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Those blue eyes haunted Alyssa.

It was all she could think about the morning after her date with John. Boy was it driving her crazy. She's looked into them thousands, if not millions, of times, but she was not looking forward to the next time. How would those blue eyes see her when she tells him she's falling in love with his best friend? Would those blue eyes still look at her the same? How would he react? How?

This questioned startled her. How would Randy react to all of this?

These questions suffocated her to no end, and she couldn't understand why it gave her so much anxiety. She'd been awake for awhile but hasn't been able to get out of bed. The terror paralyzed her. Should she have told Randy she was going on a date with John that morning he came to her door? Would that have made this morning a little more manageable? If nothing was wrong with going on that date, why did she feel the need to hide it from him? They're best friends and they tell each other everything. Everything. When did the meaning of everything suddenly change?

Alyssa wasn't surprised the hand she lifted to her forehead was shaking. She nearly jumped when her phone emitted sound. After sifting through the sheets to find it, she saw John's name on the screen. Immediately, her heart went lax. He'd sent her a text saying, goodmorning beautiful, I cant wait to see you.

And I can't wait to see you either, she thought. Taking in a deep breath, she forced herself out of bed and got ready. Her morning was going to be significantly better once got herself to breakfast.

And she was absolutely right. Every single worry she had went away as soon as she caught sight of Cena. He was wearing a black shirt with khaki shorts. It was her other favorite combo on him. She's never seen anyone look so good in the morning.

"Hey there," she greeted once she caught up to him. He was waiting for her in front of the canteen.

He smiled. "Hey. You ready to eat?"

"Always," she said.

The two walked in and got situated right away. They each brimmed their plates, not wanting a future disruption of having to get up for a second round. All they wanted was to sit down and be together. Sleep had them separated long enough.

"So how was your sleep?" Alyssa asked.

John took a healthy bite of his omelet. "Good. It was good."

She believed him, but she also picked up on the bit of hesitation in his voice. Not sure how to get it out of him, she went ahead and answered her own question. "Mine was good too. I just didn't feel too well when I woke up."

"Oh yeah? Why not?"

"I don't know…I just…" she trailed off, not sure if it was a good idea to bring up Randy.

John looked at her, seemingly interested in what she had to say.

How could she not tell him? Even before things happened between them, he'd always made her feel welcome to say everything and anything. Randy was right when he said that John could be her other best friend.

"I had these nagging thoughts of Randy."

A lump formed in John's throat at the mention of his name. The same name that kept him from sleep the night before. "Same here, except it was last night."

"Do you think it's our guilt…" Alyssa trailed off again. She still didn't know what she was feeling guilty about.

John intercepted right away. "Our guilt for what? Alyssa, we're doing anything wrong."

"I know we're not," she said softly. By now, both of them were staring at her untouched plate.

"So why do you feel guilty?" John shifted his eyes back to hers.

"Because I tell Randy everything, and I haven't told him this? I don't know."

As much as John wanted to keep this from Randy for as long as possible, he wasn't willing to compromise that with Alyssa's peace of mind. So he suggested, "tell him then."

"No," she said tentatively.

John didn't say anything. He wanted to give her time to gather her thoughts.

"I mean…I wanna see where we-" she paused, surprised how natural 'we' sounded. "-where we go before I share it with anyone else."

John couldn't hide his satisfaction at what he just heard. We. They were not one, but two people formed into something together. Wanting to ease her mind, he tried to bring in a voice of reason. "Look, we're grown adults. We don't have to report everything to Randy right away, and you don't have to feel guilty for that."

"You're absolutely right," Alyssa nodded convinced. "You're absolutely right."

It wasn't until now that she noticed how much Randy weighed on her. Finally, she had a reason to let go of these predisposed values that he had unintentionally, or intentionally, inflicted on her. She looked up at the reason and stared into his eyes, feeling thankful for his very existence.

"So why were you thinking of him last night?"

"I saw him." John forked more food but kept it on the plate. He was trying to decide how to tell her the story. "He was acting weird about that night he tried to kiss you."

That night he tried to kiss you. The words sounded as foreign as that night. She'd nearly forgotten about that. "How was he acting weird?"

John spun his coffee mug slowly. "He just kept saying he didn't remember what he did and asked that I never bring it up. It didn't make sense why he was being so defensive about it."

"Maybe he's ashamed of how he was and just wants to forget about it?" Alyssa suggested.

Or maybe he wants to avoid being interrogated about why he tried to kiss you. Or why he claimed to be the man for you. John thought, but he didn't say it out loud.

He wanted to, but before he could decide, someone's shadow hovered over their table.

"Wow, no invite?" a third voice said.

A moment of silence passed before all three of them realized each other's presence.

Alyssa was the first to filter through the shock of seeing Randy there. "Sorry, Rands. I guess I got used to you sleeping in." Which was the truth, but it wasn't the reason why he wasn't invited.

"Yeah well, I haven't even slept." Randy took a chair from another table and sat in between them. The condition of his face confirmed he wasn't lying. The bags under his eyes looked just as bad as he did on his drunken rampage.

Concerned, John asked, "what's going on with you?"

"My marriage is falling apart," he expressed bluntly. "That's all I can comprehend right now."

"Fix it," John said. He waited a few seconds for a reply but received none. So, he continued and said, "since when did you stop fixing things that were broken?"

