______________________________________________________
*Two Days Later*
Carlito practically grumbled as he walked alone to catering. His stomach was growling and he wasn't particularly in a good mood as it was.
He knew exactly what it was that was bothering him and had been for the last two days - Ashley. After she had hung up on him when Hardy had come to her house, she hadn't called him back. He'd even given her a few hours, assuming she would eventually call, but it had never happened. And although his heart had sunken, he didn't bother calling *her* back, either. The way he saw it, if she didn't pick up the phone to ring him and explain, she obviously wasn't interested. She didn't care...
He grabbed a plate and plopped a sandwich on it, then sat down at the nearest empty table. As he began to eat methodically, the mention of the blonde diva's name drew his attention to the couple at another table nearby.
"So we'll appeal to Ashley," Adam Copeland was saying. "You yourself said you think she would help. I think we should pay her a visit."
"I know, but-"
"Excuse me... I'm sorry to interrupt."
Adam and Amy looked up simultaneously to see Carlito Colon standing over their table. The young man's expression looked somewhat troubled to the redhead, and instinctively, she knew it had something to do with Ashley.
"I understand you two want to visit Ash."
"Yeah," the tall blond man said with a slight nod. "Amy wants to get her dog back from Matt, and she said she'd help."
"I see," Carlito said. He glanced over his shoulder, spotting a chair and pulled it over to join the couple sitting at the small table. "I'm sorry I'm intruding," he continued as the pair eyed him in silence. "I hope this isn't too much to ask, but I'd like to go with you if... *when* you visit Ashley."
Adam and the redhead exchanged knowing glances. Something was up, and not anything necessarily good.
"Okay," Amy replied first. She searched the young man's dark eyes, noting pain in spite of the grateful look that suddenly crossed his face. "Is everything okay?"
"Well, not really," he said, wondering why he was even answering truthfully. He hardly knew the couple. "She hung up on me when we were talking on the phone a couple of days ago... And she never called me back." Carlito kept his head down as he spoke the words softly.
Amy felt her heart going out to him. To her, it was painfully clear the young man was in love with the blonde diva.
She reached for his hand, touching it gently, briefly as she asked the next question.
"You two had a fight?"
Carlito shook his head.
"No... Her boyfriend showed up. I guess she was afraid of him finding out who she was talking to."
Adam looked from the man to Amy, and their gazes locked. If Ashley Massaro had any kind of tender feelings for Carlito, Adam thought, the two were in pretty much the exact same situation *they* had been in. And with Matt Hardy in the middle of it, it would be anything but good. It would be a downright mess.
"I bet it was Matt who hung up on you," the blond man said.
"You think so?"
"Yeah, I do," Adam replied. "I know him damn well to know it's something he would do if he suspected his girlfriend was talking to another man." He shifted his green eyes to Amy's hazel.
"Still... In two days, she hasn't called me back," Carlito said, putting his elbows up on the table and lowering his chin onto his hands. He looked to be almost pouting like a little kid.
Amy bit her lip as thoughts whirled through her head. She didn't want to voice it right there, but she thought it possible that the blonde hadn't called him back because Matt was keeping tabs on her, so to speak. For all she knew, he might have even confiscated Ashley's cell phone. She nearly shuddered at the memory of what had happened when he'd gotten hold of hers.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"What the hell is this, Amy?"
His dark eyes were stern and hard - and unbelievably cold considering their brown color. She swore she had never seen such dark eyes look so cold.
"How in fuck do you explain this?"
The redhead shook her head, shivering as she eyed him with the blanket - which he hastily allowed to drop to the floor - in one hand, her new cell phone in the other. She was freezing as she laid there, as she always slept in the nude. Judging by the stark darkness filtering from under the blinds on the windows, it was quite late. Her squinty gaze then caught sight of the clock - three-fourteen in the morning. And then, along with the rest of her, her heart froze...
... He had her cell phone - her *secret* one - and she had a few messages saved on it - messages from Adam, telling her he loved her, that he couldn't function without her.
"Matt..."
"Damn you to hell, Amy Dumas!" Hardy shouted. He tossed her phone down viciously, not caring whether or not he broke it. "So, you're fucking him, huh? Is that what's been going on right under my nose and behind my back?"
"Wh-What are you-"
Matt gestured wildly as he shouted, interrupting her.
"What am I talking about? Is that what you're gonna ask me? Don't play dumb with me, bitch! Lisa Copeland called me tonight... We had a nice long chat. She told me everything, Amy - *everything*!"
The redhead felt sick. Her mouth was suddenly completely dry. He knew... Lisa knew... They actually *knew*!
"She found a sweet little message from you on her husband's cell phone," the furious man continued. "You love him and miss being with him?!" Matt roared. He was literally shaking and had to get hold of himself before he reached out and actually hit the naked woman on the bed.
As Amy remained silent, the dark-haired man somehow kept fairly calm... Well, at least enough so that he didn't physically strike out at her.
"Look, Amy... The cat's out of the fucking bag now, so you might as well confess. That's all I want from you right now, to hear it from *your* lips."
The shaking redhead felt the hot tears slipping down her cheeks. She was in shock. This entire thing seemed like an impossible dream, a nightmare. She hadn't meant for him to find out, at least not *this* way.
"All right, Matt... All right," she said, surprised at how steady her voice was in spite of her crying. "Yes, I've been sleeping with Adam. I-"
"I don't *believe* this!" he shouted, holding his head with both hands.
"- love him."
Those last three words uttered by the redhead struck Hardy speechless. He gave her the most awful, hate-filled look before fleeing from the room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Amy? Are you okay?"
She shifted her eyes to Adam's kind, handsome face, so filled with concern and love. God, how she loved this man.
"Yes, I'm fine. I was just remembering something."
"So, it's okay if Carlito comes with us, right? When we go to see Ashley?"
She glanced over at the other man and nodded.
"Yeah, sure thing."