Major, major, major kudos to all my readers. Thank you for your patience as I desperately try to get my flow back. I do plan to update weekly again even if that means I have to force myself on the keyboard. I personally want to thank those who reviewed the last chapter: therealchamps, awesomeone21, my time is now, Hi14 x, Cena's baby doll, and 1222mercedes1222. Enjoy everyone!

John stared at the screen for awhile, heavily debating whether or not to reply. Frankly, he didn't know what to make of it. What was he supposed to say to that threatening text from Stacy, or Candy, or whoever the hell it was?

I already told Alyssa? Mind your own business? Back the fuck off?

He dreamed of telling her to fuck off, but instead, he found himself tossing his phone to the side. He didn't need to reply. The last thing he wanted to do was provoke any more communication between them. That woman had done enough, and she'd been crazy to do any of it in the first place. But still, the thought of her made him sick to his stomach. What was he thinking trying to fill Alyssa's place with women like that? To lie and say he was the reason she got hired, to jump on him out of the no where, and now, to send a cryptic text message after learning he was already with someone else? What was she trying to do? Whatever it was, it definitely turned him off. It took him only a millisecond before he deviated his thoughts to something else. To something better. To Alyssa.

He stared at her from across the room. She was standing in front of the sliding doors, staring out into the darkened sky. With her right hand holding up the phone to her ear, she used her free hand to nervously toy with the buttons on her blouse. He couldn't tell what she was nervous about- whether it was from being on the phone with Randy, news about Sam, or even as an after-effect of learning about Candy- but he felt this burning desire to just take her shaky hand and hug her. He didn't do that, though. For some reason, he felt like he would be an intrusion. Instead, he simply stared and waited until she hung up the phone and turned to him. She smiled. He could tell it took everything she had to force it.

"Why are you smiling?" he challenged. It was a simple question- one someone could've taken as a joke, but he was serious. He knew it made her think, and he didn't stop himself from walking towards her now.

"Mm, I don't know," she said softly, her shoulders limp. She slid her phone into the back pocket of her jeans and stared at him.

"Then don't smile. You don't needa pretend to be okay for us to be okay. You got that?" He leaned down so their eyes were leveled. Then, he reached over and tucked some hair behind her ear.

"I am okay." She stared briefly before changing the subject. "Sam's surgery went well. They're in a cab now."

"That's good news. That's good news!" John made the repetition to elicit some excitement out of Alyssa, but when it didn't work, he scratched his head. "Baby…"

"Look, I'm not lying to you when I say I'm okay. I'm just tired. It's been a long day. I'm in a gray area John; I'm neither happy nor sad. I'm just trying to get through the rest of the night."

John studied her delicate features and noted how her eyes were pleading with him to just let things be. The next thought that came to him was how perfectly fine he was with right now. Him and Alyssa were together, and as long as that was the case, everything else didn't matter. "Well, the rest of the night is about to be even better. Lets get in bed and plan tomorrow. Will you spend the whole day with me?"

A real smile formed her lips. "Isn't that why I came back to work early? To spend time with you?"

John tugged on her hand and began caressing it. He held a smile of his own. "Yeah, I just wanted to hear you say yes."

"Yes!" She smiled, and it reached her eyes this time. She bit her lip and tip toed in order to reach his lips. Then, she kissed him. "I love you."

His eyes were still closed. He opened them. "I love you, too, baby. I love you, too."

A glimmer of light peaked through the curtains and invaded a streak in the room. Alyssa's skin felt cold even before she opened her eyes to realize she was alone on the bed. She sat up, pushing over the white duvet that covered everything up to her neck. Her freshly woken eyes hadn't been mistaken. She was alone. There was no John. Instead, an unfamiliar dress hung over his side of the bed with a note propped on top.

Moving against the cold air that filled the room, Alyssa reached over and read the note:

Goodmorning beautiful.

I thought this dress would love good on you, then again, you can make anything look impeccable. I'm sorry you had to wake up by yourself, but the surprises start now. I'll be waiting for you at the lobby at noon. See you then.

