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Edge stealthily made his way back to the house. It was about four hours since he'd left, and all seemed quiet. Well, he certainly hoped it would stay that way.
As he let himself in, the man suddenly wondered why he was being so quiet, so secretive... After all, Ashley wasn't his girlfriend - and, even if she were, he'd done nothing wrong. He'd merely met up with someone with whom he shared a lengthy romantic past. And all they'd done was talk. There was no harm in that, was there?
Besides, he thought as he stepped over the threshold, I'm Edge... Edge! Not CM Punk! It aggravated him to no end to have to remind himself of that very stark fact.
He encountered Fluffy in the hallway, the mostly black cat hidden in the deep shadows. They seemed to exchange a weird eye contact for a moment before the cat hissed and then ran away.
Edge shook his head, not really caring. He was beat, and all he really had in mind was going to bed. He remembered where the bedroom was located and headed on over there.
He found Ashley asleep on her side on the bed, curled into a fetal position. The lamp on the bedside table was on, as was the TV, which was droning softly. He eyed her for a beat, noting how sweet and peaceful she looked. Not for the first time, he had to acknowledge that the Punk Princess was quite cute, pretty... But as he continued to look down on her, he felt an incredible amount of loneliness.
He missed Maryse. And he even missed Lita in spite of just having seen her.
The Rated R Superstar sighed softly as he sat on the edge of the bed to remove his shoes. There had to be some way to escape his current predicament, some way to return to his own skin and life.
"CM?"
The fine hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood on end at the sound of Ashley's voice. Crap, she was awake. He didn't even have to imagine what was going to happen next... And it wouldn't be anything pleasurable, either... Though, unfortunately, Edge could see himself having sex with her and being perfectly fine with it. After all, should she be ready and willing... But it probably wouldn't be the case for her if there was a fight.
"Mmm?" was his only response.
"Where were you?" the little blonde inquired. She sat up and stared at him, bleary-eyed. She knew it had been a few hours that he'd gone out without even telling her.
"Out... Just out."
Ashley frowned, swallowing hard at his reply. This was a very new, extremely unfamiliar feeling for her with him. Since she'd started dating Punk, she had never gotten an uncomfortable, ill at ease sense with him. He spent nearly all his time with her, except when they were on the road with their respective brands. Never once had he given her reason to feel suspicious.
"Out where, though?"
He cast her a cursory glance and shrugged.
"Just... out."
The unsettling sensation in the blonde's stomach intensified as she studied the man. Where was she? Who was this person beside her? What was going on? She truly felt as though she had entered The Twilight Zone. And then, she suddenly realized something with startling clarity, and her eyes widened.
"My God! Have you been... drinking?!"
Edge turned to meet Ashley's blue eyes, which were now wide with shock. Likewise, her jaw was hanging slack. She was pretty much eyeing him as though he were an alien from Saturn with four heads and seventeen eyes.
He sighed again and decided to be honest this time.
"Well, actually..." he began. "Yeah, I have."
A very audible gasp escaped the blonde as she stared at him with further shock. She didn't speak for a moment as she couldn't even find the right words.
Edge didn't lower his head in shame, because, frankly, why should he? He knew who he was, and he did occasionally drink. It wasn't like it was his fault that Ashley thought he was CM Punk!
"CM, how could you?" she asked, shaking her head. Her face looked stricken. "I mean, what with your dad... your vow not to ever drink because of him?"
The man merely eyed her. He didn't know what she was talking about, since he and Punk had never been friends... But he could only imagine the scenario involving the Straightedge Superstar's father. He had to have either been an alcoholic or the victim of a drunk driving accident, to his estimation.
He wasn't quite sure of what to say, but he knew he had to say something, given the way Ashley was staring at him. He shrugged.
"What happened to him won't happen to me." Edge made sure to be vague in his choice of words.
The little blonde cocked her head and crossed her arms over her chest. She merely eyed him for another full minute, fighting against tears that threatened her - though she was good enough at concealing that from the man beside her. She knew she needed to be strong, firm.
"CM, are you cheating on me?" she finally questioned. Not once did her voice waver.
Edge stared at her. She really did seem to be putting up a very tough front. Yet, in reality, he could see that she was about ten seconds away from breaking down.
"No," he answered. Well, that was the truth... But then, he wasn't even actually her boyfriend, so how could he cheat on her? "I'm not. I swear."
The blonde relaxed a bit, uncrossing her arms as she studied him. He really did seem sincere, and she let out a little sigh of relief.
"Oh, thank God!"
Edge could literally feel the tension in the room dissipate... and the next thing he knew, Ashley was in his
arms, kissing him. He had no choice but to reciprocate.