Chapter 20

"Meg, wait." Jeff yelled after her. She ignored him and kept walking. "Honey, please." She turned at looked at him.

"Honey?" She repeated. "After what I just saw, you have the nerve to call me honey? You were kissing her!"

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Are you? Are you really?"

"Yes. I don't want to hurt you."

"Well it's a little late for that." She shook her head. "I knew something was wrong when I spoke with you. I could tell."

"That's why you're here?" He asked her.

"Why do you think? You sounded so different so I thought why not? It's only a couple of hours. I got here just in time to see the show."

"I didn't want this to happen."

"Yea well it did, so now what? Do you love her?"

"I think I do." He said and Meg shook her head.

"You know it's funny, I knew it the moment she came back, even from the TV screen. I saw the look in your eyes. I never got that look. You know she's only going to hurt you again?" Meg told him.

"I hurt her, remember. I was the one who cheated."

"She left your relationship well before you and I got together."

"There was stuff going on. I knew that but I was too young to understand or even deal with it."

"Is that what she told you?" Meg asked.

"It's the truth. Look, I can't tell you everything, but Jessica had her reasons. I know that now."

"So, where do we stand?"

"I'm sorry. It's over."

"Wait. Three years ago, she runs off and disappears from your life leaving you an absolute wreck. I was there. I helped you pick up the pieces. It took you forever to come back from it. Then out of the blue she shows up and you're right back to hanging on her every word? How do you know it will last? What happens when you do something she doesn't like and she runs off on you again?" Meg looked to him.

"I don't and she didn't just leave on a whim. I did this, not her. What happened to Jess and I was my fault."

"And you think she's just ready to pick up where you left off?"

"I don't know. We haven't even discussed anything. What you saw back there just happened. I don't even know if Jessica wants me back. I'm sorry but I got to try." He told her.

"What about me?" She asked.

"I never meant to hurt you. I love her and whether we get together or not, I got to be honest. I just don't feel the same way about you."

"Did you ever?" Meg asked even though she already knew the answer. She was there for the break up. She saw the way he mourned losing her. She knew it wasn't going to be the same for their breakup.

"I'm sorry." He said to her softly.

"Yeah, you said that already." She said. "I'm think I'm gonna head home." She went to leave.

"Meg, wait. I don't think you should drive home like this. Let me pay for you to stay in a hotel." He offered.

"Where are you staying?"

"I can't say. I'm sorry." She shook her head.

"I'm going home. I'll have my bags packed by the end of the week."

"Look, I'll stay at Matt's for awhile. Take some time figure out what you want to do."

"Thank you." She kissed his cheek. "I hope she appreciates you this time." She said and walked away. Jeff headed back to Vince's office to get his things then took a cab back to the hotel. He waited down in the lobby for a little bit afraid to go upstairs. He knew Jessica was upstairs, but now he was afraid to talk to her. He felt like he took advantage of her, kissing her when she was vulnerable, but she kissed him back. Jeff felt it. Did that mean maybe Jessica still had feelings for him? Or was she just so desperate at the situation that she followed his lead?

"Hey Jeff." Jeff turned to see Shane sitting in a chair nearby.

"Not now please, Shane."

"Relax. I'm not gonna jump on you. I don't think it will do any good. Besides I said it before, I just want what's best for Jessica."

"I know. So do I."

"And do you think you're what's best for her?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't take this personal but the way Jessica is now, she's a lot of work. She's got a lot of issues to deal with and it's going to take time. I'm not saying you can't deal with it, but why do you want to?"

"Why do you?"

"It's different for me. Jess is basically part of my family, like a sister. Sometimes even more than Stephanie; no competition you know?" Jeff nodded. "I have to keep her safe." They sat in silence for a little.

"You know you didn't answer my question. Why do you want to deal with all this?"

"Because I love her. I may have screwed up any chance that I'll ever have with her long ago, but I'm still gonna make sure she's good. She deserves that."

"That she does." He said standing up. "Look, you got her to stay, and she relies on you. Even I see that you can calm her down like no one else can and if you care, I think she still has feelings for you too. Make sure you are good to her." Shane said to him and walked away. Jeff headed to the elevator.

