Jeff knew he had to fix things with Hope. Not because John was going to kick his ass but because he didn't want to lose Hope. The rainbow-haired warrior was on his was his way to John's hotel room. Maybe he'd give some good advice. That's what Jeff needed. Advice. How was he going to handle this? Was it possible not to hurt Hope in the process? Jeff was going try. He'd already hurt Hope and it wasn't fun. The whole silence game was driving him nuts. Hope was one of his closest friends. This had to end.
The silence? It wasn't working. Jeff thought that ignoring Hope would make things better. It actually made him want her even more. Would she forgive him for hurting her? Jeff sincerely hoped she would. And if she didn't? He'd be heartbroken, more heartbroken than he was right now. He had to at least try. And try again if he failed.
Michelle wasn't happy with him. After telling her that he loved her, Jeff had told her he needed to apologize to Hope. Michelle had simply rolled her eyes and nodded. Not that what she said mattered. Jeff was going to apologize whether she liked it or not. He knocked on the door, patiently waiting for John to open up.
Jeff sat in the living room of his girlfriend's Philadelphia house. Michaela strode towards him, kissing his lips. Jeff smiled as he pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her. He let hit lips linger along Michaela's neck. She giggled, swatting him away. This couldn't have been more perfect. The two of them couldn't have been happier. Jeff was serious about Michaela. Was she the one? Jeff was pretty sure she was. He was happy with her and she with him. She was his world, his everything. Life was complete for Jeff as long as he had Michaela.
"You think we'll be together forever?" Michaela asked.
"Yes. Always," Jeff answered without hesitation.
"Always," Michaela repeated. "And never."
She'd sort of mumbled that last part, making sure Jeff didn't hear. Good. He didn't. Michaela snuggled closer to Jeff, breathing in his scent. She hated this. When he was this attractive it made her feel guilty. Guilty about she'd done? Done? No, no. Michaela was cheating on Jeff. Let him think they were a picture perfect couple. He'd take the hint eventually. If not? Michaela would break it to him soon enough.
John had been asleep when he heard the knocking. He dragged his lazy ass out of bed, muttering profanities. He glared at Jeff when he opened the door. Jeff opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. He braced himself for whatever John was going to do. Whether it be a punch or a roundhouse kick, Jeff was ready. But, John didn't do anything. He just simply motioned for Jeff to come inside.
"You're not gonna hit me?" Jeff asked.
"Surprisingly no," John answered. "I know you didn't wanna hurt Hope."
"I need your advice, John."
"You want my advice? Talk to her."
"I get nervous around her."
"That's how she is around you."
"I don't think she ever wants to see me again."
"She does. She told me she didn't want to lose you."
Jeff's eyes lit up at that. That meant she was still struggling with her feelings which meant she still loved him. Now it was just a matter of getting her. Jeff knew there was no easy way to do that. He was hoping that maybe John could help him out. Could he really seduce Hope away from Punk? That didn't matter. Jeff was going to try it anyway. Yeah, he was that determined.
John knew how much Hope meant to Jeff. He knew they were meant to be. But, he had a feeling Punk was going to use some dirty tricks to get his way. There were plenty of other good looking Divas. Why couldn't Punk go after one of them? That would've been too… That was it! If Punk was attracted to another woman, Jeff could have Hope. It wouldn't be that easy. Punk truly was in love with Hope and John could see that.
"Can you help me get her?" Jeff asked.
"I can try. I'm mot guaranteeing anything," John answered.
"That's fine by me."
"You'd better not hurt her again or--"
"Or you'll kick my ass. I know."
"No. Hurt Hope again and I'll kill you."
"Are y-you serious?"
"Hope's my best friend. Nobody hurts her."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Michelle was beyond pissed. How could Jeff tell her that he loved her and then run off to Hope? It made her want to scream. But, he'd said he loved her. That was good, right? It was great. Michelle knew Jeff meant those three words. She could tell by the look in his eyes. Those beautiful green eyes. Michelle was totally hooked on him. Was that healthy? Probably not. But, she didn't care. Things were finally falling into place.
