Author's note: Here's a big shout-out to Saphireflames2013! Thank you for being so patient and understanding! :)

"Mara Blair?"

The dark brunette stood up as she smoothened her skirt. With fair skin and black eyes, many often said a Snow White like her shouldn't be taking up jobs in the sports entertainment area. But, Mara always liked being different from what people thought.

She tucked her hair behind her ear as she walked into the HR office of the WWE.

"Hi Miss Grenery." Mara greeted
"Have a seat, Miss Blair." The 40 year old woman said

Mara took the seat directly across the woman, on the other side of her desk. She glanced at the files on her table before looking back at Miss Grenery, the HR director.

"Alright…" She said, "I called you in here to brief you about your new 'boss'."

She clasped her hands on top of the table and looked at Mara, "He's not exactly your boss boss but he will be who you are caring and working for. As his personal assistant, you are to help him with his every need."

"Yes, Miss Grenery." Mara said
"You're a pretty girl, Mara. But that's not why we'll be letting you assist this superstar." Miss Grenery said

Mara frowned a little, "Um… I hope you don't mind me asking but what exactly has my looks got to do with the job?"

Miss Grenery sighed before picking a folder out from the pile she had. She put it in front of Mara.

"Randy Orton." Miss Grenery said, "Third generation superstar. Son of WWE Hall of Famer, Bob Orton. Our reigning WWE champion."

Mara opened the file and looked at the contents. Right at the top of the page by the left side was a picture of Randy, followed by all his details by the side.

"Randy's one of WWE's most important superstar because of his popularity and skills." Miss Grenery said, "But he's also one of our most problematic."

"How so?" Mara asked
"You would be his 25th personal assistant this year." Miss Grenery said

Mara sat back in the chair, "You're kidding."

"You have no idea how many times I wished I was, Miss Blair." Miss Grenery said

She looked at Mara, "Mr Orton isn't a difficult person to assist. It's just that he… He lets his penis do the thinking and talking for him."

Mara held back her surprised laugh and nodded.

"Look, I can tell you're not one of those girls… But, Mr Orton has a way of making girls swoon with his looks and words." Miss Grenery said, "And you have to be careful of that."

She took off her glasses and set it on the table.

"All his previous personal assistants got swayed by his good looks and ended up dating him." Miss Grenery said, "And once he got bored with them, he dumped and fired them."

"That's why I'm lucky number 25." Mara said

Miss Grenery gave her a sympathetic smile, "I'm not sure if he's one of your favorite wrestlers and painting this picture of him might be putting you off… But, I thought that it is time to warn the next person taking this job."

Mara nodded as she blindly flipped through the pages, processing what Miss Grenery was telling her.

"So, are you ready to take on this new responsibility?" Miss Grenery asked
"Well… I'm not sure." Mara replied
"We could assign you another person but looking at your resume and your personality test, I have faith you are the right person for this job." Miss Grenery said

Mara looked at Miss Grenery and could see that she had the utmost faith in her. She thought about it one last time before she nodded.

"Alright, I'll take the job. I'll be Randy's personal assistant." Mara said

Miss Grenery smiled, "Great! Thank you, Mara. You'll report to him first thing tomorrow morning."

She passed Mara the air tickets for her to arrive in the next town where Randy was.

"Let's hope you're the last PA for him." Miss Grenery said

Mara gave the HR director a smile before taking all the necessary documents with her as she left the office.

The next morning, Mara arrived at the airport to meet with Randy. She didn't want to begin her first meeting on a wrong foot so she opted to go with a simple blouse and pants instead of a dress. Mara wanted to make sure that Randy got the message loud and clear; she wasn't like his other PAs and she was only there to help him professionally.

She straightened her blazer that she was wearing over her blouse before walking into the airport, wheeling her luggage behind her.

Mara stood at the side, checking her air tickets when she felt someone standing in front of her. She looked up and standing before her was none other than Randy Orton.

She gulped seeing him right in front of her. It was the first time she ever saw him up close and personal and she couldn't believe how good-looking he was in real life. She blinked once before Randy grinned.

"You're Mara?" He said
"Yup." Mara replied

Randy smiled, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Randy Orton."

"Same here, Mr Orton." She said, maintaining her professionalism.

He laughed, "Call me Randy. Mr Orton's my dad."

"Right.. Randy." Mara said, "We should get going… Our flight leaves in an hour."

He smiled and gestured before him, "After you."

Mara merely nodded as she hurried before him towards the check-in counter. Randy stood there for a while looking at her as she walked ahead of him. He had wanted to remind her that she had forgotten to take his documents to check-in for him, since it was standard PA duties, but seeing her trying to act as if he was just any other normal guy, was really starting to amuse him.

Just as Randy was about to walk up to her, Mara turned around from the counter and headed back towards him.

"I forgot.. Could I have your documents?" Mara said, "I'll be helping you to check-in."

Randy handed her his passport and boarding pass, "Don't lose them."

Mara wanted to say something but stopped herself from doing so because she knew that it was his way of preying on the PA. So, she merely rolled her eyes before walking back to the check-in counter.

Randy couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he watched her from afar. Most of his PAs would have been a puddle of goo by now but this girl wasn't even showing a bit of interest. In fact, it looked like she was far from interested. If John had seen what happened, he would have told Randy to give it up. But, Randy wasn't a quitter. He loved challenges and Mara was just the perfect puzzle for him to solve.

They boarded the plane and found their seats. Mara had originally thought that they would have separate seats and she was looking forward to having some time to herself but unfortunately, the person who checked her in was a huge fan of Randy Orton and learning that Mara was the PA, he assigned them seats that were next to each other.

"Do you want to sit next to the window?" Randy asked
"Yeah, sure." Mara replied

Randy stepped back a little for Mara to squeeze through. As she did, Randy reached over and grabbed her carry-on luggage from her. Their hands touched for just a mere second and as soon as that happened, she let go of the straps of the bag.

"Uh, thanks." Mara muttered

Randy merely smiled, "No problem."

Mara sat down and mentally slapped herself for acting like that affected her. True, Randy is tall, dark and handsome but she couldn't and shouldn't be affected by this. She had a job to do that paid well and gave her opportunities to travel. She wasn't going to toss it all away even though she knew that there would be many other girls out there who wouldn't mind hooking up with him and getting dumped the next day.

She made a promise to herself to not get charmed by Randy and she was going to stick by it. No matter how tough it was.

Her train of thoughts got derailed when she felt Randy sit down next to her.

"Are you okay?" Randy asked

Mara looked at him, "Hmm? Yeah.. I'm good."

