So I gotta stop making these entrances only to leave and make another dramatic entrance. lol. And oh boy lemme tell you, we have reached the drama lamma dudes. Next chapter and the couple after is gonna be fun, it's gonna be messy, it's gonna be emotional...oh it's gonna be so much fun (Scary too!). Hopefully you guys continue to stick with me. Anyway, I love you all and here we go!


Seth would love to say that having Rhea gone was for the best.

That her presence was a nuisance and he was better off without her.

But he couldn't.

He didn't want to admit that the three days she was there were some of the most content he'd had in awhile -and people like him didn't get many of those, they were few and far between- but with the woman's bright smile or the dorky snorty laugh she let out...or even her breath against his face…

Yeah he needed to move on.

The first few days saw him texting and calling, probably a bit more than he should, but enough to let her know he was sorry, that he needed her as a friend way more than anything else.

Sure it kinda sucked…

Ok really sucked. But she wasn't his and he needed to accept that, no matter how much he hated it. He needed to think with his brain rather than his heart...or dick.

So after about three days of no response he decided to drop it...for now.

Give her the space she needed and hope for the best.

He spent his time cuddling Kevin and Netflixing the hell out if some b-rated movies and shows. He never knew how much crappy shit was out there for people to see. He swore some people just grabbed a camera and started to film just for the hell of it.

The two were getting restless so Seth decided to break from crapfest 2015 and scope his brain for something to do. He reached into the big bowl of popcorn beside him and brought it up to his mouth messily, dropping pieces which only resulted in a happy, scrambling doggy.

"No, Kevin, not all of that...not that piece! Dude!"

The doorbell interrupted their squabbling, well Seth's scolding of his pet while Kevin bent down at his front barking, then jumped around only to bend and bare his teeth playfully giving off little growls.

"Little brat," He rolled his eyes, leaving a couple of pieces for his dog to chew on. He quickly snatched up the chocolate though and slowly lifted to his feet with his couch armrest just as more knocking sounded again, the doorbell following. "Yeah-yeah...I'm comin', hold your horses!"

He swiped at a crutch and limped his way to the front door with some heavy grunting, cringing at the fact that this shit was harder than it should be and quite possibly it was time to medicate again.

Nah..fuck that. He could deal.

He swung the door open just as the doorbell rang again and he almost barked at the person in the doorway but stopped short, blinking in surprise before giving a small smile at the woman standing in front of him.

"H-Hey," He exclaimed awkwardly, reaching for the back of his neck.

Leighla.

She was showing up way more than usual, especially since she had learned of his injury. It was kinda nice in a strange way.

"Wh...what are you doing here," He asked and she gave him a smile, opening her mouth to speak but a quick yelp from the couch and jingle, followed by quick pitter patter leff the two laughing.

Leighla nearly squealed in delight as she was greeted by the relentless barking and bouncing from the little dog she dubbed 'little man'.

"Hi, Kevin! How are you? Did you miss mommy? Did you miss her," She cooed. "Who's my little man? Who is it?" She laughed as he pawed and licked at her face, jumping to greet her, happy to have someone other than Seth right now.

"Looks like he missed ya," Seth chuckled lightly, watching the two interact. Leighla smiled up at him relishing in the love from the dog, using that time to take in Seth's appearance.

"I missed him too," She uttered softly, her eyes twinkling a bit. The double meaning behind her words didn't go unnoticed by the dual haired man. His face crinkled up in another awkward exchange and he simply watched as the beauty lifted with dog in arm to stand before him.

"So…" She started off slow, eyeing his getup again. "How's it going over here?"

Seth mentally went over his appearance wondering if he looked like the hobo he felt but shrugged. This was his house. He was recuperating, he was fine.

'Chill dude. No need to get snippy.' He chided himself silently. 'But why is she here?' He couldn't help but wonder.

"It's…" He shrugged again. "I dunno. It's a process I guess. Only been home a couple of days and it feels...wrong. I should be back on the road, ready to headline Raw, chat with the boys, all of that."

