As soon as they were out the door, Colby turned to Jon and noticed the worried look. "You really like her don't you?"

"Huh? What? Oh, yeah. I really do but I fucking don't know if she wants me the same way I want her. She was flirting with you, eying Joe, and now about to kiss Drew, right here in front of me."

"Man, you just need to stop being a pussy and tell her then. I will behave myself because you are my boy but I can't say the same for him. Women fall all over themselves for him and if you don't man up, he is going to steal her right out from under you. Just you wait."

"But what if I tell her I want to be more than friends and she doesn't want that? Then where the fuck does that leave me?"

"Do you really think she would tell you that?"

"I don't know. I keep trying to remind myself that I am not fifteen anymore but being around her makes me feel like a teenager again. I get shy and awkward and have to put on this arrogant act to hide it from her. I wanted her for a long time and now that I have her here, I don't want to fuck it up. I made the mistake of telling her that I didn't do relationships well and now I am sure she things we are just fuck buddies who live together. Me and my big goddamn mouth."

"Well, you better take a chance or you aren't going to have her anyway. At least if she says she just wants you as a fuck buddy, you will know. Has to be better than what you are doing to yourself right now."

Drew and Rhonda were in the car coming back from Dairy Queen and Drew was teasing her about Jon. He was planning to put the screws to Jon and make him own up to his feelings. Rhonda felt a little bad for scheming with Drew to manipulate Jon but she wanted to know if he really had feelings for her or he just liked being friends with benefits. "So when we get back to your place, I am going to act enamored of you and lay on the charm. All you have to do is be receptive and flirt back. If he gets angry, I want it to be at me not you, so you can be somewhat unaffected by my advances, love. We want to give him a gentle prod in your direction, not send him into a fit of jealous rage!"

"No, don't want that! Okay, I will play along, since you think it is for the best. Like I said, I hope this doesn't just blow up in my face."

"It won't. Trust me. I see it when he looks at you. He is one smitten kitten."

They made it back to the apartment and handed the boys their ice cream when they got in. Rhonda couldn't help but laugh at Colby because he looked like a happy little boy with his treat. Rhonda sat down on the couch between Jon and Drew and noticed that Jon was just picking at his dessert. She felt guilty because she knew it was their fault he wasn't acting like himself. "You okay, Jonny?"

"What? Oh yeah, I am fine. You guys want to watch a movie or something?"

They all nodded and he got up to find a DVD to put in. Rhonda gave Drew a sad look and he knew she was having second thoughts about their plan. He leaned over to whisper in her ear, "It will be fine, lassie. Just play along."

Jon looked up in time to see Drew kiss her on the side of the head. She knew he was upset because she saw his jaw clench and his hand curl into a fist. But, he still didn't say anything. It didn't go unobserved by Colby as well. He hoped that Jon would take his advice and come clean about his feelings before Drew stole her away. He could tell that Drew was smooth and could see how most women were defenseless against him.

Jon started the movie and sat back down, gritting his teeth to keep from saying anything. Drew turned off the lamp and left them with only the TV to illuminate the room. He reached for Rhonda's hand so she let him, hoping Jon would have beaten him to it. While they watched the movie, Jon quietly smoldered. He cursed himself and Drew, wondering why Rhonda couldn't see how much he cared for her. He had hoped she knew how he felt, and even hoped that she would be the one to tell him that she wanted more. Again, he mentally kicked himself for ever uttering those words about not wanting a girlfriend. He blamed himself because in his rush to come off cool and aloof, like he was just a skirt chaser, he had given Drew the chance to move in on her.

Rhonda could feel the tension seeping from Jon, and she didn't like it. She knew he was really pretty insecure at heart, but she also knew why. She didn't want to make him think she was completely falling for Drew and discourage him from pursuing her. She placed her hand on his thigh and lightly rubbed, making his head whip around to look at her. He was surprised at the gentle touch but lifted her hand to his lips, softly kissing her knuckles. His actions really shocked her, never expecting such a tender gesture like that from him.

When the movie was over, Colby said his goodbyes and left, telling Jon he would see him the next night. Drew got up to go as well and Rhonda stopped him. "Hey, it is late. Why don't you just spend the night?"

Drew smiled and fought back a laugh at Jon's expression. He could tell that Jon must have been looking forward to getting her alone. "Well, it is awfully late and I live a bit aways. But only if Jon says it is okay."

