After Paige and the others leave to tour around with WWE, Ricardo finds himself sitting on the porch swing, tracking clouds with his eyes. As warm as her words had left him, he's aware that they're still a long time until either of them are ready for that big of a step in their relationship. They've only been dating close to a year, after all. He rests his head back against the sunkissed wood and purses his lips, lost in thought, when the swing shifts, Alberto joining him. "Hola, El Patron," he murmurs.

"Hola, mi hermano." They swing quietly for a few moments before Alberto reaches over and claps him on the shoulder. "What's going on? Is everything alright?"

Ricardo considerings confiding in him what Paige had said, but it feels so private, so unbelievable as of yet that he can't find it in himself to do so. So he tries the next best thing, "I'm thinking about returning to the mask." Alberto stares at him, a surprised look in his eyes. "I've done it as myself for the last year, and it's been ok, but... I miss the mystique of Chimaera, you know? Me, I'm just awkward and shy... but I truly felt strong and like anything was possible when I became that character again. It did feel a little tainted after everything with WWE fell apart, but I think I can give it a fresh start now."

Alberto taps his jaw, before gripping it and making Ricardo look at him, a small smile on his face. "You are strong, mi hermano. And anything is possible for you, but I know what you mean. No matter what you choose to do, whether you're comfortable enough to continue being yourself, or Chimaera, I know your fans will support you. As will I."

"Gracias," Ricardo says, breathing in deeply. He scuffs his feet against the patio, causing the swing to rock back and forth with a bit more force, when Alberto clears his throat, attracting Ricardo's attention again.

"I'm actually thinking about a potential change myself," he says lowly. "I am considering... challenging that perro, Cage, to a hair vs hair match. I am tired of him always getting in my way in AAA. My title will never be his, but he continues on and on, no matter how many times I defeat him, or in what way. I will teach him the true meaning of honor for Mexican champions."

Ricardo stares at him, wide eyed. "Um. I... don't know what to say."

Alberto laughs a little. "Si, well, this is why I will definitely win- I like my hair where it is. But I have to prove my point by putting something important on the line. A wrestler's livelihood lies partially in their looks, so I can only imagine how he will react when I defeat him and shave him bald. I look forward to that moment."

Ricardo nods, falling back on his old stand-by and not revealing how uncertain he feels towards Alberto's plans right now. Every time the other man had made grand challenges like these, it'd backfired on him severely and Ricardo can only hope that Alberto hasn't repeated his past mistakes with this idea.

The rest of the weekend and Monday goes by quickly, and Ricardo wakes up on Tuesday with some dread. Today, Total Divas returns, which means whatever Paige will be doing with her friend to pretend like she's in a relationship will be watched by various wrestling fans around the world in a matter of hours. He sits up and stares out of his window, trying to remember when her flight gets in.

Sighing, he gets up and scrubs at his eyes as he walks into the kitchen, where Sofia greets him with a smile and "Buenos dias", and Alberto echoes her, looking up from the paper. He sits down and smiles as Sofia settles a mug of fresh coffee before him, moving back to the stove to finish omelettes for them both.

When Sofia serves them, Alberto puts the newspaper down and picks his fork up, casting another, searching glance at Ricardo. "So, mi hermano, are you prepared for tonight?"

Ricardo swallows down a mouthful of egg and green peppers before looking up at him. "Total Divas? Si, I think so." He scrapes his fork through the pile of vegetables and eggs, releasing a sigh. "I hope so, anyway..."

"Is Paige going to be here to watch it with you?" Sofia inquires, pausing to refill Alberto's mug before sitting at the table with them.

"As soon as she finishes Tough Enough business for the week, si," Ricardo nods.

Sofia reaches forward with her free hand and pats his wrist. "We'll be here if you need us, mi hijo." She smiles comfortingly at him and he nods, already feeling fractionally better.

"Gracias. Gracias," he murmurs, looking from her to Alberto. "I'm not sure what I'd do without you both."

"You'll never have to find out," the housekeeper tells him gently. "Eat your breakfast, Paige's flight lands soon and I'm sure she'll be eager to see you."

He nods and follows her suggestion, at the airport within half an hour. He's staring absently at the flight list, watching as they switch back and forth between a group of planes delayed, cancelled, and those who have arrived, Paige's flight number on that list... when he hears her calling his name, turning quickly to catch her as she runs into his arms, all grins and cascading hair. "Hola, mi fuerza," he greets her, kissing her warmly.

She wraps her arms around his neck and deepens the kiss, sighing against his lips. "I've missed you," she mumbles, pressing her forehead to his and searching his eyes. "You alright?"

"I am now," he whispers, which grants him another lingering kiss. "Where's Mike?"

"On the phone with AJ," she hums, running her fingers through his hair. "If I didn't know better, I'd think something was going on with those two. He's been really distracted lately..." She frowns. "I hope it doesn't have to do with those rumors, I know she said she doesn't believe them, but maybe..." Ricardo strokes her back, slipping his fingers up and down her sides until she gasps and squirms away from him, extremely ticklish in a few spots. "No, stop that," she groans, swatting at him. "Bloody hell, why did you ever have to figure that-" His fingers ghost against her ribs again and she cries out, arching away from his fingers. "No, Ricardo, please-!"

He laughs and finally relents, not wanting to get in trouble in public. "C'mon," he says, wrapping an arm around her waist and leading her to a quieter part of the airport to wait for Mike to stop talking to AJ. They sit next to each other, Ricardo's fingers tangled in Paige's soft, black hair, when she turns to look at him, eyes deep and searching. "What is it?" he murmurs.

