I'm sorry about what happened with Charlotte tonight. I'm sorry that it took me so long to see Charlotte for who she really is. She had me fooled, believing the act the put on. But not anymore, I told her I wanted her out of my life, and I mean that Jess. I'm done with Charlotte. Please call me whenever you can, whenever you want to, and I'll answer… unless I'm in the ring. But then I will call you back. I love you Jessica. I'll be waiting. – AJ.
Jessica listens to AJ's voicemail yet again, not sure she actually believed what he was said. It has been a week since she left Smackdown on an extended leave and she has yet to try and make contact with AJ. She is still trying to wrap her head around the voicemail he left her while she was on the plane.
Was he serious? He told Charlotte he wants nothing to do with her? He actually cut all ties with her? Is that even possible? How long will this last before Charlotte somehow manages to weasel her way back in and have AJ falling for her lies?
Plus, they work together; WWE loves to exploit their friendship. There is no way AJ can be completely done with Charlotte. They will always have to have some type of interaction together. But Jessica can handle that; she can be professional as long as Charlotte is.
Her problem is the fact that AJ is saying he has cut her off completely when even he knows that is not true. It doesn't seem like AJ is being honest with himself or even being realist on the situation. It is not going to be as easy as just telling Charlotte he is done with her. And if Charlotte knows that AJ is doing this for her, that means Charlotte could possible up her torture and bullying directed at Jessica.
Plus, even though AJ never really admitted to it, and as much as he tried to deny it, Jessica knows that some part of him did have feelings for Charlotte. He had to feel something for her. And feelings like that don't just go away over night. They have to still be there in some form.
She lets her head drop to the table and groans.
"Hey, what's wrong?" her brother, Eric, questions as he walks into the kitchen.
Jessica turns her head to look at him, "Men are idiots and jerks."
He blinks at her, "Okay, this I am aware of. But why this time?"
"There is a lot that has happened that I haven't told you about."
Eric studies his sister close, noticing how tired and stressed out she looks. And this is not something new; he has seen her look worn down for a while now.
He takes a seat next to her, "Alright, it is still early morning. Kids are asleep, wife is asleep. Tell big brother what's going on."
And once again Jessica is spilling her guts about the whole situation with AJ and Charlotte. Everything that has happened up until the night she left. Jessica even told him about the "arrangement" she had going on with AJ, a bit of information Eric didn't want to know, but left that comment to himself. He sat and listened to her the entire time without interrupting her.
When Jessica is done talking, Eric sits there for a moment, taking a sip of his coffee and letting her story sink in.
"Alright… wow. You have entered into some kind of Korean drama or soap opera. No wonder you are looking at this as more of a vacation. You need it."
Jessica stares at him waiting for him to say more, but he doesn't.
"That's it? That's all you're going to say? No going all "big brother protective"? No saying that you're going to kick his ass or, telling me to kick him to the curb?" Jessica questions with a raised eyebrow.
Eric laughs, "One, AJ Styles could easily beat my ass. Second, you're an adult and have proved plenty of times you know how to take care of yourself. If this was a case where he was abusive, you bet your sweet ass I'd go all protective of you. But that is not what is going on."
He takes another gulp of his coffee before continuing to speak,
"I have a feeling you have had enough people tell you what you should or shouldn't be doing. Telling you to talk to him or to just let go and walk away. I'm not going to do that, because I'm your brother, I know you Jess. I know that no matter what I tell you, you would still want to talk to AJ so that you could put everything to rest. Whether you decide to pursue a relationship with AJ or not, you would still want to clear the air to get everything off your chest." Eric explains calmly.
"I can't tell you what to do, but I can give you a piece of advice."
Jessica stares at Eric with wide eyes, "Which would be what?"
Eric stares her straight in the eye, "Be cautious. He has hurt you once, before you were even in a real relationship. He only made promises he didn't keep. He let another woman come in and basically spilt you up, believing her over you when you are supposedly the woman he loves. He manipulated you, lied to you, ignored you, and emotionally and mentally cheated on you. If that is any indication of what being in a relationship with AJ Styles is like, be cautious."
He voice stern, sounds as though he is speaking from experience.
The sound of the kids waking up breaks the morning silence. Eric stands up to go deal with the kids and allow Jessica time to ponder over his words.
What he said really hit home for Jessica; he put it in a way no one else had. And he was right. Everything he said was right. Even the cheating part; even if they had not been in a relationship exclusively, they were in the beginning stages of getting to that point. And then Charlotte comes along and everything became about her. He didn't even realize anything was wrong until she pointed it out to him and starting cutting ties with him.
Could this just be an act of his to keep her around because he isn't willing to let her go? Does he have the thought of "if I can't have her no one can"? Is that all this is about? Is that also his reason for getting so possessive when she is with Finn? Or any other man for that matter.
Could it be that he views her leaving would be a blow to his ego.
Maybe he doesn't actually care about her or being in a relationship with her. Maybe he only cares about her as a possession and loves the idea of her. But he doesn't actually love her.
Jessica shakes her head, feeling her heart break more from all the questions and stands from the kitchen table and heads up to her temporary room. She stops by the master bedroom real quick where she finder her brother, sister-in-law and their two kids playing on the bed.
"Hey, I have a call to make. Ya'll be okay for a little while."
Eric, instantly knowing what his sister has to do, gives her a nod, "Yeah. Take your time. I'm here if you need me."
Jessica gives him a small smile, "Thanks."
She sits on the bed, staring at the number on her phone. She feels a sense of déjà vu come over here, knowing she has been here before. Hesitant to call AJ, to talk to him. The only difference this time is there will be a definite outcome to come from their talk.
No more running away, no more talking in circles, no more speculations or lies. It will all come out now and the course of their relationship will forever be changed in one way or another.
