Chapter 14:

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I do not know any of the workers of the WWE personally nor am I affiliated with them in any way. This story is a work of fiction and I make no profit whatsoever from it.

Roman couldn't concentrate on the screen in front of him. He was supposed to be collating emails from other stores in Florida with their in-store issues before he forwarded it onto Dean who would then promote it further up the management chain. But he found out he couldn't focus even if he tried. He couldn't push his mind past his own relationship suspicions, the images and made up situations clouding his brain and fogging his normally work focused brain. He dropped his head into his hands and closed his eyes for a moment, the reality of his own situation sinking in.

It had been a full week since he and Seth had had their blowout. His younger boyfriend had been relegated to their spare bedroom again and he couldn't deny that it hurt when Seth still hadn't made his way back into their large King sized bed. He knew deep down in his heart that he'd been right and Seth was up to no good even if the younger man refused to admit it. He felt his mind wandering back to the night that he'd had the fight with Seth.

Roman's hands were shaking as he immediately watched his screen light up with the person he'd just sent a text to. He could feel his heart hammering hard in his chest as he slowly dragged the tip of his index finger to the right and answered the incoming phone call. "Hey Phil."

"Hey." Phil's greeting was very wary. "Why did you want to know what I got up to last night?"

Roman sighed as he sat down on the edge of his bed. He was glad he'd closed the door behind him as he walked into his bedroom. His and Seth's bedroom. "Seth said he was with you last night. Was he or not?"

"No he wasn't with me." Phil answered quickly.

Roman felt the stabbing pain right in his heart from Phil's words. Phil was Seth's best friend but even still, he knew that Phil would never condone anything dishonest. It felt as though his whole world was crumbling around him right now and he didn't even have crystal clear proof. He let out a heavy groan as his grey orbs slid closed. He knew that by doing this, he was almost killing any last remaining trust he had for Seth but he had to know.

"Roman. What's wrong? Why are you asking me if Seth was with me last night or not?" The tone in Phil's voice was growing more and more agitated. "What's got you not trusting him?"

"It's nothing Phil." Roman answered. He knew that his sadness must have been obvious even through the mask of a telephone call. "I just had to find something out. Thanks."

He pulled the phone away from his ear and ended the call before he'd even heard the Chicago native's response. He knew he'd get an earful the next time he spoke to Phil but that wasn't his prime concern. His prime concern was the fact that he had a lying boyfriend that couldn't even tell him where he was last night. His stomach swirled uncomfortably as his eyes finally opened.

He knew he had tears building at the corners of them but that didn't matter as his grey orbs settled on the picture next to their bed. It was a picture of him and Seth many years ago, maybe a few months after they'd started dating where they were happily smiling, arms around each other while they posed for their photo. He felt his heart lurch in his chest. The stench of betrayal heavy in his nostrils as he looked at Seth's face. He grabbed the photo frame and put it face down on the wooden bedside table. He didn't want to look at Seth right now.

He threw himself back onto the bed with a heavy thud, his phone landing on the plush mattress next to him while he stared up at the ceiling. He didn't want to believe it but maybe this could be the end of the relationship he'd fought so hard to get to begin with.

Roman still had his head buried in the palm of his hands, his grey eyes closed so he didn't hear the way that the key turned in the lock of his door. He was far too deep in his thoughts, his accusations rising right to the forefront of his mind. He was only aware that there was someone even in his office with him when he heard a voice. He lifted his head, meeting the concerned gaze of John. "Sorry. Didn't hear you come in John." He sat up and attempted to pull the weakest smile.

"Roman. You're crying." John pointed out. He had always felt uncomfortable being around people when they cried but seeing Roman like this was a completely different feeling. Roman was this strong man who looked like nothing could ever break him down and yet here he was in the most vulnerable state he'd ever seen. He was glad he'd closed the door when he came in. He slid into the chair across from the Samoan man. "What's wrong Roman?"

