A/N: I just want to make a quick note. For those of you who follow Catch Your Breath and Changes, I wanted to catch both stories up, so it's easier for me to update and have some sort of system. On that note, I will be updating both stories on either Friday, Saturday or Sunday, that way I can make the chapters longer, instead of rushing to get chapters out every day or every other day. **Thank you for taking the time to read this story, and thank you for the favorites, follows and reviews.**
Once Blake had gotten her stitches taken out, they wasted no time in starting physical therapy. AJ had decided to tag along with her when they started her first therapy session. It was something she had never expected, it was brutual and beyond painful, causing AJ to snap at the therapist a couple of times. Blake knew that it was going to be a lot of hard work to get back to where she was, and even though she had appreciated AJ's concern, she had decided to make him go wait somewhere else.
Since their time together in the shower, AJ hadn't brought up the conversation regarding his feelings for her, but there were moments where he would kiss her, and let his hands wonder, just like she did with him. Blake quickly realized that when it came to the dark haired man, she couldn't control herself. When her mother had called to tell her that she wouldn't be able to fly back when she had expected, Blake had decided to enjoy the silence once AJ had left to go back on the road. It was sort of bittersweet for her, because she truly did enjoy his company, but since she was never in her home long enough to enjoy the time alone, she was looking forward to it.
The night before he left, AJ had stopped her in the hallway after she had showered by herself and pressed her against the wall. He wasted no time in lifting her up and taking her against the wall, almost silently telling her how much he was going to actually miss her. The next morning, Blake woke up in the recliner to a frowning AJ. He had tried to make every excuse under the sun in order to not leave, but Blake had promised that she would be back on the road before he knew it.
Once she had been left alone, she had basked in the comfort of her home, trying to truly enjoy the time she had off even if it was unwanted. She had caught up on all of the shows she watched on Netflix, caught up on a lot of needed sleep, and focused on physical therapy. There were a couple of times were her friends would stop by to hang out while they were off work, she would meet Nicole for dinner or lunch when she wasn't busy with her businesses, and she kept in contact with Shane McMahon.
Even though Blake was out of ring action for several months, she had to admit that she was beyond grateful that Shane had offered her a role as his assistant on TV. Since she had physical therapy, Shane had set it up to where one of the men on the company's med team would be helping her while she was on the road. It was all figured out because after the fourth week of being home, she was absolutely bored out of her mind.
Blake didn't bother to tell AJ of the latest plan on her arrival back to TV, wanting to surprise him since he had been pretty miserable without seeing her. They had exchanged texts and phone calls while he was on the road. He had stopped in to check on her twice within four weeks, and both times they ended up not being able to keep their hands off of each other.
So now, as Blake sat in the backseat of the car Shane had sent, she was anxious to see everyone, including AJ. She hadn't bothered to tell him that she was going to be back on the road two days a way for live shows, because she wanted to see just how happy he would be in person. She had been extremely happy to see her close friends as well, knowing that a lot of them missed her like she missed them.
As she got to the arena, she was thankful that the driver had helped her with her bag and pulled the handle up for her to push. Even though her stitches were out and she had a little bit of range of motion, she wasn't allowed to take her arm out of the sling.
"Thank you." Blake smiled to the man and grabbed the handle of her suitcase and walked through the arena hallway in order to find Shane's office.
She knew that she wouldn't be on TV for a week or two, but she had to do a few interviews and meet and greets now that she was feeling better. As she walked through the hallway, the heels of her shoes clicked against the floor, her eyes scoping the signs to find any indication of where to go.
WWE
AJ frowned for what seemed like the millionth time that night. He had tried to call Blake a couple of times before his match but when it went to voicemail, he had figured she had forgot to charge her phone. When he had tried after his match to check in with her, and it began to ring but went unanswered, he was worried he had done something to upset her like before.
Letting out a sigh, AJ ran a hand over his face as he stood in the hallway of the arena and downed a bottle of water and decided to check his texts to see if he had any that went unanswered by Blake. He had tried to get use to not being around the woman, but it was starting to take a toll on him. He had practically craved her since their times together became more intense. He felt like he was in a honeymoon stage of a relationship that wasn't defined as a relationship. As AJ looked at his phone he noticed that there was a text from an unknown number, so he opened the log to see a few texts from Linda. He was instantly annoyed because he had blocked her number once he had shown up at her home a few weeks back.
AJ slammed his truck into park and killed the engine in the driveway, he didn't waste any time in getting out of the truck and making his way to the front door. His large hand closed into a fist and knocked against the blue door. He wanted a few moments before knocking again, the second time harder.
"I'm coming!" He heard her voice and couldn't help but to roll his eyes. He huffed when she opened the door, almost looking shocked to see him standing in front of her, "AJ..." She spoke, "What are you doing here?" She questioned.
"What are you trying to pull?" AJ questioned with a sneer, "You are the one who cheated for half of our marriage, not me, you!" AJ growled, "If you so much as speak one negative word about Blake again, so help me God..."
