Requested by veronika_nicolette_f

I'm sorry it took me so long to get this out!  I just could not figure out what to write or how to write it.

I couldn't really find a way to include the extra that you included, but I hope that's okay, and I hope you like it! :)

(Also, I've never heard of this song or of the singer, but I think it's country, so that must be why lmao)

Never Like This – Danielle Bradbery

I love him.

Weird thought to wake up to, huh? Especially when it's the one I've been waking up to for about a week now.

Who is the "him"? None other than TJ Perkins.

We haven't been dating longer, just a little over two months, so the fact that I keep waking up to this thought is a little scary. I knew him for a year before we actually started dating, and that makes me feel less frightened by this thought, this sentence, these three words.

I love him.

I've never told a guy that I've loved him before, and I'm afraid that he won't feel the same, or he'll reply with "thank you" or start a sentence with "oh no..."

I really don't want that.

I sit up, turn, and let my feet hang over the bed. I look at the other bed in the room, which is occupied by Sasha Banks. We haven't even been dating long enough for me to feel comfortable sleeping in the same room as him, let alone the same bed.

Sasha was still asleep, so I stood up and quietly walked to the bathroom, where I took a shower.

***

I eventually decided that I would tell him tonight. We had a house show, which is where we currently are, and then we'd be going out to eat afterward. He would be facing Neville, while I would be in a 6-woman tag match.

He was currently in the ring. My match was next, so I was stretching. Sasha and Bayley – my partners for the night – were with me, and we were talking.

"So, how is everything is The Dab Master?" Bayley asked, smirking.

"Oh my god, quit calling him that, Bayley," I said, and Sasha laughed.

"How's it going with TJ?" She asked, and Bayley pouted.

"Everything's great," I replied.

My voice must have given something away, because Sasha asked, "But...?"

I couldn't respond, though, because TJ walked backstage at that moment. He smiled when he saw me.

"Good luck out there," He said.

"Thanks." I smiled.

I gave him a quick kiss before he walked away to shower. Neville walked past us a few seconds later, and once they were both nowhere near us, I spoke.

"I..." I trailed off, unsure if I should even tell them. "I think I love him."

Bayley's eyes lit up. "What? That's great! What's so bad about that?"

"We've only been dating for two months," I told her. "It's too soon to tell him that, isn't it?"

"He probably feels the same way," Sasha said.

"But what if he doesn't?" I asked.

"There's only one way to find out," She said. Her music hit at that time, so she put her sunglasses on, and walked out.

***

I stepped out of the women's locker room, showered and dressed. TJ was leaning against the wall, on his phone, but when he saw me, he smiled and put it in his pocket.

"Hey, ready to go?" He asked.

I smiled. "Yeah, let's go."

I was quiet on the car ride there. We had the radio on, though, so I mouthed some of the words, so that it looked like I was listening to it instead of what I was really doing – freaking out on the inside.

When we finally got to the restaurant – a local place that closed in about an hour – we went inside, and besides ordering our drinks, I still didn't say much. I was also avoiding looking at him, instead focusing my eyes on the walls, the table, literally anywhere that wasn't him.

"Veronika," He said, and I was forced to look at him. He was frowning. "Is something wrong?"

"No." I shook my head, then looked down at the table.

"Did I do something wrong?" He asked.

I looked at him again. "No, TJ. You haven't done anything wrong, I promise. I'm just... thinking."

"About what?" He asked. When I didn't reply, he continued talking. "Like, good thinking or bad thinking? Is this going where I think it's going? Because I – "

"I love you," I interrupted him, surprising not only him, but myself. I could feel my cheeks getting hot, so I quickly looked back down at the table.

"What?"

"Um..." I was much softer this time, and I didn't meet his gaze. "I love you."

The waitress came at that time, giving us our drinks. I mumbled a quick thank you, but didn't meet her eyes either.

It was silent for what felt like ages, but was only about two minutes.

I was going through all the possible ways this night could go, all of them bad. Would he dump me? Was I moving too fast for him? Did I just possibly ruin our relationship?

"Hey." I finally made myself look at him. He smiled at me. "I love you, too."

"Really?" I found myself asking.

"I was just telling Sasha the other day that... well, that I think I love you," He explained. "But I was afraid you'd think we were moving too fast, so I kept it to myself."

I remembered Sasha saying that I should just tell him, and I smiled.

"Good thing I said it first, then," I said, and he laughed.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"TJ?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Veronika."

---

"Wake up, put my feet on the floor. I see colors I've never seen before. It scares me and shakes me down the core, 'cause I know for certain that nothing's for sure."