Notes:
This was inspired by a tweet by ICU (RealityIsLost on Twitter): "Jake Crist is the most underrated guy on the Impact Wrestling roster. He needs to get out of the shadow of Sami Callihan and walk in his own direction." (February 9, 2020)
After his loss at Hard To Kill, Sami had changed. He isolated himself and barely talked to the other members of oVe anymore. When Jake saw something on Twitter, he confronted his partner in the locker room before the next show. "Have you seen what that ICU guy tweeted?"
Sami was sitting on a bench with his phone in his hands. He was still dressed in street clothes and obviously didn't plan to wrestle today either. He hadn't had a match for several weeks, nor had he asked for one, and Impact Management was probably just glad that he didn't cause any trouble at the moment. As he looked up, Jake was surprised to see a spark of interest in his eyes besides his usual exhaustion.
"They said I would be better off without you," Jake explained.
There was a pause and Sami averted his gaze. "Maybe they are right."
"Are you serious? I thought oVe was family?"
Sami turned off his phone and shoved it into his pocket. "There comes a time when children need to leave their parents' house."
"Is that what I am to you, just a kid?"
"No, and you know it."
"Then why are you doing this to me?" Jake's voice was broken, and a tear rolled down his face. He couldn't believe this was happening.
"You said it yourself. As long as you are with me, you will always be in my shadow."
Jake sobbed. "I don't mind being in your shadow."
"But I do. You deserve so much better. Sometimes love means letting go."
"You're really serious? This is it? You're breaking up with me?"
Sami was still sitting there, staring down at his fidgeting hands. "I'm sorry. It's for the best."
"I wish you had never become World Champion because when you lost that damn title, it killed the man I loved!" Jake closed his eyes for a moment and tried to calm down before he continued, "Some people say it's you." He took another deep breath. "ICU, is that you?"
Sami stopped moving, but he didn't look up and didn't say anything anymore. Before Jake left, he noticed a drop on Sami's right hand, and he didn't need to see Sami's wet eyes to know what it was.