Disclaimer: I do not own any WWE superstars

When You're Around

Chapter 52

Rachel walked out of the elevator and looked around the lobby for Stephen. She smiled as she saw her date sitting on one of the couches looking down at his phone as his fingers typed away. He looked up as she made her way over and smiled at her, standing up as he slipped his blackberry into the back pocket of his jeans. "You look gorgeous." He commented as she reached him and he pulled her close for a sweet embrace and a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you," She said back.

"You ready to get out of here?" He asked as he put a hand on the small of her back, ready to lead her out of the hotel.

She nodded. "Where are we going?"

"Well, I made reservations at a nice restaurant downtown," He said as they began to weave their way through the parking lot.

"Not too nice I hope," She said, gesturing to the jeans she wore. Though it wasn't her clothing she was worried about, she didn't want him to go to through all that trouble when she had to break the news to him about Adam.

He smiled at her. "Don't worry, we'll fit in just fine."

Rachel looked around the dimly lit bar and grill Stephen had taken them to before looking back at her date with a grin. "Good choice,"

He chuckled a little. "Glad you approve. I'm feeling quite confident that we won't have any interruptions like we had last time."

"We can only hope." She replied. They both looked over the menu and each decided on what meal they wanted. After they put in their order with their waiter, they were able to give each other their full attention.

"So you said your friend came on the road for a week?" Stephen asked to get some conversation going.

She nodded. "Yeah, Jess, she finally gave herself a break. It's about time, the girl works harder than anyone I know; she deserves it." She smiled as she thought of something. "Chloe and I have been trying for who knows how long to get her to take a vacation but the answer is always no. Well, she met John Cena a few weeks ago when John was visiting Randy and they've been talking ever since. I think he had something to do with her coming here."

He smiled back. "Sounds like it. She sounds like a workaholic, John's the same way. They'd probably work well together,"

"I completely agree. She's dated some shitty guys in the past so it's nice to see her interested in someone who is actually good for her, ya know?"

"Yeah, it's hard to find someone actually worth your time." Stephen said with a smile as he looked at Rachel. She gave a slight smile back, feeling shittier than ever. Maybe she should tell him now. But she wanted to wait until after so she didn't ruin the night.

"So you have a good week at home?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, did the usual, get in good workouts, catch up on some sleep and study up on past matches."

"That's all? You didn't go out with friends or anything?" She asked, now concerned for his social life. That sounded a lot like Chloe during the school year. School, prepare for school and grade school stuff.

He shrugged. "Sometimes I do but I'm really focused on being the best I can be right now. Sometimes it's nice to watch matches so I can improve."

"You're a hard worker." She commented.

He smiled. "Well I definitely did my fair share of thinking about our date." This earned another awkward smile from Rachel. Damn him for being so sweet and damn her for being so caught up in Adam. If Adam hadn't come along, she could say without a doubt she could have fallen for Stephen.

"So you live in…Tampa?" She asked simply because of the wrestlers she'd met, the majority lived in Tampa.

He shook his head. "St. Augustine, huge difference from home but I actually kind of like it. How's St. Louis?"

She smiled thinking of her hometown. "I love it. It's really the only place I've ever lived so one day I would like to live somewhere else. Maybe the west coast or something, I've only been there a few times to visit Chloe when she went to UCLA. But for now St. Louis is it for me. It's where my family and close friends are."

"Have you ever been out of the country?" He asked curiously.

She nodded. "Once. After high school graduation a bunch of us girls went to Mexico for a week. I spent the majority of the trip drunk off my ass. It was great." Stephen laughed.

"You got to get out there and travel more." Then he paused and smiled sheepishly. "Well I guess you will now that you're with the company. Even though the traveling can get a bit rough with our schedule, it's one of my favorite aspects of my job. There is just so much out there to see and it's amazing to have the opportunity to do so."

She resisted letting out a sigh of how dreamy he was. "So did you start wrestling in Ireland?"

"Actually, I started out in New Jersey. I got a little neck injury that sidelined me for a bit. A couple years later I was able to get back into the business and I started wrestling in Dublin. I stayed there for a while before moving over to some British promotions before finally landing in the WWE." He finished his story with a smile as he remembered the long way he'd come.

"Quite a resume you've got," She joked.

"That's nothing compared to some of the guys'," He commented with a shake of his head.

"Well, I have a feeling you'll be sticking around for a long time. Creative has so many different ideas for you,"

He leaned forward with a grin. "Want to share?"

She smiled back. "You know I can't. Besides, nothing's set in stone, just ideas being tossed around. Point is they can't get enough of you."

