Wrestling Is My First Language

“Welcome to my humble abode.”

Shaun opened the door to his condo, revealing a spacious living room with bright walls and hardwood floors. As Lynn stepped in further, she took note of his dark gray furniture, the big screen on the wall, and a glass case near the kitchen entryway where he had his wrestling belts on display. 

Past the couches, she noticed that the floor went up a step, which was where he had a circular dining table, and tall glass windows with a door leading out to a balcony.

His abode was anything but humble.

“I think this room alone is bigger than my apartment,” Lynn commented.

It had been five days since Shaun had asked her to move in with him. After their big weekend, she drove back to Nashville right when she was done with Raw. She stayed the night with Sophie, who was caught up on the situation the day before and had agreed to help get her stuff out of the apartment. With all the driving she had done just that day alone, she barely had time to say “hi” before passing out on her couch.

The next day, they came to find the apartment empty, and most of her stuff partially strewn around the dining area.

“Seems Josh got a head start on clearing me out,” Lynn had commented.

Sophie had started to put her clothes in the bags she brought. “I would go ahead and check everywhere in case he missed something, or is hiding it.”

She did a sweep and found that he was pretty thorough with getting all of her things together. The only thing he missed was a couple of her books. They quickly bagged and boxed everything, organizing what would go into storage and what was going with her to Orlando. Once everything was out, she left her apartment key on the dining room table.

“It's gonna be weird not seeing you here,” Sophie had said while they were at her storage building.

“I know,” Lynn replied solemnly. “I will make time to visit, I promise.”

“Who was it you're staying with again?”

“One of the girls that I work with.”

Lynn never got around to telling Sophie she was moving in with Shaun. Sophie was dating Alan, and Alan was still good friends with Josh. The last thing she wanted was for him to find out she was moving in with the man he accused her of cheating with. It wasn't that she didn't trust Sophie, but she also didn't want to burden her with secrets to keep.

Lynn stayed another night on Sophie's couch and got up before the sun to make the long drive to Orlando. She attempted to drive the whole fifteen hours by herself, but had to stay the night at a motel and finish the drive the next day. By the time she met up with Shaun and arrived at his condo, the sun was almost set, and she was exhausted.

“My room is down this hallway here,” he pointed to the left past the balcony doors, where there was a small hallway with two doors. “There's a room next to mine and another room on the other side near the kitchen and laundry nook. You can have your pick where you wanna stay.”

“I can take the one by the kitchen,” Lynn said. This was going to be a temporary stay, and she wanted to make sure she was as out of his way as possible.

“I don't have much in the way of food in the fridge, but you can help yourself to some drinks,” he admitted. “I was thinking of ordering a pizza for dinner.”

She smiled at him. “That sounds good.”

As he went to make the order, Lynn made her way to the spare bedroom to drop off her bags. She was too tired to bring her stuff in, so she only grabbed her essentials for the evening and planned to unpack her car the next day.

The spare bedroom was a little bigger than the room she shared with Josh.  It already had its own bed with a small dresser, a desk, and a private bathroom. She set her bags down and lay on the bed. The mattress was plush, and the pillows were soft enough that she was tempted to sleep right then and there. Unfortunately, her stomach said no to that as it growled loudly. The last time she ate was probably just after crossing the Florida state line.

She got out of bed and made her way to the kitchen, which was small compared to the rest of the space, and tucked away in its own corner with an island that served as a breakfast bar and a stove top. She looked in the fridge and saw only drinks, mostly sodas, beers, and protein shakes, and a few condiments. Lynn grabbed a soda and went back into the living room, where Shaun was typing away on his phone.

“Pizza should get here in half an hour,” he said, looking in her direction. “I realized I forgot to ask what you like.”

“I’m not very picky,” she said as she took in the living room. She stopped by the display case to see the different belts he had. She recognized the United States Championship and the Million Dollar belt he won in NXT. He also had belts from other promotions such as TNA and NWA. 

There looked to be some empty spaces for potential belts, but they were filled with a few framed photos. One caught her eye, a young boy with his arms wrapped around a burly golden retriever. “Is this you?”

Shaun looked up, leaning back slightly to see the photo Lynn had pointed at. “Yeah,” he grinned fondly. “That was my dog, Buddy. He was my main companion growing up. He lived until he was eighteen.” He set his phone down on the table. “Did you have pets growing up?”

“A couple of cats,” she answered. “Bo and Luke. My cousins had a boxer we would play with, but we didn't have enough room for a dog of our own.”

“You didn't have any pets when you were with…” he trailed off, not wanting to say the other man's name.

“Our apartment didn't allow for big dogs,” she said as she sat on the couch, leaning her head back. “We wanted to wait until we got a place that didn't require pet rent.”

Shaun was silent before changing the subject. “How was the drive down here?”

“Too long,” she leaned her head back to rest on the back cushion. “I stayed at a cheap motel last night to break up the time.”

He frowned at her. “I wish you had said something. I would've made the trip with you, or at least sent you some money for a nicer hotel.”

“No way,” she tilted her head to the side to meet his gaze. “You've already done enough by offering me a place to stay.”

He chuckled. “It's no big deal.”

“It is to me,” she said seriously, sitting straight up again. “You've been so helpful and supportive this last week. I don't think I could've gotten through it without you.”

“It's what friends do,” he shrugged.

“Don't worry,” she began, “I don't plan to stay long. I've already been looking at other places, and started putting money away-”

“Hey now,” he gently interrupted, “Don't worry your pretty little head about all of that. I told you before, you can stay as long as you need to.”

Lynn had remembered him saying that when he asked her to move in. However, she knew he was just being nice. She was determined not to wear out her welcome and put a damper on their friendship. Instead, she just said “thank you” with a smile.

He smiled back. “So, what are your plans now that you're here?”

“I am stopping by the PC tomorrow to meet with Shawn Michaels about my training schedule.”

He nodded. “How does it feel? Being so close to achieving your dream?”

She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands. “I don't know yet,” she said. “It still doesn't feel real. Maybe when I actually start training, it will start sinking in. How do you know when you've made it?”

Shaun leaned back in his seat. “It's different for everyone. For me, getting the chance to work with Paul Bearer was an early highlight. I thought I was going to be the next Undertaker.”

“You still could be,” she remarked.

He shook his head. “It might be too late for that. I'm a few months shy of forty-three.”

“So what?” She argued. “You can still move as good as the younger guys. Not to mention, you can promo just as well. It's only a matter of time before you get a world title.”

He arched an eyebrow at her. “You believe in me that much?”

She shrugged. “Why not?”

He stared at her for a moment, not sure how to respond to her compliment. He was saved by the literal bell when his phone went off. He looked to see that it was the pizza order.

“Hungry?”

……………..

Shaun and Lynn spent the last few hours eating pizza and chatting it up over some beer and cheap cocktail mixes that he kept around.

When she first arrived, Shaun could tell she was tense, partially from the long drive, but at this point was feeling at ease, laughing at some of his childhood stories, particularly the ones where he and his older brothers got into trouble.

“No way,” Lynn laughed. “You seriously tried fire eating?”

Shaun shrugged his shoulder, a sheepish grin on his face. “What can I say? One of Nathan's college friends made it look so easy. And I was willing to try anything once.”

“How did it go?”

