"Hey, Alex," Mike mutters into his phone, staring blankly at the wintery sky out of his hotel window.
"Hey, Mike, how's it going?" Alex asks, quiet and careful. Mike doesn't even need to guess that Ricardo's been keeping him up to speed with what's been going on between him and AJ.
He shrugs listlessly. "I, uh. I can't do commentary on Main Event this week. You should come and do it, man. You're better at it than I am, anyway."
"What?" Alex almost laughs, fading away into a choked gasp. "No, man, you're-"
"Please, Alex," he whispers. "You won't, uh. Won't insult anyone like I do, so you deserve to do it, ok? I know you have fun with it." Whereas not that long ago, he had gotten twitchy whenever Alex had more time behind the desk than he, now he doesn't ever want to sit back there again. The near loss of his friendship with Ricardo should've been his first hint, but no. He had always been a slow learner like that.
There's a long pause, Alex's breaths uneven and sharp in Mike's ear. Finally, "Sure, man, if you're sure," he murmurs, obviously uncomfortable.
It's one weight off of Mike's shoulders as he sits in his rental and stares up at the airport, trying to get the nerve to go inside, fly back home to California, face Morrison and tell him his latest stupidity. At least John had left the company before I hit commentary, I can't hurt him with the idiotic things I say there... just everyone else who matters to me.
But John isn't overly judgmental, no matter what Mike's done, so when he finally faces reality, returns to their homestate, it's a calm Morrison who greets him with a hug, pulling back after a few moments to cup his face, examine him. "Well, come on. Let's go back to my apartment, you can tell me all about it."
Mike shudders and breathes, nodding. Any place other than his house sounds great now, so he willingly follows him to the car, leaning his head against the window and watching as the Los Angeles sights pass him by.
"Are you hungry?" John asks after a moment, glancing over at him in only a little surprise as he listlessly shakes his head, making note to prod him until he eats later. They arrive at his apartment a few minutes later and he parks smoothly, pulling himself out of the car to wait for Mike to snap out of his funk long enough to do the same. He grips Mike's bags, ignoring his half-hearted attempt at grabbing them, and nods his head towards his apartment, following the other man into the building and up the stairs. Once they and Mike's things are settled, he rustles around in the kitchen, finding a couple bottles of coconut water and some chips that Mike had left the last time he was here, entering the living room and depositing both things in front of his best friend. He sits then and turns towards Mike, brown eyes soft and resolute. "Talk."
So he does. Explains everything to do with Main Event, how Ricardo had tried to warn him, leading to him making that ill-thought out joke, just for AJ to overhear and understandably lose it. John hears him out patiently but barely gets to open his mouth when Mike buries his face in the armrest of the couch, breathing heavily. "I'm such an idiot."
"True," John says with no heat behind his words, hand resting between Mike's shoulderblades. "But you can't let it paralyze you. She'll come around. I mean, come on, Mike. There's something about you- we all eventually forgive you and move on, right? I've done it, Alex, Ricardo, all of us."
"But AJ's already forgiven me for some pretty huge crap, and now I'm sprouting off that I'm marrying some other woman?" He shakes his head. "I think that's asking a lot, even from her." He sits up and stares blearily at John. "I don't know what to do."
John leans closer and claps a hand on his knee. "I think it's pretty easy, man. You give her some time- you give yourself some time, you think it out, and hopefully by Smackdown, she'll be ready to talk to you."
Mike groans and closes his eyes. "I hope you're right." He stares down at his hands. "Y'know, she's going to be the longest reigning divas champion tomorrow. Boy did I ruin this milestone for her."
"You're such a heel," John teases him quietly. When Miz glowers over at him, he grins and shrugs, looking away. "It'll work out, but you can't spend the rest of your time in California worrying about it, I'm not going to let you." Standing, he crosses his arms over his chest, watching Mike until he takes the hint and stands up, releasing a faint breath. "Come on, there's a burger joint nearby with your name on it."
"You know things are bad when you're willingly taking me to a fast food place," he mumbles, following his best friend out.
