After RAW
Gionna's POV

As I get back to the locker room, Anne looks at me with a knowing smirk.

Anne: The Gionna I know would've melted right there in that ring. You changed the story in the ring.

I try not to smirk as I pack my bags and get my luggage situated. She's right. There was a time I would've killed to have him right where he was tonight. Right between my legs, our lips inches apart...but that was before I learned who he is.

Anne: Hunter is tired of the fighting. He said to tell you that you're riding with Caleb for the foreseeable future.

Me: What!?! I'm gonna let him have a piece of my mind!

Anne: You need to do this. You guys are gonna be stuck together anyway. If you can't be civil, talk about the one thing you both love.

Me: Too late! Already mad!

Anne: Why do I even try anymore?

She mumbles as I leave the locker room and march over to the gorilla, where I know Hunter still is.

Caleb's POV

I pack my bags in my group's locker room, then there's a knock on the door.

Hunter: Decent?

Me: Just me, you're good.

He opens the door and Gionna walks in behind him with her bags. She stops at the doorway and freezes for a second. Her eyes wander over me for a moment before her fed-up, cocky half smirk, half grimace comes back.

Hunter: Small change on the riding schedule. It'll be easier to go ahead and start it now, rather than wait. So, you two are riding together tonight onward for the foreseeable future.

Me: I know why you're doin' this, Hunter. It's not gonna work.

Hunter: It better. For everyone's sake. You two used to be really close. So close, we almost asked if you were dating for HR purposes.

Me: You had Anne ask. I remember. Look, if you think it's what the company needs then...okay.

Hunter: Thank you. I know this isn't easy for either of you and I appreciate what you're doing. Both of you.

Anne's POV

Colby joins me as Gionna and Caleb load up into the truck. They aren't saying a thing to each other. As much as many would appreciate silence, they wouldn't appreciate this kind. This is tense silence. Like watching a bomb disposal unit do their job in person.

Hunter: Do you really think it's gonna work?

Me: Of course. It was my idea. Nothing forces people to bond like a road trip across the country.

Colby: You expect them two to make it to Dallas, then to Georgia without killing each other?

Me: They'll make it. They used to drive across the country together all the time. They'll be fine.

Caleb's POV

Gionna: I don't see why we couldn't just fly...

Me: I don't fly if I can help it.

Gionna: Still afraid of heights, huh?

Me: It's not the height. It's hitting the ground when my clumsy ass falls down from said height that's the problem.

Gionna: Have you tried not falling, dumbass?

Me: Anytime I'm up somewhere, it's to jump off it.

Gionna: You're not one of the-

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

The ring tone fills the truck thanks to the Bluetooth connecting my phone to the radio. I look over at her a smirk. The name "Matt Hardy" appears on the radio screen.

Me: You were saying?

I hit the answer button on the touchscreen and the sound of Matt and Jeff's voices fill the truck. Sounds like they're on speakerphone while driving themselves.

Me: Hello?

Matt: Yeah, just turn left up here. Hey, Cee. Saw RAW, great work, man.

Me: Thanks, Matty. Whatcha need?

Matt: We wanna get you involved, and Liv if she's able, with our match. They're already bringin' Fraxiom and Cora from NXT, but since you're back with WWE now and they're partnerin' with TNA, we wanted to know if you'd be involved.

Me: After all TNA's done for me, you bet I'm in.

Jeff: Great, man. They're gonna put you in the front row, put the camera on you, all that. We already talked to the boss man.

So that's why he put me with Gionna. He wants us to go to TNA together. Excellent.

Gionna: I'll be there.

Matt: Oh, she's with you? Hey, Liv, how're you?

Gionna: I've been better.

She says, shooting a glare at me. Her arms are crossed and she's clearly just playing nice for the Hardyz.

Matt: We'll send you more once we get it. Thanks, guys.

Jeff: Seriously, thank you.

Me: Anytime. Bye, guys.

The phone call ends and we sit in the most awkward, uncomfortable, painful silence I've ever been in. Fuck, I'd take her yelling at me over this. Before I can react, she snatches my phone out of my lap with an eye roll and starts scrolling through my music. I choose to be like Elsa and let it go until she plays the one song that she could use against me.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

As the song starts, I look over and raise an eyebrow at her. She lowers her phone, having already taken a picture of me. Gionna giggles to herself and points a finger at me.

