Please insert excuses here.
Once backstage, AJ shimmied out of Balor's grasp. He gave her a loose hug, his teeth brighter than she'd remembered. Sparkling white.
"That ended quite well, don't you think?" he asked, clearly elated and high on the rush from the crowd.
AJ agreed, but tried to see past him. Paige and Seth hadn't come up from the ring yet. Or, if they had, they were avoiding them. But as the crowd out there went crazy, she knew that Paige and Seth were still out there. Sure, the show had closed out, but they were probably giving the crowd more of a show.
And when she saw the monitor right behind Finn, her heart dropped. He must've seen the sorrowed look on AJ's face, because he turned, too. Just in time to see Paige's black hair cascade over Seth's face.
Paige was kissing Seth Rollins.
"Oh, boy," Finn turned away quickly. "How's that for enhancing a storyline?" he joked. And although AJ knew he was only trying to break the tension in the room, she couldn't stop the tears from welling up in her eyes. She'd made a point to not kiss Finn after the match, despite his win. But Paige was more than willing to lay one on Seth, just to spite her? What the fuck?
"Oh, AJ, come here," Finn held out his arms, glistening with sweat. She knew she shouldn't...but she really wanted to. And to be honest, Finn had been nothing but great to her since she first re-emerged on to the scene.
So she allowed herself to fall into his arms, and he held her as she sobbed.
"Why would they do this to me?" she asked out loud. "I know that it's for storyline purposes. At least, I think it is. But it's disrespectful."
Finn stepped back, his dark features smoldering. Shit, he was so handsome.
Shaking away the butterflies that were beginning to flap in her stomach, AJ reminded herself that she loved Seth, and that was something she could be certain of.
But what if he isn't certain of you? that nagging voice in the back of her skull always liked to stir up trouble.
"I hate to break the news to you, AJ," Finn's accent was really thick when he said her name. And she hated to admit it, but that accent gave her a fierce lady boner. She really ought to go...
"But I don't recall Seth Rollins ever being respectful at all," Finn finished, his eyes darting towards the curtain. Surely, their opponents had to be done making out by now. They'd be joining them backstage at any moment.
"He's always been respectful to me," AJ said quietly. But with Finn's eyebrow cocked, she knew that he didn't believe her. She didn't even believe herself right now.
"What do you say we get out of here?" Finn asked. "I was planning on getting a head start on the road tonight. If you don't have anything going on, I could use a co-pilot."
AJ weighed her options here. She had planned on trying to smooth things over with Paige, but after what she just witnessed, how could she? And to be completely honest, even if it was only for show, it was still a low-blow. Things had already been a bit messy between herself and Seth, and adding Paige's brash behavior to the mix wasn't going to help.
And even though AJ had wanted to spend the night with Seth so badly, she couldn't fathom laying next to him. He knew how careful he ought to be, and he was up for the challenge. But now, it looked like he didn't care how AJ felt at all. Finn watched her carefully, as though he was trying to read her mind.
"I only mean it as partners. I think we really ought to work through the kinks here if we're going to work together, don't you?"
Well, he had a point there, AJ admitted to herself. She knew Seth wouldn't want her to jump into Finn Balor's rental car. But then again, what should she care? He had his mouth all over Paige's just a few minutes ago!
"I...I mean, I had plans with Seth," she admitted sheepishly.
"Really?" Finn looked baffled. "I thought he was on with Paige? Well, suit yourself, I suppose-"
"I could really use the distraction, if you'll allow it," she cut in, knowing that this was probably the wrong thing to do. She made a mental note that she had to text Seth. Maybe tell him she had a very important meeting with Finn regarding their storyline. Yes, that was a good white lie. It wasn't really a lie, either. "But I only mean it as partners," she reiterated his own words, hoping that she made her point. There was nothing more to this than comfortable friendship and business.
"Okay, deal," Finn grinned. "I'll meet you back at the parking garage in about fifteen minutes. That'll give me enough time to put on clothes. Unless you prefer me like this?" Finn looked down at his ridiculous washboard abs, clearly teasing her. AJ looked at him in disbelief.