"Exactly. It doesn't happen often, so enjoy it," John tells him, shutting the door behind them and hooking an arm around Mike's shoulders, dragging him down the stairs to the bright California sunshine waiting for them outside.
He almost does.
John is busy the next day, memorizing lines for his latest movie so Mike doesn't want to bother him. He goes out on the beach and traces the waterline for awhile, pointedly avoiding the pier this time around. He's thoroughly lost track of the time when his phone beeps, pulling him away from the amazing sight before him of the blue sky and blue ocean seamlessly meshing together. He pulls it out and looks to find that it's a tweet alert- from AJ, his breath stuttering painfully in his chest. He closes his eyes and sucks in a deep breath before rereading it, wincing at her proclamation that she's now the longest reigning divas champion... and will celebrate it by laying in bed with ice cream. He rests a finger on the screen, yearning to be with her right now, enjoying this moment with her, the look of well-deserved pride in her eyes. But as much as she deserves this honor, he doesn't deserve to spend it with her, after what he'd said to cause her so much pain.
"You deserve so much better," he mutters to thin air, taking a hesitant step and another. Except that her tweet and the guilt accompanying it stirs something awake within him, his brain slowly clicking back to life as well. Ricardo said rumors were going around... He stares at a wave crashing against the rocks Morrison loves climbing and swallows heavily. "Who started the rumor then?"
It's ludicrous. He knows it won't help the situation any if someone sees him, but it's all he can think about. He doesn't think she would be the kind to say anything, especially after being out of the WWE for years, much less not being involved with him for even longer than that, but he needs answers. So he finds himself on Maryse's stoop, staring blankly at the soft white door keeping him from asking the questions rattling around his skull. Eventually reaches up and knocks, feeling tight with nerves and more than a little shaky.
He listens as high heeled shoes click towards the door, its locks unlatched and doorknob turned quickly, perhaps before he's ready for it to happen. As he lays eyes on her, he has to swallow. She's still breathtaking, with long blonde hair and a model's body, but that's in the past. She looks as confused as he has felt the last week, but quickly smiles at him, her expression turning warm and welcoming. "Bonsoir, Mike."
Her accent is as thick as ever and he smiles at the familiarity, a wave of relief washing over him. It's not as awkward as he'd feared or expected it to be, so he licks his lips and steps forward. "Hey, Maryse. We need to talk, if I'm not interrupting anything..."
"Ah, no, come in," she urges him, stepping aside so he can do just that. "This was a good time to come... I've been relaxing after handling some business and I always look forward to company. May I get you anything to drink? Water... juice..."
"No, I'm fine, thanks," he grins, glancing around the impeccably designed house. He feels almost out of place among the simple, yet elegant furniture, following her into the living room and sitting down where she beckons him to. "It's good to see you."
She beams at him. "It is good to see you too, Mike. It's been... how long?"
"A little over three years. Wow, it feels like not a day's gone by. You're as gorgeous as ever."
Her dark eyes gleam with happiness as she laughs softly. "Merci, you look pretty good yourself. The acting career appears to be good for you." He grins at her this time and they allow the moment to linger, both absorbing the pleasant vibe of being in each other's company, and their sincere compliments. But eventually Maryse turns serious. "You said you had something you wanted to tell me about?"
He wants to keep the story short, not intending to tell all of his and AJ's personal business to his ex, but her eyes are so warm and focused on him, reminding of their past, all of the times they'd talked about their own personal inspirations and dreams, how far they'd like to go in their individual careers, that for the second time in as many days, the truth comes flooding out of his lips, how happy he and AJ had been, how the rumors had been passing around the WWE locker room... how he had found out, and what he had said on Main Event.
She looks truly plumbstruck when he stops, lips parted in no lack of shock as she rests a hand over her mouth. When she begins murmuring in French, he loses whatever suspicions he may have had about her and begins to truly worry that his stupidity has insulted her as well, not truly thinking about how his big mouth could've disrupted whatever romantic aims she might have in her life as well. He's about to apologize profusely when she stands up and steps towards the door, visibly deep in thought. "You say that this rumor is relatively recent, and your girlfriend is the current divas champion?" He nods and she hums for a few minutes, turning back to him. "Well, what are you going to do about this situation then?"
