Mike stumbles back to the hotel room late Thursday, yawning and blinking sluggishly as AJ takes his hand and leads him to the bed, sitting in his lap and handing him a glass of water. Filming had gone long today, his mind distant and causing lines to come out wrong. Paige too was distracted but easier at hiding it than him, but even so, between the two of them, they'd caused a lot of retakes. "Sorry I'm in so late," he tells her, pressing his face into her hair. "How are things here?"
"Fine," she says honestly. After her meltdown the night before, she'd calmed and been more determined than ever to write her book. "I've also been keeping an eye on Twitter for you." The director, exasperated with Mike constantly checking his cell phone when they were already having so many problems, had eventually taken it from him, only allowing him to get his hands on it during breaks. Because of this, he'd had no idea what was going on with Alex, adding to his own displeasure with the situation. AJ smiles at him and kisses him lightly, showing him a tweet. "Alex's surgery was a success, he's doing fine."
Mike scrolls through his former protege's timeline with a hungry eye, nodding slowly as AJ hugs him. "Thank you, sweetheart." He squeezes her. "Considering what he said about you, I wouldn't have blamed you if you'd told me to stuff it when I asked you to do that for me."
She shrugs, smiling slightly. "Nah, Mike. I wouldn't have taken it that far. Usually." She winks at him as he purses his lips at her. "I'm glad he's alright. Now maybe you can focus on your lines tomorrow, hm? And come back to me sooner than you did tonight..."
He nods, staring at her as she traces his lips with her fingers. "Maybe we can try some lines right now, so I know exactly what to do..."
She rests her head against his shoulder and smirks. "Don't you always, Mike?" When he abruptly stands and drops her onto the bed, she lets out a gasp of a squeal, eyes darkening when he hovers over her. "As I was saying..." His kiss quiets her and she sighs needily when his hands rub circles under the hem of her shirt.
Paige leaves over the weekend, all of them relieved that she's healthy enough to fly to Pennsylvania for an appearance at Wizard World. The antibiotics had done their job, her internal injuries also healing up nicely after that scare. They get another day off from filming to allow for her obligations, which means Mike sleeps in for the first time in a long time. When it hits 9 AM and he still isn't stirring, AJ pokes him a couple of times but he only squirms and rolls away from her, moaning a protest into his pillow. She smiles affectionately at him before quietly grabbing her laptop and going across the room to try to write without disturbing him. The book is coming along nicely and she's sure the first draft will be finished before long.
She's lost in the words, turn of phrases, when the laptop is snagged and pulled from her hands, laid on the desk across from her. Her protests die away when Mike leans in and pins her against the back of the chair with a kiss, his blue eyes gleaming in the sunshine pouring in through the window behind her. He lifts her up and sits in the chair, settling her in his lap. His hand is warm against her back as she sighs and brushes her hair back so she can see him better. "What're you doing?"
"We have privacy for once," he whispers, trailing kisses across her shoulder as he shifts her shirt to allow him more room to explore her bare skin. "Figured we should take advantage of it..."
She smiles and arches against him, releasing a breathy exhale. "I like the way you think," she murmurs, fingers brushing through his hair. "The first draft of my book's coming along nicely. I think it'll be done soon." Her eyes flutter closed as she thinks about returning to the States, time spent away from him as he resumes traveling with the WWE. Shaking her head, trying to focus on his warmth instead of how cold these thoughts make her feel, she leans in and cups his face, drawing him up to her before kissing him on the lips.
They go hand in hand down to the restuarant for some mix of breakfast, lunch and supper at some point, Mike's grin lazy and comfortable as AJ playfully orders for him. They feed each other slowly, enjoying each other's company before deciding to bring dessert upstairs and eat it in bed, watching TV. AJ snuggles closer to him, humming as he waves a forkful of chocolate cheesecake at her, her eyes closing in ecstacy as she gets a first taste of the decadent treat. "Damn," she breathes out with a grin as he eats a piece of it from her fingers as well, his reaction about as intense as hers. "Good, huh?"
He grins at her before leaning in, kissing her. "Yeah, it is," he whispers, the dessert all but forgotten.
Paige is back the next day, AJ greeting her with a hug before she and Miz have to leave for the next round of filming. Unlike the day before, AJ gets plenty of time to herself, returning to her book. She types until her fingers hurt, then she settles in for a nap, relieved to wake up before Mike returns, ordering in room service. Including more of that chocolate cheesecake, her lips parting in an anticipatory grin as she hangs up the phone. When he arrives, the food is right behind him and she laughs, tipping the hotel worker for the perfect timing. She sets it all up as he showers, returning to her side in a clean white shirt and boxers. He looks exhausted and she leans up, kissing him, before handing him a plate of lasagna and garlic bread.
He murmurs a thanks before collapsing onto the bed, holding an arm out to her. She snuggles up to him with her own supper- meatloaf and mashed potatoes- while he explains his day, a stressful stretch of filming behind them as they were still trying to catch up on a couple of things after Paige's illness. "But we look to be on track now. We should be done filming early June."
She smiles at him. "That's great, I know you're eager to return to WWE."
He nods, scraping around his lasagna before peeking back at her. "I am, yeah, but I'm going to miss returning to you every night." Her smile fades and he sighs, cupping her face. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad, sweetheart. I know it's all still new to you too. We'll be alright, just need time to adjust to everything."
"Right, of course," she murmurs, squeezing his wrists. Noticing that he seems to be arguing with himself over something, she pecks him on the lips, relieved when this turns his focus onto her. "What is it, husband?"
"Do you want to watch Raw?" he wonders. "Maybe we can see Tamina..." She debates with herself but in the end nods so he grabs the remote and finds the channel that it's on, the two of them settling back into eating while it drones on. Tamina does appear eventually and AJ watches, interested, as her former bodyguard wrestles and beats Brie, bringing AJ some satisfaction.
She leans in and kisses Mike warmly, tasting the garlic and other spices on his lips. "Thank you. It's weird just laying here watching her, but I'm happy to see her doing well." He nods and brushes her hair back, smiling down at her as she rests her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat until she dozes off right there.
He strokes her back and shoulders, counting her breaths. "Everything'll be alright, no matter what," he promises her with a fond smile.