A week before Extreme Rules and many people were nervous wrecks. Not only was this going to be a big event with many extreme matches like an I-Quit Match, a Last Man Standing match, a Tag Team Tables match and Y/N's Pay-Per-View debut, it also meant the risk of injury was very high for everyone involved. The past weekend was spent in different ways like workouts, movie marathons, hanging out with friends or just relaxing.

For Liv herself, it was more like trying to figure out what was going on inside her head. Ever since she was on the latest UpUpDownDown with Y/N, she couldn't help herself but think about him. Anything that came to mind immediatly turned into wishful thinking like Y/N saving her from a crash or anything for example. It was like nothing else mattered at the time, despite RAW coming up on monday and the preperations for Extreme Rules were going on. She had a match against Bianca Belair for the Pay-Per-View. This was going to be a challenge for sure and her current mindset didn't help very much. Fortunately there was a distraction in the form of Ruby coming over.

Ruby:" Hey Liv, are you there?"

Liv:" In the living room!"

Ruby smiled and shook her head as she walked towards the living room where Liv was frantically trying to stay as relaxed as possible, which was a feat to be sure.

Ruby:" Looks like something got you wrapped up today."

Liv:" I know and it has been like that ever since Thursday. I don't know how to describe it, it's...complicated."

Ruby:" Okay, then let's try to figure out what's going on with you. I'm sure it's nothing bad, y'know?"

Liv:" It's only bad when I say I fell for someone."

Ruby:" You did? Oh gosh, okay. Is it who I think it is?"

Liv:" That 'who' has a name, Rue. And yes...It's Y/N."

Ruby:" I knew it! I knew you wouldn't be able to last much longer."

Liv:" I know. It was been super weird ever since we were at Austin's place."

Ruby:" What did you do to him there?"

Liv:" First off: he was teasing me first, so I returned the favor. I made him lose by sitting in his lap and then finishing the match. Then I hung on to him like a monkey and told him about how much I care for him and that he's more than je lets people see."

Ruby listened with great interest as she took in what Liv just told her, internally thinking that this was too well done to be true. It has been a long while since she saw her best friend in such a predicament and seeing how Liv talked herself into a frenzy, Ruby had to intervene.

Ruby:" Alright, Liv. Breathe now before you continue."

Liv:" S-Sorry. Was I too much in the deep end?"

Ruby:" Yes, you were in this case. Think about everything for a moment. I will tell you my opinion about it first."

Liv nodded and leaned back with a thoughtful expression on her face while Ruby got ready to let her thoughts run free.

Ruby:" Okay. I wanna start with when you two met for the first time. You jumped on his back and thought he was one of our friends, talking to Austin. That night, the three of you went out to eat at a diner and you got to know Y/N a little better."

Liv:" Yeah, that's about right. He doesn't let anyone through though, so it was hard to get any information out of him."

Ruby:" I can imagine that, considering his past. Next up, you saved him from a random girl who wanted to hook up with him."

Liv:" That hoe had it coming, Ruby. I could see that Y/N wasn't doing well and she bothered him way too much."

Ruby:" So you couldn't stand the thought of Y/N being with someone else. I see."

Liv:" It's just that Y/N is so different in everything. His appearance, his personality, the way he acts, talks and does things. He has a hard shell, but underneath it seems to be a loving and kind man."

Ruby:" I don't doubt that one bit. After all, he's been through chaos for years. Not saying that you haven't though."

Liv:" Don't remind me. I'm past all this bullshit by now, focussing on what's currently going on."

Ruby:" Good to hear that. Can't have you breaking down because of something that happened earlier."

Liv:" Pfffft, breakdown can kiss my Jersey backside. I'm not that easily defeated and you know that."

Ruby:" Damn right. But back on topic. What are you gonna do about Y/N? I mean you can't just avoid him like that."

Liv:" I won't avoid him. C'mon, Ruby. I'm not a highschool girl who's afraid to talk to her crush."

Ruby:" Then go confess. Ask him out on a date. I'm sure he won't say No."

This got Liv thinking. On one hand, she really enjoyed the fun friendship she had with Y/N this far. On the other hand, she wanted to be more than just friends.
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At the same time in a small Cafè, Y/N met up with AJ and Austin for the time being. They didn't worry too much about Extreme Rules yet, knowing they would absolutely kill it in those. Surprisingly enough, Y/N was the first one to arrive, so he chuckled softly and went to a booth by the window to wait for his friends. He wasn't very concerned about last Thursday when he was on the latest UpUpDownDown, but it still kept his head busy for the most part. There was something going on between him and Liv and he knew it wasn't completely based on just friendship. The teases, the hugs, just everything was a bit out of the ordinary until the waiter arrived at the table.

Waiter:" Hello, Sir. What can I do for you?"

Y/N:" Oh hello. I'd like a Cafe Latte for the start. Two of my friends will be here soon too, so please prepare two Espresso for them."

Waiter:" Very well. The drinks will be out in about five minutes."

