Once again, sorry about the delay on this chapter. I'm going through some intense writer's block. I did mean to upload this last night and then completely forgot. It's short (and crappy) but I hope you guys enjoy it despite all that.
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Orlando, Florida
Jet almost forgot she was waiting for a guest. She wanted to toss her bags in the living room and collapse either on the couch or into her bed, and sleep off the last week. She was free until the following Monday, at which point they'd have TV and then the long European tour. She needed to get her sleep in while she could.
But she had to wait on Jon.
He hadn't been able to get a seat on the same flight into Orlando so had settled for the one after. She had a couple of hours to kill. She lugged in the fairly big box that had been left in her enclosed porch, the post stamp showing it was Phil's gift from Chicago. She left it on the coffee table and rolled onto the couch. Just resting her eyes for a moment wouldn't hurt.
A moment turned into three hours and then her phone was buzzing loudly right beside her head.
Her eyes snapped open as she breathed in sharply, her hand reaching out blindly for it. She opened the text, giving her eyes a moment to adjust to the light.
Just landed. You at pick up?
Jet cussed under her breath. She had promised she'd collect him from Orlando airport as soon as he got in.Shit, fuck, sorry. Still at home. I'll leave right now.
Just as she was rushing toward the door for her keys and shoes, her phone lit up with another message: Don't worry about it, I'll get a cab.
No, no, I'm coming, she tapped back rapidly.
Juliette, I'm in a cab. I'll be at your place soon.
She sighed and kicked off the one shoe she'd managed to get on. Her home wasn't very far from the airport so she didn't have long until he'd get there. The least she could do was tidy up a little. She moved her suitcases upstairs to the laundry room so she could start washing later, and straightened up the living room. She moved the parcel off the coffee table, sliding it underneath instead. Just when she was in the middle of opening the deck door to air the place, she heard the knock.
She felt a giddy sort of nervousness.
He was smiling tiredly when she pulled the door open, one bag slung over his shoulder and the case at his side.
"Come in, come in. I'm so sorry about the airport! I was just going to rest for a bit but then—"
"Don't worry about it," Jon insisted, not fighting her when she took his bags and left them to the side of the door. "You're tired, that's not a good way to drive. Taking a cab didn't kill me."
"I'm tired? You had a brutal match with Brock a few days ago," she reminded him, waving him over to the couch. "I feel like an asshole."
"Stop fussing," he chuckled. "Believe me, that match would have been way worse if I had my way."
She sat beside him, curling one leg up underneath herself. "Worse? That's not a good idea."
"No, Brock didn't think so either," Jon replied, his voice not hiding his annoyance. "He wouldn't work with me, didn't want to do anything. The match could have been so much better."
"Brock can be…"
"An asshole?"
"I was going to say difficult, but sure."
"It's about you."
"Wow, thanks," Jet grimaced.
"Hey, I'm not blaming you for a shitty match. I'm just saying, he doesn't like me because of you. Well, because of Punk, I guess. Same thing."
"Brock's pretty loyal. Can't fault him for that."
"I can fault him for being a giant waste of space," Jon grumbled. He halted himself before he said anything else; that was her friend, after all. "Eh, forget it. We're not here to talk about work."
"Uh, no, we didn't." She scratched the back of her neck, suddenly very uncomfortable. It was easy to put a time and place on this conversation, but it very much not easy to actually get into it.
Jon took pity on her and didn't force the situation. Instead, he nodded at the large box half out of view. "Birthday present?" he asked.
Jet nodded. "From Phil."
Jon's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. "I didn't know you guys were on gift giving terms again."
"Neither did I, to be honest. He's been trying to make amends, though. He wants to talk, to apologise."
"Why don't you open it?"
Jet glanced between Jon and the box. "Now?"
"Sure. You don't what to know what it is?"