They both looked to him and he almost stuttered as he answered. "Yeah, um, sure man. You can stay in the guest room. Rhonda has been sleeping with me every night anyway. Isn't that right, Ronnie?"

She giggled, "Yeah. But I don't know if I should leave Drew…"

"He'll be fine. Come on to bed, babe. Drew, second room on the left. Bathroom is the first." He grabbed her hand and started to drag her down the hall.

"Just a second, Jon. Damn, you about to pull my arm off. Let me say goodnight." She wrestled out of his grip and hugged Drew. "Goodnight, Drew. Sleep well."

"Oh, I will. If you get cold, you know where to find me," he said with a wink.

She nodded, "I sure do."

Jon was about to blow a gasket. "She won't be getting cold in bed with me, Drew. I am like a mother fuckin' furnace."

"Oh, I just figured since you are just roommates and all, you wouldn't be cuddling with her. Just wanted to give her the option to come snuggle with me if she got cold and lonely with you way on the other side of the bed, you know." Drew knew he was pushing his luck and prayed he didn't get a black eye, but his teasing had the desired effect. Jon's face was flushed and he looked angry, so he was expecting their contrived plan to make him jealous was going to pay dividends before morning.

"She won't get lonely and we are not just roommates. We have had se…"

"That's enough, Jonathan. Let's go to bed. Night, Drew."

This time it was Rhonda dragging Jon down the hall before he said something to Drew. They went in his room and closed the door, Rhonda fussing at him as soon as they were alone. "Jon, what the hell are you thinking?"

"Me? The fuck you talking about?"

"You were about to brag to Drew about us having sex."

"So? Are you ashamed that you are fucking me? Is that it?"

"No, of course not…"

"Sure you are."

"Jon, where the hell is this coming from? Why would I be ashamed of you? I just don't want everyone knowing my business."

"If you weren't ashamed, you wouldn't give a fuck if everyone knew I was banging you."

"Don't be an ass, Jon." She turned to leave and he grabbed her arm.

"Where are you going?"

"To my room to sleep."

"With him?!" his voice squeaked as he asked.

"Yes. With him. You are pissing me off."

"Ronnie, don't…please…"

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want you to."

"And why is that? Afraid I will get him to um, bang me as you put it, instead of you?"

"Well, yes…I mean…"

"So I am just some whore who fucks every guy she sees?"

"No, that's not what I mean! I just…I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Drew isn't the one hurting me, Jonny." Her words cut into him; a sharp pang in his heart. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her or for her to think he thought of her as a whore. He hated that he wasn't any good at saying what he meant and always felt he was saying the wrong thing.

He spoke softly, pulling her back to him. She tried to push away from him and he tightened his grip. "Ronnie, I don't think you are a whore. Please, just stay in here with me and go to sleep. I don't want to fight with you and I don't want to hurt you." She stopped struggling against his embrace and rested her head on his chest.

"I don't want to fight either."

"Come to bed. I will shut the fuck up, I promise. Just don't leave."

She could see the uncertainty in his eyes and wished he would simply tell her what was on his mind instead of skirting around what was really bothering him. "Okay. Let's go to bed. We will talk in the morning."

He nodded and stripped down to his boxers while she pulled on her nightgown. She got under the covers and waited for him to join her. He flipped off the light and slid into bed, giving her a sweet kiss on the lips before rolling over. He wanted nothing more than to fuck her into the mattress so Drew could hear, and that was his plan, but now he knew she wouldn't be in the mood. He resigned himself to just going to sleep; comforted only by the fact she was in his bed and not cozying up to Drew. He closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind, but the voice telling him to profess his love came back even louder. He thought about what he would say and if he would tell her he had loved her all along, and he tried to picture her being happy. But, all he could see is her laughing at him and not returning his feelings.

Rhonda turned over and curled her arm under his. Jon laced his fingers with hers and held their hands to his heart. She felt the stiffness in his body and wanted to make it all go away. She thought if they both could get their feelings out in the open, their inner turmoil would stop. She had never told him, but even when they were young, she cared for him. She felt protective of him and wanted nothing more than to look after him. She told Jaime to invite him over to their house, knowing he was at least safe while he was with them. Their family wasn't well off, but at least they did all love each other and watch out for each other. She knew he didn't even have that. She didn't have romantic feelings for him until she saw him wrestle. She had always seen him as a kid, until she saw him in the ring. He invited them to one of his HWA shows and when she saw him shirtless, she was impressed. He definitely wasn't a kid anymore, but a man; a very sexy man who still had the heart and soul of a sweet little boy. He was so happy and his blue eyes sparkled when she saw him after the show. She had to tell him how proud she was of him and how good she thought he was. She was still so proud of him. She pressed her lips to his shoulder, murmuring, "I could never be ashamed of you, Jonny."

