“You know, I might be able to go out now.” Tania noted, feeling a little better than she had before.

“You do realize I could just drop you off back at the hotel, right?” Shane questioned as he handed the bottle of water over to Tania. He felt bad for her beyond what one could comprehend, almost guilty in a way. He had let her out of his site for only a few minutes. Leave it to Copeland to fuck everything up when he least needed it.

“I know.” Thing was, she didn’t want to go. She still wanted to spend the promised time she had with Shane. Tania had found herself having a bad day and knew the only way she could begin to pick up the pieces and turn things around was to spend the time with Shane - even if it meant enduring a horrendous headache. “But I want to.”

Shane gave a half nod. “We could also just go back to my suit and order a shit load of room service. I can get pretty much anything and everything you want.” If it would make her more comfortable then Shane would do it. “Watch a movie on the television…”

“We could do that too.” Tania shrugged. In all actuality, as long as she was spending time with Shane she didn’t care what they did. They had originally agreed to go back to the room anyhow. “Doesn’t matter to me Shane.”

Shane gave a little laugh. “It should, you’re the one who makes the decisions. What do you feel up to doing?”

Tania gave a small sigh and thought about for it a moment. She had really been looking up to going out for dinner. She wanted the dress, she wanted the time out with him. There was also the nagging drowsiness that was washing over her. “Your place is sounding really nice right about now, if I’m being honest.”

“Then to my place it is.” Shane smiled.

---

“Hey Lil, is you boy toy around?”

“Boy toy?” Though her voice was a little scratchy it was a little more audible than it had been in days. “He has a name you know.”

“Okay, so where is Dave?”

Lilian rolled her eyes. Some days she had no patients for Randy. “So I hear you had a bit of an incident earlier.”

“Word travels around fast.” Randy snorted. He was almost certain that half of the locker room knew what had happened by know. The fact that Adam had been taken away in hand cuffs would be enough to have some of the wrestlers calling anyone at the hotel already. “Please Lil?”

“How about we make a deal?”

“What kind of deal?” Some days he hated Lilian’s teasing little games. She liked getting him riled up, almost like a sport between her and Dave. The person who could piss him off the most won.

Lilian’s smile grew. “Think of it as a game of truth or dare.” She wanted a couple of answers from him. Her curiosity had grown too much for her not to ask. “Except it’s truth only.”

“Fine.” Randy just wanted to find Dave and head back to the hotel. He had found himself having what could be considered an extremely shitty day. “What do you want to know.”

“Why won’t you admit that you care for her?” Lilian’s head tilted to the side as she watched Randy in hopes of seeing more than he’d say.

Randy rolled his eyes. He didn’t need to ask who Lilian was talking about. Tania’s name seemed to be coming up quite a bit in the last couple of days when it came to dealing with his feelings. “Never said I didn’t. Tania doesn’t deserve what’s happened to her, and I feel bad for getting her involved. Of course I care about her. I care about all my friends.”

Lilian shook her head. “Not the friendship kind of caring Randy.”

“There isn’t anything else Lilian.”

“Funny. Dave and I are both convinced that you’re jealous more than anything.”

“Jealous!” Randy laughed out loud this time. He couldn’t believe the stupidity of some people at times. “How do you figure I’m jealous?” He was anything but jealous.

Lilian sighed. She couldn’t figure out how Randy was the only one who couldn’t see that he had feelings for the woman. “It’s because of the way you suddenly look at Shane. Anyone can see that the guy has something you want. You’re being awfully protective of her too…”

“Just cautious Lilian. I’m trying to keep her from getting hurt.”

“My point exactly Randy.” Reaching out for the water bottle, Lilian took a small sip to moisten her throat. “You know she’s going to get hurt with Shane because you’re the one she should be with. Or at least as far as you’re concerned.”

“It’s all bullshit Lilian. She’s a friend, just like you and Dave are my friends.”

There was obviously no getting through to him. “Fine then, how about a dare?”

“What kind of dare?”

“Kiss her.”

Randy’s face dropped. “Excuse me?” He wasn’t quite sure if she had actually said what he thought she did. “Kiss her?”

“Yes.” Lilian confirmed. “Kiss her. If you don’t feel nothing then Dave and I are wrong. If you do, well then you can thank us later.”

“And ruin a perfectly good friendship? I don’t think so.”

“Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt Randy.” Lilian pointed out. “I think for both your sake and Tania’s you need to figure out just where things stand between the two of you.”

