Test peered into the mirror, taking a deep breath. His hair was freshly washed and dried, brushed to perfection. The long blonde locks gleamed in the light, falling over his shoulders in gentle waves. He was dressed in a tight black tank top and black leather pants which hugged his long legs and hips. He glanced around the hotel room, which was strewn with roses, a large red heart box filled with chocolates resting on the perfectly made bed.
Test took another deep breath, opening his mouth to practice saying it.
"I love you."
He gazed at his reflection. That hadn't been so hard.
"I love you," he repeated.
It wasn't hard at all, now that he'd said it for the first time.
"I love you, Booker," Test said again.
The tall blonde smiled to himself. Tonight would be the night he would actually say it. He had never really planned on falling in love, although a part of him as always wanted it. His affair with Booker had begun as nothing more than a casual fling, yet it had become so much more than that. It had become a beautiful relationship, one Test never wanted to leave.
Test played with a lock of his hair while he thought over all his wonderful memories with Booker. In the months they had been together, there had been dozens upon dozens of deep conversations, nights spent cuddled up together in bed watching a movie, gentle kisses, romantic gestures, and, of course, moments of incredible passion.
Test smiled dreamily, feeling excitement build inside of him. There was one important step they had yet to take, and that was exchange ‘I love you's. He had no doubt in his mind that when he said it, Booker would say it back, and the thought of hearing those beautiful words from his lover's lips made him feel more than a little giddy.
Test jumped when his phone rang, quickly diving for it in case it was Booker.
" ‘Lo?" he answered in his typical manner.
Booker's familiar laugh filled the line. "Hey babe. Listen, I'm gonna be a bit late, traffic's a bitch tonight! You don't have to wait up for me, get yourself to bed so you can be as beautiful in the morning as you always are."
Test blushed, feeling even more warm inside. "I'll do that. Wake me when you get here honey."
"And disturb my angel when he's sleeping? Never. I'll see you in the morning, beautiful."
"Ok. Bye." Test hung up the phone, swooning from Booker's lovely words. He grinned to himself, deciding that he would meet his lover in the lobby and surprise him, then get him back up to their hotel room to profess his love.
Test giggled like a schoolgirl as he hustled out the door, feeling a bit foolish but not caring in the least. He hurried down to the lobby, sequestering himself in a little around of chair off to the side of the large room. He took a seat that allowed him to see the door, but did not allow him to be seen by anyone who had just entered the hotel. He waited impatiently, his heart beating loudly in his chest and his stomach doing flip-flops, partly from nervousness, but mostly from excitement.
Finally, after when seemed like a very long time, Test saw the familiar dark head of his lover. He jumped up, swiftly walking to one of the lobby's wide marble polls and concealing himself behind it, planning to spring out as his lover walked by.
Then, he noticed the other man by Booker's side. Jeff Hardy was walking with him, hanging all over the taller man. Test stiffened, his eyes narrowing as the pair stopped, both glancing around to see if anyone was nearby.
"Bookie baby, come up to my room, just for a few minutes," Jeff pouted, hanging shamelessly on the other man and doing a ridiculously overacted pout.
Booker chuckled, wrapping his arms around Jeff, his hands firmly grabbing the young man's ass. "Baby you know the old ball and chain is waiting for me!"
"Aw, I'm sure he's long asleep by now," Jeff whined, pressing himself against Booker. "Come on Bookie, pwease?" He batted his eyes at Booker.
"Well, I guess a few minutes wouldn't hurt," Booker chuckled, leaning down to kiss Jeff before pulling him off towards the elevators.
Test just stared after them for a moment, his heart nothing but a shattered mass. He couldn't believe that Booker, his lover, the man he had fallen in love with, had betrayed him with a cheap whore like Jeff Hardy. Slowly, he stumbled over to the elevator, feeling numb as he rode up to his floor. He slowly walked back to his room, dragging his feet and staring at the floor.
The second the door was closed behind him, tears began to spill down his face. He let himself weep, sobbing bitterly as he stomped around the room, snatching up every rose and casting them all into the trash can. Picking up the heart box, he dumped all the chocolates into the trash, then tore the paper heart in half and threw it in as well. He pulled off his tank top, the one Booker liked best, and kicked off his pants, discarding his sexy black thong and pulling on a pair of ordinary boxers. He turned off all the lights and crawled under the covers, crying into his pillow. He didn't understand what had gone wrong. Everything had seemed perfect, and now this. Booker, the man he would have nominated as the best man in the world, was nothing but a cheating, lying scumbag who thought of him as nothing more than ‘the old ball and chain'.
Eventually his tears dried, but his heart still felt like it was bleeding. Test couldn't sleep, no matter how much he wanted to drift off into a happy dream, a dream in which Booker loved him, and never wake up. His breath caught in his throat when he heard the door open. He held perfectly still, closing his eyes and pretending to be asleep.
"Test, baby? You awake?" Booker whispered. Test could here him walking over to the bed and undressing, but kept quiet. He forced himself to stay absolutely still as Booker slipped into bed, the other man planting a kiss on the top of his head and wrapping an arm around his waist.
Test waited a few minutes until Booker's breathing had evened out in sleep, then opened his eyes. He hesitated for a moment, then turned around, pressing his body tightly against Booker's and holding his lover close. He laid his head against Booker's chest, curling up the way he always liked to sleep. He knew in the morning he would leave Booker, no matter what excuses the his lover tried to feed him, but for one last night he wanted to sleep in the other man's arms and at least pretend he was loved.
THE END