He smiled, her words making his heart thump in his chest. She could admit, at least to herself, that she was falling for him. She cared for him before, but after being with him the way she was now, she was without doubt falling in love. There was a bond there that she never had with Stu that went beyond just sex and having a good time. They really knew each other and because of that, they trusted each other.

Stu was across town, still awake. He had been cursed with insomnia for most of his adult life, but it was better when Rhonda was there. Now that she was gone, it seemed to be even worse. He couldn't stop thinking about how messed up his life had become and the betrayal by one of his best friends. He and Stephen had been like brothers, a bond that had only been strengthened by years of traveling together. They were like the Three Amigos, him, Stephen and Drew. They supported each other and always had each other's backs, or so he thought. He now even felt betrayed by Drew. He thought that Drew should be on his side and not be hanging out with Rhonda and Jon. He was jealous but would never own up to it. He wanted her back, but he wasn't going to be crazy like Stephen and try to force his way back into her life. He hoped that she would see that he still loved her and that Jon wasn't right for her. He didn't care that she had known Jon for a long time; he didn't trust him.

He thought about what Drew said about Stephen being at Rhonda's hotel and the idea scared him. If someone would have told him a week ago that Stephen would set out to ruin his life, he would have punched them. But now, it was as if he didn't know the man at all. He was worried that he would try to hurt Rhonda and there was no way he was letting that happen. Even if she didn't want him anymore, he wasn't going to stand idly by and watch her get hurt. He kept waiting for Drew to get home, even into the wee hours and he never came back. He wanted to talk to him about Stephen and wondered why he hadn't returned yet.

The next morning, Rhonda made the boys breakfast before Drew had to leave. He had a plane to catch for Raw. Jon was forcing a smile but he was glad Drew was going to be gone soon. He wanted to talk to Rhonda and clear the air. After last night, he knew he had to. He didn't want to be that insecure kid anymore and he didn't want to run and hide from his feelings anymore either. Colby was right and regardless of how she reacted, he had to tell her. He didn't think she would tell him she loved him, but maybe she would be willing to give a relationship with him a try.

After they finished eating, Drew said goodbye and gave Rhonda a peck on the lips, much to the displeasure of Jon. He hugged her and whispered to her, "You will thank me for that later, lassie."

She smiled and nodded, "Be careful, Drew."

"Always am, love. Later, mate."

Jon waved, "Yeah, later, bro."

When Drew was out the door, Jon pinned Rhonda against the wall. "I am so fucking glad we are finally alone." He pushed his lips to hers and gripped her thighs, lifting her off the floor and pressing his hips firmly to hers. She moaned into his mouth, his sudden show of affection startling her. He pulled her leg around his waist and she could feel his cock growing through the thin material of his sweats.

She hated to push him away, but she had to. "Jonny, we can't do this right now."

"Sure we can, babe." He needed to be close to her and sex was the best way he knew to express himself. He hoped she could feel how much he wanted her in his touch, without him having to say it.

"No, we really can't. I have to be at the hotel in an hour."

"What? Your shift doesn't start until three."

"I know, but we have a staff meeting, and I just started, I can't be late or miss it."

"Fuck."

"Sorry, baby. I will make it up to you later, okay?"

"Okay. You will be home afterwards right?"

"Yes. I don't know how long it will take but yeah, I will be home."

"Good. Okay, go get ready before I can't control myself anymore."

She laughed and went to take a shower. After her shower, she got dressed and did her hair. Jon watched her putting on her makeup and decided that when she got home, he was going to bite the bullet and have "the talk" with her. He had butterflies in his stomach just thinking about it, but he wanted to get it out of the way. He wasn't leaving Drew or Colby or anyone else a chance to steal her affections away from him.

She kissed him before she left and headed down to the hotel. When she got there, she saw Mandy and sat beside her. "So, Rhonda what are you going to do about that guy?"

"Stephen?"

"Yeah. I don't want him to do something before we can actually kick him out."

