This was requested by ItsJackieL! :)

Hope you like it!

***
The Only Exception - Paramore

"Oh my god."

I stared at the screen in shock. Cesaro, my best friend, was in a match against Roman Reigns. They were fighting in a tournament for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship that Seth Rollins had to give up when he got injured.

Well, Cesaro definitely just got injured.

He had been complaining about his shoulder for at least a month, and after a move by Roman, I could tell it was injured. Not just because of how it jerked back, but his face clearly showed that he was in pain.

I expected them to stop the match, but they kept going. Knowing him, he probably told them that he was fine.

The minute the match ended and Roman won, I practically ran to Gorilla. Roman was still in the ring celebrating, but Cesaro walked through.

"Oh my god," I said. "Are you okay?"

"Eh, I've been better," He replied, smirking. It quickly turned to a frown.

"Oh my god," I repeated.

"Very helpful, Mary."

"I'm sorry!" I exclaimed. "But my best friend just broke his shoulder!"

"I don't think it's broken," He protested. "But I'm going to see the doctor and we'll see what he says."

"Oh my – "

"That isn't helping!" He said. "And you're not coming with me."

"Why not?"

"If I did break my shoulder, you'll start freaking out," He said. "I'd rather you freak out privately than in front of the doctor."

I frowned. "Fine..."

We reached the room, so he walked inside and I waited in the hallway. After a few minutes, I began pacing. I was impatient, and it's already hard enough waiting for you friend to tell you what's wrong with him.

After who knows how long, the door opened and Cesaro walked out.

"Oh – " I started, but stopped myself. "What's wrong? Is it broken?"

"I tore a muscle," He said. He began walking, so I began following him. "I have to get surgery."

"When?"

"As soon as I can," He replied. "Tomorrow, if possible." When I didn't say anything, he rolled his eyes and smiled a little. "You can say it."

"Oh my god."

***

The Next Day:

"Mary?" I quickly stood up. "He's done. We're wanting to keep him overnight, but he's awake and you can go talk to him."

"Thank you," I said, calmly, even though I was freaking out on the inside.

I followed the doctor down the hall, and he showed me to his room. He opened the door, and I walked in.

"Mary!" Cesaro exclaimed, laughing. He mumbled something in French.

They had definitely given him some painkillers.

"What?" I asked.

"Je t'aime tant,"  He repeated, louder this time.

"I don't speak French," I reminded him. I walked over to him, sitting down in the chair next to his bed.

"Oh, right," He said, nodding. He reached over and grabbed my hand. "Mary."

I raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Je t'aime tant," He repeated. "It means I love you so much."

My eyes widened. "What?"

"I love you."

"I know," I said, quickly. "You don't have to keep repeating it."

"Do you not know?" He asked, confused.

"That you love me?" He nodded. "No, of course I don't know! You've never told me that before."

"I wonder why..." He mumbled. He perked up. "Oh, wait, I know!" He looked at me. "Forget I said it, okay? I wasn't supposed to tell you."

"Sure," I said, nodding.

How the hell am I just supposed to forget that? My best friend just told me he loved me!

I looked over at Cesaro, and he had fallen asleep. I rolled my eyes. I stood up and decided to leave.

***

A Few Days Later:

"Mary!" Cesaro exclaimed, banging on the hotel room door. "Why are you ignoring me?"

"I'm not ignoring you!" I replied, not moving from my spot on my bed. "I'm just not talking to you!"

"Why?" He asked. He had stopped banging.

I sighed, standing up and walking to the door. I opened it, and he was standing there, his arm in a sling.

"Get in here," I said, moving out of the way. He walked in. "We need to talk."

"About what?" He asked, as I shut the door. I didn't want to move, so I just turned and leaned against the door.

"After your surgery, I came in and we talked," I said.

He frowned. "You did?"

"Yeah," I said. "You weren't awake for very long."

"Oh."

"You were also high on the painkillers they gave you," I explained. "So you were out of it. And you said..." I paused, making sure I said the words correctly. "You said Je t'aime tant."

"Why did I say that?" He asked. "You don't speak French."

"That's the problem you see here?" I asked.

"No, sorry," He said, shaking his head. "Well...What did you say?"

"You thought I already knew, so I just told you I didn't," I explained. "And then you said I wasn't supposed to know, and before I could say anything else, you fell asleep."

"Oh."

"Why wasn't I supposed to know?" I asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I knew you'd react this way," He said.

"What way?"

"You've been ignoring me for two days!" He exclaimed.

"Oh, yeah..." I mumbled. "I'm sorry. It's just – "

"Your last boyfriend sucked," He finished for her. "Yes, I remember. I was the one who convinced you to break up with him, remember?"

I looked down at the floor. "Yeah..."

"And I'm the one who's been here for you since," He said. "So how are you going to ignore me for telling you I loved you? How – "

I interrupted him, grabbing his face and kissing him. When I ended it, our faces were still close together.

"I haven't dated anyone since him," I said. "And that was a long time ago. I'm just afraid to get into another relationship, since that one was so bad. I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt me, though. I didn't mean to ignore you. I just didn't know what else to do. I...I love you, too."

"I understand," He said, grabbing my hands. "So we can take it slow. Okay?"

"Okay," I said, softly.

"Je t'aime, Mary."

"Je t'aime."

---

"And I've always lived like this, keeping a comfortable distance. And up until now, I had sworn to myself that I'm content with loneliness. Because none of it was ever worth the risk. Darling, you are the only exception."