Of course she wanted to know but something about opening her husband's gift in front of him made her uneasy. Jon, however, seemed supremely unconcerned about the situation. Rather than make it weird, she went to the kitchen and returned with a knife. She set the box back on the coffee table and began slicing open the tape. Inside was a mass of packing peanuts and bubble wrap. She pulled the large item out and began to unwrap, then laughed.
A 10-inch high working model of Cogsworth was smiling at her.
"Okay, that's creepy. What the hell is that?"
Jet glanced at him. "Dude, it's Cogsworth. From Beauty and the Beast. C'mon, Cogsworth."
"Yeah, don't know what you're talking about, still creepy."
"This is adorable." She went about putting in the AA battery it came with and setting the correct time before she placed it up in the direct centre of her mantelpiece. "Looks perfect," she announced, smiling broadly.
"Why does it have a face?"
"Because he's a person."
"He's a clock."
"A person who got turned into a clock. Honestly Jon, do you know nothing?"
"About Beauty and the Beast? Yeah, pretty much nothing."
"We'll get to it one day," she promised, heading back to the couch.
She moved the box to the ground, intending to throw it out later, but she heard something shift inside. It sounded hard, not like the protective packing. She reached in her eyes widened as she pulled out a CD that was instantly recognisable.
"Oh, wow."
"What is it?" Jon asked, leaning in closer.
"It's the 2014 re-issue of What's The Story Morning Glory. It's my favourite Oasis album but I never got a chance to get this one. It's got some of the live versions and B-sides." She flipped over the case to read the track listing and found herself laughing. "Oh Lord, how did he manage that?"
Jon glanced over her shoulder, seeing two scribbled signatures. He could just about make them out as Noel and Liam Gallagher. Jet was in fits of giggles when she saw, next to Noel's signature, he had drawn a crude version of Manchester City's club crest.
"That your team?" Jon questioned, pointing to the vaguely eagle-shaped sketch.
"God, no!" She sounded horrified at the suggestion. "My team's Manchester United. City is theirs. We hate each other, that's exactly why he drew it. I can't believe Noel Gallagher even knows who I am, much less which team I support."
Jet's eyes roved over the tracks and fell on The Masterplan. She didn't at all believe it was simple coincidence that her mother had referenced the song two days prior. She'd been in on this gift with Phil the whole time. She set the case on the table, fully intending to listen to the whole thing later.
"Looks like he did well."
Jet didn't hear the slight edge of resentment in Jon's voice. "Yeah, I guess he did. I'm pretty easy to buy for, though," she added. "I like everything."
Jon looked between the clock, the CD, and her face. He needed to know. "Do you still love him?"
Jet almost scoffed. What an innocent question that he obviously didn't understand the depths of. She wasn't going to lie to him, not even to spare his feelings. Lies had never served her well. "Yes."
"Oh." Jon's eyes went to his hands, obviously unsure of how to process that.
"He's my husband, Jon. It's not as simple as moving away and hoping I'll just forget about him."
"Even after how he treated you at that hearing? The things he said?"
"He didn't mean any of them."
Jon shrugged. "If you say so."
"He didn't," she replied firmly. "He says horrible things when he's hurt because he doesn't know how else to deal with it. I, of all people, can't be mad about that. I've done far worse to expunge bad feelings."
There was a prolonged silence while Jon considered it all. Jet knew that he didn't know what to do with any of this information, with this completely backwards situation.
"This is why we needed to have this conversation. You want to jump right into this and you don't even know what you're jumping into."
"You. I'm jumping into being with you."
"It's never that simple," she replied gently. "Believe me when I say that I want this too, but you have to understand that Phil is still very much a part of my life. We're still married, I still care about him, I can't pretend I don't. Even when the divorce goes through… I want to be his friend. You need to know all that now."
"And I'm fine with all that," Jon stated firmly. "Be his friend, I don't give a fuck."
"You say that now."
"Look, I can't predict the future. I don't know when that divorce is gonna be finalized, I don't know how you two will be with each other afterward, I don't know if I'll fucking despise the idea of you being friends with him. All I know right now is that it's worth finding out."
