"I'd change my whole life for her... she thinks I'm this huge bad guy but I'd change for her. I really would."

They say that everyone has a soulmate. That one person who means the world to you and you'd do anything for because you are so in love with them. That's what Michelle Matthews was to Mike Mizanin. He'd thought so when they first met and began their relationship. But, his bad boy reputation interferred with their love. That's who he was though. He was a player. He loved women and that wasn't going to change just because he was labeled someones "boyfriend."

Mike had never been a real boyfriend before. Sure, he had stupid little relationships in middle school and high school and then he had a little thing with Maryse, but nothing lasted long enough for him to consider it "real love." But, Michelle was different. He fell fast and he fell were a perfect couple. They were opposites in many ways but the one thing they really had in common was their love for each other. He was tall, muscular, good-looking and she was a petite, pretty girl. Not only did they look good together, but they made each other genuinely happy.

Or at least, they were happy until Michelle had her heart broken. Before her and Mike started dating, she had known of his player reputation. Which is why when he first asked her out, she declined. But, when he wouldn't let up, and asked her out daily (more than once sometimes) for a month straight, she couldn't say no. She had liked him since she first debuted as a valet for Evan Bourne, so saying no at first had been difficult. All the other divas told her to keep away though. He was bad news. An asshole. Selfish, conceited, egotistical, rude. They came up with about every name in the book to describe Mike. But, him and his relentless attempts at asking her out won her over. If he didn't really like her, why would he continue to try and take her out?

That first date was the start of many and after awhile, they made it official. Mike and Michelle were a couple. It was a little after a year when she got the phone call from Rosa. Rosa, who had known what it was like to be rather new and not have anyone respect you very much, had made it her duty to look for her and the two had quickly become best friends. Part of her job as best friend was to let her know if she thought something was wrong, and she definitely thought something was wrong.

"Rosa, what are you talking about?" Michelle asked, confused and scared and upset. So many emotions running through her as she talked to her friend.

"He was going into her room, Michelle. He was going in there. He went in about an hour ago. I didn't see it but Nattie did and she said that she was smirking and he just looked... conflicted." Rosa's voice was soft. Michelle knew she hated to be telling her this. Her boyfriend was going into someone else's hotel room... that was never easy to tell someone, especially not your best friend. "But, hey, it was Nattie and she might have been confused."

Michelle sighed and shook her head, although it couldn't be seen through the phone. Nattie was another good friend of Michelles, and Michelle knew she wasn't confused. She knew what she saw. "No... I believe it."

Tears were starting to build in Michelle's eyes and she was about to break into hysterics. It showed in her voice apparantely, because Rosa sighed. "Oh, sweetie, you are far too good for him. You can do so much better. Mike is a no good asshole and he always will be. You decide whats best for you, okay?"

Rosa's words brought a very small smile to Michelle's face. She really was a good friend. Before she could respond, Rosa spoke up, her voice was hurried.

"Nattie just came back in the room and she said he's leaving her room right now."

Michelle immediately hung up the phone. She knew it was rude, but Rosa would understand. Storming across her own hotel room, she opened the door and peaked her head out. There he was. A few doors down, standing in the doorway of that blonde bimbo. A smirk was on her face and he was biting his lips. He did look conflicted, like Nattie had told Rosa. As soon as she shut the door and he turned to head to his and Michelle's room, he looked up and he froze. "Michelle..." he managed to say a few moments later.

The brunette just shook her head. She knew she looked a mess, with black eyeliner streaking down her face and her cheeks red from the anger she felt, but she didn't care. "We need to talk."

"Dude, you cheated on her with Kelly after a year of being together. Did you really expect her to forgive you?" It had been a week since the night Michelle had dumped him over him sleeping with Kelly, and Mike had been spending a lot of his time backstage talking to newfound friend and his NXT rookie, Alex Riley about the situation.

"Yes! It was a mistake. I don't know why she can't see that."

"Okay, listen. You keep telling me that you'd change for her, but... have you told her this?"

Mike sighed loudly and shook his head. "She won't talk to me anymore. Even that night she barely said anything to me, and then every time I tried to talk she'd stop me. She was pissed."

"Wouldn't you be?" Alex asked, trying to make his friend understand.

"What? Would I be pissed if Michelle slept with Kelly? No, that'd be hot, dude."

Alex slapped himself on the forehead and just shook his head. "No, if she cheated on you with another guy. Wouldn't that piss you off and totally break your heart?" Mike was silent, and Alex took that as an answer. "That's how she felt."

"Okay well, great. I know this now. But it doesn't matter. She hates me and pretends I don't exsist."

Reaching over to pat Mike on the shoulder, Alex gave him a smile. "Michelle loves me. I'll talk to her for you."

Mike grinned, knowing that Michelle and Alex really had grown close and were almost like brother and sister. She would definitely listen to him. "Thanks, Alex. I appreciate that."

xxxxxxxxxxx

"No!" Michelle said, turning her back on Alex and continuing her journey down the hall. Alex rushed after her, walking behind her as he continued to talk.

"Come on, Michelle. Just talk to him. He's a broken man. He's really hurting."

