As Jeff and I waited for the elevator to take us to the right floor, we gushed about the night we'd had. "Okay, so I'm officially saying that your brother and Ashley are the two people I never want to be trapped in a room with. That's too much fluff and love for me. Yck."
"Why do you think I invited you to come along?" Jeff answered, moving in closer to me, and I retreated to the wall of the elevator, shying away.
"Well, I wish I hadn't said yes. But since I did, I still get what I want right?"
Jeff smiled at me question, his eyebrows raising suggestively. "Yea, but I don't really understand why you want to stay in my room?"
I smiled, blushing despite myself, looking down to my feet before regaining eye contact and answering his question. "It's nothing personal. I just don't want to be that close to John. You said anything I just saw opportunity knocking."
"You guys still got a lot of static going, huh?"
"Yea, I guess you could say that."
"Want me to pummel him for ya? Just say the word and he's just a footnote in history."
"The concern's sweet and everything but I'll figure this one out myself." I still had no clue how I was going to figure it out but that was tomorrow's problem. And so would getting up and back to my room before John realized I never came back.
"Well, if you ever change your mind you know where to find me but until then you can crash in my room." Jeff answered, getting out of the elevator and finding his room.
Chilling out with Jeff was different than with John. Before we went to sleep, we talked about back in the south; what we did for fun and the music we liked. It was kind of like having a sleepover with a friend. I woke up the next morning around six a.m. and scurried to get back to my room before John woke up. As I stepped out of the shower and out of the bathroom into the bedroom John was standing in adjoining room doorway.
"You know they have maids that make the beds." He smirked.
"Well, I got up early. I don't see how it'll hurt anything." I lied.
"Well, whatever. Let's go."
That night was pretty much the same thing. I went out with Jeff and Matt and stayed with Jeff. It was a lot more pleasant than having to deal with John at night. The next morning thought proved to be a problem. As I walked out of Jeff's room, Candice came down the hallway from an early morning swim in the pool.
"Michelle? What are you doing?" I froze as I heard her voice from behind me.
"Oh, I, uh, was watching a movie with Jeff last night… fell asleep." I answered, figuring it to be a believable scenario.
"Um, okay. Well, I'll see you later." Candice walked past me and back to her room. Something in her voice told me that she didn't believe me.
Later that night, as Candice was debating theories of what I had really been doing in Jeff's room the previous night, John approached her looking for me as my presence was needed yet I was no where to be found. Truthfully, I was hiding from the champ.
"You seen Michelle?" He questioned the diva.
"No, you checked with Jeff?"
"No, why would I?" The perplexed champion asked.
"Well, uh, I just saw, uh, never mind."
"Candice, you're a horrible liar and you can't keep a secret worth shit. Tell me what it is… what did you see?"
"Michelle coming out of Jeff's room this morning and sneaking into her room." She admitted.
John didn't respond, but proceeded to search the entire arena for me. When he found me, locked in conversation with Kane, he grabbed my forearm and pulled me to the nearest empty room.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He hissed.
"Well, I was talking to Kane." I replied, out of the loop.
"I meant with Jeff."
"Nothing, we're friends. You know, friends. When you hang with people and don't try to rape them."
"You have no idea how furious I am with you. You didn't even tell me. Candice did. If I had known you were in there I could've at least had a story for it. If Vince finds out I'm screwed because you won't tell me the truth. I could just wring your neck!"
"John, why won't you admit what you're really mad about?! You just don't want me having fun. You want me to sit in the hotel doing nothing. Well, guess what that's not who I am." I turned, ready to storm out of his room.
"I don't care about you having fun!" John shouted, grabbing my wrists to prevent me from leaving. "God, why would you think that? But Michelle, think about it. You've spent the past few nights in Jeff's hotel room. What the hell am I supposed to think the two of you are doing? If something happens to you… "
"You'll have to explain to Vince that I didn't want to be near you cause you tried to take advantage of me." I interjected, trying to pull my wrists out of his grasp. "And that'll be more on you than anything that happens to me. You're just a selfish, inconsiderate bastard John don't try to make it something different than that." I finally got my hands free and turned to grab the door knob and walk out.
John turned me around, shoving me up against the wall, his seething eyes burning a hole through my face as he stared me down. "You know what… No one and I mean no one pisses me off more than you. I just want to…."