Linda had cut him off, "I made a mistake AJ. I should have..." Linda began to speak but AJ slammed the palm of his hand against the door frame.
"I don't want to hear shit that comes out of your mouth Linda." AJ growled, "You need to leave Blake and I alone. The moment you came clean about what you've been up to, I knew it wasn't meant to be." AJ declared staring a whole into Linda's eyes, "I don't want to hear from you again. You have Jake, you have a baby on the way, you need to focus on that and not my damn life!"
"AJ! Please..." Linda's lip trembled, "You don't mean that. We've been through so much together. I know I screwed up, I know that I have caused so many problems in our marriage, but I...but I want to fix this." Linda pleaded.
AJ couldn't help the laugh that escaped, "This isn't about fixing us Linda, it's about making sure that Blake doesn't end up with me, isn't it?" AJ smirked when he realized that he was right.
"You can't possibly have anything in common with her AJ! She's twelve years younger than you, she doesn't know you like I do." Linda tried to sound confident, "we have so much history together, think about all the fun times we've had together..." Linda tried to reach for his belt buckle to pull him into the house but AJ was quick to swat her hand away.
AJ knew that what was going to come out of his mouth was disrespectful to what he had once felt for the woman in front of him, but he had enough of her trying to ruin his life and career by spreading lies, but he decided to speak as calmly as he could. "Sweetheart, I spent the entire fourth of July inside of her, and I have never felt that connection with anyone in my entire fourty years on this earth, including with you. It's not even about being intimate, I actually enjoy just being with her in general. We have a connection thats undescribable. What you and I had was great while it lasted but you and I both know that it died out years ago. You put me through hell for being on the road so much doing what I love. You questioned me all hours of the day to make sure I wasn't screwin' around with Blake when it wasn't even in my mind. I tried so many times to fix things between us, to show you that I wasn't interested in any other woman. When you decided you wanted to have a baby, I went along with it until you started to degrade me for not getting your goal accomplished quick enough. Once you started degrading me even more, I started to get so scared of what the future would be like, that I couldn't even get off inside of you. That's not how love should be, and that sure as hell isn't what a marriage should be." AJ spoke honestly, "I'm sorry for my part in our marriage failing, but I've accepted that it wasn't meant to be, and you honestly need to do the same."
AJ left her standing there fuming as he walked away and got back in his truck. He had started the truck, backed out and drove down the road. Once he was at a stop sign he had pulled out his phone in order to block Linda's number so there was no communication once so ever since the divorce was finalized.
AJ heard clicking of high heels causing him to look up from his phone for a second, and then back down and decided to erase the texts from Linda begging to speak to him. He smelt her before she had even approached. He felt the familiar tingle and heat when she slipped her arm around his waist. AJ instantly relaxed at her touch.
"God, I've missed you." AJ mumbled, then turning around to face the brunette who had furrowed eyebrows.
"How? How did you even know it was me?" Blake questioned, "I could have been some crazy fan that snuck backstage." Blake insisted causing AJ to chuckle as he slid his arms around her waist and pulled her close.
"Because, I could smell you. No one smells like you." AJ admitted.
"I don't know whether to be flattered or creeped out." Blake joked with a smile, "What do I smell like Mr. Styles?" Blake questioned as he leaned down to kiss her lips once.
"Well..." AJ paused, "You smell like apple and cinnamon body wash, there is a hint of your perfume and then a hint of your shampoo." AJ explained causing Blake to scrunch her face and then smell her arm causing AJ to laugh out loud, "It's not a bad thing darlin, it smells like you..." AJ added as he leaned down to kiss her lips once more.
"So, how surprised are you to see me?" Blake questioned with a grin.
"Extremely surprised. I have been trying to get ahold of you all day to make sure you didn't hurt yourself." AJ explained as he let go of her, "I don't think I could have went much longer without seeing you." AJ added.
"Well you're stuck with me for two days a week." Blake commented, "But right now, I have to find Shane's office. I have to give a few interviews and what not."
AJ nodded his head, "I'll show you the way, my locker room is close to the offices."
AJ kept close to Blake as they began to walk through the hallway. AJ made sure that he kept a close eye on Blake so she wouldn't trip or jar her shoulder since she was so clumsy. He had just asked Blake if she wanted to ride with him after the show as they passed catering and noticed Blake stiffen beside him.
"Blake?" AJ questioned with concern looking at her frozen form for a moment before she took off running towards the closest trash can.
AJ rushed to the brunette as she emptied her stomach and he held her hair back with one hand while the other rubbed her back gently. He frowned realizing that she had probably not eaten with her medication because it had happened the last time he was in her apartment.
"Did you not eat today?" AJ questioned, and watched as Blake shook her head no, "Come on, let's get you something, those meetings can wait." AJ added and Blake shook her head.
"It doesn't smell too great. I'll wait until I get back to the hotel." Blake insisted, "You know I get with food." Blake added since she had never really been fond of catering food.
"You need something to coat your stomach Blake, those pain pills are no joke if you don't eat something with them." AJ commented and watched as Blake grabbed the water bottle from his hand and opened the cap carefully and then used the water to rinse her mouth out.