"I don't know," he admits. "She won't talk to me and I'm not sure where the rumor originated from."
Maryse stares at him, a sudden glint in her deep brown eyes that makes him uncomfortable. "I believe I may have an idea that will help you..."
It's a gamble, Maryse's idea. He knows this, she admits it herself, but it awakens something inside of him. So he finds himself in Vickie Guerrero's office, talking to her. It's clear that she's heard the rumors, a little sneer on her overly made up lips, but she keeps herself reigned in somehow and even agrees to his suggestion that he join the commentary team for Smackdown, pieces of his and Maryse's puzzle falling into place.
He pays as much attention as he can to things, succeeding at mentioning The Dirt Sheet two minutes into the broadcast and watching closely as Mysterio defeats Del Rio and then gets locked into an armbar for his trouble, but it's hard. He's waiting anxiously for the divas match that is scheduled later on, almost bouncing out of his seat, until his opportunity comes- AJ is feet away, pointedly ignoring him as Tamina prepares for her match against Naomi, when it's mentioned that AJ is the longest reigning divas champion. Mike's opportunity flashing before his eyes, he snatches it and relays a message of congratulations to AJ from "his beautiful fiancee", the words still sounding foreign on his tongue. It takes all in him to remain in his seat as AJ gets involved in the match, Cameron quickly taking her down, allowing Naomi to focus only on her opponent so she can win the match, Mike biting his lip as he watches the two women assist each other from ringside afterwards, neither of them very happy. He thinks AJ glances his way for a moment but the ring ropes are in the way and she could've been looking at anything, so he sits back down, his adrenaline crashing as quickly as it'd come, taking the majority of his interest in the rest of the show with it.
The only other thing that really gains his attention is when Colter nearly goes flying down the ramp in his wheelchair, Swagger and Cesaro rescuing him just in time... until the Usos finish the job a little later by sending him flying into Cesaro towards the end of their match. This amuses him, and he can't help but think it couldn't happen to a nicer guy, remembering all that Colter and Swagger put Ricardo through less than a year ago.
So he's a bit more together when he returns to the locker room, undisturbed by the incredulous stares aimed at him as he lifts his bag and sorts through it absent-mindedly. As they begin volleying questions at him, he hears them out before speaking up, understanding all too well why they're looking at him like he's lost his mind. After the last ten days, he'd probably think the same thing should someone come around, repeating the same actions that had gotten them into so much trouble a week prior. Before he can try to explain the plan he and Maryse have thought up, Alberto stands and, speaking with Ricardo for a moment, leaves, to Mike's relief. Del Rio perhaps was making strides for Ricardo's sake, but he still doesn't trust him.
"It's going to make things harder," he admits quietly, before lunging right into trying to explain what he's going to be doing for however long it takes. "I know this, and I'm willing to shoulder it... but while I was in California, I talked to Maryse." He squares his shoulders and looks from Ricardo to Alex, smiling wanly.
The blonde glances over at him with a small smile. "After all, I have no interest in returning to the WWE any time soon. I am happy here, with my business ventures here, and modeling... but it will ease our position in this. No one will actually see us together within the WWE, and we can claim whatever we want without having to force AJ to see anything that would hurt her further."
"But I'll have to say... all of this..."
"Yes, you will," she whispers. "As I said, it would complicate matters between you and her. But it may bring the person who originally began the rumor out of the woodwork faster, and then you can sort it out from there. Give AJ an actual physical presence to pin this all on, she seems like the type of person who needs something to focus her energy on. Whatever their motivation may be, it perhaps will ease her temper to understand exactly why such things were being said. Why we felt compelled to encourage it, at all."
He stares at her and smiles vaguely. "You would be willing to go through all of this trouble for me?"
She nods, shaking her hair out. "Oui, of course, Mike. You are a good man, and I wish you all of the happiness possible. It seems this AJ girl is what makes you happy, and so it will be my pleasure to help you figure this out."
He impulsively hugs her, a quick, friendly hug. "Thank you," he breathes as he pulls away from her, smiling down at her. "I owe you one."