Randy held up a hand to hush Lilian. “You know what? You are the last person I need to hear this from right now Lilian. When Dave comes back tell him I’ve found a way to the hotel on my own and not to worry about it.” To emphasize his point Randy slammed the locker room door behind him.

---

Tania let her eyes slowly close as she rested her head against Shane’s chest. The quiet limo ride back to the hotel had been nice, but just lying on the bed with him was even better. The only light on in the room was the bit trickling in from the mostly closed door of the bathroom. Feeling Shane’s arm move slightly beneath her, his fingers began to gently comb through her hair.

“What do you want to eat?” He asked, he himself sounding half asleep. They hadn’t actually had much down time in the last couple of days. Probably he more so than her.

“I’m not actually that hungry right now Shane.” Tania yawned, pulling her hand up to rest on Shane’s abdomen. She was quite content to lay there on the bed beside him feeling the rise and fall of his body as he inhaled and exhaled. I definitely opposite as to her meeting with Adam earlier. “But if you want to order something I won’t be offended.”

Shane shook his head. “No, I was more concerned about you.”

“Hmm.”

“This is nice.” Shane noted, pulling Tania a little closer to him.

Rubbing her hand against Shane’s stomach for a moment, Tania let a half smile play on her lips. It was nice, the two of them just as they were. “I agree.”

“You know I never did apologize.”

Tania’s brow furrowed. “What for?”

“Leaving you on you own like I did. Adam never would have gotten a hold of you if I stayed with you or brought you with me.” He had given Adam the opportunity he had been looking for and it nearly cost him everything. “I feel bad.”

“You couldn’t have known Shane.” She hadn’t known what was going on so how could Shane? It was one of those things that just happened unexpectedly. “And you did what you could to help me.”

Shane gave a bit of a shrug. “Only because of the fact you used your cell phone to call me.”

Tania rolled her eyes. She couldn’t understand what it was with men sometimes. Rolling a little more onto her side, Tania wiggled up the bed a little further and reached out for Shane’s cheek. Gently with her fingertips, she turned his face towards her until she was able to brush her lips up against his. “Because I knew you’d be the only one able to help me.”

“I guess.” Shane admitted as he dropped his lips down upon hers briefly. “It’s still not fair that you didn’t get the night you deserved.”

“I’m enjoying it now.” Things weren’t ending on a bad note and that alone meant something to Tania. “If Randy hadn’t been passing by the door when he was, things could have been a lot different.”

Shane tried his hardest not to snort at the mention of the other man’s name. He was still trying to figure out just what Randy’s deal was. Oh, he had feeling for Tania. That much was obvious. What Shane couldn’t figure out was if Randy knew that fact or not. Surely if he did he would have been trying hard to get Tania away from him by now. “It doesn’t make me feel any different about him.”

“Who?” Tania was confused. “Randy?”

“Yes Randy.”

“You make it sound like you don’t like him.” She knew how Randy felt about Shane, but also knew that he didn’t have the type of hate towards him like Adam did. She had always assumed Randy and Shane were at least acquaintances who spoke when they happened to cross paths. “

Shane shrugged. “I don’t really. I mean, he’s not the type of guy I usually associate with.” Plus he knew some of the things that Randy had said behind his back. What was said about the boss usually got around fast. “But I’m not going to stop him from being your friend. After all it was Randy who introduced us.”

“That’s true.” She agreed to that much.

“Tania?” Shane watched as Tania tilted her head towards him. “Stay here for the night?”

Giving a bit of a chuckle, Tania smiled. “Shane, you actually think I planned on getting up and leaving?” She didn’t have that kind of energy. The only way that he was going to get rid of her would be to carry her back to her own hotel room. “Like it or not I’m staying.”

“Oh, I like it.” Shane laughed as he rested his chin on her head.

---

Since Dave had started sharing a room with Lilian things had become quiet for Randy. A little too quiet. Now he had nothing to do but stare up at the ceiling as a million thoughts invaded his mind. He still couldn’t get what Lilian had said out of his mind. Did he care for Tania as more than a friend?

It was hard to say. The situation was a little different considering that Adam had attacked Tania. Wrestler’s were big men, it wouldn’t take much effort from Adam to really hurt her. If something like that were to happen then Randy would never be able to forgive himself.

Of course there was one solution to the entire problem. If he took Tania away from Shane then he wouldn’t have to worry about whether or not she was in any danger.

“Fuck.” Randy cursed under his breath. It always amazed him how fast situations could become confusing. Maybe Lilian was right. Maybe he did need to figure out where things stood between him and Tania. However, he would do something other than kissing her to find that out.

>>