Love,

John

A smile had crept into Alyssa's lips long before she finished the note, and it was still playfully forming her face. The only thing that deviated her mind from John's sweet note was the dress that laid beside her. She quickly reached over and picked it up with both hands. The dress was white and flowy with short sleeves and a scoop neckline. The back, she noticed after turning it over, was very low cut. The fabric was soft and she couldn't wait to put it on. She couldn't wait to see John and to see the reaction.

It didn't take long before she scurried over to the bathroom and began getting ready. John would be waiting for her at the lobby at noon and that thought alone made her center burn both with excitement and want.

11:59 was what his phone read in big white letters. It was the same number he saw the last time he checked his phone. The only difference now was, his heart was beating a tenfold times more. Alyssa would be down any minute now and John wasn't sure if he'd be able to quell his nerves. The plastic in contact with his palm was becoming moist from his sweat. If it wasn't for his fingers being so tensely wrapped around it, what he held would've already plummeted to the ground. Hell, if he wasn't leaning against the wall, his knees would've hit the ground.

John, momentarily distracted by the way his body was reacting, nearly missed the second Alyssa entered the lobby. Thankfully, despite his mind journeying from place to place, his eyes had stayed fixed to the elevator doors. The simple sight of Alyssa, with her wavy long hair and white flowy dress, snapped him back to consciousness. He was suddenly standing straight with a smile on his face.

"Hey handsome." Alyssa grinned. It always refreshed her to see John out of a t-shirt and into a button up.

Meanwhile, John did his own scan of her from top to bottom. He didn't know how she'd gotten to him so fast but the way she looked up at him made him forget any question he'd ever had. All he could think about was how soft her lips looked and how glad he was that she barely had on any make up. Her cheeks looked blushed, but her eyes looked untouched. She had on strappy sandals with a small cross body bag to match.

"You look phenomenal," he said to her.

"Thanks to this dress you got me."

"Oh baby, trust me, even without an inch of fabric on, you'd still look phenomenal."

The rose in Alyssa's cheeks got deeper as she tried to blink her shyness away. The way John looked at her, as if she were the only person in this lobby, as if she were the only person in this world, was making her wish she back in the room. With him and without all these other people walking around them. Without her dress and his shirt and his jeans in between them.

A moment passed.

"Here." John, breaking the spell only to cast another one, brought up his hand and presented a box wrapped in clear plastic. "I got you something."

Without breaking eye contact, Alyssa took the box out and opened it within a couple swift motions. She looked down and saw a brown leather case. Digging in, she pulled up the case and saw a black pair of Ray-ban clubmasters.

"It's for where I'm about to take you," John explained.

"Oh yeah, how do ya like em on me?" Alyssa took the sunglasses and placed it over her face. She didn't mind that it made the room a lot dimmer. She was having fun being John's model.

"Even better than I imagined," John said, smiling. He grabbed her hand and swayed it left and right. "You ready to go?"

Alyssa lifted the frames off her face then placed them on top of her head. "Yes."

John leaned his face lower and closer, but he didn't kiss her.

Tip toeing with her brown sandals, Alyssa held his gaze as she softly brushed her lips against his. "Thank you for the sunglasses. And the dress. And for holding my hand."

John shrugged. "You deserve it all, baby."

"Mmmm." Alyssa placed both hands over John's shoulders in satisfaction. "Not sure what I've done to deserve such a great guy. Let's go?"

"Let's go!" John repeated calmly, a curve still on his face. He gingerly took both of her hands before releasing them so he could hold her waist.

The two easily navigated their way out of the hotel.

Right outside the parking lot, which the lovebirds failed to notice, was Stacy staring right at them with utter and complete disgruntlement. She'd just gotten out of her car, the heat spilling over her from the glaring sun. She glared right back at it.

"Ugh! You two don't make sense," she groaned.

She squinted her eyes, hating the way John held the other woman close, hating the way the other woman smiled and laughed and looked at John as if he were a God. Damn it.

"You were inside of me a few days ago, Johnny boy. I don't know who you're tryna fool, but I know you're dying to go back in."

Stacy's line of vision continued to follow them even as they got into the car, warmed up the engine, and drove away. It could've been for a minute or five, she didn't know nor keep track of time, but her hands were shaking.