Me: You think this song bothers me?

Gionna: Considering you are a womanizer-in-denial, yes.

Me: That's where you're wrong, Shortstack. There's a reason that song's on my phone...

I pull up to the red light and come to a stop, then look back over at her.

Me: It's 'cause I know all the words.

The chorus starts and I start singing along with it as the light turns green. I pull forward and start driving again, flawlessly keeping up with Britney while I do.

Gionna's POV

Shit. Major backfire. The younger Gionna Daddio smiles inside me as I see a familiar sight I had hoped I'd never see again, for all the wrong reasons. Caleb Winters, Mr. Intercontinental himself, having fun and goofing around while driving. Just like all those years ago, it was to prove a point. One time, Lexi bet he couldn't keep up *NSYNC. She lost. She should've known, considering she was one of his victims.

Caleb: Remember the *NSYNC bet?

Me: Yeah...Yeah, I do.

I say reminiscently. Not entirely sure how he knew what I was thinking, but still, I remember that drive well.

Me: Lexi should've known you could keep up. You guys were fucking at the time.

Caleb: What!?

He asks loudly, then breaks out laughing. I furrow my eyebrows as he looks over at me quickly, then back to the road.

Caleb: Who told you that? I mean, we kissed once. In her defense, she was drunk off her ass and it was New Year's Eve. The ball had just dropped, she just broke up with that British dude that used to hang around all the time, and I was standing next to her. It was no big deal. Definitely never fucked though.

Me: Then why do you two text so often?

Caleb: 'Cause that's my Lil Big Sis Bliss.

Me: Incest kink? Weird.

Caleb: What? No, it's not like that. After we did the kiss thing, we both said we wouldn't work if we dated because she's a Buckeyes fan and I'm a Vols fan, which didn't go over well this past season in the playoffs. Anyway, since then, she's been like an older sister to me, but she's borderline microscopic, so she's Lil Big Sis Bliss.

Me: Do you text "I hope you're ready to get your ass pounded" to all your female friends?

Caleb: When I'm rooting against their football team, abso-fuckin'-lutely. Said the same thing to Duncan when the Vols played Kentucky.

Damn. Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn. Damn. That's twice I've misread situations. Ah ha! I got one! This'll get him.

Me: What about you and Mandy?

Caleb: Gionna, that was a storyline.

Me: Then why are you two always so awkward around each other? And why's she always so flirty with you?

Caleb: One, I don't exactly get along well with her. No hostility or anything, she's a sweetheart, but I can't hold a conversation with her. Two, she asked me to make one of them videos she makes with her once and I turned her down. She still hasn't given up on it. She tried to bring Macey into it, I still said no.

Me: So you never...?

Caleb: She's a married woman, Gionna!

Me: Why would that stop you!?

Caleb: Because it's a fucking sin, dude! I'm not gonna fuck a married woman! Man, I don't know where my friend Gionna went, but you sure as hell ain't her, 'cause she knew me! She knew me better than anyone! This...whatever the hell you are now...this bitter, angry, short-tempered, bitchy, immature brat, it needs to fuckin' stop! Now!

Me: I'M NOT ANY OF THOSE THINGS!!!

Caleb: THAT'S ALL YOU'VE BEEN TO ME!!! Fuck...

He pulls over the truck at a gas station, climbs out of the cab, then slams the door shut. He walks into the gas station, comes back out with a bunch of snacks, throws them into the seat, then starts filling the tank. I look down at my lap where some of the snacks had landed due to how hard he threw it into the truck. Jolly Ranchers, a few different types of chips, and different flavors of Gatorades.

I can hear him mumbling outside. He's cussing under his breath, trying his best to calm down. Yes, he can talk loud and match my volume, it's why we've always gotten along...why we used to at least...but on his list of things he hates, it's losing his temper on a woman he cares about. He gets loud when he argues, but he's not yelling when he does. Don't make the mistake of accusing him of yelling when he's not, just a head's up on that one.

As I look out at him and see him fuming with anger, his eyes sorrowful as well, it breaks my heart. I thought I could stay mad at him. I thought I could hate him. I can't hate him. How could I? I never even gave him a chance to explain himself. I can't hate him...

I turn my head away from him and look out of my window. I glance at the GPS really quick, then look back out of the window. I lean my head against the cool glass and silent tears begin to streak from my eyes. I really tried. I really, really tried to hate him...