Michelle rolled her eyes, walking quickly. Evan's match was coming up and she needed to find him so they could get ready. "I refuse to talk to him. He's a cheating asshole. If he wants to talk to someone so badly, he can go find Kelly and talk to her."

Letting out a loud sigh, Alex sped up his feet so he could turn to stand in front of her. Putting a hand on her shoulder to stop her from walking, he looked down at her. "Michelle, stop. You don't know what happened. You never let him tell you the full story."

"Did he or did he not have sex with Kelly?"

"Well, he did..."

Michelle cut him off. "Exactly. He wasn't drunk or drugged, he made his own decision. He wanted to sleep with her and he did. He obviously didn't care enough about me to stop himself."

There was silence for a short while. Michelle was trying to stop the tears from falling and Alex was trying to think of a way to defend his friend.

"Look..." he said slowly. "He screwed up. He really screwed up. But, he was just... scared."

"Scared of what?"

"Of you. Of falling in love with you. He's never loved anyone before and he was afraid of getting hurt."

"So he chose to hurt me instead. Good deal."

Michelle attempted to walk past Alex, but his hand was still on her shoulder and he pushed her back. "Come on, just talk to him. He's a mess, Michelle."

"Alex," the brunette whined, looking up at her friend. "Please don't make me."

"He loves you and you know you still love him. You know you want to talk to him."

"I'll go to his locker room after Evan's match," she said, her tone flat, obviously not pleased with Alex winning the little battle.

He rubbed her shoulder softly and leaned down to place a friendly kiss on the top of her head before pulling her into a short hug. Once he pulled a away he smiled down at her. "I'll tell him. You won't regret it, Chelle."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..."

xxxxxxxx

Michelle took her time getting to the back after her and Evan's match. He'd been attacked by Sheamus afterwards, so she really played like she was worried about his safety and made sure to walk reeeaaaally slow as she helped him up the ramp. Of course though, the second she was backstage and Evan could stop acting like he was more hurt than he actually was, Alex appeared. Michelle had told Evan all about her having to talk to Mike after the match, so he knew why Alex was standing there with a grin on his face.

"I'll see you later, Michelle. Good luck," Evan said, giving her a smile before turning to head to the doctor to get some ice for his back. Alex immediately slung an arm around Michelle's shoulders, making her grimace, because she knew what was about to happen.

"Are you ready to talk to Mike?" he asked, a far too happy tone in his voice.

"No," she said. "And why are you so excited?"

"I just want my two best friends to be happy again. I love you guys," he said as he began to guide her towards Mike's locker room.

Michelle sighed. Alex was a good guy and when he cared about people the way he did for Mike and Michelle, he wanted them to be happy. There was nothing but silence the rest of the way to Mike's locker room. Michelle didn't know what to except. She didn't know what she'd do. Was she going to forgive him? Were they just going to get into a huge fight? Would she end up slapping him repeatedly and then go to kill Alex for making her talk to him? The last idea was probably the more likely won.

"You okay?" Alex asked. Michelle hadn't even noticed that they had stopped walking and they were now standing outside a door that read "The Miz." Michelle had been deep in thought the entire time and her face apparantely showed how worried she was, because Alex noticed.

She nodded slowly. "I'm fine..." she said, reaching out, her hand bunched up in a fist, ready to knock. "I'm sure you'll be close by when I'm done in here. I'll come find you."

"Alright. Good luck."

Alex gave her shoulder a squeeze, reassuring her that it'd be okay, before heading off down the hall. Michelle turned her body to face the door and looked up at her hand, ready to knock. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Once she was as ready as she was going to be, she lightly knocked on the door. Mike must have been waiting by the door, because not much longer than a second, he flung the door open. Michelle hadn't even been this close to him since the night she broke up with him, and she had to use all her power to not just jump right into his arms. Of course she still loved him, but she couldn't show that. She couldn't show any sign of weakness.

Mike was the first to speak, and a huge smile was on his face. Was he that happy to see her? The thought of him really missing her and being that happy just because she was talking to him made her have to force back a smile. "Hey, Michelle."

"Mike..." she said, nodding at him in a greeting. He opened the door wider and motioned for her to step in, which she did. She was still in her Evan Bourne t-shirt that was cut off right above her belly button and her jean shorts. She really wished Alex had given her time to change or something, she felt way too exposed. That was silly of course, because Mike had seen her in a lot less, but he wasn't her boyfriend anymore, and she didn't want to let him see her in such little clothing.

He gently grabbed her hand and lead her over to a bench, sitting down beside her. She pulled her hand away and sighed. He furrowed his brows at her. "What?"

"Things aren't better, Mike. Just because I agreed to talk to you doesn't mean you can touch me, not even my hand." She adverted her eyes to her knees, because she didn't want to see the hurt appear in his eyes.

"Fine..." he said before clearing his throat. "So, Alex said you'd hear me out?"

"Yeah, so go ahead." She crossed her arms over her chest, turning her head to look up at him, her green eyes meeting his baby blues.

Mike turned his body to face her better before he opened his mouth to speak. "I love you. I honestly and sincerely do. With all my heart. That's why I slept with Kelly."