Well, sort of. All Michelle had to do was convince Jeff to forget about Hope. that's when things would be picture perfect. Her inner voice kept telling her that it was a lost cause. The blonde was done with negativity. Upward and onward. That's how she was facing things now. It was a good mantra to live by. Michelle couldn't help but picture Jeff with his arms around Hope, his lips lingering on her skin.
Stop it, Michelle, she scolded herself. Why did Michelle keep doing this to herself? It didn't matter if Jeff had any feelings towards Hope. She knew Hope wasn't going to try anything. Why? Because she knew what it was like to be hurt. Did Michelle care? No. But, she felt like she should've cared. This was definitely going to come back around.
"I don't…I don't know what to say," Hope whispered.
Her brain was still trying to process those four little words. Did Punk seriously just propose to her? Hope was in total shock. She couldn't even put together an intelligent thought. Was she going to say yes? Or no? Was this really happening? No. It couldn't be happening. But, it was and she knew it. She just didn't expect it.
"Say yes," Punk replied.
"Punk, I just…I…" Hope's voice trailed.
"Please say yes."
"Yes, I'll marry you," Hope smiled.
"God, I love you."
"Back at ya, love."
A grin crossed Punk's perfect lips as he slid the ring onto Hope's finger. He pulled her into a kiss, lifting her into his arms. This was great. No. It was better than great. He'd half expected Hope to say no. but, she hadn't. She'd said yes. It was official. Punk and Hope were now engaged. Punk let his lips find their way to Hope's, bringing her body closer to his. It still wasn't close enough. He couldn't have been happier.
Was saying yes the right move? Hope told herself it was. She was happy with Punk and now she was even happier. This was perfect. This was how Hope wanted things to be. The brunette kissed Punk back, lacing her fingers with his. A smile crossed her lips as she rested her head on his chest. Nothing could get rid of that smile. Hope didn't need any convincing. This was the right choice. She was officially engaged.
Jeff had finally made up his mind. He was going to get Hope this time once and for all. Nothing was going to stop him this time. He wouldn't allow it. Jeff had left a message on Hope's cell phone, asking her to meet him for coffee in an hour. The hour passed quickly and Jeff stood pacing in the small coffee shop, awaiting Hope's presence. Finally, he caught a glimpse of the exquisite brunette. It seemed to him that she was glowing. Did she have something to tell him too?
Was it good news? Or bad news? Was she coming to confess her feelings for him? Jeff didn't care. As long as she was talking to him again, he'd be happy as a clam. Jeff started to picture his relationship with Hope. It'd be perfect. They were meant to be. Jeff was finally starting to believe it. Did this mean he had to thank Vince for forcing him to train Hope? He was pretty glad he'd agreed.
Hope had been thrilled when Jeff asked to meet up with her. That meant they were talking again which was fantastic. Hope wasn't sure if she could stand not talking to Jeff. It felt like a part of her was missing without him. She pulled Jeff into a hug when she saw him. He smiled when saw her. Oh no. There it was again. The moment where she knew she belonged with Jeff. Jeff and Hope both leaned in for a kiss. Hope held the kiss for a moment before pulling away, resting her head on Jeff's shoulder.
"I'm engaged," she whispered.
"You're…you're what?" Jeff stammered.
"Engaged," Hope showed him the ring.
"To…Punk?"
"No. To Morgan Freeman," Hope rolled her eyes. "Of course to Punk."
"That's…really great, Hope. I'm happy for you," Jeff forced a smile.
"You don't seem happy."
"I am. Really. I'm just shocked."
"Good. 'Cause that makes me happy."
"I like seeing you happy."
"You're a great friend, Jeff."
"So are you."
