I'm really sorry this chapter is so freaking late. I've been having trouble with this story as of late and trying to get back into the flow of things with it. Writing this has really helped me do that and hopefully the next chapter will be out sooner.

If Colt was goofy when he was sober, he was downright silly while drunk. Punk watched his best friend with a good deal of amusement as they sat at the bar. He was pretty sure he was the only one sober in the place and he was damn sure that he was the only person with water in front of him.

Being back home was nice, even if it was only for two days. Being back home on the rare occasion that Colt was as well was even nicer.

"So," Colt caught his attention. "You and Cena get it on yet?"

"Get it on?" Punk asked with a raised eyebrow, amusement in his tone. "No, we haven't gotten it on."

"Why not? Are you going to?"

"No," Punk answered shortly.

"Why not?" Colt repeated. "Thought you liked the guy."

Punk rolled his eyes and wondered again why he had told Colt that. "I do." He pushed Colt back into a sitting position when he started to tilt sideways. "Doesn't mean I'm going to go after him."

He got the impression that John was waiting for him to make the first move after he'd ignored what had happened while he'd been sick. He knew John was disappointed that he hadn't when they'd been watching movies the other night.

"Why not?" Colt asked, proving that he kind of was a broken record while drunk.

"You know why not." At least, Colt knew when he was sober. Liking John was the problem. He liked John a little too much to want John to be his rebound and, at the moment, that might be what he would become if they did start something.

He had the habit in the past of jumping from one relationship to another and he was trying his best to break that habit. It usually led to some pretty messy break ups and somebody getting hurt. And, while he'd been accused of being an asshole more than once, he didn't want to do that again.

"Whoa," he said, putting a hand on Colt's shoulder when Colt started to tip off his stool again. "I think it's time to go."

Colt didn't protest when Punk hoisted him off the stool and pulled one of his arms around his shoulders, although he did yell a loud goodbye to a few of the people in the bar he knew on the way out.

Xxxxxxxxxx

John had finally decided to take his chances. He'd never been a coward with this kind of stuff before and he didn't want to be now. So, he'd waited until the first house show after RAW to find Punk again.

Punk was sitting on one of the benches in the locker room, getting ready for his match later on in the night. One leg pulled up on the bench, he was putting on his boot when John walked over.

"Hey, man." He sat down on the side Punk was facing. "Who are you fighting tonight?"

"Del Rio," Punk answered with a roll of his eyes. "Again. Guess people really must like it when we beat the shit out of each other."

"They do," John confirmed. "Or, I think they like watching you beat the shit out of him."

Punk shrugged. "I was looking for a little variety, though."

"Yeah." John paused. "Look, there was something that I wanted to talk to you about."

Punk stilled and looked up at him. "This isn't about what happened when I was sick is it? Because, look I know what I did and I know what it must have looked like but it wasn't what you might be thinking."

John deflated a little at the words. "So, if I asked you out right now…?" He asked boldly, finally.

"I'd say no unless you're talking about going out as friends," Punk stated bluntly.

"Right," John said. He'd prepared himself for that response but he was still disappointed that he'd gotten it.

Punk frowned and John saw the flash of regret in his eyes. "Look, it's not that I don't like you because I do. It's that I just got out of something and I'm really trying to wait until I've at least gotten over him before I start something with somebody else."

"Oh." John brightened a little bit. "I can understand that." He could. And it was better than Punk just not being interested in him at all.

"We can be friends for now, if you want."

"Of course." John flashed him a smile to show that he didn't hold it against Punk, that he understood his reasoning. If he did get into something with Punk, he definitely didn't want it to just be a rebound fling.

"Good luck with Del Rio." John got up as Punk went back to putting on his boots, feeling a bit better about the situation. He hadn't gotten the response he'd wanted but he'd take being friends. Besides, Punk hadn't completely rejected the idea of being with him; he'd just rejected the idea of it being right then.

Xxxxxxxxx

Punk almost smiled at John's response. He shouldn't have expected John to be angry about it, or for John not to believe him. John was much too nice of a guy to push him into something too. It was one of the reasons he liked John so much.

The last guy he'd dated had been a little bit too much like him, a little too cynical, too much of an asshole. The fights they'd had had been rather explosive, the last one leading to a break up that had left both of them pretty much hating each other.

He didn't want to end up hating John, or for John to end up hating him. And jumping into something with John so soon after ending a near two year relationship was a sure way of making that happen. But maybe, after a while…

He scowled when his phone buzzed on the bench next to him and he checked the caller id. He dropped his phone in his bag. He definitely needed to change his number.