Y/N nodded and the waiter left, giving the stoic man time to think again. Was he falling for Liv? If so, when did it all start? Everything was so new to him at this point. He didn't deny anything, but being overwhelmed by such feelings didn't feel as nice as he first expected. Then again, Y/N liked being around Liv. He liked her bubbly and fun nature a lot and the things she did with him were mostly positive ones as well. Something about this felt like it was time to move to the next stage, but he didn't know how yet. Not to understand him wrong, but Y/N hasn't made the first move in a bit by now. Especially with no time for dating, the experience kind of faultered. Y/N was about to drift further into his thoughts until the door opened and AJ and Austin finally arrived, walking over to him.

AJ:" There you are."

Y/N:" You're exactly two minutes late."

Austin:" Are we?"

To emphasize his point, Y/N pointed to the clock on the wall as it actually showed that it was 10:32 am already and they were scheduled to meet exactly at 10:30.

AJ:" Aren't you a bit too strict now, Y/N? I mean it's just two minutes."

Y/N:" In battle, these two minutes would cost several lives, AJ. You can never lack behind."

Austin:" Okay, we got that now. Can we get to a normal chat?"

AJ and Y/N nodded as all three of them finally started to talk about some more casual things like what was going on in the last few days, the upcoming Network special over in Japan and how they would do it, especially since AJ woukd draw the most attention out of the bunch.

AJ:" All I'm saying is that these shows are unpredictable. Whenever I'm in Japan for something, a lot of stuff comes up from my time in NJPW."

Austin:" I don't doubt that. However, neither of us know who we'll be facing and that's what worries me."

Y/N:" You? I should be the worried one, because I know nothing about japanese wrestling."

AJ:" Gosh, this will be so weird."

Just then, Y/N had a notification on his phone, so in a moment of breaking the tension he looked at what was going on, his breath visibly hitching for a moment:

Liv:" I usually don't send stuff like this to anyone, but you're special, Y/N boo 😊. I hope we can talk again soon."

The big man had to take a few breaths before he was able to regain his composure in front of his friends. AJ looked on with some confusion in his eyes while Austin let out a bit of a laugh at how Y/N reacted.

Austin:" Hahaha okay, someone definitly got you hooked right there, Y/N."

AJ:" Ummm, can one of you explain? I don't follow the script at the moment."

Austin:" Gladly, because this story is awesome."

And with that, Austin explained what was currently going on with Y/N and Liv and how that developed ever since. To be honest, it was a big chunk of info for AJ to take in, even more so when it got to the last UpUpDownDown episode and what happened after. During all of that, Y/N remained silent and thoughtful about the message. Something told him that there,was going to be more behind it than just a chat with Liv. And he surely didn't want to disappoint her, so he answered her, saying he would be available again later in the day.

AJ:" Oh wow, she got you all wrapped up, Y/N. I thought you would be hard to get."

Y/N:" Even the toughest humans have some kind of weakness, I can tell you that. However, Liv is unlike any others, if you ask me."

Austin:" How exactly?"

Y/N:" Are you interrogating me, gentlemen?"

AJ:" No, but we can see that there's more than friendship between the two of you. So c'mon, spill the beans."

Austin:" You can't deny things forever, y'know? I mean I know what I saw and heard. And every time Liv talks about you, she almost gets herself into a frenzy."

Y/N:" I call major bs on that. Sure, Liv might talk about me, but I don't think it's all in that way."

AJ:" Sooner or later, your heart will tell you the truth. Your crush is as visible as the concrete."

Y/N:" Keep making these jokes and I'll bury you in Mexico."

Austin:" Easy, Y/N. No need to get vi-"

Just then a waiter came to the table and put the three cups of coffee Y/N ordered earlier on the table.

Waiter: One Cafe Latte."

Waiter: And two Espresso"

Y/N:" Thank you very much."

Waiter:" It's no problem at all. Enjoy the drinks."

After the waiter left again, there was one big question left and AJ took a leap of faith, asking it.

AJ:" So what do you actually feel for Liv?"

Austin:" Haha okay woah, AJ. Just woah."

Y/N:" You've got to be kidding right now. I'm not in court or anything."

AJ:" You're not, but we wanna know. You can't just dodge the question like that."

It was clear that Y/N was a little annoyed by that question and AJ's behavior, but it was true. He couldn't keep avoiding it and he knew very well that bottling everything up sure wasn't healthy.

Y/N:" You won't give up until I answer, so you better not tell anyone else about it. Is that clear?"

Austin:" As clear as daylight."

AJ:" Or water, depending on the point of view."

Y/N:" Good...My feelings for Liv are like this: I do like her, a lot. She's sweet, funny, clever, playful, kind, understanding and supportive. She's lighting up the room whenever she walks in and I can't help but smile whenever I see her. It's just...I don't know why she would like a former killer like me..."

Austin:" Hey man, don't be a downer now...You're a great man in our eyes and you're getting back on track as well."

AJ:" Yeah, we can't deny that you're always there when someone needs something or when they just need to vent and so on. Plus, you're also kind, understanding and supportive in your own way."

Y/N:" You think so?"

AJ:" Of course, buddy. Otherwise, we wouldn't have said these things.

Austin:" Exactly. We're as honest as de can be."

Y/N:" You better be or I'll kick your asses."

The three shared a laugh with each other after their honesty, which showed how their friendship developed up to this point. It felt good for Y/N to just let go of some worries and relax with some people he could trust. However, the thoughts about Liv stayed in the back of his mind during the rest if the conversation, making it a little harder to concentrate. Only time would tell what might await him.