A/N: Thank you so much for all the favs, follows, and reviews. They're greatly appreciated! :).

Disclaimer: We do not own Adam Cole, Kenny Omega, or any other wrestler that is mentioned throughout the story.

Just Keep Breathing
Chapter 4: I Want It That Way

Makenna dragged her rolling suitcase into the living room where Delilah sat on the couch, book in hand.

"Are you all packed up and ready to go?" Delilah glanced at Makenna over top of her mystery novel. She was almost done with the latest installment in one of her favorite series.

"I am but, I can call an uber. You don't have to take me to the airport. I know how much you hate driving in the busy traffic." MaKenna sat down in one of the two armchairs in the living room.

"I'll be okay." Delilah marked her place with a cat bookmark and sat her book on the coffee table. "Are you excited?"

MaKenna smiled, her cheeks tinged pink, "Yes, you know I love BSB."

"And getting to spend time with Kenny is an added bonus," Delilah gave her friend a knowing look.

"Something like that." She conceded. "It will be nice seeing him in person."

"What time is your flight?"

Makenna glanced at the clock and frowned, "Ten."

"I guess we better get you there soon, then." Delilah frowned. "I'm going to miss you." She hadn't told Makenna that she had agreed to meet with Adam while she was gone. "But, I hope you have a really great time."

"Thanks Del," Makenna frowned. When someone knocked at the front door, a confused expression appeared on her face. "I got it." She went to the door and opened it. She shook her head in amusement when she saw who was standing on their front porch.

"Morning." Marty smiled enthusiastically and walked past her, dropping his duffel bag on the floor by the door. "So you are going to see my other best friend - that you stole." Marty feigned hurt. "I figured you would be gone and I would have to see your best friend stealing face."

"Ouch." Makenna put a hand over her heart. "I'm shattered."

"Good, you deserve it." He teased.

"Marty!" Delilah ran in from the living room, enveloping her friend in a crushing hug, causing him to grunt. "I am glad you are here. I thought you weren't coming until later."

"I was able to get here early and thought I would surprise you."

"Awesome. Now you can drive." Delilah shaved the keys into Marty's hand. "We have to take Makenna to the airport."

"Yes ma'am." He nodded. He grabbed Makenna's bags and opened the door. "After you ladies."

"Such a gentleman." Makenna smiled and patted his cheek as she followed Delilah out the door.

After taking Makenna to the airport, Marty and Delilah went out to lunch and a Matinee. They had just arrived at the house and Delilah was filling the kettle while Marty sat on one of the barstools at the island. He watched as she grabbed two cups out of the cupboard and sat them on the counter. She had texted him, asking him to come and visit, seeing Makenna was going to be away. He readily agreed, wanting to support his friend. She had told him in confidence that she would be meeting up with Adam Cole later in the day and wanted some support, seeing she hadn't told Makenna about the meeting.

"So, you and Cole -"

"It's not like that." She cut him off. She collected two tea bags out of a box in the cupboard and dropped one into each cup. ""We are just going to talk. He says he has some things he needs to discuss with me."

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Marty was well aware how Adam's sudden departure had affected his friend. It had taken her a long time to accept what had happened and he wasn't sure Delilah was even fully over the betrayal.

"To be honest, I am not even sure I want to hear what he has to say but, he won't let it go." Delilah sighed as she finished preparing the tea cups. She leaned against the counter, waiting for the water to come to temperature in the kettle. "Nothing he has to say will change the fact that he abandoned me at a time that I really needed him."

Marty frowned. He wished he knew how he could comfort his friend. He knew that Cole still had feelings for Delilah. He had worked with him in Ring of Honor and they had been in touch through their connections in the Bullet Club. Adam knew how close Delilah was to Marty and Hangman and often asked how his ex was doing. Marty had never seen a problem with letting Adam know how she was doing because they were a safe distance apart. Now, they were both working in NXT and she had to see him regularly. He worried that the interaction might cause some regression for Delilah. "You don't have to do it if you aren't comfortable. Don't put yourself in a position that will cause you undue stress."

Delilah stood up straight when the kettle whistled. She grabbed a pot holder and filled both cups with water. She sat one cup down in front of him, then grabbed the second one for herself. She walked around the counter and sat down beside him, clutching the warm drink between her hands. "He isn't going to let it rest until I talk to him. I would rather get it done then continue to prolong the inevitable."

"I can tell him to leave you alone. He shouldn't bother you if you aren't comfortable."

Deliah smiled at the offer, "That's sweet Marty but, it's okay. He isn't doing anything wrong. He just wants me to hear him out. I will be okay."

Marty nodded. He just hoped she was right.