"So, what's gonna happen after we arrive?" Randy asked
"Nothing." Mara replied

As Randy was about to continue, Mara decided to tell him about her boundaries.

"Look Mr Orton. I don't know how quick you act but I am definitely not like your previous PAs. I am not going to be charmed by your good looks and physique so you can forget about whatever you think is going to happen after we arrive." Mara said

Seeing Randy not responding, she continued, "So, let's be clear. I am just your professional PA. Not anything else."

She looked at him, "Are we clear?"

Randy smiled, amused by what had just happened.

"Yeah. Crystal clear." Randy said

He smirked, "But... I was actually asking about the agenda for the day."

Mara sat up straight, suddenly embarrassed by her outburst. She quickly reached into her satchel to pull out her planner.

She flipped to the page with the day's activities and cleared her throat, "We'll be checking into the hotel first before heading to the arena then to the gym."

"And that was all I needed to know." Randy said, "But, thanks for the heads up. I know you're going to be a joy to work with."

He leaned in just near enough to whisper, "And just so you know, you are probably the most interesting PA I've ever had."

As soon as he said that, he leaned back into his seat and said, "I'm going to take a short nap. Wake me when we arrive."

Mara gulped feeling her cheeks heat up. Despite her will to ensure that she stays true to her promise, Randy just proved that it was only going to get harder.

After checking into the hotel, Mara followed Randy to the arena. All her life, Mara had always wondered how it really looked like backstage. She had only been able to see the backstage through the eyes of the camera and she really pictured it the way it was. But this was unlike the backstage that she had seen on TV. In fact, this backstage was filled with the crew running about and quite a few of the superstars getting prepared for the night.

Mara was so engrossed in looking at her surroundings that she didn't look where she was going. She ran straight into Randy, who was standing and waiting for her when he realized she was quite far behind. She nearly lost her footing from the collision but instead of feeling herself lose balance, she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist.

Mara looked up to see Randy looking straight at her, with a smile on his face.

"You should watch where you're going." He said

Mara blinked a little as she felt the heat rush to her cheeks. She stood up straight as she quickly pushed Randy's arm away.

"I was watching where I was going." Mara said
"Sure you were." Randy said

He pointed to his right, "My locker room is right here."

Randy opened the door to his locker room and entered with Mara following behind. She sat down and proceeded to take out her planner. Just as she looked up, Randy was in the midst of taking off his shirt. Mara tried to quickly avert her eyes from looking at him but there was she couldn't. She couldn't help but watch as Randy's arm flexed while pulling off his shirt.

Mara felt the heat rush to her face again and this time, she was imagining Randy's arm around her again. Feeling hotter than usual, she quickly took off her blazer as he looked at her curiously.

Feeling Randy's gaze on her, she folded her blazer and put it by the side.

Mara cleared her throat, "It's a little stuffy in here."

Randy smirked as he sat down on a chair, opposite her.

"Aren't you going to put on a shirt?" Mara asked
"I just took it off." Randy replied
"Maybe put a towel around you then?" Mara said
"Honey, I wrestle without a shirt and pants every night." Randy said
"One - Don't call me honey. And two, this isn't the ring." Mara said

Randy smiled, "Then you'll just have to get used to it."

He stood up and came close to Mara, his face inches away from hers.

"You are a professional PA, right?" He said

Mara gulped quietly as she could feel the electricity between the two of them. She stood up, making Randy stand up straight.

"Yes but I do expect you to respect that." Mara said

Randy stepped back, "Very well."

He grabbed a towel from his gym bag and put it around him.

"Better?" Randy asked
"Yes. Thank you." Mara replied

She sat back down and proceeded to read out the plans that Randy had for the day. After clearing the schedule with him, Mara looked around the locker room.

"So.. You have your own locker room." Mara said
"I am the WWE champion." Randy said

She looked at him, "Do you ever get tired of saying that to people?"

Randy looked at Mara, "Sometimes. But it's my job."

"Do you ever get tired?" Mara asked
"All the time." Randy replied

"Don't you have anyone to talk with?" Mara said, "Like John Cena?"

He laughed a little, "Yeah, we talk. But there's only so much you can air to a friend, right?"

Mara shrugged, "True.. I know this business is tough… But you're the toughest superstar I've seen."

"I look tough." Randy said, "But I'm not really tough."

Mara laughed, "That's not true. I've seen you in the ring. You're pretty tough."

"Oh… So you've seen me in the ring." Randy said
"Yeah. I've been a long time fan of the business." Mara said

"Really?" He said, "I thought it was because of me."

"Is that what you say to all your previous PAs?" Mara asked

"For number 1 to 12. Number 13 was just a fan who wanted to get close to me. 14 to 18 were putty in my hands at first glance. 19 to 24 were pretty easy to coax." Randy answered

"You're pretty proud of yourself, huh?" Mara said

Randy merely shrugged, "Comes with the title."

Mara rolled her eyes, "Sure."

She sat back down and was about to write in her book when she felt Randy look at her.

"Yes?" Mara said
"I'm going to try." Randy said
"Try?" Mara asked

"You're the first PA who's ever had a conversation with me that lasted longer than a minute." Randy replied, "And I'd like to keep it that way… For now."

Mara looked at him, "For now?"

"I can't be sure if you'd fall for me after a while." Randy said
"That's not gonna happen." Mara said

He reached over to take a towel from her side and Mara unconsciously caught her breath. She closed her eyes and could have sworn she got a whiff of the body soap that Randy used.

Randy smirked, "Sure it won't."

He stood back up, "You can open your eyes now."

Mara opened her eyes and blinked a few times, "Something was in my eyes."

Randy merely smiled and Mara took it as her cue to get up.

"I'll-I'll be going for a walk." Mara said
"Okay. I'll be here." Randy said

Mara picked up her cellphone, "Call me if you need me."

Realizing that may have come out in a wrong context, she quickly said, "I mean if you require my assistance as a PA."

Randy grinned, "I'll keep that in mind."

After the close encounter she had with Randy, Mara needed to walk it off. As much as she wants to put up a tough front, it doesn't seem to be working. Each time she reminded herself not to fall for Randy's charms, he'd always do something to waver her position.

She was deep in her thoughts as she sat at one of the seats in the upper deck of the arena, looking at the ring.

"Hey… You're the new PA for Randy, huh?"

Mara looked to her right and sitting two seats away from her was AJ Lee.

"Um.. Yeah… How did you know?" Mara asked
"It's a pretty big thing in the locker room." AJ replied

She moved down till she sat next to Mara, "I'm April although people prefer calling me AJ."

"I'm Mara." She said, "Was I disturbing you?"

April chuckled, "Nah. You look like you have something on your mind… And I'm guessing it's got something to do with Randy."