He let out a heavy sigh and turned to enter the house, leaving Leighla to follow and softly close the door behind her.

"Do you need anything? Want…" She allowed her sentence to trail off as she watched Seth drop on the couch with a groan, his crutch all but flung towards a window.

'Ok then.'

Hesitantly the brunette dropped by her ex and allowed Kevin to escape, the small animal immediately moving to comfort Seth the only way he knew how. Seth barely responded, grunting in acknowledgment and snatched his remote up to restart the show on the screen.

It was quiet for a couple of minutes as the two awkwardly stared at the screen and Seth almost wanted to snap at her to leave but was beat to the punch by her hopping up.

"So have anything planned for dinner," She asked.

Seth grumbled. "TV dinner maybe…"

Leighla frowned and shook her head in the negative.

"Can't have that," She mummered. "Let's see what you have."

Seth watched as she quickly bounded around his couch and into his kitchen without a moment's pause.

The familiar sound of pans and utensils rattling as she set about throwing something together left Seth sighing and he sat back, grumbling about stupid pain and stupid injuries and confusing women.


Leighla was just finishing up the last bite of her chicken Parmesan when Seth dropped back with a heavy sigh rubbing at his belly.

"Thanks," He threw out quietly and looked over to see a pair of eager blues asking for something. "It was...it was pretty damn awesome actually. Glad to have something other than pizza or frozen dinners." He offered her a genuine smile and she grinned happily.

"You're welcome, Seth."

The way she said his name was enough to cause him to break eye contact.

"Sorry I've been such a grump. This just isn't me...doesn't feel right."

Leighla nodded. "I get it. Makes sense. I mean I've only been with you for years now so I know how it goes. Are you really doing alright?"

Seth stared ahead at the flashing screen and bit at a lip. "I mean..it will be. Don't know when that is. This is pretty hard. Just sitting here, waiting, hurting. I haven't been home in forever and this all feels like uncharted territory, wrong in a way."

"You should do a couple of things, look into some stuff to make the time pass by," She offered quietly.

Seth shrugged. "I'll have rehab soon enough and then there's my school. Between those I think I'll be straight." He finally looked over at her again and noticed her eyes trained on him intently, just studying him. "What?"

She looked a bit startled to be caught staring and jerked to. "N-Nothing. Just….It's nice, I mean this is nice," She quickly corrected. "Being in your presence and us not fighting or ignoring each other. The break up wasn't bad but…" She sighed. "I missed you, Seth. Thought over time I'd be ok but…"

Seth cocked an eyebrow and lifted, watching her curiously.

"But," He urged.

"I'm honestly not. Seeing you weekly, bi-weekly, whenever it is you can take little man, has become a pretty high point of my weeks."

"Leighla…" Seth started.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to push or anything. I just miss what we had. I've tried to recapture it, had some nice times but…"

"Just hard to find that right connection."

"Yeah," She breathed, looking at him in silent relief.

Seth stopped and blinked, taking in the features of his ex. From her high cheekbones to her ridiculously flawless skin and make up, her pretty blues...she looked every bit as beautiful as the first day he laid eyes on her. She had truly been breathtaking then and was breathtaking now. It hadn't changed a bit.

He saw her take in a shaky breath and look all over his face, her eyes lingering on his lips for a long moment and his own parted with a deep exhale. Made up, dressed down, Leighla was nothing short of gorgeous. And she knew him. She had been with him through the beginnings of his dream, had supported him, been there through the good and bad…

He reached out and cupped a cheek and she couldn't help but lean into his touch, eyes fluttering.

This was familiar.

She felt familiar.

She dropped a soft kiss on the inside of his palm and it was his turn to inhale shakily. Grabbing at his hand with both of hers, she kissed him once more and glanced up at him under sultry eyes, giving him a look he knew all too well.

One he was afraid to admit he had missed.

But...simply stroking at her cheek with a thumb seemed like the best course of action.