Wearing a black adidas shirt with the white adidas patchwork, black adidas leggings with white adidas patchwork, and black and white adidas sneakers - Makenna made her way through the Las Vegas airport with her black and white zebra print rolling suitcase and black shoulder bag.

She spotted the person picking her up and she smiled the closer she got. He met up with her.

"Hey," Kenny greeted, enveloping Makenna into a hug. "How was the flight?" He took her shoulder bag from her and they started walking.

"It was nice."

"Thanks again for coming to Las Vegas."

"You're welcome," Makenna smiled. "I'm glad it worked out that I could make it." Makenna and Delilah didn't have to do any NXT tapings this weekend, so Makenna flew out to Vegas and Delilah was back home in Orlando.

"Tonight is a huge night for me."

"How do you feel?"

"I'm excited but nervous."

"You're nervous?"

"Well, yeah," Kenny responded. "I've been in Japan for such a long time that this switch to the States feels weird."

"I can imagine. You're going to fit in just fine."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Makenna giggled. "Anytime." She and Kenny made it to a black Escalade and she was surprised to see Nick and Matt Jackson. Matt was in the driver's seat and Nick was in the passenger's seat. "It's cool that Nick and Matt tagged along. It's been awhile since I've seen them."

"They insisted on coming along, so I couldn't exactly deny them." Kenny opened the trunk of the SUV and stuck Makenna's belongings back there. He and Makenna got into the back seat. He sat behind Matt and she sat behind Nick.

"Makenna!" Matt greeted. "What's up?" Matt started up the ignition and drove out of the airport.

"Not a whole lot. It's good to see you again, Matt...and you too, Nick."

"You too, Makenna," Nick replied. "Did you have a good flight?"

"It wasn't too bad."

"Coffee run, anybody?" Matt wondered. It was still morningtime and a coffee is what he needed in his life.

"Yes, please," Makenna answered. "It's still too early for me."

Matt laughed. "I think you and I are going to be the best of friends, Makenna."

"I can sense that too."

"I look forward to hanging out with you while you're here," Nick said. "It'll be fun to have another female friend to add to the group."

Makenna smiled. "I look forward to hanging out with you too. It'll be fun to see what kind of antics you get me into."

Kenny sat there, watching his best friends interact with his newfound good friend. It was nice to see that Matt and Nick were taking a greater liking to Makenna. He had a feeling that she would fit in with them perfectly.

Marty helped Delilah pick out her outfit to wear to meet Adam. Even though it wasn't a date - or anything close to one - Delilah still wanted to look nice for her outing. Despite the fact that it was February, it was still over 70 degrees outside and she needed to dress appropriately for the weather.

Marty was waiting in the living room while Delilah changed and finished her hair and makeup.

She stood in front of the bathroom mirror as she touched up her eyeliner. Her blue eyes were rimmed with black liner and mascara and accented with gold and brown eyeshadow. She wore a light pink lipstick and her hair was down and perfectly straight. She had already changed into her black, distressed shorts and cream colored, long-sleeved shirt with black hearts. She put on a pair of black, slide-on sneakers and grabbed her purse from the bedside table.

She walked out to the living room where Marty was watching TV. She crossed the room in a few quick strides and sat down on the couch beside him. "I shouldn't be this nervous." She admitted.

"It is okay to be nervous. There is a lot of history between you and Cole and this is a big step - giving him the chance to try to talk to you."

Delilah sucked in a deep breath. "Thank you for being here for me."

Marty smiled, "Of course Del, that is what friends are for."

Delilah sat on a bench by the end of the pier. She sat peering out at the water. The sound of children laughing, people talking, and the rhythmic rush of the waves eased her nerves slightly.

Someone sat down beside her on the bench, "Hey, I was wondering if you would show up." Adam gave her a once over as he spoke.

"I said I would be here, you should have known I would be." She replied.

"You look nice." He offered, looking sheepish.

The tension between them made her heart ache. There once was a time where they could sit and talk for hours, now they struggled to get through the start of a conversation. "Thank you."

He nodded. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I can't believe I am sitting here talking to you right now. I didn't think I would ever see you again."

Whose fault is that? Delialh bit back the comment. "You said you wanted to talk to me. What is it that you wanted to tell me."

"Why don't we go for a walk on the beach and we can talk about it? It is kind of noisy here." The sun was starting to set so, most of the families had cleared off of the beach and were beginning to crowd the pier.

Delilah nodded. She stood up. Adam offered his hand but, she ignored the gesture. She took a step forward and he shoved his hands into his pockets. They walked down to the beach and began to trail the coast line. The waves crashed along the shore as they walked .