He nodded to the security guards and went inside. Matt was sitting on the bed with his laptop in front of him.

"Hey." He said. "How'd it go?"

"It's over." Jeff said and slumped down in a chair.

"Are you okay?"

"Yea. I just didn't want it to go down that way."

"How'd she take it?"

"Okay, I guess. She said she knew it was coming. Apparently everyone knew how I felt but me." Jeff told him.

"Not everyone." Matt said and looked to Jessica's room. "With all the drama that happened she went right to bed. So you'll have to wait till tomorrow."

"Speaking of tomorrow, do you have any room in your house for one more? I told Meg she can stay as long as she needs."

"Sure, if you don't mind sharing a room with Helms." Matt said. "How's your back?"

"Man, with everything that happened I completely forgot about it."

"Well maybe you should get some rest. We're gonna leave really early tomorrow and I have a feeling you'll be feeling it tomorrow. You took some fall." Matt said.

"So everyone keeps saying. I wonder how they're gonna explain it."

"Stephanie already spinned it, so that it looks like Edge and Christian did it. They were gonna cut a promo and everything."

"So we're still going through with all this?" Jeff asked.

"Yea. I don't think Jess would be able to take it if she wasn't at least working. We just got to keep reminding her that she can do this."

"I know. I should have told her about the calls earlier. Maybe she wouldn't have freaked out as much." Jess said.

"She still would have freaked. To tell you the truth I'm starting to as well. At first I thought your threats were just a way for him to scare her, but Jeff he wants you out of the picture. That stunt with the ladder was meant for you."

"Come on. It could have been any of us who used the ladder."

"No way man. You're the only one who uses the twenty footer in all our stunts. Maybe we should take a break, or at least you. This guy is serious."

"Yea he is serious; about her. I'll be all right. I'm not taking a break."

"Just be careful. Things are only going to get worse. Especially after that scene in the hallway" Matt warned him.

"Yea, I guess we had a bit of an audience." Jeff laughed.

"Dude, it's all over the net. Check it out." Matt said gesturing to his laptop.

"I'll take your word for it."

"Yea, well there's a picture". Matt told him.

"What?" Jeff went over to look at the computer and there it was. A picture of him and Jessica locked in an embrace. Jeff scrolled down and read the caption below:

"A lover's reunion? Just one week after her return, Jessica is already returning the drama to the WWE. Word has it that she freaked out and went crying down the corridors. Lucky for her Jeff Hardy was there to make everything better. Looks like the extremely volatile couple are picking up right where they left off."

"Great." Jeff said after he finished reading. "This is just what we need."

"Yea, but at least they didn't mention anything that was said. Just that she freaked out. We don't want to give this guy any press."

"Well I'm pretty sure he isn't going to be happy when he reads this."

"Yea. That's for sure." Jeff stared at the picture of him and Jessica. He remembered the feeling when their lips touched. It was a passion that Jeff felt he had long lost and he knew that she had felt it too. He wanted so badly to talk to her and let her know how he feels. He stood up and walked over to the door.

"Jeff, let her sleep, please. She was a wreck when we got back here and it took me forever to calm her down." Matt warned him.

"Why?"

"Well besides what she saw this guy do to you; she felt bad about what she did to Meg, and what she did to you."

"What did she do to me? Does she regret the kiss?" Jeff asked him.

"Look, I think you'll have to talk to her. It wouldn't be right for me to say what she told me." Matt said.

"Matt, I'm your brother."

"She's my friend. What she told me was in confidence, and I'm not gonna betray that. So go to bed, rest and you can talk it out in the morning." Matt told him, and then to prove the conversation was over he turned off the lights.

Jeff went to his bed and lay down. He closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep but couldn't. Did she regret kissing him? He knew that he didn't but he wouldn't know what to do if Jessica didn't want him. She had to have felt something, there was no way she could ignore it. He can't. Jeff tossed and turned for hours until finally he fell into a restless sleep.