Roman wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. He felt his cheeks heat up. The embarrassment of being caught in such a position was almost too much. Although he was glad that it was John that walked in and not Naomi or even Dean. He took in a deep breath, locking his gaze with John's, their grey and blue locking for a moment. He trusted John, he really did but he didn't think it was too professional to bring up his personal life. "It's nothing." He finally said lamely.

John's jaw was set tight, his blue eyes looking over him in a stern way. "What did Seth do this time?"

Roman's gaze faltered just slightly, his grey orbs quivering slightly. It was written all over his face that something pretty big had gone down with him and Seth but he was fearful to even speak a word to John. He knew John would never compromise his secrets however he couldn't help but think that maybe there was a part of John that would exploit his weaknesses.

"Rome. I'm not going to tell anyone, you should know better than that." John said quietly. "Think about all the times you helped me when I was having trouble with Randy and you were always there for me."

Roman swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat. He felt stupid for even thinking that John would do what he thought he may. "Has Randy ever cheated on you?"

John's blue eyes went wide at the question. "I-I mean, I don't know. I had suspected that he may have been cheating on me a few years ago now but my suspicions were never confirmed." He paused for a moment. "Why? Has Seth?"

"No." Roman answered simply.

"But you think he has or is about to?" John asked. He watched the slow nod come from the Samoan man. "What's he done to make you think that?"

"He didn't come home one night last week and he still hasn't told me where he was." Roman responded. "I'm pretty sure he was with Dean."

A look of realization crept across John's face. "I think the job we work in is cursed for us."

"What? Why?" Roman's forehead creased slightly.

"Well I'm about ninety-five percent sure that Randy was messing around with Jericho when he was our State Manager and now Seth and Dean might be too. This job is fucked." John answered with a frustrated sigh. "We both need raises to deal with this shit."

Roman tried to smile but he found he couldn't. He felt his grey orbs quivering. He was already humiliated that he'd been found locked in his office crying and now he was on the verge of letting his emotions wash over him again. "I don't know what to do John."

"Have you talked to Dean?" John asked.

Roman shook his head. He didn't know how he was supposed to ask his boss if he was sleeping his boyfriend without some sort of stupid drama encasing his workplace. The last thing he wanted was an unhappy workplace.

"It might help your situation, you know." John said quietly. He didn't want to probe too far into Roman's personal problems but he knew he needed to keep the Samoan man strong for the sake of their store. He saw the uncomfortable shift that Roman did as he sat up straighter. He knew that he wasn't going to be able to help Roman anymore if the other man didn't want said help. "Anyway, the reason that I came in here in the first place was to talk to you about another manager."

Roman's forehead creased. John was never one to start spreading rumours about anyone and he was always straight to the point. "Who?"

"Naomi." John answered. He saw the look of surprise appear on Roman's face. "I have been starting to notice that she's been dropping the ball a bit with not only her workload but her overall work ethic and even her standards have started to slip. Usually, she's quite good but just recently she seems a little off and a little distracted."

Roman nodded. "Once I've finished in here, I'll go down on the floor and keep an eye on her."

"Have you eaten anything yet this morning?" John asked and he groaned when he watched Roman shake his head. "Right. I'm going out and I'll buy us something for morning tea."

Roman smiled, his grey orbs flicking to the door when he heard three sharp knocks on the wooden door. He watched John jump up off his chair and make his way to the door. He felt his heart hammer hard in his chest when he saw Dean's head pop in through the half open door. His eyes traveled down to where his hands were. He saw in one hand a tray with three coffees in it and in the other hand, three brown paper bags.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Dean asked with a wide smile. He glanced between Roman and John. He instantly noticed the tense look on John's face and the visibly upset look on Roman's face. His curiosity was going into overdrive right now but he had all the time in the world to find out. "I,uh, I brought us something to eat."

John's lips twitched into a large smile. "You must have read my mind or something cause I was just about to go out and grab something as well."