"It really is beautiful . . . the sun set over the water." He commented.

Delilah looked out at the waves and nodded, "It is. I can understand why Makenna wanted a house on the beach. It is a beautiful view to have every night."

A gull squacked in the distance as they continued their path down the shoreline.

Adam sighed, "I wanted to apologize."

"You didn't have to have me meet you here to apologize. You could have done that right at the pier… or hell... right at the show."

"Delilah, I really thought that I did the best I could do at the time. I quickly realized, when you never got in touch with me, that maybe I made the wrong decision."

Delilah scoffed, "How long did it take you? A month, six months, a year? It never occured to you that taking off and leaving your girlfriend in a shitty situation was a dickhead move?"

"I thought, given the few options I had, I made the best decision I could. I couldn't have known you would never speak to me again."

"You have got to be fucking kidding me." Delilah stopped. She felt like her blood was boiling. "What the hell do you think you are doing?"

Adam stared at her, dumbstruck. "I am trying to understand what happened between us. We were going to be together, to have a better life. We were going to wrestle and travel the world and be happy. So, when I got to the bus stop that morning and they told me there was only one ticket - I left. I -"

"So you are saying choosing the job over me was the best solution you could come up with? You thought that was the best way for both of us to be happy?" She felt nauseous. Why had she ever agreed to this?

"No, Delilah, that isn't what I am saying. You know that I didn't just leave you."

"Like hell you didn't. I never should have agreed to meet you like this." She swallowed, biting back the tears that stung her eyes. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her break down.

"Delilah - "

"No, fuck you Adam. I am leaving." She turned on her heel and walked away.

And she didn't bother to turn around when he called her name.

Makenna walked from the MGM Grand to the press conference that AEW was holding. She was dressed in a white button up long-sleeved shirt with a black leather jacket over it, silver sequined shorts over a pair of black tights, and black pumps. Her blonde hair was straight, running smoothly across her shoulders. Her eyes were accented with black and silver ombre eyeshadow and winged eyeliner and her lips were coated with red matte lipstick. With her little chanel black handbag across her shoulder, she was dressed to impress.

She managed to take a nap and when she woke up, she saw Kenny left her a note. It said: didn't want to wake you up, but I had to leave early. See you at the press conference. -Kenny

It was a chilly February night in Las Vegas and Makenna was glad she wore what she did. She had on enough layers of clothes to keep herself warm. She stayed as far back in the crowd as possible; trying to be as discreet as possible.

The press conference was underway. Cody opened the show with an introduction. The Bucks took the stage and had a confrontation with The Lucha Brothers, which resulted in The Bucks getting package piledriven on the stage. Hangman Adam Page spoke to the crowd and had an interaction with PAC who spoke via satellite. Makenna made sure she took a picture of Hangman and sent it to Delilah. The Best Friends made an appearance too along with SCU after that. It was a nice little press conference, but Makenna knew the majority of the people were excited about the one person she was excited about too.

Kenny made his presence known to the crowd and they went berserk for him. Makenna was amazed how over he was. He was dressed in a black suit with a white dress shirt and beige tie. It was an unusual look, but that didn't mean that it wasn't welcome. In her eyes, he looked absolutely handsome.

He gave a speech about how he didn't sign pen to paper until this morning, how he was looking forward to working for a company and helping build it from the ground up as an EVP, and how he looks forward to the future of wrestling. He was interrupted by Chris Jericho and the two brawled on stage until the brawl was broken up by security. Jericho was escorted off the stage. Kenny finished his speech by thanking the crowd and he exited the stage, slapping the hands of fans as he made his way behind the curtain.

Delilah hadn't messaged Makenna back, which kind of worried Makenna, but she figured her best friend was probably sleeping or wasn't in the mood to talk to anybody, which was totally understandable.

One of the security men came to get her and he escorted her behind the curtain. She saw Kenny, Nick, Matt, and Cody all interacting with each other about the press conference. She stood there, unsure of what to do. She knew The Elite was a tight-knit group and she didn't want to disrupt them.

"Hey, Makenna," Cody said, approaching her. He extended his hand out for her and she shook it respectfully. "How are you?"

"Hey, Cody. I'm doing good; I hope you are."

"I'm doing fantastic. It was nice of you to come out here and support Kenny..."

"...I'm always supportive of my friends. I'm happy for him and you, Hangman, and The Bucks."

"Where's your best friend at?" Cody wondered, referring to Delilah. They were attached at the hip, so it was a bizarre sight that Makenna was somewhere that Delilah wasn't.

"Kenny invited me to come, so that's why I'm here," Makenna answered. "She's home."