He rubbed the back of his head, the memory still fresh in his mind. When his brother's friend showed him how to blow lighter fluid and twirl batons. Unfortunately, when he had spat some fluid out, a small breeze blew some of it back at him, which caused a small burn to his skin. He explained as much to her, adding to it, “I think it inspired Nathan to become a paramedic.”

Lynn giggled and shook her head. “That is insane. The worst trouble I ever got into was skipping school to meet Mick Foley at the mall.”

“No kidding?”

“He was doing signings for his new book,” she explained. “When my mom found out, she grounded me and confiscated the book. I eventually got it back.”

He chuckled. “You weren't kidding about being a big wrestling fan.”

She gave him a look. “You wouldn't have done the same?”

“Fair point,” he took a swig of his beer and leaned back in his chair. “If you weren't in this line of work, what would you want to be doing instead?”

Lynn sipped her own drink, thinking over his question. “I haven't thought about that. I've had so many odd jobs over the last few years. Factories, restaurants… It's hard to imagine doing anything else.”

“I don't know, I could see you running your own bakery.”

She was surprised by that. “Really?”

“Hell yeah!” He encouraged. “If everything you make is as good as those cookies you gave me, then you'd be making bank.”

She looked away from him, a small smile and blush adorning her face. She put her empty glass down on the table and turned back to him. “What about you? What would you be doing if you weren't a wrestler?”

Shaun mulled it over. Similarly, he's worked odd jobs as well, and much preferred his current way of life. He thought back to something he said in an interview when someone else asked him a similar question. “I think I'd like to run a dog rescue.”

“Seriously?” Lynn asked, more curious than anything.

“When we got Buddy,” he elaborated, “he was a stray puppy we found wandering our neighborhood. Dad thought someone had dropped him off, so we took him in. I would like to help as many dogs as possible find good and loving homes.”

She cocked her head to the side. “How are you still single?”

He was taken aback. “What?”

“A guy who loves dogs is the biggest green flag for most women.”

Shaun only rolled his eyes. “I told you I travel too much. Just wait until you get back into dating and see how hard it is.”

He regretted the words as soon as he said them. He watched her look away from him, leaning her head back on the couch to face the ceiling, her face unreadable. He got up from his chair and sat next to her on the couch. “I'm sorry,” he said. “That was insensitive of me.”

“It's alright,” she assured. “I'm sorry if my comment upset you.”

“It didn't, “ he said.

She sighed. “I just came to the realization that I would have to eventually start dating again.”

“Not a fan?”

“It's nerve-wracking. You have to put yourself out there, but not too much, or you'll scare them off. Then you're wondering if the other person is who they say they are.” She turned her head to look at him. “Do guys worry about that stuff, too?”

Shaun nodded, thinking of his own love life. “I've had a lot of online dates that went south. Most didn't like my career choice, or were more interested in a free meal than actually getting to know me.”

“That bad?”

“It got worse after I got to WWE and became more well-known.”

“Oof! I haven't even considered that,” She groaned. “I just want to skip the dating phase and move on to the serious phase.”

He raised an eyebrow. “How would you do that?”

She shrugged. “Not sure. I guess I just need to find someone who already knows me and accepts my flaws and all.”

Shaun studied her thoughtfully as she moved her gaze to the ceiling. He felt an uneasiness at her words, like the air shifting, but he wasn't sure why. Instead of dwelling on it, he pointed at her cup. “Want me to get you a refill?”

She turned to him, smiled, and held her cup to him. “Sure.”

He took the cup and went to the kitchen, muddling around for a minute, grabbing some more cocktail mix from the fridge. 

As he made the drink, he thought again about her living situation and the stress she had gone through the last few days.

“You know,” he called out as he prepared the cups. “I was serious earlier. You're welcome to stay for as long as you need to. I don't want you to feel like you need to rush to find a place. As long as you're here, this place is your home as well…”

He walked back into the living room, but paused when he saw Lynn. Her head was tilted to the side, and her eyes were closed. 

“Lynn?” He asked softly.

She didn't respond; there was no movement except for her chest slowly rising and falling.

“Guess you were more tired than you thought,” he joked, keeping his voice low. 

He would've left her there to sleep, but with the way her head was positioned, she was bound to wake up with neck pain. 

He set the drinks down and lightly touched her shoulder. “Lynn?” He asked again quietly. 

She lightly groaned, shifting slightly to sink further into her seat.

Shaun sighed. “Sorry about this.”

He slowly and carefully slipped his arms under her and lifted her. He held her bridal style, her head lay on his right shoulder. As he stood to full height, her head tilted, her nose tickling his neck, and her soft breath brushing his Adam's apple. The touch made a chill run down his spine. The movement caused her eyes to flutter.

“Shaun?” She said sleepily.

He kept his voice low. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I'm just taking you to bed.”

“Okay,” was her slurred reply, still in her sleepy daze.

He carefully walked her to her and carefully laid her on the bed. When he moved his arms away, her form shifted. He worried that he had woken her up, but she was settling in her sleep, lying on her side, facing him. Once she was still, Shaun grabbed a throw blanket and laid it over her. 

He knelt beside her, lightly brushing the hair that fell over her face. She looked so peaceful, similar to when they shared the hotel room last weekend, when he had woken up before she did. Having her here, being able to give her somewhere safe and stable to stay, gave him a feeling of relief he hadn't expected.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Lynn reached over and turned the alarm off on her phone. The screen read 6:00 am. She could hear water running from the other room. She turned to see the other hotel bed empty, and the bed sheets strewn about, meaning Shaun was probably taking a shower.

She sat up and rubbed at her eyes, which were still heavy and strained from crying the day before. After the show, Shaun and Lynn arrived at the hotel he had booked. After dropping off her suitcase, Shaun treated her to a nightcap to relax and help calm her nerves. Lynn didn’t feel like talking about Josh, so after she took her shower, the two of them spent the rest of the evening watching Mythbusters reruns on the hotel TV until Lynn fell asleep.

She got up and changed into a tank top and a pair of capris to wear for traveling. She knew Shaun had to check out early, and she didn’t want him waiting for her things to be packed up. Once he was out of the shower, she was going to freshen up and leave him be. She didn’t want to wear out her welcome.

Shaun was out of the shower by the time she made sure all of her stuff was in one spot. 

“Hey- whoops!” Lynn turned away from him when he came out in only a towel. “I’m so sorry.”

She heard him laugh. “You see me without a shirt every week.”

”Yeah, but,” she began, turning to face him. He still had the towel around his waist, and he was mostly dry save for a few water droplets dripping from his hair down to his shoulders. She got momentarily distracted as she watched one drop run from his shoulder down his chest. 

“Lynn?”

“Yeah?” Her gaze snapped back to his face. He smiled at her, and her cheeks turned a shade of red.

”Did you need the bathroom?”

”Oh, yeah,” she grabbed her toiletry bag and headed for the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

As she was brushing her teeth, she saw that her eyes were swollen and tired-looking. She hoped they would heal up enough before she got to Atlanta and had to be on TV. She started washing her face, and her mind started wandering to her current predicament. She had until Tuesday to figure out where she was going to be staying after she got her stuff from the apartment. She and Josh had bought most of the furniture together, but she wasn’t attached to any of it. Thankfully, all she owned could fit into neat boxes. But it still didn’t help that she had no place to put those boxes.