"You realize that makes absolutely no sense, right?"

"I know, I know. But... you know how I am. Or, how I used to be. I've never loved anyone like this before. I'm kind of... afraid of commitment. I'm afraid of falling in love. It's new to me and I just... was confused. Then Kelly was telling me about how I wasn't really in love because I wasn't ready and stuff like that. I believed her because I mean, look at me. Look at who I was. I've had one real relationship besides you. That one didn't even last that long because we just didn't love each other and every other little relationship I had was ruined within the first few months because I cheated."

Mike took a breathe and reached out, taking Michelle's hand. She let him hold it for a moment, remembering how much she missed the way it felt to be touched by him, even in the smallest of ways, but then pulled it away again. He sighed before continuing.

"I didn't know what love was. I was afraid of the way I felt and thought I could make it stop by being with Kelly. But, that only made me even more sure of my feelings for you. Because being with her meant absolutely nothing to me but being with you... means absolutely everything."

"Mike... I understand, but you didn't want to be in love with me and you cheated on me. That hurt and I might not be able to ever trust you again. You have to realize that." Michelle could feel the tears threatening to poor down her face and she had no idea how to stop them.

"What are you saying?"

"I don't think we can be together, Mike..." she hated herself for saying it, and she didn't want it to be true. She couldn't be in a relationship where she was constantly worried about him going to be with someone.

A dark, humourless chuckle rose from his throat. "But, I don't want to be with anyone else. Michelle, I want you and only you."

"And I don't want to be with anyone else either, but we'll move on. We're still young and we can find other people. We just weren't meant to be."

Michelle stood up and started to head to the door. She needed to get out of there before she burst into hysterics in front of him. She just wanted to find Alex and Rosa and hug her two best friends and cry. But she felt Mike grab her wrist and stop her. "Michelle, stop..."

She took a deep breath, turning to look at him. His eyes, too, were filled with tears. She'd never seen him cry before. "What? I'm done here, Mike."

"No, you aren't. We're not done. We're still in love. You're hurt, I understand that, but please... don't walk away from me."

Mike stood up as well as he released her wrist from his grasp. He raised his hand and brought it to rest on the back of her neck. She couldn't help herself, she collapsed into his chest, bursting into tears. He wrapped his other arm around her waist, pulling her closer. She let her hands rest on his shoulders as she sobbed into his black "I'm Awesome" t-shirt. Letting him hold her as she cried felt good. She'd missed him more than she'd ever let on. It had only been a week or so since the last time he'd held her like this, but she had missed his arms around her. She felt safe in his arms and she felt happy. Right now wasn't really her happiest moment, but having him hold her like this, with his forehead resting on her shoulder, it made her feel a tiny bit better. It made her want to forgive him.

A few minutes later, when she was calmed down a bit, she opened her mouth to speak. "I love you, so much, but you broke my heart, Mike."

Although she couldn't see him because she was still resting on his chest, she could hear in his voice that he had started to cry a little as well. "I know I did and I'm so sorry. If I could take it back I would. I'm going to change for you, I promise. No more other girls, no more even looking at them, I want you and only you. I love you and I'm not going to run away from that anymore. I just need one more chance and I promise not to screw it up."

"One more chance... and I'm begging you not to mess it up because I really do love you, Mike."

"I won't mess it up. I promise." He smiled as he took both hands and raised them to rest on her cheeks, his thumbs wiping away tears before leaning down to kiss her.

The kiss was ruined a few moments later when a loud knock on the door rang throughout the room, and it was followed by a just as loud voice. One that was very familiar. Alex. "It's been too quiet for two long. Are you two better now?"

Mike sighed as if he was mad that Alex had interrupted, but a smile was resting on his lips. He rolled his eyes, pulling away from Michelle and going over to the door. Pulling it open, he saw Alex, who almost fell into the room. He had clearly been leaning against the door, listening to every word they said, or at least trying to. "Alex, we're fine, go away."

Alex's face seemed to light up. "Yeah? You're back together?" He leaned to the side so he could see Michelle past Mike. "You forgave him?" When she nodded and let out a small laugh, he gave her a thumbs up. "Nice."

"You done?" Mike asked, really wanting to get Alex away from the door so him and Michelle could get back to making up. He went to shut the door but Alex put a hand out to stop it from closing.

"You have a match in a few minutes. So, whatever you two were doing - yeah finish that up in the next minute. And please, don't tell me what you were doing. I'll meet you by the curtains."

Mike waited until Alex was walking off down the hall before shutting the door and turning to face Michelle. Leaning against the door, he reached his arms out towards the brunette. "Come here."

She giggled and walked over, tossing her arms around his neck and kissing him before letting her head rest on his shoulder. Being in his arms and being loved by Mike was the best feeling in the world to Michelle and she wouldn't trade it for anything.

They say that everyone has a soulmate. That one person who means the world to you and you'd do anything for because you are so in love with them. That's what Michelle Matthews was to Mike Mizanin. He'd thought so when they first met and began their relationship. But, his bad boy reputation interferred with their love. That's who he was though. He was a player. He loved women, but that was going to change because he was labeled someones "boyfriend." He was Michelle's boyfriend.