"Tell her I said hello." Makenna smiled and nodded to be polite. She was not going to relay the message because she was aware of Delilah's feelings towards Cody. Delilah only tolerated him if the situation called for it. "It was nice to see you again. I hope you enjoy your time in Vegas."

"Thank you," Makenna smiled. "It was good to see you too."

Cody walked away and Kenny now approached her. "Glad to see you made it. You look nice."

Makenna blushed. "Thank you. You do too."

"Suits aren't really my thing, but I felt kind of like it was necessary to wear one tonight."

"I felt like I needed to dress a little nicer than usual, so that's why I'm sort of dressed up."

"What did you think of the press conference?"

"It was cool," Makenna responded. "But, the best parts were Hangman, The Bucks and Lucha Brothers confrontation, and of course your speech and your confrontation with Jericho."

Kenny smiled. "You're being unbiased, right?"

"Totally," Makenna laughed. "It's not like I like all of you more than anyone else who gave their speech tonight."

"That's what I thought," Kenny chuckled.

"Is there anything else planned for tonight?"

"Hopefully, you and I can go back to the motel and hang out...if you're up for it?"

Makenna nodded. "Absolutely."

"Let me tell everyone bye really quick and then I'll walk back with you to the motel." Makenna watched as Kenny told everyone bye. He did motion his head towards Makenna a couple of times, making her wonder what he was saying. Kenny walked back up to her. Nick and Matt waved at her and she reciprocated. She didn't see Hangman again, but she supposed he called it a night and headed back to the motel. "Ready to go?"

"I am." They walked back to the MGM Grand side by side.

Marty was asleep when he heard the front door slam. He jumped up, startled. A wave of relief washed over him when he saw Delilah drop her bag on the counter. Then he noticed her tear stained cheeks and smudged make up.

"Are you okay, D?" He sat up, looking concerned.

The brunette shook her head as she flopped in one of the armchairs. "You were right I never should have gone to meet him." She managed through ragged breaths.

"What did he say?"

"He said he wanted to know why I never contacted him. Like I should have just searched for him after he took off and left me. Like everything was my fault."

Marty sighed. "He is an idiot. Nothing that happened was your fault. It was his. He was the one who left, not you."

Delilah took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her nerves. "He is such an asshole. Why would he even bring it back up? After all this time… just to say that."

Marty sighed. He wondered the same thing. Had Adam really thought she would have contacted him after he left without a word? Why would she? Of course she would think he was ending things by leaving without telling her.

"Don't dwell on it, Del. Why don't we order a pizza and watch one of your shows on Netflix. Get your mind off everything?"

Delilah shrugged. She doubted some pizza and binge watching some TV show would make her forget everything that had happened but, she knew her best friend meant well. "Okay. I am just going to change."

"Alright. I will order us some pizza and find something to watch."

Delilah gave a half-hearted smile and went to her room.

She changed into a pair of white lounge pants and a black sweatshirt with the word Meow written on it in white (with cat ears & whiskers). She tossed her hair up in a messy bun and then went back to the living room. Marty had two sodas out on the coffee table and one of her favorite shows pulled up and paused on the large, flat screen TV. She smiled appreciatively and sat down beside him on the couch. She leaned against his side, tucking her legs underneath her, and unpaused the show.

He chuckled. "Comfortable?"

She nodded her head, "Thank you. You make a good pillow."

"Glad I am good for something." He smirked.

"You are good for being one of my best friends."

The two watched the show in silence until someone rang the doorbell. "I bet that is the pizza. I will go get it." He offered.

She sat up straight so he could get up. Marty got the correct amount of cash out of his wallet, including a tip, and walked over to the front door. He opened the door and stared, mouth agape, at the man on the other side.

"Marty?" Adam sounded surprised. "What are you doing at Makenna and Delilah's place?"

"I could ask you the same thing?" Marty stepped outside, closing the door behind him. "I think you should go."

"I just want to talk to Delilah. We met earlier and things went a bit sideways. I want to apologize."

"Like I said Adam, I think you should go. She isn't going to want to see you after what happened."

Adam frowned, "She told you about meeting with me?"

"She needed someone to talk to." Marty shrugged. The pizza delivery car pulled up and the man got out. "Now if you don't mind - our pizza is here."

Adam raked his fingers through his hair. It was clear he wanted to argue the matter but, thought better of it. "Will you tell her I am sorry?"

"Sure. I will let her know."

"Thanks." Adam turned and walked away, passing the pizza man on the sidewalk as he left.

