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Adam sat on the edge of the low stage, his green gaze fixed on Lita and Sean O'Haire as they sat together at a small table near the bar.
His right hand involuntarily clenched into a tight fist, his jaw setting angrily. He thought about how O'Haire called the redhead by her real name and wondered about the significance of such a thing. He thought about how chummy the redhead and the man were. He'd just met Lita's former bandmate and friend, and already he despised the guy...
"Hey..."
Edge looked up to see Chris Jericho behind him, the bass player coming around to sit beside him.
"You seem aggravated, to say the least," he continued. "What's-" Chris didn't bother finishing his question as he followed his friend's line of vision. And then he totally understood as he watched Lita and some guy sitting together, chatting it up. They seemed pretty comfortable with each other, too, as though they'd known each other for a long time.
"Who's that guy with Lita?"
The taller of the two blond men made a face of further displeasure as he explained.
"Old friend of hers - Sean O'Haire. He's the bass player for Evolution."
Jericho raised an eyebrow at this bit of information.
"Is that so? I didn't know Evolution were going to be playing here... And- oh, Christ!"
"What?" Adam asked as his expression turned concerned and curious at once. He was so annoyed about this O'Haire guy taking Amy's attention away from him that he genuinely had no clue why Chris was suddenly upset.
"Don't you see?" the shorter man said. "If Evolution is going to be playing gigs here, how is Lita going to take that?" He gestured with a nod of his head toward the pair at the table near the bar. "I'm guessing this guy isn't her ex-boyfriend, seeing as she's friendly with him."
Edge pressed his lips together in anger. No kidding, they were friendly - too friendly, if you asked him. He didn't fail to notice how O'Haire kept touching the young woman's hand, or how Lita kept playing with her long hair - an obvious sign that she was attracted to him.
"You're right... He's not her ex-boyfriend. So?"
"'So?'" Jericho rolled his eyes impatiently. Edge was being really dense right now, and it was ticking him off. "So that means she won't be quite as friendly to the ex once he shows up. And if Evolution play here, she's probably not going to be too happy because of him."
The taller blond arched a brow.
"Oh..." He ran a hand through his long hair as he finally saw Chris' point. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
"Damn it... Steph must have known about this," Jericho muttered. "Why the hell didn't she-" He abruptly stopped speaking as he caught sight of his new girlfriend as she strolled across the floor directly toward them. He noted the guilty look on her face and knew from where it stemmed.
"Stephanie, is there something you wanted to tell us?"
The brunette raised both hands in an appeasing manner.
"Now, guys - please don't get angry, but... Well, Ric's last excursion-"
Chris interrupted her.
"Let me guess - it involved a band called 'Evolution,' and they're going to be playing here now - Lita's ex-boyfriend and all..."
Stephanie's jaw dropped in surprise.
"H-how did you know that?"
"Just a hunch," he replied. "For instance, the fact that their bass player's here and told Lita that..."
"Oh." The tall brunette grew silent as she feared the worst. After a beat, she looked up at the frontman with her big blue eyes. "Chris, I meant to tell you guys earlier, but something important came up."
Jericho nodded, his expression still serious.
"I believe you, Steph... But what are we going to do about Lita?"
"Well, I... I'm just hoping she doesn't take the news too badly. I mean, we all know that her breakup with her boyfriend and Evolution wasn't a happy one."
"She looks pretty happy to me," Edge grumbled.
Stephanie and Chris followed his line of vision to the redhead and the big, dark-haired man.
The brunette prettily arched an eyebrow.
"He's Evolution's bassist?"
"Yeah," Edge said. "And don't point, Steph!" he added in a loud whisper. All he knew was that he sure as hell didn't want to draw their attention.
"Oh, why don't you just get over yourself..."
The tall blond turned to stare at his bandmate and friend.
"What?"
"You heard me, Junior - instead of sitting here and making yourself sick watching those two, why don't you just tell her how you feel?" Chris suggested pointedly.
"What are you talking about?"
The smaller man rolled his eyes in exasperation.
"Help me..." he muttered, shaking his head and squeezing the bridge of his nose with the fingers of his right hand. Then, "Look, why don't you just tell Lita you have feelings for her?"
Edge eyed Jericho incredulously.
"Are you kidding? 'Feelings' for her? Chris, it's a miracle I even like that woman - look at how we were when we met... Like oil and water."
Chris shrugged as he put an arm around Stephanie's shoulder.
"Whatever, man..."
As the couple walked away, the tall Canadian couldn't help but glance back over at the redhead and her large buddy.