"And here's hoping they never do." He said as he raised his glass for a toast.

The minute Jess disappeared from view as she entered the bathroom, Adam leaned over to talk to John in a low voice. "Hey, I'm gonna need you to find another place to sleep tonight. I'm going to need the room."

John looked at his friend like he was crazy. "For what?" He was slightly annoyed that Adam had stayed throughout the whole movie and he hadn't made a move to leave yet and now he was calling dibs on their hotel room.

Adam grinned. "Rachel," He simply said.

John let out a groan. "When are you guys just going to stop sneaking around?"

"Trust me, I'm working on it. Rach wants to talk to Chloe and Jess first." He explained in a whisper, not wanting Jess to overhear.

John let out a sigh. "Fine. But can you maybe do me a favor and get lost for a while?"

Adam wrinkled his brows. "But…why…" He asked confused. And then it hit him. "Shit man, was this a date?" John nodded and Adam shook his head in disappoint. "Then why the hell did you invite me to watch the movie with you guys?"

"I was being nice, you asshole." John said, chucking a pillow at his friend.

"How about next time you kick me the fuck out?" Adam suggested as he stood up to leave. "I don't want a reputation as a third wheel dude!"

John laughed. "Whatever, when should I be out of here?"

Adam looked at the clock in thought. "Maybe an hour?"

He nodded. "All right, I'll text you when I'm gone."

"Thanks man," He said shaking John's hand. "I'll see you later, you have fun tonight." He said and laughed when John threatened to kick his ass. He walked to the door at the same time the bathroom door opened. "Hey Jess, I've got to get going. Thanks for letting me hang out with you guys,"

She smiled at him. "No problem," Once Adam was gone she turned to John and laughed.

"Sorry he's such a pain." John apologized as he stood up, walking over to her.

"No, it's cool, I didn't mind at all." She smiled shyly. "But it would have been nice of it to be just the two of us."

John smiled back and nodded, reaching out to rest his hands on her waist. "Well that just gives us a reason to have another date again soon."

She grinned. "Yeah, I guess it does."

"Um, listen Stephen, there is kind of something I need to tell you." Rachel said to Stephen suddenly. It was after dinner and they had decided to go for a walk in a nearby park. She just couldn't put it off any longer.

He cracked a smile as he faced her. "Uh-oh, that doesn't sound good."

She shot him a sad smile. "I really like you," He let out a sigh, seeing where this was going. "And you are a great guy. Seriously any girl would be lucky to have you."

"But not you?" He asked.

She shook her head and looked down before glancing back up at him. "This might sound a bit strange to you but I have feelings for Adam." Yes, he definitely looked shocked. "And I've recently found out that he has feelings for me too so we're going to give that a shot. But I honestly feel terrible." She said raising a hand to hold over her heart. "If things had been different…" She trailed off, thinking. "If things had been different I think we would have really worked out."

Stephen was silent for a while before speaking. "I'm definitely surprised. You and Adam…how did that happen?" He asked curiously. It was one thing to be dumped. It was quite another to be dumped for a man he thought she strongly disliked.

She let out a sigh. "We hooked up a couple of times and then this week, he was visiting Randy and…we just kind of talked things out."

He thought this over before nodding. "Well I can't say I'm not disappointed and a little hurt."

She frowned and reached for his hand, taking it as a good sign when he didn't pull away. "I'm so sorry, I never meant for any of this to happen. I didn't even want to like Adam, like as a person, so imagine my shock when I realized I had feelings for the guy." Stephen couldn't help but crack a little smile.

"Like I said I'm disappointed, I really liked you." He said, looking at her sadly. He looked away from her for a minute as he rubbed a hand over his chin. "But you know, if we're being honest…I think even if we had gone forward with a relationship of some sort, it wouldn't have worked out."

She furrowed her brow. "It wouldn't have?"

He smiled at her and shook his head. "I think we're at different points in life. Talking to you earlier," He began as he rested her hand on his bicep as he led them back in the direction of the car. "I realized that I'm not ready for a relationship. This business is my life right now. I eat, sleep and breathe wrestling. I don't have time for love." He looked at her, seemingly content with them no longer having a romantic relationship of some sort. "Maybe in a couple years, once I feel I have secured my spot with the company I could really commit to someone." He grinned at her. "But if things don't work out with you and Adam, come see me in a couple years."

She laughed. "Absolutely. But in the meantime…can we just be friends?"

"I think that'd be great," He said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, as they walked in silence just enjoying each others company.

A/N: I hope you guys like this chapter, not exactly what I had in mind but I liked it. Thanks for all of you who continue to read and review, I really appreciate it!