so you're just covering your ass," he said.
"I see the man standing in front of me as the man you truly are. That's the man I first fell in love with. You want me to stay, all you have to do is ask. But I'm warning you, you only get one chance with me. If you fuck up again, I'll be gone for good," she said.
He looked at her as if he didn't believe her. She waited for him to talk or act but he just stood there.
"Fine. I'll call Alexa in the morning and tell her I'll move in with her," she said as she felt her heart sink in her chest.
She turned around and walked into the bedroom. She only made it a few steps inside before his arms wrapped around her from behind.
"Stay," he said.
"Are you asking or demanding?" She asked.
"I'm begging. I won't throw away my only chance. I'll be the man you deserve and so much more. Please, stay with me," he said.
She turned around and looked up at him.
"On one condition," she said.
"Anything," he said.
"You win your title back in the rematch," she said and smiled.
He chuckled and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist as she allowed him to kiss her.
"Of course, sweetheart, but first..." He said as he laid her down on the bed, settling himself on top of her. "First we got a whole lot of time to make up for."