Anne: Watch these.

That's all her text says. There's several pictures and videos that she sent along with it. I debate whether or not to look at them now and my curiosity gets the better of me. I scroll slowly through the pictures. Some of them are of us doing various things. The first one was him talking to me after I debuted with the Riott Squad. I still had the pink hair and everything. Other pictures were of him talking to Hunter, Shawn, and Vince.

Me: What's he talking to them about?

Anne: You.

I scroll and click on a video, which is clearly being recorded discretely. As I watch the video, my eyes widen more and more until they can't anymore. The video is actually made up of several smaller ones. In each video, Caleb pitched storylines to push the Riott Squad, then just to push me after the Riott Squad split. Before I can finish scrolling through them, the driver door opens and Caleb climbs in. I scramble to turn the video off without him noticing, then cross my arms and pretend to be mad at him so he won't talk to me. The whole time, I bite my lip, trying to keep myself from wrapping my arms around him and letting out all of my emotions at once. I keep my eyes focused on the world outside as tears stream from my eyes.

Hotel

We get to the hotel, where they inform us that one of the rooms was completely trashed, so they only have one of the nicer rooms WWE booked ahead of time (without telling us, obviously).

Caleb: Got any other rooms?

He asks, completely exhausted. His eyes are tired, but he's doing his best to remain polite and have a good attitude about things. The short brunette attendant, Lydia, checks her computer and nods.

Lydia: One on the ground floor. I'm not gonna lie to you, it's not the best.

Caleb: I'll take it. Let's go.

He does all the paying and stuff, grabs our keys, then helps me get my bags to the room. When I open the door, it's definitely one of the more luxurious hotel rooms I've been in. Caleb sets my bags down at the door and turns to leave.

Me: Wait!

He pauses and turns around, clearly not in the mood to put up with more of my venom, but just doing so to humor me. I fidget with my thumbs, then speak after taking a deep breath.

Me: What if...What if you stay in here...just for a while? Y'know...in case there's fans here. Gotta sell the story right?

He looks down to the ground by his left foot, taking a minute to consider my words. He drops his bags down, then looks at me. Crap. He can see it, can't he?

Caleb: How long have you been crying?

Me: It just started back up. D-Don't try to change the subject-

Caleb: Gionna, I-...Okay. Okay, for the story's sake.

I smile a little, then snuggle up on the bed, trying to get as comfortable as possible without looking at him too much. He sits down at the edge of the bed, completely away from me. It's almost as if he thinks I'm going to give him some incurable disease.

Me:...I'm-

Caleb: Forget it, Gionna...

Me: But I-

Caleb: Do you know what it means to hate someone, Gionna? It means to kill someone in your heart. To wish death on them...And you were okay with that being our final goodbye when I went to TNA. The damage is done, Gionna.

I sit in silence, then turn away from him. I can't look at him. Not now. Not after hearing how he interprets what I said. In his mind, I told him I wished he was dead repeatedly. Tears silently stream from my face before I finally speak up.

Me: I don't wish you were dead, Caleb. I never meant it that way...

Caleb: I know you didn't...That's why I'm still here.

I smile, but I don't turn around to face him. His presence in this room is more than enough for me.

Me: I only meant half of what I said when you left...

Caleb: I know...but that wasn't the half that stuck.

The Next Morning

I wake up in bed early in the morning. Very early. Too early for my liking. As soon as I open my eyes, I check my phone and see a text from the Queenslayer.

Anne: This one is the most important.

I squint and fumble around the nightstand, then grab my glasses. I put them on and in my dazed state, I press play on the video. It's a deleted scene from the documentary WWE made about my life. It starts with Brie kicking me in the head, which gave me that concussion years ago. Then, it shows something I've never seen before. Caleb is sitting in a chair and one of the production people starts talking to him.

Producer: Is there anything you would like to say to her if she was standing here in front of you, past or present?

In the video, Caleb hangs his head in thought for a moment, then looks back at the camera. He has a friendly, comforting smirk. His face is much younger, not that he's aged much. The beard just makes him look older.

Caleb: To past Gionna, I'd tell her to speak her mind more. Take risks, stand up for yourself, make them notice you. Know your worth. See you how I see you. We're rooting for you. I'm rooting for you.

Producer: And to present Gionna?