Jeff motioned for Hope to sit down with him. He still couldn't grasp what she'd told him. Engaged? To Punk? It seemed crazy. Jeff felt his chest tighten, his heart beating faster than usual. His heart was breaking all over again. Why did she kiss him back? Did she really enjoy torturing him like this? No. He was torturing himself. This was it now. Nothing else could happen between him and Hope. She was engaged and he had to respect that. Regardless whether he liked it or not.
Hope could tell Jeff wasn't too happy about her news. Did she just break his heart? Yes. She could see it in his eyes. Damn it! Why did she still want him? Hope pushed those thoughts from her head as she ordered a Vanilla Latte. She was simply glad that things were okay between her and Jeff. Okay? Things weren't okay and Hope knew it. But, she was going to pretend that everything was fine. She had to. Things had to change now. Regardless whether she liked it or not.
Jeff stared into his coffee cup, not wanting to look Hope in the eye. If he did, he'd start rambling on about how he thought she was making the wrong choice. But, he couldn't say that. It wasn't right. Not to mention rude. Why couldn't he just be happy for her? They were friends and friends were supposed to be happy for each other. Unless the friends had feelings toward each other. That'd make it a different story.
Friends.
Oh, how Jeff loathed that word. Friends. He couldn't be just friends with Hope. It wasn't possible. Especially not after the way they confessed their feelings towards one another. Could they ever go back to being just friends? Maybe. Jeff wasn't so sure. From the look in her eyes, Jeff could tell Hope wasn't so sure either. That wasn't the worst of his problems. Earlier, he'd gotten a text from Michaela. She wanted to see him, patch things up. Naturally, Jeff had refused. He couldn't deal with her. He wouldn't.
"I'm glad we worked things out," Hope smiled.
"Yeah. Me too," Jeff replied.
Word quickly spread to the Divas that Punk and Hope were engaged. Some of the Divas were shocked, assuming Hope would end up with Jeff. Among those Divas were Maria, Ashley and Mickie James. They couldn't believe it. It wasn't meant to be. At least not in their opinion. Maria saw Punk heading their way and called him over.
"Are you and Hope really engaged?" Maria asked.
"Wow. News travels fast," Punk laughed.
"Just answer the question," Ashley rolled her eyes.
"Yes, we're really engaged. Didn't she tell you?"
"She went to meet Jeff for coffee," Mickie said.
"Coffee my ass," Punk snapped.
"Chill out, Punk. Hope loves you."
"Then why is she with Jeff now?"
"Because they're friends. Deal with it," Ashley interjected.
Punk knew she was right. Jeff and Hope were friends. He had to deal with it. He sure as hell didn't like it. But, that didn't matter. Punk had to pretend to like it. His fiancée spending her time with another man. He knew Jeff was wildly in love with Hope. Everyone knew it. Everyone but Hope. No. She knew it. She just didn't want to believe it. Punk was fine with that. As long as she wasn't cheating on him. Which she wasn't. Well, as far as Punk knew she wasn't. He didn't know about the make-out session she'd had with Jeff. Obviously. Jeff would've been dead if he found out.
Despite the fact that Hope was with Jeff, Punk couldn't get the smile off of his perfect lips. He still couldn't believe that she'd said yes. Yes! To him! It was like he was watching this whole thing on T.V. Any minute, Ashton Kutcher was going to come out and tell him that he was being Punk'd. Stop it, Punk, he scolded himself. This was a reality. Nothing was going to change that. He knew Jeff wasn't going to try anything. Not when it could hurt Hope. That was one thing Jeff and Punk could agree on. Neither one of them wanted to hurt Hope.
She'd slept with him. Not that she'd meant. It was actually the last thing she'd wanted to do. But, it was just so amazing. And slightly awkward. Not many people could say that they'd had sex in the back of a coffee shop. Hope didn't regret it and neither did Jeff. They didn't speak afterwards. Which made the car ride back to the hotel really awkward. Jeff couldn't take the silence anymore. It was literally killing him.
"Are you gonna ignore me forever?" Jeff asked.
"I'm not ignoring you," Hope answered.