Mara looked at her, "What makes you think that?"

"Well, you're the first girl I've seen that isn't with him 24/7." April said
"You mean his previous PAs don't leave his side?" Mara asked
"Nope. And I'm sure you know what that means." April replied

Mara nodded a little as she sat back into her seat, "He's making things kinda hard."

"With his charms and body, huh?" April said

She nudged Mara a little, "We've all been there. Trust me."

"So have you ever talked to any of the other of the other PAs before?" Mara asked
"I tried. But they think I'm a threat." April replied
"Girls, right? Always getting jealous about anything and everything." Mara said

April laughed, "Yes. But you seem unlike those previous airheads."

"That's because I treat this as a job and not as a chance to sleep with him." Mara said

She looked at her watch, "Speaking of which, I better get back to him."

April nodded, "I should be getting to the gym too. Wanna squeeze in a couple of lifts before the show."

She turned to Mara, "It was nice meeting you, Mara."

Mara smiled, "You too."

"Well, if you ever wanna hang our or chat, just look for me in the divas locker room." April said

Mara nodded, "Sure."

The next few weeks went by fairly quickly. Despite the many attempts on Randy's part to flirt with Mara, the two of them had gotten to know each other pretty well as friends. Mara wanted to keep it that way since she knew that her body didn't seem to react the same way her heart and mind wanted to.

Mara was drawing up a schedule for Randy in the canteen at the Staples Center when she felt someone sit down right opposite her. She looked up and smiled when she saw April.

"Hey!" April greeted, "Whatcha doing?"

"I'm doing Randy's schedule." Mara said
"Really?" April said
"Yup. It's the only time I get to do this since Randy's at the gym." Mara said
"Well, this can wait." April said

She pushed the papers aside and said, "So, the other girls are heading to a club and I asked if I could bring you along."

"Me?" Mara said, "For what?"

"To have fun!" April said, "You look super exhausted."

"Well, I am. Being Randy's PA is a tough job." Mara said
"Because there's more to it?" April said
"What are you talking about?" Mara asked

"I see the way you look at him when he flirts with other girls." April replied, "You wish he was talking to you that way."

"What?!" Mara said, "I-pfft-I don't!"

"Really?" April said, "The ink blot on your planner says otherwise."

Mara looked down at her planner and hadn't realized that she was pointing the tip of the pen hard into the paper. She quickly put down the pen and closed the planner.

"I'm not going to judge you." April said, "We've known each other for a while now so I consider you a close friend. I get that you are trying your hardest to keep this job. But, you can't deny that there is something brewing between you and Randy."

Before Mara could rebut, April continued, "You say there's nothing but there is something. It's just that you and Randy refuse to acknowledge it."

Mara thought for a while and despite wanting to deny what April said, she knew that denial only meant that April was right. Something was going on between Randy and her. Even though they talked normally and behaved like good friends, she'd always catch him looking at her differently from across the room or when they were with other people.

"Hello? Earth to Mara?"

Mara snapped out of her own thoughts and looked at April, "Hmm?"

"So, are you coming?" April asked
"Y-Yeah.. Sure. I'll just clear it with Randy." Mara replied

April smiled, "Great! I'll see you later then!"

That night, after the sold-out show, Randy came back into his locker room where Mara was just laying out his bathing supplies and clothes.

"Hey." He said

Mara turned around, "Hey. I've set out your stuff for you."

"Thanks." Randy said

Realizing that she was dressed differently from the outfit she wore in the afternoon, Randy did a double-take. Mara had changed out of her jeans and t-shirt and was now wearing a short black tube dress with a pair of matching black heels.

He felt his heart skip a beat.

"Did you change your outfit?" Randy asked
"Yeah." Mara replied
"May I ask why?" Randy said
"Well, I'm heading out with April and the other divas." Mara said
"Why?" Randy asked
"I do believe that I do not need to answer that." Mara said
"But I'm your boss." Randy said
"And as my boss, certain questions should be left unanswered." Mara said

Randy crossed his arms in front of his chest, "Then as your boss, I'm not going to let you go."

"You can't do that." Mara said
"Why can't I?" Randy asked
"Because I'm allowed to have a few hours to myself every week. And I'm utilising it today." Mara replied

Randy was thinking of a way to retort when Mara walked towards the door.

"Your supper has been arranged. So, take your shower and head back to have a good rest." Mara said, "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

Mara arrived at the club with several other divas and April. Although she felt a little out of place with them, April always made it a point to entertain her.

They sat at the booth seat near the bar while the other divas hit the dance floor.

"You don't have to accompany me, you know that right?" Mara said
"Yeah, I know. But, I don't want to leave you here alone." April said
"Go dance with them. I'll be fine." Mara said

April looked at Mara, "I'll go, but, you're joining me."

Before Mara could say anything, she got pulled off her butt and onto her feet. April held her wrist and led her towards the dance floor. Just as she made it to the dance floor with April, a hand held onto Mara's other hand, pulling her away from April.

Mara instantly hit the chest of the person who grabbed her hand as the music changed it's tempo from a fast-thumping music to a slow song.

She looked up at the person and saw a strapping looking Randy, who started swaying with her pinned to him.

"Let go of me or I will bite you." Mara said

"Oh, come on, you were already heading towards the dance floor." Randy said, "A little dance with me won't hurt."

"How did you find me?" Mara asked

"I just needed to turn on the charm with some of the female staffers and they told me where you girls went." Randy replied, "Besides, I could use a good night out too."

"Yeah, I can see why." Mara said, "Your pick up skills must not be working for you."

Randy laughed, "Contrary to your beliefs, it's working fine."

"So, what are you doing here? I didn't think you were a club kinda girl." He said

Mara looked at him, "You think that my being here has something to do with you? I'd be happy to show you how far from the truth you are."

Randy looked at her, "So, you're not here because you want to try and tell yourself that you feel nothing between the two of us?"

They looked at each other for a while as they swayed before Mara said, "I feel nothing."

Randy nodded slightly, "I don't blame you."

"I don't care. I'm just your PA." Mara said

Randy nodded, "So, you don't feel anything when I do this?"

His hand slowly slid to her waist as he held it there while they continued their slow dance.

Mara felt her heart start to race but she calmly said, "No."

"How about this?" Randy said

His hand engulfed Mara's hand as he interlocked their hands together.

Mara closed her eyes once to compose herself before opening them, "Nothing."

"And this?" Randy said

He turned her to the side and did a dip, his face barely an inch away from hers, "Do you still think there's nothing between the two of us?"

Mara caught her breath just as Randy slowly returned her to the standing position. He leaned in close to her just as she did.