"Me neither, but I don't want to get in trouble either. I haven't been here long and I don't need to attract all this negative attention to myself. I need this job and can't afford to make a scene. Jon told me he is going to get me pepper spray, but I don't think Stephen is stupid enough to try anything with people around."

"We just have to make sure to not leave you alone. Jodi said he left this morning, I guess for the show, so at least he will be gone a couple of days and we can figure out what to do about him."

"Yeah, Drew left this morning too so they probably won't be back until Wednesday."

"Have you seen your ex since he came in here?"

"Nope. Don't want to either. I want to forget that chapter of my life, but being friends with Drew makes that hard. He is a good guy and I enjoy his friendship so I guess I will just have to deal with it. He has been sweet to me and I can't just not talk to him too. Not his fault his friends are assholes."

"He is really cute. You should hook me up!"

Rhonda laughed. "Alright, I will hook you up. You won't be disappointed. Drew is an amazing person besides being fucking hot!"

They giggled but got quiet when their boss walked in. Rhonda was glad that she had made a friend that wasn't one of the guys. It was nice to have a woman to talk to and someone she could open up to that didn't seem to judge her.

An hour later, the meeting was over and Mandy asked Rhonda if she wanted to go shopping. Her eyes lit up and she nodded. "I need to go to the mall and get some stuff. The last time I went shopping it was with Jon and I didn't want to get makeup and stuff with him with me."

"Great. Let's head over there. I'll drive."

They went to the Plaza and their first stop was Sephora. They stopped after that to get a manicure and pedicure. While Rhonda was soaking her feet, Jon called. "Hello?"

"Hey, babe. What's up?"

"Nothing much. Just getting a pedi. What are you doing?"

"You are what? Where are you?"

"The mall. Mandy and I are doing some girltime."

He groaned. "Ronnie, I thought you were coming home after your meeting."

"Oh, sweetheart I am sorry. She asked me to come and I forgot."

"Shit," he muttered.

"Sorry, Jon. I know I promised to make up for this morning when I got home, but I will tonight after work instead. I swear."

"We were supposed to talk, babe."

"I know, we will. I will see you when I get off work tonight and we will talk."

"Okay," he sighed. "I am holding you to that."

"Pinky swear."

He chuckled, "alright, you girls have fun. I will see you tonight."

"Bye." She hung up and was met by the curious eyes of Mandy.

"So, this guy that you said is an old friend and not an old flame, what are you making up to him again?" she asked with a smirk.

"Well...I mean, maybe it has been more. He tried to get frisky this morning and I couldn't. Actually, I think he wanted to get frisky last night but we had company. Drew actually said the same thing you did about Jon wanting to be more than friends. He flirted shamelessly with me last night, trying to make Jon jealous."

"I knew I was right! Hell, I say go for it. He is super cute. Much cuter than Wade…er…Stu is."

"I know right! The problem is I don't know if I am just his live-in booty call or he wants more. He acts jealous, but he flat out told me before I moved in that he didn't do the girlfriend thing and he wasn't moving me in to be his woman. He hasn't said anything to me about us being anything more than roommates, well bedmates and fuck buddies."

"Who is to say he is the one who has to make the first move? You ever heard of women's lib?"

"What?"

"Look, if you want this guy, there is no rule that says you can't tell him. Maybe since you are acting like you don't want a relationship, he is going along with it. You had a bad break-up and maybe he is trying to give you space."

"Space? By us fucking every day?"

"Well, emotional space. Maybe on the inside he is still a scared teenage boy who acts over-confident because he is terrified of rejection. You told me he had a crush on you back in the day right? Maybe the same thing that kept him from telling you back then is what is keeping him from telling you now."

"And if I am wrong? If he doesn't want to be anything serious, I will have made an ass of myself and things will be awkward between us."

"I really don't think he will turn down an offer to be more than umfriends."

"Umfriends? What the hell is that?"

"You know, when you take your friend-with-benefits to the company picnic and go to introduce him and you say, 'yeah this is Tony. He is my umm…friend.' That is an umfriend." Both girls laughed loudly and Rhonda had to cover her mouth before she spit her water out.

"That is a new one for me; I will have to remember it!"

"Yep. Okay, so we are going to Vickie's and get you something to help you show this man you mean business."

"Whoa, wait…"

"No, you are gonna. Time for one of you to cowboy up and it might as well be you. Just listen to me. We will find you an outfit that is guaranteed to make him receptive to whatever you want to do. Some people say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. I say bullshit. The quickest way to a man's heart is through his dick."