Chapter 32

"I just hope I didn't break your nose."

"You didn't, believe me. It hurts, but I can still move it and the bleeding has already stopped."

"Holy hell, what a great match you guys had out there!" Britt came running up with a concerned smile on her face. "Nose all right? Want me to go get Mox for you?"

"Nope, he's too busy having a pissing contest with Omega and I'll leave him to it."

"Geez, why can't Omega just take the hint already and leave you alone?" Britt was curious how Delilah and Moxley got together, wanting to ask her friend about it, but she didn't want to anger Delilah either. "You know, you could've told me about you and Mox. I wouldn't have told anyone, not even Ty." She was referring to her husband, Kenny Cole, who was currently in the WWE on the NXT roster.

"I know, I'm aware, I just…" Delilah stopped and leaned back against the wall, pulling the towel away from her nose. "It's really complicated with Jon and I'm afraid that if I talk about it too much, something bad is going to happen. The bubble will bust between us or something…" She started laughing, the sound somewhat sad and disbelieving. "You know what the funny part is? I did everything in my power to push him away, to keep him friend-zoned. I've known Jon since we were kids. We grew up together. And when we both got into the wrestling business, we partially did that as well, along with Sami, and now Sami hates me and thinks I betrayed him for being with Jon. Sami was one of the reasons why I never pursued anything with Jon because they were best friends. Then he comes back after leaving that prison in WWE and…he started pursuing me. Calling me, facetiming me, inviting me out to his house in Vegas for Double or Nothing…my hotel reservation got fucked that weekend, so I had to stay at his house and one thing lead to another. Before I knew it, a month had gone by with me staying with him in Vegas, attending shows, traveling together, and now we're in a full-blown relationship that's splattered all over social media. His doing by the way, not mine. Things are just moving at warp speed and there's nothing wrong with that, but…usually when things go this fast, something bad happens, right?"

Jon may or may not have had a hand in what had happened that weekend with her reservation getting canceled. He was totally NOT involved with that teenager hitting her Chevy Malibu, however, even he wasn't that big of a douchebag.

"Uh," Britt considered it, figuring nothing with Moxley was going to be lumped in the very broad range that was considered 'normal'. "Sweetie, I hate to break it to you, but this is Mox. I don't think you're going to get any answers from anyone…it's just gonna…be whatever it is." Because Jon was not a normal man by any stretch of the imagination. He had been called a rookie and his response? Sending the guy roses wrapped in barbed wire OUTSIDE of the ring and camera time. Who did that? Only crazy people. "I'd just enjoy the ride and see what happens."

"You're right, I'm just overthinking things like always. Thanks, Britt. I'm gonna go get my nose checked out and then watch my man kick some ass."

They bumped fists before parting ways since Britt had to call her husband. After being confirmed her nose wasn't broken, just slightly bruised, Delilah went to the women's locker room to get showered and changed, her stomach rumbling with life. Her next stop was catering and, luckily, there was a monitor in there for her to watch Jon's match, which was next. Taking a seat near it, along with a few other AEW stars, she silently ate and watched, smiling at how much in his element Jon was again. Dean Ambrose was long gone and dead – long live Jon Moxley.

Fuck him up, Mox! After the promo Joey Janella spewed about her man, she hoped he was ready for a night of pure pain and torture at the hands of the Purveyor of Violence.

Oh, he would. He had purposefully avoided seeing Delilah after her match, aware of her presence while he had been heckling Omega. They were at work and unless the moron went after her directly and actually harmed her…well, Jon saw no reason to interfere. Delilah could have HIS balls on a silver platter, a moron like Kenny Omega was no big deal. Also, he didn't need Omega using Delilah against him, that would just be Omega signing his own death warrant because Jon was already borderline feral.

"You're fucked in the head, Moxley!" Janella snarled once they were both in the ring, talking smack like he usually did.

"All part of my charm." He had even remembered what he and Delilah had agreed upon, he'd be nicer to HIMSELF with barbed wire. Not this guy though.

Baiting Jon wasn't a smart thing to do. Jon was a master of mind games and enjoyed playing with his opponents with his eclectic ways. That was why he was so successful in this business. NOBODY else could do what Jon did. Nobody moved the way he did or wrestled the way he did. Delilah wasn't surprised to see Jon and Joey tearing each other apart, biting back a groan when barbed wire was introduced into the match. If Janella wasn't careful, Jon would rearrange his face. Delilah's phone buzzed and she looked down at it, sighing at the text message from her brother.

Great match, still pissed at you, sister.

That guilt was back and her eyes were no longer on the match; instead texting her brother back. I didn't mean to sneak around and keep it from you. I didn't mean for any of this to happen, Sami. It just did.

Sami sighed, not sure what to say. He knew holding onto how Mox 'used to be' wasn't right or fair on his part at all. He also knew he couldn't compare Moxley today to the Moxley from ten years ago, but at the same time…the man was insane and he DID have a reputation. Maybe he wasn't that way anymore, but that reputation was still there and it had been earned for a reason.

Why him? He honestly thought she was smarter than that. Hell, Delilah had booted Kenny to the curb because he had gone to Japan temporarily and didn't think long-distance relationships worked in a business that was basically built on them. So WHY did she go for the psycho from their childhood?

I love him. I know it doesn't make sense to you, but I do. I've loved him since we were kids and I thought it was just some stupid crush a sister has on her brother's best friend type deal. It broke my heart when he left to go to WWE and when he came back, I did everything I could to push him away. I tried, Sami…because of you. You're the only family I have left in this world and I didn't want to fuck that up. I didn't want you hating me for being with one of your best friends, especially Jon. The heart wanted what the heart wanted, however, and it couldn't be fought against. Once that seed was planted, once she gave Jon a chance, that was all it took. The walls and boundaries came crumbling down and she was the happiest she'd been in a very long time.Please brother, please don't hate me for this. I know you need time, but please don't cut me out of your life all because I want to be with him. He's like a brother to you and your best friend, doesn't that mean something too? Don't cut him out of your life either. While texting, tears spilled down her cheeks Delilah immediately wiped away, hating how emotional she was with her brother.