"No, it is nothing," she says, smiling back at him. "We are friends, oui? Friends help each other out without expecting anything in return. Now come, let's get to work on figuring out who's trying to hurt your girlfriend with such vicious rumors."
Ricardo stares at him as he finishes recounting Maryse's suggestion, her idea on faking an engagement between them to bring whoever set out to wound AJ so thoroughly leaving both of Mike's friends quiet and more than a little plumbstruck. He waits as patiently as he ever is, tilting his head as they look at him, look at each other, look back at him. "Ay dios mio, Mike," the ring announcer finally mumbles, many holes in the plan flashing before his eyes as he ponders all of this. Parts of it sound as horrible to him as Del Rio's did, which was initially put into motion to assist him and had, in the end, only damaged him physically and mentally.
"Do you really need to take it that far?" Alex finally finds his voice, swallowing as Mike looks at him. "I mean, AJ's unstable on a good day, she keeps getting reminded of you and Maryse's so-called engagement, and she just... it's probably not going to end well, Mike."
He takes a deep breath and sits down between them. "I know there are a lot of things that could go wrong with this. I've weighed them all, trust me. But I can't let her be an unknowing target by whoever's spreading these rumors. I mean, Maryse and I ended over three years ago, but yet someone still dug that old fling up just to throw it in AJ's face and make it sound bigger than it really is so she's distracted and vulnerable?" He shakes his head. "She's diva's champion, of course she has a multitude of targets on her back, especially with this Total Divas thing. Yes, I bungled it badly when I made that stupid comment on Main Event, and I have to live with that, and what will come of it from here on, but she needs to know who has it out for her to stoop this low. Hell, we all know how petty and vindictive things are in this locker room, they're a million times worse in the divas' locker room."
Alex and Ricardo nod grimly, all too aware of the horror stories from fellow superstars who got stuck between cat fights and bickering between the female competitors. "Well, we'll obviously support you, Mike, whatever you feel is best," Alex says after a moment. "I just hope she'll be able to forgive you and move past all of this afterwards. I really think you both were good for each other."
Mike's face crumples a little, his resolve cracking, but he quickly regains control of himself, nodding briskly. "Yeah, me too, Alex. Thanks, guys," he breathes out, beyond thankful for his friends and their steady presence as he draws in strength from them, to brace him for what will come next.
WWE is in Ohio for Raw but Mike doesn't even bother going to the arena. Instead, he goes home, where his mom greets him with an wide smile and an even bigger hug, holding him close. She hadn't seen much of him since the time he'd invited her to WWE and she'd had to sit and witness him getting demolished by Randy Orton last fall. He hugs her back and smiles into her hair until she pulls away and cups his face, peering deep into his eyes. "Are you ok?"
He laughs and nods, resting his hands on her wrists. "Of course, Mom, why wouldn't I be?"
"You look sad," she tells him, drawing him into the house. "Tell me everything, baby. What's going on?" He hadn't intended on including her in his Woes with AJ tour but she looks so worried and earnest that finally he concedes, telling her everything that he'd said, Maryse's idea. AJ hadn't been tweeting as much, she had been completely ignoring him, and he doesn't blame her. To his mother's credit, she hears him out with a thoughtful look on her face, not interrupting once until he finishes speaking. "Oh, Mike," she breathes out.
"It was a joke," he mutters. "I shouldn't have said it, I know. We've had a couple of issues already where my big mouth got us in trouble, but never like this. If I had just thought it through..." He shakes his head desperately. "I'm such an idiot, mom."
"Oh baby," she breathes, pulling him into another hug. "It's going to be ok. By what you've told me and the things I've seen on TV, she's a tenacious thing who knows what she wants, she'll come around. You just need to give her some time to cool off. But don't give up, keep trying to talk to her. Just don't push too much, that'll have the reverse reaction that you want."
"I know," he murmurs. "I'm trying to be patient. It's just hard, I love her so much and I feel so bad..."
Mrs. Mizanin nods grimly and strokes his hair, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. "I know you do. It's all of those things that leave me with no doubt that, in time, everything will be alright between you two again."
