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Two Weeks Later
Jeff felt the thrill soaring through his veins. This was just what he thrived on, what he'd lived for during the course of the past ten years. He took it all in, the deafening cheers from the fans in the crowd, the pulsating rhythm of his theme song, the lights... everything.
He was home.
With his sixty-day suspension over, he had returned to RAW, to the WWE, to the ring. His match was against Carlito and hadn't been all that long, but he'd been booked to win. However, the way he was feeling, he wouldn't have cared if he'd lost. All that mattered was that he was here, now. And he relished every second of it.
"Great match out there." He turned at the sound of the voice upon returning to the backstage area to see Carlito winking at him, giving him a thumbs up.
"Thanks, man," he replied with a grin.
Various other superstars and divas greeted him as well, not only with words but with hugs, pats on the shoulder and other gestures as well.
Jeff made his way through the small crowd of people, his gaze focusing on one very physically small but mountainously important person in his life. She was standing farther down the arena hallway, a bright and lovely smile adorning her face. He made a beeline straight for her, not caring that they hadn't completely come out and admitted their relationship just yet.
Ashley grinned up at the rainbow-haired man as he reached her. A little laugh escaped her as he swept her up in his arms and swung her a bit. She clasped her arms around his neck, a smile still playing on her lips before she ducked her head for a sweet, passionate kiss.
A few superstars around the area let out a 'whoo' or whistled at the exchange. Ashley's fellow diva friends exchanged glances and smiled knowingly. It was sweet that those two had found one another in this way.
When the couple parted but began to walk hand-in-hand to catering, one particular star eyed them with concern. The man even reached a hand out to Jeff, stopping him.
"Hey, man," Chris Irvine said, his expression serious as he looked the younger man straight in the eye. "How's your brother taking this?" His crystal-blue gaze trailed over to Ashley.
Jeff shrugged, giving the blonde diva's hand an extra little squeeze.
"Not too great. But he'll deal."
Ashley managed a small smile for her man, her gaze shifting to Chris. The blond man still looked concerned.
"Just be careful," he said. He gave Jeff a small pat on the upper back. "Great to have you back with us, by the way."
"Thanks, Chris."
After the exchange, the couple continued on to catering. Jeff was hungry after his match and wanted to grab a bite before showering. As for Ashley, she was on hand for the night but hadn't had a scheduled match or appearance.
"What was that all about?" she asked as they stepped into the room.
Jeff shrugged.
"Chris has always been a good friend since he came here from WCW," he said. "I suppose he's just lookin' out for me."
"Well, him saying, 'be careful' sorta freaked me out." She fought against shuddering. It was eerie... She liked Chris Irvine, but something about those words and the vast look of concern in his eyes kind of creeped her out. It was as though the blond man had some sort of premonition about them.
"Nah," the colorful-headed young man said. "He's just a very cautious person... and he knows how Matt can get."
"Oh." Ashley couldn't help but reflect on how the dark-haired man had behaved where his ex-girlfriend Amy and his former friend Adam were concerned. While he seemed to have forgiven the redhead for cheating on him with the Canadian, it seemed to go only to an extent. After all, he'd done a few 'skits' about her, displaying to the cyber world on his website exactly how he felt about the woman. He had videotaped himself shooting a life-sized cardboard cutout of her and running it over with his car as well. He'd even taught his dog - who'd once been Amy's - to nip at the feet of the cutout. It was all pretty sick, as far as she was concerned.
As for Adam... Well, Matt had never forgiven him for the affair, or for having a relationship with the woman afterward. One could definitely say that Hardy had issues with getting over things, and with forgiving and forgetting. It was very unhealthy, not to mention a bit scary.
"Babe? You want anything?"
Ashley suddenly realized Jeff had a second plate in hand and had set the first one down on a nearby table.
She nodded, shaking off the creepy feeling, and told him what she wanted.