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Lita's gaze was focused down at the cell phone in her hand. She was walking down the arena hallway as she fumbled with the cellular device, paying more attention to it than to her surroundings...
... Big mistake.
As she turned the corridor and was all set to call her best friend, Jeff Hardy, she ran smack into a very solid body. Her eyes snapped shut upon the impact, the phone flying from her hand and clattering to the floor. Damn it, that was it - it was broken for sure, probably damaged beyond repair.
Not even bothering to look up at the person with whom she'd collided, she bent over to retrieve the device, a string of apologies bubbling from her lips. And then, the corner of her eye caught the long hair... Long, silky *blond* hair.
"God, I'm sorry, Lita...!" Edge bent over at the exact same instant she did, and he made a quick grab for the cell phone. He felt so horribly guilty and hoped he hadn't caused it to become broken. As he reached for the phone, his hand brushed over the redhead's, and an unmistakable feeling swept through him at the contact. Then, lifting his head to look directly forward, he caught the diva's gaze, her hazel eyes deep and mesmerizing.
Why was it that the blond man's heart was suddenly racing so fast? This was Lita, one of his very best friends for so very long. Not that he'd never noticed before just how beautiful she was, but for some reason, he seemed to notice that even more acutely now - and lately - than he ever had before. In fact, ever since that day he'd caught her gaze after he'd been kissing Stacy in the hallway, he hadn't quite been able to get her off his mind...
The redheaded diva blinked, her gaze locked on Edge's brilliant green eyes. Her mouth had run dry upon realizing he was the person she'd run into. Her hand closed around on her cell phone, but she was painfully aware of the fact that the tall Canadian's hand was still gently holding hers as well.
And this was just no good... Not only was Edge one of her closest friends, he was also dating one of her *other* friends. The fact that she felt such electricity with him was one of her worst nightmares. If only he wasn't with Stacy... If only she hadn't started getting these feelings for him in the first place... If only-
She suddenly became very aware of the fact that the large hand that was still holding hers was suddenly caressing. That was, his thumb was rubbing gently over the back of her hand. Her jaw dropping slightly in shock, heartbeat racing probably faster than the speed of light, she glanced down at their hands. Then, her eyes widening slightly in surprise, she raised her gaze back to his - and found that a grin had now spread across his full lips.
Lita felt as though she were imagining things. This could not possibly be happening - they couldn't possibly be kneeling out here before one another in the arena hallway, much less the blond man caressing her hand. But then, they were in a more or less deserted corridor, and she knew she was very much awake, so she knew it to be reality. Nonetheless, she was dumbstruck, and completely speechless.
"Here you go," Edge was saying. He pushed the cellular phone further into the redhead's slender hand, not at all minding the physical contact, though minor, with her. There was just something about her... Why hadn't he outwardly noticed it before recently?
Lita glanced down at the object in her hand, appearing to be examining her hand itself for a beat before meeting his eyes again. And that was when the blond man took hold of her other arm, surprising her yet again - only this time, he helped her up. Well, that didn't actually surprise her. She'd always known Edge to be chivalrous.
"Th-thank you, Edge..." Damn it, why was she feeling this way? She couldn't even begin to explain it.
"Sure," he replied, running a hand through his long golden hair as he gazed down at her. God, she was so pretty... And she seemed oddly nervous as well. Then again, she'd seemed to act a little differently than normal lately, and he wondered what was up. He just wished he could manage not staring at her so intently.
Lita bit her lip nervously, the urge to just jump him creeping up on her. She quickly shook it off and mumbled something about having to return to the women's locker room before turning away.
"Wait..." The sound of the Canadian's voice issuing that single word was enough to cause her to stop dead in her tracks, but she never expected him to do anything. She turned to face him, only to find Edge a mere few inches away. She looked up into his handsome face, his green eyes wide and intense as they fixed on her. He was so close, she could feel his warm breath on her face. Oh, God... Was she strong enough not to do something stupid?
The blond man's hands went up to suddenly touch her bare shoulders, and Lita's breath caught in her throat. Then, her heart quickened as she suddenly noticed a figure approaching the area. The second she recognized it, she shrugged out of Edge's gentle grasp and turned away.
Stacy Keibler squinted as she neared her boyfriend, her gaze shifting to Edge as she finally reached him.
"Hey..."
The tall blond man nearly whirled around, startled to see the leggy diva there.
"Oh, hey, Stace."
She tilted her head, looking past him at the other diva's retreating form.
"What was that all about? Why did Lita just rush away like that?" The tall young woman's brow furrowed in genuine guileless confusion.
Somehow, Edge managed not to let out the sigh of relief he suddenly felt. It could only get ugly if Stacy suspected anything odd.
"Nothing, sweetie... She just had to take care of something, that's all."
"Oh." A small smile came to the blonde's lips as she put an arm around the Canadian, and Edge's heart was pounding extra fast in his chest as he steered her out of the corridor and down the hallway.
He only hoped Stacy would never find out the truth - that he had
suddenly recently realized he had feelings for Lita...