Somewhere between training, and wrestling events round Florida, and playing soccer, Ricardo finds himself concussed and drowning in insomnia. His first sleepless night is Friday, of course just after Alicia leaves for WWE touring, and he's stuck pacing the apartment alone, toeing at puppy and mumbling carelessly to himself. Promos, sometimes just idle rambling, anything to fight off the silence haunting him.

His head is pounding, eyes are swimming too much, for him to watch Raw directly, but he is listening to it while in a half-doze, only forcing himself to look when Alicia comes out. Wrestles and loses to Asuka, just for Paige's group to come to the ring. He stares on, a sick feeling spreading throughout his chest, as they let Asuka go and Paige addresses Alicia. She sounds friendly enough and Alicia seems to believe her- which, Ricardo thinks, he would too if he hadn't been torn to shreds by her actions with Alberto. There's too much cunning in her dark gaze.

He digs his nails into his thighs, standing up and ignoring his dizziness at moving so quickly, all but yelling at his TV. "Come on, Alicia, you HAVE to see through her! Leave! You're sneaky and crazy, just run!"

But it's too late. One minute Paige is saying how she loves Alicia, and the next, her new co-horts are on the woman, pounding her down into the mat while Paige watches on like the cat that ate the canary. Alicia, already weakened after the match against Asuka, is unable to defend herself, and curls up pathetically as strikes are rained down upon her vulnerable body. "Come on," Ricardo snaps. "COME ON! End it already!" Finally they do, stepping away from Alicia's trembling form. Referees slide in, direct the women away and go to check on Alicia.

Ricardo's head is pounding worse at the thoughts of his ex having his current girlfriend taken out so thoroughly, sinking down into the couch and tugging at his hair. "Please," he mumbles. "Why now? Why like this?" Things had been easier when he could push Alberto and Paige both out of his mind, watch WWE for Alicia or Mike without worrying about Paige popping back up randomly, but now he and Alberto are kind of friends again and here she is, and he doesn't feel like he can catch a full breath.

A particularly bad pain stabbing through his temple, Ricardo rolls over with a moan and buries his face into the couch cushions, hovering there on the precipice of sleep, wanting so badly just to give in and sleep, but it's not happening except for little bits here and there. Awareness comes and goes and he thinks he hears the door open at some point, soft footfalls approaching him, and he expects Alicia's soft voice, her fingers running through his hair, trying to get him to bed, to take some pills, get some rest. It won't work, but he wants it so bad, to lay in her arms, hold her close.

The voice is different through his muffled hearing, the touch along his neck cooler. When he's rolled over onto his back, the eyes are darker. Skin pale. Hair straighter, a dark black meticulously brushed. Alicia's great, he really does love her, but there was always only one person who knew him well enough to help with his insomnia, his head when it got like this. "Paige," he breathes.

"I'm here, darling," she says, deep, accented voice running down his veins like honey as she continues to rub at his skull and neck.

"I think I'm dying," he confesses dozily to her and her fingers pause. "I... I can't... It's been days, and I can't..."

She rubs her nose against his and smiles painfully. "Shhhh, you're not dying, silly. You just need to focus on me, on my touch. Right? Remember how that used to help you?"

But he writhes under her touch. "Alicia," he moans. "Where is she? What did you do to her?"

Paige smirks a little. "She's just stuck at the airport, had a little trouble with her luggage. It's fine, it'll be sorted in awhile. I just needed a few moments alone with you." He can barely focus on her, on her words, and she tsks sadly at him. "My poor sweet Ricardo." She's still touching him, her nose pressed against his, and he can barely think straight now, on top of the staggered breathing he's managing her with her weight pressed against him.

"Why? Why are you- what is-" His words die away when her lips press against his, quieting every possible thought and feeling he has. Memories burst through him- how beautiful she was by the lake at Alberto's, the salty taste of her lips when she kissed him goodbye before he left for India, how much she glowed when she placed his ring on her finger.

Before everything went to shit.

She pulls away when she feels tears dripping down his face and gently brushes them away, kissing the tracks they leave behind. He's trembling as she leans in, presses her lips against his ear and explains herself. "I love you," she informs him. "I lost myself in loneliness and self-loathing when you left for India, and it left me vulnerable to Alberto. His charm, his riches, his influence in this business. It ate me alive, took me down a dark path. Even when you came home and proposed, I still missed you. It was like something vital disappeared when you left, and it didn't come home with you. But no matter how deep I fell into things with Alberto, I never forgot you." He feels something cool, soothing against his forehead, and whimpers as she brushes it down his nose, against his lips. "I still have this."

Focus is difficult. He blinks at the golden glinting band above him and thinks he recognizes it. "You still... you kept it?"

Paige nods, tears filling her eyes now. "I did. Even when... even when Alberto..." She closes her eyes, not wanting to talk about him. "You know why?" He shakes his head and she smiles mirthlessly. "Because I want this to be the ring that you use when you've finally forgiven me and propse again. I made the biggest mistake of my life, and I'm here now to repair my actions." She stares at his dazed eyes and leans in, kissing him gently on the lips. "But that can wait until you get some sleep and recover from this concussion. I'll be back."

She traces his face as he drifts, close to sleep but but not quite able to relax into it. "I am still in love with you, Ricardo," she breathes, easing her lips against his once more.

Half an hour later, he comes to with a gasp to find Alicia barreling into the house, griping something about the airport losing her luggage just to find it about to be loaded onto a flight heading to Nashville. She realizes how badly he's looking and puts her things down, brushing a hand down his face. He leans into her touch and she smiles sadly at him. "How are you feeling?"

"Rough," he mumbles. "Head's spinning. And I keep having really weird dreams."

She clucks over him, hugging him gently, and he stares up at the ceiling over her shoulder, trying to forget Paige in his subconscious, telling him everything he'd always wanted to hear, the feel of her fingers on him, her kisses.