"Yeah you are. Don't lie to me."
"No, Jeff. I'm not."
"You haven't said a word since…"
"That shouldn't have happened."
"Why do you keep fighting your feelings for me?"
"I don't have feelings for you."
"Then why did we just have sex?"
"It can't happen again."
"You want it to happen again."
"I don't want it to happen again."
"I can tell that you do."
"I'm engaged."
"Yeah, to the wrong guy," Jeff mumbled.
Hope still felt pretty shitty. She knew she was making Jeff crazy. But, whenever she saw him she lost all control. The sex, as good as it was, was a mistake. A mistake that she didn't want to take back. She'd done the one thing she swore she'd never do: cheat on someone. Hope had suffered enough broken hearts due to her exes cheating on her. Yet she'd just cheated on Punk. Punk. He couldn't know about this. Ever. All she had to do was pretend it didn't happen.
Easier said than done. How could she just pretend that it didn't happen? She didn't want to lose her friendship with Jeff. But, she knew couldn't cheat on Punk again. Look what it was doing to her now. Usually, the brunette had a smile on her face. Now a frown replaced her exquisite smile. It didn't matter. She was still attractive, even with a pout on her thin lips. Hope sighed, waiting for the elevator to take her to her room. No. Not her room. John's. She really needed to talk. She needed advice. Not just any advice. Hope needed John's advice. He'd tell her if was making a mistake.
Edge couldn't believe what he kept hearing. Everyone was talking about how Hope was engaged. But, no one would tell him who she was engaged to. Edge was ready to bet money that it was Jeff. He hated to admit it, but Hope looked good with a Hardy. Not that the Rated-R Superstar would ever say that out loud. He saw Hope by the elevator and called her name as he headed over.
He had to find out the truth. Mostly because he was a nosy bastard. Besides, this was a chance to poke fun at a Hardy. Everyone knew Edge enjoyed doing that. Cruel? Yes. But, that's how Edge was. No one bothered to questions his antics anymore. Thankfully, he'd sent the Edgeheads off to do his bidding. He didn't need them hitting on Hope while he talked to her. Hawkins and Ryder were probably up in the vent system again, listening in to private conversation. See? He really was nosy.
Hope did her best not to roll her eyes when she saw Edge. She usually had to deal with the Edgeheads hitting on her and all that crap. They could be nice but they were as dumb as dry paint. Edge strode over to Hope, putting an arm around her shoulder and smiling his signature cocky grin. Hope politely smiled, pushing Edge's arm away. She glared at him, waiting for him to say something.
"I hear you're engaged," Edge said.
"That got around fast," Hope replied.
"Who are you engaged to? Jeff?"
"No. Punk."
"Seriously, Hope. It's Jeff, isn't it?"
"No. It's not Jeff."
"Are you busting my balls again?"
"Adam, Punk proposed to me."
"Okay, now you're just insulting my intelligence."
"What intelligence?"
"That's cute. Very original."
"Why did you think that I was engaged to Jeff."
"You two are meant to be."
Edge got off at his floor, leaving Hope alone in the elevator. You two are meant to be. Hope did her best to ignore Edge's words. She couldn't. He'd actually said something intelligent for once. He had a brain? Apparently so. Were they meant to be? Jeff and Hope? No. Hope was meant to be with Punk. That's why she was going to marry him. Jeff had to be out of the picture. Not fully but the whole hooking up thing had to stop. Hope wasn't a cheater. She didn't want to be a whore and string along two men. It was cruel.
Hope wasn't a cruel person. Okay, maybe just a little cruel. But, that was too cruel. She couldn't do it. She knew what it was like to strung along like a little toy. She hated it. So why was she doing it now? Hope hated when she was alone with her thoughts. She'd always realize how she could've changed things in her life. Why? Why did she have to deal with this? She didn't want to be in this position.