He knew under old circumstances they'd be caught up in a heated exchanged, his hands roaming her body, pulling her close, tongue dancing with hers as she ran her fingers through his hair making him groan but…

He couldn't.

He just couldn't and that annoyed him.

Why couldn't he?!

He was a free man. He was a hot blooded male and he enjoyed companionship and sex just as much as the next person and the look she was giving him...oh boy the look...

"Seth," She whispered.

He gritted his teeth. God damn it! How he just wanted to yank her forward into a hungry lip lock and take her. He couldn't deny he wanted her.

But he hesitated.

Leighla seemed to pick up on his inner turmoil and started to loosen her grip, her eyes taking on a defeated look.

"I-"

A loud jarring interrupted the intense atmosphere and he quickly used that to his advantage. He heard her huff but whether it be in annoyance or sadness he didn't know and couldn't dwell as he studied the name on the screen.

'What?!'

Dean: See me kick ass on Raw?

Seth stared at the phone in disbelief.

It had been a hot minute since Dean last texted or even spoke to him, leaving him sitting with a feeling of dread. He was sure Dean wasn't too happy with him considering he had asked Rhea to help get him situated before and after his surgery and he could almost picture Rhea talking Dean's head off about their kiss, almost kiss, whatever the fuck it was.

Seth gave a little click of the tongue and shook his head, going to answer back his friend.

Seth: Haven't caught Raw just yet but heard about the tournament.

Dean: Yup. Got me and the big dog in the running for your title man. Looking forward to getting my hands on that gold.

Seth rolled his eyes. Yeah only on a technicality but he wasn't gonna start shit. He was still wondering what this random texting was leading to.

Seth: Good luck, Dean.

There was a moment and Seth could have sworn that was all Dean messaged him for, to gloat and pick at him.

Dean: Boy. Someone's in a bad mood. You pissed at me buddy?

'Asshole.'

Seth: What do you want, Ambrose?

Dean: Ooh, last name. Someone is upset. I'm sorry.

Yeah fucking right.

Seth: What do you want, Dean?

Dean: Well I was messaging to see what my pissy friend was doing next week for Thanksgiving but….

Seth waited but when he got no response he bit.

Seth: Probably starting rehab and I have my big family dinner on Thursday. Why?

Dean: Well the lady and I were thinking about visiting our friend gimpy. Already set up to meet with Roman and his girl, maybe Cesaro. She planned on making her famous 7Up pound cake.

Hold up. Hold the phone. Rhea and Dean planned on visiting him? For the holidays? More specifically...Rhea? The girl who couldn't text back or call him back, who was actively ignoring him. She wanted to see him?!

Instead of feeling elated at the prospect of seeing said woman Seth felt himself seething. He was downright pissed.

She couldn't have actively sought him out? Let him know they were cool? Instead she had Dean….were they even cool? Shit were him and Dean even good?

Seth knew how he wanted to feel, could feel his heart pitter pattering at the thought of seeing his….friend, but his brain wouldn't allow him to be happy. This wasn't right. It was wrong.

This was fucked up.

What was going to happen? She was going to show up and all would be right with the world? Would they laugh and wave the whole incident off? Would they hug?

More importantly could he even face her anymore knowing he was the asshole who had feelings for his best friend's girl?

Yeah. Ok. He admitted it. There.

He cared about her. A lot. Wanted her with him, around him...under him.

Dean: You there or did you fall asleep, Rollins? I thought you'd be happy about her famous cake.

Seth licked his lips trying to set his mind right, calm himself down. His current female companion had long been forgotten as he sat there. He thought he could scarcely make out the sound of running water in the background but could barely focus.

Seth: When? He simply texted. Not knowing or caring if Dean caught on or not but apparently he had and was one step ahead of him.

Dean: Tuesday afternoon so we can spend all day Wednesday with ya before we meet up with the parents Thursday.

Fuck! Seth didn't know if he could do this, could handle seeing the both of them right now.

