Nothing I've Become

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A soft smile touched Lita's lips as they made their way from his car and to the diner. Edge's arm was securely around her waist as he led her into the establishment. Never had her trip to work been more pleasant than it was this afternoon.

And then, the moment they entered The Stop, she heard the shouting - it was coming from the kitchen.

The redhead stopped, looking up at Edge, the tall blond man's brow arching up in confusion. To her ears, it sounded as though Trish was yelling at someone - and then, a beat later, Torrie Wilson was storming through the double swinging doors, a mask of fury on her face.

Lita and Edge stood there, their gazes fixed on the tall blonde woman as she marched across the floor. Then, she suddenly stopped as she caught their stares in her peripheral vision.

Torrie made a face of vast displeasure as she eyed them back.

"What are you two looking at?!" she cried. She turned sharply on her heel, quickly busying herself with the task of cleaning up one of the tables in her station, and Lita shrugged.

"Something tells me she didn't win that fight." She eyed the Canadian again, his handsome face now donning an amused look.

Edge shook his head. He wasn't a nosy person at heart, but he couldn't help but wonder what the woman had done to upset her co-worker.

"Anyhow," the redhead said, turning to fully face him, "I'd better get to work. I'll see you later."

"I'll be around for awhile," he told her, reaching out to grasp her small hand in his much larger one. He twined his fingers with hers, his green eyes soft as he drank in her beauty. "I'm gonna grab myself-"

"A BLT and a cup of coffee?" she surmised, a teasing smile on her face.

He grinned at her. She was absolutely adorable. It was no wonder she'd managed to capture his heart.

"You know me so very well," he told her.

Edge laughed softly as well, then dipped his head to hers, pulling her even closer as he pressed his lips onto hers. He kissed her long and lingeringly, his tongue darting out for a brief few seconds, his free hand coming up to caress her hair. Then, reluctantly, he broke the kiss, offering her a soft smile as he slid into what he knew to be one of her booths.

"You go on to work," he said softly. "I'll be right here, waiting." He smiled sweetly up at her, complete adoration etched on his handsome face. But before she could step away, he took hold of her hand again, raising it to his lips and pressing a kiss to the back of it.

Lita giggled, then reluctantly took her hand out of his, turning to head into the kitchen. As she turned, she was met by the cold, hard blue glare of Torrie. Evidently, the tall blonde had witnessed the entire exchange between Edge and herself and was not taking amusement from it.

She continued on her way to the kitchen, pointedly ignoring the other waitress. She really had no interest in allowing Torrie to dampen her mood, *or* humoring her into another fight. However, she thought she overheard a few softly muttered choice words as she passed by the blonde woman.

The redhead sighed as she pushed through one of the swinging doors and stepped into the kitchen. She stopped short at what she saw... Trish was in tears, crying as though her heart had broken, her sobs harsh although fairly quiet, shaking her small body with their force. Chris was holding her tightly against him, stroking her long blonde hair and doing his best to soothe her. He was also speaking softly to her, and how very much he truly cared about her was more than obvious.

"Um... excuse me," she said. She felt badly for intruding, but she had no choice.

The two blonds looked up, Trish appearing slightly embarrassed as she pulled out of the chef's embrace and carefully wiped at her eyes. She straightened her slightly mussed hair, and Lita guessed it had gotten messy in a scuffle with Torrie - same as the other woman's hair had been. Then, the little blonde undid the apron she had tied around her waist, tossing it into a small hamper in one corner of the room.

"H-hi, Li," she said, offering her friend a forced smile. Before the redheaded woman could respond, she turned back to Jericho. "Thanks, Chris... Thank you for being so sweet, and... for being here for me."

"No, no..." the man said, raising both hands in a surrender-type gesture. "... Don't do that. There nothing to thank me for, sweetie."

Trish winced slightly, somewhat choked up at his kindness. Not for the first time, she noticed how very handsome he was. Fighting back against further tears, she gave him a tiny, though genuine, smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She turned to exit the kitchen, opting to change out of her uniform later, as she was heading home before going to her class that night. "You too, Lita," she added as she walked out. She cast one last, lingering glance over her shoulder at Chris before she pushed through the doors and left.

"Bye, Trish."

Once Trish was finally gone, the redhead turned slowly back to the blond man, questions swirling through her head.

"What just happened here?"
 
 
 
 

Part 21

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