They were shaking even when she got into her hotel room where she found herself planning, scheming, plotting.

Alyssa swore she'd gotten at least three shades darker. She stared bravely at the culprit, the Raybans used as a protective shield. The minutes of scorching heat was finally behind her, thanks to the reign of clouds, and now all she could feel was the trickle of breeze weaving through and into her dress. Right in front of her were yards and yards of sand followed by miles and miles of water. Here and there were sporadic sightings of bottles left behind, chairs, and tree trunks that suffered some kind of deformity. But there were no other people around. Other than birds flying here and there, the ear couldn't have detected any evidence of company. And to Alyssa, that was just fine.

"The weather's perfect today," John commented.

"This whole day is perfect," Alyssa said. She shifted her vision from the sun over to John and noticed his deep concentration at the ocean. They'd been at the beach for a few hours now but neither of them have reached any peak of boredom. She figured it was because this atmosphere was the complete opposite of what they were used to- frenzied fans, high energy, lights, camera, and a plethora of people directing them for this and that and that and this. But here, it was just them and the sand underneath them. No rush, no schedule, no pressure. Just them.

John, feeling Alyssa's eyes on him, turned and met her gaze. He took her hand and immediately felt the grittiness from the sand in between their palms. "Listen-"

Alyssa picked up on John's tone and noted how quickly it changed the mood.

"I gotta ask you something."

Alyssa blinked.

"To be honest with you, I've been wanting to ask you this for awhile now. Way before anything between us even happened."

Alyssa held her breath. She wasn't appreciating what seemed to be this interminable preamble he was rambling. Where the hell was he going with this?

"I probably should've asked you this sooner, but timing with us was going weird and…" John trailed off. He could tell Alyssa was getting anxious, and hell, he was getting impatient with himself as well. He didn't know why he was taking so long to ask his question. Maybe it was the nerves. Maybe it was a stupid question. Maybe he shouldn't even ask.

John let out a shaky breath, then he chuckled. "I guess I should just ask you the question now, huh?"

She nodded her head with a sharp look.

"Alyssa, will you be my girlfriend?"

Alyssa stared in shock then quickly dissolved into a fit of laughter.

John watched as she leaned back on her elbows to handle her vibrating tummy. The sound coming out of her mouth was refreshing and lively but it also had him even more nervous. "Why are you laughing?"

"Because you built it up so much, you scared the crap out of me." Alyssa bit her lip before wrapping both arms around John's neck. She sent them both plummeting to the ground, sand rising up and all around them. But neither of them cared.

John tucked her loose hair that dangled over to his face.

"To answer your dire question John." Alyssa paused, a devious smile on her face. If he made her wait, he could wait too, but the problem was, she couldn't wait to answer. "Yes, John Cena, I would love to be your girlfriend."

He smiled. "Officially."

"Officially." Alyssa nodded before looking at the vast space around them. When she turned her eyes back to John, she was looking at him with a different purpose. "So…we're pretty secluded and you were saying something earlier about not having an inch of fabric on me?"

John, toppled with a new surge of excitement, didn't take long to pick up on her suggestive tones. Instead of replying through verbalization, he snaked his hand to the back of her dress and easily located the zipper.

A title shouldn't have made a difference but John couldn't deny the new burst of energy that had warped both him and Alyssa. They'd been officially 'boyfriend and girlfriend' for 24 hours now and their level of elation was profound. He couldn't stop tracing his mind back to yesterday and how immaculate she looked in that white dress and how she practically dared him to undress her at the beach. That was the first time he'd ever done something so intimate at a public place, but she made the experience beyond anything a bed and bedroom could have provided him with. John nearly blushed just thinking about it. He could see all the sand pressed against her bare stomach and hear the way his name caressed her lips as he caressed her body and her mind.

He was thinking of her so much, in fact, he'd nearly neglected the throng of photos he was supposed to sign. There were stacks and stacks of his face staring back at him but all he could see was Alyssa's smile. John shook his head at the dormant black sharpie gripped in his hand and monotonously began to sign. He willed himself to freeze all thoughts of his girlfriend before he ended up scribbling her name instead of his.