Mike sighs. "Thanks, Mom." They sit and talk quietly for awhile longer, exchanging stories and whatever else they can think of before Raw comes on, Miz glad for this opportunity to visit with his mom one on one. He travels so much that he misses just seeing her, getting to talk with her. She had always understood her quirky son better than most people, or at least until he had joined the WWE and met John, then Alex, AJ and Ricardo...
"Now," she says softly, standing up and clapping her hands together briskly. "Since I don't get you home that often, I feel like spoiling you a bit. What do you want for supper?"
He gapes at her and shakes his head. "I was thinking maybe we could go out, or order in-"
"No, this isn't the time for you to treat me," she tells him with a small smile. "Endulge me, please, Mike. What do you want?"
Releasing a faint sigh, he acquises. "Alright, I... I guess I've been craving your chili for awhile."
She beams at him. "Great, I'll begin it now. Yell if I miss anything interesting."
As she bustles off, he looks at the TV to discover that Raw is starting. Yeah, he thinks, finding the remote and turning the volume up a bit. Interesting... When Orton enters the ring, he's glad she's still busy chopping ingredients in the kitchen, her soft humming only just audible over the dialogue on the TV. He only watches for Batista's return, relieved when Orton clears the ring just before his mom comes back, the chili now heating up. Mike can already smell it, grinning up at her as she sits next to him and leans against him, watching Raw closely. Even when he's not on the schedule, she likes to watch, keep up to date so she has a slightly better idea of what's going on in her son's life, who he talks about when they're on the phone.
Miz's mom has just served the chili, bringing Mike his bowl and a glass of soda, when Del Rio wrestles Mysterio again- the chain of matches between the two reminding Mike of Alberto's myraid of matches against Big E last summer- and they both release a soft breath when he wins after a long match, just for Batista's music to hit a second later. Not a word had been spoken about the Mexican aristocrat during the opening segment but it's clear Dave has no intentions of letting his statements go, not yet anyhow. Mike gasps out a choked laugh as Batista, totally ignoring Alberto's angered yells at him, stands there, nonplussed, as the other man storms towards the ropes, as if about to leave, just to rush back around and try to attack... except that Batista appears to be expecting this, quickly sweeping him up into a bodyslam that rattles the ring. The infamous thumbs down that he'd given Orton years and years ago now directed at Alberto, he scoops him up yet again and Batista Bombs him to the mat, leaving Alberto motionless in the ring as he looks out at the crowd, proud and pleased in the reaction to his first night back.
Ricardo's tweets following this amuse Mike to some degree, but his enjoyment of the last half an hour fades into nothingness when AJ and Tamina come out for another tag match against the Funkadactyls, Tamina's clothes stained in... something. This is quickly explained when they begin airing a clip from earlier in the evening, in which AJ's locker room is shown, his mouth going dry as he realizes. She'd tried to throw a party for her achievement of becoming longest reigning diva's champion and... no one had shown. He closes his eyes and shudders, shaking his head. "AJ..." A thickly accented voice forces him to look once more and he swallows heavily when he realizes. Wade Barrett is sneering down at her, giving her bad news that no one likes her, thus why no one is at her party.
When Josh Mathews comes in to interview her, she's clinging to her cake with a broken look in her eyes, and as he questions her, she completely loses it and throws the cake at him, just for him to dodge and cause the dessert to coat Tamina's face and upperbody. "Dammit," Mike whispers, thoughtlessly putting his bowl down on the table as he stares at her sheepish, apologetic face as she looks over at her enforcer, seemingly a bit calmer now. He wants to be with her, comforting her and helping her to forget, giving her a true party to celebrate the achievement, but... He hesitates and watches as the match progresses, his mom's gaze shifting between the TV and her son.
"Mike," his mom whispers after a moment, Mike's troubled blue eyes moving to meet hers. "Go to her. Now, baby. I know she might not want to hear what you have to say, but I think... she needs you, whether she wants to admit it or not."
