Chapter 12
Roman awoke as the sun started to flood their hotel room. He remembered that Seth had awoken him an hour ago with a kiss to tell him that he was going out for a run. He rolled over and saw that Dean was sorting through some clothes on his bed. He trudged out of bed and headed to the bathroom. He washed his face and brushed his teeth. As he was putting his toothbrush back into its holder, he heard the sound of suitcase wheels hitting the floor.
He came out of the bathroom to see Dean with a packed suitcase with the handle bar extended.
"Where are you going? I thought we had two more days here."
Dean looked down at the ground as he replied. " We do."
Roman looked at him puzzled crossing his arms in front of his bare chest. " So where are you going?"
Dean sighed and finally looked up at him. " To my new room."
Roman felt an instant shock run through his body. " Your new what? Why? Is something wrong with this room?"
Dean let go of the handle bar of the suitcase and shook his head. " No. The room is fine. I just can't be here anymore."
Reigns crossed the floor and stood right in front of Dean blocking his direct route to the door. " I don't understand. What are you talking about?"
Dean clenched and unclenched his fists, looking around as if he was trying to escape this moment. " Do I have to spell it out for you?"
" Dean, I don't understand what's going on. Why you can't be here anymore. You're talking in riddles."
Dean looked into the eyes of his best friend and shook his head slowly. " I can't be around you and Seth anymore."
Roman stared at Dean in shock as his mind tried to process what he had said. " Why not?"
" Oh god!" Dean cried exasperatedly. " Do you know how hard it is to see you two together?"
Images of Seth kissing him when he came to bed instantly flashed into Roman's mind. " Oh crap. Last night. Look I'm sorry about that. I'll try to stop it when you're around."
Dean stared at him in the most incredulous manner. How could Roman be so blind to how he felt about him? " No. You just don't get it. It's not just the kissing. It's the fact that you're with him." And he's with you, Dean thought but didn't say it out loud. " It hurts."
Roman felt his heart beat faster. It felt as if Dean was breaking up with him, or more accurately walking out on their friendship. " I know that you have feelings for me Dean, and I have some for you ..."
" But you're in love with Seth," Dean cut him off.
Roman hung his head. " I am." He then looked up at Dean, his grey eyes pleading. " But that doesn't make what I feel for you any less real."
Dean shook his head.
Roman grabbed his arm. " Please Dean, stay. We can work this out. We still have to perform together...please."
Dean took his arm out of Roman's grasp. " I have no problem working with you and Seth. I just can't be around when you two are close like that. I don't have the right to ask that you guys stop what you want to do just because I'm here."
Roman felt his eyes burning. His heart was heavy. Dean couldn't possibly be ending their friendship. " Dean please, stay with us, with me. I need you around. Don't let our friendship end like this."
Dean looked at Reigns. He saw the tears that he was holding back. It hurt him to see Roman like this, but it hurt even more to see him with the other man that he loved knowing that their feelings for him weren't on the same level as his were for them. " Do you have any idea how much it hurts? We have sex and a few hours later your with him?"
A single tear slid down Roman's cheek. " Dean, I..." He didn't continue, he didn't know how to.
There he stood, only in his boxers, his hair a disheveled wavy mess that settled on his back. Body perfect without a fault and he's crying for him. Dean's heart was pulling apart, shattering into pieces. Leaving was a lot harder than he expected. He wasn't as emotionally prepared for this as he thought, not by a long shot. He loved this man, but he was not his to have.
Ambrose grasped the handle bar of the suitcase again and maneuvered it around Reigns and headed to the door. Suddenly he felt an arm around his waist and he was up against Roman's bare chest. He was at eye level with Reigns. He could feel the rise and fall of his chest with every breath his former lover took. When Roman brushed the back of his hand across his face, it was only then that Dean realized that he had tears of his own.
" I can't just let you walk out of my life." Roman's voice was husky as he spoke. " Please stay Dean. We'll work something out."
Dean could see that Roman meant what he was saying but he couldn't be so selfish and intrude himself even more into Roman's and Seth's relationship. " No Roman. Understand please. You and Seth belong together and I can't interfere with that anymore. I can't."
Roman kept his arm locked around Dean's waist while the other stroked his auburn locks, with his fingertips stopping at Dean's jawline. " You're not walking out of here without kissing me goodbye." His voice was firm.
Dean shook his head. " Roman, this is as hard as possible as it is already."
Roman cupped Dean's chin in his palm. " I'm not asking."
Dean stood still as Roman brought his lips to meet his. Maybe if he tried to turn off his emotions maybe he wouldn't get caught up in the sensation of Roman's warm, soft lips moving against his. Maybe if he turned them off his own arm wouldn't be betraying him and be making its way behind Roman's neck and to rest on his shoulders. Maybe his mouth wouldn't be opening and allowing Roman's tongue to enter it. Maybe his tongue wouldn't rise to caress Reigns' and enjoy the smooth strokes that it made in his mouth. Maybe his body wouldn't press even harder against the Samoan's. Maybe he could ignore the feeling of Roman's erection pressing hard against his own. But he couldn't turn his emotions off and as he tasted Roman's tears mix with his in their final kiss, his heart was officially broken.
Dean broke the kiss and slowly pulled away. As Reigns' arm fell away from his body, Dean felt a chill run through his body. He was alone. He grabbed the handle on the suitcase firmly and pulled it to the door. He opened the door and walked through it without looking back.
When Seth returned from his morning jog he found a despondent Roman sitting on the edge of the bed in just a grey sweatpants staring blankly at the wall in front of him.
" Hi Rome. I had a great run." Seth stood at the foot of the bed looking at him.
" That's good." Roman's voice was flat, uninterested.
Seth was a bit hurt at his boyfriend's indifferent response. " What's wrong?"
Roman continued to stare at the wall. " Dean left."
Seth looked at Roman confused. " What do you mean left?
" He said that he doesn't want to be around us anymore."
Seth collapsed on the bed next to Roman. " But why?"
Roman turned and looked at him. " Because he can't bear seeing us together."
Seth's mind instantly replayed the night that he spent in Dean's bed when he told him to go to Roman. Maybe, Dean had felt more for him then than he was letting on. Maybe he was the cause of this. " But he didn't have to go. What caused it?"
" He saw us kissing last night."
Seth groaned. " But we could stop that."
" Same thing I said."
" What more did he say?" Somehow Seth got the nagging feeling that Roman was leaving something out and that something was important.
Roman shook his head. " He said that he didn't want to intrude so he's getting his own room."
" Okay. That isn't so bad. We could still all hang out." Seth tried to sound cheerful but he could see that Roman was back to being despondent.
Something wasn't right. Why was Roman so strung out over Dean switching rooms? He was acting as if it was something more had taken place and he was leaving Seth out of it.
Seth laced his fingers through Roman's. " You know that you can tell me anything right?"
Reigns looked at him. His grey eyes studying his face as if he was deep in thought about something. " Yeah I know." He turned back and faced the wall again.
Seth felt in his core that Roman was shutting him out. Why the fuck wouldn't he tell him what really happened here this morning?
A/N: Poor boys...