Seth: I have rehab.

Dean: Yeah I know that hop-along, you told me. We have a day and a half to hang during all of that.

Seth: Fine. I'll text you the details of where I'm staying later.

Dean: Alright.

Seth quickly set down his phone, blinking into space as finally the clattering in the kitchen could be recognized as dishes. The water stopped and footsteps followed.

"Well, I finished cleaning up everything. I'm just gonna grab Kevin and go," Leighla stated, avoiding eye contact with Seth as she walked around to meet up with the sleeping dog beside Seth's feet.

She was just bending down to grab at Kevin when Seth's hand shot out, gripping her wrist tight.

"Wait."

Leighla slowly lifted, turning to face Seth in confusion, only to be pulled towards him. His thumb traced small circles above her pulse and she gulped, wide eyed.

"Seth," She questioned.

"Stay," He demanded, watching her.

She swallowed hard and the two allowed a couple moments of silence to pass between them before both seemed to sense the same thing in the other and Leighla bent at the waist, their hands circling to clasp the others as her lips met Seth's in an passionate embrace.


Dean smirked as he dropped onto the couch pulling Rhea close by her waist, dropping a kiss onto her temple.

That was surprisingly easy despite how he still felt about everything. And it was beyond fun to take jabs at his best friend. It was the least he could do while far away from his good ol, buddy ol pal.

While things had seemed better on Dean and Rhea's end, it didn't stop the wariness. More in depth talk left him curious and guarded and he wondered...he often wondered if he had fucked it all up by giving her something he really shouldn't have overhead.

He remembered the first time he came up on her phone conversation…

"So we're a-go on visiting the "ninja"," He stated with quotations and an eyeroll, watching as his girl worked on knitting something that was supposed to represent a blanket or a scarf, sweater? (surely not) but in actuality was a long piece of mismatched yarn.

"Uh...hell is that," He motioned to the monstrosity in her hand with a furrowed brow.

Rhea sighed and rolled her eyes, dropping the fabric down before her and let out a long groan.

"Dean," She whined. "It's supposed to be a blanket. Can't you see?"

"It's uneven," He mumbled, taking a sip of his beer, briefly eyeing her work before turning to watch the game on tv.

Rhea huffed. "Thanks, Dean." She dropped her knitting needles and hopped up to stomp into the kitchen.

The blonde quirked an eyebrow. The fuck?

"Babe," He started, hesitantly.

He watched for any signs of his girlfriend emerging from the kitchen but when she didn't return and he heard the sniffles he sighed slowly climbing to his feet.

"Darlin' I was just…"

Rhea spun on him quickly once he reached the doorway, capping her lemonade with a grimace.

"I know...it's stupid and I know. That.." She stopped, gesturing wildly towards the living room. "Project is a bust too. I can't even follow a simple pattern. Shit I can't even keep a damn plant alive! What the fuck am I doing? What am I doing, Dean?!"

Dean's eyes widened in confusion and he found himself backing up slightly from the brunette's outburst.

"Um…"

"Fuck it! Just fuck it! I'm tired and hungry and annoyed, mostly tired….can we go to bed now?"

All Dean could do was blink as he took in the tense posture of his girlfriend.

He was confused.

Yes, things had seemed to go back to the way they were from an outside perspective but inside the two of them were awkward and weird around each other.

Dean, hadn't fully forgiven her for making him feel insecure. No, not just her, Seth too...But he was trying!

Right now she seemed to be jumpy and irritable and this wasn't the first time in days, Seth's name surely not helping matters. Maybe it was guilt, maybe it was her really getting back into the swing of things after having nearly a week off of work, who knew, but he fucking hated it. They fucked, they cuddled but there was only so much time in between shows and her job…

He saw her narrow her eyes and he bit at his cheek in frustration.

Whatever this was it needed to go and it needed to go fast.

"Yeah, sure," He grunted, his mind already trying to come up with something to ease the weirdness.