Makenna went ahead into the Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood. It was cold outside to her. She was attending a Backstreet Boys concert with Kenny, Matt, and Nick. The three were currently filming a scene for 'Being The Elite,' so she decided to get herself situated.

For the concert, her blonde hair was down in waves under a black fedora. She wore a deep v-neck black long sleeved shirt tucked into high waisted blue jeans. Her jeans were rolled up at the ends and her outfit was completed with brown ankle booties. Her eyes wore done with a thick smokey eye and she wore red matte lipstick. Her army green bomber jacket she wore over her outfit was tucked behind her on her seat.

She saw the three men make their way to the aisle they were sitting at. Matt was leading the charge followed by Kenny and Nick. Matt scooted in first and took the seat beside Makenna.

Kenny shot a questioning look to his friend but took the seat between Matt and Nick. He was assuming he would be sitting next to Makenna. Nick took the seat and the end of that row.

The three Elite members took off their company jackets and revealed their matching white Backstreet Boys shirt they were wearing. "Aw, that's adorable," Makenna cooed. "The three of you are matching."

"It was Kenny's idea," Matt stated. "He wanted to do it for shits and giggles."

Makenna nodded and laughed. She wondered why Kenny didn't sit beside her. Was he ashamed to be seen with her out in public? Did he not want rumors about them two to start if he sat beside her? Matt and Nick were both happily married so if one of them sat next to her then rumors would be less likely to start. The thoughts in her head dissipated as Backstreet Boys appeared on stage.

They started out with their song 'Backstreets Back.' That song was a bop. Makenna excitedly sang along to the song. All the negative thoughts she had were quickly forgotten about.

After a plethora of their biggest hit songs were performed live, 'Larger Than Life' was now being sang live and Makenna looked over and saw Matt, Kenny, and Nick singing along too. She giggled at how extra the three of them were acting. They seemed to be having a good time.

She absolutely lost her marbles when 'I Want It That Way' was performed. That was her favorite Backstreet Boys song. She squealed and the three members of The Elite laughed at her. Once the verse "Tell Me Why..." was sung - Makenna excitedly sang along as loud as she could.

Kenny looked over at her and busted out laughing. He was singing along too, but couldn't contain himself when Makenna acted extra.

Finally, 'Quit Playing With Games My Heart' was performed and Makenna, Kenny, and Nick all clapped their hands along to the song. Matt didn't seem as enthused as everyone else. 'Quit Playing Games With My Heart' was sung along loudly by everyone the further into the song it got. Kenny and Makenna looked at each other and smiled.

Makenna stayed behind as The Elite was filming another scene for 'Being The Elite' post concert. When that was finished, Kenny motioned for Makenna to join them. "Did you have fun?" Kenny wondered.

"It was a blast. Thanks for inviting me."

"No problem."

"You had it going on during 'I Want It That Way'," Matt teased.

"That's my favorite song by them," Makenna shrugged. "Sorry if I was being so extra."

"It's all good."

"You should definitely hang out with us again," Nick said. "It's been fun having you with us in Vegas."

"Thank you," Makenna smiled. "I've enjoyed hanging out with you too."

"I'm freezing my ass off," Matt said. "Let's get to the car so I can blast the heat."

"Let's race," Nick offered. Matt and Nick raced to the vehicle.

Kenny and Makenna were now left alone with each other. "Sorry that I didn't sit beside you at the concert."

"It's okay."

"Matt was in front and I guess it was just easy for him to go ahead and occupy the seat next to you. I didn't want to be rude and ask him to move." Makenna probably didn't care, but Kenny felt like he needed to explain himself to her.

Makenna understood his explanation. It made her feel relieved. "I totally understand. I still had a fun time."

"That's good. I hope we are able to hang out again after we leave Vegas and part ways."

"Me too." She hoped so. She really enjoyed the company of Kenny Omega.

Marty had left earlier in the day, leaving Delilah to humor herself for the rest of the evening. She had made a light supper, watched a movie, and was now curled up in her bed with a new mystery novel.

She had been grateful for his company while Makenna was gone, even if he couldn't stay until she came home.

Marty had told Delilah that Adam had shown up at the house the other night when he went out to get the pizza. She was grateful that Marty had handled the situation and stood up for her because she was certain she wouldn't have been able to handle seeing Adam again so soon.

As a matter of fact, she dreaded seeing him whenever she returned to work. She knew she would be able to remain professional. She just hoped he extended the same courtesy.

She didn't know how she would react if he tried to stir up the conversation with her again.

She sighed and tried to push the thought out of her mind. She once again picked up her book and began to read, thankful that Makenna would be returning the next day and she would see her best friend again.

A/N: Thank you for reading. Hope everyone enjoys this chapter.