A/N: thank you all so much! I'm trying to make this story slow and steady and SOMEWHAT realistic. I don't want to jump right into anything. But thank you all for all of the reviews and favs and follows!

The next morning, Nicole was in the hotel gym, trying to get an early bird work out in before the rest of the superstars decided on the same idea. She was currently sitting alone in the large room, on one of the workout equipment. She took a swig of water, as a bead of sweat rolled down her forehead. The brunette looked over when she heard the door to the gym open.

"We had the same idea, huh?" She stated to the large Samoan, and laughed when his head snapped to see the source of the voice. He soon relaxed, and smiled at the young girl.

"I guess so. Good thing you're here. You can spot me." He winked at her as he set his bag down in the corner of the room.

Nicole walked over to him, taking him in. He had on a grey cotton tank top and basketball shorts.

"Where's Jon and Colby? Shouldn't they be with you for kayfabe purposes?" She pried as she watched him set up the free weights. She stood behind him when he started to squat.

"We're not best of friends like everybody seems to think. Just a gimmick." He kept his response short and sweet. Nicole shrugged it off and continued to spot him.

"Whatever you say." She laughed as he put the bar back on the rack. Joe turned to her and looked her up and down. She had on a white crop top, which showed off her toned abs, paired with black yoga pants.

"So, what are you doing today? It feels nice to finally stay in a city longer then 12 hours." He rolled his neck and walked over to the dumbbells.

"Probably just relax. I gotta make sure I'm in tip top shape. I mean I am the new girl." She replied, sitting on the floor next to where he was standing.

"Feel like hanging out? I don't have anything else to do." Joe said in all seriousness.

"Whoa, wow, when you put it like that I'd love to!" She laughed as she replied to his question. "But yes, I'd love to."

"I didn't mean it like that." He playfully threw his towel at her head. She caught it once she realized it was coming at her.

"I'll be done in about an hour if you wanna go get ready. We can start our day early." He looked in her direction to see her response.

"Yeah of course. Uh, I'll leave you my number or you can come by my room. It's right down the hall from Cody's." Nicole stammered out. He chuckled softly, reaching for his phone. She gently took it from his hand and typed her number down for him.

"I better hear from you." She said a little more quietly then she had intended.

He smiled in response, and out the door she went.

At about 10 a.m, 2 hours after the gym, there was a soft knock on Nicole's hotel room door. She glanced in the mirror once more before she unlocked the door.

" You clean up nice." She playfully greeted one half of the tag champs. He adorned dark washed jeans and a black t-shirt.

"You're not too bad yourself, miss." The raven-haired man smiled at the woman that stood before him. She adorned high waisted jean shorts, a teal tube top, and black Nike high tops.

"So what are we getting into today? And can I just take a second to say thank you for accepting me and hanging out with me. I don't mean to be too forward or anything, but I thought this was gonna be a hard journey, but you've really helped me get accustomed. So thank you." Nicole was taken back by herself, with the confidence she just mustered up to say that aloud. And nonetheless, say it aloud in front of him.

"No need to thank me," He started, as he pushed the button for the elevator. "Honestly, if I had somebody to kind of show me the ropes, besides family, it would have been a million times easier. I don't do the politic bullshit like everybody else, and that's what pisses people off. So what you're a rookie? Every other person in the locker room was a rookie at some point. I just find it ridiculous. Anyway, back on a lighter topic. I figured we could go get some breakfast and then go explore the town a bit. That is, if you want to. We can go shopping or something?" He stammered a bit and the petite brunette couldn't help but laugh.

"I don't care what we do, as long as we don't get stuck in the rain." She looked out the small window, adjacent to the elevator. The sky was a smoked grey that flooded over LA.

"I don't think it's gonna rain. It's just dark." He studied the sky as well, making his own assumption.

The duo boarded the elevator as it came to a halt in front of them. To their pleasant surprise, Jon Good was stepping off.

"What's up man?" He greeted the Samoan man.

"We're about to go grab breakfast. Se where the day leads us." Joe replied.

"I see you're taking care of this little one." Nicole gave him a pointed look, but laughed despite. He leaned in and hugged her, rubbing her.

"You wanna come with us?" She asked in a polite tone.

"I just ate. I'll catch you guys later though. I have an early morning date with that new red head chick." He wiggled his eyebrows, before turning on his heel.

The couple was left standing there, laughing at their friend's antics. They quickly walked on to the elevator and let it carry them down to the lobby.

"Order whatever you want. My treat." Joe and Nicole were currently sitting in the back of a local IHOP.

"I couldn't do that." She tried protesting, but he stopped her.

"I'm serious. Consider it a welcome gift if that'll make you feel better." He winked at the small girl, sending her an award-winning smile in the process. Nicole offered a shy smile as she looked down at her hands.

"I was right." She said a short while later. She was given a confused from the dark haired man.

"It's raining." She answered his unspoken question. He simply nodded and smiled.

"I guess you were. Wh-"

"Let's go to the park." He was abruptly cut off by her request.

"From what I remember, you said you didn't wanna get stuck in the rain. I guess it's a good thing you don't mind getting wet, huh?" He quietly asked. He achieved what he was going for, as she started blushing profusely.

"The wetter the better." She smirked as she saw his expression.

"Well now I know you're not ashamed of anything." They both started laughing as their food was set on the table.

A comfortable silence had fell over them through the rest of their meal. To say they were comfortable around each other was an understatement.

2 hours later, and they were walking around a local park. Their conversations consisted of everything, from friends and family, to turn ons and turn offs. There were no limits to the amount of information they wanted to know about each other.

The rain was coming down harder then earlier. But they didn't seem to notice. They laughed, shared painful memories, but enjoyed the company of each other overall. They were both oblivious to the feelings that were blooming in this short period of time.

"I don't think I've had this much fun in forever." Nicole exclaimed once they were standing under a large tree.

"Especially with somebody I just met a couple days ago. Thank you. You've made this transition in my life extremely easy." She continued thanking him. Her facial expression could light up a room at this point.

"It's my pleasure. It's definitely been an interesting couple of days. And I'll admit, so far today has been pretty great." Joe smiled down at the young woman, causing her to blush.

"Come on, let's get back to the hotel. We have a good walk in front of us." He stated as he stepped back into the rain with her.

"No cab?" She raised an eyebrow.

"You're the one that wanted to get wet. I can only give you what you ask for" He shrugged in a sarcastic sort of way. They both burst out laughing as they walked back to their hotel.

A/N: review!