"When I realized it was something I never wanted."

That momentous statement nearly sucked the air out of Alyssa's lungs. He sounded convincing, but she still wasn't buying it. "That's a lie Randy. You happily married her six years ago, you can't say you never-"

"I'm not denying anything. It's the truth, and I realize that now. I'm not with the right person, and I wouldn't be acting this crazy if I was."

"Not with the right person?" Alyssa questioned. How many foreign lines could she take in one morning?

"If Sam's the wrong person, tell me then, who's right?" John asked.

Randy said nothing. He looked down with his hands clasped together. Then he looked at Alyssa.

She stared at him, with curiosity, trying so hard to understand, trying so hard to see how this could have happened. She was the maid of honor in that wedding and now that marriage was falling apart? All because he realized, after seven years, that he was with the wrong person? How do you even begin to explain that? How could seven years suddenly mean nothing?

Randy cleared his throat. He separated his hands and leaned back on the chair. "Look, I'm not denying my marriage with Sam. I just see something greater for myself."

"Now you see something greater?" John couldn't comprehend this. He shifted his eyes from Randy to Alyssa then to Randy again. He'd be damned if by something greater, he meant Alyssa.

"Honestly, I've always seen greater, have always known greater. I just can't deny it now."

The other two sat in silence, unsure what to think, what to say, what to make of this. They were dumbfounded. As Randy's best friends, they felt as good as a stranger. They knew the couple had issues, but it never occurred to them it was irreparable. Or at least, as irreparable as Randy was making it out to be.

"Well," Randy broke in the silence. "That was a little too much for breakfast. I have a signing to get ready for. I better go."

The troubled man got up from the table and put the chair back where he'd gotten it. Before disappearing out of sight, he looked at Alyssa and asked, "If you're not busy later, can I see you?"

She wasn't busy later, but she'd hoped to spend it with John.

"Sure," she said against her own wish.

And with that, John and Alyssa were left alone once again.

"Wow," was all John could say.

"I don't get it," Alyssa said. "I don't doubt his sincerity, but I don't get it."

John settled his clenched fist on the table and shrugged. "I guess you're not the only one who hasn't been saying everything."

Alyssa couldn't stop thinking about John. When they parted after breakfast, she wondered when it was she'd see him next. When he began texting her after his workout, she got excited about the plans he'd suggested to her. When she was with Randy, she was thinking of John.

Her best friend had to repeat himself a couple times before she finally snapped out of it.

"Hello?"

A hand waved across her face, bringing her right back to earth. She followed the hand and was led to Randy's face. They were sitting on the couch of his locker room.

"I'm sorry, what?" she asked, still a little absent-minded.

"We should go on our vacations again. I need one right now."

"Rands, what you need is to deal with the problem."

"But I can't deal with it properly without a clear head," Randy reasoned. "Come on, we haven't been on a vacation in years."

"Yeah, ever since you got married-"

"Don't you remember fighting about this?" he pointed out. "A year into my marriage, you complained that we stopped going on our trips. Let's bring it back now."

"After five years? No Randy, I'm fine."

"Why not?"

Because I'd rather not be away from John, she thought. Because you hadn't thought of this before your marriage started failing. "I just don't think it's a good time."

"What do you mean? It's the perfect time!" Randy expressed.

Her silence suggested that she disagreed.

"Come on. At least think about it," he pleaded.

Alyssa looked unconvinced, but of course, her natural tendencies that she's had for years began to overtake her current judgment. "Okay. I'll think about it."

"We'll go to Europe," he said, knowing all too well that was the best hook.

Her eyes lit up. "Now you wanna go to Europe? That's the place I've been asking you for!"

"Now's the chance!" A big smile was on his face.

She almost forgot how charming her best friend was. "I'll...I'll think about it."

"Are you really gonna question going to Europe? We'll tour Italy, France, Greece, and all those other countries you have on your list."

Before Randy managed to do more convincing, someone knocked on the door. He wasn't too pleased with this interruption.

"Who is it?" he yelled.

"It's John."

Randy got up and opened the door. "Wssup?"

"I need y'alls advice. I only have until tomorrow to decide."

The two best friends looked at each other as John walked in. He took a seat on a steel chair, while Randy regained his spot next to Alyssa.

"I got offered to do a movie," John announced.

"Sounds like a good opportunity," Randy commented. He waited for the catch.

"Yeah and it's being filmed in Australia. I'd have to take a three month leave off of work."

Things could not get any more foreign, Alyssa thought. She looked at John, studying his expression. It didn't take long for her to see that he was mirroring her own feelings. Neither of them wanted to leave, neither of them wanted the distance. It took so long for them to finally put each other together, and this would just break it apart.

Alyssa groaned inwardly. She knew John had been itching to expand his career, and who is she to stop him from that?

So, above all her selfish reservations, the separation anxiety, and personal insecurities, Alyssa held onto hope and faith instead.

"You should take it, John," she advised. We'll be fine. We'll be fine.

And she knew that he carried the same faith when he looked her in the eye and said, "Alright, I'll take it."

Yes, John will be away. And yes, Randy's reaction to them dating is yet to come. But I will sporadically be using flashbacks to help fill in some blanks. I hope you all enjoyed that chapter! Please feel free to leave a review down below. I'd really appreciate it(: