A/N: This was meant to be a bonus story for BtB chapter 300. But I'm grossly behind in everything, so I'm just now finishing it. I hope to be caught up in all bonus stories shortly. Thank you for your patience.
Mike Mizanin had always wanted more out of life. Had wanted to get out of Ohio, away from his father's sandwich shop... had wanted to make a name for himself. But his mom had gotten sick at the tail end of high school, money had been tight, and he'd stayed. Finished off his business degree, started helping out at George's Sandwiches, turned things around. His mom had gotten healthy again, the money had gotten better, the business had flourished under his innovation and cunning. It's a small enough area that everyone knows everyone, and most of the women he sees he's grown up knowing, and none interest him. Lovely friends, sure, but just missing that spark he wanted in something more.
He's working on orders for his father that weekend when the bell rings and he sighs, pinching his nose. The girl they'd hired had gone on a 15 minute break barely five minutes ago, leaving him alone to try to catch up on a few things during a quiet moment, but that hadn't lasted long. Putting the papers down, he stands up and walks out to the front counter. A woman with dark brown hair and eyes are leaning against the counter, looking around the business until she hears him coming. "Hey, how may I help you?" Mike asks, walking up to the cash register.
"Yeah," she sighs, sounding as enthused as he feels. "Uh, I'm here with the WWE this weekend." She has his attention now, his eyebrows quirking as he watches her. "So I need to get subs for, like everyone on the roster..." She groans, digging around in her bag. "I have a list here somewhere..." Finally she finds it and pulls it out, staring at him. "Sorry to do this to you on short notice, but they sprung it on me last minute and..." She looks young and vulnerable as she shifts anxiously in her sneakers. "I'm new on the main roster, and I need to impress, or... the boys will never let me hear the end of it..." She rolls her eyes tiredly. "Can you help me out, please?"
He listens to her as he stares at the order. More subs than he thinks he's put together the entire twelve years he's worked here, but yet... He thinks he has enough, since they just got a fresh shipment of things in half an hour ago. "How are you paying for all of this?" he asks absently, watching as she clunks a Platinum credit card in front of him, clearly a corporate card for World Wrestling Entertainment, and he swallows hard. With this pay, they'd be good for almost a month. "Sure, I'll get started on that right away," he says, ringing up the order carefully.
She watches him with a slightly bored look on her face, twirling her hair as he presses buttons on the register. "Are you working here alone?" she asks, glancing around the business.
He glances up and makes a face. "I have a co-worker but she bailed to go on her break a few minutes before you came in." He continues imputting sub after sub after sub, relieved that there are a lot of similar orders so he can just add them up together, her stare making him a little uncomfortable.
She shrugs, finally taking a seat. "Alright, I'm in no hurry." He relaxes a little when she does, focused now on the bill before him and making sure he's imputting everything correctly. She's quiet until he's done, staring out of the window at cars and people going by. "Is business always like this?"
He looks up with a frown, takes in the empty room, the vacant chairs and how pristine and untouched everything looks. "Well, no. We're just having a quiet period." They come and go, and he feels a little ashamed that she's come at a subdued point of his day, though he's not sure why. He collects piles of bread, starting to cut, toast, slather them with mayonnaise or whatever else base the order slip recommends. Takes it one at a time, checking off each sub as he finishes with it. After awhile, he feels her eyes on him and looks up. "Hey, mind if I ask your name?"
She parts her lips and tilts her head, squinting her eyes before seeming to realize that no, she hadn't introduced herself. "Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. I'm AJ Lee."
He nods, wiping his hands off on a nearby towel before reaching out for her. "I'm Mike Mizanin. George is my father." Her lips twitch up into a small smile as she shakes his hand. "Nice to meet you." He swallows down a small flutter her touch had caused in his chest and returns his focus to the subs as she echoes the sentiment, now keeping her attention as he breezes through the order, able to make most of these subs in his sleep. He's mostly done with the actual subs, wrapping them up, when his co-worker finally returns and takes in the scene, eyes wide at the monsterous pile of food.
Mike shoots her a censuring look, rounding the counter. "Finish wrapping those subs up and grab the chips and sodas listed on the order," he tells her before turning to AJ. "Here, I'll help you load up," he says, grabbing a couple of the bags and following her to her car. As she chooses the best ways to lay the bags so none of the subs get too beat up, he leans against the side of the car and watches her. Enjoys the way her hair flows, how her nose wrinkles cutely as she thinks. "So," he says, clearing his throat awkwardly. "What's it like being a wrestler?"
"Tiring," she says honestly. "Lots of travel, it's very physical. But it's fun too, you know? See how the fans enjoy all of it, and light up when they get to meet you." She smiles wanly. "I'm relatively new to all of it, it still blows me away." They go to get another bunch of bags, Mike careful to place them how she directs him. "How is it being a sub connoisseur?" she asks with a small laugh.
He frowns a little, facing her. "Well, it's ok. I stayed to support my parents when they needed me." He brushes a hand over his face. "Truthfully, I was planning on leaving before my mom got sick. I was gonna go to Hollywood. Make it big. Maybe even try out to be a wrestler myself." He smirks. "But life always takes you where it wants you, so I guess I'm here to stay. And that's ok." He looks up at his father's business and blows out a breath, remembering that hard period of time. "It could've been a lot worse."
She examines him, curious. "Yeah? What would your gimmick be?"
He blinks, surprised. Out of everything anyone had ever said about his rarely talked about lost ambitions, no one had ever asked that. " Well, I never really talked to anyone about it before, but I had it in my head for a long time that my name would be The Miz, and I'd just be myself turned up to ten." He chuckles. "You know, loud and kind of abrasive and desperate to make it big. Something like that." He picks at his nails while taking in how the sun plays with her hair, dances off of her eyes. "I've been busy with the store and I haven't really watched in awhile. I might have to pick it up again now." He smiles down at her and she turns an interesting shade of pink, the two of them peering at each other... just for their moment to be ruined by his co-worker slamming the door of the store behind her as she saunters up with two bags full of chips and other sides that had been placed on the order slip.
AJ thanks her, taking the bags and adding them to the pile, but Mike's response is far from gracious as AJ looks at her phone and pales. "Damn, I have to go, or they're all going to be so mad." She smiles at Mike, behind him at the girl still hovering and, not for the first time, Mike wonders why he'd agreed with his father that they needed a second person behind the counter. She returns to the building long enough to sign the bill, adding in a decent sized tip, before skipping to her car, God help him, and Mike can barely keep his eyes off of her through the window.
"Someone's got it bad," the girl says, breaking him out of his thoughts as he turns to glare at her. She lifts her hands and smirks. "Just sayin', boss." Before he can snap at her to get back to work, she's bustling into the room where they keep their supplies, whistling softly as she takes in how depleted everything is thanks to AJ's order.
"Totally worth it though," Mike mumbles, running his hands down his face and wondering if he'll ever see AJ again. He barely remembers the rest of his shift.
That night, Mike watches WWE for the first time in a long time, trying to tell himself that he isn't watching just for AJ Lee. Not that it matters, she's only on for a brief time, but the few minutes he sees her, he's captivated. She doesn't act much different on TV, except that she's wrestling and he gets to see her in wrestling gear and... He swallows, forcing himself to shut the TV off when her match is done. "Well, shit, I'm in trouble," he mumbles, scrubbing at his face. His only relief is that WWE only comes to Ohio a couple of times a year so hopefully the next time he hears they're coming around again, he'll have gotten over this thing, found something new to keep busy with.
His sleep is disjointed, full of strange, wispy dreams that night, and when he stirs thanks to his alarm, blinking blurrily at the sunshine pointedly poking through his curtains, he groans and rolls out of bed, staggering for a hot shower and even hotter coffee, desperate to find some way to wake up. Nothing works and he's leaning against the counter at the sub shop before he even remembers fully leaving the house, chin pressed into his hand as he fights every inclination not to nod off right there and then.
He barely registers the bell ring as the door is pushed open and struggles to look up. "How can I help you?" A familiar giggle is his answer and he looks up, jaw dropping as he sees AJ Lee standing before him, looking even more beautiful without makeup, hair held up in a ponytail. "Wha- am I hallucinating?" he wonders and she laughs out loud this time, shaking her head.
"Not quite," she says. Leans towards him and smiles. "I was heading to the airport to catch my flight when I realized. Through everything going on yesterday, there's something I forgot."
He racks his brain, tries to think of something she may have left behind- her phone? Wallet? The credit card? Maybe some of the order? He's already pulling out the lost and found box, trying to figure this out, when she rests her hand on his. Smiles at him softly. "AJ?"
Ignoring his breathless question, she turns his hand over and presses something into his palm. Leaning further over the counter, she examines his bloodshot eyes and giggles softly, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "Thanks for everything, Mike. Get some rest, huh? You look rough." She pats his hand a couple of times before pulling away and skipping, once again, out of the business to her car, to leave.
He gapes after her, amazed, before curling his fingers inwards and hearing a crinkling noise. Frowning, it takes him a minute to remember she'd given him something. There's a piece of paper in his hand and he holds it up, squinting at the jibberish there before it registers with him. Ten numbers... a phone number. He yelps and drops the paper, watching as it flutters back to the counter. "No way!"
He has to temper his shock over the innocent sheet of paper that he hides in his pocket when a customer comes in, places an order and then takes a seat at the corner table to wait. He makes the sub hurriedly, takes payment, and then wishes the man a nice day before turning his attention back to his phone as soon as the place is empty once more. Imputting the number, he hesitates over the keyboard, unsure what to say. AJ? It's Mike.
It seems to take forever before she answers and he remembers she's at the airport, but then, Hi Mike! Now I can add you to my contacts list.. BTW: your sub was the best sub I've ever had.
He swallows hard, laughs weakly. Thinks it's too soon to say she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever had in his shop, settles for, I'm glad you liked it. Maybe I'll have to personally cater the next WWE event in my part of Ohio.
It could probably be arranged, everyone raved over the food yesterday. I'm boarding, but I'll text you when I land, alright?
He smiles. Sure. Safe travels. Laying his phone down, he wipes down the counter absentmindedly, unable to wipe the giddy look off of his face, all exhaustion wiped clean from him. His memories of the last 24 hours are still spotty, but he can remember the warmth of her lips on his cheek, and it gives him hope that maybe... even though he'd had to give up one dream, another could be right around the corner for him, thanks to his father's sub shop bringing AJ Lee into his life.