But, instead of a kiss, Mara merely said, "Yes."

Randy loosened his grip and Mara walked away from him, leaving him standing there alone.

Mara stood outside the club, trying her hardest to flag down a cab. Whatever happened between the two of them inside was starting to replay in her head and she didn't want to think about it. It was the first time they were so close to each other and she was beginning to wonder how it even got that way. Why did Randy come looking for her?

Just as she was about to put her hand out again, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped as she turned and so did the person.

"April!" Mara said, "You scared me!"

"You scared me too." April replied, "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah…" Mara said
"You don't look okay." April said
"I'm-I just feel a little under the weather." Mara said

April crossed her arms in front of her chest, "Really? Did Randy do that to you?"

"Wh-How-Did all the other divas see that?" Mara asked

"No.. They were so engrossed in their dancing." April replied, "But, I saw everything."

"You did?" Mara said
"Oh yeah." April said

She moved towards Mara and stood really close, "I even saw this."

Mara covered her face, "Ugh. What am I doing?"

April stepped away, "Yeah.. What are you doing?"

"I don't know!" Mara said, "It's been almost a month and I thought everything was going okay between us. But clearly, it isn't!"

"How has Randy been reacting?" April asked
"Well, the flirting didn't stop until the 1st week passed. Then it became normal. We had conversations that didn't end up with him trying to lure me to bed." Mara replied
"So today was out of the ordinary." April said
"I don't know." Mara said

"From what I see between the two of you a while ago… You two have got some sort of sexual tension going on." April said, "Just because both of you don't show it, it doesn't mean it's not there."

"Well, whatever it is, I am not giving in." Mara said
"If that's the case, why don't you come back, have a few drinks and forget about Randy?" April asked

"He's still in there." Mara replied

April shook her head, "Nope. He left when I walked out by the back door."

Mara let out a sigh of relief. April took that as a sign and lightly pushed Mara back into the club.

The next morning, they were scheduled to head to the next city for the televised RAW. Mara looked at her watch, wondering where Randy was. As some of the other superstars walked past her at the lobby, she stopped them to ask if they've seen Randy. But, none of them saw him. She sighed as she walked over to the hotel reception.

"Hi, excuse me.. Sorry.." She said, "I was just wondering if you could help give a wake up call to room 786?"

"To Mr Orton's room?" The hotel receptionist said
"Yeah.. He's running late." Mara said
"Sorry, but we haven't seen him come in since 8pm last night." He said
"You mean he hasn't come in at all?" Mara said

He shook his head.

Mara immediately let her mind wander. Could Randy have gone out to look for trouble after what transpired between the two of them? Could he have overestimated himself and got into a fight with some gang? Could he be injured or lying motionless in a ditch somewhere?

She immediately reached into her satchel to pull out her cellphone. She hastily keyed in Randy's number before hitting the call button.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

"What?"

Mara felt relief wash over her upon hearing Randy's voice.

"Hey… I heard you didn't get in last night… You're running late for your next show.." Mara said
"Oh.. Is it morning already?" Randy said

"Yeah." Mara said, "Look… We need to talk about last night so just tell me where you are and I'll come find you."

"I'm still feeling a little tired…" Randy said, "I was pretty busy last night."

"If you're mad at me, Randy, you've got to get over it." Mara said
"Oh, I'm over it." Randy said

And before Mara could get another word in, Randy hung up. Mara looked at her phone, unable to believe that Randy did that. Just as she turned around, she saw John Cena walking out.

"John!" Mara called out

He looked up and smiled, "Hey, Mara. Aren't you heading to the airport?"

"Yeah… I was until Randy pulled a fast one on me." Mara said
"Randy hasn't come back yet?" John said
"No." Mara said
"I thought he said he cleared it with you." John said
"Cleared what?" Mara said
"He said he was going to head to the house he has here." John said
"Do you have the address?" Mara said
"Uh.. Yeah. It's on Canary Lane." John said

Mara thought for a while then said, "It's not too far from here."

"Do you want me to come with you?" John asked
"Nah.. It's okay, I'll handle it on my own." Mara replied

John nodded, "That's true.. Randy's been on his best behaviour ever since you became his PA."

Mara merely shrugged, "My next career choice was to be a teacher so.."

John laughed, "Well alright, Miss Blair. If you need me, just give me a call."

Mara nodded and thanked John again before catching a cab to head down to where Randy was.

She arrived at a plain looking house in less than 10 minutes and as she stepped up the porch towards the front door, it swung open. Standing there was a half-naked Randy with just his pants on and a fully dressed blond in what looked like the dress she wore last night.

Mara looked at the two of them, her mouth slightly open as she tried to process what was happening. The blond merely smirked as she walked pass Mara. Randy looked at Mara who looked at him, wanting to say something but nothing came out.

Randy held the door open for her as she walked into the house he owned.

"What was that?" Mara asked
"A one-night stand." Randy replied
"When you're having an event to go to the next morning?" Mara said

Randy merely shrugged.

"What's wrong with you?" Mara said, "Is it because of what happened between us last night?"

"Can't we just move pass that, Mara?" Randy said

Mara looked at him, "So is that how it's gonna be now? I hurt your feelings and this is how you lash out at me?"

"Well, maybe for once, something I do has nothing to do with girls who make me look like a fool." Randy said
"Really? Cause it sure looks like it." Mara said

"It doesn't matter does it?" Randy said, "I got your message loud and clear."

"Look… We had a good friendship going on between us." Mara said, "Can we not ruin it?"

"Whatever you say, Miss PA." Randy said

Mara rolled her eyes, feeling her anger start to rise.

"Let's just get to the airport. The cab's waiting outside." Mara said

Not waiting for Randy to say anything else, she hurried out of his house and got into the cab to wait for him. When Randy finally got into the cab, they hurriedly left for the airport. Lucky for them, they got there just in time for their flight. Mara thanked her lucky stars when she was given a seat next to April, who was going to be on the same flight.

Ever since they came out of Randy's house, Mara had not said a word to Randy and merely threw things at him instead of passing it to him.

They boarded the plane and April smiled when she saw Mara sit down next to her.

"Hey, you!" April said
"Hey." Mara said

April looked from her to Randy, who walked pass them to his seat 3 rows back, before looking back at Mara.

"Whoa, I sense tension. What's going on between the two of you?" April asked
"He had a one-night stand at his property." Mara replied
"Seriously?" April said

"He was gloating. Like actual gloat when I saw that blond come out of his house." Mara said, "Like he was proud of himself for sleeping with her."

"Wouldn't put it pass Randy to do that." April said, "You know how he is."