"I'll grab something at the hotel." Blake muttered.
"Will you at least eat a piece of fruit or something? You can't go wrong with fruit." AJ watched her roll her eyes and then gave him a nod. Causing him to disappear into catering and returning a moment later with two apples and an orange. "Eat." AJ stated as he handed the apple over and Blake too a drastic bite out of the fruit causing AJ to chuckle.
WWE
Once Blake was done with her meetings and the two interviews regarding her injury update, she was thankful that AJ had waited around on her and gave her a lift back to the hotel she would be staying at for the night. So once she had gotten her hotel key card after AJ, she wasted no time in getting up to her room. The brunette was aware of AJ silently asking her to wait for him as he was stopped by fans, but the idea of ordering room service had out weighed her option on waiting for him.
She knew that she had gotten sick because of not eating after she had taken her medicine on the flight, and didn't have time to grab anything at the airport or one the way to the arena because she was running late.
Once she had made it to her hotel room, she wasted no time in picking up the menu and glancing at the variety of foods, and then called to order the food she wanted. She was thankful that she was allowed to go off of her diet a little since was injured, but made sure to eat somewhat healthy so she wasn't dying when she got back into her full work out routine.
Since she had time, Blake decided to kick off her heels and get comfortable. She had rummaged through her luggage for a pair of dark gray sweats and an over-sized tank top. She carefully removed the sling from her arm before stripping out of her clothes. Once she had slipped on her sweatpants, she then carefully put the tank top on, and didn't even care that the person delivering her food would be able to see that she had no bra on.
Just as she turned the TV on, she heard a knock at the door causing her to move through out the room to answer the door.
"That was quick..." Blake commented, her stomach growling and was surprised to see AJ on the other side of the door, "Oh it's just you." Blake frowned.
"Well nice to see you too." AJ grumbled.
"I didn't mean it like that. I ordered food, and I thought you were it." Blake explained allowing AJ to walk into the room.
"I mean, I can be if you want me to be." AJ joked causing Blake to roll her eyes with a laugh.
"What are you doing here anyway?" Blake questioned closing the door.
"You think I'm not gonna stay in the same room as you when we're in the same hotel?" AJ questioned, "Besides, someone's gotta be around if you decide to trip and fall." AJ added as he rolled his suit case into the bedroom area.
"You do realize that I am fully aware of sleeping in a bed and not tripping, right?" Blake chuckled, "But you are more than welcome to stay, besides I ordered enough food for the both of us." Blake added.
"Care if I take a shower real quick?" AJ questioned and Blake shook her head no.
She watched as he disappeared into the bathroom, allowing her to move to sit on the bed and pull out her cell phone to kill time until the food arrived. Blake had returned a couple of texts to Bryan and her mother, and then text Nattie and Naomi telling them that she would meet up with them at breakfast before she flew back to Flordia. Blake decided to get on Twitter and like a few of her fans well wishes tweets and then liked some of her friends tweets. She then went to instagram to like a couple of the girls photos, and then left the app when there was a knock at the door.
She quickly got off the bed and made her way to the door, thankful that she had paid over the phone and opened the door. Blake too a step back for the man to push the cart inside of the room and stopped him before leaving and dug into her purse to retrieve money to tip him.
"Thanks ma'am." He smiled and Blake cringed at the word ma'am but gave him a smile.
Blake had let the man out of the hotel room and decided to lock the door behind him and returned back towards the cart as AJ appeared from the now opened bathroom door. Blake pushed the cart further towards the sitting area and glanced towards AJ with a towel wrapped around his waist. She ran the cart into the edge of the table.
"Fuck..." Blake cringed causing AJ to become alert and rushed to her to make sure she didn't hurt herself, "I'm fine. I hit the table with the cart. Go get dressed cause I'm not waiting on you." Blake added causing AJ to chuckle, and then kissed the side of her head before disappearing again.
The brunette wasted no time in finding the bacon cheeserburger and french fries and began to eat as AJ walked back in wearing a pair of black sweatpants hanging low on his hip, "What else did you get?" AJ questioned as he sat down next to her.
"Uh, wings, a chicken wrap, fried pickles, I did get you a steak and baked potato. I figured you'd come here anyway." Blake admitted and AJ leaned to kiss her temple.
"When's the last time you ate?" AJ questioned as he got the plate for him, "And don't lie either." AJ added.
"A few hours before my flight last night." Blake answered.
"What time was your flight?" AJ questioned with narrowed eyes.
"Uh, like 9." Blake mumbled, "Don't give me that look. I didn't have time, and when the flight was delayed, I ended up dozing off for a while." Blake added, "See, I'm making up for it now."
AJ rolled his eyes as he ate his meal and knew that Blake was usually good about eating when she should, so he let it slide for the night. Realizing that she was indeed making up for the hours she lost. They both remained silent as they ate their food, and decided to watch TV while they finished up and then called it a night.
A/N: Thoughts?