"You're really going to be ok with this Total Divas stuff, right? Because it really is just an act, I swear to you-"

He cuts her off by cupping the back of her head and kissing her slowly, breathing her in. "I believe you, mi fuerza. I'm just glad you explained it to me with a bit of advanced notice this time, because if I had to live through another Bradley situation..." He sighs and shakes his head, smiling wanly at her.

"I promise to never do that to you again," she tells him quietly, fingers ghosting around the collar of his t-shirt until he shivers. "The hurt in your eyes after that episode aired... I never want to see that expression on your face again. It broke my heart, love."

He grimaces and rests his head on her shoulder as she kisses the side of his face and soothes her fingers through his hair once more. They're still sitting there, lost in thought, when Mike finally joins them. "Let's get this show on the road," he exclaims, clapping his hands together.

Ricardo, Alberto and Sofia half-watch Tough Enough, only really paying attention when the judges were on the screen, all of them slightly surprised by how rough Paige is being on certain people, but finally that show ends and they change channels to watch Total Divas. The majority of the episode is about Eva Marie or the Bellas and their contract status, Paige and Alicia mostly only in scenes complaining about Eva.

Ten minutes before the show actually ends, Paige finally arrives, Mike in tow, and she immediately curls up against Ricardo's side, kissing his bare shoulder as he wraps an arm around her. Mike starts throwing shade at the Bellas and Cena, anyone else he could think of, when the show ends and previews for the rest of the season begin. Sofia and Mike are discussing Ziggler turning his attention onto Nikki Bella, but Paige is very tense next to Ricardo, whose eyes are still locked on the TV screen, not seeing anything since a particular scene lost amongst all of the Bella drama. Likewise, Alberto had noticed the split second preview as well, and his dark eyes are flickering between Paige and Ricardo, his hands tense as if he wants to fight her.

Alberto stands after a few minutes and looks at Mike and Sofia. "Let's go to the kitchen," he says tensely and it's only then that they notice something's wrong with Ricardo and Paige, Sofia's face falling as she realizes that her employer looks close to exploding, choosing to leave before he makes things worse. She obliges and welcomes Mike into the other room to try some new cookies she'd made earlier. He glances anxiously at Ricardo and Paige once more before nodding and following them into the kitchen.

"What was that?" Ricardo mumbles as soon as they're alone. "You could warn me about him, but not about what he was actually going to do? Really?"

Paige shifts, sits in his lap and rests her cool fingers against his face, letting him feel the lack of the ring on her third finger. "It was part of the plan, yes. I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you everything, but I... thought I'd have more time. I didn't realize..."

"You don't realize a lot of things when it comes to this show," Ricardo says, the bitterness in his voice surprising her and himself. Needing some space, he gets up and digs his fingers through his hair, close to tearing it out at the roots. "I just don't know, Paige. What am I supposed to do with this? Preparing myself for you having a fake boyfriend, who would touch and kiss you, and maybe who knows what else is one thing, but to see another man down on one knee before you?" He shakes his head, steepling his hands before his mouth. "It was supposed to be," he finally says. "We're pretty serious, I thought, or at least getting there. If anyone was supposed to be kneeling down before you, vulnerable and hopeful, with a ring... it was... supposed to be... me..."

There are tears in her eyes and dammit, he doesn't want to make her cry either, but he's close to that point himself, and when she gets up and joins him, their tears mingle on their cheeks as she kisses him, tries to sooth him. "I'm so sorry, so so damn sorry," she breathes. "I know by now they probably just sound like meaningless fluff coming from me, because this is the second time I've done this to you. But I swear, when it happens, if it happens, it will be you, and it will mean so much more than some fake ring with fake emotions behind it..."

His heart aches, he's pretty sure his soul aches, but seeing her cry, so desperate for his forgiveness, makes him hurt more. So he closes his eyes and chooses to believe her once more. "Please don't wear that ring in front of me," he mutters. "Ever."

"I promise you, I will never ever do that," she vows, stroking his face and brushing his tears away. "Never ever, ever." Leaning in, she kisses him and takes his hand, drawing him back to the couch where she curls up in his lap and continues to kiss him. "Are we ok?"

"Si," he whispers to her. Her smile, brightening her tear-filled eyes, almost makes it all worth it.

Mike leaves on Wednesday morning to go be with his wife in California and Alberto heads on out to Mexico for a couple of live events and Ricardo thinks that he's going to get some alone time with Paige, but then she explains to him that she's going to go to California to meet up with AJ, make sure that things really are alright between them. He frowns at her as she cups his face and kisses him. "See, Mike at least got to see you in person and make sure everything was ok between you two because of those rumors. I haven't even talked one on one with AJ yet, I need to make sure she's alright. Considering I don't have any other friends in WWE, I'd kind of like to keep the ones I have outside of it."

This makes sense and he sighs, kissing her. "I'm going to miss you," he says quietly.

"I'll miss you more," she murmurs. "But we still have tonight, my flight's not until morning... so I suppose we should make the most of it, hm?"

He nods and draws her closer, wrapping his arms around her back. "Most definitely," he murmurs, trailing kisses down her throat.

Once he and Sofia are the only ones in the house, it's too quiet. He can't stop thinking, or staring at the calendar on his phone. In a few weeks, the first anniversary of his leaving WWE will be upon him. Going outside, he lays in the grass and stares up at the sky, trying to balance himself. With all of the bad, a lot of good happened in that company too. Fans cheering him, booing him, loving and hating him, sometimes both at once, and he had loved every moment of it. Without WWE, he wouldn't have met Alberto, or Paige, or Mike, or Alex... none of the relationships he has right now would've had a chance to become anything special.

He smiles and runs his fingers through the grass. "Thank you," he murmurs out into the universe, feeling the lingering echoes of bitterness drifting away as he focuses on everything good that came out of that random tryout he had gone to back in California all of those years ago.