She exited the bathroom and found Shaun fully dressed in his own tank and cargo shorts. He was shaking out the bed sheets on his side of the room. “How did you sleep?” He asked her.

“I slept alright,” she replied, putting the rest of her stuff into her suitcase. “Thank you again for letting me stay here.”

”It’s not a problem.” He stopped what he was doing and looked at her seriously. “Are you doing okay?”

She shrugged. “About as good as I can be.” She sat down to slip her shoes on. “What time do you need to be out of here?”

”As soon as you and I are ready to go.”

”I’m almost ready,” she assured. “I’ll be out of your hair in no time.” She looked over at Shaun, who looked at her with an unreadable expression. “What?” 

“Out of my hair?” He questioned.

Lynn nodded, unsure. “Well, yeah. We both have busy weekends ahead of us, and I don’t wanna take up too much of your free time.”

“You're not wasting my time.” He sat down on the end of his bed so he was eye level with her. “I was actually going to ask if you wanted to ride together this weekend.”

Her eyebrows raised. “Really?”

“I mean, we're going to the same places anyway. And it's a pretty long drive to Atlanta. It might go by quicker if I have company.” 

She fiddled with her hands in her lap. “Are you sure?”

He chuckled. “I wouldn't have offered it if I weren't serious.”

“Fair,” she nodded. “Alright, let's do it.”

The two of them finished straightening up the room and gathering their things. Once they were satisfied, they left the room and headed for the elevator.

Lynn hit the ‘down’ button. “Are you going to be in Birmingham on Monday?” She asked him. “Because I'm starting Raw on Monday.”

“Yeah, I have a match scheduled.”

“They really have you working double-duty, don't they?” she mused.

“I like to stay busy,” he admitted, “but I'll be permanently on Raw soon enough.”

She turned to him, eyes wide. “You're switching to Raw?”

“Mmhmm,” he nodded as if it wasn't a big deal.

She smiled at him. “Why didn't you tell me?”

“I tried to tell you in Philly, but we got busy,” he admitted. “Also, the deal wasn't finalized until this week.”

Before Lynn could say anything, the elevator doors opened. On the other side, unexpectedly, were Jimmy and Naomi.

“Lynn?” Naomi asked.

“Hey,” Lynn smiled. 

“Are you guys going down?” Shaun asked.

“Yeah, hop on,” Jimmy invited.

Lynn and Shaun piled into the elevator with them and rode the rest of the way down. The ride wasn't very long as they were only on the third floor, but the quiet made it feel longer, Lynn felt. She wasn't sure why. Once they made it to the main floor and piled out, Naomi grabbed onto Lynn's arm.

“Hey, you wanna stop by the hotel Starbucks and grab a coffee with me?” She asked.

Lynn looked over at Shaun. “Would that be alright?” She didn't want to hold him up. “I can get you something, too.”

The other man nodded. “Sure. I'll check us out and meet you there. Black coffee with two sugars.”

“Great, see ya,” Naomi answered for both of them and dragged the other woman to the coffee shop. It was only a few strides away, but it was far enough that the two would be out of earshot of both Shaun and Jimmy. Once they were in line, Naomi whispered to her. “Girl, what is going on?”

Lynn raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

The other woman looked bewildered. “You and Shaun, duh!” She glanced over in the direction, then back at her. “Did you guys spend the night together?”

Lynn sighed. That explained why the elevator ride was so quiet. She hadn't thought her and Shaun walking around the hotel together was going to raise any eyebrows, but she should've known better. “We did- but,” she quickly stopped Naomi before she could jump to any conclusions. “Nothing happened. I needed a place to stay last night, and Shaun had an extra bed.”

“Oh, because of the bed bugs,” Naomi nodded.

Lynn blinked. “What?”

Naomi chuckled. “Girl, the rumor mill has been going crazy about you last night.”

Lynn's stomach twisted. “What are they saying?”

“Well,” she explained, “Shaun was asking some of the women if you could stay with them for the night because your place had an ‘infestation,’” she raised her finger to emphasize the air quotes.

Lynn groaned and covered her face. She couldn't be mad at Shaun because she didn't want her relationship drama to get out. But she wished he could've thought of a better excuse.

“Hey, no one believes that anymore,” Naomi assured. “After word got around about your stalker, we figured out he was just trying to protect you.”

Her hands dropped from her face. “People know about that?”

Naomi nodded. “Secrets in the locker room don't stay secret for long.”

“Ugh,” Lynn groaned again. “This is gonna be a long weekend.”

“What exactly happened?” Naomi asked.

Lynn took a deep breath. Considering the rumor mill couldn't get any worse, she might as well clear the air with one friend she can trust.

As they made it through the line, she told Naomi that she and Josh had a bad breakup - without revealing all of the gritty details - and that Shaun had helped her through it. 

“Sounds like Shaun is a regular knight in shining armor,” Naomi commented, then added, “no pun intended.”

They paused to order their drinks. Lynn ordered some breakfast sandwiches for her and Shaun as well, since her own stomach was growling. They moved over to a nearby table while they waited.

“So what are you gonna do?” Naomi asked.

Lynn shrugged her shoulders. “I'm still figuring it out. I'm moving my stuff out on Tuesday. I'll probably pack it into a storage unit until I can find some place that's move-in ready.”

“Are you still planning on moving to Florida like you talked about?”

“I am.”

“Did any of the places Nattie and I sent you look good at all?”

“They did…” Lynn had trailed off. She realized then she may have to start over on her search since she had been calculating rent based on hers and Josh's income. It didn't occur to her that she would be living alone for the first time in her life.

“Well, if you need a place to stay until you find something,” Naomi explained, “Our place has a spare bedroom you could use. Just let me know.”

Lynn gave her a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

“Lynn!”

She turned toward the counter where the barista set down two drinks in a carrier, and a brown paper bag in the middle. Lynn grabbed her food just as Shaun and Jimmy.

“One coffee, black with two sugars,” Lynn held up the tray. “And some breakfast for the road.”

“You're a lifesaver,” Shaun said. “Ready to go?”

They said their goodbyes to Jimmy and Naomi and made their way to the hotel exit. Both of them missed the knowing looks that Jimmy and Naomi gave each other.

………………….

Lynn offered to take her car for the drive since she was planning on driving it anyway, and Shaun would save money by helping out with gas instead of getting a rental car. Accounting for traffic and pit stops, the drive to Atlanta was about four hours. At an hour in, they were partway through Lynn's workout playlist, which they played in the background as they talked through the drive.

“I am honestly surprised by the amount of heavy metal that's on your playlist,” Shaun told her.

Lynn glanced at him briefly, eyebrow arched. “Why?”

“You told me that you mainly do cardio workouts,” he explained. “And most cardio people I know are listening to pop music.”

“Half of the songs I exercise to are ones I found through wrestling video games,” she admitted. “Sometimes, it's nice to jump on an elliptical and listen to music without thinking about reps or miles.”

“Well, you have the stamina and endurance down,” Shaun admitted, “but once you get settled in, we can add in some strength training.”

“Ugh, don't remind me.”

Shaun looked at her. “Not a fan of weights?”

She shook her head. “No, the settling-in bit. I need to go back to apartment hunting again. It's gonna be a lot more difficult now that it's just me.”