Wasn't that the whole point of all of this? To find out if there was a future for the two of them? To find out if a relationship with Jon was what she wanted? She smiled softly, reaching out to hold his hand. "I want that too. I want to find out. I just… you have to understand where I'm coming from. I need this to go at my pace."
Jon squeezed her hand. "Slow," he nodded. "As slow as you like."
"I know it's been months and I don't want you to feel like you're getting played or something and—"
"Hey," Jon cut in, moving closer on the couch so he could gently rub his thumb over her cheek. "I don't feel like that at all. I feel like I've got an amazing girl in front of me right now who I love and all I gotta do is not rush her. That doesn't sound so bad to me."
She leaned into his hand. "You're a good man."
"Hey, it's in my name," he grinned.
"You're also a very cheesy man."
"You like it though, right?" he grinned, dropping his hand from her face so he could dig into her ribs.
She squirmed at the tickling, batting her hands at him. "Don't push your luck."
He scooped his arm around her waist, tugging her closer. "Does going slow mean I can't kiss you?"
Jet pretended to consider his question very intently. "Hm…" She leaned close to his face, their noses almost touching. "I think I can allow that."
For once, she was the instigator. Even during their scripted kisses, he had always been the one to take the plunge. This time, Jet caught his lips with hers and held onto the back of his head. His hands tightened on her hips and she felt his smile against her mouth. It didn't last long, just enough to leave them both feeling warm inside their chests.
He leaned his forehead against her. "I missed that."
"You taste like smoke."
Jon laughed and could do nothing but shrug. "I have a cigarette outside the airport. Gotta steel the nerves somehow, right?"
"Yes, because I'm so frightening."
"Have you seen yourself in a mood? You can be deadly."
"Wow, you're bringing the romance already," she snorted, shoving him away.
"Oh, just you wait." He glanced over at her ridiculous new clock to check the time, surprised that it was already the late evening. He was usually unconscious by now, all too ready to sleep off the effects of five days of travel.
Jet followed his eyes, coming to the same realisation. "You should get some sleep."
"Yeah… uh…" Jon trailed off, not sure where to go from here.
"I've got lots of guest rooms," she offered.
Jon understood the message loud and clear — we are not sharing a room. "Thanks. Point the way."
She gestured vaguely at the stairs. "Any of them besides the one at the end of the hall, that's mine. Don't go snooping."
"Got some secrets in your bedroom, Juliette?"
She grinned. "Like you wouldn't believe."
Just as he was heading up with his bags — and planning how to discreetly search her bedroom for anything blackmail worthy — she called out to stop him.
"Hey, would you be okay to occupy yourself for a few hours tomorrow?"
"Sure," Jon nodded. "What's happening tomorrow?"
"I wanna go see April."
Jon almost grimaced but managed to reign it in. "Yeah, no worries."
He continued up onto the landing, picking the room closest to Jet's. He left his stuff near the dresser and looked around. The whole place was furnished and the bed looked practically brand new. As he flopped down, he groaned in delight. King sized memory foam was everything. He settled in, deciding to just shower off the travel day whenever he woke up, and briefly hoped that April wouldn't ruin the progress they'd made as he slipped into sleep.
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Tampa, Florida
Jet could do the drive between Orlando and Tampa in her sleep. It was good skill, since her mind was everywhere except on driving. They drifted initially between Jon and Phil, and then onto the task at hand. Since getting to know Cathy Kelley over WrestleMania weekend, she'd been hung up on thinking about April.
She missed her.
It wasn't like they'd not spoken; they would text often and exchanged phone calls every few days. The problem was the obvious undercurrent of tension. They hadn't had a real conversation in months. No matter what April had to say about her personal choices, Jet didn't want to not have her around. For once, she was going to take matters into her own hands rather than let them fester.
