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Jay swore under his breath and ran a hand through his short blonde hair as he entered the hotel. He was relieved to be back, as he was definitely in no mood to go out and party tonight. His formerly good mood from earlier had been quashed by what had happened with Adam and Amy at the arena.
The blond man was so upset that he didn't even notice the pair of eyes watching him as he crossed the lobby and passed the small hotel cafe.
"Jay! Hey, Jay!"
He turned at the sound of the feminine voice issuing his name and spotted Trish Stratus waving at him. The little blonde was just exiting the hotel cafe, and she rushed to catch up to him, a smile on her face. However, as she neared him, that smile waned and then disappeared, only to be replaced by a look of concern.
"Hey, Trish..."
"What's the matter?" the pretty diva asked as she searched his face. "You look like you just lost your best friend."
'I think I *have*,' he thought sardonically, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Aloud, he said, "Yeah... I'm just not in the best mood."
"Aww... I'm sorry to hear that," Trish said softly, a look of sympathy on her face. She linked her arm into his as they continued walking across the lobby. "Where are Adam and Amy?"
Jay pressed his lips tightly together for a quick moment so that they formed a thin line. Then, "They err... they went out."
"Oh..."
"On a *date,*" he continued.
"Oh..." The petite blonde arched an eyebrow, wondering about that. So far as she'd known, her redheaded friend and Jay had been pretty close. She was surprised *they* hadn't started dating.
The blond man cleared his throat, not liking the silence between them. Normally, he would be perfectly comfortable with Trish and neither of them speaking for a long stretch, but this one was just awkward and unbearable to him - because he knew the woman was feeling sorry for him. And damn it, he didn't want anyone's pity.
"So," he spoke, looking down to eye his friend, "where's Chris?"
"Oh, he and Matt decided to go 'paint the town red,' to quote him." She giggled as she recalled her boyfriend's silliness before he'd left.
"So, why didn't you go with them?"
"Wasn't in the mood for clubbing and drinking," Trish replied. "I just wanted to relax after a hard night's work." She met his bright blue eyes. "Want some company?"
"Sure, Trish... Why not?"
The blonde diva made a sarcastic gesture.
"Well, gee... Try not to sound overly enthusiastic, Jay!"
He smirked at her as they continued up to the rooms. He was glad he'd bumped into Trish. Maybe she'd do a good job of distracting him from all the stuff he had on his mind.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Oh, yeah, right!" Trish cried as she slammed down her hand of cards on the table. "You are *such* a cheater! No *wonder* they call you a 'Creepy Little Bastard'!"
Jay snickered as he spread out his cards again.
"Read 'em and weep, blondie - gin!" He shoved the hand closer to the diva so she could get a better look at them. "And I didn't cheat..."
"I don't see *how* you could have gotten the eight of clubs!" Trish protested, a little pout on her face. "And I needed that for the rest of my eights!"
The Canadian man laughed.
"Sorry, Trish, but you're such a sore loser!"
She crossed her arms under her breasts, the pout disappearing as she too began to laugh.
"Fine - you win... *This* time. How about another hand?"
"You got it, Stratus," Jay said, picking up the deck of cards to shuffle. He began the chore when a sound out in the hallway tore both their attention away.
Trish seemed to strain to hear the voices as well. And then she suddenly realized what was going on, as she knew whose room was directly across the hall from this one.
His facial expression growing serious, Jay put the cards down and rose from his seat. Trish watched wordlessly as he went to the door and opened it.
The blond man's heart sank at what he saw. Adam and Amy, back from their date, were no
longer talking in front of the redhead's hotel room door. Instead, they were now locked in a
passionate kiss.