“Well, maybe I can help out.” He pulled out his phone and started typing on it.

“What are you doing?”

“You're driving. I can Google some apartments for you and send you any prospective ones to review when it's my turn to drive.”

Lynn nodded. “Alright. Let's see what's out there.”

She described what an ideal apartment would be for her. She wanted a one-bedroom apartment, but would settle for a studio depending on the price. Shaun had typed up some stuff and began scrolling.

“This one looks good,” he said. “It's a one-bedroom, pretty big living room and kitchen, and it's not that far away from the PC.”

“How much?”

Shaun held the phone to her. She quickly glanced at it before looking back at the road, her face contorted in shock.

“Jesus!” She exclaimed. “And I thought Nashville was expensive.”

“Skip it?”

“Nah,” she said. “I could make it work since I get paid more here than at my last job. Is it move-in ready?”

He shook his head. “Will be ready in a month.”

“Great,” she said sarcastically. “Is there anything that I could potentially move into by next week?”

He typed in some more stuff, grimacing at the screen. “Unfortunately, most places that are ‘move-in ready’ aren't in areas you really want to live in.” He paused a moment while he kept scrolling, then added, “I overheard Naomi offer you a place to stay.”

“She did,” Lynn confirmed. “But I don't want to stay with her and Jimmy too long. I like them, but they're married and they will probably get sick of me after a while.”

“I don't think anyone would get sick of you,” he smiled charmingly at her.

She chuckled. “Tell that to my friend Sophie, whose couch I slept on for three months before I started dating Josh.”

“Jimmy and Naomi have a big house,” he argued. “You could probably hole yourself up on one side of it for a year, and they'll probably forget you're even there.”

“I guess-oh!” Lynn interrupted herself and turned the volume up on the music. “This is my favorite song!”

A fast-paced drum and guitar beat kicked up as a female singer screamed “SICK!” before it broke out into another instrumental number.

“Hmm, good beat,” Shaun said. “Who is this?”

“A band called The Warning,” Lynn explained. “They're a sibling trio, and the drummer is one of the lead singers.”

The two of them listened to the song, Lynn occasionally singing along and Shaun tapping his knee along with the beat. “I could see this being on a PLE,” Shaun added.

“Honestly,” Lynn began, “If I could pick any song to be my wrestling entrance theme, it would be this one.”

Shaun thought it over, then nodded. “I think it would make a great theme, too.”

…………….

Shaun let himself into his hotel room. This time, the room only had one bed, like he requested. Lynn already had her room booked for the weekend, which was in the same hotel, only one floor up. After they checked in, the two of them separated to get settled in and agreed to head over to the arena together to get ready for Saturday Night's Main Event.

Shaun parked his suitcase near the closet and collapsed on his bed. He had about an hour before he needed to be at the arena, so he was going to enjoy some quiet after a long drive.

After five minutes, the quiet was too much for him. 

Which was odd.

He sat up and turned on the TV, hoping background noise would be enough. He switched to a random channel with a random show he didn't care enough to pay attention to. He lay back down and stared up at the ceiling. He set an alarm on his phone in case he fell asleep, which tended to happen after traveling.

However, despite everything that had gone on in the last twenty-four hours, he was wide awake. It was surprising considering all that had gone on, from wrestling a hyped-up show to helping a friend through a crisis. He didn't get a lot of sleep the night before. He kept waking up during the night from crazy dreams, and had to look over to make sure Lynn was okay.

Add on a four-hour road trip, and he should be passed out with drool coming out the side of his mouth by now.

The room felt quiet again, even though the TV was on. He turned his head, glancing at each side of the hotel room, realizing that he was by himself. He hadn't been by himself since he found Lynn crying in the janitor's closet the day before. Hell, yesterday was the most time he had spent with anyone in a while that didn't involve going over match spots or meetings with writers and management.

Instead of resting, he found himself reflecting on everything that had transpired over the last twenty-four hours. He practically tore out of the locker room when Lynn said she was going to meet Josh in the parking garage. By the time he got there, she was already calling him out on his bullshit. He ended up eavesdropping behind a column. Her attitude and demeanor were a far cry from the woman who, hours ago, was considering giving him a second chance. Thankfully, Josh didn't try to hurt her again, but it didn't stop Shaun from staying at the ready in case he did.

It wasn't until now that he found himself perplexed at his own attitude. Not just while listening to them, but during breakfast when he ordered what Lynn ordered. Was it to defend Lynn, or was it out of spite against Josh? Or even days before, when Lynn set up the date, and he remembered feeling upset that Josh would be there. Was it because he got a bad vibe from him, which is justified at this point, or something else?

He thought about last night before the show started, when he realized the reason Josh acted the way he did was because he thought Lynn was cheating on him with Shaun. It was all over a storyline, and nothing ever happened between them. But it was a storyline you suggested, he reminded himself. 

Why had he suggested that storyline?

Originally, it was because he felt bad for hurting her on her first night as a commentator, and he knew a potential love storyline, if it ever got that far, could help both of their careers and give them more exposure. It worked for tons of wrestlers in the past. 

Of course, like those wrestlers before him, he was growing closer to Lynn. But not in a romantic way.

While they didn't always have time to hang out together, he appreciated the times they did share, from brief interviews and promos to their session at the PC and the back-and-forth texting. She had grown to become a close friend when he didn't have a lot of close friends to begin with. And after everything with Josh, he was becoming protective of her.

He thought back to this morning. He had been waiting in line to check out with Jimmy behind him for the same reason.

“Dude, were you with Lynn last night?” He had asked.

“It's not what you think,” Shaun told him, remembering just a week ago the same man had brought up the young guys, thinking he and Lynn were a couple. “She had a bad breakup and needed a place to stay. All we did was sleep.”

“I heard about the stalker,” Jimmy admitted. “Was that him?”

Shaun turned from him, picking his bottom lip in a nervous tic. “Lynn wouldn't want me to delve into her personal life too much.”

The other man nodded. “So what now?”

Shaun shrugged. “She needs a new place to live, that's for sure.”

“She gonna live with you?”

Stunned, Shaun turned to face him. “What?”

Jimmy shrugged back at him. “You got a nice condo with extra rooms,” he explained, “which is weird since you live alone.”

“I wasn't alone when I got it,” he countered. “Plus, I have family who visit me often. I wouldn't make them stay at a hotel.”

“Then what's the harm of letting her stay with you?” He continued. “Half the roster thinks you're together anyway.”

“That's why,” Shaun pointed at him. “She just ended a long-term relationship. I wouldn't want her to think I had an ulterior motive.” Especially if I was the reason they broke up to begin with, he had thought to himself.

It was finally Shaun's turn in line to check out, and Jimmy let the matter go, thankfully. By the time they got to the coffee shop where the girls were, he briefly heard Naomi offer her a room at her place, which should have put the matter to bed.

But everything was still too quiet. He sat up in the hotel bed, giving up on a nap, and started flipping through the channels. Not to find anything to watch, but in an attempt to distract himself from the quiet. Was he coming down with something?

His phone beeped then. He looked down and saw that half an hour had already passed. When did that happen? Then he saw he had a text from Lynn.

Lynn: “Got time for lunch?”

He sighed, staring at the message a moment before typing back.