John had been awaiting Hope's visit ever since he got off the phone with Maria. That'd been about an hour ago. He knew his friend would be coming, asking for advice. She always did. John had to bit his tongue this time. He couldn't just blurt out that he thought Hope was making a wrong choice. She'd never listen to him. She'd probably flip out too. John heard the knocking on his door and smiled, knowing it was Hope. He opened the door, motioning for her to come in. Hope sat down on the bed, looking up at John. He sat next to her on the bed, locking eyes with her.
"We need to talk," Hope said.
"Damn straight," John replied. "Why wasn't I the first to know that you were engaged?"
"You're such an ass. I'm serious."
"So am I. I think Umaga knew before me."
"Now you're just being ridiculous."
"I like busting your chops."
"Can you get serious please?"
"What advice do you need?"
"I slept with Jeff in the back of a coffee shop."
John's mouth pretty much fell open. Hope did what? Was he shocked? To say the least, yes. John saw the look on Hope's face and pulled her into a hug. Why did she put herself through this? Just choose one guy. Forget about Punk and Jeff. John knew Hope would never do that. He knew how in love she was.
But sleeping with Jeff? Well, he didn't doubt it any longer. Hope was obviously in love with two men. Two great guys. If was in love with like Randy and Jeff, John could've easily told her to go for Jeff because he was the better guy. This was different. John couldn't pick the guy for her. Even if he could, that's not what she wanted. She wanted the choice to be easier and that's what he was there for.
"You slept with Jeff?" John asked.
"It was a mistake," Hope replied.
"Did you like it?"
"I loved it, John."
"Then it wasn't a mistake."
"I'm engaged to Punk and I slept with Jeff. That's a mistake."
"At least you didn't sleep with someone like Edge."
"Ugh, don't make me gag, John."
"What are you gonna do about your affair?"
"I was hoping you could give me the answer to that."
"You know I can't do that."
"I really wish you could."
Hope lay back on the bed, closing her eyes. Her thoughts started to wander and she forgot about her problems. that's what she really wanted. To forget her problems. That wasn't going to happen. She it wasn't. Not even John could help her with this. She had to sort her feelings out on her own. Could she do it on her own? Yes. She could do anything. Hope felt John's strong arms around her slim frame.
"This is crazy," Hope said.
"You made the right choice," John whispered.
"You really think so?"
"I know you did."
"You always know what to say."
Jeff wanted to be drunk as all hell. But, he wasn't. He wanted to be numb. But, he wasn't. He didn't want to feel the heartbreak. But, he did. The rainbow-haired warrior was in some sort of haze as he headed back to his hotel room, his heart torn into pieces. Why couldn't humans live without their hearts? He would've preferred that right now. Then again, he would've preferred anything to this. He would've preferred a live sex show from Edge and Lita right now. Yeah, he was feeling that bad.
Matt noticed his brother's depression the moment he walked through the door. Wasn't he just with Hope? He should've been happy. Matt sized up Jeff, knowing this was serious. Jeff was hardly ever this serious. It was actually starting to freak Matt out. He wanted to know what was going on. He waited for his brother to speak. Jeff said nothing. A minute went by. Two minutes. Three. Four. Finally a whole hour passed. That's when Matt broke the silence. He just couldn't take it anymore.
"Jeff, what's wrong?" Matt asked.
"She's engaged," Jeff whispered.
"You mean Hope?"
"Yeah. Engaged to CM Punk."
"I'm…I'm sorry, Jeff."
"I slept with her. In the coffee shop."
"But, she's engaged."
"I know."
"But, you slept with her."
"I know. It's a shitty thing to do."
"Are you guys talking?"
"We were. I don't know anymore."
Matt was about to say something when he heard knocking on their door. He motioned for Jeff to go answer the door. It might've been Hope. Matt knew the chances of that were slim and none. But, it put a smile on Jeff's face. That was good enough for now. Jeff got up off his lazy ass and headed to the door. The smile quickly faded when he saw the exquisite beauty that had graced him with her presence. He couldn't believe she was here.
"Hey Jeff," she smiled.