"Yeah, but does he have to have revenge sex with some chick he barely knows, to get back at a person who hardly started anything with him?!" Mara said
"To you, it might seem like nothing. But to him.. It might mean something." April said
"Well, he's delusional." Mara said

April gave her a look, "Is he?"

"What are you saying?" Mara asked

April sighed, "Look, I heard from some of the other guys who said Randy's been behaving differently ever waltzed in to be his PA."

"That's because I'm not easy like the other girls." Mara said
"Well, that. But, I think there's more to it." April said
"Like what? He's falling in love with me?" Mara asked

April merely made a look before sitting back in her seat.

Mara's nonchalant look got replaced with a slightly startled look.

"You really think so?" Mara said

"To tell you the truth… I haven't seen Randy this calm and rational since he was still married. Ever since the divorce, he spiraled out of control hence breaking many hearts and leaving them unemployed." April said

She looked at Mara, "But since you took the job, he's been acting differently. He doesn't try and make the divas swoon at his feet. In fact, he's been trying to get to know us, which wouldn't have happened if it weren't for you."

"You changed him."

Mara let April's 3 words sink in. She changed him? How was it even possible? She knew that they had something special between them but she never thought of it that way. Mara had gotten so comfortable with him that she didn't even notice the change in him. She felt her heart start to beat fast with the possibility of Randy and her. She knew that maybe it was time to start thinking with her heart and not her brain.

The next morning, Mara had gone to grab a cup of coffee for Randy as a way of apologizing for the unprofessional way she behaved the day before.

She walked into his locker room just as he was putting on his headphones. This was the first time they were in the same room together since the fight the day before. After the plane landed, Randy sort of ditched Mara and left with John. Mara was angry but figured that they needed some space between them.

Randy looked up at Mara before looking back at his iPod. He was about to press play when she spoke up.

"Hey… I uh bought you a cup of coffee." Mara said

She stepped closer to him so that the cup of coffee was within his reach. He looked at the cup in her hands but said nothing before looking back at his iPod.

Mara sighed, "Okay.. So, no coffee."

Randy continued to ignore her and Mara was faced with two options. One, leave the room or two, yank the headphones jack out of the iPod.

She decided to go with option one.

Mara put the cup of coffee down, next to Randy before turning to walk out of his locker room.

"So that's it? You're just gonna leave?"

She stopped moving and turned around to look at Randy, who had his headphones off and was now standing up.

"Well, you were not responding to me so I figured it would be best to just walk out of here." Mara said

Randy rubbed his hand down his face, "Seriously, Mara?"

She looked at him, annoyed that he's getting mad at her about this.

"What? Seriously what?" Mara said, "I came into apologize with a cup of coffee. Yes, I know it's not the most amazing of gifts but at least I'm trying here. Don't get mad at me for wanting to fix what we barely had."

"What we barely had?" Randy said

He walked over to her and stood right in front of her. They were so close to each other that if Randy moved in another inch, he would be able to plant a kiss on her.

"This is what we have and you can't tell me that it's barely anything." Randy said

Mara composed herself before stepping backwards.

"I-I have to go." Mara said
"Damn it, Mara. Why do you always go running?" Randy said, angrily.

Mara looked at him, "Because I don't know what you're trying to do! You can't be mad at me for being wary."

"I'm not." Randy said, "I'm mad at you because I love you."

Mara blinked, trying to process what just came out of his mouth.

"Say something." Randy said

At that point, Mara knew that it was all or nothing. She has had the same feelings ever since she saw him. It started out as a physical attraction but when she got to know him, everything changed.

Just as Randy was about to step away from her, she grabbed him by his hoodie and planted a kiss on his lips. He was startled by it at first, but then, he returned the kiss and it intensified. Soon, Randy backed her against the wall as they continued kissing.

Mara broke apart for a while and said, "I've wanted this for so long."

Randy kissed her once before saying, "Good things come to those who wait."

She chuckled before pushing him back a little, stopping him from carrying on.

"Wait a minute, you're only good?" Mara said, "Because, I have to tell you that I'm expecting greatness from the Randy Orton."

Randy looked at her and grinned, "Well, I'll do my best not to disappoint you."

Mara laughed before they returned to kissing each other.

"Are we going to do this here?" Mara asked, in between kisses

Randy stopped kissing her and said, "With you, anywhere's good."

She smiled and pulled him close to her as they continued kissing. Just as Randy's hand lifted the hem of her shirt, she broke the kiss.

"Wait, did you hear something?" Mara said

Randy stopped and looked around before saying, "No… But you might be hearing the sound of my heartbeat."

Mara chuckled, "Cheesy."

Randy grinned and was about to kiss her when she pushed him lightly, away from her.

"Wait… I can't do this… I keep thinking that we are going to get interrupted at some point." Mara said

"No one's going to try coming into my locker room." Randy said, "I don't share it with anyone."

He looked at her, "I mean, this is perfect. We get to be alone in the first place we got to know each other properly."

Mara smiled and she leaned into kiss him. They continued into a full-on handsy make out session until Randy stopped, pulling away from her.

"Okay, now you got me worried about the floor managers." Randy said

Mara chuckled and kissed him once before straightening her clothes, "Well then, we've just got to wait for a better and more private opportunity."

"This is crazy…" Randy said, "It's my private locker room but yet I'm worried that I might get caught, like I didn't belong in here."

Mara looked at him, "Well, have you been caught here with the other girls?"

"It's not what you think…" Randy said, "It was merely first base here. But that's not the point. This place has a meaning for you and me… I want to make it even more special."

Mara moved closer to him, slowly removing his hoodie, "Are you sure it's not cause you've been wanting to bed me since we first met?

Randy smiled, "Maybe… But this is also the place where you drew the line, remember?"

Mara smiled, "Oh yeah… Someone wasn't too happy."

She grinned and kissed him again as Randy shrugged his hoodie off so that his hands were free to touch her body.

"You know what will make me hot?" Mara asked, "If you take off your shirt."

Randy stopped and smirked before taking off his t-shirt. As soon as the shirt was on the floor, he pulled her close to him to resume kissing. Just as things were getting heated between them, there was a knock on the door.

Mara pulled away, "I should answer that."

"No, just ignore it." Randy said, kissing her again.

The knock came again.

"I should really answer that." Mara said

She wriggled out of Randy's grasp and opened the door slightly, "Yes?"

Standing in front of her was a WWE floor manager.

"Hi Mara, Randy's gotta get ready in 10 minutes for the interview." He said

She smiled, "Sure. Thanks, Liam."

The floor manager smiled and nodded before heading off to his next stop. Mara closed the door just as Randy's hands wrapped around her waist, with her back against his chest. He started kissing along her neck and she was rather into it until she remembered Randy had a job to do.