Shaun: “No, but I'm not against grabbing something in catering. Wanna head there early?”

It didn't take long for Lynn to text back.

Lynn: “Yeah. I'm feeling restless after sitting in a car for hours.”

“That sounds right,” he said aloud. Maybe that was why he couldn't relax and enjoy the quiet.

He got up and dug into his suitcase, throwing a gym bag with the extra gym gear he brought for the weekend. He would have to remind himself to clean all his stuff tomorrow before his matches on Monday.

He waited in the lobby for Lynn, sitting in the lounge area and scrolling through his phone so as not to draw attention to himself. 

“Ready?”

He looked up to see Lynn standing over him. She was wearing a sleeveless, green button-up blouse that complemented her hair color nicely, and a pair of black dress capris that hit just above her ankles. She didn't have make-up on (she'd get caked up at the arena later), but her hair was styled up in loose curls that rested past her shoulders. It was a slight contrast to the normal pant suits she'd wear on commentary. As a gentleman who was against sleeves, he thought this suited her.

“I'm ready.”

They took her car to the arena, being one of the first sets of superstars to arrive. They mostly ran into the production crew, who were working hard to get everything ready before the show. They stopped in the catering area, grabbing some pre-made sandwiches.

“Do you have anywhere you need to be right now?” Lynn asked before taking a bite of her sandwich.

“Not until Seth gets here,” he replied. “Why?”

“I was looking at a few more places.” She pulled out her phone and showed him some listings. “I wanted to get your opinion on them.”

He looked at her phone. The places she found were good. He didn’t know her salary, so he assumed she could afford it. However, most of them were close to tourist attractions, which would mean a lot of traffic. He told her as much.

“Well, nothing’s perfect,” she mused. There was a pause before she asked, “Where do you live?”

He looked up from her phone. “What?”

She took her phone back. “I just realized I never asked about where you live. I always assumed you lived in a big mansion made of Slim Jims or something.”

He laughed at the ridiculous notion. “Nothing that crazy,” he said, then added, “but Slim Jims did help pay for my condo. It’s just outside the city.”

He described his residence to her, with its faraway view of the city, spacious rooms, and how he has a whole floor to himself.

“That honestly sounds nice,” Lynn had to admit.

“It is,” Shaun agreed. “It gets-” He stopped himself. He was about to say ‘It gets lonely’, and he went back to what Jimmy said that morning.

“It gets what?” Lynn asked him.

The words were spilling out of his mouth before he could stop himself. “Do you want to move in with me?”

Silence fell between them. Lynn was taken aback as she looked at him, barely blinking. It may not have dragged on for long, but Shaun was mentally beating himself up before she finally spoke. “Uh.. what?”

“Yeah,” he said, this time more sure of himself. “Do you wanna move in with me?”

She stared at him, baffled at what he was suggesting. “Shaun, I don't know if-”

“It doesn't have to be permanent,” he interrupted, realizing how forward - and possibly a little too eager - he sounded. “But I also don't want you to feel like you're being rushed to find your own place.”

“But-”

“I have no roommates, and more space than I know what to do with,” he continued. “You could have your own room and bathroom, so you won't feel like you're in the way.”

At the risk of being interrupted, she waited for him to say anything else. “Are you sure about this?” She asked finally.

“I wouldn't ask if I wasn't,” he leaned forward in his seat, looking directly at her. “You're my friend, and I want to help you.”

She looked away from his intense gaze, focusing on the half eaten sandwich on the table. He could tell by the look on her face how uncertain she was. He was starting to wonder if this was a mistake.

“Is there anything you need help with?” She asked finally. “Do you want me to pay you rent, or help with utilities?”

He smiled. “Just help me keep the place clean and the fridge stocked. We can work out the rest later.”

She nodded at his request. “And you won’t get sick of me?”

“I’ll help you buy your own condo if I do.”

Shaun checked his phone, looking over his schedule to see what needed to be done before the show. He just got done chatting with Jimmy, Solo, and Mateo about their match that evening. He was waiting for Paul Heyman, Bron and Bronson to arrive at the arena to go over the opening promo. While he waited, he decided to go to the locker room to make sure he had his gear with him.

He dug through his gym bag, mentally checking off everything he needed for tonight. He had spent a good chunk of time insisting that he didn't need a room with a double bed that not only was he late to meet Lynn, and he had haphazardly thrown his gear together so he could go straight to the arena after brunch.

Boots, trunks, knee pads, elbow pads… what is this? He pulled out a zip lock bag with crumbled cookies in it. It took him a second to remember Lynn had given him this bag earlier. He must have put them in his gym bag after leaving the restaurant.

The cookies themselves were only broken into big pieces, and he could see the chocolate chips poking out. He opened the bag and grabbed a piece, popping it into his mouth. He hummed involuntarily. The cookie was soft and buttery. The chocolate chips practically melted in his mouth. Probably because it had been sitting in his gym bag, getting warm, but it still tasted delicious. 

He put the rest of the cookies away and set his gym bag up before leaving the locker room.

As he walked down the hallway, he heard heavy breathing. He paid no mind, at first. A lot of the wrestlers warm up backstage. It wasn't until he heard a sob that made him stop. Curiosity got the better of him. He turned back around to follow the sound. He made a left down another hallway and stopped at a closed door. The sign said ‘CUSTODIAN’, and he could the crying coming from behind the door. He carefully knocked his left knuckle on the door. “Hello?”

No answer.

He tried the doorknob, and found it wasn't locked. He slowly opened it, and his breath caught in his throat at what he saw.

“Lynn?”

The woman looked up at him. She sat on the floor with her knees to her chest. “Hi Shaun,” she squeaked out, fervently wiping the tears from her eyes. 

As she did this, something caught Shaun's eye and he quickly knelt to the floor. “What happened here?” He gestured to her left arm, which had a big red streak on it.

Lynn looked down at her arm, and her eyes widened. “Oh shit,” she sighed, covering her eyes with her right hand.

“Hey, talk to me,” he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “What's going on?”

She took a deep breath, and moved her hand down. “I fell on a chair. I think I broke it.”

“You fell on a chair,” he repeated, almost not believing it. He then spotted a blue, rolling suitcase sitting next to her. He thought back to the last time they saw each other that morning, and how her boyfriend reacted when Shaun accidentally revealed Lynn's secret. He had a bad feeling, and he was hoping it was wrong. “Did Josh do this to you?”

She looked at him, her eyes red and puffy. She didn't say anything, but bit down on her lip and glanced away.

That answered it.

His chest tightened. “C'mere,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her. She buried her face into his shoulder as fresh sobs broke out of her. He held her tighter. If he didn't, he would have left the arena to hunt down Josh and kill him. 

“I don't know what happened,” Lynn said, her voice muffled against his vest. “He got so angry about Florida, and wrestling. He wanted me to take the weekend off and….” She trailed off as she started breathing faster.

“Shhh,” he comforted, rubbing his hand up and down her back to help calm her down. “Just breathe.” He was quickly reminded of the last time she had a panic attack, and he had found her. He was now starting to wonder if Josh was the cause of that one, too. When her breathing evened out, he gently pulled her back so he could look into her eyes. “You wanna go down to medical to take care of your wound?”

She shook her head. “I don't want anyone else to see me like this. I don't want them to know.”