About ninety minutes later, she was pulling up outside April's house. She remained in the car for a moment, tapping her fingers lightly against the steering wheel. She noticed one of the neighbours peeking through the curtains and she immediately made a resolution that she needed to buy a less conspicuous car for just casually driving around in. The i8 was a beautiful thing but it did tend to draw attention.
She rapped her knuckles on the door, really hoping that April would be home rather than make this a wasted trip. Within thirty seconds, the door was pulled open.
Jet smiled a little uncomfortably. "Uh, hi."
April looked surprised. There was a moment of silence before she glanced straight past Jet and lifted an eyebrow. "That car is ridiculous in a quiet residential area."
Jet grinned. "I was just thinking the same, actually."
April pulled the door open wider. "Come on, come in before someone mugs you for the keys."
"Thanks." Jet shimmied in and made her way to the couch when April waved her in that direction. "So… how are you?"
"I'm great. What about you? How was your birthday?"
"It was awesome."
"I saw your return on Sunday. You looked fantastic."
"Thanks. Feels good to be back."
"I bet superkicking Amy felt pretty good too."
Jet smiled slyly. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."
"Who's idea was it? Yours?"
"Actually, no. Hayes brought it up."
"And you loved it."
"I certainly didn't argue."
"Did you speak to Amy about it?"
"Nope. We haven't exchanged two words in months. Dunno who told her but she did what she had to do without me getting any snide remarks. Maybe she knew I was on Steve's podcast the next day and she didn't want to risk me saying anything about her."
"I watched that too," April nodded. "You handled it all well."
"Thanks."
"Yeah."
A silence fell then. It wasn't awkward exactly but Jet didn't like it. Silences weren't usually a thing between them; they could carry a conversation on the back of nothing and keep going for hours. Rather than let the quiet fester, she scooted along the couch and nudged April in the shoulder.
"I've missed you, y'know?" she pouted.
April smiled and nodded. "God, I've missed you too. We've been so stupid."
"You can say that again. I shouldn't have flipped out on you for having an opinion. I know you're just trying to look out for me."
"I shouldn't have been such an ass about it. You're a grown woman and you're in charge of your life. I'll be here for you no matter what. If it works out with Jon, I'm so happy for you. If not, I'll help you figure it out. Just, Jesus, please be my best friend again."
"I never wasn't your best friend. I was just being stubborn."
"Right, tell me everything I've missed."
Jet took that instruction very seriously. Every minuscule detail over the past couple of months was delved into, from finally getting back into the ring, to her wins at bingo with her senior citizen neighbours, to how things had been going with Phil, and to the intense past weekend. She considered not talking about what had gone down with Jon the day before, but thought better of it. She didn't want to make a clear line of separation between her best friend and the guy who was likely to become her boyfriend. There was only going to be tension if she so actively tried to keep those two aspects of her life apart.
So, she launched into it.
April listened intently the entire time. She nodded every now and again to make sure Jet knew she was keeping up, and didn't say a word until she had heard everything that happened the night before.
"So, he's in the spare room?"
"Yeah. Let's be real, we can't share a room without something happening. That's not a good idea right now."
April nodded. "My best friend has smarticles," she teased. "He's cool with it?"
"He's cool with whatever I want. Or, at least, he says he is. I guess we'll find out."
It looked like April wanted to make a comment, likely something snide, but she controlled herself and simply smiled. "Good. The second he gets mouthy, he's gonna have me to deal with."
Despite the undertone of distrust, Jet appreciated that April had reigned herself in and managed to keep herself from saying anything snide. She looped her arm around her best friend, tugging her into a tight hug. "You can be front of the queue."
Like I said up top, the writer's block is killing me lately. I think maybe you guys should expect chapters every other week, at least until I'm over this hurdle. That seems a little more manageable to me right now.
Anyway, I know this one was the shortest chapter I've given you thus far, but I'd love to hear your thoughts anyway. Drop me a review and let me know!