Dean smiled back. "Great minds think alike."

John looked over his shoulder at Roman who was still sitting at his desk. "C'mon Rome. Let's go eat."

Roman nodded however he didn't say a word as he slowly lifted himself up off his chair and followed the two other men out of his office and down the corridor towards where the lunchroom was located. He stayed behind them a few steps, listening to the idle chatter that passed between his boss and his co-worker. He didn't really feel like inserting himself in their conversation. He didn't feel like talking at all. His stomach was still churning with dread.

He was so lost for what he was even going to do in this situation. Sure, he'd had one of his past boyfriends cheat on him but there was little to no speculation until it was sprung on him right in his room. This was different and he had no clue how to approach it. He'd asked Seth to tell him the truth but his younger boyfriend had still refused to. To soothe his mind, the only way he could do it would be to ask Dean but even that task seemed daunting in itself.

He took his seat next to Dean who had placed his coffee and the small brown paper bag on the table next to him. He opened up the bag, happy to see what looked like a chocolate muffin in there for him. "Thank you." He murmured before he reached for his coffee and took a long sip from it.

His grey orbs watched Dean carefully while his fingers reached for the delicious looking muffin that sat right in front of him. He turned his head slightly when he heard Dean's phone make a sound that indicated that he'd just received a message. His eyes watched as Dean pulled the electronic device from his suit jacket pocket and slide his thumb across the touch screen. He felt his stomach lurch. He'd definitely seen the name 'Seth' on the five-inch screen.

He glanced over at John who was watching him carefully. It took all of his restraint to not scream out, his feelings instead pooling deep inside of him. He dropped the piece of muffin in between his fingers, his appetite suddenly disappearing. He watched the flash of concern appear in John's blue orbs without him even saying a word.

"Roman, are you alright?" Dean's voice cut him straight from his thoughts.

Roman had to try and resist not punching the smug smirk right off of his alleged friend's face. He'd give anything to be able to grab that phone and read whatever was in that message that he was ninety-nine percent sure was from Seth. He nodded his head and forced a smile. He reached for the piece of muffin on the brown paper bag and lifted it to his lips. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You look a little pale." Dean pressed. A playful grin grew on his lips. "I'm not working you too hard, am I?"

"He just needs to eat." John interjected with a friendly smile.

Roman sent a grateful smile towards his second-in-charge who sat across from him at the table eating the same meal that he was. He picked up the chocolate muffin in front of him, realizing that the sooner he got finished with it, the sooner he could get away from Dean. If only for a few minutes.

He stayed silent while John and Dean held a pleasant conversation about everyday life. He didn't really feel the urge or the need to add any value or any comments to their conversation, instead focusing on finishing off the treat that Dean had brought him. He finished it sooner than he had anticipated and for that he was finally glad that he was a bottomless pit when it came to food.

He placed the last little bit into his mouth before he stood up. With one hand, he scrunched up the brown paper bag and with the other he grabbed a hold of his still hot coffee. He felt Dean's blue eyes lock onto his and he admittedly felt a little intimidated. He forced a polite smile. "Thanks for morning tea but I've got to get back to work."

Dean gave him a funny look as he stood up. "C'mon Roman. That was barely five minutes. Sit down and enjoy your break for once."

Roman shook his head and stepped out from his chair. He kicked it back into the table with his knee before he stepped away. "Got lots to do today." He looked over at John. "Give me fifteen minutes and I'll be down."

John nodded. His blue eyes focused back on his own food while chancing a glance over at his State Manager.

Roman threw his scrunched up paper bag into the trash can before he exited the store's lunchroom. He still felt like shit, his stomach churning while his mind ran through every single possible reason for why Seth would even be texting his boss. He ran a hand across his forehead before he stepped into his office. He dropped down onto his chair and immediately reached for his phone. His heart dropped when he saw no messages. Obviously Seth didn't want him as much as he wanted the other man.