“Okay,” he said. He looked around the closet they were in. There were shelves full of cleaning supplies, and a wall rack with brooms and mops hanging from it. He stood up to look on the top shelves and managed to locate a First Aid kit. He pulled it from the shelf and reached his hand to Lynn. “C'mon, I'll help us find a better place to clean up.”

He helped her to her feet, and walked her out of the closet, dragging her suitcase with him.

They found a unisex bathroom around the corner and he helped her with the cut. She sat on the counter by the sinks as he wiped the dried blood off her arm. The wound itself was half an inch long, but wasn't deep enough that she would need stitches. He managed to pull a small splinter out of her arm - which added credibility to her chair story - and a bruise was forming above her elbow. He dabbed the cut with ointment, and put a bandage over it. 

“That should do it,” he assured. “I used a big bandaid, but it shouldn't be noticeable on camera.”

“Thank you for helping me,” she said, her voice small. “I think I left my suit jacket at the apartment.”

“You want me to swipe some make-up from Melissa to help with the bruise?”

She shook her head. She looked back at the mirror and started playing with the sleeve of her blouse to see how much of the bruise it would cover.

Shaun couldn't help but look back at her suitcase. “So, are you leaving him?”

She turned away from the mirror and leaned back against it. “I don't know.”

He looked at her incredulously. “What do you mean you don't know?”

“Exactly what I mean,” she said. “I didn't tell him about Orlando, and I kept my wrestling dream a secret from him. He has the right to be upset.”

“But that doesn't give him the right to do that,” Shaun argued, gesturing to her arm.

She turned to look at him. He stood only inches from where she sat. “It was an accident. He's never done anything like this before.”

“Even so,” he continued, “you told me how he disapproved of your career choice. And you said he wanted you to cut work this weekend? During one of the most important events for you?”

She looked away from him, choosing to stare at her own feet instead.

Shaun took a breath and sat next to her on the counter, calming his tone. “Look, I don't want to upset you, or make things more complicated than they already are. But it sounds like he's already making you choose between him and your career. You shouldn't give up on your dreams for somebody who doesn't support you. ”

She shook her head again. “He loves me,” she said weakly. “And I love him.”

He could only nod. It hurt him to hear her say that about him, even after what she went through. “I know you do,” he said again. “But you need to ask yourself, ‘Do I trust him to never hurt me the way he did ever again?’”

Lynn glanced at him again, silent for a moment. “All I know is I need a place to stay tonight.”

“Do you have any friends that live nearby?”

“Yeah, but she's out of town for the weekend,” she replied. “I was going to find a hotel, but all the nearby hotels are fully booked. It's a Friday night in Nashville, and the tourists are out in droves… that's why I was crying in the closet.”

Shaun draped an arm around her shoulders and let her lay against him. He thought over her predicament. Maybe one of the other girls would let her bunk with them? He knew at least some of them would be driving straight to Atlanta after the show due to early schedules. He himself booked a hotel because he was wrestling in the main event, and planned to leave early the next morning.

That gave Shaun an idea.

“Um,” he cleared his throat. “Look, you can say no if you like, but do you remember me telling you how my hotel gave me the room with two beds by mistake?”

“Mmhmm,” she said.

“Well,” he began, feeling uneasy for even asking this in her vulnerable state. “If you need a place to sleep tonight, you could stay in my room.”

She pulled away from him then. He couldn't read the look she was giving him, couldn't tell if she was horrified by his suggestion, or concerned. She slowly shook her head. “That might not be a good idea.”

Something about her tone concerned him, but he ignored it. “It's not the most ideal situation, I know. I can ask around the locker room for you to see if any of the other girls have room to spare. I would lie about your situation,” he assured her, “but you can think of it as a last resort option. I'll even build a blanket fort to give you privacy.”

She chuckled. “I will think about it,” she said, then hopped down from the sink. “I need to go get ready for the show.”

“Same,” he followed suit. “I'll keep your suitcase in my locker room. Keep your phone on you, and I'll keep you updated if another room option comes up.”

She nodded her thanks and quietly left the bathroom. 

Shaun waited a moment before grabbing her suitcase and taking it to the men's locker room. He let out a heavy sigh, conflicted with everything going on with Lynn. 

He always had a bad feeling about Josh, and those feelings seemed to increase when he met him that morning. He passive aggressively belittled Shaun's career choices, and made his girlfriend feel guilty for wanting to eat a meal she had before. Lynn the whole time seemed to be on edge around him, which led him to believe there was more tension going on than he realized. 

He wasn't sure whether or not she was lying about how much he had hurt her. All he knew was that he had to get her out.

………………..

Lynn spent the rest of the afternoon burying herself into work. After she left Shaun, she went straight to make up. The color of her face returned to normal, but the whites of her eyes were still pink from crying.

“Everything alright?” Melissa had asked as she started touching up her face.

“Just a long morning,” she had said.

After that, she caught up with Brian and Wade to run through the notes of the night's show. The meeting was very brief since Brian had other places to be, so after he left, Wade and Lynn went through the script themselves and made notes for things to bring up during match segments.

“I've gotta say,” Wade began. “It's been fun getting to work with you these past few weeks.”

In the chaos that was the last couple of hours, Lynn had forgotten that this was her last night on SmackDown. “Yeah, it's been great. I'll miss you when I'm on Raw.”

“Oh, don't be sad,” he said. “We still have Evolution to look forward to.”

She hadn't realized she looked sad. Were her eyes still sore from crying? She made herself nod, trying not to dwell on it. At least I can use leaving SmackDown as an excuse.

With how busy everything was going, six o'clock rolled in before she knew it. Her and Wade were in gorilla, waiting to go on. Lynn had taken the opportunity to go over her notes. She paused while looking at the opening segment, which was LA Knight's promo.

Shaun's words rang at the back of her mind all afternoon, but in the current stillness, began to echo louder. A lot of what he said was true. Josh wasn't being supportive, and he didn't seem to trust her. While she was with Shaun, she deliberately left out that Josh believed she was cheating on him. She wasn't sure how he would react to that. And when he brought up the idea of staying in his hotel for the night? If Josh knew about that, she would never be able to convince him she wasn't cheating. 

Aside from stressing about where she would sleep tonight, she also worried about where she would be after this weekend.

Lynn didn't think leaving Josh would be as easy as Shaun made it sound. Granted, they weren't married - or even engaged - but they were living together, and had been talking about spending their lives together. She figured she'd be the one to move out of the apartment, especially since she was talking about moving anyway. But where would she go? It could take at least a month before she could get approved to move into an apartment complex. Would she stay in a hotel? Could she sleep on one of her coworker's couches for a while?

Lynn rubbed her head across her forehead and took a slow, deep breath. She couldn't think about that right now. She still had a show to do. She distracted herself by looking up at the monitors. She could see the crowd mostly piled into the arena, watching an opening dark match before the events kicked off.

“It looks like we have a packed house tonight,” Lynn said, not to anyone in particular.

“Nervous about performing in your hometown?” Wade asked. He stood next to her as she sat on a stool near where Brian was stationed with the other producers.

“A little bit,” she admitted. “But I'm mostly just excited.”

“Any of your family and friends coming tonight to support you?”