She turned around in his arms and said, "Stop… We can do this later. You have something to attend to."

Randy groaned and said, "Fine…"

Mara chuckled as Randy gave her a peck on the lips before moving to get his shirt for the interview.

After the show, Randy returned to his locker room to cool down. He took off his shirt and put it by his side just as Mara returned from the canteen with two bottles of water.

He looked up and smiled just as she walked in.

"Where have you been?" Randy asked

"At the canteen." Mara replied, "Aren't you going to shower?"

"I will, after I cool down.." Randy said

Mara put the bottles down on the bench before walking near Randy to pick up his t-shirt.

"Hmm, I wonder how I'll look like in this…" Mara said

Randy watched her as she took off the tank top she had on to put on his t-shirt.

"Oooo, it's still sweaty." Mara said
"Sorry… I put it on when I was on my way back to the locker room." Randy said
"No, no… I like it." Mara said

She moved closer to him before lightly pushing him, "Get up."

Randy laughed a little as Mara pushed him again, "I said get up."

He relented and stood up, "Okay, I'm up."

Mara lightly punched his arm and chest as they turned like as if they were in a ring.

"Where did you learn to throw punches like that?" Randy asked
"Wrestling with some of my cousins." Mara replied

She stood crouched a little as she said, "Show me."

"What?" Randy asked
"Show me what The Viper's like in the ring." Mara replied

Randy laughed as he watched her try to egg him into a fight.

"You've got good stance." Randy said
"You love my stance." Mara said, punching Randy's open palm.
"I do." Randy said

They turned a full round and Mara continued hitting Randy.

"But you can't do this."

He grabbed her by her waist, as if in a spear, and lifted her off her feet before lightly planting her on the ground, against her back. Mara laughed loudly as he laughed too. Randy was now on top of her, with his hands in hers.

"So, there's this thing called submission and if you wanna get out of it, you'll have to tapout." Randy said
"Tap out?" Mara said
"I'm gonna make it so painful that you'll wanna give up." Randy said

Mara merely smiled as she pulled her legs from under Randy and using all her might, flipped Randy over so that now, she was on top of him.

He laughed just as Mara leaned into say, "I don't tap out."

She leaned in close to his lips as she said, "Do you…"

Randy tried to reach up to kiss her lips but she her head slightly as she continued, "Want to tap out?"

Her hands tried tightening around Randy's wrist but he broke free and moved his hand to touch the side of her body, all the way down to the small of her back where he tapped lightly.

Mara smiled as she leaned in slowly to kiss him. They were kissing for a few seconds when they heard the door open.

The two of them broke apart as they quickly stood up, slightly away from each other. They looked at the door to see who it was and standing there was John Cena with a rather amused look.

"H-Hey John." Mara said, slightly out of breath.
"Uh… What were you guys doing?" John asked

Mara glanced at Randy before looking at John, "Uh… Uh…. Wrestling."

"Yeah…" Randy said, "What's up?"

"Oh, you've got another interview to go to.." John said
"Right." Randy said

He walked out the door as John held it open for him.

John looked back at Mara and she gave him a smile.

He grinned and said, "Big wrestling fan, huh?"

Mara merely tugged her hair behind her ear, embarrassed. John chuckled and winked at her before closing the door.

That night, Mara returned to the hotel alone because Randy had an interview to get to and won't be able to return so soon.

She had just put Randy's stuff into his room and was doing a little bit of housekeeping when she heard the door to the room close. She peeked her head out of the toilet and smiled when he saw her.

"Hey, you." Randy said

"Hi." Mara said, "How did the interview go?"

"Like all other interviews." Randy said

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her once on her lips.

"But, I made it through it cause I knew you'd be waiting for me here." Randy said
"And why is that?" Mara said
"Because, we have to finish what we started." Randy said

He carried Mara up as she screamed in surprise. Randy turned her around and threw her onto the bed. He took his place on top of her as he kissed her gently before their kisses intensified and grew heated.

Clawing at each other's clothes, Randy and Mara's clothes both ended up on the floor in the shortest amount of time possible. All the sexual tension they had between them seem to disappear into that moment.

Randy positioned himself at her entrance as he said, "Ready to have your mind blown?"

Mara nodded and he thrust into her, making her forget every care in the world as all that mattered to her was the moment she was having with Randy.

The next morning, Randy woke to see Mara still sleeping on her side, with his back facing him. He leaned in to kiss the butterfly tattoo on her upper back before kissing her right shoulder blade. Then he leaned into kiss the music note tattoo behind her ear, just as she slowly woke up.

She turned her head slowly as he said, "Good morning."

Mara smiled before saying, "It's morning already?"

She chuckled a little to herself and Randy merely smiled before leaning into kiss her. After which, Randy ordered room service and they stayed in bed to have their breakfast.

"Did we actually do it?" Mara asked, picking the muffin.

Randy swallowed his bacon and said, "Mm-hmm. And then we did it some more."

Mara smiled to herself as she put the bits of muffin she picked out into her mouth.

"You know… It's almost wrong to feel this happy." Mara said
"Why? Because what we're doing seems secretive?" Randy said

Mara shrugged, "I don't know… Could we get ourselves into trouble?"

"This, this is destiny." Randy said, putting the dishes onto the floor, "And nobody's gonna ruin it for us."

Mara smiled as Randy leaned into kiss her again, as the kisses grew heated between them; Mara prepared herself for another round of mind-blowing sex.

After, they eventually managed to get their hands off of each other and sat in bed, cuddling. Mara had on one of Randy's shirts while he chose to remain shirtless.

"So, what are our plans for the day?" Randy asked

"Well, we have a flight later this afternoon to the next city." Mara replied, "But I'd rather we stayed here for a while longer…"

"I could be persuaded…" Randy said

Mara looked at him, "Really? A challenge?"

Randy nodded and Mara smiled before leaning into kiss him when all of a sudden, Mara's phone rang. She broke the kiss and picked up her phone to see April's name flashing on the screen.

"Hmm.. It's April. Probably calling to see how you and I are progressing. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find my phone." Mara said, tossing the phone back onto the side table.

Randy smiled and picked up his phone, "You know what? I've been having the same problem."

He switched off his phone before tossing it on his side table.

"Wait, wait, are you sure that's a good idea?" Mara asked, "Cause you could be getting a call from the staff or John.."

"They won't start calling until after we arrived at the airport." Randy said inbetween kisses, "Which means, we've got lots of time."

He kissed her again before saying, "So any suggestions?"

"Well, I do…" Mara said, "I've had this fantasy about me and you in the shower… "

Randy nodded and kissed her, "Sold."

