CHAPTER TWO

It's cold when I wake up. I realize the covers are all on Phil's side of the bed, although he's nowhere to be seen. I grab my cell phone and check to see if I've missed any messages, but I haven't. Phil doesn't go out in public easily these days, so I wonder where he ran off to.

I force myself out of bed and into the shower. After obsessively washing my hair and pondering where my husband might be, I finally get out, dry off, and get ready to start my day. RAW is in Chicago this week, so I get to stay home for a bit. It would be nice if I could share that home time with Phil, but I guess he has other plans.

I'm frustrated and really need to work out my aggression. I debate skipping around the neighborhood, but that's not really going to help me today. I sigh. This entire situation really sucks.

My cell phone begins to vibrate. I'm hoping it's Phil, but it's actually Colby, a.k.a. Mr. Money In the Bank Seth Rollins, or Tyler Black, if you're a fan of the indies.

Where's the nearest Crossfit? The text reads. Typical. Colby is obsessed with Crossfit. It's his life, and I'm fairly convinced it's some sort of cult that requires him to consume Kill Cliff by the tons, too, but I let it go. Instead of ignoring him, I decide I might like the distraction.

I'll show you. I'll be at your hotel room in ten. We can work out together.

I know as soon as I send this text that there's going to be trouble. Phil gets pretty jealous when I'm around the other wrestlers alone. I don't know why. Yes, my character dated approximately half of the main roster, but that doesn't mean that I have. I'm not some skank. He needs to get over the paranoia.

GREAT! Colby sends back. He adds a smiley face to convey his glee, in case the capital letters and the six exclamation points were too subtle. Colby may play a pain in the ass on television, but he's really just sort of adorably geeky. We share a love of video games and comic books so I don't mind hanging out with him. It might even be fun.

Skip, skip, skip… Skip, skip, skip… Skip, skip…

"Focus, April," I scold myself. It's funny that just the idea of working out with someone has me back in a skipping spirit. Apparently, I just needed a pick-me-up. I grab my work-out bag and head out of the house. I debate leaving Phil a note, but considering he didn't bother to leave me one, I decide against it. Why should I be considerate if he's not going to bother?

When I reach Colby's hotel, he's already standing outside. His half-bleached-blonde hair makes him easy to spot, as does his excited smile. He's practically bouncing when I reach him.

"Hey, April! I'm so glad you decided to come do Crossfit with me," he says, giving me a hug. "It's always more fun with a partner to motivate you."

"I'm glad, too," I say. "I was looking for something to do."

"How's Phil?"

Awkward, I think. "He's okay," I say. "He sort of disappeared on me this morning, so I decided to come out and play."

"Well, his loss is my gain."

I'm smiling again. Internally, I'm skipping. I can barely handle talking to my husband anymore, but just being around Colby lifts my mood. I'm guessing that's probably a bad sign, but I'm trying not to think about it.

"Come on," I say. "Crossfit is this way." We head a few blocks over. Colby rambles the entire time about how cool Chicago is and how excited he is for tonight's RAW. He's fighting Dean Ambrose and I'm fighting Paige. Some things never change. WWE Creative is becoming a misnomer.

When we reach the Crossfit gym, Colby's eyes light up like a kid at a candy store. It's absolutely adorable and I can't help but laugh. They welcome him like his name is Norm and we just walked into Cheers. We set to work pretty quickly on the craziness that is a Crossfit workout. It hurts my body in good ways and I'm happy to get lost in the routine of staying in shape.

After we're done, Colby is still all smiles. (Well, smiles and sweat.) "You wanna get something to eat?" He asks me.

"Definitely!" I declare. I'm starving. "We'll shower and I'll see you in ten."

"Cool." We go our separate ways and I take my second shower of the day. When I finally finish changing back into a human being, I rush outside to meet him. Colby is grinning at me like we've been best friends for years.

It's only then that I realize my cell phone is ringing. It's Phil, and I suddenly don't care. I can't deal with him right now.

Working out, I text him. It's almost the truth.

K, he sends back.

"K?" I ask aloud in frustration. "K?! Is that all he has to say to me?"

"April? Are you okay?" Colby asks me.

"I'm fine. Let's go eat." I stick my phone in my purse. I'll deal with Phil later. Right now, I just want to relax.

I take Colby to one of my favorite Chicago haunts. I've only just started to learn the city. I'm from New Jersey and I have high standards, what with New York being right across the river my whole childhood. He seems pretty satisfied with my decision.

"So what's really going on?" Colby asks out of nowhere.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"You're really unhappy. I haven't seen you like this in a while, not since Phil first quit and they decided you'd have to defend your title at Wrestlemania against, well, everyone. What's wrong?"

I shrink a little. Mentally, I start to skip away. I can't talk about this with him. It's between me and Phil and I shouldn't be dragging any of the guys into it.

"April, come on. You can trust me. I promise."

That does it. I don't realize it's going to happen until it's too late, but I start to cry. "It's nothing," I lie.

"Allergies?" He asks politely as he hands me a tissue.

"Yeah… I'm fine. Really." I blow my nose loudly and ungracefully.

"April, talk to me. Seriously. Whatever this is, it'll be okay, but only if you talk to someone."

"It's Phil!" I blurt out. I clasp my hands over my mouth. I hadn't meant to say that.

"Did something happen?" Colby asks me.

"He's just… He's doing all this stuff, worrying about his future and screwing the McMahons, and… and… And he isn't thinking about the fact that I still work for them."

"Did they threaten you?" His concern is genuinely touching.

"No, but look at the way they've been booking me. They're trying to get me hurt or worse… I mean, they had Nikki beat the hell out of me… Which sucks, because I can totally take Nikki Bella! And they keep sending the female heels after me, and I swear I overheard Stephanie and Paul talking about Kane… Kane, Colby! They were thinking about sending Glenn after me."

"Well, not technically Glenn… Kane's a character."

"Exactly. A vicious one. I know Glenn won't hurt me, but I can't say the same for Kane."

"April, I'm sure they wouldn't do anything that could seriously hurt you." The thing is, he doesn't sound so sure.

"I'm scared," I admit. "Things are getting really bad."

"Do you want me to talk to them? I mean, I'm technically part of The Authority now, so I could talk to Creative…"

"Colby, that's sweet, but I know how much you hate your character's current storyline. I'll be fine. I'm probably overreacting."

"I'm sorry they're being assholes to you, April. If you need me, you know I've got your back. I won't let them hurt you."

"Thanks. I might hold you to that if it turns out I'm not crazy and paranoid."

My phone rings again. It's Phil. I groan. "Let me calm the husband down and assure him I have not been kidnapped or otherwise violated," I say. I walk away to take the call. "Hey, Babe. Sorry for disappearing, but Colby was desperately seeking a Crossfit."

"Colby? Lopez?" Phil asks.

"Yeah, that would be his last name. Why? Do we know another Colby?"

"No, it's just… I don't want him trying to take advantage of you, April."

"Colby? Please. He's harmless. He's just a friend, Phil."

"I know…"

"Do you?"

"Of course. Why would you ever go for a guy like that when you already have me?" He's only half-joking. That "Best in the World" gimmick was not entirely storyline.

"Exactly," I say more cheerfully than I'm feeling. "I'll be home soon, okay? I love you."

"I love you, too," he replies before hanging up.

"Everything okay?" Colby asks as I return to our table.

"Fine," I say. "He's just paranoid."

"He should be, with all the wrestling fans around Chicago right now."

"Yeah, RAW should be interesting. Thanks for lunch, Colby. I'm going to head home and spend some time with him before the show. I'll see you tonight." I kiss him on the cheek and literally skip away as he laughs.