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May 2008
"So... are you excited?"
Jeff gazed into the happy blue eyes of his girlfriend. Her face wore a lovely smile, one she could hardly contain as she held onto his hands. She was practically bursting with excitement, possibly more so than what he felt.
"I'm good, Ash," he said.
"That's all you've got to say? Jeff, you're making your big return tonight!"
The rainbow-haired man smiled, ducking his head in a sheepish manner. It was time. His suspension was finally up, and he would be making his long-awaited return to RAW that night.
"Yeah... but I guess I'm just a little better at containing myself than you are," he teased.
Ashley cocked her head and gave him a most naughty, lascivious look.
"Oh, is that so? Well, we'll just have to see about that." She was flush in his arms in an instant, on her tiptoes as they locked in a passionate kiss. Her hands toyed with his belt buckle, and a muffled moan escaped him as she started unbuttoning his pants.
All of a sudden, a knock came to their hotel room door. Startled, they broke apart, and Jeff's face appeared pained as he got his pants back into place.
"Shucks," Ashley muttered with an adorable pout. She edged over to the door and looked back, making sure her boyfriend was in appropriate form for visitors.
She opened the door to see her group of diva friends standing just out in the hall.
"Hey!" Mickie quipped, pleased to see her friend.
"Hi, ladies." Besides the perky brunette, Melina, Jillian and Candice were all present as well. They all glanced inside the room and said hello to Jeff, who was now seated on the edge of the hotel bed. He raised a hand to wave a greeting.
"So, you must be excited about tonight," Candice said, addressing the younger Hardy.
"I look forward to it," he replied.
"How is everything, Ash?" Jillian asked, her eyes concerned.
The Punk Princess was about to respond when Jeff suddenly cut in and addressed his girlfriend.
"Hey, why don't you go on and catch up with your friends for a bit?"
"Are you sure?" she asked, gazing up into his warm green eyes. She did want to get in some good old-fashioned girl talk before they had to head over to the arena, but she didn't want to abandon Jeff.
"Of course," he said with a smile. "We have a few hours before we have to be there, so just chill with the girls and we'll meet back here later." He leaned down to give her a quick kiss on the lips.
"Okay. See you later, baby." Smiling, the little blonde grabbed her purse and cell phone and went off with her friends.
The four of them took the elevator to the lobby of the hotel, and Ashley noticed a few other superstars around. She wondered where they would go but knew it would end up with gossip and grilling.
"Why don't we just go out back and sit by the pool?" Melina suggested.
With that decided, they did as the Latina suggested. They quickly located an empty table with an umbrella over it and sat down.
"So, how's it going, Ash?" The question came from Mickie, who crossed her legs and eyed her friend.
"With Jeff?" She smiled. "Just great. I really mean that." A faraway look came over her face. "He's absolutely incredible!" she gushed.
"Aww, would you just look at her?!" Melina quipped.
"Guys, seriously," the slim blonde said, "this is the best relationship I've had in a long time." She actually thought she could have replaced the last three words with silence. Things were that great with Jeff, with of course one big exception.
"How has Matt been lately?" Candice asked, as though reading her mind.
"He's the same," she answered dryly. "He called the other morning, expecting me - but Jeff answered."
"Oh, no."
"Yeah... They got into a fight on the phone." She shook her head. "Jeff finally just hung up on him."
"Good for him," Jillian said.
"Well, Ash," Mickie put in, "I guess you're just going to have to have it out with him face-to-face, and once and for all. I mean, it doesn't seem like he's getting it - at all."
The punk blonde chewed on her lower lip as she thought about her friend's words of advice. Of course, she knew that Mickie was right. She nodded.
"You're right - on both counts."