He swallows and nods, eyes flickering back to the TV as Naomi rolls her up and pins her, this loss added to everything else leaving AJ screaming for long, painful minutes afterwards. He nods again and stands, knowing that his mother is right. He collects his coat and keys, quickly rushing for the front door. His mom follows him quietly and he pauses in the doorway, staring down at her. "Thanks, Mom," he breathes, smiling slightly when she cups his face and stands on her tippytoes to kiss his forehead.
"Good luck, baby," she tells him softly, waving as he turns and rushes to the car, a long ride ahead of him back to the arena WWE's being held at this evening.
"I'm coming, AJ," he mutters, peeling off down the street towards his girlfriend.
Weather doesn't help at all. The hour long drive becomes even longer as he has to navigate the roads slower as snow begins to fall heavier. He grows frustrated but the mere memory of the look on her face the last time he'd seen her, in a heap in the ring, screaming her heart out, helps him to keep it together, knowing that the last thing she needs is him getting in an accident while trying to make it to her. It had been bad enough that, the last time they were on the outs due to his stupid mouth, he had been taken out by Orton, only making the entire situation that much worse for her.
By the time he arrives, the show is over, the last of the superstars leaving the arena. He shakes his head, grumbling to himself as he realizes she's probably gone already. However, something stops him from getting back in his car and going to find the hotel she's in, four distinct voices carrying easily on the chilly winter air. Barrett is glaring at the members of 3MB as they laugh and dodge around him, tossing his gavel back and forth in a weird, slippery game of keep-away as none of them have great traction in the growing amount of snow. He almost has ahold of Slater when the ginger tosses the thing up in the air, none of them paying much attention to it as Heath slips trying to get away from Wade, flapping his arms for balance, when-
All eyes leave the flailing man when Mike slams the gavel against their rental car, dinging it up with the first strike. "Excuse me!" he says as loudly and obnoxiously as he can.
Drew and Jinder regroup, joining their leader and helping him to regain his balance as Wade approaches Mike, an ugly grimace on his face. "Give that back, right now, Miz."
"Unfortunately I can't do that," he says, scratching the handle against the paint, scraping it up. "First, I have to deliver some bad news to you." Thudding the solid wood item against his hand, he stands up straighter and faces Barrett, undeterred by the angry look on his off-again, on-again rival's face. "If you ever approach AJ again, this gavel is going to be thudding against your skull, and not some cheap rental car." He smirks as Wade sneers at him. "That said, I'll be on my way now." He moves like he's about to toss the gavel up in the air, but instead he grips it tighter and cracks the handle against his knee, shattering it into two. Spinning around hurriedly, he throws it at Wade, who snarls in disgusted anger as pieces of the handle bounce off of his face and shoulders, Mike turning back towards his car and tossing the head of the gavel into a nearby pile of snow, smirking as it's hidden from sight quickly by the steadily following white flakes.
He then gets back in the car, ignoring as Wade tries to dash at the vehicle, just for the members of 3MB to work at holding the angrily spitting man back, Heath's loud voice audible even after Mike's shut his door. "I'll get you a new one, just calm down, dammit!"
Mike pays them no more mind as he drives away, staring resolutely out of the windshield.
"AJ, trust me, I know all of the best hotels in Ohio," he murmurs, brushing the hair out of her eyes as she leans against him. "You'll love it, and will probably insist on going to it whenever you're around the Dayton area, it's awesome."
She shrugs and sits up, kissing him on the mouth. "Whatever you say, Mike. I trust you."
He winces and shakes his head, the memory so vivid that he thinks he can feel her pressed against him, the taste of her lips, the sound of her giggle as he teases her. All of it. It hurts, but sustains him also as he drives towards the very hotel he'd told her about months ago. Hoping that his thoughtlessness hadn't made her do the exact opposite of what he'd suggested, he stops down the street in front of a grocery store that's still open and enters, smiling slightly at just how quiet it is, only people stocking shelves and some second shifters wandering around, getting something to eat before they head home. He looks around the bakery at the cakes that are waiting to be taken and enjoyed, finally picking up a vanilla cake with caramel swirls. He stares down at it for a moment before going to pay, hoping that she'll like it. He doubts he'll ever find out, but that's ok. It's her day, he won't ruin it like everyone else had thus far.