"I...uh," she managed to stammer out, but forced her eyes away from his impossibly sexy body.
"I'm only joking, April," Finn teased. He gave her a tiny wink. "See you in a few minutes."
AJ looked down at her feet, clad in her Chuck Taylor wrestling boots. She agreed, still embarrassed that she was clearly caught ogling her partner.
"Yeah...in a few," she kicked at nothing, suddenly looking forward to finding some sweatpants. If she wore the most un-sexy items she owned, Finn would have to know that she wasn't interested, right?
Right?
"And, cut," Matthew murmured quietly. He stood behind a giant stack of backstage props, holding his iPhone up to catch this footage. How he had such fantastic luck was beyond him. Of course, it helped that he'd paid Finn Balor a nice chunk of change to keep AJ from running straight to her locker room. Yes, Finn knew that Paige was going to lay one on Seth.
Well, kind of. Matthew guessed that the camera work had done well. It was quite unlikely that Paige would actually kiss Seth. It was no secret that she disliked him, and even if she was fighting with her best friend, the gothic princess would never do anything to overstep her boundaries.
But, Matthew also supposed, Paige was offered something, just to make it look like she planted him.
Nonetheless, the last ten minutes he'd recorded couldn't have been any sweeter. Not only did he get AJ's reaction to the kiss, which was his intention, but he also got Finn flirting with her openly. And she very clearly accepted his invitation to drive to the next town over! As soon as he got any of this footage to Vince-Stephanie would never allow it-he'd be making it big. Maybe he could even get a permanent job with this company. Then, he could stop being Zahra's bitch.
Matthew shook his head at his bitter thoughts. It wasn't that he disliked Zahra. No, she was stunning, and kind, and had gotten him out of a lot of trouble. She made sure he stayed safe from drug lords by paying off his dues. He owed everything to her, and she knew that. She also knew that if she'd give him the time of day, he would quickly turn his life around. For her? Anything.
But that was just it. She didn't want to give him the time of day. She wanted to focus on Seth Rollins. Until she got bored of him, anyways. But Matthew knew that even though he loved her and put her on a pedestal, Zahra Schreiber would never feel the same way.
And that hurt.
But, he figured he owed her. It would be better if she fell in love with him, but since that looked to be unlikely, he would continue to do her dirty work.
Maybe this will be the last time, he thought. If he landed this gig with the WWE, he knew he wouldn't need to rely on her for money anymore. And besides for that, what did they really have together? Matthew wasn't sure.
He quickly added the footage as an attachment for an e-mail. He sent it to each member of the creative department, copying Vince McMahon as well. He didn't bother to send it to Stephanie, as she had made her opinion on meddling in Superstars' business quite clear the other day. It lagged for a moment, but the checkmark appeared, signaling the e-mail had been sent. And about thirty more people would see the exchange between AJ Lee and Finn Balor in the next five minutes.
Driving a wedge between Seth and AJ was simple. Zahra should be happy...soon, Seth will be miserable, too, Matthew reasoned with himself. He'll be out of his position. He'll be out of his girlfriend. And if Finn agrees to injure him, he could be out of a career.
That's what happens when you cross Zahra.
"Hey, have you seen AJ around?" Seth and Paige were backstage, ready to go their separate ways. Kevin Owens and Heath Slater stood nearby, heatedly discussing a new horror movie.
Heath shot Seth a look, obviously annoyed that he had interrupted their discussion. But he bit his tongue, shrugging. "I'm sure watching you two play tonsil hockey sent her straight back to Chicago," he muttered.
And with that, Seth was straight in Heath's face.
"What was that? You got something to say about my girlfriend?"
"Come on man, chill," Kevin Owens pulled Seth back. "Slater, you know AJ isn't going to jump on a plane back to Chicago. Dick move," he scolded the redhead.
"Well, shit, I would if I were her," Heath shot Seth another look, not willing to back down. "I'm so sick of pretending to kiss Rollins' ass," he said to Kevin. "Not only do I dislike you, I think you're a terrible Champion. You're also a horrible friend, and clearly a worse boyfriend."