“I doubt it-” she stopped suddenly. A realization had hit her. She stood up to look at the monitor. There were a few different ones showing the ring from different angles, but she specifically looked at the cameras that showed the front row.

Sure enough, she saw Josh.

Earlier that week, Brian asked if she wanted a comp ticket for any of her friends or family to visir the show since they were in town, and she requested one for Josh. He sat in the front row where the main camera faced the ring. He was instantly recognizable in his orange Vols polo he had worn that day. 

She felt a cold chill down her spine like ice coating her veins. She ignored the wrestlers in the ring, her focus solely on him. Was he there to apologize? To support her? Or was he going to do something crazy?

“You alright, Lynn?” Wade asked.

She quickly turned to face him. She put on a mask of indifference and shrugged. “I thought I saw someone I knew,” she said, “But I was wrong.”

She walked around him near the entry way that led to the backstage area. She peaked around the black curtain, but didn't see Shaun anywhere. She had expected him to be there. He was opening the show after all. Was he going to enter with a camera following him?

She looked down at her phone. It was six forty-five. She and Wade would have to go out to commentary in a few minutes. She didn't have time to go hunt him down. 

She wasn't sure what she should do, or if there was anything she could do.

Instead, she scrolled through her phone until she found his number. She sent him a text message. 

“Wade! Lynn! Places!” A producer called out.

Lynn put her phone away and went to stand next to Wade by the entrance. She hoped Shaun would see the text in time.

…………………..

“Sorry, I'm driving straight to Atlanta after my match,” Alexa said. 

“No problem,” Shaun said. “Thanks anyway.”

The two parted as Shaun made his way to gorilla. He had been asking around, trying to see if anyone would be able to offer Lynn a place to sleep for the night. He had been telling people that her boyfriend was out of town for work, and that there was an infestation in her apartment and needed a place to sleep. He was asking for her because she was too embarrassed about it. It was the most plausible lie he could think of, but now he worried if the ladies were saying no because they didn't want her to accidentally bring bugs to the hotel. 

As he walked, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Normally, he would leave his phone in his gym bag before going out on stage, but he wanted to keep it on him to send Lynn any updates. Plus, he wasn't expecting to take any bumps during his opening segment.

He reached into his pocket and saw he had a text from Lynn. He stopped walking when he read what she sent.

Lynn: Josh is here. Front row. Please be careful.

He put his phone back in his pocket and picked up his pace.

Once he passed the black curtain, he looked around. He saw no sign of Lynn. Just producers and stage hands getting ready to open the show. He glanced at the monitors against the wall. On one monitor, he could see Lynn and Wade sitting at commentary. Lynn was looking over her notes while Wade talked with her. Shaun watched her intently, noting that she refused to look at Wade. Or better yet, in Wade's direction. 

He looked at another monitor facing the ring, and he saw Josh sitting in the front row. Aside from his orange shirt, he blended in with the fans as he kept looking back and forth between the entrance and where the commentators were. Where Lynn was.

He felt his blood boil. Fist clenching at his side. How dare he show up after what he did? He had half a mind to walk straight out there and take care of the jerk himself. But then he thought about Lynn's text. It wasn't a cry for help, or to defend her honor. She was pleading for him to be careful. Did she think he was going to jump Shaun in the ring?

Then it clicked. He thought back to how defensive Josh was to him when they first talked, and how uneasy Lynn was the whole time.How she seemed to be closed off when he was helping her, and why she was against staying at his place for the night.

Josh was either jealous of him, or assumed Lynn and him were having an affair.

He wanted to curse himself. It explained things a little more. He was watching some strange guy on TV flirt with his girlfriend on a weekly basis. It happened to a lot of the talent who weren't dating other wrestlers. He had an ex-girlfriend get upset with him back when he hit on Scarlett on camera in his TNA days. But that still didn't give Josh the right to hurt Lynn.

He looked at his phone. He had about ten minutes before the show started. He walked over to where Hunter sat with his headset on.

“You ready to go?” Hunter asked as the other man approached him.

“Not yet,” Shaun said, his tone serious. “I need to talk to you about something.”

Hunter lowered the mic on his headset. “What's up?”

He took a deep breath. “Lynn didn't want me to say anything, but…” he tried to think of the best thing to say. Whether or not Lynn wanted anything to get out, he didn't want her getting hurt again. He would tell Hunter the truth…. With some embellishments. “She has been dealing with a stalker lately.”

Hunter's gaze didn't change, but there was concern in his eyes. “Are you sure?”

Shaun nodded. “He's been sending messages in her DMs, saying how much he loves her, threatening to hurt me if I flirt with her one more time. He even sent her a photo of himself, saying he was going to be at the show tonight.”

Brian, who was sitting next to Hunter, chimed in. “She told Wade she thought she recognized someone on the monitor,”

Hunter briefly looked at Brian then back at Shaun. “Does she think he'll try anything?”

Shaun held his phone up to him, showing the text Lynn sent. “If she wasn't concerned, she wouldn't ask for me to be careful.”

Hunter let out a deep sigh. Shaun knew the boss man wouldn't normally try to remove a fan from the arena, at least one that hadn't done anything yet, unless it was possibly life-threatening. And with a big PLE weekend, he wouldn't want to run that risk. “Did she show you what he looks like? Could you point him out on the monitor?”

“Yeah,” he leaned over to look at Hunter's screen. When he flipped through to the ring-facing camera, Shaun pointed at Josh once he located him.

Hunter then put his mic up and dialed a few buttons on his screen. “Chris, patch me through to security. We have a potential fan threat. Front row, brown hair, orange polo. Remove him from the building without incident if possible.”

Shaun breathed a sigh of relief, and he quickly sent a reply to Lynn.

………………….

Lynn watched the monitors on the table, showing the countdown clock before the show would start. She tried to distract herself from looking on the other side of the ring where Josh was. She looked over her notes to the point she had the whole show memorized.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed in her pants pocket. She stealthily pulled it out and kept it under the desk as she read an incoming text.

Shaun: Taken care of.

Her eyes widened. She risked a glance to the other side of the ring where Josh was. She watched as a couple of security guys came by. They talked with him for a moment, but couldn't tell what they were all saying. Before she knew it, they were escorting him through the crowd. He did look briefly at her before leaving, but Lynn didn't have time to try and hide from his gaze.

Once he was out of sight, a heavy weight lifted from her shoulders, and she breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Ready to go?” Brian's voice came through the headset.

Wade and Lynn confirmed as the monitors switched to live TV.

“We are in the heart of music city at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee,” Lynn said to the home audience as the city skyline filled the monitor's screen. “Welcome to Friday Night SmackDown.”

Wade chimed in with, “The crowd is high energy tonight as we kick off our big weekend, jam packed with PLEs.”

They named off the different superstars making their arrivals earlier, and highlighted the matches going on tonight and this weekend. As the screen switched to the live crowd, LA Knight's music rang through, and the fans were instantly on their feet.

“I can smell the kavorka in the air! The megastar is here!” Wade said with excitement.

“What does kavorka even smell like?” LJ asked incredulously.

“Like LA Knight, of course,” Wade gave her a cheeky grin.

Lynn grinned at that and continued. “Knight himself has a big bout with Seth Rollins tomorrow night. He made a surprise attack on his opponent Monday, and I wouldn't be surprised if Seth or his ‘acquaintances’ would try and get the upper hand this evening.”