A few minutes later, he pulls up in front of the hotel he had recommended to her so long ago, and stares up at it, wondering which room might be hers. Scraping at the bottom of the barrel, he finds whatever remains of his charm and smiles as brightly as he can as he approaches the front desk, relieved that a woman is manning the computers, her eyes widening when she catches sight of him. "Hello, sir, how may I help you?"
He leans against the counter, ensuring that she can just see the cake in his hands. "I was wondering if you could tell me which room my girlfriend's in..." He watches for only a few seconds as her brow furrows, pushing on before she can refuse him out-right. "See, she achieved a pretty impressive accomplishment at her job today, but I was unable to be there with her to acknowledge it. And I know it's a bit late, but I brought her favorite kind of cake, and I want to try to make up for what I missed out on earlier." She wavers, he can tell she's about to crack. "Please? It would hurt her so much if I didn't do something for today, but I don't want to ruin the surprise by texting her to ask what room she's in..."
Somehow it works, probably helped by the sincere look in his blue eyes- because underneath the false charm, he's sincere in not wanting to disturb AJ nor wanting to completely ignore the day. Either way, something registers with her because she glances around momentarily before turning back to the computer and typing quietly. "What name?"
"AJ Lee."
More typing follows and Mike waits anxiously, gripping the cake box tighter until the girl finally looks up. "She's in room C-12," she whispers.
"Thank you!" he just remembers to call out as he turns and dashes for the elevator, breathing heavily as he anticipates actually getting to see his girlfriend for the first time in days. Floor C comes up almost before he's ready for it, Miz's legs feeling oddly numb as he stumbles out into the hallway and looks left to right, trying to sort out which way to go. Room fifteen is to the left, so he heads that way, unsurprised to see that the floor goes in a circle, looping from room 1 to room 15, with 12 not that far away. He looks up at the brass numbers for a long, tense moment before raising one hand and tentatively knocking.
Minutes pass and nothing happens so he knocks again, louder this time. Still nothing, so a third round of knocking and... the door is forced open, Tamina glowering down at him. "Shut up!" she tells him viciously, her voice lowered as he peers around her into the darkened room. He can only just see AJ, curled up in bed, obviously fast asleep, before Tamina's hand slaps against his chest, pushing him backwards, cake and all. "Get the hell out. No one here wants to see you. Go back to Maryse, maybe she'll believe the bull you sling."
He stands his ground, however, not allowing her to intimidate him as she had previously. "No," he says simply. "I saw how AJ's party was ruined and I want to try to make it up for her." He stares her in the eye and waits as she peers down at the cake held protectively to his chest. When she tries to grab it out of his hands, he twists around and shakes his head. "No. I'm going to deliver this personally. Now move." Tamina doesn't respond and he looks back at her. "I'm not going to say anything. I don't want to add to AJ's pain. She and I will talk, but tonight isn't the right time. I know this. I just want to give her this cake, and then I'll be out of here. Is that too much to ask?"
She stares angrily down at him some more before finally stepping aside, allowing him inside. He's aware that she watches his every movement, but shrugs it off, walking over to AJ's bed. She's quiet and frowning even in her sleep, arms wrapped around the diva's title belt. She looks miserable. His heart breaks for her and he leans over, placing the cake quietly down on the table by her bed before kneeling next to the mattress, staring into her pale face. Every motion of his body could be the final straw for Tamina, he knows this, but he can't just leave without touching his girlfriend, aching to hold her, comfort her, explain his actions since that stupid episode of Main Event. Yet sleep is what she needs to put this horrible day behind her, so he doesn't try to disrupt it as he leans forward and lightly kisses her on the side of the mouth. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart," he whispers to her. "I love you, please don't forget or doubt that. No matter what happens from here, I'm doing it to help you."
Leaving her behind is the hardest thing he's ever had to do, but he doesn't have much choice, her enforcer looking ready to drag him out by his hair at any moment. I'll explain myself soon, he vows as Tamina resoundly shuts the door behind him. Please just hang in there a little longer until I can, AJ.