Mara smiled and got off the bed just as Randy did. He picked her up and they both entered the bathroom.

Mara ran out of the bathroom, clad in just a towel wrapped around her body. Randy had a towel around his waist as he tried to catch her. He managed to catch her to plant a kiss on her lips before she pushed him onto the bed.

He rolled over to make space for Mara who joined him on the bed, lying on her stomach.

They both looked at each other as Randy tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"You know… I'm so blown away by all this." Randy said

"You'd never thought we'd make love." Mara said

"Be in love." Randy said, "I'd never thought I'd be in love."

"Never?" Mara asked

"I guess not…" Randy replied, "What I feel about you is different from what I felt with Samantha. I mean… it's off the charts."

He looked at her, "Yes, the sex is phenomenal. But, this between us is more and deeper. It's in here."

Randy gestured to his chest where his heart was and Mara smiled.

"I feel the same way." Mara said

She played with his hands, "I was the girl with the closed-off emotion. I thought love was a con and I was never gonna be anybody's mark. And then I meet a guy, who's had a rep sheet for being the world's biggest playboy but then I got to know him and he got to know me with my clothes on. All he said was that he was falling in love with me and then, I'm a goner."

Randy smiled, "You're hooked?"

"You know it." Mara said

She moved her body closer to his as they kissed and the kissing became more passionate until they heard a key card being slotted in.

"Did you give someone your key card?" Mara asked, getting off Randy immediately.
"Yeah, but I thought I took it back from John." Randy replied

Mara scampered to grab her clothes off the floor just as John entered the room.

"Whoa." John said, "Sorry."

"Well, not as sorry as we are." Mara said
"Uh, okay… I'm going to make this quick." John said

John looked away as he said, "April called saying that she was going to file a report for a missing person. "

"Missing person? How about someone who is ready to run away from her now somewhat embarrassing life?" Mara said, walking into the bathroom with her clothes.

John walked further into the room, "So, you finally got her."

"Yeah…" Randy said

John crossed his arms in front of his chest, "You take care of her, alright? Don't break her heart."

"I won't." Randy said

John looked at him for a while before saying, "Okay, I'll see you later then."

Mara walked to the café at the hotel lobby where April was.

"There you are! Why haven't you answered my calls?" April asked, "I was seriously going to file a missing person's report!

"Seriously April?" Mara said, "You told John to come find Randy?"

"Well, I knew that he had the keycard." April said

She looked at Mara, "Oh.. wait.. Did you two…?"

Mara didn't want to answer the question but April beamed.

"What?" Mara said
"You can try denying it but you are glowing like a sex warrior that just returned from planet passion." April said

She continued, "So, spill. How good was Randy in bed from a scale of bleh to mind-blowingly awesome."

"Okay.. It was amazing. Mind-blowingly awesome and better than anything else in the world." Mara said
"So it was worth it?" April said
"Yes, it was worth it." Mara said
"Aren't you glad I helped?" April said

Mara cocked an eyebrow, "How?"

"By telling you that Randy and you were something more than just the boss and employee relationship." April said

Mara smiled, "Fine. Thank you. Lunch is on me."

April smiled, "Be prepared to spend a lot."

"Bring it, Mendez." Mara said

Randy and Mara continued their relationship in secret for the next few weeks. It wasn't that they were ashamed of what was between them. But, Randy wanted to make sure Mara kept her job while she wanted to make sure that what they had was real.

"Hey." Mara said, walking into the locker room, "Look what I got!"

Randy took off his headphones and smiled just as Mara took a seat on his lap.

She opened the brown paper bag she was holding so that Randy could see what it was. He looked in and in the bag were 3 DVDs and 2 packets of microwavable popcorn.

"Popcorn and movies?" Randy asked
"You promised to watch 3 chick flicks with me." Mara replied
"That I did." Randy said

Mara sensed a change in Randy's mood and was pretty sure it was not the same as the one he had in the morning.

She looked at him as she put the paper bag aside, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong…" Randy replied
"I'm not having any of that." Mara said

He looked at her, "I'm afraid."

"Of what?" Mara asked
"Breaking your heart." Randy replied
"What do you mean?" Mara said
"I'm afraid I'd go back to my ways and end up breaking your heart when I don't intend to." Randy said

He cupped her face, "I love you and I don't want to do anything to hurt you ever."

Mara touched the side of his face, "You won't. I know you won't. We've been going strong for nearly a month."

He looked into her eyes, "You really think I can do this?"

She nodded, "Yeah. I won't start anything with you if I wasn't sure."

Randy smiled a little as she leaned in to kiss him on his lips.

"Shall we head to the hotel for our date night?" Mara asked

Randy nodded and together, they left the arena.

That night, after the movie and a little 'pick-me-up', Mara fell asleep in Randy's arms. He smiled a little looking at Mara, who was sound asleep. He closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't.

He got out of bed quietly, careful not to wake Mara. Not even bothering to switch on a night-light, he walked over to the bar in the corner of his hotel room to pour himself a cup of scotch.

Randy swirled the contents of his cup before walking over to the chair by the bed. He sat down and sipped his scotch as he thought about the conversation they both had previously. Getting so caught up in his thoughts, he didn't realize that Mara was now awake.

She looked at him for a minute or two until they both locked eyes with each other. Almost as soon as that happened, Mara pretended to fall back asleep. She kept them close for a few seconds until she opened them again. Randy then got up and slowly walked over to the bed. He lay down next to her, with one hand behind his head for support.

"You're worried." Mara said, "About us."

"Because I know what I'm like." Randy said

Mara adjusted the pillow below her head as she shifted closer to the pillow's edge.

"Why don't you believe that we're going to last?" Mara asked

"Because you're a great girl." Randy replied, "And people like me don't get to hold girls like you for long."

They both looked at each other for a while before Mara turned to face the ceiling. She was upset that Randy thought of himself that way because she didn't. Randy knew that wasn't an answer that she would like to hear but he didn't have a choice. He knew what he was like and he knew he was going to blow their relationship anytime. He had to at least set her up for disappointment if they were not going to last.

He felt for her hand and slowly touched it, lacing his fingers with hers. Mara tried not to get frustrated with him but it grew within her. She got out of the bed and picked up one of her jackets as she headed out of the room.

Mara put on her jacket as she walked a couple of steps away from their room and leaned sideways against the wall of the corridor. She tried to compose herself. It was only a few seconds of success when she heard the room door open. Mara knew Randy had followed after her.

"Don't." Mara said

Randy looked at Mara's back, "Why not?"

He sighed, "Mara…"

She turned around and as soon as she saw the look in his eyes, she couldn't help but crash into him as their lips found each other.