To be fair, Sami was pretty much reeling from her text messages because Delilah had ALWAYS been the strait-laced, smart, mother-henning one with a stick up her backside. Everyone knew it. She'd had a reputation for being almost cold, superficial because of the time she spent maintaining her carefully cultivated looks, and she rarely let that silver hair 'down'. Now – now, she was in LOVE with her polar opposite and it made absolutely no SENSE to him. Jon had told her flat out that if Sami was willing to let this come between their friendship, maybe their friendship wasn't as strong as Delilah insisted. The fact that Sami was using their relationship as a way to put a wedge between himself and his sister also spoke volumes.

Good match, sis. Will talk later. He had a lot to think about and process.

Sighing heavily, Delilah set the phone on her lap and put her head in her hands, gripping her silver hair between her fingers. She hated this. She did not like being at odds with her brother and it was slowly tearing her apart. Was this relationship with Jon really worth it? Sami wasn't just her family, he was her best friend and mentor, confidante…and she was hurting him by being with Jon. Looking back at the monitor, her heart began pounding at the sight of Jon grabbing a bucket from beneath the ring and pulling out a white bag of what could only be one thing.

Thumbtacks. Hundreds upon hundreds of thumbtacks were strewn in the middle of the ring.

Anything.

There it was again. What did that mean? Why did that word hold so much power over her? Why did it make her stomach twist violently? Did it have something to do with that night in Vegas? Delilah did remember Jon asking her a question outside on the Strip and that had been her response, but nothing after that…just flashbacks of the raunchy, unbridled, mind-blowing sex they'd had for hours on end. Maybe that was what she meant when she told him anything. Jon won the match, after planting Janella feet first into the tacks, followed by a Paradigm Shift right on his head in the tacks. She left catering, tossing her garbage away on the way out, deciding to get some fresh air and wait for him to meet her at the back exit.

Because she had been beyond lit and Jon had known to drink a LOT of water that night, refusing to deal with a horrible hangover the next day. Some parts of the night were a little fuzzy, but for the most part, he remembered everything with perfect clarity. Up until she nearly made him pass the hell out from that wicked blowjob where she had demanded he shoot his load right down the back of her throat. For someone with a stick up her backside, Delilah was a freak in bed. He liked it. Skipping the shower and grabbing his belongings, Jon made sure not to bust the bottle of that champagne he had lifted off of Chris. Chris wouldn't even notice since he had a case of the stuff and was basically hocking it on television. Chris had his hustle on, that was for sure.

"Darlin', we gotta go," He laughed when he reached the back exit, spotting her once he had cleared that door, stopping at the look on her face. "Del? What's up?"

"Nothing, come on." Delilah didn't want to tell him about her text messages with Sami and sighed when he stopped her, standing in front of her. "Sami texted me saying I had a great match. He watched it." It meant the world to her that he'd even done that because of how angry he was with her for being with Jon. "I told him I know he needs time, but don't cut me or you out of his life. You're like a brother to him and you two have been through a shit ton, both in and out of the business." The amount of sadness radiating from her was powerful. She had been so focused on this match with the other women, but now that it was over and Sami contacted her since their blowout, the guilt was starting to slowly seep into her all over again. "Anyway, great match against Janella tonight. I enjoyed all the hardcore shit, shouldn't you go get your back looked at from the thumbtacks?"

Jon figured Sami would get over it. Sami had heckled Delilah for years over the stick in her backside and her mother-henning. Putting her on a pedestal where she was this pristine, never meant to be touched object while he had been out whoring around. The double standards were insane, women were allowed to date and have sex.

"Nah, the thumbtacks aren't that bad and nothing a shower won't fix at the hotel." Turning, he showed her his back since he had come straight here from the ring, minus grabbing his bag on his way through. He had a bunch of superficial cuts, but nothing major and blood was smeared everywhere, but it was dry now. "How's your nose?" There was some bruising, but it didn't look broken. "That was a badass match between you and the gals, Del." He had even seen most of it before her stupid ex had come trolling.

"My nose is fine, just bruised and Nyla feels terrible for what she did. I told her we're not doing ballet in this business and not to worry about it." Delilah would have to go back to rewatch the match, like she usually did with every bout she had. "Thank you. Hopefully, I feel the same way after watching it back myself…" Her fingers lightly brushed against the small superficial cuts on his back, wondering why he hadn't showered and bandaged himself up first. "I love you, Jon. No matter if Sami approves or not, if he cuts me out of his life, I'm not giving up what we have." Leaning up, she softly kissed him and cupped his slightly bearded face, feeling his arm encircle her waist to pull her closer, to deepen the kiss. Just enjoy the ride and see what happens. Britt's words echoed in her head and Delilah decided to do just that, slowly pulling back to stare into his beautiful blues. "Come on, time to go get your back treated and then something to eat. I'm starving and I know you've gotta be too."

Anything.

It echoed in his mind whenever she said those three little words, knowing how dangerously close he was to having all this crashing down around him. Jon, so far, had found out he had very few boundaries he wasn't willing to cross, rules he wasn't willing to break. He had told her before he LIKED crossing those boundaries. There was a major difference in teasing her with personal boundaries and then the other shit he had done, shit she could never know about. "I got a long-sleeved shirt in my bag, we can grab something to eat and then head to the hotel." Because it seemed backwards the other way around and he also knew he was probably going to try fucking Sami and all that crap out of her mind.