Adam Cole wasn't known for being sentimental in the wrestling ring, that was something everyone knew. Maybe when he'd first started, he'd been kind of a goof, but over the years he'd evolved to cold and calculating and determined.
Outside of the ring, his personality was dependent on the situation. Around friends, family, and fans he was outgoing, funny, and kind. Around real strangers, however, or people he didn't quite get good vibes from, he let his in-ring persona take over.
But when it came to you? Well, he tried his best to never be anything negative to you.
He was supportive of your career, of your dreams and goals. He loved you, cared about you, wanted you in his life. Months ago he'd told you, in a very serious tone, "You're mine and only mine. In the least objectifying sense of the phrase, of course". You'd rolled your eyes at the time, but the sentiment had stayed in your heart since.
It was nice to get to travel with your best friend. The drive between Pittsburgh and Columbus wasn't terribly long, just over three hours as Adam had elected to take a highway and not the interstate. It was definitely the "scenic" route. So within twenty minutes of being in the car, you'd managed to fall asleep.
Adam moved his gaze from out the windshield on the highway over towards you, where you were curled up in the passenger seat, oblivious to his look. He was always amazed at how you could get comfortable, somehow getting your legs up and resting against the door. You'd brought a pillow from bed with you, and you'd manipulated it just right to support your head against the window.
You'd stayed the night at home, well Adam's house, before getting on the road that morning to head to the next ROH show. It was only about 9 AM when you'd left, but Adam couldn't fault you for going back to sleep honestly. You'd had a hectic few days; flying to his place from Chicago, then having one day together, before the next night was the ROH show. There'd been little time for you to rest and have peace.
Adam felt good that he was able to give you those moments now. Which was why he looked back down at the dashboard, calculating just how far he could go before he had to stop for gas. He knew it would wake you, and he wanted to prolong that from happening for as long as possible.
You slept through the last small town,
I'll wake you up when the next one comes around.
Your eyes are closed, like you truly believe,
You're safe and sound with me.
It was the shift of the vehicle as it stopped that woke you. You didn't want to wake up and moved against the pillow and in your seat to try to put yourself back under the spell of sleep. You listened as Adam, apparently, tried to open his door and get out as discreetly as possible. The click of it shutting was soft, and you were once again engulfed in the quiet of the car. With a long breath, you squeezed your eyes shut.
Sleep was gone.
Moving around languidly, you finally fluttered your eyes open, taking in your situation. Reaching up, you picked at the corners of your eyes, removing the junk that had accumulated in your sleep. You sat up in the seat, throwing the pillow into the backseat. Taking off your seat belt, you stretched out your limbs the best you could in the space, arching your back and tensing all of your muscles.
Twisting around to stretch out your back further, you noted Adam outside the car, waiting for it to fill with gas. Reaching over to grab your sunglasses from the center console, you slid them on before opening your door and stepping out. You shut the door after yourself, turning to lean your arms on the top of the car. Adam was already looking back having heard you moving about.
"Morning, sunshine."
"No me gusta," was your response which made him smile. "How far out from Columbus are we?"
"Eh, under an hour," Adam answered. He finished with the gas and closed up the cap. You met up with him at the front of the car, where he put his arm around your shoulders, tucking you into his side. "Feeling better with some sleep?"
"Guess so," you replied, as you walked along with him towards the convenience store. "How boring is it driving with me passed out?"
"Not bad actually. Better than you talking," he stated seriously. You gaped at him, smacking his abdomen with the back of your hand. When you tried to pull away from him, he held you tighter, laughing.
"You're a jerk!"
"You love me."
"No I don't," you argued as you got away from him, entering the store ahead of him. "Leave me alone."
"Look, Doritos," he stated as he followed you through the aisles, attempting to hand you the blue bag. He knew they were your favorite and you knew he was trying to placate you. "And Teriyaki jerky. And Vanilla Coke!"
"You cannot bribe me," you stated, as you continued to try to evade him through the aisles. You were grateful it appeared there were no other patrons in the building. And you could only imagine what the clerk thought of the two of you. Just when you thought maybe you'd gotten space from him, an arm grabbed you from behind around the waist. "Dammit!"
"Love me," Adam demanded, nuzzling his face into the side of your neck. You squirmed at the feeling of his beard and tried to push his arm off of you.
"Stop it!"
"LOVE. ME." He punctuated his words with two firm kisses to your cheek. "Say it. Say you love me."
"You're the biggest baby in the world. A giant ass bay-bay," you declared, using his catchphrase against him.
"But you love me," he repeated.
"OK, yes you doofus, I love you. Now, will you let me go?"
"I love you too," Adam replied, kissing your cheek again before releasing his hold on you. "Now come on, get what you want so we can go. We got a schedule to keep."
You watched him walk away from you towards the coolers, your jaw slack.
"…seriously?" The wink he threw you over his shoulder only made you purse your lips. "Alright Cole, OK. Well, guess what, I hope you like some good ol' 90s pop music. Because I am about to serenade the absolute shit out of you once we get back in the car."
He just laughed, and you rolled your eyes as you walked over to the snack shelves. It was going to be a long hour in the car.