The next morning, Mara woke up to expect seeing Randy next to her but instead, she felt the coldness of the sheets. She sat up and looked around expecting to see him but instead the room was empty.

She wrapped the sheets around her body as she called out, "Randy?"

Mara looked around the room and realized that something was amiss.

She was about to pick up the phone when she saw an envelope on her side table. The envelope had the official letter mark of the WWE and she hurriedly opened it. She unfolded the letter and as soon as her eyes read the letter, Mara felt her heart break into a million different pieces.

Her services with the WWE had been terminated as of this morning.

Mara read the letter 5 times, refusing to believe what she was reading. Weren't things between her and Randy going good? Why is this happening? As she read the letter for the sixth time, she burst out crying, tearing the letter up into pieces before screaming and scattering the pieces all over the bed.

She couldn't be bothered if she cried herself till she was unconscious. The amount of pain she was going through was indescribable. Randy didn't care about the 'us' at all. It was all an act.

Mara was so lost in her crying that she didn't realize April come through the hotel room door, until she felt a pair of arms wrap around her.

She looked up and April said, "I know what happened. He's a son of a bitch."

Mara felt a new wave of tears as she cried in April's arms for the loss of something she thought was real. But in the end, she became one of the girls on Randy's list.

4 months later, Mara had gotten her life back on track. She picked herself up and forgot what happened as she found her new passion in life. She became an elementary school teacher, teaching students English and she was seeing a successful lawyer. Despite her WWE career being behind her, she still remained best friends with April who visits her whenever she had a break.

Mara took a deep breath as she walked into the school hall. Today was the day the WWE was coming to the elementary school she taught in, as part of the Be A Star program. They were not told which superstars were coming so Mara had been praying the whole week that she wouldn't have to face Randy.

As Mara looked around at the people setting up, she got a good look at the superstars present. Standing there, preparing for the talk was Kaitlyn, The Miz and.. Randy. She tried to look away as quickly as she could but Randy saw her. Mara turned to one of the teachers on her right and told her she wasn't feeling well before she hurried off, out of the school hall to her classroom.

She closed the door to her classroom and walked over to her desk to calm herself down. Mara didn't want to rip open the scar on her heart that she had fought so hard to close. She was just about to pack her lesson plans when the door opened and in came Randy.

She looked at him, "You know, I would have taken a sick day off if I knew you were coming. I knew this day would come eventually but I would have been able to deal with it if you had answered my calls or my text messages. But, no, that didn't happen. I had to move as far away as I could to ensure you and I wouldn't meet but coincidences happen all the time."

"I'm sorry, Mara." Randy said

"You had 4 months to be sorry!" Mara said, "I hated you for what you did to me at the hotel."

"I was just trying to protect you." Randy said
"I hated you!" Mara said, cutting him off.

"But then when I heard what John said about you not looking for any other personal assistants, I thought about how much you loved me. I thought you were going to come find me and tell me that you did that because you believed we were going to last." Mara said

She continued, "And I thought… This. This is what the real Randy Orton looks like. This is how Randy Orton loves. But you, not coming after me or offering any sort of explanation for four months! That is not the Randy Orton I knew and loved."

Randy clenched his fists, "I'm trying to protect you from me!"

"I don't need you to protect me!" Mara exclaimed, "I chose to fall in love with you! I chose to love you! I don't need you to tell me what is right or wrong for me!"

"Like the guy you're seeing now?" Randy asked

"I didn't do him if that's what you're insinuating." Mara replied, "You're the only guy I've ever really been with."

"He's successful, isn't he? April said he's a lawyer and he's never been with women like I have. Who am I? I'm just a wrestler." Randy said

Mara walked closer to him, "Don't you get it? No matter how good or bad you are, when it comes to you, I'm always going to be that feisty girl who drew the boundaries on her first day."

Tears slipped out of her eyes as she said, "You were the first guy who made me feel loved."

She continued, "You are my first true love. And I want more than anything for you to be my last. But I can't do this anymore. At least not now."

Mara looked at Randy, "We're done."

"Wow. I'm the biggest fucked-up jerk on this planet." Randy said

Mara merely smiled a little before leaning in to kiss him on the lips, "Good-bye, Randy."

A week had passed since Mara last saw Randy and she was feeling better, although her heart occasionally pined for Randy.

It was a Saturday, and she was clearing out her attic when she got a call on her cell phone.

"Hello?"
"Mara? I need your help."
"John? What's wrong?"
"Randy's not answering his cell and I'm getting worried. The last time I spoke with him, he was saying something about courting death. I thought he was just talking nonsense but when I couldn't get him today, I'm worried something happened."
"Have you gone to check on him at his house?"
"I can't. I'm in Dubai at the moment with the show so there isn't anyone else who can help. Please help me."
"Okay. I'll take the first flight out."

Mara ended the call and proceeded to book a flight out immediately to Randy' home in St Louis, Missouri.

Within the next few hours, Mara arrived in Randy's home town. She flagged a cab and was on her way to his house within minutes. She paid the driver as soon as she arrived and ran up the front porch steps before entering his home.

Mara walked in and immediately spotted Randy standing by his fireplace.

"I wanted to apologize." Randy said

Mara threw her bag on the ground before walking closer as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, "Good."

"Let me finish." Randy said, "I said I wanted to. And then I realized… I'm not sorry."

Mara couldn't contain her anger, "You would rather die then try to find a way to fix this? And you expect me or John to be okay with that?"

He looked at her, "I didn't say that you were supposed to be okay with that. I just said that I'm not sorry."

Randy continued, "You know what I really am? Selfish. Because I make bad choices. Yes, I'd rather die than be reminded everyday that you're no longer mine. I would rather die right now then see you get married to some other schmuck who knows they're not even good enough for you. I'd rather die right now because I lost the only good thing that I ever had in my life. That's who I am, Mara. And I can't change. And there's no apology in the world that encompasses all the reasons that I'm wrong for you."

He sighed before looking back at his fireplace.

Mara shook her head before she said, "Fine. Then I'm not sorry either. I'm not sorry that I met you. I'm not sorry that knowing you has made me question everything I feel for you. You've been a terrible person for what you did to me. You've made all the wrong choices. Of all the choices I have made, this will prove to be the worst one but I'm not sorry that I'm still in love with you."

Randy looked at her as she said, "I love you, Randy."

He walked over to her as quickly as he could and pulled her in for a kiss. Their kissing intensified and grew more heated until Randy pulled away.

"Does this mean you've forgiven me?" Randy asked
"Do you still need to ask?" Mara said

Randy smiled and leaned into kiss her again, knowing that this would be the last time he was ever gonna do something that stupid again.