Normally, Knight would be jumping into the ring with a mic in hand. Instead, he walked around the ring and headed straight for the commentary table. He stopped in front of Wade, offering him a handshake. 

“Well, what a surprise,” Wade played it up, improvising and shaking the other man's hand.

Knight then stopped in front of LJ, a devilish smile on his face. LJ only rolled her eyes and stood up to shake his hand, the crowd eating up their interaction.

What they didn't notice was as Shaun held Lynn's hand, he gave it two squeezes, looking her in the eye above the rim of his sunglasses. She thought back to their first training session, and the signal he would use to check on his opponents. Lynn squeezed his hand back, and mouthed ‘thank you.’

Knight broke away and grabbed a mic from the ringside techie before rolling into the ring. When his music stopped, he brought the mic to his lips. “Let me talk to ya!”

The crowd erupted in cheers. 

“First and foremost,” he began, then walked to the side of the ring where the commentary table was, “Let's give a big hometown welcome to Nashville's own Lynnet Justice over here.”

The crowd erupted into another set of cheers as Lynn smiled and blushed. Wade gave her a pat on the back as a chorus of ‘LJ’ chants rang through the audience.

As he continued on with his promo, she thought about how helpful he had been. Understanding, never judging, but realistic in the expectations she should have in her relationships. Then one sentence he said earlier kept coming back to her.

‘Do I trust him to never hurt me the way he did ever again?’

……………

The show went off well. Once they were off the air, Lynn and Wade made it back to gorilla, greeting the production crew and congratulating each other on a good show.

Hunter was the first one to shake Lynn's hand. “You doing okay?”

Lynn nodded. “I am now, thanks.” By that point, she assumed Shaun had told Hunter about the situation. Who else would have enough authority to remove someone from the building? She should be upset that he said anything, but Lynn doubted she'd be able to perform if Josh was watching her the whole time.

Hunter leaned in and whispered to her, “If you ever have problems with him again, let us know. I know some lawyers.”

Lynn slowly nodded and said thanks again. What exactly did Shaun tell him? 

She said goodbye to the rest of the crew and made her way backstage. She stopped by the men's locker room, knowing Shaun still had her suitcase. She sent him a quick text to let him know she was outside. Almost instantly, she got a reply back.

Shaun: In the shower. Wait for me.

She started to put her phone away when her phone buzzed again. 

Shaun: I couldn't find another room. My offer still stands.

She stared at his words for a minute before answering him. She didn't have much choice in the matter, and he had been a good friend. At this point, she was the only man she could trust at that moment.

Lynn: Sure.

Once she sent it, her phone buzzed again. The notification bar read Josh's name. Her breathing stilled as she opened the message.

Josh: Please meet with me. I'm in the parking garage.

Lynn took a deep breath, leaning against the wall. What should she do? 

She immediately had the urge to go hide in the janitor's closet again, but didn't give in. She knew she needed to face him sooner or later. Should she wait for Shaun? She shot down that idea real quick. Seeing her with Shaun might make the situation worse. As much as it scared her, she needed to face him alone.

She sent Josh a message to say she was on her way. She didn't think he would try anything again, but just in case, she texted Shaun as well.

Lynn: In the parking garage. Going to talk to Josh. Don't worry, I will be fine.

It took about five minutes before she made it to the parking garage. She could see where her car was as she got out of the elevator. She could also see Josh leaning against it as well. She was far enough away that he wouldn't be able to notice her at first.

She took a deep breath, marching forward. The parking garage was void of people, only cars parked and packed within each other. The show ended early enough that maybe most of the fans decided to spend the evening in town. It only made her slightly nervous how alone they truly were.

She was a couple of cars away when Josh finally noticed her. “Lynn!” He said, relief in his tone. He closed the distance between them and enveloped her in a hug. He either didn't notice her stiffen under his touch, or ignored it. He pulled away to look her in the eye, his hands still on her shoulders. “I'm so glad you're okay. I was so worried about you after you fell. I wanted to see your show, but security escorted me out, saying I had a fake ticket or some shit like that. I told them you gave it to me, but they didn't believe me.”

“I know,” Lynn said, keeping her voice as evenly as possible. “I had you removed.”

His smile faltered. “Lynn, I'm sorry about what happened. You know I would never hurt you on purpose. Let's just go back home and pretend this never happened.”

Lynn shook her head. “I can't do that, Josh.”

“Why not?”

She took a deep breath, looking him straight in the eye. “I can't be with you anymore.”

A look of pain immediately masked his features. “You're breaking up with me?”

“When I saw you in the audience,” she continued, “I was worried that you were going to do something crazy, like jump the barricade and attack Shaun. I used to never think you were capable of doing those kinds of things. But now all I can think about is how long before you lose your temper again. I don't want to walk on eggshells around you.”

“But you won't be,” he argued, trying to keep his voice low even though they would still be echoing in the garage. “I'll go to anger management. I'll do whatever it takes.”

“It's not just that,” she brushed his hands away from her shoulders. “You aren't supportive of my job, and you don't trust me when I tell you I'm not cheating on you. I am sorry for not telling you about my dream and not being upfront about Orlando, but that doesn't give you the right to be rude to my friends, and react the way you did.”

“I can change,” he pleaded.

“Do you want to move to Orlando?”

He blinked. “What?”

“Be honest with me,” she said. “Do you want to move to Orlando?”

He looked away from her, almost disappointed in his own answer. “No.”

She took another deep breath before continuing. “As much as I'd hate to leave this town, I have to take this chance to go after my dream.”

He looked back at her. “I love you.” It's was a last ditch effort, and they both knew it.

“I love you too, but we are both going in different directions.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I will be back in town on Tuesday to get my things. I'll text you when I will be there so that we don't have to see each other, and I will leave my key when I'm done.”

“Where will you go?” He couldn't fight back the tears in his eyes.

“I'm not at liberty to tell you,” she said it as a fact, not meaning it to sound cruel. 

He nodded, then silently turned and walked away. She watched as he made his way to the elevators and took one last look at him before the doors closed.

She let out a breath and leaned against the hood of her car. She put her hands over her face, resting her eyes against her palms. She lost her home and the love of her life in one day. The exhaustion was just now hitting her. She heard footsteps and rolling wheels, but didn't look up. Somehow she knew who it was, even before she felt the strong, comforting hand on her shoulder.

“I'm proud of you,” she heard Shaun say.

“How much did you hear?”

“I caught the last bit,” he replied. “I had a feeling if I showed myself, it would've been more trouble for you.”

She moved her hands away from her face and looked at him. “What did you tell Hunter to get Josh out of the arena?”

Shaun moved his hand from Lynn's shoulder, using it to rub the back of his neck. “I said he was a stalker.”

Her eyes widened. “Shaun!?”

His shoulders shrugged. “What?! It was the only thing I could think of at the time.”

She just sighed and shook her head. She let the silence linger a moment before looking at him. “For what it's worth, I am so grateful I had you helping me through this ordeal. Thank you.”

Shaun pressed his lips into a thin smile, looking away for a moment, then glancing back at her. “That's what friends are for.”

Lynn scooted closer and rested her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, similar to how they were in the restroom earlier. 

“I think I'm ready to call it a night,” Lynn said finally.