He'd barely been able to unlock his computer when he heard the door close. His grey eyes lifted to see Dean standing across the table from him. He felt his heart race in his chest. He knew his behaviour had been less than characteristic and he sure as hell knew that Dean would call him out on it. He opened his mouth only to be cut off.

"Don't even start." Dean cut in. He sat down in the office chair opposite Roman's. "What the hell is wrong Roman? And don't give me some bullshit answer that we both know isn't true."

Roman sat up a little straighter in his chair and locked his gaze dead on with Dean's. He took a deep breath, his heart thundering hard against his chest. His nerves still wouldn't settle. "Where were you last Friday night?"

Dean's brow furrowed as he let the question sink in. "What?"

"I said, where were you last Friday night?" Roman repeated the question. He kept his gaze locked firmly on Dean's. He was already past the point of no return that he knew he had to keep going.

"I, um." Dean scratched the back of his head as though he was trying to make up some lie. "I was at home last Friday night. Doing work."

"Oh. Were you really?" Roman asked, lifting his cup of coffee to his lips and taking a long sip.

Dean shot Roman a confused look. "I don't know where you're going with this?"

Roman placed his coffee down on the desk. "Were you by yourself last Friday night?"

Dean balked. "The hell kind of question is that?!" His voice grew in volume and octaves. "I was at home on a Friday night being a fucking loser doing work. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Roman's jaw tightened. "No."

"Then what do you want my answer to be?" Dean snapped. He placed his own coffee cup on the desk. "Do you want me to tell you that I was with some hot piece of ass? Cause I wasn't. It was me and my damn cats!"

Roman rolled his eyes. He could see the way that Dean's cheeks were starting to fluster and that was always the first sign that he was lying. He'd known him too long and knew him too well to think anything else. "Were you with Seth?"

"What the-" Dean scoffed. "Oh. You're being serious." He rolled his eyes this time. "No, I wasn't with Seth."

Roman didn't say a word. He merely kept his gaze locked on Dean's, their blue and grey orbs intermingling. He could feel that something wasn't right in his relationship and he knew deep down that Dean was the cause of it. His boss wasn't backing down either, the slightly younger man across from him still staring at him with the utmost venom.

Dean pulled his work phone out of his pocket and opened up an application on it. He let out a short, humorless laugh as he looked at the screen. "You know Roman, if you worried less about what's going on in your personal life and more about what is going on in your workplace then maybe you wouldn't be sitting behind Miami on sales." He held the phone screen up to Roman.

Roman's eyes widened as he looked at the phone screen. There it was. His sales were dropping so low that he was almost only on as much money as the Tampa store. He knew he should have left his home life at home, left it in the spare bedroom where his boyfriend was currently still sleeping every night.

"Maybe I overestimated you as a Store Manager and thought that you were too good." Dean started. He slid his phone back in his pocket. "What I need you to do for the rest of the day is focus on getting these sales back to where they should be."

Roman opened his mouth to speak but Dean cut him off.

"And you also need to realize that whatever stupid ideas you have in your head about me doing dishonest things with your boyfriend are ridiculously untrue." Dean snapped. "I told you I wouldn't and I won't break my word."

Roman again tried to speak but was cut off by Dean.

"Now pull your finger out and finish those reports for me." Dean stood up and grabbed his coffee. "And then you need to be a Store Manager, not some crybaby sitting in his office."

Roman watched as Dean left his office, his body flinching when the door shut loudly behind him. He stared at his computer screen, that same uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach while he tried to process what he'd just been told. Maybe he needed to dig harder to find the truth he sought so desperately.

TBC

A/N: Well. So Dean's denying as well. I was going to wait until my usual update day but since you guys have been so awesome with your reviews, I thought I'd update early and try to get two updates this week. Oh and we are more than half way through as well. Thank you for reading and reviewing! GatesVengeance x