The next scene came so quickly that it felt like a movie. Seth's fist connected with Heath's jaw, causing his head to snap back. Paige was now between the two men, her arms forcing Heath from retaliation. Kevin stood dumbstruck.
"Get your skanky hands off from me," Heath Slater adjusted his jaw, ensuring that it wasn't broken. But it was definitely bleeding. He pushed Paige's hands off from his shoulder. "I know where those hands have been."
Now it was Paige's turn to get angry.
"Excuse me?" her British accent was thick, and she stood nose-to-nose with Slater, her knuckles twitching at her sides.
"You heard me. Maddox? Oh, and Xavier? Del Rio? And look, even Seth Rollins! I wouldn't be surprised if there were more, you disgusting slut!" He pushed past Paige, knocking her straight down on her ass.
"Are you kidding me, dude? What's your fucking problem?" Paige yelled, slowly getting up from the floor.
Kevin held out a hand, helping up Paige. "Slater, what the hell, man?" he called after the former Nexus member. Normally, Heath was a mellow guy. Seth supposed punching him in the jaw didn't help him out any. But the attack on Paige? that was unwarranted.
Heath didn't turn back, nor did he respond. "Paige, I'm so sorry that happened," Kevin offered, but she grunted in return. "Well if it wasn't for Seth, that might have gone much more smoothly," she replied, her tone flat. "Rollins, you can't just go around smashing faces."
Kevin shrugged. "I mean, I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing..." he admitted.
Paige groaned. "Fuck you guys. I can't handle the testosterone anymore! I'm going to go find AJ. She probably did see our show, and that means I've got some explaining to do."
"No shit," Seth muttered. "Next time they offer you a title shot to do something stupid, would you at least consult me first?"
"Yes, father," Paige replied, rolling her eyes. She excused herself, and Seth was left with Kevin. The men walked together towards the shared locker room, which was mostly empty by now.
"So she did kiss you?" Kevin asked after a long moment.
Seth laughed. "No, but I bet it looked like it. In fact, she told me that she could smell the Doritos on my breath."
Kevin laughed once, but his face faltered. "Think AJ will believe that it wasn't real?"
"Even if it was, it shouldn't matter...it's for show," Seth replied, but instantly realized where his fault was. Kevin gave him a look, and he realized he was in the wrong.
"Double-standards much?" Kevin wagged his finger. "I know you don't like her friendship with Finn Balor. I get it! Finn is a great guy. I would be worried, too. But you know, you guys have really proven to have something more. Even if it doesn't make sense to the rest of us."
"Finn deserves a girl like her," Seth replied dully. "Shit, the guy deserves everything that's coming to him."
"Aw, quit thinking like that. There's plenty of time to make things right. And, maybe you're starting to realize that making things right might not include the Championship, or partnering with The Authority."
Seth shot his friend a dirty look.
"I mean, those things are great...but are you happy? No. I can see that, and so can everyone else. If you continue to be unhappy, you're gonna risk losing the only source of sunshine you seem to have."
"AJ," Seth said quietly, beginning to hear what his friend was saying.
"Yeah, man. AJ."
And, as fate would have it, his phone buzzed. He searched one of the pockets of his bag to retrieve it.
It was a text from AJ.
Seth smiled, and his heart skipped a beat.
"Speak of the devil," he said to Kevin, who gave him a genuine smile in response. But Seth's brow furrowed after he opened the text, and he could feel anger boiling in the pit of his stomach.
"Fuck!" he shouted, throwing his phone back into his bag. "Fuck!" he said once more, sitting down on the bench that his stuff was thrown on.
"All good?" Kevin asked, knowing full-well it wasn't.
Seth ran his hands through his hair.
"She said she needed time to herself. And that she was hurt that I didn't take her feelings into consideration."
"Okay, but you didn't know that Paige was going to pull that move," Kevin pointed out. "So tell her that."
"I would, but she's already on her way to the next town with fuckin' Finn!"
Kevin's face went blank. Clearly, he didn't know what to say.
"She's trying to get one up on me. Make me jealous," Seth reeled. "Well, I'll show her."