Caleb: To present Gionna...I'd tell her I'm proud of her. She's come a long way since she was that scared girl wearing the football jersey and the backwards hat. We love you, Gionna. The fans do, everyone back here does, I do...You've barely scratched the surface, Gio. Go get 'em. Love ya, girly.

As the video ends, I wipe my eyes and readjust my glasses. He used to tell us that all the time. Any woman he remotely cares about, he'll say "love ya, girly" to. But how does he love me? Maybe I'm reading too much into this. He used to say that all the time. I heard him tell an AT&T operator that he loves them while he was hanging up once. Could just be one of his southern quirks.

Me: What does he mean when he said loves me?

Anne: Here. What does this tell you?

I click on the video she sent and it starts with Caleb watching one of my matches on the monitor. Then, Brie clobbers me with a kick. It's the kick that gave me a concussion. The video shows him looking on in concern, checking on me in the trainer's office, and then barging into the gorilla.

Caleb: Did anyone bother to check that Brie could actually still wrestle before bringin' her back? Gionna's got a concussion now!

Stephanie: I know you're upset, Caleb, but-

Caleb: But nothin', Steph. This is bullshit! What if it had been Charlotte? Or Lexi? Hell, even Mercedes? You'd make sure Brie was completely ready to roll before puttin' her in there with 'em. But because it's "just Gionna", you didn't think twice. This oversight, her concussion, which thankfully isn't super horrible, is on your heads!

Vince: You got a lot of nerve, kid!

Caleb: You bet your ass I do! I call it like I see it! This was an oversight that could've been way worse! But thank God it was just the new girl, right!? Fine me, book me to lose for the rest of my WWE career, whatever! Hell, fire me if you want to, but don't ever let this happen again! Thank you, goodnight!

As he leaves, the camera person (who I can only assume is Anne) stays in her little spot. Hunter, Stephanie, and Shawn all chuckle and shake their heads.

Shawn: Remind you of anyone?

Hunter: Mark.

Stephanie: Definitely. It's been a long time since someone's come in to defend someone else like that.

Vince: I like that kid. He's got guts.

Shawn: I'm just glad he came in here after he talked to her instead of during the match. Would've been way worse.

Hunter: One day, that boy'll be the face of this company. He and Gionna both.

Stephanie: That's for damn sure.

The video ends and I sit there, stunned silent by the information I've just gathered. He loves me...he vouched for me...and he defended me. Not publicly or by making a scene. He did it privately, consistently.

Anne: There hasn't been a day where he wasn't in your corner, Gio.

Me: I already screwed it up.

Anne: Then fix it. Good luck.

Caleb's POV

Jeff: I got the perfect idea. We can try it when you get here.

Me: You really think you can bridge the gap between us?

Jeff: Sure, man. Look, I've done my fair share of rebuilding bridges. I got an idea that might work.

Me: Awesome. We're gonna haul ass down that way and hang around until the show. We gotta stay in Texas until Monday anyway.

Jeff: Endin' your Homecoming tour in Atlanta, huh? Sounds fun, man. I'm glad you're still doin' what you love. Now we just gotta get you through this bump in the road.

Me: Sounds good to me. See ya later, Jeff. Thanks for the help.

The call ends and I zip up my bag, put my phone in my pocket, and take the elevator back to Gionna's room. When the door opens, Gionna is standing there with all of her bags.

A small, hopeful smirk crosses her face, almost as if she's glad to see me. Then, her usual morning face takes its place. Fortunately, I came prepared.

Me: Caffeine?

I hold out a coffee cup for her. She smirks again, then takes the cup and sips it. I bring the rest of her bags into the elevator with us and we go through the whole checkout. The silence isn't as uncomfortable today. It's more like a peaceful coexistence now. Still not what we had once, but it's better than nothing. Now we just have to drive to Dallas, then take some time to go over our spots and our roles while we wait on TNA to work out everything else.

Gionna's POV

I'm going to do my best to repair the damage done, but right now, the coexistence is good enough for me. At least for right now. I'll probably get bored half an hour from now when the caffeine really hits. That's future me's problem. The only problem I have now is a lingering question brewing in the back of my mind. If he really loves me, why has he never told me? Why hide his feelings in a deleted clip of a documentary about me? Why keep it a secret that he vouched for me repeatedly? For keeping these secrets, I despise him...