Not a minute later, a familiar voice called out his name. He raised his eyebrows and noticed someone's hip pressed against the side of his leg.

"John, can we talk?"

"I'm kinda busy right now, Stacy."

"But John…" Stacy reached over and placed a hand over the photograph he was signing.

"Stacy!" John let go of the marker in his hand and grabbed Stacy's wrist.

His hold was out of frustration, but she smiled anyway. She missed his touch. She missed being this close to him.

John released her and sighed. Then he took a step back. He looked at the woman in front of him not believing her audacity.

"How could you be with her when you were with me just a few days ago? Huh? Tell me."

"Look, whatever happened between us, it's over now. Can we please just leave it at that?"

"No, because you're with her." Stacy's face was scrunched with undeniable and irrational disgust.

"Leave Al out of this and leave me alone, okay?" John turned his attention back to the photos.

"But how are you guys together when you two obviously sleep around the locker room?"

You two obviously sleep around the locker room? John grabbed the sharpie and began signing again. If he pretended not to notice her, maybe she'd go away and take her lies with her.

"Honestly, John. How could you two sleep around-"

"I'm not sleeping around anymore, alright? I'm done." John stared at her sharply before signing another photo.

"And Alyssa?"

"She never slept around. She's not you."

Stacy narrowed her eyes at the last comment but stayed relentless. "But she's been with another wrestler-"

"No, she hasn't, Stacy."

"Oh…are you sure about that, John?" Stacy titled her head and studied his profile. His eyebrows were furrowed and his muscles looked tensed. When he didn't counter her question, she smiled. "Well, well, John. My point proven. You and Alyssa obviously don't know each other enough. Why don't you go ask your girlfriend who she's been with before the rest of the locker room tells you."

John gritted his teeth. Before his mind was able to fully formulate what Stacy had just said, she was already gone and he was all alone.

John couldn't have asked for a better crowd. The energy was electrifying and it was enough to distract him from the startling questions Stacy had asked him prior. Now that his segment was over, he walked backstage as the sweat rolled down his skin. He took each step cautiously with absolutely no rush to reach his locker room. For some reason, the thought of being in a small room caused a heavy feeling of dread, and he couldn't seem to shake it. He wanted to be with a multitude of people instead of these circling questions that kept tormenting his head. He knew not to take Stacy seriously. Her track record was no where near clean, but she'd made a good point. John had no idea who Alyssa had been with. It may not be important and the answer may be trivial, but he still wanted to know. Why wouldn't he want to know more about his girlfriend?

He journeyed through the halls and eventually got to his room. He pushed the door open and immediately caught sight of Alyssa sitting comfortably on the leather couch.

"Hey baby! Great match!" She stood up and reached her arms out. She didn't care at all that he was sweaty.

"Thanks," he muttered. He hugged her back but only shortly. His attention shifted from her to his towel in a second. When he turned away, she stood still and watched as he wiped himself dry. "Just let me put a shirt on and we'll get out of here, okay?"

"Okay," Alyssa said.

John tossed the towel to the side and reached for a fresh tee. He placed it over his head and when he looked, Alyssa was still standing in the same place, expressionless. He finished putting on his shirt.

Silence ensued long after.

It only thinned John's patience so he decided to open his mouth. "Al, I gotta ask you something."

She wanted to smile because those were the exact words he'd used on her yesterday. But for some reason, he looked serious today. "What is it?"

"Have you ever been with a wrestler other than me?"

Alyssa tried to suppress her shock at his question, but it only made her completely mute.

John stepped towards her, and when he did, he noticed how scared she really looked. "Al, have you?"

"Technically, yes."

"What does that mean?"

"Well," Alyssa looked away. She was nervously knotting her fingers together. "When I was with him, he wasn't a wrestler yet."

"Okay." John slowly began to nod his head. This made sense. No wonder he never heard about it. But did he know who this guy was? Did this guy still work in the industry? "Who was it?"

The temperature in the room didn't change, but for some reason, Alyssa was starting to feel extremely warm. She didn't want John to have to ask twice, but she couldn't seem to bring herself to answer. She couldn't bring herself to admit her past and to remember who it was she'd been with. "It was Randy," she said. "He was my first boyfriend."