Maybe she needed a massage or neck rub, he knew lots of people liked that shit. Some kneading to ease tension, whether it be physical or emotional. Hell, Rhea damn near had him purring after a long tour a time or two, or just the random moments when she felt like loving on him as they sat and watched a show, talked.

Yeah, maybe he'd do that.

He looked up to suggest she'd make it to the bed and get comfy because he had something planned but heard the bedroom door close.

Throwing his head back, Dean cursed at the heavens not sure what was going on and why.

This was all turning to shit.

Rhea huffed as she climbed into bed, not even bothering to strip out of her t-shirt and yoga pants, settling for huddling under the covers. She peeked her head out a moment later and growled.

She really didn't know where this attitude was coming from. She was trying to play it safe and be understanding, go back to how it was before, but hearing Seth's name earlier before Dean called and hearing him pick and tease at the guy really grated on her nerves.

It had been about a week since she last texted him and only days before when he stopped calling and messaging her.

She was thankful for the space yet…

Part of her felt happy to know that they'd be able to check on the guy and see how he was doing. A yearly ritual of thanksgiving dinner, four years strong now, she don't know how it happened...one invite from Dean to Seth in the first year of their relationship or whatever it was, taking off and the start of his and Seth's friendship, add Roman, and it hadn't died since, give or take a few people.

But while she was happy and thankful (even in her mind she realized the pun) that things seemed to be heading in the right track she was also very anxious.

Seth had tried to kiss her. His lips had been on hers, hers on his, whichever way you wanted to look at it...and he had said things. She could still remember his body relaxing against hers as his eyes drifted shut and his fingers softly digging into her hair…

She shook her head.

Yeah, anxious was a bit of an understatement actually.

She wasn't ready to deal. Didn't want to upset anyone but knew this needed to be hashed out and she needed to let Seth know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they couldn't, wouldn't happen.

She remembered him apologizing for trying to push her to admit feelings.

Feelings? There were no feelings. Seth was crazy. This was crazy.

She loved the guy to the moon and back. But only as a friend….

Ok! Enough!

Shaking her head, Rhea burrowed further under the covers and tried to calm her erratic emotions enough to settle down for the night. Dean entered moments later and all effort to keep calm was thrown out the window as she took in his unreadable expression.

He simply passed by and went to work at undressing, haphazardly throwing his clothes to the side, lifting the covers to slip into bed.

They stared at each other for a long while and he reached out, pulling her close against his body.

"Sorry about the stupid crack about your blanket," He grumbled.

Rhea shook her head. "No. It's not you, babe. It wasn't the blanket I'm just...I don't even know. Really tired like I said, just kinda wanting to call it tonight. Been a busy one today. You just got back home and I had work and I don't even know why I'm acting like this crazy person and I'm sorry."

She knew why she was acting like a crazy person but she doubted he wanted to go down that road right now. Hell, she didn't want to!

Dean sighed and pulled her closer, but waited as she turned last second then nuzzled his face in between her neck and shoulder breathing heavily on her for a moment.

"It's ok," He muttered.

Only it wasn't.

Rhea still felt uneasy about it all and he was confused and worried all over again.

Yes, he knew his remarks had been biting to Seth and honestly he could say with 100 percent certainty that this was a Thanksgiving tradition he'd rather skip out on. He didn't feel very thankful right now.

It was all supposed to be in fun. Why was it becoming complicated? Sex was sex or it used to be with him anyway. Then came Rhea, she snuck her way in with her ass and her tits and the sex and he just had to become domesticated, up and fall for her, want to give her everything and…

He felt her shift and place a quick kiss on his chin and his lips twitched in response before he closed his eyes.

"Let's just sleep ok?"

It was a moment later when Rhea answered back quietly, discouraged. He wouldn't have heard had he not been completely still and as calm as he could be under the circumstances.

"Ok."

The two soon fell asleep, "Love you's" floating between them unspoken, a weird occurrence, which would be surprising to most but unnerving to them.

Things were definitely not ok.