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The moment Christian and Lita disappeared, the two who'd been spying on them stepped out of the shadows of the corridor in which they'd hidden.
"Damn," a feminine voice spat, and her companion nearly flinched at her usage of the word, as the woman was not normally one to use such a word. "I can't believe he did that!" Molly Holly placed her hands on her hips as she shook her head, her shoulder-length brown hair fluttering slightly in the process. "What the *heck* are we supposed to do *now*?"
"I... don't know," Gail Kim replied, the Asian diva's face transforming into a frown that quickly became a scowl.
"Matt is *not* going to like this," the little brunette said, blinking as she craned her neck as though to try to catch a glimpse of the pair who'd gone out to the parking lot. She scowled, her hands clenching into fists. "Stupid man... Probably just got her job back to get one thing and one thing *only*."
Gail looked into the other diva's face with surprise.
"You mean...?"
"Oh, please! What *else* did you think I meant?" Molly snapped impatiently. "Of *course* I mean..." She shook her head again, her blue eyes rolling heavenward at the naivete of the other woman. "Come on, let's get it over with... Let's go tell Matt the news."
*
Lita sat in the passenger's seat of the car, her right hand absently stroking Mason's head as she eyed the man behind the wheel. She was filled with wonder as she gazed at Christian, who seemed oblivious to her gentle scrutiny as he drove. Something was all aflutter inside her chest, her heart swelling.
She wondered... She really wondered about him using his favor from Eric Bischoff for being a part of the team that had won at the Survivor Series the previous night, putting Stone Cold Steve Austin out of commission. As long as she'd known the blond man, he'd always been the type of person to put his own needs before those of anyone else. Yet, he'd not given a single thought to himself this time, and had instead gotten her job back. It warmed up her insides just thinking about it, and recalling his softly spoken words as he'd told her.
The redhead held her tongue for the moment, instead choosing to continue gazing at him with tenderness. There would be plenty of time to talk later on. And then, as these thoughts entered her mind, Christian pulled the rental into the parking lot of a diner. He expertly put the car in park, then braked and turned to discover her staring at him.
For some reason, as their eyes met, Lita felt her heart pounding extra hard, and a tiny smile crossed her lips as her breath caught in her throat. She suddenly didn't feel the least bit shy or timid, and she was glad to be there - with *him*. Life was funny... Only a few short weeks ago, she'd always thought of the blond man as such a creep, one who was sneaky and always seeking his own agenda, but now... Now was a completely different story, and she was looking at Christian in a whole new light.
A smile quirked at his lips, and the short-haired man arched a brow in amusement as he realized she'd been studying him for awhile.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing," the redhead said, her face flushing slightly, though not so much as in embarrassment as something else. She ducked her head for a beat, the smile still present on her pretty face as she ran a hand quickly through her hair. Then, looking back up to meet his deep blue eyes, she spoke again. "I was just... thinking, that's all."
Christian's smile blossomed into more of a grin.
"Gotcha," he said with a chuckle. With that, he undid his seatbelt, unlocked the door and stepped out. Then, as Lita was doing the same, the blond man surprised her even more by swiftly coming around to her side, and he held the door open for her, reaching out with one hand to help her out.
She was astounded at the gentlemanly gesture. It touched her so profoundly... She'd never known Christian could be so sweet and chivalrous. It was an acute reminder of the fact that he was evidently the exact opposite of Matt. And why thoughts of her jerk of a now ex-boyfriend should cross her mind *now* confused her. She didn't want to think of him as she stepped out of the vehicle, gingerly holding onto the bag that contained little Mason, the blond man slamming the door shut behind them. And then, as they turned to head to the restaurant, she felt his arm around her waist, and a series of shivers ran up her spine.
This all felt *so* good, so right... And then...
"Shit..."
Christian's face just about fell as he turned to examine her with worry.
"What is it? What's wrong, Lita?" he asked.
The diva shook her head.
"It's just that... damn it, I don't think they're gonna let me in there." She looked down at her bag, her hands gesturing toward the cute little wire-haired dog nestled within.
"Oh... you're probably right," the short-haired blond Canadian agreed. "You know, I didn't even think of that. But I'll tell you what." He smiled as he looked down at Mason, the dog's brown eyes bright, his little pink tongue poking out of his mouth as Christian reached down with one hand to pat him affectionately on the head. Then, the blond man's blue gaze returned to Lita's hazel eyes. "Let's just get something to go, and head back to the hotel. We can talk *there*."
Lita smiled again, nodding.
"Yeah, I like that idea... Let's do it."